Plate

@Esso2264 Please sir

Markus Schauer: 7th overall selection of the S74 Entry Draft by the New York Americans New York City. The red white and blue - cultural metropolis of America is now home to Markus Schauer. From their first interview during the S73 VHLM playoffs to draft day, Schauer had expected to be selected 7th overall by the Americans. It will be an interesting experience considering the position of the team. Graduating to the VHL was something that Schauer had planned ever since starting his S73 career in Houston. This offensive defense man will serve a key role in the Americans future as their elite defense man for the seasons to come. The biggest expectation that Schauer has for himself and his team is to be the locker room leader that is needed. It became clear very quickly that the locker room in New York was going through a lot of changes. Many long-term players have either retired or are leaving for free agency. There were a few prospects selected in the draft. Only a few were called up to the plate. The mix between the veterans staying behind and the youth should make for a constructive environment. On the ice - Schauer is hoping to get a 30 point season under his belt as a rookie. He isn't anywhere near as physical as his team mates, but he's always been a player that relies on his skill more than his physical play. Schauer also hopes to help out his goalies on the back end. Bacon, a fellow draftee and future goalie of the Americans, will need a little bit of help settling into the competition. Posting some blocked shots and getting turnovers is something that Schauer really needs to work on if he wants to keep the Americans competitive in the VHL season. The only reservations that Schauer has of his new team is the uncertainty of the future that lays before him. There is no doubt in his mind that the New York Americans will be a good team come his prime. The process and journey of how they get there is one that will test the patience of both management and the rookies. Schauer has full confidence in his general manager and assistant general manager to make the difficult decisions that come with the rebuilding process.

Dude, I have no idea how that happened. Did a staff member change it as a prank?

Wait, who changed it to "GOT FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY". I didn't type that!!!!

Disclaimer: I am NOT saying that I fell in the S74 Entry Draft. Thank you New York for selecting me 7th overall. It can be tough. You put in the work through your VHLM career only to come short of the VHL draft. My player, in the S73 VHLM draft, was right there with you. I thought for sure I would be drafted in the second round. Then the picks kept rolling. Schauer still wasn't showing up on the board. It wasn't until the third round that Houston saw their chance and selected my player. Mind you, it was the first 3rd round selection, but to go from somewhere in the high-mid second round and fall that far? It was a cutting blow. Maybe people didn't want to take a chance because of my past. Maybe I talked to too many teams before the draft. Here's the thing. It's better for your player to be picked as a steal rather than a bust. The lower the pick is, the better chance you have of being the steal of the round, or even the draft. The 1st overall pick can never be a steal (Sorry Reno, I love you) because it's the first pick of the entire draft. The only place you have to go at the top is below you. Every draft there are members that might feel disappointed with where their player ended up. Often these members don't say anything. I hear you loud and clear. I think it's important to talk about your grievances. If you feel like you got FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY in the draft you can leave a message in the thread letting us know how you feel. Or, if you think it's too early, send me a message on the forums. My discord is also open, which I will share at the end of this post. Don't worry, I won't be telling your GM that you don't like who you're playing for, that isn't the point. I think it's important to get stuff off your chest so you can move on and have a better time in the VHL. Plate#4731

I'm in.

Greetings, VHL community! Another eight weeks or so has flown by and with another Continental Cup awarded (congratulations to the Seattle Bears!), it’s time for the next crop of fresh talent to come join the ranks of the VHL elite. We will be presenting the first round to you, so let’s hope you folks at home can keep up! We have seven writers contributing here, bringing you the juicy details on the future talents that the players that have made this top 16 list are worthy of bringing. As you may have heard, this particular draft is absolutely stacked with young talent! You really don’t want to miss what the scouts have to say about them! Will this draft contain the next superstar? Will there be a later pick that emerges as an elite talent? Stay tuned, ‘cause here we go: First Round Predictions 1st Overall Warsaw Predators ALOE DEAR @Renomitsu Left Wing Houston Bulls 46g - 49a - 95pts I think it would be expected that a new franchise finishing dead last and ending up with the first overall selection, would definitely pick the best player available. That’s exactly what’s happening here. Aloe Dear is a fearsome sniper, playing top line minutes and certainly proving her very high value. Her 46 goals and 389 shots are excellent, getting her top-ten rankings. Finishing the playoffs with 9 points in 10 games, she showed she’s ready for the next level already. With Warsaw lacking star power due to HHH’s retirement, she would already be the franchise player to build around. -MattyIce- 2nd Overall Chicago Phoenix Christian Mingle @Quik Center Houston Bulls 47g - 35a - 82pts Picking second overall after their inaugural season, the Chicago Phoenix are looking for a reliable piece they can build their offense around. While Christian Mingle isn't the player available, even at his position, with the most TPE, VSN believes that Chicago will go with Mingle for the aforementioned reason of reliability. The Phoenix really aren't loaded with a lot of higher-end prospects, so they absolutely need to hit on this pick. Squirrely dan and Adam Syreck had excellent rookie campaigns, and Mingle would be an excellent fit for them. He scored 47 goals with the Houston Bulls in Season 73 and displays excellent defensive awareness, but Mingle's skating absolutely must improve immediately in order to carry that success over to the VHL. -Doomsday- 3rd Overall Vancouver Wolves Luke Thornton @Jtv123 Left Wing Miami Marauders 20g - 42a - 62pts With Gino Digiannantonio, who Vancouver selected 4th overall in Season 72, failing to live up to expectations, the Wolves struck a deal with the London United to trade up and add a top prospect. Luke Thornton, the playmaking left winger from the Miami Marauders, provides tremendous value at third overall and should quickly eclipse the struggling Digiannantonio. Most young prospects favor goal-scoring, but Thornton's pass-first mentality will win him a lot of fans with his new teammates. He's also defensively sound in his own end, but you won't see him throwing the body much at the pro level despite his size. Vancouver’s re-tooling takes a big step in the right direction with this selection. -Doomsday- 4th Overall Prague Phantoms Venus Thightrap @BladeMaiden Center Houston Bulls 52g - 73a - 125pts With the fourth overall selection, the Phantoms go for electrifying center, Venus Thightrap. User BladeMaiden’s last player, Brick Wahl, finished his career in Prague, earning an unbelievable five individual awards in his two-year stay there. Considering Thightrap’s exceptional season in the VHLM which included 52 goals and 125 points, in addition to her flawless TPE earning, history may be destined to repeat itself with Prague landing another BladeMaiden superstar. The Dane is a two-way force, never cheating for an offensive chance despite all the offensive talent that you could dream of. She has not missed any capped TPE up to this point, and has claimed a nice 75 uncapped TPE alongside it. This is indisputably one of this draft’s top prospects, and Prague will be thrilled to land what is likely their first line center down the road at fourth overall. -Patrik Tallinder- 5th Overall Los Angeles Stars Markus Schauer @Plate Defenseman Houston Bulls 24g - 85a- 109pts Having been the top-ranked, draft-eligible defenseman for most of the season, German Markus Schauer has proven more than enough to get selected before quick-rising Emi Rune. I mean, 85 assists and 109 points in his rookie VHLM campaign with Houston?? Leave other players a chance! Quick on his feet, great with his hands, super intelligent offensively and defensively, optimal size, what isn’t to like about this player? Los Angeles gets their franchise defenseman at 5th here. Some may argue that his success was largely influenced by the Houston Bulls having a very strong team and having leading scorer Riley Knight Gee as his defense partner, but for a rookie to step up and be dominant like that, is absolutely incredible. -MattyIce- 6th Overall Vancouver Wolves Emi Rune @Emi Defensewoman Saskatoon Wild 10g - 64a - 74pts If you want to talk about explosive growth in the S73 season - career Saskatoon defensewoman Emi Rune will always be in the conversation. Vancouver will be wise to select their AGM player Rune, as she is one few defenders creeping into the top 10. Rune has elite offensive capabilities. Relying mostly on her passing ability and ability to play the puck. A point per game player is hard to come by enough as it is. When you throw the defensewoman title on there are well, people will have eyes on you in the earlier picks of the draft. Seventy-four points, with 64 assists, is a fantastic start to this young woman's career. That isn’t even mentioning the 116 blocked shots or the +25 she posted as a member of Saskatoon. Where Emi Rune really shines ladies and gentlemen, is her veteran locker room presence. This is a skater that any team would envy to have if only because of her maturity and dedication for a new love for the league. We wish Rune, and I personally with Rune, the best of luck in the draft and in her time here in the VHL. -Plate- 7th Overall New York Americans Onde Sandstrom @fonziGG Right Wing Las Vegas Aces 36g - 31a - 67pts This 7th pick could be seen as controversial, with the member’s insistence that he be drafted no earlier than the 2nd Round, but we imagine the New York Americans will start their rebuild with the Swedish winger, Onde Sandstrom. He is looking like a solid piece that the Americans can build a new solid core around. He has nearly everything you could want in a forward, with excellent scoring ability and a solid 200 foot game to boot. The Americans can use any and all players, except in net, where they have promising prospects, and Onde would be a great fit to kickstart a new generation in New York. -Hylands- 8th Overall Vancouver Wolves Ryan Schwarz - @Enorama Left Wing San Diego Marlins 33g - 26a - 59pts This towering 6ft 8 sniper has the senses to play the game very well. Putting up 33 goals and 59 points with a +42 is quite an accomplishment, that’s no easy task. He’s a very busy player, getting involved at BOTH ends of the rink. Yeah, you read that right; a sniper that’s responsible defensively as well. He will need to work on strength possibly, for if he does, he would be a fearsome player to play against. With representation by Enorama, the famous agent of legend Ryan Kastelic, he can develop extremely quickly into an essential piece. With Vancouver needing forward help, he would slot in perfectly to provide some much needed second line power with his effective 200ft game on opening night. -MattyIce- 9th Overall London United Doug Dimmadome @Esso2264 Goaltender San Diego Marlins 51-19-2, 0.896% - 2.33gaa - 9so At 9th overall Doud Dimmadome will make his way to London. The highest rated goalie in the draft, with huge upside, will be headed to a team that desperately needs his goaltending. Dimmadome was selected 14th Overall in the S73 dispersal draft. We could talk about his almost 0.9 SV% (0.9 being elite in the VHL). We could also talk about his nine shutouts in 51 wins as a Marlin. 0.904 SV% in the playoffs is what I want to talk about. You put up numbers like that consistently in the playoffs and championships will come. Dimmadome is a contender, brick wall, and an absolute stud between the pipes. London won’t take up the chance to pass on this elite goaltender here at 9th overall. -Plate- 10th Overall London United Lester Green @Smarch Defenseman San Diego Marlins 7g - 29a - 36pts London needs defense. United GM Joseph McWolf should take advantage here by selecting the defensive-minded Lester Green. Although listed at 5’5 and 140lbs, this diminutive American defenseman has some wheels, and power. He has absolutely devoted his game to protecting the defensive zone. He can contribute offensively, putting up 36 points last season, including six points in 11 games in the playoffs with the San Diego Marlins. For Green to blossom, he will have to work on his two way game and contribute offensively to be a complete defenseman, maybe eat a few steaks to bulk up along the way as well. -MattyIce- 11th Overall Calgary Wranglers Jeffrenomitsu The 3rd @Jeffie43 Right Wing Houston Bulls 33g - 37a - 70pts Although surrounded by fantastic players, the lanky winger from Singapore was an important cog in the most successful regular-season in Houston Bulls history. Able to create chances in close, he was one of seven players to score 30 or more goals on the team and his 6’ 6” frame gave goaltenders fits when he was screening them to the tune of 15 PPG whilst on the Bulls’ record-breaking power play. He has shown another gear as well as he led the Bulls with 6 goals in 10 playoff games. His range and athleticism equally help him to dangle around defenders or strip pucks away from opponents. Scouts may want to see some more poutine on his body to add some heaviness, but Calgary will appreciate his skill, intelligence and two-way acumen which make up for his lack of speed. -animal74- 12th Overall London United John LeClair II @flyersfan1453 Left Wing San Diego Marlins 18g - 16a - 34pts With the second first round pick acquired from their trade with the Vancouver Wolves, London decides to add to their forward core with John LeClair II. The son of the legendary Philadelphia Flyers power forward, he plays a physical game, just like his father. LeClair II was an absolute menace last season, recording a staggering 355 hits in the VHLM with the San Diego Marlins. Critics may point to his low offensive output, suggesting he needs more time to season, but LeClair II will likely fit nicely onto a London team looking to replace it's inactive placeholders. LeClair II has a great chance to compete for quality ice time on a top line, along with special teams roles. This is a really ideal landing spot for him. -Doomsday- 13th Overall Calgary Wranglers Julian Nousiainen @okochastar Center Houston Bulls 31g- 78a - 109pts Yeah, Nousiainen is going to Calgary. With Kris Rice traded to Moscow, Jubis should nab Nousiainen right here. In addition to ACL Tear in retirement mode, Nousiainen is a potential star centerman in the making, and would slot in perfectly in Calgary’s second-line two-way centerman role; behind newly acquired Scott Greene in the Kris Rice trade. His 78 assists, 109 points and nine game-winning goals were VHLM top-ten worthy. His game is very-well rounded at both ends of the ice and has more than enough talent to play on a second line and play a key role in special teams. VHL centerman beware, he’s excellent in the faceoff circle and he will cause many problems against even the top faceoff specialists. -MattyIce- 14th Overall Riga Reign Lexi Glass @AW13 Right Wing Ottawa Lynx 24g - 19a - 43pts Riga’s conference finals loss to Helsinki was not all bad as they find themselves picking at 14th overall. I think they take Lexi Glass of the Ottawa Lynx in this spot. Riga has an aging but deep defense and they have a pair of prospects in the system to refuel there, what they really need is a winger that is not only young but fits on the right side and Glass fills both of those needs. He had a solid but not incredible season in Ottawa last season. Despite this, I think Riga’s coaching staff have what it takes to turn Lexi Glass into a 2nd line or elite winger in the VHL. He can even make an immediate impact in the VHL with his signature wrist shot and one-timer. He still has plenty of room to develop and if Riga does end up taking the 19 year old Glass, it will certainly be a pick the franchise won’t regret. -Patrik Laine- 15th Overall Helsinki Titans Kasper Kankkunen @Z16 Defenseman Las Vegas Aces 23g - 44a - 67pts Helsinki is in a very tight spot right now. They do not have cap restraints but have a forward and goalie surplus. Heading into season 74, they will have 8 forwards including new arrivals Patrik Laine and Oh Sens; in the crease, three goalies with the calling up of Calvin Harvey. The defense is a four man crew with no prospects to fill the void when 3 of the 4 will inevitably retire in the next 3-4 seasons; for that reason alone, Helsinki will address this need and take Kasper Kankkunen. Kankkunen fits the exact bill of what Helsinki needs defensively, a two-way defender who is both excellent in the defensive zone, the neutral zone and the attacking zone. In his first full VHLM season, Kankkunen was a force in all 3 phases of the game. In the attacking zone, he got some time on the power play and ended up putting up 67 points in 72 games and more than two-thirds of that was even strength. In the defensive zone, he was excellent at locking down opposing forwards, sporting a +8 across a season where Vegas failed to make the playoffs. Last but not least was his neutral zone play. He would scare opposing forwards with his hitting ability, recording 114 hits across the entire year. Helsinki has had a history of turning mid to late 1st round picks into elite talents, such as Erik Summers. If anyone can turn Kankkunen into one of the VHL’s premiere two-way defensive talents down the road, it would be Helsinki. Not only does it fit what the team needs logically, but it is a solid pick where the team doesn’t have to reach for him. It wouldn’t just work out for the Titans, it also works out for Kankkunen as well. He was born and raised in Finland and I bet it would mean the world to his family and friends to see him play in Helsinki every time they play a home game. This is a pick that makes both parties involved happy and that’s why I can see this happening when Helsinki is on the clock. -Patrik Laine- 16th Overall Seattle Bears Isabella Campbell @Banackock Center Houston Bulls 30g - 53a - 83pts Finally, picking last in the first round is the Seattle Bears, the honor bestowed to the Continental Cup Champions. It's not the only luxury that the Bears will receive here, as the GM Player rule will award Seattle with sweet, sweet nepotism with General Manager Blake Campbell's daughter, Isabella. All jokes aside, her arrival is a very timely one for the Bears. Ambrose Stark has already announced his retirement, and newly-acquired Kris Rice has three seasons to go before his career is up as well. Campbell was a dangerous and versatile center for the Houston Bulls, and she slots perfectly into Seattle's future. It's almost as if it's divine design at work for the Bears. -Doomsday-

Let's ROCK the VHL with some FIRE.

Review I don't know how you managed it but the blood actually looks like it's running off of the players face. I don't know if you did that with a paint tool or something but it looks great for the character that you're trying to portray. My only issue is that the background is too bright. If it was a darker grey instead of white, it would make the eyes want to look at the render and the effect that you have would pop out a bit more. Grimey and gory is a cool aesthetic for a skater that's uniquely explored here. 7/10 Background is funky and the text choice (not the colour) is too off.

Review I actually really like the bold colouring on the logo. The high contrast makes the skater really pop. Very good choice of render here, because with the darker back ground your eyes pop right into the middle on the players face, and then you get the text off on the right which is a very natural place to put it. Very well done! 9/10 Don't know what palm trees have to do with dragons.

This isn't the first time either. I'm coming back to the position after S65 where I was a writer for a couple of weeks. I'm really excited for this scouting opportunity and I think that there are a lot of things that will help the department really step up their game. Here are some suggestions that I had for my interview: Interviews (Interviewing prospects during the post-season/off-season) First-Gen Rankings (Ranking the best first-gen players in the drafts, both in character and TPE earnings) Mock Drafts And More! Is there anything else I should do? I really want to know what else there could be done for scouting. IMO it's the link between a first-gen player and the league. Being scouted is a huge step towards retention and I'm really glad I can help out new people fall in love with the league just as much as I am. My partner in crime @MattyIce is a literal blessing and I can't wait to work with him on these write ups. It's going to be a blast. If any of you want to give me some pointers please feel free I need the criticism.

Before you are a media spot and a huge excel spreadsheet. For all intents and purposes, I had a quick formula to calculate a score based on 10 different stats from a player. When that score was calculated I added their current TPE onto it as well. Then I listed off each player score from largest to smallest and that is their new draft position. If you had the highest score of them all you were 1st overall. If you had the second highest score you were 2nd overall. If you had the third highest score you were 3rd overall, and so on and so forth. I subtracted each player’s new draft position from their old one. When you add up all the differences in draft position for each team’s pick; you come up with an arbitrary value to determine how well a team did in the draft. TPE values have changed since I wrote this spreadsheet, so each player is, give or take, within 12 score of each other. A team’s biggest steal is their draftee who had the highest positive jump in the draft. Whereas the team’s biggest bust is their draftee who had the highest negative fall in the draft. If a player had nobody fall in the draft, nobody busted and therefore it says “No Busts” or “No Steals”. Goalies were not included in this list because they are so weird to try and track with other players. For picks that teams literally passed on, I just assumed that they would pass again in that same spot. PHILADELPHIA Picks: 2 Score: 54 Biggest Steal: C. Rockwall (+28) Biggest Bust: (No Busts) HOUSTON Picks: 6 Score: 45 Biggest Steal: J. The 3rd (+16) Biggest Bust: A. Dear (-11) MISSISSAUGA Picks: 4 Score: 32 Biggest Steal: T. Horton (+17) Biggest Bust: (No Busts) LAS VEGAS Picks: 10 Score: 31 Biggest Steal: R. Entertainment (+25) Biggest Bust: T. Jabroni (-19) YUKON Picks: 5 Score: 25 Biggest Steal: Mattymell (+21) Biggest Bust: W. Jetski (-6) SASKATOON Picks: 4 Score: 0 Biggest Steal: B. Landry (+15) Biggest Bust: A. Askarov (-11) MINNESOTA Picks: 2 Score: 1 Biggest Steal: T. Kamashev (10) Biggest Bust: Y. Cloudersa (-9) HALIFAX Picks: 3 Score: -12 Biggest Steal: H. Gunnarsson (12) Biggest Bust: Empty (-15) MIAMI Picks: 11 Score: -30 Biggest Steal: P. Laine (+40) Biggest Bust: K. King (-16) SAN DIEGO Picks: 9 Score: -61 Biggest Steal: L. Leveque (+7) Biggest Bust: B. Von Luxembourg (-24) OTTAWA Picks: 16 Score: -85 Biggest Steal: Z. Kisslinger (+20) Biggest Bust: J. Jogr (-33) THESIS Why do players get picked earlier? Well, you’ll see there are two main reasons for players getting picked a lot higher than they should. The first is that they’re a returning player. GMs are more likely to pick a welfare agent than they will a first-gen that inconsistently earns, even if the average of that first-gens earnings are higher than welfare. And the second is team loyalty. When a new player signs with a team in the VHLM they tend to want to go back to their signing team in the draft. Or at least, that expectation will occur if it’s realistic. Sometimes a “worse” skater is selected for the locker room. Why do players fall in the draft? For one, first-gens are higher risk than recreates. You don’t know what you’re getting really. Someone might be too active and burn out quickly. Hyperactivity is sometimes not a good thing. GMs pay attention to what is said everywhere. In media spots, locker rooms they have access to, insider information, they will get it at one point. Maybe not immediately, but things generally come around. Information might deter a GM from selecting your player. That’s okay, because they do it so that you are a good fit for the team, not because you’re a bad person.

Thank you to VSN management for deciding on choosing both @MattyIce and I as the scouts for the VSN!

Review As far as logos go, this isn't that bad. The colours are great, the team name and city of origin makes complete sense. It's clean and has a lot of depth to it. Although Riga is orange with their colours I don't think this infringes on their scheme too much. Especially since I imagine Riga having an orange based jersey and these are more catered to a black base. All in all this looks great. 10/10 would go full steam ahead again.

Review Yooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. I'm not a weeb, but this is sick and I'm jealous I want one. All of the colours are excellent and blend in super well together with the aesthetic. The eyes are on point (I know those are really hard to do, so props to Riley for getting those right). Can't believe you even managed to get the shading from the hair on the face. This is literally fantastic. 10/10 almost makes me a weeb.

Thank you @Doomsday! Best of luck to your team moving forward.

From falling out of the second round Markus Schauer would finish in a three way tie for 7th in points in the VHLM, second in the league for assists at 85, and second in points for defense men. Schauer also tied for 10th in powerplay goals at 14. To say that he is an offensive dynamo in this upcoming draft is an understatement. Even more interesting than that, Schauer is a defenseman. This is a draft that is D-light for a heavy market on the back end. Will we see the opposite happen to Schauer in this draft, where he rises a couple spots to fix a need for a team? Or will he suffer the same fate as the last draft and fall an entire round? We caught Schauer after the 6-1 win over Saskatoon to win the series and move on to the second round. A game where he posted a goal and two assists. Interviewer: "You've had an incredible performance this season. What do you think contributed most to it?" Schauer: "Well, I would have to thank the team for that. My defensive partner was a stud the entire season and I'm glad I got to learn a thing or two from him. I also want to thank management and the other captains for the team in helping build such a competitive locker room. We stick to our game and goals happen. The ladies line was fantastic and we have a few other up and coming stars on this roster." Schauer was a former 3rd round pick in the S72 dispersal draft. I believe we call that a steal.

The VHL has some pretty decent logos. It also has some misses. I'm gonna rank all of my favourites and least favourites. Before you get mad at me, this is completely based on opinion. It is a qualitative list. You can disagree, just like how I have such a controversial opinion on corn on the cob, but lets be civil in our discussion. (Before you say anything about referring to my older post about colours, these are the ones they gave me and I don't know how to change it). This is also only a ranking of the LOGOS and nothing else. It's a bold thing to write about, especially with the draft in a week or so. I'd be happy to play for any of these teams I just have my opinions on the logos. If your teams logo sucks it just does nothing you or I can do about it. I also didn't bother ranking each logo beside what rank I put them in, other than the best and worst logo in my opinion. Each other logo is placed throughout equally in their respective ranks. I also can't upload all of the logos because the file size is too big and I don't know my way around that. You can make your own list by clicking on the link Here! D, Seattle, Los Angeles Why do I hate LA? There are some people that don't mind it. Here's the thing. You could have gone a million different places with the LA Stars. But instead you chose the literal version of the team. The text in the back ground is boring. There's absolutely no depth going on here. It just looks boring. I would rather not look at it than have it on my screen. I was even tempted not to put it on the list in the first place so I don't have to look at it, but that wouldn't be fair. It looks ugly. The star looks completely misplaced. Look at it, it's not even trying to be center. The logo itself doesn't even come close to looking like the other VHL logos. Very disappointed that an expansion team is given that as its logo. There was so much potential wasted. Seattle, we have to talk about that brown man. The bear itself is mediocre at best. If you look underneath the text the paw on the left doesn't look like it even attaches to the arm. The text is absolutely the wrong colour. It needs to be white and stand out a bit more. It's not a complete circle either, on the bottom is gets messed up so the shape kind of looks like a guitar pick? The only redeeming quality about this logo is the head of the bear. Everything else sucks. When your logo is 85% sucky and 15% mediocre, it deserves to be in the bottom. Some of the nails aren't even coloured right. C, Helsinki, Toronto, Davos, New York New York has the pinnacle C logo. It's not a good logo. But it isn't bad either. It just exists to give a team branding. The logo is a little safe with the crest and colours. Feel like you can do way more with it than just slap the word "Americans" onto a crest and call it a day. I would have stepped it up a notch and made the logo an eagle. Or something patriotic. The stripes on the bottom could have been the skyline of New York City and it immediately would have been bumped up to at least a B. Otherwise it just kind of exists and that isn't a bad thing I suppose? Davos I just have to be honest here like I've been with the rest of the logos and say this is just mediocre. I look at this logo and it just looks right on through. I'm a fan of the purple, but in the end it's just a background colour to an otherwise boring logo. There are plenty of other places in the world that have mountains. The circle logo just reminds me of a really old logo that's a bit outdated and needs to be redone. It just doesn't feel classic enough to stay this way. Toronto the thing saving your logo is the text. It is on point. Other than that, the bird is blue. Not even a good blue that I associate with Toronto, or Ontario in general. It's just a baby blue that's the same colour as my house. There isn't much to say about it. That might be a good thing considering the punishment I've put the other logos through. Helsinki is coming close to something that I like, except for the fact that the Titan itself has no cultural resemblance to any Norse myths. It does a disservice to the rich culture that pagan shamans cultivated through thousands of years of teachings. If you were to change it, the helmet would change to have horns on it instead of the feathers it does now. Also, there is a severe lack of beard on this fellow. That's the only complaint though. Everything else I like. The colours make sense being white and blue are the colours of the Finnish flag.

I have a STRONG case for the scouting report position.

Much better

A lot of older members (Anyone from S64 to S66) may remember a player by the name of Rhye Tyr. It's pronounced "retire", and was my first real player in the VHL. At first, I wanted to make a goalie, Markus Schauer, an ode to a franchise goalie that my cousin and I managed to draft in NHL GM mode. He played 1100 games, 750~ of those being wins, 100+ shutouts and had a career 0.935 SV% and a career GAA of less than 2. There were two seasons in his career where he was above a GAA of 2,00, but never less than 2.30. He was insane. But as the goalie markets are in the VHL, every team needs one or teams don't need them at all. Most of the time it's the latter. There was a lot of confusion and about four players ended up being retired before I settled on the final version of my VHL player. He was an offensive defense man, just like the player that I have now. And honestly I miss him. It's part of what drives me to keep going. To avoid burnout and just have fun. The memories you get from this league come from whatever you make of it. You can have just as much of a good time hitting the welfare button, as you could getting max earnings every week. It's not about winning. It isn't about individual stats or trophy chasing. Which, let's be honest, is completely up to Simon T if you get a chance at winning. The VHL is about memories. It's about having fun. Some people get their fun out of hitting the welfare button and calling it a day, checking in to see how their player is doing. Others, like myself, get their enjoyment from being involved deeply in the matured systems that the VHL has to offer. I just wanted to share this because I feel like some people can feel polarized for not putting in as much work as others. Or maybe they don't have as much time to dedicate to something as niche as this as they would like. If you're someone that's in a situation comparable to that, it's okay. We are here to have fun. I lost vision of that when I first fell through in the league. Mistakes are okay, as long as they only happen once.

I thought it was heartwarming <3. Great series! You'll do a fantastic job in New York.

Review Welcome back to the league friend! On behalf of the VHL family, we missed you and we're glad that you're back in hanging with the lot of us. It isn't often that a member will talk so thoroughly about their play in the games they're simulated in. It's more apparent in football, where there are less games which makes them all count. I really enjoyed reading the storylines of the very few minutes Giftopolous played. My biggest recommendation would be to ease up on the bolding. When everything is emphasized, nothing gets emphasized. I understand using it to point out players names and the team name as well, but I would recommend using it to highlight big moments of the game. Such as "Drew Minott managed to preserve his shutout throughout the third period...". The reason why you would ease up a bit is because it's really hard to keep track of one thing when everything wants you to look at it at the same time. Tasteful amounts is how I'll put it. I did really enjoy reading and I can't wait for more! I rate this article 8 good shifts out of 10.

Review I'm here to destroy your career with bad writing advice and corn on the cob. I appreciate the changes to both the title of the series (nice way to cover yourself for not having access to information on players before the portal era). And changing the format from the best "team" from players in their history, to just ranking the best players is an improvement in my books. It lets some nations be a bit more competitive and interesting to look at. My vote for the next country is Germany. And just because it's in the rules for me to "rank" your article I rank it 8 Jerry's out of 10.

How would you have done it?