FrostBeard

https://imgur.com/0abbrjRhttps://imgur.com/0abbrjR
 
When I first started this project, I started out with the idea of rating every teams’ prospects and then grading the team on the selections that they made but the more I dove head first into collecting data the harder it was for me to justify grading only the Prospect Pool list on the team page since a majority of the teams had a failing grade due to some teams draft heavily in some drafts and not at all in other drafts. I then decided that a Prospect should be a player that is still in the prospect pool but also still on a rookie contract. While this moved some of the team into a positive position, I am still not complete sure that this is an accurate show case of a team’s prospect pool but rather more a show where a team currently stands or will stand in the next few seasons as it is only a small three season snap shot. Team in a competitive window of win now will not be drafting near the first round or at least not often enough to affect their score in a hugely positive manner. While a team rebuilding the past two or three seasons will show positive since they have collected or should have collected a good number of prospects and lastly a team just starting into a rebuild will have a hugely negative ranking since none of the prospect have either joined the team yet or been drafted yet.
 
Take the ranking at face value is what I am trying to say but could be a good indicator of what teams might be up and coming in the next few seasons while it could also indicate, which teams might be falling off slightly.
 
Either way let’s take a look at each teams’ prospects:
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  10 1st Round Picks:  0 2nd Round Picks:  3 3rd Round Picks:  4 4th Round Pick:  3 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  5  
Calgary Wranglers Prospects      (S93) LW - Miner vHLer (OSL)  @Rhynex Entertainment 17th (2nd Round) (S93) RW - Oliver Loo (SSK) (COL)  @Misty 23rd (2nd Round)  (S93) D - Wladyslaw Mintus (HOU) (OSL)  @mintusaurus 37th (3rd round)  (S93) D - Carson Tripp (SSK) (STO)  @Cartripp14 29th (2nd Round) (S93) LW - Hunter s (SDM)  @Hunter S 59th (4th Round) (S91) D - Hezeus Ohmontegue-Steinhardt X (VAS)  @Sisyphus 35th (3rd Round)  (S93) RW - Trimiskez Artav (STO)  @jake 60th (4th Round) (S93) D - Vanman Stein (COL)  @Vanman 55th (4th Round) (S91) C - Hershey McFleury  @YaBoiDuggie 44th (3rd Round)  (S91) D - Thickums Mcgillacutty  @Jer_Lefebvre 46th (3rd Round)   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 29.00)    
Calgary Wranglers prospect pool is rather shallow due to draft location in the past three season with only three 2nd round picks with (S93) LW - Miner vHLer (OSL) @Rhynex Entertainment the teams current best prospect ready to join the roster next season. (S93) RW - Oliver Loo (SSK) (COL) @Misty is still another season away and should join in season 96; with two other S93 Draft picks ready the season after in (S93) D - Wladyslaw Mintus (HOU) (OSL) @mintusaurus and (S93) D - Carson Tripp (SSK) (STO) @Cartripp14. So, how does Calgary have an F grade with four players joining their roster from their prospect pool in the next three seasons? This is due to the inactive players and the fact that the team doesn`t have a need for top prospects being VHL ready in the past three season this season or next thus the grading system hurts them more than other teams.
 
Calgary Wranglers have two player retiring at the end of the season in (S85) D - Phil Strasmore @Phil and (S85) LW - Larry Abass Jr @RileyL; (S93) LW - Miner vHLer (OSL)  should replace the retiring Abass Jr @RileyL nicely while Calgary will need to look for a temporary defender or two as the team waits on their top two defending prospects in (S93) D - Wladyslaw Mintus (HOU) (OSL) @mintusaurusand (S93) D - Carson Tripp (SSK) (STO) @Cartripp14; who won`t be ready until S97. Timing is also prefect for (S93) RW - Oliver Loo (SSK) (COL) @Misty as they should also replace the retiring (S86) RW - Adam Rage @MrMom at the end of next season should he resign this off season.
 
Overall, Calgary Wranglers are in an interesting position as they should be in a compete now situation but as if writing Calgary are tied for the final Wildcard spot and will hope that they can force their way into the playoffs. The team will need to re-tool or enter a rebuild in the next three or four season so should become larger players in future drafts and see their prospect pool become stronger.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  9 1st Round Picks:  4 2nd Round Picks:  3 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  1 Prospect in the VHL:  4 VHL Ready Prospects:  2 Inactive Prospects:  0  
Chicago Phoenix Prospects     (S91) RW - Bryce Woodworth  @SirRupertBarnes 22nd (2nd Round)  (S91) LW - Joshua Schwarzer  @Velevra 6th (1st Round)  (S91) D - Lionel Collberg @Masu Chan 11th (1st Round)  (S92) D - Karol Lamb  @dlamb 8th (1st Round) (S93) LW - UghSike (OSL)  @UghSike 5th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Jean-Pierre Devote (COL)  @eagle_3450 20th (2nd Round)  (S93) C - Vanuza Kolesinska (ROM)  @chikn 18th (2nd Round)  (S93) LW - Kevin OConnor (OTT) (VAS)  @Luke033 52nd (4th Round)  (S93) C - Micah Cederbaum (SSK) (COL)  @MicahC 46th (3rd Round)  
 
Grade: B +   (score: 78.33)    
Chicago Phoenix has rather impressive depth in their prospect pool aided by the fact that four of the prospects from the past three season have already made the jump to the VHL for the team. More impress is the fact that they took a risk on (S93) LW - Jean-Pierre Devote (COL) @eagle_3450; who if I remember correctly had shown signs of inactivity just before the draft and seen his draft stock fall to the second round; in which now looks like a rather smart pick; as he is ready for the VHL next season along with last season 5th overall selection (S93) LW - UghSike (OSL) @UghSike. Mean while (S93) C - Vanuza Kolesinska (ROM) @chikn is still another full season away but means we will see three of the five players in the Chicago prospect pool making VHL debut in the next two seasons.
 
Chicago forward core might look a lot different next season with (S85) RW - Babay Shrimp @Blazzer as the only player set to retire but both (S93) LW - UghSike (OSL) @UghSike and (S93) LW - Jean-Pierre Devote (COL) @eagle_3450 set to join the roster; something will need give!! Luckily for Chicago they have a single forward signed at the moment for next season so should easily have room for the two forward prospects and (S93) C - Vanuza Kolesinska (ROM) @chikn the season after.
 
Overall, Chicago Phoenix look like a team moving in the right direction but will need to follow last season strong draft by adding more VHL ready prospects to an already deep prospect pool.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  6 1st Round Picks:  1 2nd Round Picks:  2 3rd Round Picks:  2 4th Round Pick:  1 Prospect in the VHL:  1 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
D.C. Dragons Prospects     (S91) C - Theo Allard  @InstantRockstar 10th (1st Round)  (S91) RW - Tom Dufour (VAS)  @Cookie 29th (2nd Round)  (S89) LW - Justin Chen  @Jchin1604 33rd (3rd Round)  (S93) G - Herald Benson (HOU)  @Benson 19th (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Connor Hellebuyck (MEX)  @HockeyFan4Life 48th (3rd Round) (S93) RW - Brash Candicoot  @TrinityMonk 64th (4th Round)   
Grade: E (score: 41.67)  
D.C. Dragons are the defending Continental Cup champions and it shouldn`t be a huge surprise that the Dragons have one of the small prospect pools of all the team in the league but have some very key prospects starting with (S93) G - Herald Benson (HOU) @Benson, who like it or not is going to be the goaltender of the future for the Dragons. But there is a problem; (S85) G - Henry Tucker Jr @NSG retires at the end of this season and Benson is still a season away so D.C. has a huge problem and question mark around what they will do in the off season; to get a goaltender until Benson is ready. (S91) RW - Tom Dufour (VAS) @Cookie is ready to make the jump to the VHL next season but doesn`t seem to have a place within the current roster structure in D.C. so could be moved during the off season in either a deal to bring in another defender or a stop gap goaltender.
 
D.C. Dragons are still in contend now mode but will need to find a goaltender to cover off the development gap while they wait for goaltender of the future Benson to be ready and with an aging forward core could look to retool in the off season or the following off season as majority of the forward core will retire.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  18 1st Round Picks:  4 2nd Round Picks:  5 3rd Round Picks:  4 4th Round Pick:  3 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  3 Inactive Prospects:  1  
HC Davos Dynamo Prospects      (S93) C - Antonia Bucatini (OSL)  @CowboyinAmerica 1st (1st Round)  (S91) D - Sunset Moth (PHI) (VAS)  @McWolf 13th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Forum Content (BRA)  @frescoelmo 6th (1st Round)  (S91) G - David Slezak  @ShawnGlade 20th (2nd Round)  (S91) RW - Ivan Ivanov (VAS)  @KmaddFPS 32nd (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen  @Snussu 12th (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Steve French (ROM)  @Seabass 21st (2nd Round)  (S91) C - Piston Maicupp (ROM)  @MandyManiac 43rd (3rd Round)  (S92) LW - Dwight shcrute (STO)  @Jamomayo 17th (2nd Round)  (S93) D - Billy Joel (HOU) (ROM)  @The goat of hockey 27th (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Kendra Cavill (LVA)  @Firekiss 42nd (3rd Round)  (S93) D - Masa Akimoto (LVA) (STO)  @Hokikeijot 47th (3rd Round)  (S93) RW - Armas Jortikka (MIA) (OSL)  @Kavadar 50th (4th Round)  (S93) G - Da TypThond (SSK)  @Erik Undrafted  (S93) D - Russell Sprout (MIA) (ROM)  @betta57 45th (3rd Round)  (S93) G - Austin Goulet lll (SSK)  @Tuchy Undrafted  (S93) D - Blaze Thunderstrike (LVA)  @eaglesfan036 56th (4th Round)  (S93) D - Magni Jinn (PHI) (VAS)  @DontCallMeCarson 49th (4th Round)   
 
 
Grade: E (score: 40.56)  
HC Davos went with the quantity over quality aspect when it comes to their team’s overall prospect pool but that doesn`t mean that they don`t have quality within their prospect pool as Davos has three prospect ready to join the VHL next season in (S93) C - Antonia Bucatini (OSL) @CowboyinAmerica, (S91) D - Sunset Moth (PHI) (VAS) @McWolf and (S93) LW - Forum Content (BRA) @frescoelmo. Whom should be followed rather quickly by three more prospect the following season in goaltender of the future (S93) G - Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen @Snussu, (S93) RW - Steve French (ROM) @Seabass and (S93) D - Billy Joel (HOU) (ROM) @The goat of hockey. So, six prospect in the next two season joining your roster should sound great right? Not when you have nothing on your roster in the first place. These six players are the starting blocks of foundation of a building and will need to hold it together for another season or two. Expect to see Davos at the bottom of the league for at least another season or two unless they start to move prospect for veteran player to build a competitive team.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  13 1st Round Picks:  2 2nd Round Picks:  5 3rd Round Picks:  3 4th Round Pick:  2 Prospect in the VHL:  2 VHL Ready Prospects:  0 Inactive Prospects:  5  
Helsinki Titans Prospects      (S92) LW - Adi Dassler  @BOOM 3rd (1st Round)  (S91) LW - Isaac mclflopper  @sportexperts show 19th (2nd Round)  (S92) LW - Matthew Highmore (VAS)  @NineIQ v2 19th (2nd Round)  (S93) C - Tyler Lawson (ROM)  @Nyx 14th (1st Round)  (S90) RW - Barry McOckiner (COL)  @LanerDUST 33rd (3rd Round)  (S93) RW - Anthony Simmons II (MIS) (COL)  @Starchychaff 35th (3rd Round)  (S92) D - Dustin Moore (HFX)  @Maxx 24th (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Samuel Wazinski  @samthemancub 30th (2nd Round)  (S91) C - Keegan Vos (ROM)  @DDZ_44 39th (3rd Round)  (S93) D - Landon Flatt (OTT) (BRA)  @Lando10 62nd (4th Round)  (S93) C - Aiden Paige (MIA)  @Apaige131 Undrafted (S93) RW - Cole Stermer (HOU) (BRA)  @Bazeus 57th (4th Round)  (S93) LW - Filip Zinek (HOU) (BRA)  @FiZi 32nd (2nd Round)   
 
Grade: F (score: 30.77)  
With one of your best prospect being a player that you just traded for in (S92) LW - Adi Dassler @BOOM; who came over via a trade with Moscow Menace shows that the team might be heading in the wrong direction. No VHL ready prospect for a team that is outside of the playoff looking in and traded away their starting goaltender without having a goalie of the future in place means Helsinki looks to be in a tight spot, needing to either trade for a starting goaltender or draft a starting goaltender this off season but likely means if the team cannot get a starter next season; will once again be watching the playoff next season.
 
(S92) LW - Matthew Highmore (VAS) @NineIQ v2 and (S93) C - Tyler Lawson (ROM) @Nyx are two season away and should replace retiring pair (S87) RW - Ellis Woolfenden @D3X and (S87) LW - Jarkko Laakkonen @Xdjk93 at that time. After that Helsinki will need to hope that they hit on majority of their twelve picks this coming draft as the rest of the prospect are rather slim picking at the moment; not helped by five inactive prospects. Helsinki seems to be throwing as many darts at the board and hoping a few of them will stick; not the best way of building a prospect pool in my opinion. If I am correct Helsinki with have twenty-four prospect by the end of this season draft. Luckily for Helsinki; they don`t have any major needs to build a roster next season other than a starting goaltender.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  8 1st Round Picks:  1 2nd Round Picks:  3 3rd Round Picks:  2 4th Round Pick:  2 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  0 Inactive Prospects:  3  
London United Prospects    Drafted  (S90) D - Joseph Dubois (COL)  @Dubois 37th (3rd Round)  (S91) C - Alexandros Mograine (COL)  @sliceruser 42nd (3rd Round)  (S91) D - Scrungle Bungle (COL)  @Novanod 21st (2nd Round)  (S91) D - Arne Holmquist (BRA)  @axtron 25th (2nd Round)  (S92) D - Vanellope von Schweetz (COL)  @Arce 13th (1st Round)  (S92) G - Hugo Boss (OTT)  @Dil 22nd (2nd Round)  (S93) C - Jacob Longstreet (SSK) (COL)  @Dynamicmlb_42 51st (4th Round)  (S93) LW - Owen two (MEX) (BRA)  @do3bo1 63rd (4th Round)   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 12.50)  
By far the worse prospect pool in the VHL but should anyone be surprised when the team has been super competitive for the past six or seven season; if not longer. An aging roster in a season of either win or bust means that they have either traded away most of their future picks, prospects or selected late in the first round to be competitive. This team is set to enter a rebuild regardless of what happens during this season playoff and will look to see their prospect pool depth increase in the next few seasons.
 
Doesn`t help either when 40% of your prospect pool is also inactive and your top prospect in (S90) D - Joseph Dubois (COL) @Dubois is also inactive. (S91) C - Alexandros Mograine (COL) @sliceruser seems like a hidden gem grabbed in the 3rd round and could make the roster as early as next season; rather impressive from such a late pick. While (S91) D - Scrungle Bungle (COL) @Novanod is two season away at best still but could play a large role as part of the rebuild in London. It will be an interesting off-season in London to see how they start to retool or enter a complete rebuild like I think they are headed for.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  7 1st Round Picks:  1 2nd Round Picks:  3 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
Los Angeles Stars Prospects      (S91) RW - Nico Belique (STO)  @Syzygy 24th (2nd Round)  (S92) LW - Joe Shmo (BRA)  @matt sovick 15th (1st Round)  (S93) D - WWumbo (STO)  @Fire Tortorella 22nd (2nd Round)  (S91) LW - Leo Neelson III (SSK)  @silentnyrf31 Undrafted  (S93) C - Taylor Swift (MIS) (ROM)  @lilchrist 26th (2nd Round)  (S93) LW - Connor simard (HFX) (BRA)  @Alex99 36th (3rd Round)  (S93) D - Connor Mclaughlin (LVA)  @Connor Mclaughling Undrafted   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 28.57)  
Considering Los Angeles Stars took majority of their roster straight into retirement; they have done a fairly good job at starting the process of rebuilding their prospect pool by adding picks; which I am not reviewing and (S91) RW - Nico Belique (STO) @Syzygy via a trade from Vancouver Wolves. The Stars will need to hit on every pick in the next two drafts with limited draft picks and the fact that they have already missed on (S93) D - WWumbo (STO) @Fire Tortorella with their 22nd overall pick last season as he seems to have gone inactive. The only 1st round prospect in (S92) LW - Joe Shmo (BRA) @matt sovick has also gone inactive since being traded to Los Angeles from Vancouver. (S93) C - Taylor Swift (MIS) (ROM) @lilchrist and (S93) LW - Connor simard (HFX) (BRA) @Alex99 are still a few season away from joining the VHL and the Stars but should be joining the roster just as it starts to turn the corner.
 
The Stars have a large shopping list and they should be shopping this off season when the draft starts in a few more weeks. It will be interesting to see who they draft at either 1st overall or 2nd overall depending the outcome of the draft Lotto but with a very strong draft they should come out with three or four really strong foundational pieces to build their team around.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  7 1st Round Picks:  2 2nd Round Picks:  2 3rd Round Picks:  3 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  1 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
Malmo Nighthawks Prospects      (S91) C - Phillip Rave  @tcookie 17th (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Jorgen Lovstrom  @Pifferfish 7th (1st Round)  (S92) G - Olafur Gunnleifsson  @JartY 10th (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Ocean Codoller (OTT) (BRA)  @FreshOceanCod 39th (3rd Round)  (S91) G - Shaunca (MIS)  @shaun1979 48th (3rd Round)  (S93) C - Caleb Nowell (OTT) (ROM)  @PhoenixsPc 44th (3rd Round)  (S92) RW - Bjorn Ragnulf  @ng1291 26th (2nd Round)   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 37.86)  
S92 Draft was very unkind to the Malmo Nighthawks as the drafted two players in (S92) G - Olafur Gunnleifsson (10th overall) and (S92) RW - Bjorn Ragnulf (26th overall) @ng1291; both have since gone inactive meaning Malmo came away from the S92 draft with no prospects. This forced them to double down and select (S93) G - Jorgen Lovstrom (7th overall) @Pifferfish their only VHL ready prospect following season. (S93) G - Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish will join the team as the teams goaltender of the future just in time as (S86) G - Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro is set to retire of the second time in his career but with a season of transition means Malmo shouldn`t see any drop off in way of a team in the contention for the Continental Cup. With only one hole to fill due to surprise announcement that (S86) RW - Yaroslav Bogatyrev @Bojovnik was retiring a season early and no 1st round picks in the next two season; it looks like the prospect pool might remain rather slim pickings for at least a few more seasons. Not a huge concern since most of the team is still in the prime and a key piece already in place in (S93) G - Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  11 1st Round Picks:  6 2nd Round Picks:  5 3rd Round Picks:  0 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  4 VHL Ready Prospects:  2 Inactive Prospects:  4  
Prospects      (S91) LW - Grimgor Ironhide  @FrostBeard 7th (1st Round)  (S92) C - George Richmond  @badcolethetitan 2nd (1st Round)  (S91) D - Leif Reingaard  @Zetterberg 3rd (1st Round)  (S91) G - Olober Syko @Spartan 5th (1st Round)  (S93) D - Benjamin Abenduct (OSL)  @Schnee 9th (1st Round)  (S90) D - Didier Verhault (ROM)  @FTK 21st (2nd Round)  (S91) LW - Olumide Anderson (OSL)  @Theory 23rd (2nd Round)  (S92) D - Petit Hughie (LVA) (ROM)  @Sen 14th (1st Round)  (S92) D - Viktor Vyzovsky (STO)  @Vik 18th (2nd Round)  (S93) C - Walter Jinn (PHI) (VAS)  @Adrest245 31st (2nd Round)  (S92) C - Wernher von Braun (VAS)  @Prof. Zach Enron 20th (2nd Round)   
 
Grade: C (score: 59.54)  
Moscow has collected a lot of young talent over the past four or five season but I would have thought that they would have scored higher with four players already on the main roster in the likes of (S91) LW - Grimgor Ironhide @FrostBeard, (S92) C - George Richmond @badcolethetitan, (S91) D - Leif Reingaard @Zetterberg and (S91) G - Olober Syko @Spartan  but missing on four draft pick seems to have driven down the score; not to mention either rebuild really started in S90 and I am only going to S91 due to rookie contracts. This shows that Moscow really has transitioned or really should be transitioning into a win now situation. Scary to think not only does Moscow have (S93) D - Benjamin Abenduct (OSL) @Schnee and (S91) LW - Olumide Anderson (OSL) @Theory ready to join the roster as early as next season but they also currently hold two first round pick in this season strong first round draft. How likely are we to see some of these prospect trade to rebuilding teams?
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  5 1st Round Picks:  4 2nd Round Picks:  0 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  2 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  1  
Prospects      (S91) D - Callum Gary Yannick Janser  @Daniel Janser 1st (1st Round)  (S91) D - Rin Kagamine  @Rin 15th (1st Round)  (S92) C - Wayne Gretzky (OSL)  @MubbleFubbles 11th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Chris Reynolds Jr (OSL)  @Crstats23 11th (1st Round)  (S91) LW - Luna Everdeen (STO)  @Dee 34th (3rd Round)   
 
Grade: B (score: 75.00)  
S91 Draft was the last draft ran by the old management @thadthrasher before handing over the management duties to current Manager @STZ but set the team up for the future with (S91) D - Callum Gary Yannick Janser (1st overall) @Daniel Janser and (S91) D - Rin Kagamine (15th overall) @Rin late in the first round. These two prospects joined an already young developing core and have no helped push the Americans to two consecutive playoff appearances; which should continue to be the norm with one of the better, but smallest prospect pools. Add in (S92) C - Wayne Gretzky (OSL) @MubbleFubbles; who should be VHL ready next season and (S93) LW - Chris Reynolds Jr (OSL) @Crstats23; who will be VHL the following season allowing a steady stream of young prospect to continue to flow onto the teams’ roster. New York Americans are in a good place right now as they continue to improve!!
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  6 1st Round Picks:  2 2nd Round Picks:  2 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  1  
 
Prospects      (S91) C - Spanish Moon Moth  @Renomitsu 4th (1st Round)  (S93) D - Chuck E Cheese (LVA) (VAS)  @a_Ferk 24th (2nd Round)  (S93) RW - Jack Dickins (MIS) (OSL)  @Mystery_boy98 28th (2nd Round)  (S91) RW - Elle Aura Ashe  @Lynersify Undrafted (S93) C - Charlie klepacki (HOU) (STO)  @chuck.hockey7 40th (3rd Round)  (S93) G - Ondrej Vencko  @Mutti 8th (1st Round)   
 
Grade: E (score: 45.83)  
Prague Phantoms look all but set to be heading into a rebuild with (S85) C - John Jameson @Frank, (S85) LW - Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide and (S85) G - Matt Murdock @Acydburn retiring at the end of the season. Prague prospect pool isn`t the deepest or strongest but do have some key prospect in place with (S93) G - Ondrej Vencko @Mutti being the most important as he takes over the starting role from Murdock likely next season. Prague will look to build through what should be a deep draft this off season with four picks in the first two rounds; but they will need to really hit on their selections or they could be looking at a long rebuild. Another key prospect already in the VHL for the Phantom will be (S91) C - Spanish Moon Moth @Renomitsu as likely a key piece to build around. Prague is in for an interesting off season and draft but have put in enough effort to keep them from getting an F so far!!
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  12 1st Round Picks:  5 2nd Round Picks:  1 3rd Round Picks:  5 4th Round Pick:  1 Prospect in the VHL:  2 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  1  
Prospects      (S92) LW - Kimi Raikkonen  @mattyIceman 9th (1st Round)  (S91) G - Red Panda @Lemorse7 8th (1st Round)  (S93) D - Lucy Leitner (VAS)  @LucyXpher 3rd (1st Round)  (S90) RW - Stefan Nikolaev (VAS) @Is_thatok 46th (3rd Round)  (S91) C - Dan jr (STO)  @Danzo 26th (2nd Round)  (S93) RW - Yermolai Nabokov (VAS)  @fonziGG 15th (1st Round)  (S91) D - Bric Sheithaus (COL)  @Oldhead91 38th (3rd Round)  (S91) C - Caesar Monterrey (BRA)  @CaptainGatsby 40th (3rd Round)  (S93) C - French Fries (SSK) (ROM)  @solyom 33rd (3rd Round)  (S93) D - Ray Stanton (HOU) (ROM)  @horoscope 16th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Elf shoes (HOU) (COL)  @ELF_SH0ES 54th (4th Round)  (S93) C - Isaak Robinson (MIA) (ROM)  @isaak 38th (3rd Round)   
 
 
Grade: E (score: 47.08)  
End of an era in Riga as current GM @hedgehog337 will hand over the duties to a new manager at the end of the season; likely before this season draft. Hedge has done a good job collecting young roster just looking to breakout and collecting a steady stream of young talent that should give the new manager a few tools to help shape the team’s future. Three solid picks in the last three drafts (S91) G - Red Panda @Lemorse7, (S92) LW - Kimi Raikkonen @mattyIcemanand (S93) D - Lucy Leitner (VAS) @LucyXpher should make the team much better starting as soon as next season. All the other prospects are still another season or two away with eleven of the twelve prospects active tell you a lot about the scout effort put in by current so to be former management. Riga can afford to wait for these prospects to develop or use them to add pieces to improve the current roster moving forward since they have such a young roster. Add in two first round picks this season and they could really start to contend sooner than later; not to mention to see a strong prospect pool starting as soon as this season draft.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  10 1st Round Picks:  6 2nd Round Picks:  2 3rd Round Picks:  2 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  4 VHL Ready Prospects:  2 Inactive Prospects:  3  
Prospects      (S91) LW - Toby Kadachi  @ROOKIE745 14th (1st Round)  (S91) RW - Gustav Mattias  @Berocka 16th (1st Round)  (S91) D - Mina  @Baozi 12th (1st Round)  (S92) G - Giorgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87 5th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Gianfranco Del Rocco (VAS)  @Victor 2nd (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Nathan Ecker (ROM)  @Nathan_8 10th (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Marek Nowaczyk (OTT) (OSL)  @Chillybro 34th (3rd Round)  (S92) LW - Alexis Laffayette (ROM) 
@DustyMclaren 21st (2nd round)  (S93) D - Enn Jinn (VAS)  @jhatty8 43rd (3rd Round)  (S92) C - Brent Pritchett  @Brent 30th (2nd Round)   
 
Grade: C (score: 61.50)  
The Seattle Bears are back after a strong S91 Draft that seen them select (S91) LW - Toby Kadachi @ROOKIE745, (S91) RW - Gustav Mattias @Berocka and acquiring (S91) D – Mina @Baoziin a trade; all playing in the VHL for the Bears. Mix in a few veteran players; acquired via UFA and at this season trade deadline; and the Bears won the North American Conference after starting the season as surprise team even fighting for a wildcard spot. With only one retiring player in (S85) RW - Henry Eagles @Greg_Di and two prospect ready to make their debut in the VHL next season in (S93) LW - Gianfranco Del Rocco (VAS) @Victorand (S93) RW - Nathan Ecker (ROM) @Nathan_8; the Bears will need to make a few rosters decision this off season to make room but that is always a nice situation to be in considering that Seattle should still be a contender next season. I haven`t even mentioed (S92) G - Giorgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87, the team goalie of the future who made his debut this season but could move into a back-up role to develop a bit longer behind (S86) G - Fuukka Rask @Jubis allowing the team to continue to contend without seeing a huge drop off. The VHL was hoping for a few season without being mauled by the Bears; yeah that won`t happen now!!
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  6 1st Round Picks:  2 2nd Round Picks:  1 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  2 Prospect in the VHL:  1 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
Prospects      (S91) G - Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly 30th (2nd Round)  (S93) D - Gul Dukat (COL)  @MSouthworth 13th (1st Round)  (S92) LW - Wayne Shotzky (STO)  @Kenamatic 16th (1st Round)  (S93) D - Phil Taylor (OTT) (STO)  @Legacy 61st (4th Round)  (S91) RW - Kel Varnsen (OSL)  @JayF 36th (3rd Round)  (S91) C - Rory Sullivan  @Odette.Boudreaux 45th (4th Round)   
 
 
Grade: E (score: 40.00)  
Toronto Legion have been contender for the past few seasons now after winning the Continental Cup in S91 so it shouldn`t come as much of surprise that Toronto doesn`t have the deepest prospect pool in the league but they have some very key prospect with (S91) G - Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly learning this season as back-up to soon to retire (S86) G - Joel Castle @animal74 and Toronto will hope he is ready to take over the net in the next season or two. Bobbly has looked good in his fifteen starts this season with an 7-3-1 record 2.84ga and 0.910sav%. (S93) D - Gul Dukat (COL) @MSouthworth should add some nice youth to the blueline next season and strength the team backend. (S92) LW - Wayne Shotzky (STO) @Kenamaticand (S93) D - Phil Taylor (OTT) (STO) @Legacy are still a few season away from joining the big club. Toronto still look to be competive for a few more season but that will depend on Bobbly transition to the starting role.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  9 1st Round Picks:  7 2nd Round Picks:  1 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  6 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
Prospects      (S92) RW - Logan Ninefingers  @Scurvy 1st (1st Round)  (S92) RW - Riley Martin  @Smarch 4th (1st Round)  (S92) D - Guntis Gavilrovs  @Girts 7th (1st Round)  (S92) D - Vlad Von Carstein  @Dom 6th (1st Round)  (S92) D - DB IV  @wcats 12th (1st Round)  (S91) G - Dalkr Vidarsson @KaleebtheMighty 9th (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Annie Oaks (COL)  @Noodle Enjoyer 4th (1st Round)  (S92) LW - Loic Trepagoat (ROM)  @Trepagoat 23rd (2nd Round)  (S91) RW - Demko (ROM)  @Demko 41st (3rd Round)   
 
Grade: B +  (score: 76.67)  
Vancouver Wolves have no problem selecting in the first round with seven of the nine prospects being selected in the first round of the past three drafts, with S92 Draft being a huge turning point in the teams rebuild; where they selected five players in the first round. All seven first round picks should be in the VHL as of next season when (S93) RW - Annie Oaks (COL) @Noodle Enjoyer joins the roster. Overall score for the Wolves was hurt by later round picks both as both are currently inactive otherwise this would have been the only team with an A grade. Luckily for Vancouver they have a chance to increase their overall prospect pool and prove that they can draft in later rounds with three 3rds round picks in this season draft; not to mention adding two more highly rated players as Vancouver will select twice in the top 6 again!! Ugh!! This team should be an interesting team to watch as they have the talent to contend sooner rather than later.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  14 1st Round Picks:  1 2nd Round Picks:  9 3rd Round Picks:  3 4th Round Pick:  1 Prospect in the VHL:  3 VHL Ready Prospects:  0 Inactive Prospects:  6  
Prospects      (S91) RW - Thor Reingaard  @N0HBDY 2nd (1st Round)  (S91) LW - Behrens Minion  @UnknownMinion 18th (2nd Round)  (S91) G - Pipo Popa @npuBeT 31st (2nd Round)  (S91) C - Jacob Smith Jr (VAS)  @jacobaa19 27th (2nd Round)  (S90) C - Aeschylus Jigglejawns CXXXVII II (BRA)  @.sniffuM 34th (3rd Round)  (S90) RW - Joseph Jec (STO)  @Joseph Jec 32nd (2nd Round)  (S90) LW - Jorji Costova  @Hybrid1486 31st (2nd Round)  (S93) D - Cody Toland (OTT) (COL)  @ctoland102 25th (2nd Round) (S91) RW - Dietrich Reingaard (ROM)  @JigglyGumballs 28th (2nd Round)  (S93) RW - Leon Bruhmaninho (SSK) (OSL)  @BigBruhman 41st (3rd Round)  (S91) LW - Aanarsi Reingaard (HFX) (VAS)  @Laine 33rd (3rd Round)  (S93) C - Gavin Bebard (MEX) (STO)  @Gavin Bebard 53rd (4th Round) (S92) LW - Commander Doom (LVA)  @Mech hi 29th (2nd Round)  (S92) D - John Season (HFX) (ROM)  @dylanjj37 28th (2nd Round)   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 30.36)  
With only one first round draft pick in the past three season in their current prospect pool you would think Warsaw has been a contender but sometimes things just don`t work out as planned; no matter how good they actually look on paper. Also, when I look at Warsaw this shows the state of the prospect pool and the league ability to generate top end talent more than Warsaw’s ability to draft. With nine second round picks you would think Warsaw has a decent prospect pool but it has been rather hit or miss. Four of the nine second round prospect have gone inactive, retired or have large stretches of inactivity. Warsaw actually has been rather unlucky. Warsaw is still a young and developing team; that really needs (S91) G - Pipo Popa @npuBeT to take over the starting role in a season or two from newly acquired (S86) G - Lachlan Summers @kirbithan. Warsaw will also look for (S91) LW - Behrens Minion @UnknownMinion to take a larger step forward along with the other prospects; who are still a few seasons away. (S91) C - Jacob Smith Jr (VAS) @jacobaa19 at the moment is the next prospect to likely make the Predators roster but that won`t be until S95 unless fast tracked.
 
 
Overall Ranking of Teams Prospect Pools:
Team name  Score  International  Grade Chicago Phoenix 78.33 B + Vancouver Wolves 76.67 B + New York Americans 75.00 B   Seattle Bears 61.50 C Moscow Menace 59.54 C Riga Reign  47.08 E Prague Phantoms 45.83 E D.C. Dragons 41.67 E HC Davos Dynamo  40.56 E Toronto Legion  40.00 E Malmo Nighthawks 37.86 F Helsinki Titans  30.77 F Warsaw Predators 30.36 F Calgary Wranglers 29.00 F Los Angeles Stars 28.57 F London United 12.50 F

Now this is going to be legendary!

In which @Advantage accidentally offered me a $1 bonus, which I purposely accepted, which made the portal look like we were in cap trouble.
 
 
Expansion was the name of the game back in the day. S65 saw the founding of the Moscow Menace franchise, along with two additions to the VHLM in Houston and Philly. I'd played for Houston and was fairly intrigued when I saw that the big league would be expanding again right in time for me to join it. The Malmo logo looked cool, the limited impressions I'd had of inaugural GM Advantage seemed positive, and I just really liked the idea of being a team's history rather than simply adding to it. They were also one of a handful of teams to actually scout me, which is something I don't care about as heavily now but did as a first-gen. 
 
In the days leading up to the draft, I had a good time taking in the new member experience. I remember @MubbleFubbles writing a mock draft that said some nice things about me, and I took that idea and made what's still one of my favorite articles ever--my own mock draft, 50 picks deep, that taught me everything I needed to know about every player when I was writing it. I really knew nothing ahead of time about who was going where, but correctly speculated on a bunch of things. Some that I'm proud of were Julius Freeman over Shane Mars to Vancouver at #2 overall, Apollo Hackett to Riga at #16, Edward Vigneault at #33, and Rhys Chism at #39--oh, and my very own Jerry Garcia, 7th overall to Malmo and the first player ever to be drafted to the Nighthawks.
 
My mock was weirdly accurate with Malmo picks in general. I ended up joining Rusty Shackleford (@K1NG LINUS) and Nacho (@Nacci25), picked 17th and 37th overall in both my article and the actual draft. Also of note were goaltender Juan Jaundice (@Jus) and monster goon MORPHEUS DESTRUCTIOUS (@Abaddon), as well as Blake Laughton and @Grape, my VHLM teammate and the only other member of Malmo's inaugural draft class to be active today. I knew some of these people already, and the time that all were active was enough for me to get to know the rest. Our locker room was super active and a really fun place to be in general, removing quite a bit of the doubt that many players have when they leave the M. But of course, we were an expansion team that finished last in S66. Garcia played just-OK and wasn't really anything special despite having lots of empty space on the roster to stand out from.
 
These trends would continue in S67, where the team got marginally better and so did Jerry. Worse, we already had a couple of our S66 picks go inactive. There was some sort of foundation built, at least (we drafted @Phil's Phil Marleau and @fonziGG's Michael Johnson, players that stuck with us at forward and in net for a while)--and we figured it wouldn't be too-too long before things started going the right direction.
 
And go the right direction it did in just the next season--not only did we pick @OrbitingDeath 's Condor Adrienne (the best defenseman of the generation) at #1 after winning the draft lottery, but @Beketov's Matt Thompson (the best player of the S60s) signed with us in free agency for his last season. A few things happened in S68 that were really nice. First, Garcia had his best season on defense. His stats (60 points, 154 hits, and 150 SB) may not mean a whole lot to anyone used to the standards of the S90s, but they were pretty solid for that time and got me nominated for the Jake Wylde Trophy. And though the vote had solid support, it fell one short of winning. I still haven't won an individual award not named Campbell, and this was the closest I ever came.
 
But I digress--S68 had a whole lot more going on as far as the team was concerned. We went from the VHL's basement all the way to the top, finishing first place in the standings and taking home the Victory Cup in just our third season of existence. At some point in our first few seasons--and I think it was here--Advantage became the first VHL member to ever hit 1000 wins as a GM. All of that was cool, and we carried that success into the playoffs, where regular-season MVP Thompson played so well--shooting at somewhere around 20%--that it drew accusations of sim rigging and the strongest demand for live sims up until that point. That's the reason why we have live sims today, actually--it's not a special event as much as it's proof that the simmer isn't cheating.
 
The playoffs went very well, and we made the finals with the chance of becoming the earliest championship winners of any expansion team in the league's history. The finals had been simmed live before S68, so doing them this way was as much common practice as it was the result of peer pressure. So, we did them live--and although I never once believed that the sims were being rigged, the people who thought they were certainly had something to laugh at when we got swept by Seattle (whose core by this point was made up of multiple players who used to be my own first-gen players in the M). It was my first finals, and would remain so for quite a while.
 
After S68, my player success (and my team success) declined steadily. I don't remember a whole lot about S69-71 as a player, to be honest--S69 was my best run as a VHLM GM (as I'll talk about in a future article), and I remember S70 being absolutely dominated by Moscow. Also during this time, Garcia somehow acted as Condor Adrienne's kryptonite. He didn't even steal stats, either, because his totals went down a little bit even as I kept adding to his TPE. But after S71, Advantage stepped down, @FrostBeard took over as GM and started the team's first rebuild, at the start of which he was gracious enough to give me a fair deal to move Garcia out to the Davos team I was then running. That's also a future article, but the long story short is that I made Jerry a winger and enjoyed a couple seasons of being half decent on my own underachieving team before retiring. 
 
Jerry Garcia would eventually finish his career with 420 points (an amazing coincidence). He never won a Cup or an award and was never really the top player on any of his teams. He doesn't even come close to making my own Hall of Not Bad series. In fact, I believe that he was the worst player to ever reach 1500 TPE back when 1500 TPE actually meant something. But even though his TPE total was his most impressive number, that's still representative of over a year of work that I put into making him what he was, and I have no regrets about it (not even the part where I built Passing over Scoring). Jerry taught me that I could make it in the VHL as more than just a flashy new kid, that I could earn with the best of them and build a player that most people still respected even when that didn't show up on the leaderboard. And I hope no one who played with him regretted it, either. There were lots of players drafted after 7th overall in S66, but none of them can say that they were Malmo's first choice--and I like to think Malmo wouldn't have had it any other way.

WAAAAGH! Or at least that is what Grimgor Ironhide would say to introduce himself. 
 
That said, here is my Theme Week submission. 
 
To start this off, I decided to take 3 teams and move them to Warhammer Fantasy universe, teams chosen are for a reason as I do believe 3 teams require a strong rebrand. Those would be Warsaw Predators, Vancouver Wolves and London United. Of course I would love to see Warsaw moved to Munich, Vancouver to Quebec City and London moved to.... London, just with a different name, United doesn't work for a hockey team. 
 
When it comes to Warhammer Fantasy, I will only focus on Locations in the Old World. 

And we are first moving to Parravon...


 
So, for the Warsaw Predators, they would be moved to the great Brettonian town of Parravon, and be officially called Parravon Royal Hippogryphs. We all know that Predators is an absolutely horrible name for any sports team so we take something that the great Grey Mountains of the Old World are known for, the magestic, mighty and gorgeous beasts - Hippogryphs. Parravon, being a city carved into the mountain range, not too far off the Grey Mountains, is a perfect place to create a backstory and a reason for a team like that to exist. 

Now for the 2nd team team, we are moving to Barak Varr.



The great dwarven stronghold and the largest Dwarven port in all of the known world, the most maginificent underground caverns, the most beautiful dwarven carved waterfalls that create ripples of sunlight reflecting from the pools of water that sometimes seem to be cascading down. For Barak Varr, being a true dwarven stronghold there is a certain charm to have a hockey team based there. This team should be called Ironclads, the one thing that Barak Varr produced to the highest quality (Not counting the Dwarven ale which is of course the greatest of treats). So from now on, Vancouver Wolves will be called "Barak Varr Ironclads". I think it is perfect. 

And finally, we are moving to the great city of guns, artillery and gunpowder - Nuln. 



This is an absolutely easy choice, sure, I wanted to first go to Averland and focus on Averheim but in the end went with Nuln. After all, Wissenland is the greatest provice of the Empire. It is the home to Imperial Gunnery School, which trains all the great sharpshooters of the Empire armies, College of Engineering, known for it's technological advancement and development of different cannon and rocket artillery. It is a place where a single matchstick could destroy half of Wissenland. And for that, we need to move London away to Nuln and create the beautiful team called Nuln Hellblasters, named after their local and brutal invention, Hellblaster Volley guns. 


Warsaw Predators become Parravon Royal Hippogryphs
Vancouver Wolves become Barak Varr Ironclads
Lodon United become Nuln Hellblasters
 
Overall, I am personally quite happy with this and will keep this going even after Theme Week as I have plenty of ideas, you just have to wait and see which of the VHL teams could become Skavenblight Warpgrinders...

Player Information
Username: der meister
Player Name: Konstyantyn Shevchenko
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 17
Position: RW
Height: 79 in.
Weight: 214 lbs.
Birthplace: Ukraine

Player Page
@VHLM GM

WAAAAGH! Or at least that is what Grimgor Ironhide would say to introduce himself. 
 
That said, here is my Theme Week submission. 
 
To start this off, I decided to take 3 teams and move them to Warhammer Fantasy universe, teams chosen are for a reason as I do believe 3 teams require a strong rebrand. Those would be Warsaw Predators, Vancouver Wolves and London United. Of course I would love to see Warsaw moved to Munich, Vancouver to Quebec City and London moved to.... London, just with a different name, United doesn't work for a hockey team. 
 
When it comes to Warhammer Fantasy, I will only focus on Locations in the Old World. 

And we are first moving to Parravon...


 
So, for the Warsaw Predators, they would be moved to the great Brettonian town of Parravon, and be officially called Parravon Royal Hippogryphs. We all know that Predators is an absolutely horrible name for any sports team so we take something that the great Grey Mountains of the Old World are known for, the magestic, mighty and gorgeous beasts - Hippogryphs. Parravon, being a city carved into the mountain range, not too far off the Grey Mountains, is a perfect place to create a backstory and a reason for a team like that to exist. 

Now for the 2nd team team, we are moving to Barak Varr.



The great dwarven stronghold and the largest Dwarven port in all of the known world, the most maginificent underground caverns, the most beautiful dwarven carved waterfalls that create ripples of sunlight reflecting from the pools of water that sometimes seem to be cascading down. For Barak Varr, being a true dwarven stronghold there is a certain charm to have a hockey team based there. This team should be called Ironclads, the one thing that Barak Varr produced to the highest quality (Not counting the Dwarven ale which is of course the greatest of treats). So from now on, Vancouver Wolves will be called "Barak Varr Ironclads". I think it is perfect. 

And finally, we are moving to the great city of guns, artillery and gunpowder - Nuln. 



This is an absolutely easy choice, sure, I wanted to first go to Averland and focus on Averheim but in the end went with Nuln. After all, Wissenland is the greatest provice of the Empire. It is the home to Imperial Gunnery School, which trains all the great sharpshooters of the Empire armies, College of Engineering, known for it's technological advancement and development of different cannon and rocket artillery. It is a place where a single matchstick could destroy half of Wissenland. And for that, we need to move London away to Nuln and create the beautiful team called Nuln Hellblasters, named after their local and brutal invention, Hellblaster Volley guns. 


Warsaw Predators become Parravon Royal Hippogryphs
Vancouver Wolves become Barak Varr Ironclads
Lodon United become Nuln Hellblasters
 
Overall, I am personally quite happy with this and will keep this going even after Theme Week as I have plenty of ideas, you just have to wait and see which of the VHL teams could become Skavenblight Warpgrinders...

WAAAAGH! Or at least that is what Grimgor Ironhide would say to introduce himself. 
 
That said, here is my Theme Week submission. 
 
To start this off, I decided to take 3 teams and move them to Warhammer Fantasy universe, teams chosen are for a reason as I do believe 3 teams require a strong rebrand. Those would be Warsaw Predators, Vancouver Wolves and London United. Of course I would love to see Warsaw moved to Munich, Vancouver to Quebec City and London moved to.... London, just with a different name, United doesn't work for a hockey team. 
 
When it comes to Warhammer Fantasy, I will only focus on Locations in the Old World. 

And we are first moving to Parravon...


 
So, for the Warsaw Predators, they would be moved to the great Brettonian town of Parravon, and be officially called Parravon Royal Hippogryphs. We all know that Predators is an absolutely horrible name for any sports team so we take something that the great Grey Mountains of the Old World are known for, the magestic, mighty and gorgeous beasts - Hippogryphs. Parravon, being a city carved into the mountain range, not too far off the Grey Mountains, is a perfect place to create a backstory and a reason for a team like that to exist. 

Now for the 2nd team team, we are moving to Barak Varr.



The great dwarven stronghold and the largest Dwarven port in all of the known world, the most maginificent underground caverns, the most beautiful dwarven carved waterfalls that create ripples of sunlight reflecting from the pools of water that sometimes seem to be cascading down. For Barak Varr, being a true dwarven stronghold there is a certain charm to have a hockey team based there. This team should be called Ironclads, the one thing that Barak Varr produced to the highest quality (Not counting the Dwarven ale which is of course the greatest of treats). So from now on, Vancouver Wolves will be called "Barak Varr Ironclads". I think it is perfect. 

And finally, we are moving to the great city of guns, artillery and gunpowder - Nuln. 



This is an absolutely easy choice, sure, I wanted to first go to Averland and focus on Averheim but in the end went with Nuln. After all, Wissenland is the greatest provice of the Empire. It is the home to Imperial Gunnery School, which trains all the great sharpshooters of the Empire armies, College of Engineering, known for it's technological advancement and development of different cannon and rocket artillery. It is a place where a single matchstick could destroy half of Wissenland. And for that, we need to move London away to Nuln and create the beautiful team called Nuln Hellblasters, named after their local and brutal invention, Hellblaster Volley guns. 


Warsaw Predators become Parravon Royal Hippogryphs
Vancouver Wolves become Barak Varr Ironclads
Lodon United become Nuln Hellblasters
 
Overall, I am personally quite happy with this and will keep this going even after Theme Week as I have plenty of ideas, you just have to wait and see which of the VHL teams could become Skavenblight Warpgrinders...

1. Moscow looks to be in a potential 5 way race for the top of the conference, how will we do?
We are going to win, if not, we will have BIG problems, GRIMGOR WILL BE ANGRY!
2. What team is our biggest threat in your opinion?
Ourselves, if we can contain that crazy Syko guy, we will be victorious, strong, da biggest of da strong. 
3. The lines have seemed to settle down a bit and sim more stable, do you agree?
Waaagh, not sure what is happening but Grimgor is not super happy with the sim, he feels weak.
4. Have any ideas about any changes the team should look at?
Make Grimgor captain, that is the one change you need to make.
5. Syko has shown some elite skills in recent games. Can he lead us to the promised land?
Bwah, he is still young, no experience makes him an easy target by all them weaklings on other teams, but he has some strong players behind to support him. He won't lead though, he is a goalie. 
6. If you could have one league related change, what would it be, if any?
Relocate Vancouver to Quebec City. Done. Thanks. 

WAAAAGH! Or at least that is what Grimgor Ironhide would say to introduce himself. 
 
That said, here is my Theme Week submission. 
 
To start this off, I decided to take 3 teams and move them to Warhammer Fantasy universe, teams chosen are for a reason as I do believe 3 teams require a strong rebrand. Those would be Warsaw Predators, Vancouver Wolves and London United. Of course I would love to see Warsaw moved to Munich, Vancouver to Quebec City and London moved to.... London, just with a different name, United doesn't work for a hockey team. 
 
When it comes to Warhammer Fantasy, I will only focus on Locations in the Old World. 

And we are first moving to Parravon...


 
So, for the Warsaw Predators, they would be moved to the great Brettonian town of Parravon, and be officially called Parravon Royal Hippogryphs. We all know that Predators is an absolutely horrible name for any sports team so we take something that the great Grey Mountains of the Old World are known for, the magestic, mighty and gorgeous beasts - Hippogryphs. Parravon, being a city carved into the mountain range, not too far off the Grey Mountains, is a perfect place to create a backstory and a reason for a team like that to exist. 

Now for the 2nd team team, we are moving to Barak Varr.



The great dwarven stronghold and the largest Dwarven port in all of the known world, the most maginificent underground caverns, the most beautiful dwarven carved waterfalls that create ripples of sunlight reflecting from the pools of water that sometimes seem to be cascading down. For Barak Varr, being a true dwarven stronghold there is a certain charm to have a hockey team based there. This team should be called Ironclads, the one thing that Barak Varr produced to the highest quality (Not counting the Dwarven ale which is of course the greatest of treats). So from now on, Vancouver Wolves will be called "Barak Varr Ironclads". I think it is perfect. 

And finally, we are moving to the great city of guns, artillery and gunpowder - Nuln. 



This is an absolutely easy choice, sure, I wanted to first go to Averland and focus on Averheim but in the end went with Nuln. After all, Wissenland is the greatest provice of the Empire. It is the home to Imperial Gunnery School, which trains all the great sharpshooters of the Empire armies, College of Engineering, known for it's technological advancement and development of different cannon and rocket artillery. It is a place where a single matchstick could destroy half of Wissenland. And for that, we need to move London away to Nuln and create the beautiful team called Nuln Hellblasters, named after their local and brutal invention, Hellblaster Volley guns. 


Warsaw Predators become Parravon Royal Hippogryphs
Vancouver Wolves become Barak Varr Ironclads
Lodon United become Nuln Hellblasters
 
Overall, I am personally quite happy with this and will keep this going even after Theme Week as I have plenty of ideas, you just have to wait and see which of the VHL teams could become Skavenblight Warpgrinders...

WAAAAGH! Or at least that is what Grimgor Ironhide would say to introduce himself. 
 
That said, here is my Theme Week submission. 
 
To start this off, I decided to take 3 teams and move them to Warhammer Fantasy universe, teams chosen are for a reason as I do believe 3 teams require a strong rebrand. Those would be Warsaw Predators, Vancouver Wolves and London United. Of course I would love to see Warsaw moved to Munich, Vancouver to Quebec City and London moved to.... London, just with a different name, United doesn't work for a hockey team. 
 
When it comes to Warhammer Fantasy, I will only focus on Locations in the Old World. 

And we are first moving to Parravon...


 
So, for the Warsaw Predators, they would be moved to the great Brettonian town of Parravon, and be officially called Parravon Royal Hippogryphs. We all know that Predators is an absolutely horrible name for any sports team so we take something that the great Grey Mountains of the Old World are known for, the magestic, mighty and gorgeous beasts - Hippogryphs. Parravon, being a city carved into the mountain range, not too far off the Grey Mountains, is a perfect place to create a backstory and a reason for a team like that to exist. 

Now for the 2nd team team, we are moving to Barak Varr.



The great dwarven stronghold and the largest Dwarven port in all of the known world, the most maginificent underground caverns, the most beautiful dwarven carved waterfalls that create ripples of sunlight reflecting from the pools of water that sometimes seem to be cascading down. For Barak Varr, being a true dwarven stronghold there is a certain charm to have a hockey team based there. This team should be called Ironclads, the one thing that Barak Varr produced to the highest quality (Not counting the Dwarven ale which is of course the greatest of treats). So from now on, Vancouver Wolves will be called "Barak Varr Ironclads". I think it is perfect. 

And finally, we are moving to the great city of guns, artillery and gunpowder - Nuln. 



This is an absolutely easy choice, sure, I wanted to first go to Averland and focus on Averheim but in the end went with Nuln. After all, Wissenland is the greatest provice of the Empire. It is the home to Imperial Gunnery School, which trains all the great sharpshooters of the Empire armies, College of Engineering, known for it's technological advancement and development of different cannon and rocket artillery. It is a place where a single matchstick could destroy half of Wissenland. And for that, we need to move London away to Nuln and create the beautiful team called Nuln Hellblasters, named after their local and brutal invention, Hellblaster Volley guns. 


Warsaw Predators become Parravon Royal Hippogryphs
Vancouver Wolves become Barak Varr Ironclads
Lodon United become Nuln Hellblasters
 
Overall, I am personally quite happy with this and will keep this going even after Theme Week as I have plenty of ideas, you just have to wait and see which of the VHL teams could become Skavenblight Warpgrinders...

WAAAAGH! Or at least that is what Grimgor Ironhide would say to introduce himself. 
 
That said, here is my Theme Week submission. 
 
To start this off, I decided to take 3 teams and move them to Warhammer Fantasy universe, teams chosen are for a reason as I do believe 3 teams require a strong rebrand. Those would be Warsaw Predators, Vancouver Wolves and London United. Of course I would love to see Warsaw moved to Munich, Vancouver to Quebec City and London moved to.... London, just with a different name, United doesn't work for a hockey team. 
 
When it comes to Warhammer Fantasy, I will only focus on Locations in the Old World. 

And we are first moving to Parravon...


 
So, for the Warsaw Predators, they would be moved to the great Brettonian town of Parravon, and be officially called Parravon Royal Hippogryphs. We all know that Predators is an absolutely horrible name for any sports team so we take something that the great Grey Mountains of the Old World are known for, the magestic, mighty and gorgeous beasts - Hippogryphs. Parravon, being a city carved into the mountain range, not too far off the Grey Mountains, is a perfect place to create a backstory and a reason for a team like that to exist. 

Now for the 2nd team team, we are moving to Barak Varr.



The great dwarven stronghold and the largest Dwarven port in all of the known world, the most maginificent underground caverns, the most beautiful dwarven carved waterfalls that create ripples of sunlight reflecting from the pools of water that sometimes seem to be cascading down. For Barak Varr, being a true dwarven stronghold there is a certain charm to have a hockey team based there. This team should be called Ironclads, the one thing that Barak Varr produced to the highest quality (Not counting the Dwarven ale which is of course the greatest of treats). So from now on, Vancouver Wolves will be called "Barak Varr Ironclads". I think it is perfect. 

And finally, we are moving to the great city of guns, artillery and gunpowder - Nuln. 



This is an absolutely easy choice, sure, I wanted to first go to Averland and focus on Averheim but in the end went with Nuln. After all, Wissenland is the greatest provice of the Empire. It is the home to Imperial Gunnery School, which trains all the great sharpshooters of the Empire armies, College of Engineering, known for it's technological advancement and development of different cannon and rocket artillery. It is a place where a single matchstick could destroy half of Wissenland. And for that, we need to move London away to Nuln and create the beautiful team called Nuln Hellblasters, named after their local and brutal invention, Hellblaster Volley guns. 


Warsaw Predators become Parravon Royal Hippogryphs
Vancouver Wolves become Barak Varr Ironclads
Lodon United become Nuln Hellblasters
 
Overall, I am personally quite happy with this and will keep this going even after Theme Week as I have plenty of ideas, you just have to wait and see which of the VHL teams could become Skavenblight Warpgrinders...

Phoenix Chicagoes would be my vote

I can get along with @Gustav

Latvia not available, I refuse. 

Imagine being from Boston. Your city is big, important, and historically relevant. You're in a crowd of some of the most passionate sports fans around. You love a good bowl of clam chowder and you find it a little bit charming that you can sometimes tell who's your neighbor by listening to the way that they talk. It's a much better existence than that dump over in New York, where the people sound funny, the Giants fans won't stop reminding you of what Eli Manning did to the Pats, and don't even get you started on their idea of pizza!
 
But what's to stop them from feeling the same sort of pride in themselves and the same sort of derision towards you? After all, you sound funny to them, the helmet catch was pretty sweet, and maybe living in a heavily Italian area has given some people a pretty good idea of how to make a pie. It's obvious to most on either side who take the time to think about it that all these things are silly, but that doesn't even stop lots of people who think it's silly to think that way from doing so regardless. I've seen this come up in the VHL time and time again over the years, which will make this a perfect intro to at least one other article I have lined up, but here it shall fit as I'm doing my best to put things in chronological order.
 
My first experience with VHL tribalism came not long after I signed up. I distinctly remember one of my very first questions in the Bulls server being related to team rivalries and who I should write articles about--which led to me writing some of the anti-Halifax pieces I alluded to in my last article--but something a little more serious than friendly rivalry between @Rin and @McWolf was more serious conflict that arose between the VHLM's two expansion franchises that season, boiled over into personal issues between members, and had effects that persisted for seasons longer than they should have.
 
Anyone who was around at the time is probably aware that I'm talking about Houston and Philadelphia and the conflict between Sonnet and inaugural Reapers GM @BladeMaiden. I'm going to stay out of anything personal related to this because I feel that isn't quite my story to tell, but I think there was a lot to sort out from the perspective of the players themselves.
 
The expansion teams in S65 had quite a bit in common that would naturally lead to competition. They were led by very active first-time GMs with one or two seasons of VHL experience, they started with similar assets, and they both featured team servers that were among the most active the league has ever had to offer. VHLM expansion then was symbolic of a whole lot more than just having more teams--the league had just started to boom, its then-largest-ever draft class had just opened the floodgates, and everyone was out to prove that they were important in this whole sea of newness. And where most teams were active and built their identities on positively representing themselves to the wider community, Houston and Philly were really active and got there by hating each other. In my almost-30 seasons in the VHL, I've never seen anything like it and I've really never seen anything close. Both teams were full of first-gens (hello to fellow S65 Bull @Grape!) and the bad thing about that, if someone chooses to manipulate it, is that first-gens are super impressionable.
 
I'm unfamiliar with how things got started in the way they did. All I know is that not long after I'd joined the team, I'd read through some really nasty exchanges on the forums, been snapped at a few times myself with not much reason, and heard a lot secondhand. Beyond just whatever GM conflict there may have been, the players were heavily involved. In Houston, we were never mobilized to join in arguments, nor were we ever told what to think (something that I don't think could have been said the same both ways. @FrostBeard has a great thread covering the Reapers' side of things that also happens to explain a lot about some of the interactions I remember having with people I'd have no reason to dislike normally). That said, we certainly had enough exposure to the situation that we knew what to think anyway and were often fueled by the need to do what we thought was necessary to defend our team. I remember being part of some Discord arguments. I remember being angry at some forum topics that should have had nothing to do with me. And you know what? It probably helped keep me active. I had people in Houston that I considered my friends and I wanted to see them treated right. I wasn't about to walk away from that situation.
 
People who played for the Reapers probably felt the same way, and though my perspective is probably biased, it seemed absolutely insane how deep that ran. I remember multiple occasions when I saw one person fighting with someone else--and within a few minutes, that amped itself up into three or four. I don't believe any of the worst offenders there are still in the league, and I also can't say I'm disappointed by that. What I am disappointed by is some of the negative fallout that caused for some. I talked to a handful of people at the time who felt that they were treated very unfairly, and I remember a particularly unpleasant experience had by one of our active first-gens that he later cited as a major reason why he left the league altogether. Were this only a GM problem, it would be one thing. But players came to believe that being part of the problem equated to being part of things in general, and some who wanted to be important got sucked too far into that.
 
It was also a shame that it led me to think negatively of some people who played for the Reapers (Frost is one example, but I can think of others) who weren't even part of the problem. I'm sure that some people also associated me negatively with the Bulls. And there was no reason why that should have been the case--former S65 Reapers like @McLovin and fellow Buffalo expat @DMaximus  are people I genuinely like and people who I've never seen trying to fight anyone. But that sort of thing was hard to see in the moment when I saw others who I won't name coming after my GM and teammates simply for existing. It's something that I never hope to see again in the VHL and it's a problem that I'm glad to say our current group of GMs never has. It also happened to be something that was on my mind quite a bit in my first VHL season, enough so that there has to be some way that it shaped my course as a member. I think it made me realize early on that GMs are only human and that not every person I met online is worth my time and effort in stressing about. But do you know what else I learned? I had enough fun anyway that I learned that that's OK.
 
 
 
Read my other articles for the full Gustav experience:
#1: Lightning Glory Gonna Be My Name

Gonna keep it short here. You may seen or not my April 1st post in here where I was messing around on stepping down and thing. 
 
Except this was a hint, not joke. Following this season I'm no longer a Riga Reign GM. The reason is pretty basic, nothing left in the tank. My involvement in sim leagues is on the way to non existent at this point. And as Riga is close to competing again, there is a need of a way more energetic GM who can make this happen. I'm fairly sure that this time my interest won't come back the same way it did couple of times before. But it was fun times regardless, especially when I was on my prime. Just wish I had more cups lol (here is the part where I'll blame Simon for one last time). So yeah, nothing much else to say. Thanks everyone for the fish and good luck! 
 
P.S. don't show this thread to Bana, cause he bout to have a heart attack from happiness  

They’re on there 😏 

There is only one option sir:

Vancouver Wolves have to move back to Quebec. No other alternative. 

Also @FreshOceanCod this is one killer article - great job comrade! 

What would I do if I had my own team in VHLM? It would be hard to say, but I would want my team to be different from any other team in the league at the moment. (I just woke up writing this so there are probably many errors)
 
What would the team name be?
The team name in my opinion would be something that is different from every other team in the VHLM, but what would it be? I would say I would like the name to be something that is not really common nor really used a lot. I would say the team name I would use is the Dumpster Fires. You may ask why I would choose this name, but I say why not because the whole goal of my team name is to give a false impression to any team facing the Dumpster Fires. For example If you were to play a team called the Dumpster Fires you would think they are complete garbage and you could easily beat them, but you don't actually know because you don't anyone on that team. This is why I like the name and believe this should be actually used by a real team.
 
Where would the Dumpster Fires be located at?
I want a place where hockey is common, has a big market, and where money can be made easily. The area I would choose would most likely be in North America, and I believe I know where the perfect location would be for the Dumpster Fires. I say the area would be Quebec City. You may ask why, but I would ask you how dumb you are to not choose this place to have a hockey team at. I believe if the Dumpster Fires are the perfect fit for Quebec City because it allows people to think it a really weak hockey place with the name Dumpster Fire, but you would be falsely mistaken  because the team would most likely be good.  I think it's also the perfect area because people in Quebec City might like the amazing name Dumpster Fire in French and it would be Feux de poubelle, which sounds pretty hot in my opinion I won't lie and I think everyone would like that name there  in Quebec City.
 
What would the team colours be? 
I believe the Quebec City colours are outdated and need a new make over. So the colours I will choose are purple (indigo) and white and the jerseys would look like the Toronto or the Detroit. I believe the colours have a very unique look that no one really wants to use. So why not have it. You may think this does not match Quebec, and you are 100 percent right because I do not really care about the colour I just want the team to look good because if you look horrible you play horrible. So that is why I chose those very clean colours to be a part of the Quebec City Dumpster Fires.
 
My finale thoughts:
This was all a joke.
 

Looking back at my first time scrolling the VHL forums, before I created an account, made a player, and learned the ropes, some I have yet to learn. As someone who struggles with Anxiety, pushing myself to say “fuck it” and go for it came with a lot of hesitance, but in the end, it was so worthwhile. The community is so welcoming, the people here are so kind, I have yet to interact with someone who even comes close to rubbing me the wrong way. All and all it’s been a good experience so far. 
 
My player, Oliver Loo, a name I just slapped together is a player or rather character that I didn’t think I’d be putting so much effort and creativity into although my writing is not the best, needing to be improved upon and I don’t exactly have the means to make graphics. I originally made him just to test the waters, and see if I like how the VHL works under the surface that is the forums. Within the Discord servers, the people and such. It’s a lot more laid back than what I first thought, it’s enjoyable. I like pretty much ever aspect that I have discovered so far and can see myself sticking around. Hell, I even already have plans for my next player and this one isn’t even close to done yet.

230 words

@FrostBeard being lazy so I’ll have to do this myself! Geesh.
 
 D.C. DRAGONS PRESS CONFERENCE 
Answer 3 for 1 TPE, Answer 6 for 2
 
1. We won! It’s old news at this point really since our GM isn’t releasing new questions but whatever. How does it feel to be at the top?
 
2. Speaking of being at the top, we currently lead the league with an 11-3 record. What do you think has been the key to our early success?
 
3. The Frenchman currently has over 1 goal per game and is leading the league in points. What do you think was in the water in Rigs that was holding him back?
 
4. After a big win what’s your go to locker room snack or drink?
 
5. Have any teams surprised you with their success or failures this season?
 
6. The league recently made changes to bring goalie numbers down and scoring up. Do you think these efforts made sense / do you think they are working?

1. We are da big boyz! I am super happy with everything! 
2. Grimgor is da king, da best of da best of Menace, none better is better than the better man.
3. Ya, we have many young playerz, some are super strong and some have big potential.
4. Yeah, ez, we are da big boyz, we will make them playoffs and then dominate all the EU.
5. Grimgor Ironhide, nothing to say. 
6. They are big rebuild, nothing else matters, they are the ones we punish on ice, every game!

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ahma-vhl/episodes/Ahmacast-S92-review-DC-Dragons-edition-e2h5m7h
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ahma-vhl/episodes/Ahmacast-S92-review-DC-Dragons-edition-e2h5m7h
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ahma-vhl/episodes/Ahmacast-S92-review-DC-Dragons-edition-e2h5m7h
 
thanks @FrostBeard!!
 
00:00 intro
02:00 Frosty rambles about DC
05:30 @aimkin
07:00 @Ricer13
12:00 @rory @Zetterberg
14:00 @hedgehog337 @Frank
 
Rating DC players
19:00 @OrbitingDeath
22:00 @Jason
24:00 @vincentlg2007
25:30 @Beketov @Alex listen here!
29:00 @emidas
33:00 @Keegan Gamble
38:00 @dustywilson22
42:00 @woog
45:00 @ThatCasual
46:00 @diamond_ace
50:00 @NSG
57:30 @jRuutu @Knight @Zetterberg @Grape @Spartan @Steve
 
thanks for listening!
 

GM John Frostbeard steps up to the podium near the DC Dragons home arena on a rainy and storm-filled spring afternoon with a glass of delicious glass of Viking brandy in his hand

"We are the Champions and we need captains."

Here are the Captains for S93 D.C. Dragons

Assistant captain and a truly wonderful player who will be intrumental in our push to bring us back to Continental Cup Finals, one of the first people to help us bring D.C. out of the rebuild -  Vincent Laroche-Gagnier @vincentlg2007
Assistant captain and a leader who has developed into being one of our most reliable defensive juggernauts, an individual that motivates himself with a picture of himself blocking shots in the playoff games against London - Ben Laas @dustywilson22
Captain and a true master of his position, a man who brought leadership on and off the ice, one of the premier defencemen in VHL - Mark Calaway @Beketov

Congratulations to our Captaincy squad - lets get the job done!