McLovin

Shoutout @Mech hi for joining me as co-host! https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2454680933

CONDITIONAL TRADE ALERT S100 CGY 4th becomes S101 CGY 2nd if Grimgor signs with Calgary in S99. Confirm condition @Ricer13

Condition accepted!

All Done Titans One could definitely say I jinxed it, didn't I? Well, that was abysmal. Not even a few days after writing a media spot on how the Titans are going all in this season, and they need to show something for how rapidly and haphazardly we went from rebuilding to contending, we get absolutely blasted by Riga in 6 games and are staring down the barrel of a very uncomfortable question. Do we sell everything off now, or grasp onto the hope that we can somehow stay competitive moving forward? In my humble opinion, and I'm sure there will be those that disagree, including some who work directly with me, I don't believe we have what it takes to stay competitive, and that it was a mistake to go in on this season like we did. Accelerating a rebuild is always risky, but when you sell the farm and then some to make it happen, you basically all but guarantee you're gonna be screwed for the foreseeable future. We only ended up playing 6 more games this season than we would've had I not dedicated to being a contender, and grossly overpaying for players that I should've known at the time were not gonna stick around for long, one way or another. With some of my best players statistically speaking being some of the worst performers for us in the playoffs, I have no choice really but to throw in the towel and try to save what we have left. It's a very uncomfortable reality that I've cast upon the team, and at the end of the day it is my fault that this ended up happening. I suppose I'd like to apologize to my players first and foremost for the terrible ending to the season that we had. I don't know if I should've done better with the lines and strategies, better with how and when I traded, or anything in between. Regardless of where I went wrong there, a lot of these guys were in the tail end of their careers, and I fumbled a lot of them one way or another with some decisions that I made over the course of the season, and to them, I truly am sorry. Things like this make me question if I'm built for GMing here, if I'd just be better off being a player and leaving team building to people who have better impulse control and senses for managerial things, but I'm not really able to confidently say that I was completely wrong in at least wanting to give my guys a run at a Cup. I handcuffed myself to this situation, so the least I could do is ride it out and not leave a completely destitute team in the hands of a first time GM, have them fix the mess I created here. With that being said I suppose, if any GM's wanna hit me up on Discord or the forums to discuss trades, Helsinki is open for business. I definitely wanna dedicate to a proper rebuild this time, so please no rentals or nearly retired players. I will leave those DM's on read

Couldn't even be humble for a single minute, could you?

Brandon Hope - Prospect Scouting Report Age: 25, Height: 6'1 Weight: 196 lbs Nationality: United States of America Position: Goalie, VHLM Team: Las Vegas Aces S100 VHL Draft Eligible, S99 VHLM Draft Eligible VHLM Career: Brandon Hope got his professional VHL career started in S98 with the Las Vegas Aces towards the tail end of the season. In his three starts with the team, he put up a 0-1-2 record, with a 0.901 save percentage and a 2.63 goals against average. Despite not winning in any of his first three starts, he had glimpses of strong play. He didn't face a high volume of shots and high quality scoring chances, so his 2.63 GAA should be the focus point of his play as he only ended up facing 81 shots over his three games, an average of 27 shots per game. The Aces at the time of his starts did not also have the greatest defensive core available, so his ability to put up strong numbers is further amplified by his ability to cover the net quickly, though his secondary attributes need work before he can become a bonafide starter in the VHLM. He has already been approached by VHLM teams that are looking to pick up a goalie of the future, and will likely find himself in a starting role by the start of next season! Strengths: This early in his career, it's hard to properly assess both his strengths and weakness with a large sample size to pull from, but his abilities are such things that we can review to see where he stands both now and in the future. His speed is absolutely the highlight of his game as it stands right now, with both his reaction time and hand speed being his best attributes by the end of S98. He's is a highly agile goaltender in the crease, able to move back and forth between posts with ease and recover from butterfly and scrambles with minimal strain. Hope also has a nack for being composed under pressure, showing a strong focus and ability to steal games when his team is outshot. Weaknesses: The first and foremost weakness of Brandon Hopes game is his minimal experience playing professional VHL/VHLM caliber hockey. He hasn't played in the JST, WJC, or even seen playoff ice in the VHLM scene, and with his small sample size of hockey played with the Aces, it's also not entirely known how well he'd preform in a full VHLM season. Past that, his statistical agility, size and skating need a lot of work at the VHLM level, as he relies too heavily on his hand speed and reaction time to make up for poor positioning and net takeaway ability. It will take time, and likely multiple seasons before he can round out these skills, so he is a bit of a project goalie before he can make a difference in the VHLM, even longer in the VHL pros proper. Draft Notes: All in all, Brandon Hope has the pieces needed, and the drive to improve his game to become one of the VHLs best goaltenders if given the opportunity. His rapidly learning and improvements in multiple fields has turned him into a reliable backup goalie at the VHLM level already, and he will only improve with time. He has the ability to start in the VHLM at a high level for at least two seasons as he's not draft eligible until S100, but by then he is projected to already be a VHLM backup. While he doesn't have draft projections readily available, he is one of top goalies in the upcoming VHLM draft, and will make an immediate impact for whatever team he ends up getting drafted for in a few weeks. VHL GMs and scouts should keep an eye on this goaltender and see what kind of player he becomes down the line. Thank you for reading this Prospect Scouting Report! --------------------- 658 words

All-In Titans It's safe to say that (at least in the short term) my gamble to get Helsinki competitive as soon as possible has paid off pretty well. Two players in the top 5 of points, the second best goal scorer in the league, an almost assist per game defenseman, and a world class MVP candidate goalie backstopping us to a 4th place finish in the league overall. While this is fantastic for this season, I do admit that there was a large amount of shortsightedness in my acquiring these players and what it would entail for the future of this team. Having three players retiring this season, as well as our Captain informing the team that he did not want to re-sign with the team, opting to explore free agency instead, it has thrown a wrench in the long term future of the team, and has all but guaranteed that it's either this season or nothing for your Helsinki Titans. We own no first round picks in any of the next three drafts, have basically no draft capital for the big S100 season at the moment, and with time working against us in almost every capacity, I've hamstrung the team for the foreseeable future. We do have some promising futures coming up to the team next season, but in terms of potential down the line, what we have is what we'll get. A part of me regrets going so all in for a single season of winning after two very bad seasons, both in play and in team building. It's been a steep learning curve taking on the responsibilities of a VHL GM as opposed to the rather more straightforward nature of VHLM GMing. Balancing the salary cap, trade clauses, scouting, trading, valuation, it's all been a great task and would've been damn near impossible for me to navigate without such a fantastic team to help me through the first couple of seasons I've had as general manger of the Helsinki Titans. As for what the future holds, I definitely see a big retool or even rebuild on the horizon. This team as it stands has this season and maybe next season, but S100 and onward will be a tough and painful process until we can rebuild to a competitive level again. A part of the struggle certainly comes from just the lower density of drafts and player retention the league has suffered for a few years now. This won't turn into a rant about recruitment or anything because I don't think that's the problem here, but this also isn't a media spot about the decline of an active player count number on a forum. This is just me taking time to put my thoughts over the last few weeks in text and allow me to reflect a bit, as well as determine where I want to go from here. It's been a tough go as a VHL GM, and between Maxim Anisimov not fully panning out to be the player I wanted him to be, real life catching up to me in the worst ways possible, and everything else, GMing has definitely been a tougher hobby for me to enjoy as of late, so I'm hoping with a good season under my belt, I can build the confidence needed to not only know what it's like to win, but also how to stay humble and honorable in defeat, both with my player and my team as a whole.

Brandon Hope - Biography Early Years Brandon Hope was born and raised in Canton, Michigan, a suburb west of downtown Detroit. Being from Canton Michigan, a hop skip and a jump away from downtown Detroit, Brandon Hope from a young age was surrounded and immersed in a region with an incredibly rich hockey culture. Growing up in Detroit long after the automotive industry has long moved on, Hope and his family initially struggled to make ends meet. His love of hockey was fostered from a very young age and goaltending felt natural for him to try out as he's a very family and friends driven person, and wants to help in any way he can, even by putting his body on the line for it. Despite the costs of being a goalie in the modern day, Hopes family made it possible for him to chase his dream of being a professional hockey player and got him into programs and puck and stick open ice events at local arenas. Brandon Hope began his hockey career in local youth leagues, quickly distinguishing himself from his peers as a very promising goaltender starting at age 11. He played in many different U12 and U14 leagues across the state of Michigan for many years, but had his big break at 16 during a state championship in which his team came extremely close to winning the title, falling 3-2 in overtime. This instilled a drive in him to do whatever it took to win, and allowed him to experience suffering hardship early on, and to use it as a driving force to improve and come back stronger. Despite losing on the biggest stage he had been on to the point, his game was noticed by OHL scouts, which led to him being selected by the Sarnia Sting in that years Priority Selection draft. Major Junior During his time with Sarnia, Brandon Hope gained valuable experience playing against the best Canadian Major Junior hockey had to offer. In his 47 games with the team over the span of two seasons, he put up respectable numbers, but never had an opportunity to really shine like he had wanted. He was later then traded to Owen Sound, where in his time with the team, he started to pick up the pace a bit to really put his name on the board in big ways. After winning the Dave Pinkney Trophy for having the lowest GAA in the league, he started to get noticed by VHLM scouts who were looking to sign a young goalie who could potentially become something one day. After a very strong showing with Owen Sound, achieving a 28-19-4 record, with a 2.89 GAA & .916 save percentage, he was surprised to find himself traded yet again, this time to Niagara to round out the season. Hope couldn't believe it. Here he is at the end of his Major Junior career, and despite having relatively impressive numbers, he could never find a team to truly dedicate himself to and win big with. But not all "hope" was lost. Those VHLM scouts started to notice his skill, and wanted to provide him with a better opportunity than what the CHL could offer him, and he was more than willing to take on a change of scenery. VHLM On April 7th, 2025, Brandon Hope was approached by the management of the Las Vegas Aces in the VHLM to play a few games to round out the season. While not quite the glorious beginning he was hoping to begin a minor professional career with, he was grateful to the team for taking a chance on him. (The 1.5 million dollar contract they offered him to play those three games didn't hurt as well.) Despite only playing three games, the team rallied around Hope and gave him the best chance possible to help his team end the season on a positive note. A loss and two overtime losses later, and Hope was still chasing the high of winning his first professional hockey game. This didn't deter him though, as the league started to notice his massive potential and started trying to schedule interviews with him for the upcoming VHLM draft. Scouting Report Brandon Hope is everything you'd want in a goalie. He has stellar rebound control, style control, reaction time and hand speed. His skating, size and agility leave a lot to be desired, but as a goalie fresh out of the CHL joining the VHLM, he can only get better with time. He has a drive for winning, and will go to any lengths to ensure his team can make deep runs into the playoffs. While not being the flashiest or the coolest goalie out there, he is a goalie you can see in the starting lineup and think "Yeah, we've got this on lock." Fundamentals is the name of his game, and his hunger for success and dedication to his team make him a goalie teams can rely on and trust to go all the way with. ------------------------ 839 words

After many days of deliberation, I'd like to congratulate @Nykonax as Helsinki's newest AGM! Thank you to all who applied!!

Review: Now this is an incredibly high quality graphic. The colors, the text fading in and out of the foreground, the seamless jersey swap. Even little things like the Davos logo joining in the "tear" right across the middle of the graphic. This is a remarkably detailed addition to the forum, and I would genuinely love if I could commission you for my own new player if you're putting out graphics this high quality! Easily a 10/10 from me!

1. If you were allowed to make a new rule for the VHL What would it be? That I get to make it past the first round of the playoffs every single season 2. Lots of new faces on the team! What do you think of your new teammates/friends? I think they're fantastic! It's always such a pleasure to see new faces and new chemistry whenever waiver day comes around! 3. which team do you think has most defied the expectations from the preseason? Honestly it's gonna be a cop out answer, but I'm gonna say us! There weren't massive expectations for this group going into this season, and yet the team has put up a respectable season and could make some waves in the playoffs if the stars align that way. 4. You get to go back in time and watch a movie or tv show from the beginning for the first time again, which one are you picking? Revenge of the Sith, man when I first watched that movie back in like 2005, my entire life trajectory changed. I wonder what it would do to me today if I watched it for the first time again 5. You keeping up with the NHL standings? Do you think the Habs or Blue jackets are getting the wildcard spot? My brain says it's the Habs, but my heart desperately wants it to be the Blue Jackets 6. You get $200,000 USD in your bank account right now, what is the first thing you’re doing with it? Payin bills and debts off cause I need that credit score to go up

Hello everybody! The wonderful @OblivionWalker has stepped down from her position as AGM of the Helsinki Titans, and I wanna thank her for all the work she put into the Titans in helping the team grow and mesh into the unit its become today! We wouldn't be the same team without you, and you'll be greatly missed in our locker room! With that said, I am in need of a new AGM that can help out especially with the playoffs rapidly approaching. There's a few criteria I'd like met before one applies for this position, so take close care in seeing if you are capable of meeting these standards prior to applying. That said, applicants should be able to do the following: 6 weekly press conference questions for the players both on roster and prospects in the VHLM to answer for TPE (You can claim your 6 questions as presser TPE for yourself) Assist with lines & strategy when I am not available to submit them, as well as providing input to potential trades Help out with scouting for the draft and assist in conducting player interviews in the weeks leading up to the draft Positive locker room presence and regular activity in the discord To anybody interested in applying, comment on this post expressing your interest or message me on Discord @itsmclovin with the same thing, and I'll likely make a decision within the coming days! Thank you in advance to all who apply!

Being told what lines to run as my team is on a 7 game heater with the most goals scored in the league is so funny to me. I love y'all hahahaha

A Legacy of Disappointment: Maxim Anisimov Let's keep this one short and sweet, just like his playoff appearances, shall we? Man oh man where to begin. I created Maxim Anisimov back in the summer of 2023. He was my first player back since during the pandemic and I was so hyped to finally be back in the league after so long. I created a winger because it's how I started with my first player before moving him to center, so I was familiar with the strategy, the TPE placements, things like that. The forum and league itself had changed a ton since I was last here. There was a brand new league called the VHLE (now defunct, rip bozo), a bunch of my friends were still around like @ShawnGlade and a few folks who have now since departed the league. It was fantastic. I created Anisimov as a reference to the 2BCproductions NHL Franchise Mode he did with the Nashville Predators, and a franchise potential playmaker in it also named Maxim Anisimov (It's also where the inspiration for my current player Brandon Hope came from, but in a series he did with the Coyotes in NHL 15.) I wanted to model my guy off his guy as best as I could, make him a playmaker first, speedy, good special teams player too. I wanted to finally have a GREAT player instead of the last two just average players I had before who never even eclipsed 1k TPE. I put in the work too, media spots, articles, VSN posts, job pay, all to pay for his growth and development into one of the leagues best. Accidentally created a really consistent goal scorer instead but you can't win them all My disappointment with him however, and the reason for the title of this media spot, stems from just how he's been utilized in the past almost two years now. I have to frankly say that I am really disappointed, both in myself and my teams in how Anisimov's been treated. The LR's I've been a part of due to my player have all been excellent environments, they just didn't have too much in the way of TPE opportunities getting posted for me to REALLY take off with my earnings. That, and also just the fact that he has never played more than 5 games in any seasons playoffs, both in the M, E and VHL, it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of personal achievements on top of team ones. I can't lie when I say that being stuck on two teams who have struggled immensely with creating deep runs in the playoffs has affected my ability to stick to the website. I lost my drive to post weekly media spots or articles, my VSN posts have been non-existent lately, and I've gotten by just claiming job pay and welfare for my guy over the last few months. I figure "well I'm deprecating now, my best seasons are behind me and nothing happened, no point in breaking my back any longer." and it's a really bad mindset I've found myself in. Having Anisimov as my first good player has been amazing though, and seeing him have great season after great season has helped my confidence in making good players with hard work and dedication put into it. Despite that though, I still can't help but feel like his career is missing a lot, especially in terms of individual awards or deep playoff pushes with teams. I personally haven't won a cup in ANY league since my FIRST player back in like 2019. That was Season 70 with the Vancouver Wolves. I want to win, both for myself and for my team, I just have no idea what I have to do other than put hours upon hours of my free time into my player just for that work to go towards nothing in the legacy category. All in all, I'm proud of Anisimov. I didn't ever expect him to have as many good seasons as he did, but he was very much worth the effort I put into him. I'm hoping I find more success with Hope, but we will have to see how that all pans out this time by 2027 LMAO. Thanks for reading my rant!

1. Jorgen Lovstrom has been an absolute machine for us. This guy single handedly puts the team on his back night in and night out. We would be nowhere near first place without him. 2. Since we're riding first seed in the conference and the league right now, honestly I wanna see anybody go up against us right now. We're on a crazy win record, every gear is turning, this team is unstoppable right now! 3. Moscow most likely, their offense would put our defense on high alert and Lovstrom would need to bail us out with every save he makes. It would be a bloodbath of a series! 4. I'm never happy with Maxim Anisimov hahahaha 5. Really any team with a solid offense really. Our team averages about 2-4 goals a game depending on the competition, but when we play a solid offensive team it all goes to complete hell and back 6. I didn't sign up for any of that oops