Fire Tortorella

Or don't accept a GM position if you can't handle separating your teams performance and your player's performance.

Bumping this again. Seems like we've concluded with these points:
 
1. TC will no longer count towards the TPE Cutoff (Already implemented)
2. VHLE PF will become 2 TPE
3. Formalize that VHL drafted players that are playing on a VHLE team without a VHL contract may still claim TC.
4. No changes to TC amounts in specific leagues - leave all leagues at 10 once VHL drafted.

like this
 

WUMBO DRAFTED BY OSLO, WARSAW
 
OSLO, NORWAY - Every player's career is filled with defining moments - whether it's a series winning goal, a game losing penalty, or the save of the season, every player has individual points of time that will stay with them forever. For many young players, their first defining moment is the VHL Draft. Historically, a player would be drafted by their VHL team the season after they are drafted by a VHLM team. However, with the introduction of the VHLE, players are now often selected twice within the same week - once to their next step in development in the VHLE, and once to their professional team in the VHL. This past week, Wumbo went through this selection process, first with the VHLE and then with the VHL.
 
The VHLE's inaugural season included six teams throughout Europe. In Season 81, the league expanded by two teams and reintroduced previous franchises associated with the VHL and VHLM - the Oslo Storm and the Geneva Rush, previously of Yukon. In the Season 82 VHLE Draft, the Oslo Storm selected Wumbo, the young goaltender from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In their first season, the Storm finished with 55 points in 72 games, good enough for 6th best record out of 8 teams. This was a very respectable first season in a league in which the team was given limited additional roster players to catch-up to the already established teams (editors note: no idea if that is true or not, but it makes for good writing). While the team was able to add a good mix of young players with potential and veterans who either couldn't quite hack it in the VHL or were past their prime, the goaltending situation was never quite settled. Michael Fletcher, a wily veteran who never made his mark in the VHL, manned the net for all 72 of the Storm's regular season games and all 8 playoff games. The Storm are hoping that Wumbo will make his mark in the Storm net for Season 82. Given the level of prospect Wumbo is, it is extremely unlikely that he will be in the net after this upcoming season, but that is the nature of these leagues. 
 
"Excited to join Oslo - HERE WE GO! #BringTheStorm" tweeted Wumbo after his selection.
 
In his introductory press conference, Wumbo elaborated a little further: "Obviously my player agency has had a large number of players in this league. Surprisingly, it is believed (but not 100% confirmed) that this agency never played for the Storm for any length of time. I'm also the first player to go through the VHLE, so I'll be a little bit of a guinea pig. If I'm perfectly honest, I don't know too much about the Storm organization or Oslo as a city, but similar to Saskatoon, I'm excited to learn more."
 
While joining a VHLE franchise is exciting for a young player, it is not as career defining as the VHL Draft. The team that selects a player is guaranteed at least three seasons of control, and the vast majority of players continue with this team for at least one or two more seasons, if not longer. Earlier tonight, Wumbo was selected by the Warsaw Predators 10th overall. It was only earlier that day that the general manager reached out to Wumbo's representatives to notify them that the young goaltender was potentially in their plans at the 10th overall pick. Wumbo had to watch 3 goalies selected before him, but in all honesty, that wasn't too much of a surprise. Last season, the Predators finished 5th in the European Conference and 8th in the VHL. Backstopped by veteran Andrew Bowman, Warsaw defeated the HC Davos Dynamo in the 1st round of the playoffs 3-1, but were then swept by the Malmo Nighthawks 4-0 in the 2nd round. However, Bowman has notified the team that he was retiring after the season, leaving a gaping hole in net.
 
It's currently unknown what direction the Predators will be moving in Season 82 and beyond (editor's note: as in I have no idea, as I just joined the team and haven't followed the VHL for a couple of seasons). While the team has some veteran players and up and coming rookies, there is currently a gaping hole in net. Wumbo is not expected to join the team until next season, so the franchise is in an awkward position of attempting to find a netminder for the current without potentially alienating their expected netminder of the future. Does the team continue to go all in for next season, or is this an opportunity to potentially sell off and set up for a rebuild?
 
"The past couple of hours have been a whirlwind," commented Wumbo. "I haven't yet had the opportunity to speak with management to learn about what the team's expectations are for the next couple of seasons and how I tie into them. I'd be excited to go in goal for a contending team just as much as I would be to help lead a rebuild. As a goalie, there are limited starting spots in the league, and even fewer for a contender, so theoretically if I wanted to leave, WHICH I DO NOT, it's not like I'd really have an opportunity to do so. In general, as a goalie, your fit within your own team, let alone another team, just comes down to fit and time and is luck dependent."
 
All in all, the future is looking bright for Wumbo. While not necessarily expected to be the top goaltender in his draft class, his realistic potential is that of a solid, franchise goaltender. Most years, he's not going to be the reason you lose many games, and he'll most likely have the ability to steal a couple as well. His NHL compatibles include Corey Crawford, Steve Mason, and Martin Biron. While some teams may be able to do better than Wumbo in net, every team would be able to do worse as well.

WUMBO DRAFTED BY OSLO, WARSAW
 
OSLO, NORWAY - Every player's career is filled with defining moments - whether it's a series winning goal, a game losing penalty, or the save of the season, every player has individual points of time that will stay with them forever. For many young players, their first defining moment is the VHL Draft. Historically, a player would be drafted by their VHL team the season after they are drafted by a VHLM team. However, with the introduction of the VHLE, players are now often selected twice within the same week - once to their next step in development in the VHLE, and once to their professional team in the VHL. This past week, Wumbo went through this selection process, first with the VHLE and then with the VHL.
 
The VHLE's inaugural season included six teams throughout Europe. In Season 81, the league expanded by two teams and reintroduced previous franchises associated with the VHL and VHLM - the Oslo Storm and the Geneva Rush, previously of Yukon. In the Season 82 VHLE Draft, the Oslo Storm selected Wumbo, the young goaltender from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In their first season, the Storm finished with 55 points in 72 games, good enough for 6th best record out of 8 teams. This was a very respectable first season in a league in which the team was given limited additional roster players to catch-up to the already established teams (editors note: no idea if that is true or not, but it makes for good writing). While the team was able to add a good mix of young players with potential and veterans who either couldn't quite hack it in the VHL or were past their prime, the goaltending situation was never quite settled. Michael Fletcher, a wily veteran who never made his mark in the VHL, manned the net for all 72 of the Storm's regular season games and all 8 playoff games. The Storm are hoping that Wumbo will make his mark in the Storm net for Season 82. Given the level of prospect Wumbo is, it is extremely unlikely that he will be in the net after this upcoming season, but that is the nature of these leagues. 
 
"Excited to join Oslo - HERE WE GO! #BringTheStorm" tweeted Wumbo after his selection.
 
In his introductory press conference, Wumbo elaborated a little further: "Obviously my player agency has had a large number of players in this league. Surprisingly, it is believed (but not 100% confirmed) that this agency never played for the Storm for any length of time. I'm also the first player to go through the VHLE, so I'll be a little bit of a guinea pig. If I'm perfectly honest, I don't know too much about the Storm organization or Oslo as a city, but similar to Saskatoon, I'm excited to learn more."
 
While joining a VHLE franchise is exciting for a young player, it is not as career defining as the VHL Draft. The team that selects a player is guaranteed at least three seasons of control, and the vast majority of players continue with this team for at least one or two more seasons, if not longer. Earlier tonight, Wumbo was selected by the Warsaw Predators 10th overall. It was only earlier that day that the general manager reached out to Wumbo's representatives to notify them that the young goaltender was potentially in their plans at the 10th overall pick. Wumbo had to watch 3 goalies selected before him, but in all honesty, that wasn't too much of a surprise. Last season, the Predators finished 5th in the European Conference and 8th in the VHL. Backstopped by veteran Andrew Bowman, Warsaw defeated the HC Davos Dynamo in the 1st round of the playoffs 3-1, but were then swept by the Malmo Nighthawks 4-0 in the 2nd round. However, Bowman has notified the team that he was retiring after the season, leaving a gaping hole in net.
 
It's currently unknown what direction the Predators will be moving in Season 82 and beyond (editor's note: as in I have no idea, as I just joined the team and haven't followed the VHL for a couple of seasons). While the team has some veteran players and up and coming rookies, there is currently a gaping hole in net. Wumbo is not expected to join the team until next season, so the franchise is in an awkward position of attempting to find a netminder for the current without potentially alienating their expected netminder of the future. Does the team continue to go all in for next season, or is this an opportunity to potentially sell off and set up for a rebuild?
 
"The past couple of hours have been a whirlwind," commented Wumbo. "I haven't yet had the opportunity to speak with management to learn about what the team's expectations are for the next couple of seasons and how I tie into them. I'd be excited to go in goal for a contending team just as much as I would be to help lead a rebuild. As a goalie, there are limited starting spots in the league, and even fewer for a contender, so theoretically if I wanted to leave, WHICH I DO NOT, it's not like I'd really have an opportunity to do so. In general, as a goalie, your fit within your own team, let alone another team, just comes down to fit and time and is luck dependent."
 
All in all, the future is looking bright for Wumbo. While not necessarily expected to be the top goaltender in his draft class, his realistic potential is that of a solid, franchise goaltender. Most years, he's not going to be the reason you lose many games, and he'll most likely have the ability to steal a couple as well. His NHL compatibles include Corey Crawford, Steve Mason, and Martin Biron. While some teams may be able to do better than Wumbo in net, every team would be able to do worse as well.

WUMBO DRAFTED BY OSLO, WARSAW
 
OSLO, NORWAY - Every player's career is filled with defining moments - whether it's a series winning goal, a game losing penalty, or the save of the season, every player has individual points of time that will stay with them forever. For many young players, their first defining moment is the VHL Draft. Historically, a player would be drafted by their VHL team the season after they are drafted by a VHLM team. However, with the introduction of the VHLE, players are now often selected twice within the same week - once to their next step in development in the VHLE, and once to their professional team in the VHL. This past week, Wumbo went through this selection process, first with the VHLE and then with the VHL.
 
The VHLE's inaugural season included six teams throughout Europe. In Season 81, the league expanded by two teams and reintroduced previous franchises associated with the VHL and VHLM - the Oslo Storm and the Geneva Rush, previously of Yukon. In the Season 82 VHLE Draft, the Oslo Storm selected Wumbo, the young goaltender from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In their first season, the Storm finished with 55 points in 72 games, good enough for 6th best record out of 8 teams. This was a very respectable first season in a league in which the team was given limited additional roster players to catch-up to the already established teams (editors note: no idea if that is true or not, but it makes for good writing). While the team was able to add a good mix of young players with potential and veterans who either couldn't quite hack it in the VHL or were past their prime, the goaltending situation was never quite settled. Michael Fletcher, a wily veteran who never made his mark in the VHL, manned the net for all 72 of the Storm's regular season games and all 8 playoff games. The Storm are hoping that Wumbo will make his mark in the Storm net for Season 82. Given the level of prospect Wumbo is, it is extremely unlikely that he will be in the net after this upcoming season, but that is the nature of these leagues. 
 
"Excited to join Oslo - HERE WE GO! #BringTheStorm" tweeted Wumbo after his selection.
 
In his introductory press conference, Wumbo elaborated a little further: "Obviously my player agency has had a large number of players in this league. Surprisingly, it is believed (but not 100% confirmed) that this agency never played for the Storm for any length of time. I'm also the first player to go through the VHLE, so I'll be a little bit of a guinea pig. If I'm perfectly honest, I don't know too much about the Storm organization or Oslo as a city, but similar to Saskatoon, I'm excited to learn more."
 
While joining a VHLE franchise is exciting for a young player, it is not as career defining as the VHL Draft. The team that selects a player is guaranteed at least three seasons of control, and the vast majority of players continue with this team for at least one or two more seasons, if not longer. Earlier tonight, Wumbo was selected by the Warsaw Predators 10th overall. It was only earlier that day that the general manager reached out to Wumbo's representatives to notify them that the young goaltender was potentially in their plans at the 10th overall pick. Wumbo had to watch 3 goalies selected before him, but in all honesty, that wasn't too much of a surprise. Last season, the Predators finished 5th in the European Conference and 8th in the VHL. Backstopped by veteran Andrew Bowman, Warsaw defeated the HC Davos Dynamo in the 1st round of the playoffs 3-1, but were then swept by the Malmo Nighthawks 4-0 in the 2nd round. However, Bowman has notified the team that he was retiring after the season, leaving a gaping hole in net.
 
It's currently unknown what direction the Predators will be moving in Season 82 and beyond (editor's note: as in I have no idea, as I just joined the team and haven't followed the VHL for a couple of seasons). While the team has some veteran players and up and coming rookies, there is currently a gaping hole in net. Wumbo is not expected to join the team until next season, so the franchise is in an awkward position of attempting to find a netminder for the current without potentially alienating their expected netminder of the future. Does the team continue to go all in for next season, or is this an opportunity to potentially sell off and set up for a rebuild?
 
"The past couple of hours have been a whirlwind," commented Wumbo. "I haven't yet had the opportunity to speak with management to learn about what the team's expectations are for the next couple of seasons and how I tie into them. I'd be excited to go in goal for a contending team just as much as I would be to help lead a rebuild. As a goalie, there are limited starting spots in the league, and even fewer for a contender, so theoretically if I wanted to leave, WHICH I DO NOT, it's not like I'd really have an opportunity to do so. In general, as a goalie, your fit within your own team, let alone another team, just comes down to fit and time and is luck dependent."
 
All in all, the future is looking bright for Wumbo. While not necessarily expected to be the top goaltender in his draft class, his realistic potential is that of a solid, franchise goaltender. Most years, he's not going to be the reason you lose many games, and he'll most likely have the ability to steal a couple as well. His NHL compatibles include Corey Crawford, Steve Mason, and Martin Biron. While some teams may be able to do better than Wumbo in net, every team would be able to do worse as well.

Nah - not enough substance in the vast majority of these 590s to be worth a review.
 
Plus with trivia coming back and the new game thread commenting, I doubt reviewing will be as popular as it is right now, so there should be more media spots available with zero or one reviews again.

Got drafted to the Oslo Storm in the VHLE - going to write a media spot on this later, but the team looks pretty good. Hopefully we make some noise in the playoffs. Speaking of getting drafted, one of the things that kind of...I don't want to say annoyed me, but maybe very very slightly left me chuckling irritably to myself is the vast amount of scouting conversations that were sent to me for the VHL and VHLE. Obviously it's important for each GM, but it seems like they all asked the same questions (half of which I don't think are even important). I 100% admit to just phoning them in at the end and answering with very short answers. No BOG leaks, but I'm excited for the newest minor way to earn TPE to be announced. I think it's a good compromise between what I think is a good way to earn TPE that some other leagues have as well, but with much, much more lax standards. I'm also excited for the new trivia to eventually to be added to the league.

Dunno, think it encourages shouting the loudest to get your idea traction when it might just not be a good idea.
 
I do however think that making it collective responsibility is the reason so many things fall by the wayside. In an ideal world you'd want a Speaker for the BOG type person to drive discussion but that's a lot of responsibility (and potential bias) with one person plus probably formalises the BOG more than it needs to be.
 
It's difficult to say. I personally think every topic is unique that a one size fits all process just doesn't make sense.

Voting against the TPE to next player.
 
Would it make sense to displace the TPE from veteran presence to other tasks for the total amount of TPE to remain consistent, or do we just eliminate it?

One of the things I didn't enjoy giving up when I made the move up to the big league initially was just this--writing up a mock draft every season (or the majority of them, anyway). When I moved up, I knew what my plans were as GM of Davos, and I also knew what other GMs were planning, as talk happens behind the scenes and insider info flies about. This season, I spent absolutely no time preparing for the draft, and I spent absolutely no time paying attention to which teams were doing which things, so I get to come into this offseason fairly clueless.
 
Which is good. Too many mock-draft writers want to ask every team what they're planning, and then (surprise!) get a ton of picks right. Which isn't fun.
 
This draft is really weird to work with, for a couple reasons, and these are big reasons why:
-The positional breakdown is strange. We have a ton of goalers, which aren't generally hugely sought after by teams that don't desperately need them...except a lot of teams desperately need them. There's also a relatively low number of forwards, which are usually the big superstars of the draft...except only two of the top 10 in TPE are forwards, and only one of those comes without some level of significant controversy.
-Speaking of controversy, at least one GM has publicly taken action that lowers their draft stock, and I have heard (though I have no direct proof) that similar conversations have been held which involve the other two in a more private setting. As these represent high-earning players whose teams (in two out of three cases) are currently in no position to draft them without the player falling very far down in the draft, it raises many questions as to the placement of said players on draft night (as well as, I might add, the ethics of said placement). I have done my best to take my opinion out of the projection, and make guesses based on what I know and what I believe to be realistic.
 
Let's get drafting!
 
***BIG NOTE THAT SOMEONE IS GOING TO MISS ANYWAY, BECAUSE SOMEONE DOES THIS EVERY TIME I WRITE A MOCK: If your TPE is slightly wrong, it is not because I hate you. If you're projected lower than your TPE ranking, it is not because I have a personal vendetta against you. If I say Team A has Pick X and Team B actually has Pick X at the time of the draft, it's not because I'm stupid. TPE numbers change with time, picks get traded, and drafts don't happen exactly in order of TPE. 
 
Exhales
 
Okay, now let's get drafting.
 
 
ROUND 1
 
 
1st Overall 
Cole Pearce | G | 364 TPE |  | @N0HBDY
You want desperate for goalers? You got it with the first pick in the draft. New York needs players across the board, but the top two players in the draft come surrounded by GM controversy not worth the risk of a #1 pick. The top skater is (at the time of writing) tied with Pearce in TPE, but in past careers has proven to be somewhat volatile, while Pearce has shown a solid degree of team loyalty. Though potentially less impactful than a #1 pick in a draft saturated with skater talent, New York locks up their future franchise goaltender, who should be expected to enter his prime at a time convenient to them.
 
2nd Overall 
Bubbles Utonium | G | 342 TPE |  | @fishy
Goaler fever strikes yet again, and I'm saying that it's with another team who could use help at every position. Given the Dragons' tendency to draft first-gens in high places, I'm almost tempted to hot-take The Board Game Clue On Skates into this spot, but that's something I'll refrain from doing for a couple reasons. First, Utonium is a very solid prospect--in their first career, fishy stuck with Chicago for 8 seasons, and second, the Dragons' first real competitive run began in much the same way with the selection of Stone Wolski back in (I think) S71--who did the same. Ultimately, a combination of controversy and weird positioning leads to this pick as well, but the Dragons are quite pleased with it.
 
3rd Overall 
Miervaldis Arpa | G | 309 TPE |  | @Zack
Want an idea of how earning has changed over the last 8 seasons? Taro was #1 in his class at the time of the S75 draft, with 309 TPE. Arpa is #6 in this class, and he goes to London here because--you guessed it--GM controversy and a huge need for goalers, goalers everywhere. And what's created by the demand can certainly be supplied at the top. I certainly considered other avenues here, but one defining factor stood out with this one in particular--Arpa's agent was drafted by London in his last career with Kasper Kankkunen (if I'm spelling that right) and signed a career extension. Though Kankkunen didn't end up playing a full career in London, willingness to commit is a major quality GMs look for in the draft, and Arpa just may be able to provide if London is able to turn around skater-wise in good time.
 
4th Overall 
Milan Dvorak | D | 283 TPE |  | @solas
If we're using the logic of loyalty to a franchise being important, there's no better pick at #4 than Dvorak. Solas' last player, Jean Pierre Camus, was one of the premier goalers of the S70s, and spending an entire career with Chicago (as two of our top four players have done) is certainly something that figures to move him up Jeff's list this draft. I've taken the liberty of assuming that Dvorak is selected as a safe option, over still-available Tavish DeGroot and Max Torq, but if the safety plays out in the same way it did with Camus, Chicago will have no regrets for making this pick...and they will have taken the first step to rise from the ashes.
 
5th Overall 
Vasile Lamb | RW | 365 TPE |  | @dlamb
I do not know the extent to which Lamb's draft stock has or has not been manipulated, and quite honestly, I haven't really cared to find out. All I know is that I have heard it has been on some level--which is enough to drop him out of the very top of the draft. It is not, however, enough to make him drop to Warsaw at #9. I do not necessarily believe that every GM thinks the same way I do, and I am not entirely convinced that Helsinki would be the team to pull the trigger on this pick given what I know about Rayzor. That said, I don't want to project every GM's player to their own team because "that's just the way it is" and I also think this spot could make more sense than most others, for a few reasons (with apologies to dlamb--your player is simply the first GM player I have projected and I think most of the same logic applies to all):
 
-Helsinki has an extremely strong prospect pool. I don't want to dismiss the importance of good drafting now, but it's been done in the past. And I'm not going to downplay the effect of a selection not turning out well, but the Titans will be a good team a couple seasons from now whether this pick works out or not.
-I find it hard to believe that someone would follow through completely on whatever is being said. Retire immediately? Chances are that you're punished as a GM, or that your team receives punishment of their own in the form of draft pick loss and cap penalties. Try to leave in free agency right away? The only reason why you'd do that while already under contract with a different team is to get yourself on a team willing to trade you to your own team--which the original team will always be more than willing to do at fair market value rather than lose you in free agency. And, by the way, if a GM comes forward saying "hey, this other GM is going to leave if they're not traded to their own team and their own team only", I find it hard to believe that that also wouldn't lead to some form of punishment. In short, I believe that most pre-draft threats are empty, and that players will be at least semi-willing to contribute if selected elsewhere.
-On top of me not knowing what exactly is being said behind the scenes, I also have no idea what's being said behind the behind the scenes, if you will--private chats between members and GMs are generally much more civilized and have a much greater degree of mutual understanding than anything you'll see in public. If anyone has reached out to any GM in this draft, I find it hard to believe (yes, I'm using that phrase again) that they were met with immediate threats and a refusal to talk.
-If, in the event that something malicious happens that screws over Helsinki, the league does not provide some form of compensation to Helsinki, I would be very surprised.
 
TL;DR: I don't know that this will happen, nor do I necessarily think it, but I think it's more realistic than most might and I wouldn't fault the Titans for doing this. If it works out, they have the draft's second-highest-TPE player at #5 and are well on their way to the top in the EU.
 
6th Overall 
Max Torq | D | 364 TPE |  | @Steve
Torq's draft stock is dropped only somewhat here, for different reasons. There are potential upsides and downsides to selecting a player from Steve as a GM. I personally have a lot of good things to say about Steve, a now-established member with a unique graphics style--his last two players in Guy LeGrande and John Merrick have been solid contributors and top earners, and in the right places, they've been perfect fits for their teams and have been known to stick around. That said, the names of these players have been soured somewhat in the GM community due to the fact that Steve will make his opinion known when he is not happy with his player's performance or use by a team. There is nothing wrong with this, and Steve has nothing to apologize for--but purely objectively speaking as a (former) GM, a player of this type is less valuable as a prospect than one who promises to stick it out with the team as long as they possibly can. I project Torq to Riga here because the Reign need a defender, and a member with experience may gel with a GM with experience, both leaguewide and in terms of running a team and making it work. Should it work well, Riga gets a player who's better than he gets credit for.
 
7th Overall 
Bo Johansson | D | 268 TPE |  | @Shindigs
It's no secret to anyone paying any sort of attention that Shindigs is one of the more active newer members we've seen in a long time, and what better way to welcome a new member to the league than by drafting them in the first round? Johansson doesn't have quite the same TPE as many others still on the board, but what he does have is a near-unparalleled enthusiasm for league goings-on and an extraordinarily bright future. There's no doubt that this pick will work out quite well for Toronto, who satisfies a positional need and makes a smart investment in the future of the team and the league.
 
8th Overall 
The Board Game Clue On Skates | C | 295 TPE |  | @MubbleFubbles
Remember that history of drafting first-gens in DC? Though skipped over with the #2 pick, the Dragons return to their own tradition at #8 by selecting everyone's favorite ambulatory board game not named Ouija. This is my most hot-take-y pick, actually, as I think Clue could be selected as high as 3rd (and I still want to make this a hot-take pick at 2 or even 1, but I find it hard to justify it). Realistically, I see the draft's top non-controversial forward--yes, you read that right--ending up here. If there weren't as many teams in the draft who would cannibalize their head coach for a decent starting goaler, I totally would hot-take it. But DC can't miss with the creator of the draft class TPE visualizers (which I'd use here if I weren't too lazy to get up and find them) who's a VHLM GM already--that's faster than I became one, and I was the new guy when that happened.
 
9th Overall 
Tavish DeGroot | D | 375 TPE |  | @rory
In a flash of irony, I project DeGroot to Warsaw, the team who (allegedly) hopes to pick up Lamb. This is probably the hardest pick in the draft to project, because the article published by rory pertaining to their intended placement in this draft takes away the "allegedly" entirely as far as LA's intent goes. Is DeGroot falling to 24th overall? I genuinely think not, and if they do, some league policies need to be revisited. Again, much like Lamb at #5, I find it impossible to point to any team or GM in particular and say that I believe that they will be the team or GM to select a player who has assigned themself some varying amount of risk. So, again--am I saying that I believe Warsaw will select DeGroot? I am not. But I do find this slightly more realistic--think about what I said earlier for Lamb. I do not believe that rory would follow through on immediately retiring upon selection, I do believe that they (and LA) would be punished for it, and I also believe that Warsaw would be compensated. Further, if Lamb is off the board, and Warsaw selects DeGroot, rory's hand may be forced somewhat--if Lamb earns solidly with Helsinki, maybe signs an extension at some point, the pressure will be on rory to do the same in Warsaw. If it works, the Predators have picked up the top player in the draft.
 
10th Overall 
Mikhail Kovalchuk | D | 278 TPE |  | @Banackock
Much like Lamb, I do not know what has and has not been said to influence Kovalchuk's chances at going to Seattle behind the scenes. Up to this point, I've operated on the assumption that a GM player would be picked somewhat below where they would be picked otherwise, and that makes it impossible for me to project anyone else to Seattle. Kovalchuk is 10th in TPE in the draft class, and up to this point I believed that each other team would want a certain player more (or at the very least represented a semi-realistic landing place for a controversial player). Kovalchuk would still be on my board if he weren't a GM player, and it's for that reason that I can say that he is absolutely ending up with the Bears--in fact, it's more certain than anything else up to this point.
 
11th Overall 
Perry Laperriere | C | 269 TPE |  | @KaleebtheMighty
At last, GM players are done being mentioned, and we can construct our mock draft in a normal manner. And with more normal comes more forwards, of course! With Robert Bouchard gone after this season, Prague will need someone who can play center--and there's no greater connection than a VHLE GM being drafted by a VHLE Commissioner. On top of good earning and solid contributions as a member, Prague also gains the ability to threaten Kaleeb with the loss of his job if he doesn't keep up the earning and the contract signing. I'm just kidding, of course...unless?
 
12th Overall 
Kakapo Bushtit | RW | 272 TPE |  | @Esso2264
DERPHORSE EMOJI! DERPHORSE EMOJI! Calgary is one of those teams that just doesn't have a super glaring need (at least, they didn't when I spent 20 seconds looking at their team page earlier today). The previous agent of Joel Ylonen, Keven Foreskin (try to get that one past the mods today), and Doug Dimmadome returns to the draft with another installment of Esso-esque "you know what you're getting". Though top-of-the-league superstar potential is relatively low with this pick, Esso's players have a fairly high floor, and Calgary is happy to see that they can pick up a consistent earner who can crack the first line with a presence in seemingly every locker room there is.
 
13th Overall 
Ronan Lavelle | LW | 255 TPE |  | @Arce
Members returning from way back in the good old days usually go one of two ways. They will either quickly fizzle out, or become major contributors to the league once again, with not much in between. Though the jury is still out on anyone after one season, Arce appears to be on the right path, earning well and maintaining an active presence on Discord. It's because of this that I see Seattle as comfortable with reaching down a few spots in the TPE rankings--and it also doesn't hurt that Arce is the top forward on the board at this point. After drafting Kovalchuk at #10, it makes sense for positional balance, and the Bears should be happy to see this pick turn out well.
 
14th Overall 
Wumbo | G | 276 TPE |  | @Fire Fletcher
I Wumbo, you Wumbo, and Warsaw chooses to Wumbo as well with this selection. Assuming the first four picks of the draft aren't all goalers, Wumbo should fall farther down in the draft as not many of the teams between #4 and here have an immediate need for one. It's certainly realistic that Wumbo will fall to Warsaw here, as the Predators are one of the last teams that need someone in net. All in all, it's a smart pick of an established member, and as is the case with Bushtit, Warsaw knows what they're getting with it. A good goaler can be a good goaler without earning every bit of TPE possible, and as shown with this team's longtime use of Ajay Krishna, they're probably pretty cool with the consistent (and altogether still pretty decent) earn rate presented here.
 
15th Overall 
Maxwell Mathias | D | 260 TPE |  | @Underclass_Hero
Before anyone asks, no, I don't know what Davos plans to do in this draft. And that's just the way I like it as a writer. A then-inactive Underclass was once drafted late by Davos, but this was before their recent period of involvement with the VHL, including a hire as a VHLE GM. Certainly more can be expected from Mathias than from Elijah Flynn or Sebastian Satele, and more has been done already. With this pick, Davos attempts to compensate for its recent selling of Poopy Peepants and Reylynn Reinhart, and picks up the player that represents a returning member's breakthrough in the league.
 
16th Overall 
DB III | C | 229 TPE |  | @wcats
Dan Baillie is a name that should at least ring a bell for most who have been active for a while in this league. Though wcats is mostly on the quiet side, his players have generally turned out decent, with Dan Baillie and Dan Baillie Jr both putting up solid numbers without much recognition. Here, DB III goes to Vancouver, who likely continues to look for cap-friendly (and meta-friendly) players in the draft. DB III is both of these things, and should fit in well as a solid role player with the opportunity to put up the best numbers yet.
 
 
ROUND 2
 
 
17th Overall 
Nagy AL | D | 298 TPE |  | @bigAL
I'm very unsure what's going to happen with this pick, and it may be one that's even more high-risk, high-reward than the likes of Lamb or DeGroot. Al missed a week of updating last week, which will certainly knock him down a few spots on most draft boards. Further, blues-turned-former-blues usually don't end up staying as active as they once were immediately upon becoming former blues. If Al follows the same trajectory, his player won't be worth a high pick--but it's worth noting that he's a former #1 overall pick and the former face of a franchise, and if he gets back on the earning train after the draft, he could be that in Warsaw. 
 
18th Overall 
Seymour Butts | D | 216 TPE |  | @Squidward2
Everybody look out--fonzi is back! A motivated fonzi is an earning force to be reckoned with, and this is something that might end up propelling Butts even into the late 1st round, above some others with similar or even greater TPE. I did move Butts up the draft rankings somewhat because he's been able to max earn as of late--but I do so cautiously as fonzi has had a player or two drop off in activity. Should this pick work out, it's worth more than its position, but the chance exists that it won't. At the moment, though, things look promising and Butts should be viewed as an exciting prospect with room to contribute.
 
19th Overall 
Ben Dahl | G | 243 TPE |  | @Nothing but goals
Two words come to mind when I think of Chicago: asset management. The roster is depleted, and that happened without a rebuild, too. The Phoenix have a serious lack of players, and not enough draft capital to compensate. Only one thing will get this team out of the hole relatively soon, and that's managing on a budget and making smart decisions. Remember how I said earlier that a team's goaltender doesn't need 1000 TPA to succeed? Chicago recognizes that by going for a previously loyal skater at #4 and drafting Dahl at #19, who's still more than good enough to make a difference despite not being among the draft's top few goalers. Let's not forget this, either--if it weren't for a recent punishment for what seems to have been a relatively innocent mistake, Dahl would be higher in TPE and might have seen late-1st consideration. 
 
20th Overall 
James Teekirque | D | 250 TPE |  | @Mongoose87
Many seasons ago, picking up a 250-TPE player at 20th overall in the draft would have been seen as impossible. But here we are, and here we pick--Teekirque falls below Butts due to a lower level of member recognition, but Kosmo Kramerev, the last player created by Mongoose, managed to break 1000 TPE in a career split between Calgary and--you guessed it--New York. Teekirque is a better earner than most others left at this point in the draft, and promises to be more than usable in the seasons to come.
 
21st Overall 
Calix Pearce | D | 228 TPE |  | @Laine
Pearce is tough to place in the same way that Al is tough to place--his agent has dropped off somewhat. But if there's any place Laine can rebound, it's Helsinki, where he spent the majority of his last player's career. There are some players on the board with better earn rates, but Pearce comes with more establishment in the league and a past connection to the Titans, who would love to get the old Laine back. I think it's reasonable for them to take a chance on Pearce here, and see what happens.
 
22nd Overall 
Girts Galvins | LW | 227 TPE |  | @Girts
With all the complaining we do about the derphorse emoji (I enjoy it), there's another team without one that's up to date, and that's Vegas. Though the draft class has been dominated by Hounds and Marlins and Reapers and Lynx (yes, that's the plural form of Lynx, though "Lynxes" is actually acceptable as well), we had to wait until this point to find an Ace, and Riga certainly draws one with this pick. It's not unreasonable for Galvins to slip this far in the draft, given the TPE rankings and the volume of current and former max earners present in this class, but it's still a GM's dream to find someone max earning at 22nd overall. And I can promise that Galvins will absolutely not go past this pick--what can be more perfect than the draft's second Latvian player going to the league's only Latvian team? This is another pick I'm tempted to hot-take into a way earlier spot, but I'd rather represent what I think will happen than how I might personally draft.
 
23rd Overall 
Dabnad Shaw | D | 218 TPE |  | @Dabnad
I must have paid much less attention to the league than I thought last season, because I've never heard of Shaw. So, imagine my surprise when I found out that he's max earning--and I didn't even know about it! I thought I lived here! Anyway, take the same thing I said for Galvins about being super happy to find anyone earning like this at this stage of the draft and apply it here--with an abundance of defenders in this draft class, expect Shaw to fall to the early-mid second in a draft where such a pick would usually get someone a player in the 8-10 capped range. He'll fit in well in Toronto, who will plan to combine him with first-rounder Johansson to tear up the S80s.
 
24th Overall 
Red Gaming | G | 182 TPE |  | @Lilpfigher
We'll see what happens with this pick. Assuming the Great DeGroot Draft Tumble doesn't work out, LA will be left with options here. Though the Stars will be hit hardest with retirement at forward, they have a couple decent prospects who can fill the gaps, unlike their situation in net where we're forced to draw a huge question mark. After Rasputin is out next season, who takes over? Red Gaming doesn't quite project to be a true franchise goaler, but will at the very least exist at that point and in a few seasons could develop into a mid-level/#1A-type player (which has worked well for many teams before in net). If things work as intended, LA will be able to use their future assets primarily on skaters, and have one less position group to worry about.
 
25th Overall 
Phoebe Bridgers | LW | 196 TPE |  | @GrittyIsKing
Two on D and one in net, and we can't neglect the fact that a team's got to pick up some forwards at some point. Gritty's last player in Cole Newhook ended up a mid-level player with a strong devotion to the Moscow franchise. It's certainly possible that we could see this happen earlier (I was between Bridgers and Red Gaming at #24, though that's not saying much--we could see somewhere around #20 if a GM is feeling adventurous), but for now we put this player in at #25, once again hurt by a strong top end to the draft class. In any case, Warsaw would love to have a strongly enthusiastic member like Gritty around, and the pick will be sure to leave some other teams jealous.
 
26th Overall 
Branden Skuin | D | 216 TPE |  | @DrunkMonkey23
So apparently I'm only allowed 75 emojis per post, and this one took me to the limit and made me get rid of the team emoji I had to the left of the overall numbers. I thought they looked better bracketed, dammit! Anyway, there's a cluster of players around this TPE level, with varying earn rates and at varying positions. Skuin edges out a few others here, because he can be counted on to do more than just welfare every week, with press conferences and reviews (and the occasional 6-point task and capped week!) making the difference. Though it's at this point that players and members left generally become less recognizable, it's not as though Malmo is disappointed to be here--they get a solid prospect with room to grow.
 
27th Overall 
Bob Chicoine | LW | 194 TPE |  | @PoignardLeclerc11
Oh, look, another team emoji that hasn't been updated! Anyway...if there's one thing Prague has been able to do throughout their entire history, it's finding good prospects with later picks. Though a 2nd-rounder isn't a late pick by any stretch of the imagination (much less in this draft), it is "later on" among picks that are expected to work out. And Prague can expect Chicoine to work out--they get a player who's consistently earned around 10 capped per week with a lot of 6-point tasks (something GMs love to see when scouting). With this pick, the Phantoms add to their forward prospect pool, as Chicoine can be expected to play with Laperriere in the future.
 
28th Overall 
Obi Adesanya | LW | 210 TPE |  | @atw2592
Adesanya is yet another player I'd place in the "steal potential" category, right next to Skuin and Chicoine. Though not typically a player with 6-point tasks done every week, everything else, all the little 2-point stuff, is. And that stacks up--A year from now, if Adesanya earns 10 per week consistently, he will have earned 312 more capped TPE than someone who just clicks the welfare button. And if that's not enough to convince you, take a look at some players created by tfong or flyersfan--both have made players in high demand. Even if Adesanya never breaks into true max-earning territory, Chicago still picks up a great player to have at #28.
 
29th Overall 
Brian Payne | D | 220 TPE |  | @Scurvy
Another pick, another underrated player! Payne has some 6-point tasks done, and earns just as well as those immediately above him in most weeks. The only knock is that he's a tad bit inconsistent, with one recent week dropping down to welfare and a total of 8 capped, but it's nothing at all to worry about and the difference between Payne and Skuin, who I have projected three picks higher, should be miniscule. This gives Helsinki some safety in drafting Calix Pearce earlier on in the round, and also opens the door to the team picking the better of two options for themselves if both work out. Expect 26-29 to happen in any order!
 
30th Overall 
Eldon Escobar | C | 195 TPE |  | @TeeJay11
There's a noticeable drop-off between 29 and 30, though that noticeable drop-off is 10 capped per week to 8 capped per week, which is where Escobar consistently earns. Regardless of Moscow being ever-so-slightly disappointed to not be one pick higher, they're still quite satisfied with the result of picking at #30, as Escobar can still be a mid-level player with consistency (and anyone can be a high-level player with improvement). With Moscow being labeled as one of the league's more meta-friendly teams, too, it's possible that Escobar (whose PA hasn't broken 50 yet) could fit in quite well with a system that happens to be TPE-efficient.
 
31st Overall 
Doug Matchett | D | 187 TPE |  | @jacobaa19
Though Jacob hasn't quite panned out yet, he's been going around the VHL block since before I was in the league. Riga doesn't make this pick with the highest of expectations, but they do make it with some degree of optimism--the league does not need to be explained to a member who's made a few runs at it, and at this point it's clear that Jacob wants to be a part of it in some capacity. It's possible that Riga could be the place where Matchett catches on and exceeds expectations--might as well try!
 
32nd Overall 
Jared Carter the 2st | D | 210 TPE |  | @jaredc7
We begin and end our mock with New York, and it ends here because the player pool (generally) drops off a bit after the second round. At #32, the Americans pick up a player who's mostly been on welfare and the occasional player-store free week. However...Carter completed a press conference last week, breaking away from a period of only taking what is given. It's a small uptick in earning, but even the smallest are enough to make a GM notice. Quite like investing, it sometimes pays off to notice the very beginning of a trend and make a move before stocks go up. And it's possible that Carter could go up--he's been active enough to notice uncapped rewards given out for special events, meaning that he's more than just a portal clicker. With the right guidance, New York could end up with something special.
 
 
And that concludes the mock! Tell me what you think--agree, disagree, worship, throw last week's leftovers, and wait for this to become irrelevant as more trades roll in. For the moment, though, I hope you think I've given a good overview of our prospects and used decent logic in making predictions!
 
 
Yeah, words. There are 5,346 of them. See you in a month!

Good idea - I like the 75 word requirement and posting in the game threads. 75 word requirement is good because in SBA I would literally type "wow, good sim for (X Team)" and earn TPE for it - felt dirty.

(Before we start off, no this isn’t going to be the way you made a player in the VHL)
Hello everyone, welcome to another one of my articles where I find a random thing online and think that I can convert it into interesting article! This time I was going through YouTube and I kept on finding some different “NFL create your player” and I thought that there must be one for hockey. To my very big surprise there wasn’t a single one which is why I decided to make one. However, this one will involve many things from real life and inside the VHL. I will be using VHL, VHLE, and VHLM teams and some real life data such as height along with many more things. Without further stalling let’s get into it. 
 
1. Height
Lets start off with a simple one for your player. Lets get the height of your new VHL player! If you’re under 5 feet in real life your player will be 5 feet. 5 feet - 5’8” is 5’6”, 5’8”- 6 feet is 6’1”. 6 feet-6’6” is 6’8”. Anything over 6’8” is 7 feet.
 
2. Weight
To find  your players weight we will be using what team your player is/was in the VHLM. If your VHLM team is/was Halifax you’re 140 pounds (bit light to play hockey eh?). If your VHLM team is/was Houston then you’re 150 pounds. Las Vegas is 160 pounds. Mexico City is 170 pounds. Miami is 180 pounds. Mississauga is 190 pounds,  Ottawa is 200 pounds. Philadelphia is 210, San Diego is 220 and Saskatoon is a big ol’ 230 pounds.
 
3. Position
Now let’s find what position you play in. If you’re in the VHLM you’re a goalie, if you’re in/are going to the VHLE you’re a defence, and if you’re in/are going to the VHL you’re a forward.
 
4. Age
To see how old you are let’s look at the TPA you have available. If you have from 0-100 TPA you’re a young 18 year old. If you have from 100-200 TPA you’re a slightly older 22 year old. 200-300 means you’re 25. 300-400 means you’re getting old at 29. 400-500 means you’re 32, and if have  500+ TPA you’re a very old 35 year old playing hockey.
 
5. Nationality 
To make it easier for you guys (and me) I will add 6 nations: Canada, USA, Russia,Norway, Sweden, and Finland. To see what country you’re from let’s just use what continent you’re from in real life (not where you’re living or where you’re born just the country you would consider yourself from). If you’re from Asia you’re a proud Russian, South Americans can be American, North Americans can go to the country with the place with Alert: Canada. Africa means Finland for you. European players can be Swedish and Oceanian players can be from Norway.    
 
6. VHL team
(To make this simple I will be adding just the top 4 regular season teams.) Now that we know all the basic information lets see what VHL team you end up on. To figure this out let’s use the first letter of your real name. If your name starts with any letter from A-G you got drafted by the Moscow Menace. If your name starts with G-M you just got drafted by the good ol’ Seattle Bears. If your name starts with any letter from N-T you just got drafted by the Vancouver Wolves, and lastly if your name starts from T-Z you just got drafted by the Malmo Nighthawks.
 
7. Average capped TPE 
One which will make a bigger difference than the other ones. To figure this out you can just use a simple method by seeing how many banked TPE you have. If you have 0 banked your earn an average of 6. 0-10 banked means you earn about 8. 10-30 means you earn about 10 a week, and if you have over 30 banked TPE it means that you earn a full 12 TPE a week which is very well done by you!
 
8. Stick handling hand
Now that we’ve looked at some things which are common in the VHL, let’s look at something which we don’t see being talked about a lot in the VHL. Let’s look at how you hold the stick in a good game of hockey. To find out how you play the puck in a normal game we will be looking at something not many people will be expecting. To see what hand you play you must figure out if your profile picture consists of something related to hockey. If you think that there is something related to hockey in your picture you’re a player who plays the puck with their left, if you’re someone who doesn’t have hockey in their profile picture you’re someone who plays the puck with their right.
 
9. Trophies won
Now with our last two questions coming up, let’s see how good of a player you became. To find out how many trophies you earned let’s put a simple method into test. To see if you’ve earned trophies do the following: go to player management, go to approved updates, find your last 3 approved updates. If these three result in 3-5 you’ve ended a career with no individual trophies won. If you get 5-8 you’ve won a trophy for yourself. 8-12 brings you 2 career trophies, 12-15 brings you 3 and anything over 15 gives you 5 trophies which you earned by your will and power.
 
10. Best stat
This one, unlike the other ones, will be a very straight forward. To find this out you just have to go to your player and check what your best stat is. This is one of the simplest thing you can do.
 
Now put everything together and see what you get. That’s your player which will play in the VHL for you and that’s who you are. Personally, I’m a 6’1, 170 pound, defence man that’s Russian. I’m also playing for Vancouver, who gets around 8 capped TPE a week. I also play leftie and earned myself a trophy. Lastly my best statistic is strength, defence, checking, and puck handling. Leave your players down in the replies. This is Dabnad signing off.
 
1043 words
Week ending January 23rd, January 30th

Player Information
Username: Motzaburger
Player Name: Hasbulla Magomedov
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 19
Position: LW
Height: 65 in.
Weight: 140 lbs.
Birthplace: Azerbaijan

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Hello all, I will not be recreating at this time. Big thanks to the many people who played a big part in this being my best VHL run and my favorite run I've had in any sim league. It was really cool to come back right before membership exploded and see where that took the league over the past few years 
 
I'll see yall whenever I actually get around to getting this tattoo

I RP'ed in the ISFL and a teammate took offence and the GM wanted me to apologise to said user. I left the team in Free Agency instead. I doubt I'll try and be "in character" again. 

I'm still 100% on board with the "let's test simple gap limits" approach. If it works I really don't see a reason why we'd need to do much else.
 
I'm also in favor of testing sims with mid-level/average shooting. Both of these are sensible things to look at.
 
I'm not 100% sure how I feel about the "change up every attribute" thing. If we did implement it, we would absolutely need to make sure those attributes and how they're laid out aren't going to just lead to another meta build. I like what you're getting at with the table above (and I'd rather have that than archetypes) but I'd be more in favor of trying to keep it simple before completely overhauling the way everyone does things.

Claimed and claimed. THE day I deliver our child, I’m still over here collecting all that TPE💪🏼