Matt_O

This upcoming cup final is between Moscow and Seattle, two of the top teams in the latter half of the S60s and early S70s. This finals matchup is definitely not going to make longtime Nighthawk players happy, as the Malmo vs Seattle rivalry was pretty real in S68, and the Moscow vs Malmo was kinda real in S66 and S67.  The Bears and the Nighthawks were the two best up and coming teams heading into S68, and their was fierce debate between who would be better. Malmo was better (during the regular season). The Bears undoubtedly benefited from an easy North American Conference that year, as they surprised everyone by finishing in first place. They cruised to the finals to meet Malmo, their rivals. And then they spanked Malmo, which definitely surprised me, but I was on Malmo so I guess of course I was surprised. However, I think everyone can agree that a four game sweep was not expected. Seattle would ride their momentum to back to back cups, while Malmo would never reach that height again. Seattle looks to continue their dominance over the last few seasons, while Moscow looks to stop them, and leave their stamp on the last few years.

This upcoming cup final is between Moscow and Seattle, two of the top teams in the latter half of the S60s and early S70s. This finals matchup is definitely not going to make longtime Nighthawk players happy, as the Malmo vs Seattle rivalry was pretty real in S68, and the Moscow vs Malmo was kinda real in S66 and S67.  The Bears and the Nighthawks were the two best up and coming teams heading into S68, and their was fierce debate between who would be better. Malmo was better (during the regular season). The Bears undoubtedly benefited from an easy North American Conference that year, as they surprised everyone by finishing in first place. They cruised to the finals to meet Malmo, their rivals. And then they spanked Malmo, which definitely surprised me, but I was on Malmo so I guess of course I was surprised. However, I think everyone can agree that a four game sweep was not expected. Seattle would ride their momentum to back to back cups, while Malmo would never reach that height again. Seattle looks to continue their dominance over the last few seasons, while Moscow looks to stop them, and leave their stamp on the last few years.

Quik is the best Matt on the site

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1von7tjVRZzPpIUF8pQ0K35tPtQTytM94tN-jg12o94Y/edit?usp=sharing
 
this is the article i wrote

I see people complain about STHS all the time, and sometimes it seems obvious why. Sometimes, the sims feel almost random, but I would say that most of the time the sims do a good job. Just because there is an upset doesn't mean it's random, because upsets always happen. If what happened in the NHL during last years playoffs (all wild cards won) happened on this site, there would be an uprising against STHS, when in reality it's not that bad. Just because your team was favored to win and lost doesn't mean the sim is broken.
 
STHS has been used for over 70 seasons, so it must be good. The only thing that isn't great about STHS is the way how they seemingly pick which players are stars in the league. You could two people with identical stats and one of them has 100 points and the other has 50. Kyson Blake had 88 points his rookie year, but then had a combined 107 points in his next four full seasons. Player stats sometimes seem sort of random, which is the only real problem, and it's not even all that much of a problem because generally the highest TPE guys are at the top of the points leaderboards. I don't think there is a problem with STHS. Are there better options out there? Probably, but obviously the sim engine is doing something right if it's been in use for over 70 seasons.

I see people complain about STHS all the time, and sometimes it seems obvious why. Sometimes, the sims feel almost random, but I would say that most of the time the sims do a good job. Just because there is an upset doesn't mean it's random, because upsets always happen. If what happened in the NHL during last years playoffs (all wild cards won) happened on this site, there would be an uprising against STHS, when in reality it's not that bad. Just because your team was favored to win and lost doesn't mean the sim is broken.
 
STHS has been used for over 70 seasons, so it must be good. The only thing that isn't great about STHS is the way how they seemingly pick which players are stars in the league. You could two people with identical stats and one of them has 100 points and the other has 50. Kyson Blake had 88 points his rookie year, but then had a combined 107 points in his next four full seasons. Player stats sometimes seem sort of random, which is the only real problem, and it's not even all that much of a problem because generally the highest TPE guys are at the top of the points leaderboards. I don't think there is a problem with STHS. Are there better options out there? Probably, but obviously the sim engine is doing something right if it's been in use for over 70 seasons.

I will do some research and provide an update tomorrow

Everyone, lets not vote for HHH so he isn't in the all star game

General Zod
Defenseman, Las Vegas Aces
 
General Zod has blessed us from his home planet of Krypton and has decided to enter the S72 VHL draft. Being a General, he is a natural leader, and was an assistant captain for the Aces this season.  Statistically, he was the best defenseman in Vegas, leading their defense unit in points, assists, hits, and blocked shots. While Zod focuses on being a shutdown, defensive defenseman, he also has the ability to make plays, evident by his 65 assists this season. He evolved into a do it all defenseman this year in the VHLM, and he hopes he can continue that in the VHL.
 
Strengths
 
Physicality
Zod's best weapon is the way he uses his body. His huge 6'8 frame allows him to shield his opponents from the puck, and he also is very intimidating. His 201 hits were the tenth most in the VHLM this season, and he got off to a slow start. If he had his second half pace during the first half of the season, he could have cracked into the top five. If any team is in need of a shutdown, physical defenseman, General Zod is your guy.
 
Playmaking
At first, Zod had no interest in making plays. He wanted to put the puck in the back of the net with his monster slapshot. However, he realized that making plays and passing the puck is easier, especially when you have elite forwards such as SS Hornet, Joe Proto, Pengu, and the list goes on. Zod's ability to feed the puck to his teammates is second to none. While his assist total of 65 wasn't enough to make it into the top 10 this year, normally it would have been more than enough. If Zod played in S67, he would have been fifth place in assists for the year. Zod is an elite playmaker, but the absurd goal scoring in the VHLM (specifically Ottawa) has made his assist total seem like nothing. General Zod can make plays, despite entering the league as a pure defensive defenseman. 
 
Weaknesses
 
Blocking shots
You may be wondering, how is Zod a shutdown defenseman if he only has 79 blocked shots? Allow me to explain. Usually, players on bad teams tend to get more blocked shots than players on good teams because the bad teams are in their defensive zone more often. Vegas was one of the better teams in the VHLM this year, which would explain the low shot block totals. Not only that, but Zod still had the most blocked shots on his team. If Zod gets drafted to a below average team in the draft, I would anticipate his shot block totals go way up. However, that hasn't happened yet, so for now, this is a weakness for him.
 
If you select General Zod in the upcoming draft, you will be getting a special talent. His work ethic and commitment to getting better is stronger than ever. You will be getting a tough, physical defensive defenseman that also knows how to make plays. What else do you want from a player?
 

Everyone, lets not vote for HHH so he isn't in the all star game

Everyone, lets not vote for HHH so he isn't in the all star game

This graphic belongs in @Motzaburger's trophy case. 
 
Hello and welcome to Season Two of The Talents Behind the Trophies. In this series, we delve deep into the history of the Victory Hockey League to learn more about the players that the various awards of the VHL and VHLM are named after. Many times, people covet a trophy, yet they don't know the story behind the player the award is named for. Personally, I feel that the stories of these players should be told. You see, these awards were initially named after NHL players, eventually taking the name of VHL players who personified the spirit of that award. Naturally, these are some of the best to ever grace the league, and The Talents Behind the Trophies will ensure their stories are known. 
 
But first, let's take a look at the content the VSN has in store for the league. With both the VHL and VHLM seasons coming to a close, check out the weekly reviews for both as the playoff picture starts to become clear. @Patrik Tallinder shows us the prospect pools for all six NA Conference teams as draft day approaches, and Deep Rewind takes a look at the interesting career of AK47. As the off-season draws nearer, keep an eye out for the return of the VSN Mock Draft and the Top 25 Players too!
 
The VHLM Review | VSN Weekly Review | VSN Radio | Future Watch | Deep Rewind
 
In terms of VHL awards, the Alexander Valiq Trophy is among the newest, having officially been in existence for less than a decade. Created in Season 63, it is retroactively credited to the players who won the Sterling Labatte Trophy from Season 59 to Season 62, which allowed the Sterling Labatte Trophy to return to its roots as the award for the top overall defenseman in the VHL. The Alexander Valiq Trophy has been awarded to the top offensive defenseman in the VHL, and it's difficult to think of a better player to name the award for. With 698 career points, Alexander Valiq is the only defenseman in the history of the VHL to score 300 goals, with the final goal of his career being #300 itself. Although he was a Hall of Famer, individual awards eluded him during his illustrious career, although had the award that bears his name existed in his time, it's safe to say that he would have won it multiple times. 
 

The Alexander Valiq Trophy, awarded to the player deemed to be the best offensive defenseman in the VHL.
 
As a member of the Bern Royals in Season 29, Alexander Valiq quickly established himself as the scoring threat that he would become in the VHL. Scoring 54 goals and tallying 69 (nice) assists, Valiq also blocked 148 shots, winning the Bourque Trophy (since renamed the Ryan Sullivan Trophy) despite having a -6 on the season. Although it wasn't known at the time, this would be the only individual award that Valiq ever won during his career. His successful season in the M worked wonders for his draft stock, being drafted by the Riga Reign third overall in the Season 30 VHL Entry Draft, with only the legendary Ethan Osborne and Sakic Trophy winner Yuri Grigorenko going ahead of Valiq. Despite the Reign missing the playoffs, Valiq's career in the VHL was off to a good start. His offensive abilities were evident, scoring 24 goals and topping 50 points in his rookie season. 
 
However, Valiq is not remembered for his time with the Reign, and for good reason. During the off-season leading up to Season 31, Valiq's agent, Pavel Koradek, was named as the general manager of the Quebec City Meute, one of two expansion teams joining the VHL. As a result, Valiq made the move to Quebec City with him. Although the Meute failed to make the playoffs in their inaugural season, Alexander Valiq exploded onto the scene in his sophomore season. With 59 goals and 51 assists, he broke 100 points for the first time in his career. Season 32 saw Valiq score a career-high 121 points, including 56 goals. Behind his career year, the Meute reached the playoffs for the first time, although they would be eliminated by the New York Americans in five games, going on to defeat the Riga Reign in a seven-game series to win the Continental Cup.
 

Despite being drafted by Riga, Alexander Valiq became the first face of the Quebec City Meute.
 
However, both Valiq and Quebec City suffered setbacks in Season 33, despite it being the first season that Alexander was joined by his brothers, Niklas and Tomas Valiq. After recording two straight 100 point seasons, Valiq recorded 46 goals and assists to finish with 92 points. The Meute additionally failed to reach the playoffs, although they were able to right the ship and return to the post-season in Season 34. After drafting Doug Clifford and acquiring fellow Season 30 draftee Yuri Grigorenko and elite goaltender Skylar Rift, Quebec City roared back to life and returned to form. Although Valiq's production continued to dip, scoring 39 goals and 84 points, he hit another gear in the playoffs. Although Quebec City would be defeated in seven games by the Calgary Wranglers, Valiq's 11 points in the series were a big reason that the Meute were able to push Calgary to the brink. Despite the loss, things were looking up for the Quebec City Meute, as they were on the cusp of becoming a serious contender. 
 
Season 35, however, was a bit of an anomaly for Valiq. While his brothers Niklas and Tomas, along with Wesley Kellinger, enjoyed career years and Yuri Grigorenko continued his dominance by leading the Meute with 113 points, Alexander Valiq finished with 29 goals and 69 (nice) points, his lowest totals since his rookie season. Despite that, Season 35 wound up being his most memorable season, for Quebec City had truly become a force. The Meute dominated during the regular season, winning the Victory Cup and securing a first-round bye. The Meute had a rematch with Calgary in the Conference Finals, this time defeating the Wranglers in another seven-game series. Facing off against the Helsinki Titans for the Continental Cup, Valiq and the Quebec City Meute came through by winning their first-ever championship in a hard-fought six-game series. 
 

Yuri Grigorenko led the Meute in scoring during their Cup-winning year in Season 35.
 
Although his point totals had been decreasing, Alexander Valiq put a stop to that in Season 36. Scoring 29 goals, he showed off added finesse to his passing abilities with a career-high 66 assists, finishing with 95 points. Mounting a determined defence of their title, the Meute returned to the playoffs, dispatching the Seattle Bears in a tough seven-game series. The Toronto Legion, who had finished first in the North American Conference, however, proved to be too much for Quebec City, defeating Valiq and the Meute in six games. Entering his final season, Alexander Valiq was facing a unique situation. With 282 goals, he was 18 goals shy of becoming the first defenseman to ever score 300 goals in the VHL. Although he wound up scoring his career-low amount of goals, it wound up being just enough, as Valiq finished his VHL career with exactly 300 goals. The Meute made one last push to send Valiq out on top, but after a Game Seven loss to the Seattle Bears, Alexander Valiq's VHL career had come to an end. 
 
  
The Valiq Brothers were a key part of the early days of the Quebec City Meute, but only Alexander would make the VHL Hall of Fame. 
 
Although individual accolades eluded Valiq during his career, there was no denying the elite offensive productions that he made from the blue line. As a result, in Season 42, Alexander Valiq was immortalized through his enshrinement in the VHL Hall of Fame, along with Mitch Higgins. When the time came in Season 63 for the creation of an award for the league's top defenseman, there was simply no other choice but to name it after Alexander Valiq, who remains the only defenseman in VHL history to reach 300 goals. In the brief history of the Alexander Valiq Trophy, two players have won the award twice: Ay Ay Ron (while it was being awarded as the Sterling Labatte Trophy) and Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen, who still has a shot to bring home a third Valiq Trophy before he retires. Helsinki's Erik Summers, last season's Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy winner, lead all defensemen in points with 73, although Hulk Hogan of the Seattle Bears is just behind him with 71 and Prague Phantoms defenseman Cinnamon Block is right on his tail with 69 points. With two young blueliners leading the way and HC Davos Dynamo rookie Roque Davis making a strong case for  not only the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy as the VHL's top rookie, but the Alexander Valiq Trophy itself with 25 goals and 69 points, it's safe to say that the next batch of electrifying defensemen has arrived in the VHL.
 
Player Mentions: @Koradek, @STZ, @Boragina, @Squinty, @Kyle, @Frank, @Devise, @boubabi, @flyersfan1453, @Erik Summers, @omgitshim, @Josh, @Hulk Hogan

Review
 
This a very well thought out response to recruitment efforts. I agree with you about social media specifically, since the last time I checked, the Instagram and Twitter for the VHL aren't active. I also completely agree about the search, it is pretty terrible. I do historical articles often and try to look up player names and other stuff, but it is very hard to find. The way you formatted this made it easy to understand. Your experience with social media could be used in a useful way, and I would hope that the higher ups contact you about that because you bring up a very fair point that this site is for a very specific group of people. Overall it was a well written, well thought out article with many good suggestions that can help recruitment and retention. 
 
9/10

Ahahahaha

Ahahahaha

I should add that DiGiannantonio would be 9th

I probably should be sleeping but I can't sleep tonight so I will be doing a quick mock draft. Not really a mock draft, just a brief look at prospects.
 
The clear best player in the draft is SS Hornet. Not only does he have far more TPE than everyone, he is a center rather than a winger and a returning member. He will most likely be the first pick.
 
Next we have two and three, which are Robin Winter and Valtteri Vaakanainen. Both are strong returning members with lots of TPE. They can be flipped at 2 or 3, it can go either way.
 
There are three huge wild cards for the first round in my opinion. Defenseman Latrell Mitchell, Gino DiGiannantonio, and Zamboni Driver. I considered putting Jungkok as a wildcard but I figured that it's a safe bet to assume that they will go higher than their TPE rankings because it's tfong, everyone knows he won't go anywhere. Mitchell is a first generation defenseman with a decent TPE advantage on myself (General Zod) and Randy Marsh, but it's nothing crazy. Will he be D1 and be a possible top 3 pick? Or will he slip because he is a first gen, and those behind him are returning members and then maybe fall out of top 10? Next is DiGiannantonio. He could find a way to slip lower in the rankings because of the controversy behind the member, but this might just be old news and it's no longer a concern. He could fall if the controversy is still a concern, but I'm not sure if it is. Finally, we have Zamboni Driver. His TPE values are lower but he is basically the only good goalie. He will be drafted way higher than his TPE values suggest.
 
My projected rankings (taking member and such into account) 
 
1. SS Hornet
2. Valtteri Vaakanainen
3. Robin Winter
4. Randy Marsh
5. Jungkok
6. Latrell Mithell
7. Zamboni Driver
8. General Zod
 

In November of 2018, I joined the Victory Hockey League. My cousin @TrevorC11 told me about this league, and I had an immediate interest. Unfortunately, he was confused about how it worked and wasn't as interested, and quickly became inactive. I tried to get him back into it and he got signed to the Wild, but never earned any TPE. He just didn't understand how to do it, and it frustrated him. I was new to it as well, so I couldn't explain the process of earning TPE to him because I didn't know much of it myself. He didn't return to the VHL until August, where I tried to get him to make a new player, but he just wasn't interested. All these questions he had when he joined could have been easily answered had he joined the vhl's discord.
 
At the time of his joining, he received only one offer and was confused on what to do. He never accepted the offer because he wasn't sure how to work the portal. I tried to explain it to him the best I could, but I was just as new as he was and I knew next to nothing. I would rely on the team discord servers to tell me how our team did in the playoffs because I didn't know where to find the game results. I also frequently posted vhl.com articles in the media spots section because I didn't know there was a vhl.com articles section. The biggest issue was that there was so many different functions of the league that I didn't know what I was doing even though I asked questions in the team discord. I figured it out eventually, but the problem is that people such as my cousin don't have the patience or as much interest as I did, so they get frustrated and leave. A lot of the information for new people are posted on forums and easy to access if you get guidance from other members, but the problem that I faced when I was new was that I didn't know what a lot of the stuff meant. I had access to the information, but I didn't know what the information meant. This is why I don't think it's a coincidence that once teams started using discord, recruitment and retainment skyrocketed in S66 and S67. While the effort of the recruitment certainly was important for that big boom in members, I believe that team discords made retainment of members much higher than it ever has been.  
 
The team discords are great for several reasons compared to looking at forums posts for help. First of all, many of the forum posts are locked so you can't ask questions, and even if you do, there's a chance no one will see it. In discord, it is not only a guarantee someone will see your question and answer, but the time it takes for them to answer is way faster than what it would take on forums. Discord also creates a much more friendly experience because you feel a bond with other new members as well as the team GM, which is key for retainment. Having team discords certainly helped to keep me active, because I would have no idea what was going on without it. 

In November of 2018, I joined the Victory Hockey League. My cousin @TrevorC11 told me about this league, and I had an immediate interest. Unfortunately, he was confused about how it worked and wasn't as interested, and quickly became inactive. I tried to get him back into it and he got signed to the Wild, but never earned any TPE. He just didn't understand how to do it, and it frustrated him. I was new to it as well, so I couldn't explain the process of earning TPE to him because I didn't know much of it myself. He didn't return to the VHL until August, where I tried to get him to make a new player, but he just wasn't interested. All these questions he had when he joined could have been easily answered had he joined the vhl's discord.
 
At the time of his joining, he received only one offer and was confused on what to do. He never accepted the offer because he wasn't sure how to work the portal. I tried to explain it to him the best I could, but I was just as new as he was and I knew next to nothing. I would rely on the team discord servers to tell me how our team did in the playoffs because I didn't know where to find the game results. I also frequently posted vhl.com articles in the media spots section because I didn't know there was a vhl.com articles section. The biggest issue was that there was so many different functions of the league that I didn't know what I was doing even though I asked questions in the team discord. I figured it out eventually, but the problem is that people such as my cousin don't have the patience or as much interest as I did, so they get frustrated and leave. A lot of the information for new people are posted on forums and easy to access if you get guidance from other members, but the problem that I faced when I was new was that I didn't know what a lot of the stuff meant. I had access to the information, but I didn't know what the information meant. This is why I don't think it's a coincidence that once teams started using discord, recruitment and retainment skyrocketed in S66 and S67. While the effort of the recruitment certainly was important for that big boom in members, I believe that team discords made retainment of members much higher than it ever has been.  
 
The team discords are great for several reasons compared to looking at forums posts for help. First of all, many of the forum posts are locked so you can't ask questions, and even if you do, there's a chance no one will see it. In discord, it is not only a guarantee someone will see your question and answer, but the time it takes for them to answer is way faster than what it would take on forums. Discord also creates a much more friendly experience because you feel a bond with other new members as well as the team GM, which is key for retainment. Having team discords certainly helped to keep me active, because I would have no idea what was going on without it. 

A Testimony to the VHL
 
I have been an active member of the Victory Hockey League since Season 17 (I believe this falls somewhere around 2009-2010.  I had previously been a mainstay in Football Player Sim League’s that influenced the path for one’s like the Elite Football League.  These were league’s like the International Sim League, Madden Madness, Madden Football Association and the VHL-affiliated Victory Football League.  It has been about eighteen years since I joined these leagues, so I feel I have a pretty good of what makes a good sim league and what kills them.
 
The Victory Hockey League is a good league.  It has had its ups and downs but it is still the most fun I’ve had in a sim league in my life.  This includes league’s I have run (into the ground), and one’s that I spent a number of great years in. The downs of this league saw a lack of recruitment, originality and some poor choices from the top, leading to some pretty poor activity spells.  However, the league is as popular as it has ever been and is going through its best iteration of itself. This is exactly why you should join, whether you have been here before or not. If you aren’t sold on that, let me list a few of the specific reasons why this league is at the top of the pile right now.
 
First, the VHL Portal is the heart of this league right now.  It is the single biggest reason I ever came back and I think it’s quality is what separates us from the pack.  I see the SBA and EFL ones as good ideas but nowhere near as exquisite or simplistic as the VHL’s. Incorporating things like Practice Facility, Yearly Award Predictions and Player Store into the Portal has made it a one stop shop for all of your needs.  I remember when we didn’t use the Portal as anything but a place to showcase certain media spots but now it is the thing that we can show-off to everyone whether they are new or they just haven’t been here in a while.
 
Second, the league is at twelve teams and growing.  Spoiler coming, we aren’t done expanding. The reality is that with our current growth rate, we will have to expand once again within the next five seasons.  This would mean likely two more teams with the potential of four new teams over the next decade. It was only about fifteen seasons ago when we had to contract Cologne and Stockholm due to the lowest stretch of activity we have ever seen, but this blue team, Board of Governors and the Recruitment Staff have willed this league back to a place I’ve never seen it.
 
Third and finally, you should join because we are a league that despite what some say, is very welcoming and helpful.  From our VHLM GM’s and Commissioners to our Discord Staff to our Administrators and Board of Governors. This is the one league that never turned into a true shit show despite certain members pushing the buttons over the years.  
 
This is the time to join the Victory Hockey League, so join us and we can show you the ropes in how to succeed in the internet’s best player sim league.

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Power Rankings? Who cares about those. We all know that power rankings are made by nerds at desks, with pinstriped ties, with no knowledge of the game at all. Patrik Tallinder, whose that? Sounds like a nerd. Not putting Canada at number 1? This guy must be worse at his job than actual NHL refs. Now here I'm going to tell you the cold hard facts about the WJC. Canada is number 1, screw your power rankings. You heard it here first folks, Canada is taking home the gold. Let's look at the competition and what this "Patrik Tallinder" ranked them as.
 
#1 Europe?
 I'm sorry but this ranking isn't on who's the best at starting world wars, next.
 
#2 USA?
 Apologies but they got lost in the nearest Target, trying to figure out how to convert metric into imperial.
 
#3 Canada?
 This is absolute blasphemy that Canada isn't #1. Lack of Depth? This ain't a swimming pool kiddo, try again.
 
Asia and World #4 and #5?
Good bottom of the barrel like they should be.
 
As always thanks for tuning into the REAL WJC POWER RANKINGS. Done by someone who isn't a nerd.

I'll apply, I was GM for Vegas for a while and was very active for about a year before stopping. I came back a couple months ago I think and have been pretty active since then. I want to have a league job but nothing too crazy, and I think being an AGM fits that description. I have experience doing all sorts of GM like things and I will not hold back on calling you an idiot.

I'll apply, I was GM for Vegas for a while and was very active for about a year before stopping. I came back a couple months ago I think and have been pretty active since then. I want to have a league job but nothing too crazy, and I think being an AGM fits that description. I have experience doing all sorts of GM like things and I will not hold back on calling you an idiot.