Grape

I have been told that Recruitment is working on a YouTube ad as we speak. If it falters, the complete removal of the E might be inevitable

All that just to lose in Round 2

I feel like I've read this before... 🤔

(Graphic credit to @Zetterberg)
VSN Presents: S91 VHLM Power Rankings: Weeks 1 & 2 Edition!
 
Hello, and welcome to this season's iteration of the VSN VHLM Power Rankings for S91! We have a lot to cover, as we are now entering our second week of VHLM games! So without further ado, let’s jump straight into the rankings!
 
 Houston Bulls | 17-2-1, 1st in Western Conference, 1st in League Standings
 
Starting off this season's power rankings, we have the Houston Bulls in the number one spot. The Bulls have been hands down the most dominant team in the M this season by far. Boasting the best defensive team in the league, and constantly being a top 3 team in goal production as well. With dominant seasons being put up by rookie Vanellope von Schweetz @Arce, VHLM sophomore Luna Everdeen @Dee & shutdown goaltending by Pipo Popa @npuBeT, the Bulls are easily the early Cup favorites at this point in the season, and will have high expectations going into the playoffs.
 
 Saskatoon Wild | 15-5-0, 2nd in Western Conference, 2nd in League Standings
 
Moving on, we bring ourselves to the Saskatoon Wild! A very deep and skilled forward core has proven fruitful as they bolster the second best offense in the league, having put up 57 goals on the season already! Alexandros Mograine @sliceruser, Adi Dassler @BOOM & Leo Neelson III @silentnyrf31 are all having phenomenal seasons, and are contributing greatly to Saskatoon's success. Despite the teams lack of defensive depth, the stellar goaltending of Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly has been simply elite, and has been a major contributor to the team's success this season. Should he maintain form through the halfway point of the season, I see him very easily being a front runner for Goalie of the Year.
 
 Las Vegas Aces | 12-4-4, 3rd in Western Conference, 4th in League Standings
 
Onto our third Western Conference team in a row, we have the Las Vegas Aces! The Aces this season are far more elite offensively than last season, bolstering the best goals for in the league with 59. On the backs of offensive production from Stinky @taylorherd, Jean-Marc Lemieux @Gorth & Piston Maicupp @MandyManiac, they have had no problem putting on high volume of shots and goal production to get them up in the standings. Their achilles heel this season, however, is easily the defense. Already up to 43 goals against on the season, they’ve been struggling in their own zone as much as their opponents have against them, leading to high scoring slugfests regularly. Should Hugo Boss @Dil crank the goaltending numbers up more, the Aces will be a very dangerous team come playoffs.
 
 Ottawa Lynx | 14-4-2, 1st in Eastern Conference, 3rd in League Standings
 
Pushing forward, we have our first Eastern Conference team of our power rankings thus far, the Ottawa Lynx. Having a remarkably strong season in a rather weak conference, the Lynx have been carried by a strong offense similarly to Las Vegas. George Richmond @badcolethetitan & Thijs Mooij @Thijs are both having incredible seasons, and have been major factors to the success the Lynx have enjoyed into this first half of the season. Similarly to the Aces again, they do struggle a bit defensively as they only roster two defenseman at the moment, and their goaltending situation is far from perfect as they have two backup caliber goalies fighting for the starting position. If Andrew Cobberson @BrandyAndy reaches his potential in playing ability, the Lynx will solve a lot of defensive problems and likely shoot up even more in the standings, and in our power rankings!
 
 Mississauga Hounds | 12-7-1, 2nd in Eastern Conference, 5th in League Standings
 
Onto the halfway mark of this iteration of our power rankings, we have the Mississauga Hounds! The Hounds find themselves in a strange position at this point in the season, where they’ve found themselves in a bit of a lucky streak despite specific stats holding them back. They’re not the most offensively remarkable team, as players like Tom Dufour @Cookie, Gremlis Lielais @Anomalijs & Howdy Doody @BigIrish are having just hovering around point per game seasons, which is still impressive but not of league average when looking at other top team scorers. This plus the lack of defensive depth has hurt them a bit in the standings, but the elite play of Pierre-luc Dutil @Pierre-Luc Dutil has helped keep Mississauga in the competition, and may prove to be the piece needed for a deep run into the playoffs.
 
 Philadelphia Reapers 11-9-0 | 3rd in Eastern Conference, 6th in League Standings
 
In the latter half of our rankings, we have the Philadelphia Reapers! A very peculiar team indeed, they bolster the number one and number two scorers in the entire league by FAR in Caring Bear @thecaringbear & Logan Ninefingers @Scurvy, who both have 47 points in just 20 games played! With offensive production like that, surely you’d expect the Reapers to be a much better team than one at an 11-9-0 record. That isn’t the case however, as their lack of roster depth has forced Bear and Ninefingers to essentially put the entire team on their backs to keep the Reapers competitive. Whether this is a winning formula or not is yet to be seen as it’s still too early to say, but the Reapers have two assets here that they either can compete and build around now, or trade at the TDL or sooner for capital on their rebuild. As it stands right now however, I only see the Reapers maintaining this pace unless something drastically changes.
 
 Miami Marauders | 8-10-2, 4th in Eastern Conference, 7th in League Standings
 
Moving right along, we have the Miami Marauders. The defenseman shortage in the M right now has definitely stung Miami, as they find themselves in the worst half of the goals against statistic right now, with their goal differential being at the time of writing this a -10. Players like Demko @Demko & Jeffrey Howard Dewberry Kalin @Motzaburger having strong PPG seasons, they can only do so much as they lead the way offensively. Petit Hughie @Sen is the only rostered defenseman on the team, and the immense responsibility put on the rookie's shoulders has forced him to be a rather good offensive player, but receiving very little help in the way of defense. Perhaps a trade for a defenseman from a team with strong depth in that category (Las Vegas comes to mind with their five rostered dmen) would bear some fruit, and propel the Marauders up in the standings more. Until then, however, I fear the playoffs will be a quick one and done series for Miami unless something changes.
 
 San Diego Marlins | 7-12-1, 4th in Western Conference, 8th in League Standings
 
On the final stretch of our rankings, we move onto the San Diego Marlins! Another victim of the lack of depth plague that’s consumed teams in the M for the last few seasons, San Diego has struggled to keep their heads above water. Forward production has not been at the place it needs to be to help the team, as the two leading scorers by far are defensemen in Factor Lee @Hockeywizard676 & Vladimir Kozlov @vladbatton. They were forced to release a goaltender in Vincenzo Pagano @Oatex who was putting up great numbers, and replaced him with Jake Dunzapp @Dunzapp, who early in the season has struggled a bit with the team rostered in front of him. Should they be able to go out and acquire a star forward to help with offensive production (Maybe one of the two stars from Philly?), it would tremendously improve the team, and shoot them up the standings, and our own VSN power rankings as well.
 
 9. Halifax 21st | 2-18-0, 5th in Eastern Conference, 10th in League Standings
 
Nearing the end of our rankings, we move onto the Halfiax 21st. It’s no surprise to see Halfiax here, as they have only 3 forwards rostered, with no defense and a rather good goaltender in the crease. The rebuild is truly on as Halifax looks to build the future with Bubba Tree @Bubba & Josh Caz @Caz96 at the helm. When you only have two wins in your first twenty games, it’s hard to have much hope at saving the season. Fully dedicating to the rebuild and doing everything they can to maintain their last place position should be a priority, but given the quality of the S92 VHLM Draft so far, it might be difficult to jumpstart a contender after this season unless some moves are made. It’s certainly safe to say that GM @ShawnGlade has his work cut out for him.
 
 10. Mexico City Kings | 2-15-3, 5th in Western Conference, 9th in League Standings
 
Onto the final team in our rankings, we have the Mexico City Kings. Another similar situation to Halifax, the rebuild has truly begun in Mexico City. The strangest thing about this team, however, is that I just find it incredibly difficult to believe they are THIS bad this season. They bolster great star power, with Arne Holmquist @axtron & Hezeus Ohmontegue-Steinhardt X @Sisyphus leading the way offensively, both as defensemen. At this point in the season, it’s an extremely tough call as to what to do. They’re VERY far down the standings, so it may be worth it to dedicate to the rebuild and liquidate their assets before many of them move onto the VHLE. At the same time, they are only 8 points behind San Diego for the last spot in the playoffs, and should they be able to figure out good line combinations and strategies to get out of this massive rut they find themselves in, they have a slim chance to make the playoffs, but a chance nonetheless. Time will tell what happens in this regard.
 
This concludes this Week 1 & 2 Edition of the VSN’s Power Rankings coverage of the S91 VHLM Regular Season! A lot of interesting stories are being made, and a lot to unpack from these first 20 games. This is going to be a very exciting season for the VHLM, so tune in next time for VSN’s coverage of the midway point of the season! Thank you for reading, this has been Marcus Svedberg, signing off!

I feel like I've read this before... 🤔

Solution: All graphics are banned

I feel like I've read this before... 🤔

I remember way back in my youth, probably like 2nd or 3rd grade, my teacher assigned us a project. We were to make a children’s book on a topic that interested us. I decided to make a book about betta fish. When introducing the project, the teacher gave us a cute little talk about plagiarism, and some basic dos and don’ts on researching and using sources in your own work. It was a brief discussion, as we were kids and were pretty much just reciting basic factoids and whatnot about our topic, but it was done to introduce us to research itself. This was expanded upon and gone in a bit more depth upon entering middle school. As research projects became more popular and utilized in pretty much every class, teachers began stressing the importance of proper citations and paraphrasing, avoiding plagiarizing, and interpreting sources, as well as grading harsher and harsher based on errors pertaining to those. It’s been basically drilled into all our heads at one point or another of our lives and it’s been made very clear that stealing other people’s work is wrong, and should be punished.
 
Ever since I’ve joined the VHL, I’ve always been a fan of the VHLE. The vast majority of my articles, podcasts, and other TPE related activities has been focused on the E. My giant spreadsheet that breaks down every team started out as purely being for the VHLE, and I only expanded it to the other two leagues out of boredom. I update the E portion practically daily, while the VHL gets looked at maybe once a week and the M maybe a few times a season. I’ve dedicated a lot of time learning about the M and how it works, eventually getting a GM gig in the league and I really have little desire to move on from that, at least for now. I would wager that, out of the active members at least, I put out arguably the most E content. Likewise, I love reading articles about the E, as I really enjoy seeing other people showing the same enjoyment as I have for the league. Because of my passion for the league, I pretty much read every single article that gets put out regarding the league. So, when it comes to making content about the E, it probably is not the smartest idea to plagiarize from me.
 
A few days after posting my Season 91 VHLE Rankings, I was sitting around in class, bored as hell, and decided to take a bit of a gander at some of the media spots that have been put out, and I notice this nice little article by @Spartan also looking at the VHLE for this season . As I started reading, I thought to myself, “huh, this looks really similar to my article”. I shared both his and mine with a handful of people, and they also agreed that these articles were a bit too similar to be a simple coincidence. Later on, I went to his profile and saw that he also made a smaller article, going over the same thing, and I thought, “wow, this looks really similar to my article”. And props to him for pulling out a couple tried-and-true methods, like changing the wording slightly, and swapping the order for a couple of the teams, just to make it look original. It’s one thing to agree on a handful of points, but it’s another to basically repeat every single point I made. The second, shorter article was much more blatant. I’ll point out a couple key indicators of plagiarism for y’all in case you don’t feel like looking for them yourselves:
- In both articles, he finds it important to mention the peculiarity of Oslo’s trading system, something that I brought up and is only supported by my own anecdotal evidence. Is trading actually bad for a team, I don’t really know.
- For Geneva, he mentions how evil the commissioners are and how they never should have taken away my sweet baby boy, a term that I made up in my article and, from my knowledge, has never been used by anyone except for me in this singular instance.
- In his small article, he copies the order in which I ranked the teams. In his larger article, however, he swaps the order for a couple teams. You would think, especially based on how closely both his articles were made, that he would have the same ordering for both. 
- Probably the most damning one. In my article I compared Oslo and Stockholm. In his small article, he attempts to do the same, but he has “similarly” on Oslo, which he ranked below Stockholm. There is nothing similar between Oslo and Cologne bud.
 
Look, I don’t have a monopoly on VHLE rankings. If you want to do them, feel free to do so. I would love to see more E content. The majority of content made is about the VHL, and I feel that the lower leagues need a little more appreciation (although the M can stay barren cuz bad league). If you’re gonna do it, however, make it original. I take a lot of pride in my work and it’s very upsetting to see it be blatantly stolen and pawned off as someone else's. I mean, that short article wasn’t even trying to hide it. If you really really really can’t think of stuff on your own and want to use someone else’s work, at the very least throw in some citations. Every lil tidbit you took from my article and slammed into yours, slap a “(Grape, 2023)” at the end of it. Once you reach the end of your article, be sure to include your sources like so:

              Zetterberg. (2023, November 1). S91 VHLE Team Rankings. Victory Hockey League
 
 
APA format is also acceptable since this is somewhat research oriented, but I feel like MLA fits this the best. Whichever you feel like using is fine by me, so long as you give proper credit. 

I remember way back in my youth, probably like 2nd or 3rd grade, my teacher assigned us a project. We were to make a children’s book on a topic that interested us. I decided to make a book about betta fish. When introducing the project, the teacher gave us a cute little talk about plagiarism, and some basic dos and don’ts on researching and using sources in your own work. It was a brief discussion, as we were kids and were pretty much just reciting basic factoids and whatnot about our topic, but it was done to introduce us to research itself. This was expanded upon and gone in a bit more depth upon entering middle school. As research projects became more popular and utilized in pretty much every class, teachers began stressing the importance of proper citations and paraphrasing, avoiding plagiarizing, and interpreting sources, as well as grading harsher and harsher based on errors pertaining to those. It’s been basically drilled into all our heads at one point or another of our lives and it’s been made very clear that stealing other people’s work is wrong, and should be punished.
 
Ever since I’ve joined the VHL, I’ve always been a fan of the VHLM. The vast majority of my articles, podcasts, and other TPE related activities has been focused on the M. My giant spreadsheet that breaks down every team started out as purely being for the VHLM, and I only expanded it to the other two leagues out of boredom. I update the M portion practically daily, while the VHL gets looked at maybe once a week and the E maybe a few times a season. I’ve dedicated a lot of time learning about the M and how it works, eventually getting a GM gig in the league and I really have little desire to move on from that, at least for now. I would wager that, out of the active members at least, I put out arguably the most M content. Likewise, I love reading articles about the M, as I really enjoy seeing other people showing the same enjoyment as I have for the league. Because of my passion for the league, I pretty much read every single article that gets put out regarding the league. So, when it comes to making content about the M, it probably is not the smartest idea to plagiarize from me.
 
A few days after posting my Season 91 VHLM Rankings, I was sitting around in class, bored as hell, and decided to take a bit of a gander at some of the media spots that have been put out, and I notice this nice little article by @LastOneUp also looking at the VHLM for this season . As I started reading, I thought to myself, “huh, this looks really similar to my article”. I shared both his and mine with a handful of people, and they also agreed that these articles were a bit too similar to be a simple coincidence. Later on, I went to his profile and saw that he also made a smaller article, going over the same thing, and I thought, “wow, this looks really similar to my article”. And props to him for pulling out a couple tried-and-true methods, like changing the wording slightly, and swapping the order for a couple of the teams, just to make it look original. It’s one thing to agree on a handful of points, but it’s another to basically repeat every single point I made. The second, shorter article was much more blatant. I’ll point out a couple key indicators of plagiarism for y’all in case you don’t feel like looking for them yourselves:
- In both articles, he finds it important to mention the peculiarity of Houston’s three defenseman system, something that I brought up and is only supported by my own anecdotal evidence. Is having three defensemen actually bad for a team, I don’t really know.
- For Vegas, he mentions the “dylan” curse, a term that I made up in my article and, from my knowledge, has never been used by anyone except for me in this singular instance.
- In his small article, he copies the order in which I ranked the teams. In his larger article, however, he swaps the order for a couple teams. You would think, especially based on how closely both his articles were made, that he would have the same ordering for both. 
- Probably the most damning one. In my article I compared Mexico City and San Diego. In his small article, he attempts to do the same, but he has “similarly” on San Diego, which he ranked below Mexico City. There is nothing similar between San Diego and Halifax bud.
 
Look, I don’t have a monopoly on VHLM rankings. If you want to do them, feel free to do so. I would love to see more M content. The majority of content made is about the VHL, and I feel that the lower leagues need a little more appreciation (although the E can stay barren cuz bad league). If you’re gonna do it, however, make it original. I take a lot of pride in my work and it’s very upsetting to see it be blatantly stolen and pawned off as someone else's. I mean, that short article wasn’t even trying to hide it. If you really really really can’t think of stuff on your own and want to use someone else’s work, at the very least throw in some citations. Every lil tidbit you took from my article and slammed into yours, slap a “(Grape, 2023)” at the end of it. Once you reach the end of your article, be sure to include your sources like so:

              Grape. (2023, November 1). S91 VHLM Team Rankings. Victory Hockey League. https://vhlforum.com/topic/142056-s91-vhlm-team-rankings/
 
APA format is also acceptable since this is somewhat research oriented, but I feel like MLA fits this the best. Whichever you feel like using is fine by me, so long as you give proper credit. 👍

(1007 words, all my own)

I remember way back in my youth, probably like 2nd or 3rd grade, my teacher assigned us a project. We were to make a children’s book on a topic that interested us. I decided to make a book about betta fish. When introducing the project, the teacher gave us a cute little talk about plagiarism, and some basic dos and don’ts on researching and using sources in your own work. It was a brief discussion, as we were kids and were pretty much just reciting basic factoids and whatnot about our topic, but it was done to introduce us to research itself. This was expanded upon and gone in a bit more depth upon entering middle school. As research projects became more popular and utilized in pretty much every class, teachers began stressing the importance of proper citations and paraphrasing, avoiding plagiarizing, and interpreting sources, as well as grading harsher and harsher based on errors pertaining to those. It’s been basically drilled into all our heads at one point or another of our lives and it’s been made very clear that stealing other people’s work is wrong, and should be punished.
 
Ever since I’ve joined the VHL, I’ve always been a fan of the VHLM. The vast majority of my articles, podcasts, and other TPE related activities has been focused on the M. My giant spreadsheet that breaks down every team started out as purely being for the VHLM, and I only expanded it to the other two leagues out of boredom. I update the M portion practically daily, while the VHL gets looked at maybe once a week and the E maybe a few times a season. I’ve dedicated a lot of time learning about the M and how it works, eventually getting a GM gig in the league and I really have little desire to move on from that, at least for now. I would wager that, out of the active members at least, I put out arguably the most M content. Likewise, I love reading articles about the M, as I really enjoy seeing other people showing the same enjoyment as I have for the league. Because of my passion for the league, I pretty much read every single article that gets put out regarding the league. So, when it comes to making content about the M, it probably is not the smartest idea to plagiarize from me.
 
A few days after posting my Season 91 VHLM Rankings, I was sitting around in class, bored as hell, and decided to take a bit of a gander at some of the media spots that have been put out, and I notice this nice little article by @LastOneUp also looking at the VHLM for this season . As I started reading, I thought to myself, “huh, this looks really similar to my article”. I shared both his and mine with a handful of people, and they also agreed that these articles were a bit too similar to be a simple coincidence. Later on, I went to his profile and saw that he also made a smaller article, going over the same thing, and I thought, “wow, this looks really similar to my article”. And props to him for pulling out a couple tried-and-true methods, like changing the wording slightly, and swapping the order for a couple of the teams, just to make it look original. It’s one thing to agree on a handful of points, but it’s another to basically repeat every single point I made. The second, shorter article was much more blatant. I’ll point out a couple key indicators of plagiarism for y’all in case you don’t feel like looking for them yourselves:
- In both articles, he finds it important to mention the peculiarity of Houston’s three defenseman system, something that I brought up and is only supported by my own anecdotal evidence. Is having three defensemen actually bad for a team, I don’t really know.
- For Vegas, he mentions the “dylan” curse, a term that I made up in my article and, from my knowledge, has never been used by anyone except for me in this singular instance.
- In his small article, he copies the order in which I ranked the teams. In his larger article, however, he swaps the order for a couple teams. You would think, especially based on how closely both his articles were made, that he would have the same ordering for both. 
- Probably the most damning one. In my article I compared Mexico City and San Diego. In his small article, he attempts to do the same, but he has “similarly” on San Diego, which he ranked below Mexico City. There is nothing similar between San Diego and Halifax bud.
 
Look, I don’t have a monopoly on VHLM rankings. If you want to do them, feel free to do so. I would love to see more M content. The majority of content made is about the VHL, and I feel that the lower leagues need a little more appreciation (although the E can stay barren cuz bad league). If you’re gonna do it, however, make it original. I take a lot of pride in my work and it’s very upsetting to see it be blatantly stolen and pawned off as someone else's. I mean, that short article wasn’t even trying to hide it. If you really really really can’t think of stuff on your own and want to use someone else’s work, at the very least throw in some citations. Every lil tidbit you took from my article and slammed into yours, slap a “(Grape, 2023)” at the end of it. Once you reach the end of your article, be sure to include your sources like so:

              Grape. (2023, November 1). S91 VHLM Team Rankings. Victory Hockey League. https://vhlforum.com/topic/142056-s91-vhlm-team-rankings/
 
APA format is also acceptable since this is somewhat research oriented, but I feel like MLA fits this the best. Whichever you feel like using is fine by me, so long as you give proper credit. 👍

(1007 words, all my own)

User @LastOneUp has received a 2 week TPE ban for violation of the VHL Code of Conduct section 1.2 in regards to plagiarism. Related point tasks will be rendered invalid for points and the TPE ban will begin upon the next activity due to inactivity of the user.
 
Update: TPE Ban update to 2023-14 - 2023-11-26

I think it's super embarrassing you put so much time into this and took this so personally. It was offseason, I had nothing to write about so I used info in your article to learn about and rewrite another version of the rankings. Big fucking deal. Cry me a river. You're such a victim of this monster that had a similar article in this fake hockey community, boo hoo. 

Player Information
Username: Windows
Player Name: Jimmy McGill
Recruited From: SisterLeague (Lemorse)
Age: 42
Position: C
Height: 68 in.
Weight: 225 lbs.
Birthplace: United States of America

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: Ryken
Player Name: Luke Schreiner
Recruited From: Member (I was invited by Lilp)
Age: 18
Position: C
Height: 73 in.
Weight: 200 lbs.
Birthplace: United States of America

Player Page
@VHLM GM

The Season 91 VHLM draft was the weakest in recent memory. In drafts before, teams were able to get active roster players through the 5th round. This go-around, however, there weren’t even enough players for a 5th round. The 4th round was a complete crapshoot as well, with inactives taking up half the picks. Looking at the waivers and the upcoming draft so far, it’s not looking very promising for the future. If recruitment can’t kick it into high gear and get some new blood in the league, it may be time to look at some alternatives. There are really two solutions I can foresee, both involving the removal of some teams. The two solutions are as follows: Shrink the M or Delete the E. Reducing the M by at least 2 teams concentrates the talent amongst the rosters, improving parity as well as making the impact of less players not feel as heavy. Deleting the E and increasing the M cap to 300-350 or so and the VHL coming down to close the gap vastly increases the player pool for the M and creates a much better environment for first gens and recreates alike. From what it appears, many E GMs aren’t doing their jobs anyways so booting them and letting players actually be with an active GM and locker room would definitely improve overall morale. I guess with my distaste for the VHLE, you can assume which side I’d be leaning towards, if such an issue arises. But I hope it doesn’t come to this. I’d much rather see a large recruitment drive and a bunch of new blood flood in than the league be reduced once again.

The Season 91 VHLM draft was the weakest in recent memory. In drafts before, teams were able to get active roster players through the 5th round. This go-around, however, there weren’t even enough players for a 5th round. The 4th round was a complete crapshoot as well, with inactives taking up half the picks. Looking at the waivers and the upcoming draft so far, it’s not looking very promising for the future. If recruitment can’t kick it into high gear and get some new blood in the league, it may be time to look at some alternatives. There are really two solutions I can foresee, both involving the removal of some teams. The two solutions are as follows: Shrink the M or Delete the E. Reducing the M by at least 2 teams concentrates the talent amongst the rosters, improving parity as well as making the impact of less players not feel as heavy. Deleting the E and increasing the M cap to 300-350 or so and the VHL coming down to close the gap vastly increases the player pool for the M and creates a much better environment for first gens and recreates alike. From what it appears, many E GMs aren’t doing their jobs anyways so booting them and letting players actually be with an active GM and locker room would definitely improve overall morale. I guess with my distaste for the VHLE, you can assume which side I’d be leaning towards, if such an issue arises. But I hope it doesn’t come to this. I’d much rather see a large recruitment drive and a bunch of new blood flood in than the league be reduced once again.

To be fair, it has been a while since the last YouTube ad iirc. Feels like there has not been a large recruitment drive in general. As the YouTube channels grow, so to does the percent of their audience that has no idea what a sim league is or does. It's something that can always be done and will always garner new people.

The Season 91 VHLM draft was the weakest in recent memory. In drafts before, teams were able to get active roster players through the 5th round. This go-around, however, there weren’t even enough players for a 5th round. The 4th round was a complete crapshoot as well, with inactives taking up half the picks. Looking at the waivers and the upcoming draft so far, it’s not looking very promising for the future. If recruitment can’t kick it into high gear and get some new blood in the league, it may be time to look at some alternatives. There are really two solutions I can foresee, both involving the removal of some teams. The two solutions are as follows: Shrink the M or Delete the E. Reducing the M by at least 2 teams concentrates the talent amongst the rosters, improving parity as well as making the impact of less players not feel as heavy. Deleting the E and increasing the M cap to 300-350 or so and the VHL coming down to close the gap vastly increases the player pool for the M and creates a much better environment for first gens and recreates alike. From what it appears, many E GMs aren’t doing their jobs anyways so booting them and letting players actually be with an active GM and locker room would definitely improve overall morale. I guess with my distaste for the VHLE, you can assume which side I’d be leaning towards, if such an issue arises. But I hope it doesn’t come to this. I’d much rather see a large recruitment drive and a bunch of new blood flood in than the league be reduced once again.

The Season 91 VHLM draft was the weakest in recent memory. In drafts before, teams were able to get active roster players through the 5th round. This go-around, however, there weren’t even enough players for a 5th round. The 4th round was a complete crapshoot as well, with inactives taking up half the picks. Looking at the waivers and the upcoming draft so far, it’s not looking very promising for the future. If recruitment can’t kick it into high gear and get some new blood in the league, it may be time to look at some alternatives. There are really two solutions I can foresee, both involving the removal of some teams. The two solutions are as follows: Shrink the M or Delete the E. Reducing the M by at least 2 teams concentrates the talent amongst the rosters, improving parity as well as making the impact of less players not feel as heavy. Deleting the E and increasing the M cap to 300-350 or so and the VHL coming down to close the gap vastly increases the player pool for the M and creates a much better environment for first gens and recreates alike. From what it appears, many E GMs aren’t doing their jobs anyways so booting them and letting players actually be with an active GM and locker room would definitely improve overall morale. I guess with my distaste for the VHLE, you can assume which side I’d be leaning towards, if such an issue arises. But I hope it doesn’t come to this. I’d much rather see a large recruitment drive and a bunch of new blood flood in than the league be reduced once again.

The E being shit as per usual. People might stop shitting on the league if the people running it actually did their jobs.

The E being shit as per usual. People might stop shitting on the league if the people running it actually did their jobs.

Grape. “Stealing Other People’s Work.” Victory Hockey League, 6 Nov. 2023, vhlforum.com/topic/142170-stealing-other-peoples-work/.
   

I remember way back… I’m just messing with you @Grape. I was already on your shit list for randomly choosing Miami last year on waivers, so now onto our regular scheduled media spot.
 
VHLE so far.
 
We are now twelve games into the VHLE season as of writing this media spot and it’s quite a a tight race so far between five of the six VHLE franchises, as currently there is only nine points separating first and fifth place in the standings. In this weeks media spot we’ll take a look at the teams in the VHLE and how has helped them to the position they are currently in.
 
Rome Gladiators (1st Place; 9-3):
 
Currently in first place by only one point, Rome has had a very good start to the season. Currently the Gladiators have only three  players that are scoring at a point per game pace, so they aren’t in first place due to their thirty-seven goals for, I would say the play of goaltender Dalkr Vidaesson is the reason Rome is in first at the moment. Dalkr has played in all twelve games for the Gladiators this season and has put up extremely imprecise numbers in those twelve games, putting up a .925 save percentage and a 2.42 goals against average. While those numbers are not leading the VHLM, Dalkr has played in more games than most other VHLE goalies, and once they catch up to his games played, Dalkr can look forward to seeing their name at the top of the leaderboard at that time. On the offensive side of things in Rome, evoke we did state they are being led by their world class goalie, we of course can’t ignore the current points leader in the league Nick Sansoe, who’s nineteen points in twelve games gives him the lead by one point. Sansoe is currently in his second year in the VHLE and has really upped his game from his twenty-three point performance with Istanbul in Season Eight-Nine. Rome will really need their offense and defensive players step up if they wish to continue in first place. 
 
 
Vasteras Iron Eagles (2nd Place; 8-3-1):
 
Vasteras is a close second behind Rome with seventeen points in their first twelve games played this season. Vasteras is another VHLM franchise that is being led from the net out, but the difference between them and Rome is they are currently deploying a two goalie system. Karl Herzlich and Oliver Gauthier have basically split starts this year with Gauthier appearing in eight games, while Herzlich has appeared in five games. In the eight games he has appeared in Gauthier has put up a .935 save percentage and a 2.23 goals against average. Not to be outdone Herzlich has put up even better numbers in this five games, posting a .958 goals against average and a 1.33 goals against average. We also would be doing a disservice if we did not mention that Vasteras winger Ellis Woolfenden, who’s 10 goals and seven assists sit in him third place in the overall points leaders in the VHLE. While he does have a few teammates also on the list, it’s Woolfendens dual threat as a scorer and passer that is carrying the load offensively for the Iron Eagles in the first twelve games. Don’t be surprised if Vasteras overtakes Rome here in the next week as the top team in the VHLE. 
 
Bratislava Watchmen (3rd Place; 6-2-4):
 
Coming in at the number three spot in the VHLM standings in the Bratislava Watchmen, who currently have sixteen points in their first twelve games played. Bratislava is another VHLE team that is winning despite their early season offensive woes as the team currently is minus one in point differential in their twelve games played. Bratislava is another VHLE franchise that is deploying a two goalie system with both Red Panda and W36 playing games this season. W36 who is in his second season in Bratislava leads the way with seven games played, in which he has three wins, and has posted a .947 save percentage to go along with a 1.85 goals against average. While Panda has appeared in six games, also winning three of those six, while posting a .927 and a 3.00 goals against average. While the two netminders are currently holding down the Fort for Bratislava, the offense hasn’t woken up yet, with the top offensive player in Mikko Borisyuk being the only Watchmen player currently over a point per game, posting seven goals and seven assists so far. With the team well without striking distance of first place even with the poor offensive showing so far, the Watchmen could easily be the top VHLE team if their offense come to life. 
 
Cologne Express (4th Place; 7-5):
 
The one time VHL franchise now existing as a VHLE team, Cologne currently finds themselves just above the .500 mark with fourteen points in their first twelve games played. Cologne is different than the other VHLE teams we have discussed in this article as their offense is currently leading the way in the league with forty-eight goals scored. The team is currently lead by the teams thirtieth overall pick form the Season Eighty-Eight VHLE Entry Draft choice Anthony Simmons. Simmons currently leads the team with eight goals and ten assists, which places him second in the VHLE points race, just behind Nick Sansoe from the Role Gladiators. Simmons has been the go to man for the Express this season as he sits five points ahead the next Express player, winger Eric White, who has thirteen points in the twelve Express games this season. While the offensive output is quite a bit ahead of the next team, by seven goals, one thing holding the Express back has been the subpar play of their two goalies in their roster. Both Clark and Devon Giguere have been on the Express roster for two season now and have previously shown they can play at a high level in the league, which is likely frustrating to Express fans and management. With the season in the very early stages there is plenty of time for one of the two goalies to break from the pack and take the starting role in Cologne. 
 
Stockholm Vikings (5th Place; 4-7-1): 
 
Stockholm is currently on the outside looking in at the playoffs, which would be devastating for the VHLE team and they recently missed the playoffs in the past three VHLE seasons. Stockholm appears to have a few holes in every aspect of their roster and are currently the second worst team in the league for point differential. Stockholm was able to pick 2nd Overall in the most recent VHLE Entry draft where they selected goaltender Olober Syko, who has a little trouble adjusting to the VHLE after tearing up the VHLM with the San Diego Marlins. Syko has played in all twelve games for the Vikings this season putting up a 4-7-1 record to go along with a .917 save percentage and a 3.24 goals against average. While those numbers are not awful, Syko himself would likely say he hasn’t played up to expectations for a Second Overall draft choice.  On the offense side of things for the Vikings, they are currently being led by fellow Season Ninety One draft picks Grimgor Ironside and Spanish Moon Moth. Moon Moth currently leads the team in goals with ten and points with seventeen, will Ironside is right behind him with four goals and ten assists for fourteen points. While the teams offensive output hasn’t been as bad as some of the other teams above them in the standings, they will have to push themselves to do better while their goalie gets his legs underneath him. 
 
Olso Storm (6th Place, 2-9-1): 
 
Currently the last team in the standings in the VHLE, the Oslo Storm have dug themselves quite the hole early in the season. While twelve games is hardly enough games to right the team off, Oslo will need to step up their games on many fronts to climb out of the VHLE basement. Oslo currently is the worst in the VHLE in point differential with a whopping minus twenty-one. Another dual tandem goalie team in the league, Oslo has yet to see it pay off as both goalies have stumbled out of the gate with only one win a piece. With David Slezak and Joseph Reed currently manning the blue paint in Oslo, both in their first VHLE seasons, fans in Oslo are likely hoping the rookie blues will soon go away, as both goalies proved last season in the VHLM, they are more than capable of winning. Offensively the team currently has five roster players with the same amount of points (ten), but have no players with more than five goals. While the netminders in Oslo haven’t  been stellar they also need more production from their offensive players, including Season Ninety-One draftee, who was acquired after the draft from Vasteras, Rin Kagamire.  If Kagamire and a few other cowards start to put things together maybe Oslo can go on a run and grab the final playoff spot at seasons end. 
 
1,500 Words 

Atlas must demand a trade to a true contender, like Chicago

I remember way back in my youth, probably like 2nd or 3rd grade, my teacher assigned us a project. We were to make a children’s book on a topic that interested us. I decided to make a book about betta fish. When introducing the project, the teacher gave us a cute little talk about plagiarism, and some basic dos and don’ts on researching and using sources in your own work. It was a brief discussion, as we were kids and were pretty much just reciting basic factoids and whatnot about our topic, but it was done to introduce us to research itself. This was expanded upon and gone in a bit more depth upon entering middle school. As research projects became more popular and utilized in pretty much every class, teachers began stressing the importance of proper citations and paraphrasing, avoiding plagiarizing, and interpreting sources, as well as grading harsher and harsher based on errors pertaining to those. It’s been basically drilled into all our heads at one point or another of our lives and it’s been made very clear that stealing other people’s work is wrong, and should be punished.
 
Ever since I’ve joined the VHL, I’ve always been a fan of the VHLM. The vast majority of my articles, podcasts, and other TPE related activities has been focused on the M. My giant spreadsheet that breaks down every team started out as purely being for the VHLM, and I only expanded it to the other two leagues out of boredom. I update the M portion practically daily, while the VHL gets looked at maybe once a week and the E maybe a few times a season. I’ve dedicated a lot of time learning about the M and how it works, eventually getting a GM gig in the league and I really have little desire to move on from that, at least for now. I would wager that, out of the active members at least, I put out arguably the most M content. Likewise, I love reading articles about the M, as I really enjoy seeing other people showing the same enjoyment as I have for the league. Because of my passion for the league, I pretty much read every single article that gets put out regarding the league. So, when it comes to making content about the M, it probably is not the smartest idea to plagiarize from me.
 
A few days after posting my Season 91 VHLM Rankings, I was sitting around in class, bored as hell, and decided to take a bit of a gander at some of the media spots that have been put out, and I notice this nice little article by @LastOneUp also looking at the VHLM for this season . As I started reading, I thought to myself, “huh, this looks really similar to my article”. I shared both his and mine with a handful of people, and they also agreed that these articles were a bit too similar to be a simple coincidence. Later on, I went to his profile and saw that he also made a smaller article, going over the same thing, and I thought, “wow, this looks really similar to my article”. And props to him for pulling out a couple tried-and-true methods, like changing the wording slightly, and swapping the order for a couple of the teams, just to make it look original. It’s one thing to agree on a handful of points, but it’s another to basically repeat every single point I made. The second, shorter article was much more blatant. I’ll point out a couple key indicators of plagiarism for y’all in case you don’t feel like looking for them yourselves:
- In both articles, he finds it important to mention the peculiarity of Houston’s three defenseman system, something that I brought up and is only supported by my own anecdotal evidence. Is having three defensemen actually bad for a team, I don’t really know.
- For Vegas, he mentions the “dylan” curse, a term that I made up in my article and, from my knowledge, has never been used by anyone except for me in this singular instance.
- In his small article, he copies the order in which I ranked the teams. In his larger article, however, he swaps the order for a couple teams. You would think, especially based on how closely both his articles were made, that he would have the same ordering for both. 
- Probably the most damning one. In my article I compared Mexico City and San Diego. In his small article, he attempts to do the same, but he has “similarly” on San Diego, which he ranked below Mexico City. There is nothing similar between San Diego and Halifax bud.
 
Look, I don’t have a monopoly on VHLM rankings. If you want to do them, feel free to do so. I would love to see more M content. The majority of content made is about the VHL, and I feel that the lower leagues need a little more appreciation (although the E can stay barren cuz bad league). If you’re gonna do it, however, make it original. I take a lot of pride in my work and it’s very upsetting to see it be blatantly stolen and pawned off as someone else's. I mean, that short article wasn’t even trying to hide it. If you really really really can’t think of stuff on your own and want to use someone else’s work, at the very least throw in some citations. Every lil tidbit you took from my article and slammed into yours, slap a “(Grape, 2023)” at the end of it. Once you reach the end of your article, be sure to include your sources like so:

              Grape. (2023, November 1). S91 VHLM Team Rankings. Victory Hockey League. https://vhlforum.com/topic/142056-s91-vhlm-team-rankings/
 
APA format is also acceptable since this is somewhat research oriented, but I feel like MLA fits this the best. Whichever you feel like using is fine by me, so long as you give proper credit. 👍

(1007 words, all my own)