WhiteMocha

Fighting every second no matter the score. That's Cole.

Boo, @WhiteMocha did his best 

What? What you mean the game is over? I only faced 28 shots.We're barely half done.

I was excited for a moment, thought I managed to get my first win vs @BladeMaiden. Turns out it Wahl wasn't in. Ah, what might've been.
 
Still, faced fourty shots and stood tall once again. Feels good.

This is my helmet. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
 
I sleep in it, it's very cozy.

This is my helmet. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
 
I sleep in it, it's very cozy.

Wait, what? Games started? I didn't- I mean hey! Aren't I awesome?

In my defense, I faced 2,308 shots this year. The only VHLM goalie who came close to that was Yukon's Pekka Pouta who faced 149 fewer shots in three more games. And the next closest was 500 shots less. Eventually, that catches up with you.
 
I'm disappointed to lose in the wildcard, but I think I had a strong performance all year long.

In my defense, I faced 2,308 shots this year. The only VHLM goalie who came close to that was Yukon's Pekka Pouta who faced 149 fewer shots in three more games. And the next closest was 500 shots less. Eventually, that catches up with you.
 
I'm disappointed to lose in the wildcard, but I think I had a strong performance all year long.

Justin Cole
Goalie
 
That's all I have to do as a goalie right? I'll redo it if I missed something.

So. No one warned me that expansion was happening. But for anyone who's been enjoying my pixel art, have no fear. He's one more installment for the new expansion teams! Now my set is complete (again).
 
Loving how Moscow came out here. Not personally a fan of their logo as a whole, but it looks really good pixelated.

@BladeMaiden

Oops. In my defense, it was a lot to read. I wound up skipping the second half of that last paragraph. My bad...
 
Looking forward to the next one!

VHL Regression Part 2
 
In case you haven't done so yet, read my first regression, as I explain how to interpret the Eviews results, otherwise you will probably have no idea what is going on. As a reminder, this is based on final player attributes and player stats for the S63 regular season. For this study, I will examine how each individual player attribute impacts expected hits, penalty minutes, shots blocked, and total shots taken. If you are too lazy to read through this whole thing, go check out my summary at the bottom.
 
Hits
 

 
The most statistically significant attributes that impact hits are checking (1% level), defense (5 % level), discipline (5% level), leadership (5% level), experience (10% level), and skating (10% level). As expected, checking by far is the most important attribute to increase your hit totals, as a one tpe increase in checking increases your total expected hits in a season by about 5. Defense has a strong negative correlation with expected hits, which makes sense considering the STHS definition of how defense impacts your player, " The higher the stat, better he'll play in defense / he'll block more shot / he'll retrieved more free puck." If your player is retrieving more lose pucks or poke checking the puck away from the opponent, that means they possess the puck less often, and there are less opportunities to make a check. Increasing discipline also results in less expected hits, as a more disciplined player won't make as many stupid hits taking himself out of play or to avoid penalty minutes. Leadership has a decently strong positive correlation to increased expected hits, which makes sense to me as a leader would put his body on the line more. Experience has a decently negative correlation to hits, which is not something I can explain as one would think experience would have no impact on expected hits. Lastly, skating is finally useful for something, as it is the second strongest positive correlation for expected hits, which makes sense because your player needs to be fast enough to catch up to his opponents in order to hit them.
 
Penalty Minutes
 

 
The most statistically significant attributes for penalty minutes are checking (1% level), leadership (1% level), discipline (5% level), fighting (5% level), and experience (10% level). There aren't too many surprises here, as checking by far has the strongest influence on penalty minutes, which makes sense as a player who dishes out more hits will accumulate more penalties. Leadership is tied with fighting for the second strongest positive correlation to penalty minutes, and I am not 100% sure why. Perhaps because leadership results in increased hits, therefore increased penalty minutes? It just doesn't seem very leader like to me. Discipline as expected has a strong negative correlation to penalty minutes. Fighting as expected has a positive correlation to penalty minutes. Also, players with more experience see slightly less penalty minutes, perhaps this is because the crafty veterans know how to be sneakier with their penalties, and are wise enough not to go in the box?
 
Shots Blocked
 

 
First off, it should be noted that the adjusted R squared for shots blocked is only 50%, which is much lower than for any other statistic I've looked at, meaning that  only 50% of the variation in the dependent variable, shots blocked, is explained by the variation in the independent variables, which are all the different player attributes. For shots blocked, defense, faceoffs, experience, and leadership are significant at the 1% level, and scoring is significant at the 10% level. Very shockingly, leadership has the strongest positive correlation for shots blocked, not defense! It is interesting to see that leadership actually does something, and it makes sense too as a player with higher leadership would lay his body on the line more. Next up defense obviously would have a strong positive correlation to blocked shots. Faceoffs having a negative correlation to blocked shots makes sense, because your team winning the faceoff means the other team has the puck less and shoots less. Experience has the strongest negative correlation to blocked shots, and my only explanation for that is players with high levels of experience are often very good and on the best teams, and their team often has the most puck possession. Lastly, scoring has a negative correlation to shots blocked, and I don't know why. 
 
Shot Attempts
 

 
For shot attempts, scoring is significant at the 1% level, puck handling and penalty shot are significant at the 5% level, and passing is significant at the 10% level. Scoring obviously results in the most expected shot attempts, no surprises there. Puck handling also makes sense having the second strongest positive correlation in shot attempts. Penalty shots having such a strong negative correlation in shot attempts makes no sense to me, and I'm guessing it's probably due to a very small sample size of people who actually upgraded this stat. Passing having a strong negative correlation to shot attempts also makes sense.
 
Conclusion
 
As a quick recap, in order of importance the following attributes have the greatest impact on these statistics. + means positive correlation, - means negative correlation, ? means I am unsure if totally correct.
 
Hits - Checking (+), Discipline (-), Skating (+), Defense (-), Leadership (+), Experience (-?)
Penalty Minutes - Checking (+), Discipline (-), Fighting (+), Leadership (+), Experience (-?)
Shots Blocked - Leadership (+), Defense (+), Experience (-?), Scoring (-), Faceoffs (-)
Shot Attempts - Scoring (+), Penalty Shot (-?), Puck Handling (+), Passing (-)
 
My biggest takeaway from all of this is that contrary to popular belief, leadership actually does something!  @flyersfan1453 falsely told me that leadership is turned off in the sim, but I have received confirmation from @Will that this is not true. Increasing leadership results in more hits, therefore more penalty minutes. Leadership is also the best way to increase your shots blocked totals, even more important than defense according to the numbers. Outside of that, my next biggest takeaway is if @Gooningitup wants to increase his hit totals, skating should be his next focus after checking. As always, please let me know your thoughts, as it appears to me that the numbers make sense and don't lie. Tune in for my next article, which will see which attributes have the strongest impact on save percentage for goalies. 

I'm working on a bigger project for the VHL right now, so no animation on this one like the VHLM logos. (That was just a fun bonus anyway.) Here's some pixelated VHL logos for you to enjoy, feel free to use them in some retro project or another of yours if you'd like.
 
I just couldn't get Quebec, Riga, or Seattle to look right for some reason. I really like how Davos and especially Helsinki came out. (The picture has transparency so if you're seeing it on a white background you might not agree.)
 
Keep an eye on me though. I'm working on something much bigger.

I'm working on a bigger project for the VHL right now, so no animation on this one like the VHLM logos. (That was just a fun bonus anyway.) Here's some pixelated VHL logos for you to enjoy, feel free to use them in some retro project or another of yours if you'd like.
 
I just couldn't get Quebec, Riga, or Seattle to look right for some reason. I really like how Davos and especially Helsinki came out. (The picture has transparency so if you're seeing it on a white background you might not agree.)
 
Keep an eye on me though. I'm working on something much bigger.

VHLM: Scoped 
Jan 6 - Jan 13
Games 43 - 91
 
Nyko's Message
Week two of the VHLM! This week has seen some changes in the standings and rosters. Not going to make this message very long because I'll go into more detail within the segments, but the overall format will be staying the same, except for one addition, and once again if you got any ideas to improve this series let me know
 
PS: The Trades as of Jan 14th will be on the next segment cause I'm lazy. But the trades that happened on Jan 14th are included as part of the power rankings.
 
Trade Center
This week was an active week of trades, with lots of players and picks exchanging hands. Even a bit of a controversy (if you can call it that) happened this week. With the trade deadlines looming in the distance trading will certainly pick up as teams realize what they need for the playoffs, and what they can lose to make it happen. As with last times segment I'll go over each of the trades, and give my opinion on who I think won the deal.
 
LVA/SSK
 
Las Vegas receives:
Curtis Gary
S65 SSK 3rd
S66 SSK 4th
 
Saskatoon receives:
Cal Davidson
S65 LVA 1st
S66 LVA 2nd
 
This trade is interesting, seeing a player and 2 picks swapped between each team. This season Cal Davidson has 4 goals and an assist for 5 points on the season, a huge improvement over his 0 last one. He is an inactive though who last updated in November, so he may not be coming back anytime soon. Curtis Gary on the other hand is an over point per game player, with 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points this season. With Saskatoon 5th in the standings it looks like they will be selling, and they received the 1st and 2nd for a rebuild, while Vegas paid for a rental who can help them win the cup. Personally I think Saskatoon won this trade.
 
HFX/SSK
 
 
Halifax receives:
Anton Edvin
S65 SSK 7th
 
Saskatoon receives:
S65 HFX 5th
S66 HFX 2nd
 
Saskatoon once again selling a player and a pick for more picks for a rebuild. Edvin has 37 points in 24 games this season, with the majority being goals. Saskatoon received a later round pick and then a 2nd next season. Halifax acquired Edvin too boost themselves this season and compete with Vegas for top place in the standings, and during the playoffs. Bana (I think) didn't notice the trade when it happened though, and unfortunately Edvin wasn't on HFX for 2 sims or so, but I think its all good now, so we'll see how this trade plays out over the next week. I think Halifax won this trade, as they didn't give up too much for a quality player.
 
SSK/OSL
 
Saskatoon receives:
Finn Schaefer
S65 OSL 4th
S66 OSL 4th
 
Oslo receives:
Burnt Toast
S65 SSK 6th
 
Saskatoon once again making moves, this time with Oslo though. Oslo is acquiring VHLM star defensemen Burnt Toast, who at 74 tpe is point per game this season, and has been his past two.(shows how a build can affect points, and not just tpe) Toast has 34 points, with 29 of them being assists this season. Saskatoon in exchange receives two fourths and Finn Schaefer, a 30 tpe inactive who has 5 points this season. This season's favourites Oslo had to change up some stuff as they are in fourth, and by acquiring a point per game defensemen this may help boost themselves in the standings. I Think Saskatoon won this trade, as those 4th's can definitely turn into something good with some good scouting.
 
Milestones
Milestones are recognized throughout sports, when a rookie scores his first goal he keeps the puck. Players are celebrated when they hit 100 goals, 1,000 games, 50 shutouts. Just like nhl.com's milestone watch, I'm going to be do something similar, where I take the players and show how close they are to hitting a special VHLM milestone.
 
Points
1. @Eparker24 4 from 100
2.  Finn Schaefer just hit 100
3. @Thranduil John Madden 3 from 100
 
Goals
1. @DilIsPickle 9 from 50
2. Nikita Flipachyev 6 from 100
3. @NathanN just hit 50
 
Assists
1. @Eparker24 26 from 100
2. Smitty Werbenmanjagerjensen 16 from 50
3. Nathan MacKinnon 20 from 150
 
Wins/Shutouts
Coming Later (Can't access goalie stats)
 
Games of the Week
The VHLM is full of many interesting, exciting, and just plain out weird games. Some games are blowouts, some are high scoring, and some games are very tight. This part of the segment will highlight the 3 games which I think were the best games during the whole week. If you disagree with me, post your top 3 games in the comment section.
 
Game 46 SSK vs LVA
This game was pure show of offensive power from Vegas. With a final score 8-1 there was no stopping Vegas here. Vegas bursted out in the first period, scoring 5 goals, with 2 coming from Nathan N and another two from Orion Slade. Burnt Toast did open the game though with Saskatoon's lone goal of the game. In the second Chance Matthews notched his 6th of the season. Finally in the 3rd Vegas added an extra two goals, and kept Sask to 0 shots that period.
 
Game 55 OTT vs SSK
Saskatoon once gets blownout again (I'm starting to see a pattern here) but this time by the Lynx. The Lynx are currently one place above the Wild in the standings, but after this game it looks like they should be way above Sask (limits of the VHLM I guess). Ottawa, like Vegas burst out in the first period, lighting the lamp 5 times on goaltender Justin Cole (poor guy). Draper struck first 2 mins 38 seconds into the period, and opened the floodgates, with Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen (holy crap that's long --- that's what she said) scoring 4 minutes later, and Kyson Blake scoring 16 seconds after Smitty. Shawn Mendes potted his third of the season, and Kyson Blake got his second of the game after Mendes. 38 seconds into the second Mendes also notched his second of the night, and Justin Cole was pulled out of the game. The rest of the period was silent, and 4 mins into the 3rd Stropko Jr. scored the game winner. JB Rift grabbed a shutout, and Mendes and Gritty both had 4 point nights
 
Game 91 LVA vs OTT
This game, while not a blowout like the others, was still a close and hard fought hockey game by two rival teams. In the first period Eric Parker striked 48 seconds in, but then the rest of the period was a snooze. Period two was where the action was at though. 6:31 into the period McDavid put LVA up 2-0. But Ottawa fought back and after 3 goals in 5 minutes (all on the powerplay) they were up 3-2. The 3rd periopd was where Vegas was able to tie it up off of a goal by Mitch Matthews. After the final buzzer this game was going to overtime. After a boring overtime with no goals intense overtime this one was going to a shootout.
Gary - Stopped
Blake - Stopped
Baillie - Stopped
Allman - Miss
Materazo - Goal!
All on Katie Warren now, she goes in. Makes a move.... and loses the puck. @ShawnGlade retire her.

^ Actual footage from Katie Warren's shootout attempt
 
Players of the Week
 
1. Justin Cole
Justin Cole had an insane week full of ups and downs. Often he would be stopping upwards of 40 shots a night, while his defense let him down, but after a stunning last 2 performances I had to give him this star. Game 100 vs the Ottawa Lynx - a team that had just blown Sask out that week. Cole stopped 39 shots to allow Saskatoon to get a 3-0 win. The next game on the same night he stopped 32 shots from the Oslo Storm, a team that has offensive powers Diljodh Starload and Carles Puigdemont.
 
2. Dan Baillie
This week HC Davos Dynamo prospect Dan Baillie was able to put himself up ontop of the points chart. He gained 37 points this week, but also excelled on the defensive side, improving his +/- to a league leading +27.
 
3. Bolt Vanderhuge
Vanderhuge is the leading defensemen in points this year, but is also top 3 in hits, and top 3 in points league wide. The defensemen improved on his points this week by adding an additional 25 points, with 9 of them being goals. The Riga Prospect has been one of the reasons why Halifax is one of the top teams in the league right now, and he shows no signs of slowing down.
 
Power Rankings
 
Last Week
 
1. Halifax
2. Vegas
3. Ottawa
4. Saskatoon
5. Oslo
6. Yukon
 
This Week
1. Las Vegas Aces +1
2. Ottawa Lynx +1
3. Halifax 21st -2
4. Saskatoon Wild
5. Oslo Storm
6. Yukon Rush
 
Standings
1. Las Vegas Aces +1
2. Halifax 21st -1
3. Ottawa Lynx
4. Oslo Storm
5. Saskatoon Wild
6. Yukon Rush
 
 
1542 words, claiming 1/27, 2/3, 2/10
 
 

@Nykonax I'm really enjoying these. Don't stop anytime soon.

Highlights two of my worst games so far this season
 
Gives me 1st star of the week.
 
Thanks? I think? ?

@WhiteMocha

SHUTOUT x2! 

I stood on my god damn head here.  I know we lost, but I'm still crowing about it. This is what I did vs the VHLM's top scoring team with very little left out in front of me. God damn that feels good.

VHLM: Scoped 
Dec 30 - Jan 5
Games 1 - 42
 
 
Nyko's Message
VHLM: Scoped was a series that @Banackock ran last season, that I thoroughly enjoyed, but he discontinued it after the second segment. I asked him if I could continue it this season and he allowed me. So this will be a weekly segment on VSN that'll highlight milestones, games, and players. Last season I graduated from the VHLM and even though I'm not there anymore, I still love to pay attention to how my former team (Ottawa represent) is doing, and how the rookies there are playing. If you got any ideas for what I could add to this to make it more interesting let me know.
Original VHLM Scoped
 
 
Trade Center
Trades are an important part of hockey, and definitely an important part of the VHLM. With teams usually on being competitive for one season (except Ottawa) most teams will either buy or sell during the season, usually contenders buying players to be on their team for a year to win a championship, and sellers trading those players for picks, to become competitive the next season. This week had only one trade, but a pretty big one that made people go "what the hell is @diamond_ace doing.
 
The trade was between the Ottawa Lynx and Las Vegas Aces, who have established an intense rivalry this season so it was odd to see them do business.
Ottawa Receives:
Shawn Mendes
 
Vegas Receives:
Chance Matthews
S65 OTT 4th
 
This was a very peculiar trade on d_a's part. He traded Chance Matthews, an inactive 162 TPE veteran who had 101 points last season (because he was playing with me) for Shawn Mendes another seemingly inactive player who had 148 TPE and 52 points last season. On top of this ace throws in a 4th round pick with it. So on paper it looks like diamond_ace (Ottawa's GM) is trading a better player and a draft pick, for a worse player and no pick. But d_a had something up his sleeve. He knew Shawn Mendes from another sim league, and he was able to get him to claim welfare and practice facility, for a total of 8 TPE, and Mendes will probably claim the same next week, making this trade look like a huge win in d_a's favor. We'll see how this trade plays out throughout the season, but for now ace looks like he won that trade.
 
Milestones
Milestones are recognized throughout sports, when a rookie scores his first goal he keeps the puck. Players are celebrated when they hit 100 goals, 1,000 games, 50 shutouts. Just like nhl.com's milestone watch, I'm going to be do something similar, where I take the players and show how close they are to hitting a special VHLM milestone
Points
1. Nathan N - 4 points from 100 points
2. Dan Baillie - 5 points away from 50 points
3. Curtis Gary - 40 points away from 100 points
 
Goals
1. Nathan N - 7 goals from 50 goals
2. Nathan MacKinnon - 15 goals from 75 goals
3. Diljodh 19 goals from 50 goals
 
Assists
1. Jagger Philliefan - Just hit 50 assists
2. Burnt Toast - 31 assists from 150 assists
3. Bolt Vanderhuge - 32 assists from 50 assists
 
Wins
1. JB Rift - 8 wins away from 25 wins
2. Divaani Sohva - 9 wins away from 25 wins
3. Kevin Weekes 33 wins away from 100 wins
 
Games of the Week
The VHLM is full of many interesting, exciting, and just plain out weird games. Some games are blowouts, some are high scoring, and some games are very tight. This part of the segment will highlight the 3 games which I think were the best games during the whole week. If you disagree with me, post your top 3 games in the comment section.
 
 
1. Game 14 - Saskatoon Wild vs. Halifax 21st
This game was very high scoring, its almost as if both GM's just went "Screw defense, we gotta score." and put the offensive setting on their lines to 5. Saskatoon struck hard in the first period, scoring 4 goals to Halifax's 2, but Halifax rallied back, this time scoring 4 in the second and only allowing Saskatoon to pot 2 goals. In the third period both teams decided defense may actually be important, and the Halifax 21st were able to sneak past one against goaltender Justin Cole. The final combined shot total was 84, with the goalie's stats not looking so good.
 
2. Game 26 - Oslo Storm vs. Yukon Rush
 
Oslo storm on paper is the powerhouse team this season. After tanking all of last season and acquiring numerous picks, they cleaned up at the draft, taking many of the top stars. These stars were on show tonight against the not-so-good Rush, who had a strong S63 but their players graduated last season, putting them in take mode this one. Oslo made a mockery of Yukon this game. They came out strong in the first period, their new star Carles Puigdemont scored 2 goals this period, and Dallas Jones contributed the third, putting them up 3-0 going into the second. Carles Puigdemont completed the hatrick in the second, scoring the only goal of the period. In the final period Oslo was able to score 2 more, putting them past the Rush 6-0.
 
3.  Game 42 - Halifax 21st vs. Saskatoon Wild
Halifax and Saskatoon are featured again on the list, and while this game wasn't high scoring, it wasn't a low scoring one either. The best word to describe it would be close. This game went to a shootout after a good performance by Madden, scoring 3 points which included 2 goals. Saskatoon brought it back from 2-0 in the first period, scoring 3 goals within 5 minutes. But Halifax scored 2 more and kept the lead at one. In the third period Anderson LaVey scores 5 minutes in, allowing for overtime. Overtime is dead silent and this one goes to a shootout. The fans are all on there feet, hoping for a hero to win the shootout for them, and that hero was there for Saskatoon, the one, the only, Anderson LaVey.
 
 
Players of the Week
 
1.  Dan Ballie - 23 points, 10 goals, 13 assists, 34 hits
Baillie was traded midway through the week to Davos, but this clearly hasn't affected his play this week. He was leading the league in points for most of the week until recently, where he's 2 points out of the lead. But what makes him the #1 player this week is his P/20, which is the highest in the league at 1.44.
 
2. Eric Parker - 22 points, 6 goals, 16 assists, 25 hits, 23 SB's
Eric Parker is leading all defensemen in points this season, and is also in the top 10 for points, assists, and shots blocked. He's been Vegas' top defender this season and hasn't been afraid to throw the body or get infront of the puck. He's been potent on the powerplay along with Baillie, and has 3 powerplay assists and 3 powerplay goals.
 
3. Carles Puigdemont - 24 points, 12 goals, 12 assists, +20
Carles was the first overall pick of the VHLM draft last season, and its no suprise that he's been strong for Oslo this season with 24 total points. He's also played a defensively sound game with a +20. He scored a hatrick in the blowout against Oslo and has won 52% of his faceoffs, giving his team the instant advantage of having the puck more often than not
 
 
Power Rankings
 
Last Week
Later
 
This Week
1. Halifax
2. Vegas
3. Ottawa
4. Saskatoon
5. Oslo
6. Yukon
 
Standings
1. Halifax
2. Vegas
3. Ottawa
4. Oslo
5. Saskatoon
6. Yukon
 
1288 words
Claiming week ending 12 and week ending 19

1. How satisfied are you with your player's performance so far this season?
I've done well. I've faced the most shots in the VHLM, but I'm still in the top half of save percentage. I think that says a lot.
 
2. What about your team, how are things going with the team? Would you run things differently?
Definitely would have run things differently. We started out with an offense that was on fire and I'm improving quickly. I think we had a real chance as a dark horse this year. But hey, I'm in the VHLM for two years. GM's gonna be running this team far into the future. Doesn't feel right complaining.
 
3. The Las Vegas Aces seem to have separated themselves from the rest of the teams. Do you think they can keep it up until the end?
That offense I just mentioned being on fire? Our top scorer went to the Aces. The best got better. I have no doubt Curtis is going to make them better, I'm pulling for him to bring in a cup.
 
4. What other player in the league do you hate to play against?
Curtis Gary. Now everyone's going to see what he used to do to me in practice.
 
5. Besides hockey, obviously, what other sports do you like to play casually or watch?
Football. Let's Go Buffalo. ... Next year. Always next year.
 
6. If you had the power to relocate a VHLM team, where would you put it and what would you name it?
Buffalo, of course. I call my home America's Canada. Tim Hortons rules the cafe market and we love hockey like nowhere else in America. As for a name... I always liked the Sabres for being a team with an identity that wasn't a literal buffalo, which is an animal that doesn't live here. So basically anything but that or snow.

I was planning to do the uniforms, but once I finished my own team's, I found out none of the other VHLM teams have any unis on their official threads. (Here's Saskatoon's.) So it's just logos for now. I'll probably do the VHL next, unless someone can point me at the other VHLM jerseys. Saskatoon's is already done, and I'd love to share
 
I'm also including the logos in their own sheets, in case anyone wants to use them. Saskatoon and Oslo definitely came out the best.

I was planning to do the uniforms, but once I finished my own team's, I found out none of the other VHLM teams have any unis on their official threads. (Here's Saskatoon's.) So it's just logos for now. I'll probably do the VHL next, unless someone can point me at the other VHLM jerseys. Saskatoon's is already done, and I'd love to share
 
I'm also including the logos in their own sheets, in case anyone wants to use them. Saskatoon and Oslo definitely came out the best.