Rayzor_7

VHL's Third League
 
Hello @Members!
 
For awhile now the @BOG have been teasing a more robust option to deal with the roster room issue we have been experiencing lately. Many of you have been assuming this means more expansion, despite us continuing to refute those claims. Well... the expansion claims and us saying they are wrong were both correct in a sense. Today the VHL is announcing that the VHL and VHLM will no longer be the only leagues contained within our Community, we are adding a third, the Victory Hockey League: Europe.
 
Be design the VHLE will fit between the VHLM and VHL so that players are not stuck at the VHLM level passed when they should be there, making the M as a true developmental league, but also not getting pushed to the VHL before they are ready for it. This will open up the rosters of the VHL teams as they will only contain the higher TPE players. Specifically the caps for the individual leagues will be:
 
VHLM: 30-199 TPE*
VHLE: 200-399 TPE*
VHL: 350+ TPE
 
*Of note these limits operate in the same way as the VHLM does now. So you can claim past the TPE limit but you cannot apply past it.
 
Obviously there's a bit of weirdness at the bottom there as the VHL starts at 350 while the VHLE doesn't end until 399. This is intentional to allow players above 350 TPE to enter the VHL if they so choose but they are not forced to do so until the 400 TPE mark. This does mean that some players can, or will be forced to, skip the VHLE completely; know that this is not necessarily a guaranteed step in your progression. If you are above 350 TPE by your VHL draft and want to skip the VHLE completely you may do so.
 
VHLE Leadership
 
Obviously the @Commissioner and @VHLM Commissioner  teams are already quite busy with the VHL and VHLM respectfully so running a whole third league will not fall on them, a new Commissioner team will be added to cover the VHLE. @Acydburn and @Victor have graciously offered to head up this new leadership group. This will of course involve Acyd giving up his current Green team role (which we will be hiring for) to head this new league into the future including hiring the GM's for the new roles, which leads me nicely into the next topic.
 
VHLE Teams and Mentality
 
In effect the VHLE is not a developmental league like the VHLM. Its purpose is not to recruit and retain members and it's GM's will not be bound to that mantra like the @VHLM GM's are. The job of an VHLE GM is to be competitive within their bracket. It will still have the fast turnarounds of the VHLM given it's small TPE window but teams may use their assets as they please to get the most out of their teams and win.
 
Notice I did say VHLE GM's. TheVHLE teams will not be controlled by @VHL GM's or VHLM GM's but rather be new GM opportunities in their own right. But for what teams? Well that's up to you all to decide.
 
Seeing that the league has many amazing old European teams that have been left to the sands of time, we will use those teams to make up the VHLE with the league voting on which 6 they want to see. This means that the Vasteras Iron Eagles, for example, could return; and / or the Cologne Express, Stockholm Vikings, and many others. We have the teams, we have the logos, and we see no reason to not use them so they will make up the pool of teams you all can decide on. The poll for this will be going up soon.
 
Layout wise with the league being only 6 teams at the moment will be simple: 1 conference with the 4 top teams making the playoffs per season. In addition the VHLE will not be affiliated in any way with the VHL or VHLM so it will be simulated as an entirely separate league, the same way the two are now. Think the KHL rather than the AHL.
 
Contract wise the league will be similar to the VHLM with more or less a "free for all" mentality. If a player has been drafted to the VHL they will receive their VHL contract but otherwise all players are signed to $1.5M contracts with no bonuses or salary cap to speak of. This could change in the future if we feel a cap and formal contract structure would improve the VHLE but we want to see if that's necessary first.
 
 Draft Structure, Career Length, and Depreciation
 
Adding a third league will obviously affect how drafts and career lengths operate within the VHL. With the VHLE placed where it is in a player's career, and the expectation that they will spend at least one season there, it would obviously create problems for the career clock if we didn't address it. For that reason player careers will be formally extended to 9 seasons, with draft seasons being set the same as they always have. This means you will be eligible for both the VHL and VHLE draft in the same season; potentially all three if you time it right. If, at the draft, you are at or above 350 TPE and would like to go straight to the VHL you still get the 9 season VHL career, adding a year onto the total you can have now. If you spend a season in the E league, as most will, you don't lose out on a VHL season and still retain the 8 that is currently available.
 
So, for example, let's take a player that creates at the S79 deadline. We follow the same rules as now so his VHL draft is S81. In his season and a bit in the VHLM this player earns 200 TPE. This player is drafted to both the VHLE and the VHL. He does not have the minimum TPE to play in the VHL so goes to the VHLE for S81, finishing with 350 TPE or the minimum to play in the VHL. At this point he can choose to either go up to the VHL and play 8 seasons from S82 or he may chose to stay down for a season and would enter the VHL in S83. In either case he retires at the end of S89, having played 7 or 8 seasons.
 
An alternative example is a super heavy earning player. Let's assume he creates at the same time and has the same draft date but has a bunch of carryover and gets a very large amount of TPE in the VHLM. He enters the drafts at 350 TPE, the minimum to play in the VHL. He may choose to skip the VHLE completely and go straight to the VHL in S81. He will then play for 9 seasons and retire at the same time in S89.
 
Nine seasons does add one caveat however; depreciation. As it stands right now depreciation only hits for 3 seasons, season 6-8 of your career. This holds two problems, one exists currently and one is new. The more obvious one is that having 9 seasons means we need to add a depreciation level. For this the same percentage (7%) from year 8 will be used but we will not be adding an additional depreciation fighter to the store that can be used for this season. That means only the Jagr purchase can help you fight 9th season depreciation, you must take the full 7% hit.
 
The second problem, which exists now, is that players can spend extra time in the minor leagues and be hit with depreciation in their "6th" season but that could be, in fact, their 4th VHL season. This does not seem fair to hit lower earners with so quickly, even being percentage based, so we are changing depreciation slightly. Depreciation seasons are now based on VHL seasons played, not seasons since your draft. That means a player who skips the VHLE and plays 9 VHL seasons will be depreciated 4 times. A player that plays 1 VHLE season will be depreciated 3 times, and so on. So if a player takes his time to get to the VHL and only plays 5 VHL seasons he will not face depreciation by the time he is forced into retirement.
 
Call-Ups, Send-Downs, and Graduation Bonus
 
As all VHLE players will be owned by VHL teams as well the issue of call-ups and send downs must be addressed. Like the cap situation this may change later but to start we will only be allowing call-ups and send-downs during the off-season and, obviously, only if the player in question meets the TPE bracket for the league they are being sent to.
 
This means that at no point mid-season can a player be plucked away from their VHLE team to join their VHL team, similarly no player will be pulled from the VHLM to join the VHLE. Whatever league you start the season in is the league you finish the season in.
 
In addition the graduation bonus will remain in place where it is, exiting the VHLM. With the VHLM remaining as a "training ground" of sorts it makes the most sense to reward players for graduating from there. The VHLM to the VHL or VHLE is what we are looking at as the "upwards" movement while the VHLE to VHL is more of a lateral move in your career.
 
 Introduction Timeframe
 
Obviously a change this large can't be implemented immediately and start next season. We would not want players who have already created but are undrafted to be left suddenly being told there's an extra league before the VHL that they were unaware of. There's also a matter of dealing with the players who currently sit on VHL rosters that are under 350 TPE and wouldn't be allowed under these rules.
 
Therefore, the VHLE first season will be S80 meaning players that retire at this deadline will be the VHLE's first draft class. Players currently on VHL rosters who are under 350 TPE at the start of S80 may remain on the roster if they so choose or they may be placed into the VHLE draft, remaining as prospects for the VHL teams that drafted them. Likewise any players currently drafted who are still in the VHLM will be given the option of going to the VHL or the VHLE at 200 TPE. Their career clock remains unchanged however; only players starting in the S80 draft will be given the 9 season career and new depreciation rules.
 

Hi, my name is Beketov, and if you have any questions, please try to direct them here:
 

Around the VHL - Season 78 Preview Edition - May 20th, 2021
 
In S77, the Warsaw Predators captured the European Conference title and were joined in the top-3 of the overall VHL standings by the Helsinki Titans and London United. Eventually, Helsinki would make it through to the finals before falling to Seattle.
 
It was an off-season of relatively little change in the EU, at least compared to the previous season that had seen teams like Riga, London, and Prague all make big moves to try to vault to contender status while Moscow and Malmo had fire sales of sorts. Only London looks significantly different in terms of the team’s core compared to last season.
 
Today we take a look at the EU Conference teams heading into S78 and their biggest off-season changes, in predicted order of finish.
 
1st - 
Forwards: 771.6 (2nd) // Defense: 640.4 (1st) // Goalie: 586.0 (8th) // Grade: 696.9 (1st)
 
Key Addition: RW Gregg Stallion
The Predators’ biggest splashes in the off-season were cap-related selling moves, but in signing Stallion as a Free Agent, they added a talented scorer who has spent his entire career to this point in Vancouver, coming off a career-high 40-goal, 92-point season. Stallion will be more of a depth player than he usually was in Vancouver this season, but is a nice add to the Warsaw forward group.
 
Key Deletion: D Latrell Mitchell
It was obviously difficult for Warsaw to move Mitchell, who has spent the past 3.5 seasons with the team and became one of the league’s best defensemen. The salary cap necessitated a move and he was sent to New York in exchange for Kaladin Kvothe, 1st, and 3rd round picks as well as an option to swap 2nds in S80. Mitchell will be sorely missed, though the Predators still have a very good blueline.
 
Overview
Warsaw posted the league’s best regular season record last year, and also had the league’s best offense with a league-high 291 goals. With a very similar looking team to last season, there isn’t much reason to think they can’t do something similar this year. Led by Aloe Dear and Dakota Lamb up front, Victor Grachev and Chris Hylands on defense, the Predators have one of the best groups of both forwards and defensemen in the EU. Ajay Krishna has been great the past three seasons, but will need to stave off depreciation this year. That’s their one possible weak spot, but Warsaw will be one of the best teams in the EU again this year.
 
2nd - 
Forwards: 787.3 (1st) // Defense: 557.0 (5th) // Goalie: 699.0 (4th) // Grade: 695.8 (3rd)
 
Key Addition: G Jacob Carson
Carson is only the backup goalie, but there’s not much choice here as the only new face on the pro roster. Carson has actually posted very good numbers over two seasons as a backup with Warsaw, with a career 9-7-2 record and 0.930 SV%.
 
Key Deletion: RW Xavier leFlamant
leFlamant left DC for a year to come to Prague, but after one season in the EU he went back to DC as a Free Agent this off-season. His one year overseas resulted in a bit of a drop-off in production from what he had been putting up in DC, but still a respectable 61 points. Prague does have a very deep forward group, so we’ll see what Robert Bouchard and Dan Baillie can do with the increased opportunity.
 
Overview
They’re a good all-around team, with arguably the best forward unit in the league led by Thomas Landry II and his 200 points over the past 2 seasons. It’s the final season for both Landry and Jim Bob, so Prague will be looking to send them out on top, and they’ve got the lineup to contend. Defensively, they could use one more top pairing defenseman but they do have a deep group there too and Grekkark Gyrfalcon has proven to be a star netminder since arriving in trade from Malmo in S76.
 
3rd -
Forwards: 656.7 (5th) // Defense: 615.4 (2nd) // Goalie: 975.0 (1st) // Grade: 696.0 (2nd)
 
Key Addition: D Micah Adrienne
London saw plenty of big names coming in and out over the past season, and this could easily be General Zod, as well. But Erik Killinger won awards last season, so as the piece coming back in the biggest magnitude trade, Adrienne will be the addition under the biggest magnifying glass. The former 3rd overall pick has been a good-to-great defenseman so far in his VHL career, now London will hope he can take it to yet another level.
 
Key Deletion: D Erik Killinger
The United also lost future Hall of Famer Mikko Lahtinen to retirement and D Kasper Kankkunen in a trade. None of those are fun losses, but the biggest immediate impact will be felt in the loss of the defending Wylde and Labatte Trophy winner, Killinger, who had 86 points, 177 hits, and 182 blocked shots last season.
 
Overview
They lack the elite forward group of Warsaw and Prague, but still have solid talent throughout the lineup with Julian Nousianen, The Terrible Trivium, Kevin King, and Alec Volchenkov. They’ve also got one of the best goalies in the league in Jacob Tonn, a former Shaw Trophy winner. London finished second in the EU with a 45-24-3 record, and despite changes and big losses, they have come out of it in pretty decent shape and figure to be among the European Conference contenders again.
 
4th - 
Forwards: 681.5 (4th) // Defense: 568.9 (4th) // Goalie: 829.0 (2nd) // Grade: 668.6 (4th)
 
Key Addition: D Jan Hlozek
The 8th overall pick in S77 moves up to the VHL this season and may be expected to step right into a top-4 role on a team with serious playoff aspirations. Hlozek posted 63 points in 72 games with Miami last season and while he might have expected more, he is a very highly regarded youngster who Riga is happy to have in the lineup this year.
 
Key Deletion: C Ray Sheilds
Sheilds rode off into the sun a year earlier than some thought, probably partially due to a disappointing S77 campaign in Riga where he only put up 62 points and the team failed to live up to expectations. Prior to that, Shields had reeled off four straight 85+ point seasons. Sheilds was a true star, and someone that Riga will have trouble replacing.
 
Overview
Eager to get last season’s mess behind them, Riga kept together their S75 draft core and have built a good roster once again. It will be up to them to live up to it on paper this time. They have a smaller roster this season than the past two, so there will be more opportunity for players like Justin Lose, Addison McLaren, Cabe McJake, and Isau DaMoose - the Reign are counting on a couple of breakout seasons there. Defensively, they’re similar to Prague with a deep group, just no true superstar, while Calvin Harvey has the talent to be one of the league’s better goalies if he can rebound from a tough S77.
 
5th -
Forwards: 721.7 (3rd) // Defense: 475.4 (7th) // Goalie: 735.0 (3rd) // Grade: 641.8 (5th)
 
Key Addition: D Mikael Keef
Keef joins the team as a Free Agent signing after spending four years with the Los Angeles Stars. Last year was his best, as he had 58 points, 185 hits, and 179 blocked shots (also finishing with a positive +/- rating for the first time). With James Rose and Emi Rune outbound, Keef will need to be a contributor.
 
Key Deletion: C Venus Thightrap
Of the players the Titans lost, the biggest challenge will be replacing Thightrap’s 41 goals and 93 points. There’s a good forward group here nonetheless, but 90 point players don’t grow on trees.
 
Overview
Having developed a reputation as perennial contenders, this year brings some challenges for Helsinki losing Thightrap, Rose, and Rune. That’s a big bite out of a lineup with not much help coming in to replace them, but they’ve still got a very good group of forwards. Valtteri Vaakanainen has consistently been a big-time scorer and will have to lead the way again. We all know what Zamboni Driver can do in net, too, but it will be a matter of how well the defense can hold up especially with the big losses.
 
6th - 
Forwards: 476.1 (8th) // Defense: 590.1 (3rd) // Goalie: 670.0 (5th) // Grade: 546.4 (6th)
 
Key Addition: C Luc Tessier
They also added Rocket, who’s the better player in the immediate future, but this is a rebuilding squad and Tessier, the 4th overall pick in S78, is going to be a huge piece of the team going forward. Coming off a 78 point VHLM campaign, there will be plenty of minutes for him as a rookie in Davos this year.
 
Key Deletion: RW Vlad Imir
There were quite a few faces heading out of Davos in the off-season, though none played particularly huge roles. Imir had spent the previous 3 years with the team, with a career high 17 goals and 37 points coming in S77.
 
Overview
Davos seem to always be rebuilding, and here they are again. It’s not all bleak for their future, though, as they have two elite building blocks in Taro Tsujimoto up front (92 points last season) and Reylynn Reinhart on the blueline (S77 2nd overall pick who had 48 points in her rookie season). They’re adding Tessier and David Tavau, two highly regarded prospects from the S78 draft, and Kunibuni UnGuri is developing as a #1 netminder. There is hope for the future with this team, but it’s unlikely this will be the season they get back to the playoffs.
 
7th - 
Forwards: 488.5 (7th) // Defense: 492.9 (6th) // Goalie: 654.0 (6th) // Grade: 517.5 (7th)
 
Key Addition: LW Muffbeav
Muffbeav instantly becomes the best forward in the Malmo lineup and still has four years left in his VHL career. He’s actually spent most of his career to date as a defenseman, but moving up front will give him a chance to make the most of that 6’5, 215 frame in front of the net. With 71 points last season, Malmo hopes they’ve added a point-per-game or better forward here.
 
Key Deletion: RW Gino DiGiannantonio
For Malmo, the real big deletions came at last season’s trade deadline, so DiGiannantonio’s 35 points is the only real asset of consequence that moved on in the summer.  The loss opens up playing time for Druss Deathwalker, who only had 17 points in his rookie season but had a whopping 317 hits.
 
Overview
Malmo snuck into the playoffs last season despite rebuilding and trading some big names at the trade deadline, so it’s entirely possible they pull off something similar again this year, but on paper they seem to lack enough depth to contend for that 5th spot. This is especially the case if Riga plays more to expectations this time around. Talented youngsters like Brendan Telker and Deathwalker will get the best opportunity of their young careers while Artem Tretiak looks to continue to grow in the starter’s role.
 
8th -
Forwards: 495.7 (6th) // Defense: 348.0 (8th) // Goalie: 610.0 (7th) // Grade: 465.5 (8th)
 
Key Addition: D Hard Markinson
The Menace have plenty of young stars up front, including Duncan Idaho, Paul Atreides, Philip Stein, and The Seabasstard. It’s the blueline that needed addressing, and #2 overall pick Hard Markinson figures to be the main piece in the effort to shore that up. Markinson played on the loaded Mississauga team last year and managed to put up 63 points and 198 hits.
 
Key Deletion: C Chad Magnum
Chad Magnum retired after a solid eight-year VHL career last season, though only the last 27 games of that were spent with Moscow. In 576 games he put up 187 goals, 452 points, and 2542 hits. A grizzled veteran with grit is always welcomed for a rebuilding team, but truthfully, the Menace didn’t have too much in the way of consequential off-season losses.
 
Overview
They’ve got a massive roster that might make playing difficult to find for some players, and they are clearly rebuilding. Relative to the rest of the division, they’re near the bottom in all three position groups. That’s primarily due to inexperience, though, as there are a host of very talented youngsters on this squad. Among the rebuilding squads in the EU, this may be the team set up best for the future with the amount of young talent they have. While they are unlikely to be a factor in the standings this season, it won’t be long.
 
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The ratings here are weighted averages of the top-6 F, top-4 D and starting goalie.

Players Mentioned: @SweatyBeaver @dasboot @DangerGolding @dlamb @Renomitsu  @KaleebtheMighty @hylands @Hooperorama @jacobcarson877 @Gaikoku-hito @wcats @jRuutu @Doomsday @Sharkstrong @BarzalGoat @Poptart @Peace  @Matt_O @MexicanCow123 @der meister @okochastar @IamMOOSE @SirRupertBarnes  @16z @Beketov @Zetterberg @Bojovnik @Mrpenguin30 @tcookie @Eynhallow @youloser1337 @RedSus @BladeMaiden @Emi @MattyIce @Jubo @RStar @Tape-to-Tape @Rocket @KC15 @Ricer13 @GustavMattias @Ahma @Berocka @Big Dee @.sniffuM @animal74 @Telkster @Molholt @pennypenny @STZ @OrbitingDeath  @Mr_Hatter @IHateBobNutting @Seabass @Corco

Welcome back for another season of the VHLM Power Rankings, brought to you by your good friends at Victory Sports News! Today marks the first day of the new season and there's a ton of excitement in the air as we prepare to kick off our 78th season of VHLM hockey. As noted in our VHLM Playoffs Review, the Miami Marauders pulled off another Founder's Cup stunner and upset the Mississauga Hounds in a four game sweep of the finals. The Hounds were the perennial favourites to go the distance all season, but in true Miami fashion, the Marauders came out of nowhere to stun the entire league, and the hockey gods denied the Hounds of the title. After a lengthy offseason, we held our VHLM Dispersal Draft this past Sunday night. In traditional VHLM fashion, new teams have emerged as contenders for this season while others are back to the drawing board and starting to rebuild from the ground-up again. With all that in mind, let's get right down to business. I present to you, the first edition of the S78 VHLM Power Rankings!
 

Prev: N/A  |  Current: 1
To put things into perspective a bit, the last time the Marlins found themselves in the upper echelon of the Power Rankings was all the way back in Season 75 when they had a season where they went all-in. Two long seasons have passed, and GM @thadthrasher has endured some hard times, but heading into Season 78, this could finally be the Marlins time to shine. Thad picked up the pieces of a franchise that had next to no assets and slowly and methodically planned his rebuild. The Marlins went from a crawl to a limp, and then from a limp to a walk. Now in Season 78, the Marlins will be in full sprint. Building off of a fantastic Season 77 that saw San Diego breakthrough with their young core and make the playoffs, the Marlins have bolstered their lineup even further heading into this season. San Diego owned the seventh pick in the draft on Sunday, and when it was time for them to draft, they announced a blockbuster trade. They opted to ship off their seventh overall pick, as well as their first and third round picks in next season's draft off to Miami in exchange for defenseman @Deee.Geee Damien Salducci and forward @MrShark Declan Wolf. Both these players just celebrated winning the Founder's Cup just last season, so bringing in two high-end TPE players with playoff experience is a massive boost to a team that was already looking dangerous. The Marlins will also be welcoming back top Prague prospect @Mistxh J Nicholas Mariani, as well as the reigning Matt Bentz Trophy winner @Eldredman Aldwin Craig. They are also solid in between the pipes this season as they acquired top-tier goaltender @Erik Morgan Karlsson in the offseason in a trade with Las Vegas. To summarize, the Marlins are elite in all areas of the ice this season, and look to be a major threat to any teams vying to contend for the Founder's Cup. 
 

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Coming in at number two, we have the Minnesota Storm who are in a very peculiar spot at the moment. At the start of the offseason a vacancy opened up in VHL management. Longtime VHLM General Manager @Rayzor_7 was given the nod to become the new GM of the Helsinki Titans. It was also announced that he would be bringing his Assistant GM @Mr_Hatter along with him in his new venture. First off, congrats to them, as both these users have been long time pillars in our community and are deserving of the promotion. With that being said though, there is now a vacancy in Minnesota that is yet to be filled. For the meantime, Rayz is pulling double duty, but when the position does in fact get filled, the new management will be coming into a great situation. The storm are coming off the heels of a disappointing first round exit at the hands of the Halifax 21st. While it surely wasn't the outcome the Storm had planned for, they still are in great shape as they brought back a number of returning players. The G+G connection of @Garrett Gary Tarantino II and @Garsh Henri le Massif are back together once again and will look to lead the way up front for the Storm. Meanwhile @stevo Ron World Peace III is back for his fourth season with Minnesota and will look to anchor their blueline. In addition, the Storm drafted @ROOKIE745 Jonathan Ori with the ninth overall pick in the draft. This could be a player to watch going forward and I could see him being the team's first line center sooner rather than later! Returning to the crease this season is controversial goaltender @Flames1Fan Dexter Vaughn. Being nearly at the maximum TPE cap, this will be the final season for alot of the Minnesota mainstays, so if they want to compete, this is the year for them to do it. On paper they can hang with the best of the best, but that's why we play the games!
 

Prev: N/A  |  Current: 3
Taking the third spot to start the season are none other than the Philadelphia Reapers who are coming off a down year in Season 77. With Reaper alumni @glass Kjell Nilsson retired, it is a new chapter in the city of Brotherly Love. The Reapers hired @Alex_J32 to be the team's new Assistant General Manager, while @KaleebtheMighty was promoted to full-time GM. Things seemed to get off to a strong start in the offseason when the Reapers won the draft lottery. To nobody's surprise, they took their own AGM, Alex Johnston with their 1st overall pick. Johnston is a product of Yukon from last season and looked to be poised to have a dominant year in the M before moving up to Calgary for Season 79. Johnston will join carryovers @caltroit_red_flames Genghis Khan and @ColeMrtz Zeljko Ranogajec to form a very steady core for Philly. The area of interest to me however, seems to be in net as we have a developing story right at the time of writing this piece. In the second round of the draft, the Reapers selected @Spaz Tobias Reinhart and it appeared like they had locked up their goaltender for the season. Reinhart was one of the best goalies available in the draft and it seemed like slam dunk pick. Merely an hour or so ago, we have word that the Reapers have come to terms on a one year contract with goaltender @Lspinelli Luke Spinelli, the reigning Benoit Devereux trophy winner. Acquiring a near-max TPE goalie right before the puck drop on the opening season creates many questions. Could this be a platoon-type situation where the goalies were share time? Or perhaps this will give the Reapers a trade asset if they were to look for an upgrade at another position? Regardless it is a major signing and this move alone was enough for me to elevate Philly into the third spot of this installment of the Power Rankings.
 

Prev: N/A  |  Current: 4
Yukon is coming off the heels of a strange season in Season 77. While they had a team that could definitely make the playoffs, they didn't really have enough balance in their roster to make a real run for a championship. Identifying that fairly early in the year, Yukon made a series of deals to prepare themselves for this upcoming season. On two different occasions last year the Rush opted to trade away a Top 3 scorer in the league for picks. Yukon had a busy offseason and has overhauled their roster significantly. Before the draft they dealt a package of picks to Mississauga for highly touted defenseman @diamond_ace  Tynan Sylvester.  The draft lottery then happened and confirmed that Yukon would pick third in the draft. With that pick the Rush wasted no time in drafting the explosive winger @Zetterberg Tyler Reinhart. The Rush weren't done there though as they had a second pick in the first round at 12. Instead of waiting for pick 12 though, they traded up in order to get the very next pick in the draft. With that selection, they took @Beketov Papa Emeritus, the ice cold Swedish goalie who will send shivers down your spine! The Rush went on to make six total picks in the Dispersal Draft. They weren't done there though. Right at midnight when waivers opened, they announced the signing of Tyler Reinhart's brother, @MexicanCow123 Jerome Reinhart. Jerome will look to play on the same line as his older brother and the two should bring some natural chemistry to Yukon. Still not content, the Rush pursued more players. After lengthy negotiations, Yukon came to terms with rookie @jRuutu Erlantz Jokinen, a feisty Finnish blueliner that will bolster the team's defense. Finally, the last move of their relentless team facelift came last night when they brought back @Pythonic Gaspar Yakrevsky, an ex-Rush player who spent a season and half in Yukon previously. He is back for a shot at the Founder's Cup and the management was over the moon to have him back on the squad.  All these players are joining an already strong core of players with the likes of @JB123 Nathan Powers and @hockeyis66 Jaromir Lemeiux. These ghastly ghouls might shock you this season, so be on the lookout for them! 👻
 

Prev: N/A  |  Current: 5
The Bulls start off their season in the same spot they were at the end of last season's Power Rankings- in the fifth spot. Houston brought in @Mistxh J as the new acting Assistant General Manager late during last season, and he wasted no time in making his mark on the team. Just a few days before the draft, Houston traded down from the 2nd overall pick down to 8th. They were able to add some future draft stock. plus they still owned the 5th pick in the draft as well. With their two picks in the first round, they selected  right-winger @McKelvie Anze Miklavz and one of the top defenseman in the draft, @NerdyCowz Milk Jugs. These two players perfectly addressed the needs Houston had coming into Season 78. Miklavz should compliment returnees @AnthonyOuellet Cody Lachance and @Ryan Li nicely on the top line. Meanwhile, in goal the Bulls have perhaps the best tender in the league this season as @enigmatic Aike van Giersbergen has returned for one more season as he looks to refine his skills for just a little longer before heading up to the VHL and joining the Vancouver Wolves. With a steady core of players in place, the Bulls should most definitely compete for a playoff spot this season, and it will be interesting to see if they make any additions via trade to load up for a Cup run. 
 

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Halifax enjoyed a little taste of playoff success last season when they knocked out the Minnesota Storm in an exciting six game series. While they were outmatched against the Mississauga Hounds in the Semi-Finals, they still could hang their heads high for getting as far as they did. Many of the key players from last years team are back again for this season. Among them are a trio of high-TPE wingers that the 21st will rely heavily on for offense this season. @tylerwest Tyler Steel could see a boost in production this season as he should get more opportunities and better deployment for offensive chances. He finished last year with 40 points and I think if things go his way, he could double that total easily. I also expect @MikkoKoskinensMistress Kikko Moskinen and @GlowyGoat Baldur Paulsen to enjoy solid seasons as well as they will lead the young crop of up-and-comers around them. Back on the blueline, VHLM veteran Roger Jone will be the leader defensively. He will take in @Lefty_S Mr. Duk and @Lilith_Lunar under his wing and help them develop into a deep and reliable defensive core. In goal, the 21st have @williamirc Johnathan Bustard back in the saddle for another season. Interestingly, they also signed big-time recreate @Emi Emiko Spector as well, so they have a dual threat in net. I wonder if perhaps one of the goalies are traded in time or if they stick with both for the whole season. Regardless, Halifax boasts decent depth across the board that many other teams simply can't match. I can see them returning to the postseason again this year, and who knows, maybe they could make a run at the Founder's Cup!
 

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Let me start off by saying how amazed I am that Ottawa is in the Top 8. At the end of last season, the Ottawa Lynx finally hit rock bottom. With two active players on their entire roster, the decision was finally made to find new management for this franchise. @dlamb was chosen to be the heir to the flaming shitpile that was the Lynx, and he quickly sought out the services of @JB123 to be his Assistant GM. What those two have accomplished in just a couple short weeks has been amazing. On draft night the management team furiously worked the phones trading up and down the board all over the place as they scratched and clawed to get every ounce of value they could get out of their assets. With a solid draft and a refreshed presence on the waiver wire, Ottawa looks to be back in the game in Season 78.  While they have some holes in their roster, they've made some incredible leaps and bounds to get to this point. They will be led be their Russian center @qripll Bogdan Trunov. In his rookie season with San Diego, he only saw limited playing time but I think in an expanded role with a new team, Trunov could be in for a massive season. They were able to nab @Shane Laz Shane Lazeski with their first pick of the draft, and the highly coveted right-winger should slot in nicely on the team's top line. On defense, third year player @PandaBearD25 Kirby Pandora will anchor the Lynx defense alongside @Edustava Julia Waffles. These two are highly capable defenders, but the Lynx will need to remain vigilant in signing more players so they can give some support to their blueline. In goal @BostonBruinsFan1806 Jacob Rask will have full reigns as he is the teams lone goalie. If Rask stays committed and develops himself into a reliable player, the Lynx have a shot a being a competitive team this year. A lot does ride on Rask though. With a thin blue line already, he will have to come up big.
 
 

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Coming in at number eight is none other than the defending Founder's Cup champs, the Miami Marauders. After a long summer of partying and celebration, it should be interesting how Miami performs in Season 78. Marauders fans might need their programs this season though, as a ton of the former roster was shipped out in the offseason in order to reset and prepare for their next title run down the road. I think that Miami did a great job in both stocking up on future draft assets, while still maintaining a competitive roster for this season. Up front, @Jurell Yurki Delving Mackey will  be leaned on for alot of the team's offense. The European winger is a veteran of the VHLM and the past two seasons has been around 60 points each year, so hopefully along with first round pick @JetsFan81 Mikey Markov, the two can find some chemistry . Like Ottawa, the Marauders don't quite have a full defensive unit quite yet, but the players they do have are solid. Back for his third season in Miami is @Noxalpha Vasiliy Grigorev, and the Russian defenseman could be in store for a big year. He is right up against the TPE cap and he will get a ton of minutes to boot. Meanwhile, there is a position battle in the crease for starting goaltender. The Marauders drafted @InfraRedlate in the draft, but early on in waivers this week they managed to land God's great gift to the VHL, 97 TPE goalie @oilmandan Em Em Flex! The two will duke it out for the starting gig, but both will need to improve their games to avoid being shelled.
 

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Well... it was a sudden end to a magnificent regular season for the Wild. After running away with the best record in the Western Conference last season, they suddenly met their swift demise with a five game defeat by the hands of the Las Vegas Aces. This was a tough pill to swallow for Saskatoon, but on the bright side they quietly still have a formidable team. This is one of the teams I could easily see rising through this list over time, but for now they are at number nine. @HoneyBadger25 Griff Mackenzie is back for another season and is touted to be one of the top centers in the league this season. Alongside him on the first line will be another returnee, @124715 Duncan Montana aka my boy "numbers". These two will provide a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of the Wild lineup, but after the first line there isn't much depth. One thing I will say about Saskatoon though, is that they know how to develop players. They have 5 prospects under 100 TPE this season, but I wouldn't be shocked if a couple of them blossom into steady players sooner rather than later. I really like what they did with their first round pick this season. Going out and drafting @Vkobe-v Leroy Johnson to be their starting goaltender was a great choice at pick 11, and he should fit in nicely as the franchise says goodbye to Andrew Bowman. The Wild are a tough team, and you should never count them out, but they will be in tough when they are matched up against some of the stronger teams in the West this season.
 
 
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The rebuild continues in Mexico City this season, but it's easy to see that things continue to trend in the right direction. While the Kings didn't make a ton of noise at the draft, I really liked the picks they did make. Taking @ThatsGreissy Bastian Greiss at number six was a great pick, as he already is looking to surpass the 200 TPE threshold. They will need a good goalie though as they currently are only rostering one defenseman. While defense is clearly a work in progress, Mexico took @Darth Kaprizov early in the second round and they will depend on him to lead the team's first line on offense. Along with @duckberg32 Watson Stonebridge, who they drafted in the third round, these two will be doing a lot of the heavy lifting this season. Depending on their development, they could both be back next season just under the TPE cap. This would give them a respectable duo for the next two seasons, and Kings fans should be hyped for that! For this year it will be another down year though, but I fully expect Mexico City to be back in playoff form by Season 79.
 

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From the penthouse to the dog house. It's been quite a fall from grace for the Mississauga Hounds in the past month or so. They went into the playoffs as heavy favourites to capture the Founder's Cup last season and then all of sudden they got Miami'd. Not only did they lose in the finals, but they got swept. It certainly wasn't the outcome many were expecting to say the least. For Mississauga management it was back to the drawing board to plan their next best course of action. It's pretty crazy to see the team go from eight active defensemen to zero in the blink of an eye, but here we are and that's a big part of how the Hounds are number 11 on the list. Winger @Anomalijs Miks Sunish returns from last years team and finds himself surrounded by a very new group of players. While they do boast a bit of offensive depth, their lack of any defense and their lower-end TPE goalies just doe not bode well for their immediate future. It's quite clear the tank is on for this season, but I imagine they will try to bounce back for a playoff run as early as next year.
 

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Coming in at the bottom of the barrel are the Las Vegas Aces. I can't remember a time since joining this league that the Aces have been in such bad shape. Much like the Hounds, the Aces have nobody on their blueline and are in dire shape. I put the Aces below Mississauga because I feel they made a series of bad decisions that really set their team back leaps and bounds. I'm sure Papa Spartan is looking at this mess and cringing to himself quietly. Shame on you Jiggs! It will be a long back to prominence for Las Vegas, and they aren't even loaded up on future picks. I think it could be until Season 80 until we see a "full house" back in Sin City.
 
And with the Power Rankings are done! If you made it to the end, thank you very much for reading. It is an interesting season we are embarking on and it's very different landscape then what we've been accustomed to seeing. I think we finally have gotten a full group of engaged general managers here in the M, so competition will be tighter than ever and that makes for a fun league!  Until next time, all the best! 
 
 

Like many other recent VHLM GM openings, there were a lot of really strong candidates (seriously, anyone on the shortlist could easily fill the role just fine, and even a few outside of the shortlist could as well). If you did not get this, it's likely not a matter of you necessarily doing something wrong (and please keep that in mind) but more a matter of only having a single spot to give and far more than a single qualified candidate. In this particular case, the guy we went with is (drum roll please)


 
 

Comparing this situation where 6 million people were rounded up and exterminated in gas chambers is not the same — not even close. 

100%, I wasn’t trying to imply that it was. Like @bigAL said there’s definitely a bit of “he threw a rock, I threw a rocket” going on but having a bigger gun doesn’t automatically make you 100% in the wrong. It certainly doesn’t make you 100% right but that’s where my point was: it’s a complex issue that can’t be boiled down to simply one side is evil and one side isn’t.

This is definitely a gross over-simplification for the sake of trying to make it more of a black and white situation than it is.
 
I’m not saying either side is completely in the right, they have both committed atrocities, but it’s not as simple as “Israel = Bad”

The new management of the Helsinki Titans are proud to announce their captaincy squad for Season 78!

Team Captain: Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo
Assistant Captain: Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine
Assistant Captain: Dan Dan @MMFLEX

The new management of the Helsinki Titans are proud to announce their captaincy squad for Season 78!

Team Captain: Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo
Assistant Captain: Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine
Assistant Captain: Dan Dan @MMFLEX

The new management of the Helsinki Titans are proud to announce their captaincy squad for Season 78!

Team Captain: Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo
Assistant Captain: Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine
Assistant Captain: Dan Dan @MMFLEX

The new management of the Helsinki Titans are proud to announce their captaincy squad for Season 78!

Team Captain: Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo
Assistant Captain: Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine
Assistant Captain: Dan Dan @MMFLEX

The new management of the Helsinki Titans are proud to announce their captaincy squad for Season 78!

Team Captain: Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo
Assistant Captain: Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine
Assistant Captain: Dan Dan @MMFLEX

The new management of the Helsinki Titans are proud to announce their captaincy squad for Season 78!

Team Captain: Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo
Assistant Captain: Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine
Assistant Captain: Dan Dan @MMFLEX

The new management of the Helsinki Titans are proud to announce their captaincy squad for Season 78!

Team Captain: Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo
Assistant Captain: Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine
Assistant Captain: Dan Dan @MMFLEX

The new management of the Helsinki Titans are proud to announce their captaincy squad for Season 78!

Team Captain: Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo
Assistant Captain: Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine
Assistant Captain: Dan Dan @MMFLEX

The new management of the Helsinki Titans are proud to announce their captaincy squad for Season 78!

Team Captain: Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo
Assistant Captain: Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine
Assistant Captain: Dan Dan @MMFLEX

The new management of the Helsinki Titans are proud to announce their captaincy squad for Season 78!

Team Captain: Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo
Assistant Captain: Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine
Assistant Captain: Dan Dan @MMFLEX

The new management of the Helsinki Titans are proud to announce their captaincy squad for Season 78!

Team Captain: Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo
Assistant Captain: Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine
Assistant Captain: Dan Dan @MMFLEX

The new management of the Helsinki Titans are proud to announce their captaincy squad for Season 78!

Team Captain: Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo
Assistant Captain: Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine
Assistant Captain: Dan Dan @MMFLEX

There was an unexpected retirement by the Helsinki Titans top defender Emi Rune. Rune's body was banged up from their playoff run and it seems she would not be able to continue her career in the VHL. It is a big hit to the team that now has only 3 defense. Those defenders are Mikeal Keef @RStar who was one of Jubo's last signings as GM, they also have returning youngsters Gustav Hjalmarsson @McLovin and fan fave Aurelien Moreau @Frank. While they would be ok to start the season with just the 3 D, the team needs to fill the spot if they hope to continue their playoff streak and be competitive yet again. If we look at the players left on free agency we will see a former Titan at the top of the list. Elsby @Spence King would be a grand addition. He really enjoyed his time here and the team likes him a lot so maybe he will come back if the Titans GM is making a bid. Next on the list is Gabriel Akerstrom who was also a titan back in season 75 and was drafted here. And funny to say the next player is also a Titans draft pick named Kate Upton. Helsinki has options and @Rayzor_7 has a couple days to settle the role.

@Frank

I've dibbled and I've dabbled, and why not take a stab at the recent S77 VHL Champion's logo and revamp it in KaleebtheMighty fashion?
 
THE SEATTLE BEARS
 

 
SEE FURTHER DOWN BELOW FOR ANOTHER VERSION AS WELL!

I'm applying.  Name is in the hat

Transcribed from Århus Stiftstidende , a Danish Sports News Outlet
 
 Reporter: Hello everyone, welcome to a very special interview. Today, we have local sports star Jannik Nylen (Yah-nik Knee-lehn), now a player for the Minnesota Storm and prospect for the D.C Dragons. How does it feel to finally know where your VHL career will begin?
 
 Nylen: Well, it feels good. I was pretty anxious during the draft. I had taken interviews for multiple teams so every time a pick of theirs came up, I got excited. 
 
 Reporter: Is there a special feeling when you see a team not only trade in order to pick you, but shower praises while they're doing it?
 
 Nylen: Yeah, it was definitely a special feeling. When I heard Eno start to talk about him planning on picking a guy he had wanted to take almost 10 picks earlier, I knew he was talking about me. He had mentioned that he was considering taking me at 17, so hearing that he traded for me was an amazing feeling.
 
 Reporter: On the other hand, you yourself were traded for a pick in a draft. Was there any communication between you and the manager before or during it happening? 
 
 Nylen: I didn't hear anything about it before hand. I was in the middle of practicing my backwards skating when our skating coach told me I had a phone call. Jiggs was letting me know that he knew the Aces probably weren't going to be great this next season, so he wanted to send me to a team that I could win on before I left the M behind. It was just a bonus that he managed to pick up a great player with the pick I got traded for. 
 
 Reporter: How do you feel about being traded to the Storm? Are you excited for what you can do for the team?
 
 Nylen: I'm definitely excited. So far it's looking like my buddy from Vegas, Zarek Kazcka, is going to be my defensive partner, so I'm really excited to have some sort of familiarity in the locker room. They seem like a great group of folks there and I'm really excited.
 
 Reporter: We heard that you were a part of the Patrick Laine off-season tournament. How has that been?
 
 Nylen: It's been great fun. I know one of the guys who was in the very first season of it. A guy named Drew Minott, played a little in the VHL but had a career ending injury, sadly. He said it was very rough around the edges back then, it's been cleaned up much more since then. I'm having a great time, It's nice to have something to do in the offseason. 
 
 Reporter: Last question that we have time for, where do you think you'll be trying to improve the most in your game?
 
 Nylen: I think I'm going to try to not be as much of an offensive liability. I also need to get better at not taking penalties. It's a serious flaw in my game that cost my teams games in the past.
 
 Reporter: Thank you for your time, and good luck this season.
 
 Nylen: Thank you!
 
 
 
 
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Interested.