cody73

The VHLM season is halfway done at the moment, and each team is slowly starting to gear up for either the playoffs, continuing the tank or maybe looking to buy/sell, given the trade deadline is next week. I've decided I wanted to take a look around the league and see whose doing well, whose not, and if I see any trends. This is my VHLM season recap so far, going off where each team fares in the standings: 1. Ottawa Lynx (24-8-3, 59 points, 152 GF to 73 GA) The Lynx have by far been the best team in the VHLM all season, mostly capped off by the outstanding play of Pekka Pouta, whose wins can be chalked up two major factors, one being exceptional play given he has 7 shutouts, and a very strong defense in front of him, as he's faced an average of less than 20 shots a game. In addition, the team can thank Don Draper for his exceptional play as of late, as he has reached 50 points in 35 games, placing him on a 102 point pace currently. Other key names to contribute to teams success include Pascal Batz, Blake Laughton & ACL TEAR. Ottawa is best off staying pat, as they're more certainly one of the Founders Cup Favourites going into the 2nd half. 2. Philadelphia Reapers (27-5-3, 57 points, 137 GF to 63 GA) The Reapers are essentially neck and neck with the Lynx, edging them out for being the leagues best defensive team, while having a 50 point scoriler of their own in Johns Frostbeard, who has 52 on the year. These guys are also probably best off staying put, and are neck and neck faves for the FC, however I personally do feel that if they could find a trade for some more offensive firepower, they should probably pull the trigger. The Lynx may have a similar goal differensial to the Reaps (79 to 73), but they have a massive lead in goals scored.... something to think about going into this last stretch. 3. Saskatoon Wild (24-10-1, 49 points, 130 GF to 89 GA) The Wild have certainly been interesting this year, and could be seen as a sleeper option when it comes to the playoffs. Led by top league scorer Rocky LaGarza, these guys could be seen as potent if he remains hot in the 2nd half. However, this is another time where I could see a team opting to looking for some insurance. The teams 2nd best scorer is Milan Griffin, who has a measly 40 points to LaGarza's 56. It's up to the Wild, but personally, I'm team #GETROCKYHELP if they really want to rival either the Lynx or Reapers. 4. San Diego Marlins (22-10-3, 47 points, 122 GF to 100 GA) One of 3 expansion clubs, the Marlins so far have surpassed people's expectations going into the season. The teams strong play can be attributed to the league's 2nd best defenseman in terms of points, Lincoln Tate, who sits at 49 for the year. This is another case where a team could look to buy, but given the Marlins already gave up their first rounder in a trade earlier in the year, maybe looking towards the future might be their better option. Tate should certainly have value on the open market, as would Edgar Tannahill. 5. Halifax 21st (21-10-3, 45 points, 123 GF to 111 GA) Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Last year's Founders Cup runner up have seen themselves be a more middling team this year. One of the most frustrating decisions has to be seeing former 21st player Cody Smith blossom into the league's best goal scorer. That being said, the teams leaders are players here from last year in Blake Gaudette & AJ Axelsen. This is a club that could be in the market to buy, but it depends on if they feel they have enough to go for it. Might be best to stay pat and hope to play spoiler. 6. Mexico City Kings (17-13-4, 38 points, 78 GF to 76 GA) The Kings should not be this good.... seriously. The team has no offence, yet somehow they're winning games thanks to some solid lockdown play. However, the Kings are in the same situation as the Marlins, having sold their first round pick earlier in the year. Given the state of this club, they should either stay pat or look to sell. 7. Minnesota Storm (18-15-1, 37 points, 82 GF to 95 GA) The true outlier of the league. How does a team that has scored less than they've let in have a postive record? One can assume it's a mix of luck and a easy schedule. Personally, I don't see them keeping up this play, and they should see if they can probably get the tanks rolling in Minny.... this could be a great target for the Wild to make a deal, IMO. 8. Mississauga Hounds (17-16-3, 37 points, 122 GF to 120 GA) The Hounds are the true underdogs of this season, having 3 players in the top 10 for scoring, the leagues leading goal scorer and the best defenseman in terms of scoring. The issue has been they've been leaving their goalie, Rayz Funk, out to dry. From what I've heard, GM Jerry Garcia wants to stay pat, but.... this is another target for Saskatoon in my eyes if they can get 'Sauga to talk. 9. Las Vegas Aces (9-22-3, 21 points, 87 GF to 145 GA) The Aces are easily trying to tank while also signing young guys that they hope will stick around so they grow into a contender. It's not a bad strategy, but personally they have a guy who could be a huge asset to a club in MORPHEOUS DESTRUCTOUS. A bruising, physical defenseman, DESTRUCTOUS could be very helpful to a contending club and sending him off would help the tank. 10. Yukon Rush (5-26-3, 13 points, 56 GF to 114 GA) The Rush are another team that's hoping to tank it's way to the top.... and honestly, I have 0 idea if they have anything to really sell at this point. I say stay pat, and hopefully they out-tank Vegas & Houston. 11. Houston Bulls (2-27-5, 9 points, 63 GF to 164 GA) I think we've found our Sam Hinkie, guys. #TRUSTTHEPROCESS, Houston!

Thanks for the small discussion in here, guys. I did get some other feedback on this in Discord, but it wasn't much..... I just thought it might've been useful, especially to 1st-time players like myself. But I do see the issue with this now that you guys have pointed them out.

Hey guys, I noticed that in the player store at the moment, there's two options to recall TPE on your player... the 1st is a complete recall, which allows to change up your player entirely for 6 million, whilst the other is kinda broken and feels useless to those with a lot of TPA. The fact it costs 500K to recall TPA on a category and that category has to be at or below 70 TPE feels like a waste.... especially if a person wants to make a change to their guy to benefit himself and his team. I feel a third option should be introduced: Full Stat TPA Recall is what I'd call it, have it priced at 1.5 million (25% of the full reroll, 3X as much as the 500K version), and have it be that a person can recall the full TPA on a stat regardless of how high it is, so a person could make a big change to their player without breaking his bank or having to pick out a stat that hasn't be upped a lot and take TPA away from it. This would allow people to make some changes to their guy and how he plays while not breaking the bank and be more beneficial to his club. For example, I'm looking at my team, the Hounds, and how my player is. I'm definitely a goal scorer at the moment, and even lead the VHLM in goals.... but we have a ton of shooters on this club. I've also been drafted by the Wranglers, and noticed a similar thing.... a lot of shooters. Right now, my shot's at an 80, so I can't use the recall option in the current store on that stat. However, if this new option was implemented, I could purchase that and recall my scoring TPA, giving me the ability to make my player more of a passer, which in turn would benefit the Hounds & Wranglers for when I come up next season. That not only benefits me as I'd probably assist on a lot of goals, I'd also be more helpful in general as I've noticed the league lacks playmakers. Let me know what you guys think about this idea, and if it's smart or not. I think there should be a limit on it like the current ones we have now, but I'm not sure what that limit is.... and the price could be tweaked too (I chose 1.5 as it felt like a good middle ground).

1. Our play seems to have taken a turn for the worse lately, as we've been losing quite frequently in the past week. Is this a concern or simply a phase? I feel it's regression to the mean. We were on a torrid start and the sim decided to hit us where it hurts cause of it. We should see our play balance itself out shortly. 2. If you were GM of the Hounds for a day, what would you do and why? Tweak our lines or maybe try to get some much need insurance. 3. What's the weirdest thing you've seen a teammate do in the locker room? Honestly, I don't got one... probably cause something I did is the answer to that question. 4. Yesterday, a list or two was posted in the VHL's Discord server, ranking the Hounds' relevance as simply average. Any reasons why we should stand out, or is this fair? We have the VHLM's leading goal scorer, bro! Were not average at all! 5. What's the most interesting VHLM city to visit on road trips and why? I'd say given the culture and food, probably Mexico City. But I always enjoy heading back to Halifax, visiting the fans that appreciated me last year whilst also getting revenge on the 21st. 6. What are your opinions on the lottery system? (sorry, I had to) #FixTheLottery

Cody Scott Smith was born on May 17, 2001 at Women's College Hospital in Toronto, Ontario..... however, his birth was unexpected to his mother, Tina. Cody, not expected to arrive until early August, was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy, and had to spend the first 7 weeks of his life in the hospital. However, this did not faze the young boy, who went on to defy his doctors expectations.... being fully able bodied, save for some orthotics until the age of 8. By then, Smith was seen as a regular kid, one who loved to play sports. His 1st real love was basketball, particularly idolising then Toronto Raptor Vince Carter. However, he struggled with shooting the ball & was seen as small & slow by the other kids.... so one day, he decided to join the other kids playing hockey in the school yard. From there, Smith realised he could shoot.... but instead of it being on a basketball hoop. it was on a goalie in a hockey net. He was able to use his good hockey play, along with being genuinely friendly to everyone he met to make friends at school, but this was harder for him than for other kids.... at first, he didn't know why until he was 12, when Smith was once again, diagnosed with another disability, this one being Asperger's Syndrome, a type of autism. This explained a lot of things about the young boy.... while he enjoyed playing with others from time to time, another one of his passions was being alone, reading books. He struggled with making friends, and was often bullied by the other kids, who took advantage of his naivety..... which when discovered by him after the fact, led to outbursts and fights, leading Smith to the detention office whilst the bullies would get off free. This would change however when Smith was 13.... where thanks to a move, he had started at a new school and found out the school hosted a ball hockey league. Smith went ahead and decided to sign up, getting on a team called the Sharks roster, along with another new kid to the school named Richard.... a slick athlete who was everything Smith wasn't: Tall, strong, fast on his feet and could dangle.... the team opted to use them as a unlikely duo, with Smith doing a dump and chase style with Richard.... flinging the ball down the court to him, where he then would dangle out the D and score. This led to a lot of goals for the Sharks, who went on to be the best team in the league, making the Finals after the season was over. However, during the season, Smith had not been able to show off the shot that had garnered him love at his previous school. That changed in game 7 of the Finals between his Sharks & the team facing them in the Finals, the so called "Canadiens", led by a kid named Felix, who was a bit of a smug asshole. Instead of playing Cody & Richard together like usual, the coach of the team, a man named Mr. Bacon, decided to split them up, hoping to get more scoring this way. However, the big surprise of the day was Cody, who ended up netting a hat trick, which included the OT winner. This was the highlight of Smith's year, where he decided he was going to learn how to skate so he could play some real hockey. Smith's dream of playing ice-hockey got off to a rough start, thanks to another small move that made him shift regions once again, this time being near the Scarborough Bluffs. His foot speed was already slow, and him being a novice skater didn't help matters. However, he was able to get some minutes on a single-A club known as the Skulls, coached by a man named Waye Douglas Chard, a man respected in the community, who took a liking to Cody.... seeing a smart kid whose shot could be a weapon. While Smith was playing only 4th line minutes on the regular lines, Chard opted to implement Smith on his 2nd power play unit, using him once again on a dump & chase unit.... this time, though, as the guy getting set-up, making Smith have to chase down the ice to get the puck, thus helping him work on both his speed and his skating ability in general. That first year went by decently, with Smith notching 10 goals and having 12 assists for 22 points..... while Chard worked with him during the summer months, getting his skating up and rewarding the kid by taking him out for lunch as well as going to the occassional Blue Jay game with him. By the time September rolled around, Smith was much faster on his skates, had some deking ability and had taught himself how to hit as well as brace for impact from other players, leading him to be used on the 1st line, power play & penalty kill for the Skulls, where he had 50 goal campaign as the team's leading scorer. Now being 16, Smith was garnering attention as a late OHL prospect, and was expected to perhaps make a club or two.... when his life changed, once again. Mr. Chard, who Smith had seen as a grandfather figure, passed away on April 13th, 2017..... and Smith decided to leave hockey entirely, refusing to play a third year for the Skulls and deciding to not forgo his OHL tryout that had had received from the Oshawa Generals. This led to Smith falling into a pit of depression, dropping out of school and after a fight with his mother, he left home, shelter hopping for roughly 3 months. Luckily for him, he was able to find a place in Oshawa, where he worked hard to earn his high school diploma..... and it was then he met a man named Foster Cromwell, who ran a hockey beer league and decided to get Smith to join. Smith did indeed join, and he refound his love for the ice, the game, and most importantly, patched things up with his Mother..... and that' when the Halifax 21st of the VHLM gave him a call. Smith accepted their one year offer, knowing after the season, he would be draft eligible. Smith ended up playing a mix of 2nd & 3rd line minutes on the Maritime squad, notching only 3 goals in his season with the club to go along with 20 assists..... as the 21st made it all the way to the Founders Cup Final, sadly losing in 6 games. Smith then was drafted by the newfound expansion club, the Mississauga Hounds in the VHLM Dispersal Draft, and by the Calgary Wranglers of the VHL Draft, who see him as the team's next big prospect. Smith so far has played 25 games for the Hounds & has 35 points this year (19 G & 16 A), while also captaining the club. He's also cracked the Team Canada WJC roster, where he's expected to play a 3rd line role. What the future holds remains to be seen for #73, but given all he's been through, one should look forward to this kid lighting the VHL up for years to come.

1. Has anyone from another team made a positive impression on you so far? If so, who, and why? Where do I start? @HulkHogan, @Rayzor_7, @GlowyGoat, YOU @GustavMattias, our AGM @Radcow...... all great guys. 2. Who on our team do you think has the biggest potential to be a steal in next season's VHL Entry Draft? I think Hulk's going to go pretty high... and everyone whose saying ME needs to pay attention. I was DRAFTED last year by the Wranglers.... unless I automatically get redrafted, I think they own my rights, no? 3. Hulk Hogan, a defensive defenseman, currently leads the VHLM in points. Are you surprised? A little bit, but Hogan's playing with one of the best lines in hockey and somebody has to get assists. 4. Not only that, four Hounds players are represented in the VHLM's top 10 on the points leaderboard. If you're one of them (Hogan, Smith, MacElroy, Gles), what do you think contributed to this? If you're not, do you think you played a major role in their success? A good mix of TPE in our players that seem to compliment one another. 5. Are you happy with how you've done as a player so far? I'm tied for the league lead in goals, I'm still in the Top 10, I'm on Team Canada in the WJC, why wouldn't I be happy? 6. Is there a team, outside of Philadelphia, Ottawa, and Saskatoon, that you think we have to watch out for in particular? If so, who, and why? Two IMO: Halifax, who we seem to be pretty even with, and San Diego, our expansion rivals.

1. Canada 2. Europe 3. USA 4. Anthony Matthews

It might be the Mississauga Hounds inaugural season in the VHLM, but that doesn't mean they don't enjoy having a little fun. After going ahead and unveiling their jerseys earlier this season, the front office decided to play "what-if" and asked a couple people to design a "throwback" jersey as if the team had started 20 years prior. The jersey, which is supposed to evoke the days of the "Mighty Ducks, Lady Liberty, the Flames when they made the Cup" & "What Tampa Bay could've been wearing had they chosen to use the colour scheme they had originally", according to the lead graphic designer on this project, is a very sleek looking sweater with angular arm stripes evoking the late 90's/early 00's aesthetic while also having some modern touches, like the numbers being on the shoulders and will be worn for the teams final home game, against the Minnesota Storm. Here's what the sweater looks like itself: When asked about the jersey, Hounds Captain and current leading goal scorer Cody Smith said "I think it's cool and it looks good. The fact the team's willing to do stuff like this is great for the fans. I know some minor-league team do contests where fans can submit designs and then they'll auction them off. Maybe they could do that here in 'Sauga." As for these sweaters, rumour has it they might indeed be auctioned off after the game, however so far no charity has asked the team about this. Others have speculated that if the team wins their final home game in these, they might wear them for the playoffs as a quote-on-quote "Good Luck Charm", as has been seen with alternate jerseys in the past. When asked about that idea, Smith responded "That could be a cool idea too, but we'll see what the future holds. It'll come down to how we do in that game, and it's still a long season. We should be focused on the now, not the when. We just lost our last three games, now's not the time to talk about playoffs, or good luck charms, or whatever. This jersey is being worn for our final home game of the year, we opted to show it off to our fans now, it's not that big of a deal. What is a big deal, at least in my opinion, is our losing streak.... and I, as captain, need to step up. 3 point in the games we just played isn't cutting it. I might have the lead for goals scored, but the guys trailing me have a game in hand. I'm furious at my own state of play and need to set a better example out there, not just for my teammates, but for the young fans in the stands. A guy like me is supposed to bring his A-Game against a tough opponent, and I haven't done that. Hopefully we snap our rut against the Marlins, but we'll see, won't we?" Whatever the case may be, the Hounds are certain to look great on their home-ice.

As the WJC approaches, there are 3 wingers trying their best to prove they have what it takes not just to take part in the big event, but also play a big role. Blake Laughton of the Ottawa Lynx, Cody Smith of the Missisauga Hounds & Blake Gaudette of the Halifax 21st all have a right to claim they deserve the chance to be on the 2nd line for Team Canada. So far for the season, Smith has been the most offensive of the 3, leading the VHLM in goals at 13 & being 3rd in total points with 23. Gaudette's not far behind, having notched 20 points, an even 10 goals & 10 helpers. Laughton has only 19 points, but he also has the most shots of the trio at 105. In regards to a attribute breakdown, Smith & Laughton are very similar, playing a well-rounded game with a slight physical edge to it. Gaudette meanwhile is more offensive & not know to lay the body. However, an area in which Smith has a edge of Laughton might be discipline, as Laughton so far has racked 24 PIM's to Smith's 12, even though they both have impressive hit totals, 48 for Laughton, 38 for Smith. That being said, if Canada wanted to go with a clean winger, Gaudette's the clear choice, with only 8 PIM's & 17 hits for the season. There's also the plausibility the GM of Canada chooses to go with playing somebody else out of position for the spot, but either way, this is a battle to keep your eye on. When asked about who should get the job, here's what some guys around the league said: "If we're talking WJC, I think Cody Smith gets the nod at this point. Obviously early in the season, but Smith leads over Gaudette and Laughton in goals and points. While Laughton has more hits, Cody Smith leads the entire VHLM in goals and is not that far behind in the hits category himself. Not only that, but his shot percentage is nothing to scoff at with 14.29%." - Travis Boychuk, Ex Toronto Legion GM "While all three are deserving, I’d have to say Cody Smith takes it in my opinion. The kid’s been off the charts with his scoring early in the season leading the league in goals, and he’s definitely been a huge part of Mississauga’s success. He’s only gonna get better as well. Kid’s a star in the making." - George Jihagovich, Houston Bulls AGM. "You know who lost the finals last season to an inactive GM? Canada. You know who wasn't playing for Canada? Smith. Don't think that's a coincidence. I don't care if Laughton or Gaudette was there last season, and neither should you. The scientific method dictates that only one variable should be changed to determine causality, and here we have our one variable. The only way to truly test if not including Smith was the reason for failure is to throw him in there this year, and throw him in there a lot for the sake of sample size." - Jerry Garcia, Malmo Nighthawks Defenseman

Submitted a reply, BOL to everybody else.... this sounds fun and I'm excited for the event.

Cody Smith Player: Brett Bellemore VHL/VHLM Team: You can do the Hounds or Wranglers, as although I'm playing with Missisauga, I was drafted by Calgary Text: Rounded, like the Jets or Canes font Other: If you can get in the #73 in the pic as that's what Bellemore wore, that'd be great. Thanks for doing this bro.

1. It depends. If the offense can keep up the scoring, and our new defenceman prove to be active and grow their guys on the regular, we could very well move up to be a middle of the pack team & not just a club fighting for a playoff spot. 2. ATM, it's HHH..... until we see Hulk in the VHL, we won't know. That being said, Hogan's been great on D for us and deserves mega props. Hopefully he prove "The Game" wrong. 3. Honestly, just getting our guys to be active! It's nice we signed a couple, but if they don't claim TPE, they're just pylons. 4. Yes, actually. It shows that if you have a good core of guys that have solid builds and you draft smartly, you can be successful. 5. Just talking to the guys about how were doing, looking over the stats after each game & getting ideas for the podcast I'm thinking about doing. 6. Waiting on the sim so I can see how we did. That and waiting on TPE to be approved at times.

1. Great, getting help at any position is a wonderful addition and should help flesh us out as a team even more. 2. Well, we seem to be working on that one, and I do feel management has a plan. 3. You mean the Mexico City Queens? Sure.... why not? It'll be even more fun we when CRUSH them. 4. My old club, Halifax. I liked the guys there, it was a winning culture and once again, the GM treated me with utmost kindness. 5. Well, my dream was to go to Malmo, but I ended up as a draftee of the Wranglers. 6. Fuck him. (Not really, Ray! Love you. But seriously, you're going to put YOUR OWN CLUB LAST? BOO!)

@Leon_Corral @HanManHimself

+4 plz

Hey Leon.

is the one true choice, but it's not on the poll.

@littleboi Hey buddy, I had 20 assists last year, not 10.

1. Did you think you'd be going to Mississauga? Why or why not? I had 0 idea where I was going to go and was a bit surprised tl be taken by you guys, but I'm grateful for the chance here. 2. Do you like this team so far? Team seems nice, you seem like a great GM.... no complaints so far. Let's hope the good team mojo off the ice translates to the sim. 3. What type of player do you plan on building? A power forward that can also fill up the net. Think Pat Verbeek, Brenden Shanahan, Keith Tkachuk, or if you care to get more modern, Blake Wheeler. 4. Give a shout-out to one member of this league who you think did the most to help you get started here. @Thranduil is the guy I'd point to. He took me in last year and I played hard for the 21st, and helped me create the beast you see today. 5. Do you think we have a shot at winning it all? Who do you think will be toughest to beat? I'd have to take a real glance at our roster, but we do have one of the best goalies in the VHLM.... if he can shut things down & me & my teammates rack up the points, I don't see why not. 6. Call it right now--if you're a skater, how many points will you have this season? For our goalie, what will your save percentage be? My goal is to hit a minimum of 50, but I'm hoping for a 80 point year (Roughly 50 goals, 30 assists).

+4 plz

5 minutes past 8. Have we started?

31st? Really?

Trying to follow this.... and am lost.

EASTERN CONFERENCE (A2) Boston Bruins vs. (WC2) Columbus Blue Jackets Winner: Columbus # of Games: 7 (M2) New York Islanders vs.(WC1) Carolina Hurricanes Winner: New York # of Games: 6 WESTERN CONFERENCE (C3) St. Louis Blues vs. (WC1) Dallas Stars Winner: St. Louis # of Games: 5 (P2) San Jose Sharks vs. (WC2) Colorado Avalanche Winner: San Jose # of Games: 6

+4 plz