Grape

We are already a week into the VHLM season and so far teams are still pretty even in the standings, with no teams really running away in either direction. On first glance, this might be the most parity the league has had in a fair bit, and there will definitely be plenty more jostling in the standings for pretty much for the entire season. With that, let us see where each team ranks as of now. 10. Saskatoon Wild - FD Ranking: 10th (0.101) - Goaltending Rank: 6th (157 TPA) - Biggest Need: Everything but a Goalie The Saskatoon Wild is a team that I felt had a very solid draft. They did not get any legit superstars or high-end players, but instead got a fair amount of lower TPE players with plenty of room to grow. This is something that will help the team near the end of the season and into next season, but not so much now. Their forward group is ranked 9th while their defense group is 10th. While that low ranking for the forwards is due to low TPE, the defense rank is due to only having one defenseman. While the one defenseman system has been shown to work in the past, you need that one defenseman to be a top player and producer, and so far that is not what Saskatoon has. While this team should get somewhat better as the season progresses, if they do not get another defenseman, they are not going to have success, barring any black magic. 9. Miami Marauders - FD Ranking: 9th (0.261) - Goaltending Rank: 3rd (175 TPA) - Biggest Need: Picks Miami went into the draft and got the best goalie available, and while that is all well and good, they were not able to get a team around them. Miami currently has the 10th ranked forward group and 6th ranked defenseman group. This is not the same situation as Saskatoon, where you have a ton of lower TPE players to build the team and go into next season at full strength. The roster is pretty slim, and they will lose their top defender by next season. The best thing Miami can do is kick off the tank and prepare for next season. So long as they can keep some players active, they should have a couple pieces to build around. There is already a pending trade with Ottawa to move their goaltender in exchange for a 1st and a 4th. That’ll be a good start to building towards next season for Miami. 8. Mississauga Hounds - FD Ranking: 8th (0.393) - Goaltending Rank: 7th (145 TPA) - Biggest Need: Defensive Growth Mississauga is a team that has a relatively deep roster, and while the forwards are all in the mid-to-high TPE area for the M, the defense could use a bit of work. They currently have the 7th ranked forward group, while only the 9th ranked defense group. Now, being the 7th ranked forward group does not sound the best, but their score is above average. The league is very deep this season. But, the big thing the Hounds need to compete is improvement on the blue line. That’s the only thing really bringing that down and if they can address that, they should be at least competitive. 7. Halifax 21st - FD Ranking: 7th (0.450) - Goaltending Ranking: 5th (165 TPA) - Biggest Need: Another Defenseman Halifax is attempting to repeat the success they had last season with one defenseman, but they are struggling out of the gate. The same strategy, with a more offensively minded defenseman is somehow doing worse. As of now, they have the 6th rated forward group and 8th rated defense group. While it is early in the season, it would be best for Halifax to put an end to the experiment on the blue line and get another defenseman to replace the bot. Based on the TPE of their players, they need to make a push this season or they will likely lose pretty much the entirety of their roster. Simon is a strange beast and the same strats do not usually work every season. But, we will see what happens. Sometimes a change is needed, and sometimes all you need to do is wait. 6. Ottawa Lynx - FD Ranking: 6th (0.586) - Goaltending Ranking: 10th (75 TPA) - Biggest Need: Goaltending Ottawa sought to turn around their poor last season and get back to competing, and they got the pieces to do so in the draft. As of now, Ottawa sports the top rated defense. The forward group could use some work, being ranked 8th and being the first forward group below average. So far, the offense has been clicking somewhat, but if that ends up drying up, they need to rely on steady defense and strong goaltending to remain competitive. While defense is not at all a concern, goaltending is. They currently have the lowest rated goaltender and while they will get better as the season progresses, they need to compete early to stay in it. As mentioned previously, there is a pending trade with Miami to acquire their goaltender. Once that goes through, that concern will be filled. Then it is all about growth and possibly addressing the forward group as well. 5. Mexico City Kings - FD Ranking: 5th (0.607) - Goaltending Ranking: 9th (114 TPA) - Biggest Need: Goaltending Growth Mexico City had a lot of returning members from last season and was able to bolster their roster even more with a couple picks this season, and as a result have the 4th ranked forward group and 5th ranked defense group. The biggest concern this team has is in the net. They do not necessarily need to go out and trade for one. All that needs to be done is keep them claiming and get them up there. Other than that, this team should be good to go. So long as they get the growth they need, this could end up being a pretty good season for the Kings. 4. San Diego Marlins - FD Ranking: 3rd (0.642) - Goaltending Ranking: 8th (118 TPA) - Biggest Need: Defensive Zone Help The Marlins are a pretty strong team offensively, having the 2nd best forward group. The main concern for the team is everything on their side of the red line. Their defense is ranked 7th and is overall below average. They need to get some growth on their defensemen and goaltender. If growth does not come, then a trade will happen. They have some of the best forwards build-wise on their team who will be gone at the end of the season. They should not waste this season. 3. Las Vegas Aces - FD Ranking: 4th (0.625) - Goaltending Ranking: 1st (199 TPA) - Biggest Need: Overall Growth There seems to be a sense of optimism with Vegas. After a tough couple of seasons, they have their goalie, and the best in the league at that. Both their forward group and defense group are around the middle of the league, being ranked 5th and 4th respectively. So long as everyone keeps growing, their goaltending should be enough to get them into the thick of the playoffs. Growth is a bit more important for Vegas, as they have suffered a lot due to IAs in the past. Keeping most of their players active would be a pretty large victory for them. 2. Houston Bulls - FD Ranking: 2nd (0.759) - Goaltending Ranking: 4th (172 TPA) - Biggest Need: Defensemen Growth Houston went all out on forwards in the draft and it has paid off, with them having the top ranked forward group by a pretty significant margin. The main weakness of this team is on the defensive side of things. While their defense group is ranked 3rd, it is important to note that the scores are percentage based and while the top two defenses are in the 90%s, Houston’s defense is about 57%. If they want to make that big step and push for that number 1 spot, they’ll need to improve their blue line. They cannot go much further with their forwards, having them at nearly 95%. If need be, they have a back-up goaltender that is currently better than three starters in the league that they could move in order to fully bolster the blue line, if growth does not pan out. 1. Philadelphia Reapers - FD Ranking: 1st (0.818) - Goaltender Ranking: 2nd (193 TPA) - Biggest Need: Retention It is rare in the VHLM to see a team win the Founder’s Cup, and then be the best team coming into the next season. There is so much graduation and roster changes that happen in the offseason, especially for those highly competitive teams, that many would see a drop-off. The opposite has happened for the Reapers, as they look even better than they did last season. This team comes out with the 3rd ranked offense and the 2nd ranked defense, and are the only undefeated team at this point in the season. Everything seems to be clicking and the Reapers are primed for a repeat. The only thing that needs to happen is for them to keep all their players from going inactive. Every season, we always see a few players from most teams go inactive and it can heavily change the performance of a team. So long as they are able to keep all their players active and clicking, this team should maintain their top spot. (1576 words)

I don't know why but I always love coming back to this and reading the absolute shitstorm that occured

@Dom Feel free to make your 2 selections at any point before your next pick

@Adrest245 your 12 hour pick timer is up and your pick has been skipped. This is your second skip and are now disqualified and the rest of your team will be selected by a different person. @Spartan @Enorama is now on the clock

@Moon Your first 12 hour pick timer is up, meaning your first pick is skipped. You have another 12 hours, as you are a back-to-back pick, to make your selections

Accepted

Condition 1: S90 OTT 4th becomes S90 OTT 3rd if Ottawa wins the Founder's Cup Condition 2: Immediately after the conclusion of the S89 postseason, Andrew Cobberson will be sent back to Ottawa in exchange for a S92 5th @Tetricide @JCV

@Adrest245 12 hour pick timer is up and your pick will be skipped. @Moon is now on the clock

I refuse to be lumped into the same group as people born after 2006

@dylanjj37 12 hour pick timer is up and your pick will be skipped. @Beketov is now on the clock

D - Jake Thunder @dylanjj37

Well Gentlemen, let's make it a good one 1. @Grape (GM) F - Henry Eagles F - Daniel Janser F - Sirdsvaldis Miglaskems D - Jake Thunder D - Jens Lekman G - Jesse Teno 2. @dylanjj37 F - Tavish DeGroot F - Ivan Retoslav F - Babay Shrimp D - Brian Kowalski D - Velociraptor Greg G - Alexander Minion 3. @Beketov F - Ronan Lavelle F - Nico Pearce F - Perry Laperriere D - Brian Payne D - Deron Nesbitt G - Bubbles Utonium 4. @Enorama F - Tomas Sogaard F - Sergey Preobrazhensky F - John Jameson D - Skor McFleury D - Phil Strasmore G - Clueless Wallob 5. @Dom F - Landon Wolanin F - Igor Molotov F - Vasille Lamb D - Siyan Yasilievich D - The Board Game Clue On Skates G - Art Vandelay 6. @Moon F - Leandro Goncalves F - Larry Abass Jr F - Daryl Dixon D - Hammar Voss D - AirRig GoodBrandSun G - Cole Pearce

Yea I figured that. This was moreorless just a general breakdown. I can break it down into 50 TPE intervals soon.

The VHLE, as of last night, has 34 active forwards, 18 active defensemen, and 6 active goalies. Current M population is 60 forwards, 23 defensemen, 11 goalies. Let's say the M absorbs all the E players. Population would be 94 forwards, 41 defensemen, and 17 goalies. From that, every M team would roughly have a 9-4-2.

VHLE GMs too focused on signing IAs that they forget to scout active players too . In all seriousness though, if you aren't reaching out to players, you don't deserve your job, period. It's part of the role. Not saying you have to go and reach out to everyone (although that would be nice) but bare minimum reach out to players around where you think you're drafting. And to add to that, maintain that mentality with all players, whether they be new members or returning. Simply put, you don't scout me, I won't play for you. It's not a hard thing to do. Just do your damn jobs. If you sat on your hands and didn't reach out to anyone, don't bother claiming job pay this week. You don't deserve it

Try and stop me

1. A literal cannon on the blue line. Built to lay siege to the opposing netminder. 2. The individual goal for this player is to be at the top of the league in points. For the team, it's to have the team be at least top 3 in the league. 3. I'd say I was taken about where I was expecting to go. The defensemen ahead of me were already gobbled up so it was only a matter of time at that point. 4. Standard would be PF, Media Spot, Job Pay, and Trivia to cap out every week. I'd love to continuously cap out since I've yet to do that for a player and I want to see how far I can really push it 5. It's the VHLE so nobody cares. Irrelevant league. 6. Seems about on par with mine so it's probably fine

If it's so fun then you do it then B)

L

When the hybrid builds were launched, every skater got to play around with the new system and tinker with new things. Those with goalies, however, were left out to dry. Now, it is somewhat understandable. There are multiple different skater archetypes one could go for, such as playmaker, sniper, two-way, etc., whereas with goalies, there is really only one: Guy who stops pucks. You can not really avoid a “meta build” when it comes to goalies because there is really only one way to build them. Even so, I think it would be a fun idea to give goalies hybrid stats just to keep things fresh and have some fun with it. I have gone and split up the nine goalie STHS attributes into twelve hybrid attributes, and here they are: Butterfly - Upgrades Reaction Time and Rebound Control Stand-Up - Upgrades Hand Speed and Size Vision - Upgrades Reaction Time and Agility Calmness - Upgrades Poise and Leadership Edgework - Upgrades Skating and Agility Strength - Upgrades Size and Rebound Control Reaction - Upgrades Hand Speed and Reaction Time Leadership - Upgrades Leadership Leg Speed - Upgrades Skating and Rebound Control Style - Upgrades Style Control and Agility Movement - Upgrades Skating Flashiness - Upgrades Style Control and Hand Speed (Table here for easier viewing and whatnot) As for the numbers associated with each hybrid attribute, I can not really say. There’s a lot of balance work involved in putting those together that I do not feel like doing since this was just for fun anyways.

#blamecoleh is back!

NO DON'T GIVE THE E MORE RELEVANCE

Relatively unused loophole, but good to nip it before it becomes an issue

Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage, also referred to by its full name, Obusier de 15 cm TR Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage, is a French howitzer designed in 1903. This particular howitzer is unique in that it is believed to be the first ever motorized artillery system, not having to rely on railways or construction crews. This howitzer was made specially requested by Portugal, and only four were ever constructed, with only one allegedly being used in combat. The howitzer coming to the VHL today is a very special one. The four howitzers made and sent over sat in the Portuguese arsenal for decades, staying locked away through both world wars. Eventually the Portuguese got tired of holding onto them, and instead of turning them into scrap, they decided to sell off the howitzers in the late 1960s. Two of them were sold to war museums in Europe, one went to a used car dealer in Sussex, and one, Obuz, was sold to a man named Wilhelm Aftoner, who planned to use it as decoration for his restaurant in Germany, Friedrich Fazbaron’s Schnitzelria, in which it was repurposed as a schnitzel cannon. This restaurant was immensely popular, and ran without a hitch through the 1970s and into the 80s. Unfortunately, disaster struck, as Wilhem Aftoner turned out to be a child murdering psychopath, and ended up killing 6 children in 1987, in which he stuffed 5 into his animatronic suits, and one in Obuz. Imbued with the spirits of the dead children, while the spirits possessing the suits seeked revenge, eventually leading to Aftoner supposedly dying and coming back and so on and so forth for a handful of decades, Obuz sought a different purpose in his new life. When the restaurant eventually shut down after an incident regarding a worker being bitten in the head, Obuz was sold and shipped out to a new location, a hockey rink owned by Jukurit of the Finnish Liiga. From there, Obuz was exposed to hockey night in and night out and it became his passion. One night, he finally exposed his sentience to a random janitor and from there, the janitor assisted the howitzer in learning the game of hockey. After somehow putting skates on the wheels and taping a hockey stick to the artillery barrel, Obuz slowly but surely learned to skate and shoot. While the skating was extremely awkward for both Obuz and anyone watching, his shot was of an extreme caliber, able to blast the puck from seemingly anyway and having it be consistently well over 100mph. It was time to show the world what this howitzer could do. The janitor and howitzer got on the ice early, having Obuz launch puck after puck. Eventually the Jukurit team arrived for practice and were in awe. After some discussion with the head coach, Obuz was given the chance to prove himself and play for the team, with some minor modifications. The artillery barrel and combustion system were altered slightly to reduce the intensity of the shot, since at its current speed, it risked injury or death to opposing players and netminders. After those changes though, it was time for Obuz to step onto the ice and actually play with and against fellow players. Every time he got the puck, he would set himself, and fire, missiling it down at the opposing goalie. Even from his own zone, the puck came with so much heat that it occasionally beat the netminder. Against Obuz, a 200 foot goal was not seen as a misplay by the goalie, just an insanely hard shot. While Obuz was legendary in the offensive zone, he struggled defensively and in transition. Obviously, turning wasn’t that much of a strong-suit for him, and speed really is not in his arsenal. Despite his struggles, however, he solidified himself as a local legend and a somewhat controversial figure in the Liiga, with players and ownership heavily debating the howitzer’s eligibility to even participate in the league. Eventually, Obuz saw that it was time to move on. He had his fun in Finland, and now is the time to truly showcase himself on a global scale. After saying his goodbyes to his team and janitor/mentor, he was wheeled onto a cargo ship and taken to the United States, where he would hopefully begin to carve out a name for himself in a new, higher level hockey league. Of course, being a relatively unknown player in the States, he would first carve his name out in some smaller leagues. Due to being considered a weapon and therefore not eligible to play for any college teams, and apparently would be deemed a declaration of war if he went to Canada to play there, Orbuz started at the bottom, playing beer league, slowly gaining notoriety and catching the eyes of some lower level scouts. Eventually, he caught enough attention and was notified that he would be eligible to join the VHL. Ecstatic, Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage was finally able to showcase his skills on the world stage, and he was ready to blow away the competition.