solas

(Bruh)

xavier booberry is the meta killer

xavier booberry is the meta killer

you better be good @Dil

1.  From 1 to 10! How did you find this year's draft? 
I'll go with a 5. I didn't hate it, but I missed a lot - didn't catch the VHLE draft at all, and didn't make it to the VHL draft in time to see myself get picked. But all in all I'm not upset with the outcome.

2. Do you agree with the position you were drafted to? If so, why?
I think it's about fair. I went in about the right place in the VHLE considering the cap. To be honest I think 5th might've been too high for me in the VHL draft but I'll take it.

3. Are you happy that you were selected by our team? 
I don't really have any opinions about VHLE teams other than that I like Vasteras a lot and was kinda hoping to end up there. But it doesn't look like they needed a defenseman so in that case it doesn't really bother me. Hopefully things go well with Geneva!

4. If you had an improvement to make in relation to the VHLE draft! What would you do? 
I feel like it's kinda in a weird spot where people aren't as interested in it. I don't know if that could be helped with more articles/coverage or if that just has to do with the nature of the VHLE. It'd be cool to see a VHLE mock draft or two, I guess. To be honest I didn't really care too much about it so it kinda felt weird to get a bunch of VHLE interviews when I was really thinking more about the VHL draft at the time.

5. What is your goal as a player for Geneva Rush? 
Win the cup. Nothing else, really. I want to win all three cups with Dvorak.

6. Following the official retirement of Willie O'Ree! Who is your favorite NHL player?
Uhhh I don't really follow the NHL so I wouldn't really have an answer. Sorry.

@CowboyinAmerica

@GoldGear88
 
 
@v.2 posted this in graphics discord.. Had fun with it 😎
 

Wait, this is certainly one I did not see coming, I thought this ping was a Members tag. And frankly I'm still not sure it's one I deserve. But I absolutely appreciate the honor - been just about half of my life in sim leagues, and I keep coming back for the fun and the community. Out of all the ones I've been in too, the VHL isn't just the longest-running, but it's been my favorite for the storylines and history that we've been able to form here. I'm happy to have played a part.
 
(And who unearthed my real name from the MSFL days? I'm blaming Doom.)

Hi and welcome back to HOF inductions. Some big names to induct today so let's get to it...
 
LW - Groovy Dood, S73-S80 
RS: 576 GP, 313 G, 387 A, 700 P, +101, 895 PIM, 2,191 HIT, 267 SB, 37 GW
PO: 76 GP, 31 G, 47 A, 78 P, -16, 90 PIM, 244 HIT, 32 SB, 9 GW
 
S77 Scott Boulet Trophy (Top Two-Way Forward)
S78 Scott Boulet Trophy (Top Two-Way Forward)
S79 Scott Boulet Trophy (Top Two-Way Forward)
1x All-VHL First Team (S80)
3x All-VHL Second Team (S77, S78, S79)
 
It felt like a slightly bold 1st overall choice in the huge S73 draft but Groovy Dood fully repaid the faith of the DC Dragons. Despite a tough rookie season, Dood became an integral part of the Dragons and helped them to a trip to the finals in S75, the franchise's best ever playoff performance. After that, as the old guard stepped aside, Dood took the mantle as team leader and captain and became the VHL's premier two-way forward after the retirement of Mikko Lahtinen, and extended D.C.'s competitive cycle for as long as he was in the team. In the end, Dood hit the magical 700-point mark for his career and was firmly among the league's best forwards for at least half his career. A first ballot induction for @bigAL!
 
 
 
 
D - Alex Letang, S73-S79
RS: 504 GP, 128 G, 439 A, 567 P, +122, 748 PIM, 924 HIT, 1,081 SB, 31 GW
PO: 65 GP, 17 G, 56 A, 73 P, +11, 125 PIM, 137 HIT, 165 SB, 3 GW
 
S79 Scotty Campbell Trophy (Most Valuable)
S79 Alexander Beketov Trophy (Most Assists)
S79 Sterling Labatte Trophy (Top Defenceman)
S79 Alexander Valiq Trophy (Top Offensive Defenceman)
1x All-VHL First Team (S79)
 
Another first-gen who missed out on a championship but made up for it with sheer consistency. Alex Letang's career was bubbling along at a steady pace for most of his career, largely in the shadow of more renowned veterans in Moscow but he was a steady and increasingly flashy #2 on defence. Then came a move away from the franchise everyone associates with him and after a stop at DC, it was in LA where Letang finally broke out in a big way in S79, securing his place in the HOF after all the hard work to build up his case beforehand. The 119-point finale obscures the rest but Letang was at a point-per-game pace or thereabouts for his whole career and it is for the diligence that @Spartan gets his first HOF induction.
 
 
VOTING RESULTS
Groovy Dood - 16/20
Alex Letang - 9/20
----
Jean Pierre Camus - 8/20
Roque Davis - 2/20
Erik Killinger - 1/20
Tyson Kohler, Jakab Holik, Alexander Pepper, Dakota Lamb, John Merrick, Matty Socks - 0/20
 
 
BUILDER
And after a season off, we are back with a Builder induction. We might be in S81 but we finally welcome to the Hall one of oldest names in the VHL today in @CowboyinAmerica. To many it is probably a surprise that he wasn't in the HOF already. Cowboy or Zach Warren is a familiar name to some sim league veterans and for a long time I think he was more of a sim leaguer in general rather than a VHLer specifically. But it's now been some 50 seasons since he decided to grace the VHL with his presence too and we have gotten a lot of quality Cowboy output from him in that time. Hans Wingate and Gabriel McAllister are the standout names in the Hall of Fame but every player he's created in his time here has been a top-tier player and an invaluable member of his teams. On top of that, Cowboy's updating career spans most of his time in the VHL and any updater now, let alone in the pre-portal days, will tell you what a commitment that requires. He's dabbled in the BOG and in VHLM GMing and his Media Spots are always an insightful treat to read, but I think I'll sum it up in one line: a sim league institution at last is welcomed into the institution that is the VHL Hall of Fame.
 
 
Well deserved congratulations to each of Al, Spartan, and Cowboy!

I'll keep it brief like my VHLE commish stint....
 
As Acyd may have spilled the beans in the past 24 hours, I am stepping down from the role, having done all the fun stuff in setting up the E from scratch and hopefully on the road for a place as a permanent staple of the VHL experience. In any case, it has been a great journey being part of one of the big innovations in the league in recent times and a very rewarding experience with lots of keen members, GMs, and of course a brilliant partner in crime in Acyd.
 
Acyd's work especially in the last month or so means the transition will be quite painless - I promise we were a fully functioning duo for about 80% of the way but I certainly haven't pulled my weight the last little while! Ultimately, I was looking for a spark to encourage me to recreate which I didn't have after stepping down as Moscow GM, but the spark was shortlived and now that I enter the last season of Rasputin it seems the right time to take another break. Well, less a break this time, more of a stepping back into the HOF/BOG shadows until the itch of creating a new player inevitably comes back. In any case, that's for the future and the VHLE deserves a more active presence right now.
 
That's about it, thanks everyone.
 
EEEEEEEEE

Helsinki -- In the Season 80 Draft, the Helsinki Titans went goalie early, taking Xavier Booberry number one overall. Last season it was offense, with winger Nezuko going first off the board. But this time it was defense on their minds, with not only Ottawa's Milan Dvorak going fifth overall, but his teammate Calix Pearce following him up in the 23rd overall position.
 
Dvorak and Pearce join a young and talented Helsinki defensive corps, which also includes S80 draftees Alessandro Nano and Flynn Remy, and S81 draftees Wattson Power and Cameron Elsby. Although it remains to be seen whether one of those players shifts position or otherwise moves, for Booberry, you can never have enough talented defensemen, particularly ones that he feels he has a good trust with (Dvorak) and who knows Helsinki well (Pearce).
 
"I'm a goalie, of course I want as many strong players protecting me as possible," Booberry said. "And I think I'm going to have talented defensemen in front of me for a long time here in Helsinki, I couldn't be more excited."
 
The Titans also added wingers Bob Chicoine, Luca Accardi and Hockley Mann in subsequent picks, adding to a talented prospect pool that continues to swell. The hope in Helsinki is that they can thread the needle - winning both now and in the future.
 
"I think the playoffs is a more than reasonable goal this season, but I also see championships in our future," Booberry added. "The people we added last night only add to what I see as one of the brightest futures in the VHL."

Please drop your stories in here. I don't remember the last time I got absolutely zero respect in a day at work and I have a borderline surreal one for you. This is going to sound fake, and the worst part is--it's not.
 
Most grocery stores, at least in my area, have their own departments. In general, I take care of food that isn't refrigerated. This often gets mixed up by customers (and people who work up front and don't know any better) with what we call "vendor items", or product filled by a company independently. For example, Coca-Cola uses their own employees to keep up with the Coke products. Pepsi does the same thing. Frito-Lay does the same thing. As does Nabisco. Beer is actually filled by distributors, or third-party companies that sign contracts with a handful of brands and stock their own half (or so) of the beer we carry. 99% of the time, I have nothing to do with this stuff, because there are other people, who don't work for the store, who show up and fill it.
 
The 1% of the time when I do generally comes around on days when everyone and their grandmother is buying beer and snacks. I've had to fill this stuff on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and the like. And I've never had any problem doing so--it's busy, the vendors can't be everywhere at once, and I get that we should have some product on the shelf. Today happens to be one of those days, with my favorite football team (and everyone's favorite in the area) playing in the evening. I hear through my department manager that one of the (somewhat more unhinged) store managers wants my coworker and me to fill the vendor stuff. Most vendors were just in the store an hour or two ago, and the store isn't even super busy yet, but whatever. I get that it's a busy day and we should have as much out there as possible. No problem.
 
I'm slightly annoyed when practically none of the beer goes on the shelf, as does practically none of the chips and practically none of the pop (yes, I say pop). But I did what I was asked to do and I go back to what I was doing in the first place. 
 
Not even 20 minutes later, I walk into the back room to find Department Manager working on the same chips I just did. He's fully aware that I just did them. But Store Manager says they're getting "hit hard" (they're not) and that the shelf is empty (yes and no--there are empty spaces on the shelf, but that's what's straight-up out of stock. Everything in stock is full). He's just doing it to keep Store Manager happy. So at this point it's weird, but it escalates.
 
Store Manager comes in the back right after this and yells at both of us for not filling a certain kind of chips. Which we don't have in the back. We learn that those do exist on a display, which was put up this morning by the vendor, in a part of the store where none of us ever have a reason to be. And we're berated for not knowing that. One coworker volunteers to do it, and I've had enough so I take my lunch.
 
I come back from lunch to find two other coworkers doing the chips AGAIN. I talk to one of them. Absolutely nothing is going up to the shelf, because everything has been done multiple times, and Store Manager is acting like the world is coming to an end if they don't get it done immediately. 
 
I'm then told that I need to fill the pop. Again. It's been filled twice already. I also hear double-indirectly (from my coworker, who allegedly heard it from Department Manager, so I don't know how things have or have not been twisted around there) that Store Manager doesn't want us to work together and made some insinuation that it's (somehow) going to make people think we're gay. So, uh...extra not cool at this point? But also at this point, I rationalize that a) it's Store Manager's fault if nothing ends up being done in our own department, and b) if someone tries to get me in trouble for not doing anything in my own department, I'm just going to walk out the door and find a better job somewhere else. So I do the pop. And nothing goes up to the shelf. Because I did it already. Surprise.
 
And then I'm told that the beer is empty. And I need to fill it. Again, indirectly through Department Manager, who's just as fed up with the absolute bullshit we've been subjected to today as I am. I look at the beer and it is not empty. I take a cart of beer out in case I'm being watched, and once again confirm that it is not empty by being able to fit practically none of it on the shelf. It's absolutely confirmed at this point that Store Manager is not even looking at the shelf--just going on a power trip. I take a too-long break and leave, because I've had it. I've had good days, I've had bad days, and there are times when it's clear the company does not care about me--but this is the first time in a long time that I have been directly treated like absolute garbage by someone other than a customer and it's also the first time in a long time that one shift makes me seriously consider never coming back.
 
TL;DR: Store Manager is probably having a bad day and decides to ruin everyone else's day as a consequence. 

@WranglersSuck
 

  1 NEW YORK AMERICANS     Vasile Lamb @dlamb                         RW TPE: 386                                     TEAM GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     81 - Mississauga 72 60 63 123 39 443 68 194 26     80 - Philadelphia 19 7 3 10 -13 56 12 24 6     81 - Mississauga (playoffs) 6 7 7 14 7 37 10 17 0     80 - Philadelphia (playoffs) 5 1 2 3 0 21 4 12 1     Vasile Lamb is currently the top player in the draft class in terms of TPE and is coming off of what will likely be an award winning season in the VHLM with Mississauga. Last season they led the VHLM in goals (60) and was second in points (123). Coming off of this Lamb looks to make the jump straight to the VHL and will slot in perfectly on New York's top line alongside Calvin Hobbs @2hawk and Jon Webber @Webberj where they will look to become the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future.                                             2 D.C. DRAGONS     Bubbles Utonium @fishy                         G TPE: 342                                     TEAM GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     81 - San Diego 48 27 17 4 0.895 3.05 1 148 1403     80 - Yukon 8 6 2 0 0.839 3.76 0 26 161     81 - San Diego (playoffs) 13 7 6 0 0.884 4.31 0 56 481     80 - Yukon (playoffs) 8 5 1 0 0.883 3.92 0 28 239     Bubbles Utonium enters the draft as the second ranked goalie and with that a lot of excitement around them. Following a solid season in the M with San Diego, Utonium will have a tough choice to make on whether or not to make the jump straight to the VHL and join a struggling D.C.Dragons team where they will be the starting goalie from day #1, or spend a season in the VHLE with the Vastras Iron Eagles. Given their current TPE it is likely the ladder of the two options. Needless to say D.C. will be drafting themselves a goalie of the future and Utonium will likely be their pick.                                             3 LONDON UNITED     Cole Pearce @N0HBDY                         G TPE: 364                                     TEAM GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     81 - Philadelphia 18 10 7 1 0.898 3.15 2 57 558     81 - Saskatoon 27 7 17 3 0.898 3.6 0 98 959     80 - Minnesota 2 2 0 0 0.844 2.5 0 5 32     81 - Philadelphia (playoffs) 8 3 3 2 0.896 3.51 0 30 289     Cole Pearce is coming off a solid playoff run with the Philadelphia Reapers which saw them make it the furthest they have been since S75. During the regular season Pearce was third in SV% (0.898) among starting goalies in the M and will look to continue that momentum as they will step straight into a young London United team and likely replace longtime Goalie Tater Tot in the starting role as they look to be headed to free agency. With London, Pearce will probably serve as the goalie of the future as there are no other goalies in their prospect system.                                             4 CHICAGO PHOENIX     Miervaldis Arpa @Zack                         G TPE: 309                                     TEAM GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     81 - Mississauga 66 44 20 1 0.89 3.08 5 203 1840     80 - Philadelphia 12 7 4 1 0.84 3.89 0 47 293     81 - Mississauga (playoffs) 6 2 4 0 0.877 4.5 0 27 219     80 - Philadelphia (playoffs) 5 1 3 1 0.902 3.35 1 19 194     The run on goalies will likely continue with Miervaldis Arpa going 4th overall to the Chicago Phoenix, who much like London and D.C. are in desperate need for a starting goalie of the future. The VHLE's S82 #1 overall pick will hope to hone their craft in Geneva before making the leap to the VHL in S83. Arpa's VHLM career was an interesting one as they were never near the league lead in SV% however, due to strong team play they found themselves with a winning record and one of the lower GAA in the VHLM.                                             5 HELSINKI TITANS     The Board Game Clue On Skates @MubbleFubbles                         C TPE: 295                                     TEAM GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     81 - San Diego 72 32 37 69 36 258 34 69 12                             81 - San Diego (playoffs) 13 8 6 14 -1 59 0 13 3                             The Board Game Clue On Skates, is a very intriguing prospect, given how they skate is still considered a mystery as they have no legs, this board game put up a nice 69 points in 72 games last season for the Marlins and will look to improve upon that this coming season in the VHLE. As for Helsinki, they desperately need a center to fill in behind Jonathan Ori and this board game would fit the role perfectly and in a seasons or two time leave Helsinki with one of the best center cores in the league.                                             6 RIGA REIGN     Max Torq @Steve                         D TPE: 364                                     TEAM GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     81 - Ottawa 72 2 58 78 42 215 104 211 72     80 - Ottawa 20 5 11 16 10 28 14 18 22     81 - Ottawa (playoffs) 17 4 12 16 7 40 20 46 11     80 - Ottawa (playoffs) 16 5 12 17 -7 38 4 16 23     The only player in this draft coming off back-to-back Founder's Cups with Ottawa, Torq will look to make an immediate impact with the team that drafts him. With Riga's current position a defensemen that can take the step to the VHL right now makes sense as they already have a solid roster in place and could be set to make the playoffs again after just missing out last season.                                             7 D.C. DRAGONS     Bo Joansson @Shindigs                         D TPE: 279                                     TEAM GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     81 - Miami 72 11 51 62 -53 97 72 123 177                                                                             Bo Joansson has made a huge impact on the league since joining the Miami Marauders just after the draft last season through waivers, since then they went onto put up 62 points for a struggling team. In the draft I think it's safe to say that what ever team drafts them will be getting their value. As for D.C. this pick would solidify their blue line for the foreseeable future as Joansson would slot in perfectly alongside S80 top pick Ryan Vidot as their top 2 defensemen,                                             8 SEATTLE BEARS     Mikhail Kovalchuk @Banackock                         D TPE: 278                                     TEAM GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     81 - Houston 70 28 61 89 69 252 57 87 118                             81 - Houston (playoffs) 6 2 0 2 3 23 8 11 18                             Similarly to Joansson, Kovalchuk joined their team just after the draft through waivers. With Houston Kovalchuk would have a very good season putting up 89 points, good enough for 3rd among defensemen. This selection for Seattle makes perfect sense as Kovalchuk will fit perfectly in their top 4 following 1 season in the VHLE, especially since Seattle currently has no defense prospects.                                             9 TORONTO LEGION     Milan Dvorak @solas                         D TPE: 283                                     TEAM GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     81 - Ottawa 72 31 47 78 41 232 54 69 78     80 - Yukon 16 1 7 8 2 31 8 10 23     81 - Ottawa (playoffs) 17 4 11 15 4 67 10 24 27     80 - Yukon (playoffs) 15 3 6 9 8 23 10 12 29     Toronto could go just about any direction with their pick, currently due to Lemiuex going IA their biggest gap is on the blueline and for that reason I have them selecting Dvorak 9th overall. Last season Dvorak finished above a point per game during the regular season on their way to a Founder's Cup with Ottawa. Dvorak will likely spend 1 season in the VHLE before making a VHL roster.                                             10 WARSAW PREDATORS     Wumbo @Fire Fletcher                         G TPE: 276                                     TEAM GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     81 - Halifax 28 10 13 2 0.891 3.33 1 88 807     81 - Ottawa 13 10 1 1 0.905 1.83 0 22 231     80 - Saskatoon 18 6 11 1 0.898 4.3 0 78 767                             Wumbo is coming off of a rough season where the outcome really had nothing to do with their play as they continued to put up decent numbers following a trade to Halifax. This pick makes perfect sense for Warsaw as they currently need a goalie especially since the rest of the roster looks just about ready to contend for the playoffs and improve on their playoff run last season. Wumbo would go a long way to securing Warsaw's goal for the foreseeable future.                                             11 PRAGUE PHANTOMS     Tavish Degroot @rory                         D TPE: 375                                     TEAM GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     81 - San Diego 72 24 29 53 45 153 162 220 108     80 - Yukon 20 3 7 10 0 34 18 47 14     81 - San Diego (playoffs) 13 4 11 15 5 29 32 37 26     80 - Yukon (playoffs) 15 4 3 7 5 15 20 34 13     The Man, The Myth, The Legend (in training), Tavish DeGroot is coming off a solid defensive season with San Diego last season in which they had 53 points and were a +45. Due to some comments about where they would like to be drafted DeGroot's stock plummeted which will see them being drafted later than anyone could anticipate. With Prague DeGroot will slot into their top 4 defensemen immediately and likely start their VHL career alongside JaredN Jr. One thing to be considered is that there is a legitimate chance that Los Angeles could trade up in the draft to take DeGroot early. Only time will tell what happens and this should be an interesting story line to watch                                             12 SEATTLE BEARS     James Teekirque @Mongoose87                         D TPE: 250                                     TEAM GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     81 - Mississauga 72 27 85 112 31 254 56 86 105     80 - Houston 3 1 4 5 2 4 4 1 0     81 - Mississauga (playoffs) 6 3 6 9 4 23 2 12 14     80 - Houston (playoffs) 6 0 2 2 2 2 4 6 8     Similarly to drafting Kovalchuk earlier, adding Teekirque as well would help reinforce Seattle's blueline in the near future, last season Teekirque tore up the VHLM leading all defensemen in scoring with 112 points. This selection would also allow for Seattle to build for the future as their entire defense would be set up for the entirety of the next six seasons assuming they can resign everyone once their ELC is concluded.                                             13 CALGARY WRANGLERS     Ben Dahl @Ben                         G TPE: 243                                     TEAM GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     81 - Miami 54 15 36 3 0.887 3.9 1 209 1853                                                                             Calgary needs a goalie. Pretty well no matter where Calgary drafts they will be drafting the best available goalie. Dahl is coming off of a rough season where they served as Miami's starting goalie for the majority of the season in which they did not have too much defense in front of them. As for Calgary, they have not had much luck when it comes to drafting goalies with them going IA shortly after being drafted on a consistent basis. Hopefully Dahl can break that trend and be Calgary's starter for the foreseeable future.                                             14 HC DAVOS DYNAMO     Perry Laperriere @KaleebtheMighty                         C TPE: 269                                     TEAM GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     81 - Ottawa 72 36 57 93 34 272 43 88 22     80 - Philadelphia 19 3 4 7 -2 26 6 25 6     81 - Ottawa (playoffs) 17 10 9 19 1 73 6 26 4     80 - Philadelphia (playoffs 5 2 2 4 2 10 0 8 1     Another Ottawa Lynx expected to be selected in the first round, Laperriere played a significant role in their cup run, scoring 10 goals in 17 games. As for Davos having just entered another rebuild we should look for them to draft their first significant piece of their future core and Laperriere should foot that bill perfectly.                                             15 WARSAW PREDATORS     Kakapo Bushtit @Esso2264                         RW TPE: 272                                     TEAM GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     81 - Mississauga 72 44 53 97 36 244 29 109 30     80 - Yukon 20 9 5 14 0 45 2 12 2     81 - Mississauga (playoffs) 6 2 2 4 5 22 4 6 4     80 - Yukon (playoffs) 15 1 8 9 7 35 2 7 1     After drafting their future goalie at 10th overall in Wumbo, it's safe to expect that Warsaw will draft the best player available which at this point would be Kakapo Bushtit, who following 1 season in the VHLE should compliment their young forward core very nicely and would be a good step forward for Warsaw into the future of their team.                                             16 VANCOUVER WOLVES     Ronan Lavelle @Arce                         LW TPE: 255                                     TEAM GP G A PTS (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     81 - Mexico City 72 42 41 83 -35 345 38 127 31                             81 - Mexico City (playoffs) 4 0 4 4 -3 21 2 8 1                             Ronan Lavelle is coming off of a very strong season for Mexico City as they put up 83 points in 72 games last season, abd were a point per game in the playoffs as Mexico got swept. This pick makes perfect sense for Vancouver as it looks like they could be losing a fairly large portion of their forward core to free agency and with this selection it could start to usher in a new era in Vancouver and be the first piece of a new group of Vancouver Wolves.                  

A whole cookie enters my mouth, it gets destroyed. The end. 

I'm...just eating it.

i dont know whos joking and im scared to ask

I don’t mean the edge I mean the flat surface part

Hello, before I get into all the things I am going to go ahead and out a trigger warning for suicide and sexual assault. I won’t go into  detail but they both will be mentioned. I will also put further trigger warnings in front of paragraphs that sensitive topics are explicitly mentioned and you can skip over. Also, I apologize for how over the place this is about to be.
 
(TW sexual assault)
I honestly don’t really remember how Horcrux and I started talking but we did. I was pretty excited to see another active female in the league. They started off our conversations with a bang. Almost immediately talking about how she had been sexually assaulted and the story behind it etc. I don’t mind being there for people but we had known each other for all of 10 minutes at this point so it was a little odd but I figured they just needed to get it out there. The conversation about that led into one about sexuality where truthfully looking back the things they was saying were very strange to be telling someone you just recently met but I didn't really think too hard into it and just continued on with my day. Rereading conversations I had with them looking back is all a little strange. 
 
That story is a lot of what a lot of people experienced but here is where mine takes a bit of a turn. Within the time that Horcrux was here was a time where I had released my “The VHL Issue that Needs to be Addressed” article. Some nice backstory for all of you is that Horcrux was really against men. It didn’t matter who you are they probably hated you at one point or another. I mean the first day they were yelling in my DMS about Fong. Classic me in Sam fashion went along with it and let them get their anger out it was what it was. Horcrux, blade and I had a group chat for a while that Horcrux made to get all of the prominent females at the time together which I had no issue with. Blade and I, having been around for a while were sharing stories, etc. and Horcrux always was very I don’t want to say aggressive but aggressive about them. She was very passionate about this isn’t right etc. and okay some of the stuff yeah was fucked up but it’s also why my article came out. So when it came to this article… I like to think I “called out the league” in the nicest but most effective way possible. Well, Horcrux decided to make everything just a little bit more difficult by going off in the comments at people and causing other issues. There were a ton of talks between the three of us (Blade, myself, and Horcrux), mods, and blues which is what I wanted to come out of this. Horcrux being the personality that they were really enjoyed making things just ever more difficult.
 
There was a very long conversation that was had with fishy and the three of us which oh my god…I don’t know what Horcrux was saying but it wasn’t useful. There was a lot of thing that they said that I know I didn’t agree with at all but you couldn’t stop Horcrux once they went on their little rambles. To say the least, I am glad I had a lot of one on one conversations with mods and blues because what Horcrux was saying was not what I was feeling and is not why the article was originally written. She made that whole situation 5x more difficult and it was not fun to deal with. 
 
(TW suicide next paragraph)
There was a night early on when Horcrux had left all locker rooms and I sent them a message making sure everything was alright and that they didn’t need anything. We had a talk and they went offline. I think they said to watch a movie or something. I get a message the next day essentially saying I saved their life. Which is something that goes both ways for me. I am glad I was able to help but at the same time, it wasn’t something I want to hear. It made me put a lot of pressure on myself to reach out when they were having a tough time even if I wasn’t in the space to do so. Conversations with them often turned dark and I think there was some truth behind it but for me, it’s so weird for Horcrux to not be a real person. When they disappeared I truthfully thought the worst. From conversations I had with them I was scared they were gone. Part of me when we found the other account was almost relieved to just know that they weren’t dead. Yeah, they caused some crap but I would rather that than the alternative.
 
The oddest thing about this situation for me was how fast they turned on me. We went from talking every day to not talking at all the second I became mod. I honestly think it’s because they knew they were doing fucked things and were afraid they would get caught or something. It was so weird because once I became mod she went around telling people I was scary etc. even though literally nothing about me changed when I became mod. I am the same exact person. It was like we went from being friends to complete strangers.
 
The last thing I want to touch on is the night we found out. I won’t go into detail about how but it was a whirlwind of a night. Trying to explain to people what happened when you don’t quite understand what just happened was such an odd experience. I was put in charge of collecting victim/witness statements and the stories heard were some things that I will never forget. Some crazy things happened. I had a lot of people reach out just saying “I don’t know what to think” or “ I don’t understand” and it was hard for me because I was in the same boat and all I could say was I also don’t understand and I also don’t know what to think or how to feel. It was truly so odd.
 
The whole situation is honestly something I don’t think I have wrapped my head around. There are days where I am just like… are you real. It’s something that I know affected a lot of people and I am so happy they are gone. They caused so many issues and just knowing they cant keep causing issues makes me happy.

One of the things I didn't enjoy giving up when I made the move up to the big league initially was just this--writing up a mock draft every season (or the majority of them, anyway). When I moved up, I knew what my plans were as GM of Davos, and I also knew what other GMs were planning, as talk happens behind the scenes and insider info flies about. This season, I spent absolutely no time preparing for the draft, and I spent absolutely no time paying attention to which teams were doing which things, so I get to come into this offseason fairly clueless.
 
Which is good. Too many mock-draft writers want to ask every team what they're planning, and then (surprise!) get a ton of picks right. Which isn't fun.
 
This draft is really weird to work with, for a couple reasons, and these are big reasons why:
-The positional breakdown is strange. We have a ton of goalers, which aren't generally hugely sought after by teams that don't desperately need them...except a lot of teams desperately need them. There's also a relatively low number of forwards, which are usually the big superstars of the draft...except only two of the top 10 in TPE are forwards, and only one of those comes without some level of significant controversy.
-Speaking of controversy, at least one GM has publicly taken action that lowers their draft stock, and I have heard (though I have no direct proof) that similar conversations have been held which involve the other two in a more private setting. As these represent high-earning players whose teams (in two out of three cases) are currently in no position to draft them without the player falling very far down in the draft, it raises many questions as to the placement of said players on draft night (as well as, I might add, the ethics of said placement). I have done my best to take my opinion out of the projection, and make guesses based on what I know and what I believe to be realistic.
 
Let's get drafting!
 
***BIG NOTE THAT SOMEONE IS GOING TO MISS ANYWAY, BECAUSE SOMEONE DOES THIS EVERY TIME I WRITE A MOCK: If your TPE is slightly wrong, it is not because I hate you. If you're projected lower than your TPE ranking, it is not because I have a personal vendetta against you. If I say Team A has Pick X and Team B actually has Pick X at the time of the draft, it's not because I'm stupid. TPE numbers change with time, picks get traded, and drafts don't happen exactly in order of TPE. 
 
Exhales
 
Okay, now let's get drafting.
 
 
ROUND 1
 
 
1st Overall 
Cole Pearce | G | 364 TPE |  | @N0HBDY
You want desperate for goalers? You got it with the first pick in the draft. New York needs players across the board, but the top two players in the draft come surrounded by GM controversy not worth the risk of a #1 pick. The top skater is (at the time of writing) tied with Pearce in TPE, but in past careers has proven to be somewhat volatile, while Pearce has shown a solid degree of team loyalty. Though potentially less impactful than a #1 pick in a draft saturated with skater talent, New York locks up their future franchise goaltender, who should be expected to enter his prime at a time convenient to them.
 
2nd Overall 
Bubbles Utonium | G | 342 TPE |  | @fishy
Goaler fever strikes yet again, and I'm saying that it's with another team who could use help at every position. Given the Dragons' tendency to draft first-gens in high places, I'm almost tempted to hot-take The Board Game Clue On Skates into this spot, but that's something I'll refrain from doing for a couple reasons. First, Utonium is a very solid prospect--in their first career, fishy stuck with Chicago for 8 seasons, and second, the Dragons' first real competitive run began in much the same way with the selection of Stone Wolski back in (I think) S71--who did the same. Ultimately, a combination of controversy and weird positioning leads to this pick as well, but the Dragons are quite pleased with it.
 
3rd Overall 
Miervaldis Arpa | G | 309 TPE |  | @Zack
Want an idea of how earning has changed over the last 8 seasons? Taro was #1 in his class at the time of the S75 draft, with 309 TPE. Arpa is #6 in this class, and he goes to London here because--you guessed it--GM controversy and a huge need for goalers, goalers everywhere. And what's created by the demand can certainly be supplied at the top. I certainly considered other avenues here, but one defining factor stood out with this one in particular--Arpa's agent was drafted by London in his last career with Kasper Kankkunen (if I'm spelling that right) and signed a career extension. Though Kankkunen didn't end up playing a full career in London, willingness to commit is a major quality GMs look for in the draft, and Arpa just may be able to provide if London is able to turn around skater-wise in good time.
 
4th Overall 
Milan Dvorak | D | 283 TPE |  | @solas
If we're using the logic of loyalty to a franchise being important, there's no better pick at #4 than Dvorak. Solas' last player, Jean Pierre Camus, was one of the premier goalers of the S70s, and spending an entire career with Chicago (as two of our top four players have done) is certainly something that figures to move him up Jeff's list this draft. I've taken the liberty of assuming that Dvorak is selected as a safe option, over still-available Tavish DeGroot and Max Torq, but if the safety plays out in the same way it did with Camus, Chicago will have no regrets for making this pick...and they will have taken the first step to rise from the ashes.
 
5th Overall 
Vasile Lamb | RW | 365 TPE |  | @dlamb
I do not know the extent to which Lamb's draft stock has or has not been manipulated, and quite honestly, I haven't really cared to find out. All I know is that I have heard it has been on some level--which is enough to drop him out of the very top of the draft. It is not, however, enough to make him drop to Warsaw at #9. I do not necessarily believe that every GM thinks the same way I do, and I am not entirely convinced that Helsinki would be the team to pull the trigger on this pick given what I know about Rayzor. That said, I don't want to project every GM's player to their own team because "that's just the way it is" and I also think this spot could make more sense than most others, for a few reasons (with apologies to dlamb--your player is simply the first GM player I have projected and I think most of the same logic applies to all):
 
-Helsinki has an extremely strong prospect pool. I don't want to dismiss the importance of good drafting now, but it's been done in the past. And I'm not going to downplay the effect of a selection not turning out well, but the Titans will be a good team a couple seasons from now whether this pick works out or not.
-I find it hard to believe that someone would follow through completely on whatever is being said. Retire immediately? Chances are that you're punished as a GM, or that your team receives punishment of their own in the form of draft pick loss and cap penalties. Try to leave in free agency right away? The only reason why you'd do that while already under contract with a different team is to get yourself on a team willing to trade you to your own team--which the original team will always be more than willing to do at fair market value rather than lose you in free agency. And, by the way, if a GM comes forward saying "hey, this other GM is going to leave if they're not traded to their own team and their own team only", I find it hard to believe that that also wouldn't lead to some form of punishment. In short, I believe that most pre-draft threats are empty, and that players will be at least semi-willing to contribute if selected elsewhere.
-On top of me not knowing what exactly is being said behind the scenes, I also have no idea what's being said behind the behind the scenes, if you will--private chats between members and GMs are generally much more civilized and have a much greater degree of mutual understanding than anything you'll see in public. If anyone has reached out to any GM in this draft, I find it hard to believe (yes, I'm using that phrase again) that they were met with immediate threats and a refusal to talk.
-If, in the event that something malicious happens that screws over Helsinki, the league does not provide some form of compensation to Helsinki, I would be very surprised.
 
TL;DR: I don't know that this will happen, nor do I necessarily think it, but I think it's more realistic than most might and I wouldn't fault the Titans for doing this. If it works out, they have the draft's second-highest-TPE player at #5 and are well on their way to the top in the EU.
 
6th Overall 
Max Torq | D | 364 TPE |  | @Steve
Torq's draft stock is dropped only somewhat here, for different reasons. There are potential upsides and downsides to selecting a player from Steve as a GM. I personally have a lot of good things to say about Steve, a now-established member with a unique graphics style--his last two players in Guy LeGrande and John Merrick have been solid contributors and top earners, and in the right places, they've been perfect fits for their teams and have been known to stick around. That said, the names of these players have been soured somewhat in the GM community due to the fact that Steve will make his opinion known when he is not happy with his player's performance or use by a team. There is nothing wrong with this, and Steve has nothing to apologize for--but purely objectively speaking as a (former) GM, a player of this type is less valuable as a prospect than one who promises to stick it out with the team as long as they possibly can. I project Torq to Riga here because the Reign need a defender, and a member with experience may gel with a GM with experience, both leaguewide and in terms of running a team and making it work. Should it work well, Riga gets a player who's better than he gets credit for.
 
7th Overall 
Bo Johansson | D | 268 TPE |  | @Shindigs
It's no secret to anyone paying any sort of attention that Shindigs is one of the more active newer members we've seen in a long time, and what better way to welcome a new member to the league than by drafting them in the first round? Johansson doesn't have quite the same TPE as many others still on the board, but what he does have is a near-unparalleled enthusiasm for league goings-on and an extraordinarily bright future. There's no doubt that this pick will work out quite well for Toronto, who satisfies a positional need and makes a smart investment in the future of the team and the league.
 
8th Overall 
The Board Game Clue On Skates | C | 295 TPE |  | @MubbleFubbles
Remember that history of drafting first-gens in DC? Though skipped over with the #2 pick, the Dragons return to their own tradition at #8 by selecting everyone's favorite ambulatory board game not named Ouija. This is my most hot-take-y pick, actually, as I think Clue could be selected as high as 3rd (and I still want to make this a hot-take pick at 2 or even 1, but I find it hard to justify it). Realistically, I see the draft's top non-controversial forward--yes, you read that right--ending up here. If there weren't as many teams in the draft who would cannibalize their head coach for a decent starting goaler, I totally would hot-take it. But DC can't miss with the creator of the draft class TPE visualizers (which I'd use here if I weren't too lazy to get up and find them) who's a VHLM GM already--that's faster than I became one, and I was the new guy when that happened.
 
9th Overall 
Tavish DeGroot | D | 375 TPE |  | @rory
In a flash of irony, I project DeGroot to Warsaw, the team who (allegedly) hopes to pick up Lamb. This is probably the hardest pick in the draft to project, because the article published by rory pertaining to their intended placement in this draft takes away the "allegedly" entirely as far as LA's intent goes. Is DeGroot falling to 24th overall? I genuinely think not, and if they do, some league policies need to be revisited. Again, much like Lamb at #5, I find it impossible to point to any team or GM in particular and say that I believe that they will be the team or GM to select a player who has assigned themself some varying amount of risk. So, again--am I saying that I believe Warsaw will select DeGroot? I am not. But I do find this slightly more realistic--think about what I said earlier for Lamb. I do not believe that rory would follow through on immediately retiring upon selection, I do believe that they (and LA) would be punished for it, and I also believe that Warsaw would be compensated. Further, if Lamb is off the board, and Warsaw selects DeGroot, rory's hand may be forced somewhat--if Lamb earns solidly with Helsinki, maybe signs an extension at some point, the pressure will be on rory to do the same in Warsaw. If it works, the Predators have picked up the top player in the draft.
 
10th Overall 
Mikhail Kovalchuk | D | 278 TPE |  | @Banackock
Much like Lamb, I do not know what has and has not been said to influence Kovalchuk's chances at going to Seattle behind the scenes. Up to this point, I've operated on the assumption that a GM player would be picked somewhat below where they would be picked otherwise, and that makes it impossible for me to project anyone else to Seattle. Kovalchuk is 10th in TPE in the draft class, and up to this point I believed that each other team would want a certain player more (or at the very least represented a semi-realistic landing place for a controversial player). Kovalchuk would still be on my board if he weren't a GM player, and it's for that reason that I can say that he is absolutely ending up with the Bears--in fact, it's more certain than anything else up to this point.
 
11th Overall 
Perry Laperriere | C | 269 TPE |  | @KaleebtheMighty
At last, GM players are done being mentioned, and we can construct our mock draft in a normal manner. And with more normal comes more forwards, of course! With Robert Bouchard gone after this season, Prague will need someone who can play center--and there's no greater connection than a VHLE GM being drafted by a VHLE Commissioner. On top of good earning and solid contributions as a member, Prague also gains the ability to threaten Kaleeb with the loss of his job if he doesn't keep up the earning and the contract signing. I'm just kidding, of course...unless?
 
12th Overall 
Kakapo Bushtit | RW | 272 TPE |  | @Esso2264
DERPHORSE EMOJI! DERPHORSE EMOJI! Calgary is one of those teams that just doesn't have a super glaring need (at least, they didn't when I spent 20 seconds looking at their team page earlier today). The previous agent of Joel Ylonen, Keven Foreskin (try to get that one past the mods today), and Doug Dimmadome returns to the draft with another installment of Esso-esque "you know what you're getting". Though top-of-the-league superstar potential is relatively low with this pick, Esso's players have a fairly high floor, and Calgary is happy to see that they can pick up a consistent earner who can crack the first line with a presence in seemingly every locker room there is.
 
13th Overall 
Ronan Lavelle | LW | 255 TPE |  | @Arce
Members returning from way back in the good old days usually go one of two ways. They will either quickly fizzle out, or become major contributors to the league once again, with not much in between. Though the jury is still out on anyone after one season, Arce appears to be on the right path, earning well and maintaining an active presence on Discord. It's because of this that I see Seattle as comfortable with reaching down a few spots in the TPE rankings--and it also doesn't hurt that Arce is the top forward on the board at this point. After drafting Kovalchuk at #10, it makes sense for positional balance, and the Bears should be happy to see this pick turn out well.
 
14th Overall 
Wumbo | G | 276 TPE |  | @Fire Fletcher
I Wumbo, you Wumbo, and Warsaw chooses to Wumbo as well with this selection. Assuming the first four picks of the draft aren't all goalers, Wumbo should fall farther down in the draft as not many of the teams between #4 and here have an immediate need for one. It's certainly realistic that Wumbo will fall to Warsaw here, as the Predators are one of the last teams that need someone in net. All in all, it's a smart pick of an established member, and as is the case with Bushtit, Warsaw knows what they're getting with it. A good goaler can be a good goaler without earning every bit of TPE possible, and as shown with this team's longtime use of Ajay Krishna, they're probably pretty cool with the consistent (and altogether still pretty decent) earn rate presented here.
 
15th Overall 
Maxwell Mathias | D | 260 TPE |  | @Underclass_Hero
Before anyone asks, no, I don't know what Davos plans to do in this draft. And that's just the way I like it as a writer. A then-inactive Underclass was once drafted late by Davos, but this was before their recent period of involvement with the VHL, including a hire as a VHLE GM. Certainly more can be expected from Mathias than from Elijah Flynn or Sebastian Satele, and more has been done already. With this pick, Davos attempts to compensate for its recent selling of Poopy Peepants and Reylynn Reinhart, and picks up the player that represents a returning member's breakthrough in the league.
 
16th Overall 
DB III | C | 229 TPE |  | @wcats
Dan Baillie is a name that should at least ring a bell for most who have been active for a while in this league. Though wcats is mostly on the quiet side, his players have generally turned out decent, with Dan Baillie and Dan Baillie Jr both putting up solid numbers without much recognition. Here, DB III goes to Vancouver, who likely continues to look for cap-friendly (and meta-friendly) players in the draft. DB III is both of these things, and should fit in well as a solid role player with the opportunity to put up the best numbers yet.
 
 
ROUND 2
 
 
17th Overall 
Nagy AL | D | 298 TPE |  | @bigAL
I'm very unsure what's going to happen with this pick, and it may be one that's even more high-risk, high-reward than the likes of Lamb or DeGroot. Al missed a week of updating last week, which will certainly knock him down a few spots on most draft boards. Further, blues-turned-former-blues usually don't end up staying as active as they once were immediately upon becoming former blues. If Al follows the same trajectory, his player won't be worth a high pick--but it's worth noting that he's a former #1 overall pick and the former face of a franchise, and if he gets back on the earning train after the draft, he could be that in Warsaw. 
 
18th Overall 
Seymour Butts | D | 216 TPE |  | @Squidward2
Everybody look out--fonzi is back! A motivated fonzi is an earning force to be reckoned with, and this is something that might end up propelling Butts even into the late 1st round, above some others with similar or even greater TPE. I did move Butts up the draft rankings somewhat because he's been able to max earn as of late--but I do so cautiously as fonzi has had a player or two drop off in activity. Should this pick work out, it's worth more than its position, but the chance exists that it won't. At the moment, though, things look promising and Butts should be viewed as an exciting prospect with room to contribute.
 
19th Overall 
Ben Dahl | G | 243 TPE |  | @Nothing but goals
Two words come to mind when I think of Chicago: asset management. The roster is depleted, and that happened without a rebuild, too. The Phoenix have a serious lack of players, and not enough draft capital to compensate. Only one thing will get this team out of the hole relatively soon, and that's managing on a budget and making smart decisions. Remember how I said earlier that a team's goaltender doesn't need 1000 TPA to succeed? Chicago recognizes that by going for a previously loyal skater at #4 and drafting Dahl at #19, who's still more than good enough to make a difference despite not being among the draft's top few goalers. Let's not forget this, either--if it weren't for a recent punishment for what seems to have been a relatively innocent mistake, Dahl would be higher in TPE and might have seen late-1st consideration. 
 
20th Overall 
James Teekirque | D | 250 TPE |  | @Mongoose87
Many seasons ago, picking up a 250-TPE player at 20th overall in the draft would have been seen as impossible. But here we are, and here we pick--Teekirque falls below Butts due to a lower level of member recognition, but Kosmo Kramerev, the last player created by Mongoose, managed to break 1000 TPE in a career split between Calgary and--you guessed it--New York. Teekirque is a better earner than most others left at this point in the draft, and promises to be more than usable in the seasons to come.
 
21st Overall 
Calix Pearce | D | 228 TPE |  | @Laine
Pearce is tough to place in the same way that Al is tough to place--his agent has dropped off somewhat. But if there's any place Laine can rebound, it's Helsinki, where he spent the majority of his last player's career. There are some players on the board with better earn rates, but Pearce comes with more establishment in the league and a past connection to the Titans, who would love to get the old Laine back. I think it's reasonable for them to take a chance on Pearce here, and see what happens.
 
22nd Overall 
Girts Galvins | LW | 227 TPE |  | @Girts
With all the complaining we do about the derphorse emoji (I enjoy it), there's another team without one that's up to date, and that's Vegas. Though the draft class has been dominated by Hounds and Marlins and Reapers and Lynx (yes, that's the plural form of Lynx, though "Lynxes" is actually acceptable as well), we had to wait until this point to find an Ace, and Riga certainly draws one with this pick. It's not unreasonable for Galvins to slip this far in the draft, given the TPE rankings and the volume of current and former max earners present in this class, but it's still a GM's dream to find someone max earning at 22nd overall. And I can promise that Galvins will absolutely not go past this pick--what can be more perfect than the draft's second Latvian player going to the league's only Latvian team? This is another pick I'm tempted to hot-take into a way earlier spot, but I'd rather represent what I think will happen than how I might personally draft.
 
23rd Overall 
Dabnad Shaw | D | 218 TPE |  | @Dabnad
I must have paid much less attention to the league than I thought last season, because I've never heard of Shaw. So, imagine my surprise when I found out that he's max earning--and I didn't even know about it! I thought I lived here! Anyway, take the same thing I said for Galvins about being super happy to find anyone earning like this at this stage of the draft and apply it here--with an abundance of defenders in this draft class, expect Shaw to fall to the early-mid second in a draft where such a pick would usually get someone a player in the 8-10 capped range. He'll fit in well in Toronto, who will plan to combine him with first-rounder Johansson to tear up the S80s.
 
24th Overall 
Red Gaming | G | 182 TPE |  | @Lilpfigher
We'll see what happens with this pick. Assuming the Great DeGroot Draft Tumble doesn't work out, LA will be left with options here. Though the Stars will be hit hardest with retirement at forward, they have a couple decent prospects who can fill the gaps, unlike their situation in net where we're forced to draw a huge question mark. After Rasputin is out next season, who takes over? Red Gaming doesn't quite project to be a true franchise goaler, but will at the very least exist at that point and in a few seasons could develop into a mid-level/#1A-type player (which has worked well for many teams before in net). If things work as intended, LA will be able to use their future assets primarily on skaters, and have one less position group to worry about.
 
25th Overall 
Phoebe Bridgers | LW | 196 TPE |  | @GrittyIsKing
Two on D and one in net, and we can't neglect the fact that a team's got to pick up some forwards at some point. Gritty's last player in Cole Newhook ended up a mid-level player with a strong devotion to the Moscow franchise. It's certainly possible that we could see this happen earlier (I was between Bridgers and Red Gaming at #24, though that's not saying much--we could see somewhere around #20 if a GM is feeling adventurous), but for now we put this player in at #25, once again hurt by a strong top end to the draft class. In any case, Warsaw would love to have a strongly enthusiastic member like Gritty around, and the pick will be sure to leave some other teams jealous.
 
26th Overall 
Branden Skuin | D | 216 TPE |  | @DrunkMonkey23
So apparently I'm only allowed 75 emojis per post, and this one took me to the limit and made me get rid of the team emoji I had to the left of the overall numbers. I thought they looked better bracketed, dammit! Anyway, there's a cluster of players around this TPE level, with varying earn rates and at varying positions. Skuin edges out a few others here, because he can be counted on to do more than just welfare every week, with press conferences and reviews (and the occasional 6-point task and capped week!) making the difference. Though it's at this point that players and members left generally become less recognizable, it's not as though Malmo is disappointed to be here--they get a solid prospect with room to grow.
 
27th Overall 
Bob Chicoine | LW | 194 TPE |  | @PoignardLeclerc11
Oh, look, another team emoji that hasn't been updated! Anyway...if there's one thing Prague has been able to do throughout their entire history, it's finding good prospects with later picks. Though a 2nd-rounder isn't a late pick by any stretch of the imagination (much less in this draft), it is "later on" among picks that are expected to work out. And Prague can expect Chicoine to work out--they get a player who's consistently earned around 10 capped per week with a lot of 6-point tasks (something GMs love to see when scouting). With this pick, the Phantoms add to their forward prospect pool, as Chicoine can be expected to play with Laperriere in the future.
 
28th Overall 
Obi Adesanya | LW | 210 TPE |  | @atw2592
Adesanya is yet another player I'd place in the "steal potential" category, right next to Skuin and Chicoine. Though not typically a player with 6-point tasks done every week, everything else, all the little 2-point stuff, is. And that stacks up--A year from now, if Adesanya earns 10 per week consistently, he will have earned 312 more capped TPE than someone who just clicks the welfare button. And if that's not enough to convince you, take a look at some players created by tfong or flyersfan--both have made players in high demand. Even if Adesanya never breaks into true max-earning territory, Chicago still picks up a great player to have at #28.
 
29th Overall 
Brian Payne | D | 220 TPE |  | @Scurvy
Another pick, another underrated player! Payne has some 6-point tasks done, and earns just as well as those immediately above him in most weeks. The only knock is that he's a tad bit inconsistent, with one recent week dropping down to welfare and a total of 8 capped, but it's nothing at all to worry about and the difference between Payne and Skuin, who I have projected three picks higher, should be miniscule. This gives Helsinki some safety in drafting Calix Pearce earlier on in the round, and also opens the door to the team picking the better of two options for themselves if both work out. Expect 26-29 to happen in any order!
 
30th Overall 
Eldon Escobar | C | 195 TPE |  | @TeeJay11
There's a noticeable drop-off between 29 and 30, though that noticeable drop-off is 10 capped per week to 8 capped per week, which is where Escobar consistently earns. Regardless of Moscow being ever-so-slightly disappointed to not be one pick higher, they're still quite satisfied with the result of picking at #30, as Escobar can still be a mid-level player with consistency (and anyone can be a high-level player with improvement). With Moscow being labeled as one of the league's more meta-friendly teams, too, it's possible that Escobar (whose PA hasn't broken 50 yet) could fit in quite well with a system that happens to be TPE-efficient.
 
31st Overall 
Doug Matchett | D | 187 TPE |  | @jacobaa19
Though Jacob hasn't quite panned out yet, he's been going around the VHL block since before I was in the league. Riga doesn't make this pick with the highest of expectations, but they do make it with some degree of optimism--the league does not need to be explained to a member who's made a few runs at it, and at this point it's clear that Jacob wants to be a part of it in some capacity. It's possible that Riga could be the place where Matchett catches on and exceeds expectations--might as well try!
 
32nd Overall 
Jared Carter the 2st | D | 210 TPE |  | @jaredc7
We begin and end our mock with New York, and it ends here because the player pool (generally) drops off a bit after the second round. At #32, the Americans pick up a player who's mostly been on welfare and the occasional player-store free week. However...Carter completed a press conference last week, breaking away from a period of only taking what is given. It's a small uptick in earning, but even the smallest are enough to make a GM notice. Quite like investing, it sometimes pays off to notice the very beginning of a trend and make a move before stocks go up. And it's possible that Carter could go up--he's been active enough to notice uncapped rewards given out for special events, meaning that he's more than just a portal clicker. With the right guidance, New York could end up with something special.
 
 
And that concludes the mock! Tell me what you think--agree, disagree, worship, throw last week's leftovers, and wait for this to become irrelevant as more trades roll in. For the moment, though, I hope you think I've given a good overview of our prospects and used decent logic in making predictions!
 
 
Yeah, words. There are 5,346 of them. See you in a month!

@CowboyinAmerica