Grape

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)

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)

10. Halifax 21st

FD Ranking: 10th (0.131)
Goaltender Ranking: 4th (168 TPA)
 
Halifax comes into the season with the weakest roster in the league. As of last check, they have one forward, no defensemen, and one goalie. Granted, the two players on their roster are relatively high in TPA, they likely will not be able to carry Halifax to relevance. This is also a team that has had some bad luck with waiver players in the past, so it is unlikely that they will get much more support this season. Expect this team to go the Season 85 Mississauga method and get rid of their entire team to lose out and secure some high draft picks. 
 
9. San Diego Marlins

FD Ranking: 9th (0.200)
Goaltender Ranking: T-9th (No goalie)
 
San Diego did a decent job filling out their roster, having the minimum forwards and defensemen to keep the bots out of the main roster, but they lack a real goaltender. We have all seen how much even having a goalie impacts a team. Sure, their defensemen are good and sure, their forwards will get better, but this team simply cannot compete without someone between the pipes, no matter their TPA. Unless they shore up that weakness, expect this team to be a seller.
 
8. Mexico City Kings

FD Ranking: 4th (0.636)
Goaltender Ranking: T-9th (No goalie)
 
This team is pretty similar to San Diego structure-wise, minus one forward. Their skaters are all relatively high TPE for the start of a season, but they are in the same boat as San Diego in terms of the goaltender department. They simply will be unable to compete without a goalie. Based on their roster, this is a team that would likely buy instead of sell. I can foresee that if they are unable to get a goaltender through waivers, that they would look to make a trade to acquire one (cough cough Halifax). If they decide to stand pat, however, they are going to stay near the bottom of the standings and, if they make the playoffs, be bounced pretty much immediately.
 
7. Las Vegas Aces

FD Ranking: 5th (0.430)
Goaltender Ranking: 8th (61 TPA)
 
The Las Vegas Aces have built up a solid roster, with all their needs filled out. While goaltending and forward is a bit of a question mark, that should be easily enough resolved with time. So long as they can keep their players active, they should be competitive enough. A weakness of this team is that they have what I call the “dylan” curse, in which you bring dylan on your roster and they simply just do not claim really any TPE whatsoever and take up a roster spot, making your team worse, but who knows, maybe he will actually follow through with this player.
 
6. Mississauga Hounds

FD Ranking: 8th (0.208)
Goaltender Ranking: 3rd (180 TPA)
 
Mississauga is not primed for a comeback, sorry to say. Sure, they have some decent forwards. Sure, they got Dutil to come back, giving them a legit starting goaltender. However, they have no defensemen. We have seen a one defenseman system work somewhat before, but a zero defenseman system is just asking for failure. They could likely stay afloat until the recreates come in and shore up that weakness, but they likely would want to fix that issue sooner or later. If they do not, then plan for a short title defense.
 
5. Miami Marauders

FD Ranking: 7th (0.241)
Goaltender Ranking: 6th (110 TPA)
 
While relatively weak TPE wise in each category, they do fulfill all their needs (as of now). A pretty average team, all things considered. Does not wow me in any aspects, and likely will not impress many. They should sit near the middle of the league and likely will not do much damage come playoff time. 
 
4. Saskatoon Wild

FD Ranking: 6th (0.395)
Goaltender Ranking: 5th (130 TPA)
 
Saskatoon has continued to do the slow burn, building off draft after draft and consistently having the largest roster in the league. Whilst they do have the deepest forward core and a good goaltender, they lack really any support on the blue line, with only one defenseman on the roster and they have yet to apply any of their TPE. This team does have the resources to make a move to size up their defensemen, if they do not wish to wait for recreates or waivers. Expect this team to be in the conversation for contention, as they have been in the past few seasons.
 
3. Ottawa Lynx

FD Ranking: 1st (0.929)
Goaltender Ranking: 7th (81 TPA)
 
Ottawa is poised to make a strong push this season, sporting a roster of high TPA skaters right out of the draft, having the best overall skaters. Their achilles heel, so to speak, is goaltending. While it should be suitable for the start of the season, they will need their tender to apply their banked TPE to really help push them over the age. On paper, that is the only thing holding them back from being at the top of the league, as well as some additional depth to flesh out the roster.
 
2. Philadelphia Reapers

FD Ranking: 3rd (0.796)
Goaltender Ranking: 2nd (197 TPA)
 
Philadelphia showcases a strong, albeit thin, roster and a top goaltender, which should keep them near the top of the league. By the end of the season, expect all but one of their players to be completely capped and ready to do some damage in the postseason. The biggest concern would obviously be depth, as we have seen the lack of that hurt teams before. 
 
1. Houston Bulls

FD Ranking: 2nd (0.887)
Goaltender Ranking: 1st (200 TPA)
 
Houston bolsters a strong roster, with pretty much all their players estimated to cap out by the end of the season, as well as an already capped goaltender. An interesting note is that they have three defensemen on the roster, which has had some limited success in the past. It could be possible that they look to move one of these to increase their forward core and strengthen their roster, but as of now, they will likely just let it ride. After all, why not? They should be the best team in the league and would not make much sense to alter that for now.

Rosters were last updated Monday, October 30th, so there are likely some minor changes that have occurred
(1082 words)

Blud forreal just plagiarized a shit-ton from my rankings 😂

10. Halifax 21st

FD Ranking: 10th (0.131)
Goaltender Ranking: 4th (168 TPA)
 
Halifax comes into the season with the weakest roster in the league. As of last check, they have one forward, no defensemen, and one goalie. Granted, the two players on their roster are relatively high in TPA, they likely will not be able to carry Halifax to relevance. This is also a team that has had some bad luck with waiver players in the past, so it is unlikely that they will get much more support this season. Expect this team to go the Season 85 Mississauga method and get rid of their entire team to lose out and secure some high draft picks. 
 
9. San Diego Marlins

FD Ranking: 9th (0.200)
Goaltender Ranking: T-9th (No goalie)
 
San Diego did a decent job filling out their roster, having the minimum forwards and defensemen to keep the bots out of the main roster, but they lack a real goaltender. We have all seen how much even having a goalie impacts a team. Sure, their defensemen are good and sure, their forwards will get better, but this team simply cannot compete without someone between the pipes, no matter their TPA. Unless they shore up that weakness, expect this team to be a seller.
 
8. Mexico City Kings

FD Ranking: 4th (0.636)
Goaltender Ranking: T-9th (No goalie)
 
This team is pretty similar to San Diego structure-wise, minus one forward. Their skaters are all relatively high TPE for the start of a season, but they are in the same boat as San Diego in terms of the goaltender department. They simply will be unable to compete without a goalie. Based on their roster, this is a team that would likely buy instead of sell. I can foresee that if they are unable to get a goaltender through waivers, that they would look to make a trade to acquire one (cough cough Halifax). If they decide to stand pat, however, they are going to stay near the bottom of the standings and, if they make the playoffs, be bounced pretty much immediately.
 
7. Las Vegas Aces

FD Ranking: 5th (0.430)
Goaltender Ranking: 8th (61 TPA)
 
The Las Vegas Aces have built up a solid roster, with all their needs filled out. While goaltending and forward is a bit of a question mark, that should be easily enough resolved with time. So long as they can keep their players active, they should be competitive enough. A weakness of this team is that they have what I call the “dylan” curse, in which you bring dylan on your roster and they simply just do not claim really any TPE whatsoever and take up a roster spot, making your team worse, but who knows, maybe he will actually follow through with this player.
 
6. Mississauga Hounds

FD Ranking: 8th (0.208)
Goaltender Ranking: 3rd (180 TPA)
 
Mississauga is not primed for a comeback, sorry to say. Sure, they have some decent forwards. Sure, they got Dutil to come back, giving them a legit starting goaltender. However, they have no defensemen. We have seen a one defenseman system work somewhat before, but a zero defenseman system is just asking for failure. They could likely stay afloat until the recreates come in and shore up that weakness, but they likely would want to fix that issue sooner or later. If they do not, then plan for a short title defense.
 
5. Miami Marauders

FD Ranking: 7th (0.241)
Goaltender Ranking: 6th (110 TPA)
 
While relatively weak TPE wise in each category, they do fulfill all their needs (as of now). A pretty average team, all things considered. Does not wow me in any aspects, and likely will not impress many. They should sit near the middle of the league and likely will not do much damage come playoff time. 
 
4. Saskatoon Wild

FD Ranking: 6th (0.395)
Goaltender Ranking: 5th (130 TPA)
 
Saskatoon has continued to do the slow burn, building off draft after draft and consistently having the largest roster in the league. Whilst they do have the deepest forward core and a good goaltender, they lack really any support on the blue line, with only one defenseman on the roster and they have yet to apply any of their TPE. This team does have the resources to make a move to size up their defensemen, if they do not wish to wait for recreates or waivers. Expect this team to be in the conversation for contention, as they have been in the past few seasons.
 
3. Ottawa Lynx

FD Ranking: 1st (0.929)
Goaltender Ranking: 7th (81 TPA)
 
Ottawa is poised to make a strong push this season, sporting a roster of high TPA skaters right out of the draft, having the best overall skaters. Their achilles heel, so to speak, is goaltending. While it should be suitable for the start of the season, they will need their tender to apply their banked TPE to really help push them over the age. On paper, that is the only thing holding them back from being at the top of the league, as well as some additional depth to flesh out the roster.
 
2. Philadelphia Reapers

FD Ranking: 3rd (0.796)
Goaltender Ranking: 2nd (197 TPA)
 
Philadelphia showcases a strong, albeit thin, roster and a top goaltender, which should keep them near the top of the league. By the end of the season, expect all but one of their players to be completely capped and ready to do some damage in the postseason. The biggest concern would obviously be depth, as we have seen the lack of that hurt teams before. 
 
1. Houston Bulls

FD Ranking: 2nd (0.887)
Goaltender Ranking: 1st (200 TPA)
 
Houston bolsters a strong roster, with pretty much all their players estimated to cap out by the end of the season, as well as an already capped goaltender. An interesting note is that they have three defensemen on the roster, which has had some limited success in the past. It could be possible that they look to move one of these to increase their forward core and strengthen their roster, but as of now, they will likely just let it ride. After all, why not? They should be the best team in the league and would not make much sense to alter that for now.

Rosters were last updated Monday, October 30th, so there are likely some minor changes that have occurred
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10. Halifax 21st

FD Ranking: 10th (0.131)
Goaltender Ranking: 4th (168 TPA)
 
Halifax comes into the season with the weakest roster in the league. As of last check, they have one forward, no defensemen, and one goalie. Granted, the two players on their roster are relatively high in TPA, they likely will not be able to carry Halifax to relevance. This is also a team that has had some bad luck with waiver players in the past, so it is unlikely that they will get much more support this season. Expect this team to go the Season 85 Mississauga method and get rid of their entire team to lose out and secure some high draft picks. 
 
9. San Diego Marlins

FD Ranking: 9th (0.200)
Goaltender Ranking: T-9th (No goalie)
 
San Diego did a decent job filling out their roster, having the minimum forwards and defensemen to keep the bots out of the main roster, but they lack a real goaltender. We have all seen how much even having a goalie impacts a team. Sure, their defensemen are good and sure, their forwards will get better, but this team simply cannot compete without someone between the pipes, no matter their TPA. Unless they shore up that weakness, expect this team to be a seller.
 
8. Mexico City Kings

FD Ranking: 4th (0.636)
Goaltender Ranking: T-9th (No goalie)
 
This team is pretty similar to San Diego structure-wise, minus one forward. Their skaters are all relatively high TPE for the start of a season, but they are in the same boat as San Diego in terms of the goaltender department. They simply will be unable to compete without a goalie. Based on their roster, this is a team that would likely buy instead of sell. I can foresee that if they are unable to get a goaltender through waivers, that they would look to make a trade to acquire one (cough cough Halifax). If they decide to stand pat, however, they are going to stay near the bottom of the standings and, if they make the playoffs, be bounced pretty much immediately.
 
7. Las Vegas Aces

FD Ranking: 5th (0.430)
Goaltender Ranking: 8th (61 TPA)
 
The Las Vegas Aces have built up a solid roster, with all their needs filled out. While goaltending and forward is a bit of a question mark, that should be easily enough resolved with time. So long as they can keep their players active, they should be competitive enough. A weakness of this team is that they have what I call the “dylan” curse, in which you bring dylan on your roster and they simply just do not claim really any TPE whatsoever and take up a roster spot, making your team worse, but who knows, maybe he will actually follow through with this player.
 
6. Mississauga Hounds

FD Ranking: 8th (0.208)
Goaltender Ranking: 3rd (180 TPA)
 
Mississauga is not primed for a comeback, sorry to say. Sure, they have some decent forwards. Sure, they got Dutil to come back, giving them a legit starting goaltender. However, they have no defensemen. We have seen a one defenseman system work somewhat before, but a zero defenseman system is just asking for failure. They could likely stay afloat until the recreates come in and shore up that weakness, but they likely would want to fix that issue sooner or later. If they do not, then plan for a short title defense.
 
5. Miami Marauders

FD Ranking: 7th (0.241)
Goaltender Ranking: 6th (110 TPA)
 
While relatively weak TPE wise in each category, they do fulfill all their needs (as of now). A pretty average team, all things considered. Does not wow me in any aspects, and likely will not impress many. They should sit near the middle of the league and likely will not do much damage come playoff time. 
 
4. Saskatoon Wild

FD Ranking: 6th (0.395)
Goaltender Ranking: 5th (130 TPA)
 
Saskatoon has continued to do the slow burn, building off draft after draft and consistently having the largest roster in the league. Whilst they do have the deepest forward core and a good goaltender, they lack really any support on the blue line, with only one defenseman on the roster and they have yet to apply any of their TPE. This team does have the resources to make a move to size up their defensemen, if they do not wish to wait for recreates or waivers. Expect this team to be in the conversation for contention, as they have been in the past few seasons.
 
3. Ottawa Lynx

FD Ranking: 1st (0.929)
Goaltender Ranking: 7th (81 TPA)
 
Ottawa is poised to make a strong push this season, sporting a roster of high TPA skaters right out of the draft, having the best overall skaters. Their achilles heel, so to speak, is goaltending. While it should be suitable for the start of the season, they will need their tender to apply their banked TPE to really help push them over the age. On paper, that is the only thing holding them back from being at the top of the league, as well as some additional depth to flesh out the roster.
 
2. Philadelphia Reapers

FD Ranking: 3rd (0.796)
Goaltender Ranking: 2nd (197 TPA)
 
Philadelphia showcases a strong, albeit thin, roster and a top goaltender, which should keep them near the top of the league. By the end of the season, expect all but one of their players to be completely capped and ready to do some damage in the postseason. The biggest concern would obviously be depth, as we have seen the lack of that hurt teams before. 
 
1. Houston Bulls

FD Ranking: 2nd (0.887)
Goaltender Ranking: 1st (200 TPA)
 
Houston bolsters a strong roster, with pretty much all their players estimated to cap out by the end of the season, as well as an already capped goaltender. An interesting note is that they have three defensemen on the roster, which has had some limited success in the past. It could be possible that they look to move one of these to increase their forward core and strengthen their roster, but as of now, they will likely just let it ride. After all, why not? They should be the best team in the league and would not make much sense to alter that for now.

Rosters were last updated Monday, October 30th, so there are likely some minor changes that have occurred
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After a season we can consider a success on our path to rebuilding, we've once again got a roster that looks quite different on paper than what we iced last season. Our defense sports nearly a completely new look with 3 new faces, and half of our forward group is making their VHL debut. We're very excited to ice such a young roster with so much future potential. While we have tempered expectations this season in a strong EU conference, we're going to be focusing on development and identifying synergies on the ice to set up a strong competitive era for our future. Now onto the captains!
 
First Alternate - Left Alone - @okochastar
 
Despite being just an S86 player and entering his 5th VHL season, Left Alone is one of the most veteran, active players left on this Moscow roster. Despite being offered the chance to head to a contender during our prior sell-offs, Oko chose to stay put and be part of our rebuild and serve as a veteran presence and leader on a very young team. On paper, he is the best player on Moscow by a wide margin and we will be counting on him to lead our offense by example this season.
 
Second Alternate - Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage - @Grape
 
Despite being a brand new face to the team as a rookie, expectations are very high for the former first round pick as the de facto leader of a very makeshift defensive corps. While help is expected next season, the defense is OSCB's to lead this season. As a big part of this organization's future, it only makes sense to give a franchise defenseman the keys to the defense at such a young stage in his career. While he'll have some veterans alongside him in Fraser Wallace and The Mediocre One, and also former first round talent Eric Queefson, we hope that it'll be OSCB that emerges as the premier talent and leader.
 
Captain - Jeff Lewis - @nerji
 
After a phenomenal rookie debut season where he collected the Stolzschweiger award for the top Rookie in the VHL and a nod to the VHL All-Rookie team, Lewis is primed to take a massive step forward and serve as the captain for a very young Moscow squad. Another core piece for Moscow's future, Lewis also inked a long-term deal with the Menace that'll keep him in the Russian capital for the foreseeable future. We'll look to see Lewis generating chemistry with two new centers in Axle Gunner and Jarmo Ruutu, and help both rookies adjust to VHL life. Expectations are very high for the sophomore forward, but we're confident in his effort and passion to handle this responsibility.
 
Congrats to all named to the leadership team!
 
---
 
I'd also like to officially announce our AGM change that has been in effect for a couple weeks at this point. I sincerely thank @Brandon for serving as my fantastic AGM from S86-S90, and truly appreciate his assistance and input during that time. As he shifts more towards running a very successful business in his life, and also saw his player moved to Toronto in the twilight of his career, we felt it was the right time to make this change and bring in a fresh face. With that, we're happy to welcome @Steve as the new AGM of the Menace! Our top pick in the S90 draft and a long term VHL friend makes his first foray into team management at any level in the league. He's already stepped in and been through trial by fire during my recent vacation, and I'm looking forward to continuing to work with him to shape Moscow for the future!
 
 MOSCOW MOSCOW MOSCOW

And just like that you've lost all potential applicants 

6/32. Yikers

And just like that you've lost all potential applicants 

And just like that you've lost all potential applicants 

And just like that you've lost all potential applicants 

And just like that you've lost all potential applicants 

And just like that you've lost all potential applicants 

That's not what your scouting email suggests!

Can't wait to not pick any of these guys 🥸

Can't wait to not pick any of these guys 🥸

6/32. Yikers

6/32. Yikers

10. Ottawa Lynx

(15-49-8)
FD Ranking: 9th (0.122)
Goalie Ranking: 10th (98 TPA)
Players In: Josh Caz, William Wallace, Rat Pans
Players Out: N/A
 
Ottawa was primed to be at the bottom of the standings from the very beginning. Having been unable to bolster the roster very much through the draft or the waiver wire, this team struggled throughout the entire season and was pretty much out of every game they played. Goaltending, defense, and offense were all pretty much at the bottom of the league ever since the season started. They hope to bounce back in the draft and get back into contention.
 
9. Houston Bulls

(17-49-6)
FD Ranking: 10th (0.052)
Goalie Ranking: 6th (166 TPA)
Players In: Keegan Vos, Kimi Raikkonen, Jeffrey Howard Dewberry Kalin
Players Out: Joshua Schwarzer, Toby Kadachi, Joseph Holm
 
Houston was pretty much out of the playoff conversation as soon as the playoffs started. Never able to get any defensemen on the roster, their defense became a pure turnstile and oppositions were free to score at will. The offense, lacking any true superstars, especially after trading away both Schwarzer and Kadachi early into the season. The only real competition this team had was with Ottawa for the first overall pick. While they held that spot for the majority of the season, at the last sim, they sucked just a little less than Ottawa and bumped up to 9th, ceding that first pick to Ottawa. Looking at the draft however and the picks this team has, a slide from 1 to 2 is not too much of a blow.
 
8. Halifax 21st [-1]

(25-39-8)
FD Ranking: 6th (0.626)
Goalie Ranking: 9th (98 TPA)
Players In: Olumide Anderson, Shaunca, Demko, Guntis Gavilrovs
Players Out: N/A
 
The start of the season was pretty bleak to say the least. Without a goalie, they struggled mightily, despite bolstering a decently strong forward group. Eventually, they were able to get a goalie, and then their defense showed weakness, with only having one defenseman on the roster. At the trade deadline, they were able to get a player via waivers to fill that spot, and thus their roster was complete. However, those early season woes means they have to go up against the best team in the regular season as their first playoff opponent. While their roster is good and their weaknesses at least patched up, they’re likely to struggle against the juggernaut before them. They’ll go as far as their goaltending takes them, and based on their TPA, that likely won’t be very far.
 
7. Mexico City Kings [-6]

(28-39-5)
FD Ranking: 3rd (0.690)
Goalie Ranking: 8th (152 TPA)
Players In: Rory Sullivan, Tom Dufour
Players Out: Kirk Van Him, Motionless Kleaver
 
I really got burned by this pick. On paper, at the start of the season, this team was arguably the best and was primed to start off strong. Well, they did not. They bumbled and fumbled and flopped around at the start sitting near the bottom and stayed there for the entire season. Even still, on paper, this is a strong team. Their record is not necessarily indicative of the roster this team has. Their main issue is offensive production. While they’re about middle of the league in goals against, they are down with the bottom feeder teams in terms of goals for. If they want to truly compete at the level that their roster should have them at, there needs to be a strategy change to either score more goals or become a true shutdown team and keep games low scoring.
 
6. Philadelphia Reapers [+2]

(30-34-8)
FD Ranking: 8th (0.505)
Goalie Ranking: 7th (165 TPA)
Players In: Daniel Temple, Vlad Von Carstein
Players Out: Eno Velson
 
Philadelphia has had and still has one of the thinnest rosters in the league, and yet they were able to stay close to the middle. They were able to find the perfect line combinations with the slim pickings that they had to get the most out of their relatively weak team, and were able to stay around the middle in both goals for and goals against. Not much roster change has occurred with this team, and honestly they haven’t needed it. They got their two defensemen, a good goalie, and some decently strong forwards. Will they do anything in the playoffs? Probably not to be honest. But a decent season from a team that really should be worse than they actually are.
 
5. Miami Marauders [-1]

(39-27-6)
FD Ranking: 2nd (0.765)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Eno Velson, Logan Ninefingers, Riley Martin, Giorgiy Costanzov
Players Out: Liam Evans, Hershey McFleury, Joakim Norden
 
Miami is one of the few teams that benefited greatly from the recreate wave, bolstering their team and making them a lot better than what their record would have you believe. While defense is still relatively thin with only two defenseman on the roster, their forward core is deep and elite, and should make it hell for the opposing netminders. This team is one that has a legitimate chance to, at least in terms of the standings, cause some upsets in the playoffs. So long as the offensive production doesn’t go cold, they should be chugging along the postseason just fine.
 
4. Las Vegas Aces [+2]

(47-19-6)
FD Ranking: 7th (0.519)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Bric Sheithaus, Caesar Monterrey, Jean-Marc Lemieux, Elle Aura Ashe, George Richmond
Players Out: Jaja Dingdong, Zacharie Masse, Barry McOckiner
 
Vegas is a team that always seems to have no problems with getting waiver players to help flesh out their roster, and this was the case again, getting a large chunk of players early on which have kept them strong throughout. Their defense is very solid and while their forwards are a little low TPA wise, they have the depth to jumble the lines up if things go cold. This team did recently take a pretty massive blow, having one of their better forwards go IA and having to drop them right before the playoffs started. That is going to serve as a pretty big issue going forward if they want to make a push for the cup.
 
3. Saskatoon Wild [-1]

(48-16-8)
FD Ranking: 1st (0.835)
Goalie Ranking: 5th (199 TPA)
Players In: Joshua Schwarzer
Players Out: Jean-Marc Lemieux, Henry Ford
 
Saskatoon is one of the deepest teams forward wise, having 10 forwards on the roster. What is really amazing about this team is that they got zero waiver players all season long. Their roster is built up out of their draft picks and a trade here and there. How well this team performed and honestly how good the roster looks speaks volumes on their (now former) GM’s drafting ability. This is definitely a competitive team and a team to watch this playoffs and potentially next season as well, since they could very likely retain a decent group of players going into Season 91.
 
2. Mississauga Hounds [+1]

(54-16-2)
FD Ranking: 4th (0.681)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Joseph Dubois, Alfonzo Fineski, Toby Kadachi, Suetekh Kos, DB IV
Players Out: Pierre-luc Dutil
 
Mississauga’s offense is the offense. Full stop. Their forward core is absolutely lethal and can and will put the puck in the back of the net. Their defense is not too shabby either, having a strong top two guys with some decent help below them. This team is one that should and I believe will have a legit chance of going all the way. A lot of max players means next season, they will likely be pretty low in the standings, so they have to make the most of it here and now.
 
1. San Diego Marlins [+4]

(57-13-2)
FD Ranking: 5th (0.631)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Trevor Parsons, Thickums Mcgillacutty, Vanellope von Schweetz, Adi Dassler, Rainbow Colours
Players Out: N/A
 
This team absolutely feasted on the recreates this trade deadline, making their strong, deep roster even stronger and deeper. Their forwards? Nasty. Defense? Even nastier. This is the de facto cup favorite and it is hard to argue against that. The only team roster wise that can match them is Mississauga and maybe, if I’m a couple bottles deep, Miami. While the initial acquisition of the recreates should have hurt the team, as bringing in lower TPA guys and taking time away from higher TPA guys should hurt the team, San Diego did not slow down very much and those recreates are starting to catch up. Overall, this should be a fun squad to watch and see what they can do.
 
Playoff Matchups
 
1. San Diego Marlins vs 8. Halifax 21st
As I said before, Halifax will only go as far as their goaltending takes them, and when put up against a juggernaut like San Diego, that is not going to be very far at all. This series is not gonna last long at all, and I predict it’ll be a clean sweep, no gentlemen here. Despite the high hopes Halifax had coming into this season, they simply will not get past this Marlins team
San Diego wins 4-0
 
2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 7. Mexico City Kings
Mississauga is a team that can pretty much score at will. Mexico City is a team that couldn’t score to save their life. The only way Mexico City gets out of this series is with a major strategy change to basically turn them into the New York Islanders and play some of the most boring hockey known to man and make every game end up as 2-1 or 3-2. Mexico City is not that bad of a team, they simply can’t score though. Mississauga is not only better than Mexico City in every way possible, but they can actually score too. Even if Mexico City New York Islanders it up, it’s pretty evident that Mississauga will win.
Mississauga wins 4-1
 
3. Saskatoon Wild vs. 6. Philadelphia Reapers
Another interesting matchup. Saskatoon with an immensely deep roster and a multitude of line combinations to change up the team if the first couple games go south, versus Philly who pretty much has to rock with whatever the sims give them. In every category, Saskatoon has Philly beat, and will likely stomp them pretty handedly. Philly could probably steal a game but that’s about it.
Saskatoon wins 4-1
 
4. Las Vegas Aces vs. 5. Miami Marauders
This is what I feel the first “upset” would be. Las Vegas, especially after that major blow of one of their top players going IA, is actually pretty weak. Miami, on the other hand, got a huge boost due to the recreate wave and looks a lot stronger than what their record shows. This will definitely be the tightest of the series, just because these teams are actually somewhat close compared to everyone else, but I see Miami getting the edge in 6.
Miami wins 4-2
 
2nd Round
 
1. San Diego Marlins vs. 5. Miami Marauders
The two teams that benefited from the recreates the most. Honestly it is poetic for these two to meet. In all honesty, I think Miami has a legit chance to upset. Their forward group as a whole is a lot stronger than San Diego and while San Diego has the depth, Miami has that star power on defense that we saw during the regular season. What this will come down to is a legendary goaltender duel between Slezak and Syko, who have been pretty damn close in the goalie rankings throughout the season, and it is fitting that they match off against each other. This is a series that I feel will go the distance, with Miami edging off the Marlins right at the end.
Miami wins 4-3
 
2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 3. Saskatoon Wild
This feels like arguably the hardest matchup in the entire playoffs. Both these teams showcase a plethora of elite talent on both sides of the puck. This is one of those series that either team really could win it, and also one that feels like it’ll either go the distance or be a sweep. That being said, I just find it really hard to bet against Mississauga this season, and I see them absolutely shocking the Wild in a sweep.
Mississauga win 4-0
 
Final
 
 2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 5. Miami Marauders
All upsets must come to an end eventually, and this is where Miami’s stops. Mississauga is simply better than Miami in practically every way, and while I was able to argue for Miami’s case in their first two matchups, I’m not able to here. Mississauga is built to win, and they will. I feel like this series will be decently close, but there really won’t be much doubt for who the victor will be.
Mississauga wins 4-2

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🥸

I cooked

@Grape holy shit you’re a genius