Smarch

Claiming week 3/4

Sucks, also didn’t know you were still around!!

Player Spotlight – Zaps Cat @scudmuffin19 Twenty-two-year-old Irish born goaltender Zaps Cat is currently playing in his first season in the VHLM with the Houston Bulls after being drafted by the Houston based VHLM franchise seventeenth overall. Cat joined the VHL back on May 9th, 2024, and has quickly jumped up the VHLE draft rankings for Season Ninety-Five thanks to his quick ability to earn TPE. Currently Cat is mostly earnings TPE through welfare, press conferences and the practice facility, which means he does have some TPE left on the table, and even completing a 150-word VHL.com article would give him 2 more TPE a week. One the ice Cat is the number one goalie in Houston playing in all forty-two games this season for the Bulls. Cat has had himself a decent first VHL season putting up a record of 25-16-1 along with a .892 save percentage and 2.96 goals against average. Currently Cat the Bulls find themselves tied for third place in the very competitive Western Conference with all but one team in the conference currently sitting above .500. We wish Cat the best of luck as he continues on in his VHL career and offer out assistance on anything he might need moving forward.

1. All theme weeks for me are meh. I understand the leagues thought on the weeks but let's be honest 90% of the theme week media spots and graphics aren't looked at in depth. 2. If I am correct, my first VHLM experience was with Connor Low and was awful. We had two players, and no active GM. Luckily the LR was super active as myself and Edwin Encarnacion @Tagger just made memes saying to burn the locker room down. 3. VHLM seems to be doing what is expected of it, developing players with an active GM core. Really just need to bump up the TPE cap in the VHLM and get rid of the VHLE. 4. I wouldn't be surprised if I was traded. For 800 TPE i am not performing to my TPE gained. 5. I would trade myself for a veteran player that can perform more than 60 points in a season. 6. Trade myself for a veteran presence to help during the playoff run.

Claiming week 2/4

Worst First Overall VHLM Draft Picks In The Portal Era In today’s media spot, we’ll be looking at some of the worst VHLM top draft picks since the VHLM draft was listed on the VHL portal, which was Season Sixty-Five. Now we aren’t writing this media spot thinking all these members are terrible members, but due to the theme week being VHLM based we thought it would be fun to look back at those players picked first overall that had low TPE. Carles Puigdemont (Season Sixty-Four First Overall – Retired 477 TPE): The first player on our list is Spanish defenseman Carles Puigdemont. Puigdemont not only went first overall in the VHLM draft, he also was the first overall pick the following season by the New York Americans in the Season Sixty-Five VHL Entry Draft. Puigdemont spent only one full season in the VHLM and put-up decent stats, forty-one goals and forty-eight assists, but that season in Ottawa was the highlight of his VHL career. Puigdemont would play seven seasons in the VHL with New York, Seattle and Toronto, but finished his career with under 500 TPE. Puigdemonts player agent hasn’t been seen in the VHL since August 2019, so at this point we don’t expect any further players from this agency. Solomon Crawford (Season Sixty-Eight First Overall – Retied 429 TPE): Crawford is the second player to make our worst list, which we feel slightly bad about as the player agent for this player AW13 has gone on to represent two very good players after Crawford. Crawford might have been a product of his position as well as the Season Sixty-Nine first overall pick was a netminder, which is a hard position to crack in the VHL without being a top earner. Crawford was drafted by The Mexico City Kings with the first pick in the Season Sixty-Eight VHLM Dispersal Draft and played in all seventy-two games that season for the Kings. Crawford put up a record of 32-37-3 that season, along with a 0-4-0 record in the Kings four playoff games. Crawford would start the following season in Mexico playing in 3 games for the Kings before being called up by the Prague Phantoms, the team that drafted him fourteenth overall in the Season Sixty-Nine VHL Entry Draft. Crawford would go on to play in five VHL seasons, but never played more than twenty-nine games in a season for a VHL club. Crawford played for two VHL clubs during his five VHL years, Prague and Malmo, returning to Prague in Season Seventy-Two before he retired at the end of the season. Joe Proto (Seventy-One First Overall – Retied 482 TPE): Joe Proto was the first overall draft pick in the VHLM Dispersal Draft, selected in the top spot by the Las Vegas Aces. Prior to being drafted by the Aces, Pronto signed as a free agent with the now defunct Minnesota Storm where he played sixty-six games and won a Founders Cup. After being drafted by the Aces Pronto had a great first full VHLM season, with fifty-four goals and fifty-seven assists. With 111 points in a VHL season that saw a lot of players put up over 100 points, VHL teams has good feeling about the American winger. The Vancouver Wolves were the team that bit on the Proto hype as they took him eighth overall in the Season Seventy-One VHL Entry Draft. Proto would only last one full season with the Wolves, as he was traded to the Calgary Wranglers at the VHL trade deadline in Season Seventy-Three. Proto would go on to play for a total of six VHL teams in his seven VHL seasons and finished his career with 482 TPE. Proto also made an estimated ten million dollars during his VHL career, which isn’t too shabby for a sub 500 TPE player. When writing this piece, we attempted to reach out to the player agent for Proto but were unable to find any contact information for the agency, who might not be representing hockey players any further. Wolf Weiss (Seventy-Four First Overall – Retied 556 TPE): The last player represented by the player agency Matmenzinger in the VHL, Weiss was not nearly as successful as Mat Tocco, who was represented by the same agency in the VHL from Season Sixty-Six until Season Seventy-Three. Weiss might have been drafted so high in the VHLM Dispersal Draft due to his player agents early track record, but unfortunately for the Halifax 21st and Vancouver Wolves, Weiss was unable to duplicate the success that Mat Tocco saw. Weiss has an interesting first season in the VHLM prior to being drafted, as he was signed by the Mexico City Kings and traded to the Ottawa Lynx before even playing a game with Mexico City. The following season Weiss was drafted first overall by the Halifax 21st where he played in all seventy-two games, putting up twenty-five goals and thirty-two assists for the Nova Scotia based VHLM club. Halifax and Weiss would make the VHLM playoffs that season, where Weiss would put up one goal and three assists in the 21sts seven playoff games. Weiss would find himself in a very deep VHL Entry Draft the same season he was drafted in the VHLM Dispersal Draft and finally ended up being selected twenty-fifth overall by the Toronto Legion. Weiss would stay in Toronto for two and a half seasons before being traded to the Vancouver Wolves during the VHLs Seventy-Seventh season. Weiss would end up playing in five VHL season for three VHL teams before retiring at the conclusion of the VHLs Eighth season. At the time of his retirement Weiss has amassed 556 TPE, which is why he finds himself on the list of the worst ever VHLM draftees. The Loch Ness Monster (Season Seventy-Seven First Overall – Retied 532 TPE): The next player on our list was the first and only player represented by the LuluSalesAway agency in the VHL. The Loch Ness Monster joined the league right after the Season Seventy-Six VHLM Dispersal Draft and signed before the season to play for the San Diego Marlins. She made such an impression on the Marlins top brass in Season Seventy-Six putting up fifty-one points in those seventy-two games that the team selected him first overall in Season Seventy-Seven. After being drafted by the Marlins, The Loch Ness Monster would spend two more seasons in San Diego, before leaving to play in New York for Season Seventy-Nine, the VHL club that drafted her seventeenth overall in the Season Seventy-Seven VHL Entry Draft. The Loch Ness Monster would play in all seventy-two games in Season Seventy-Nine with the Americans, which would be her first and only season in the VHL. The next six seasons from Season Eighty to Season Eighty-Four, The Loch Ness Monster would play in the VHLE with the Stockholm Vikings. After Season Eighty-Four The Loch Ness Monster was forced to retire due to the leagues mandatory retirement rule and retired with 532 TPE earned. We are uncertain if we will ever see the agency representing another player in the VHL as it appears the agency is dealing with bigger and better things after the birth of her daughter back in 2022. We wish the agency all the best in her personal life moving forward. The Red Menace (Season Eighty First Overall – Retied 307 TPE): The Red Menace is next on the list of worst players drafted first overall in the VHLM Dispersal Draft and might honestly take the top spot overall of worst players. The Red Menace joined the VHLM prior to being drafted after signing to play with the Philadelphia Reapers for the last twelve games of Season Seventy-None. The Red Meance had a nice start to his VHLM career that season, playing in twelve games posting a record of 7-3-1, along with a .906 save percentage and a 2.34 goals-against average. The following season with Ottawa needing a goalie, the Lynx took a shot and picked up The Red Menace with the first overall pick. The pick would pay off for the Lynx, as The Red Menace would play in sixty-six games for the Lynx in Season Eighty, putting up an amazing 54-10-2 record, along with a .902 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average. The Red Menace would lead the Lynx into the playoffs where he would play in all sixteen playoff games for the Lynx on the way to the teams Founders Cup win. During the playoff run The Red Menace would put up a record of 12-3-1. At the conclusion of the season The Red Menace would graduate would of the VHLM and head to play for the now defunct Istanbul Red Wolves of the VHLE. The Red Menace would spend the next six seasons in the VHLE splitting time between Istanbul, Cologne and Oslo. The Red Menace would end his career after the Season Eighty-Eight VHLE season and would never play in the VHL even though he was drafted thirty-second overall by the Calgary Wranglers in the Season Eighty VHL Entry Draft. The Red Meance would also end his VHL career with only 307 TPE, which is the main reason he never saw time in the VHL. Didier Verhault (Season Ninety First Overall – Currently Playing in Bratislava 330 TPE): Some that dare to read this media spot might feel that we are picking on Verhault as he was only drafted in the Season Ninety VHLM Dispersal Draft, but the Belgium defender has not been seen at practice since the week ending December 3, 2023, so we had to add him to the list as its unlikely he will be adding to his TPE total. Verhault was first signed by the Mexico City Kings prior to being drafted and spent time with the club in Season Eighty-Nine. Verhault would play in twenty-four games that season with the Mexico City based VHLM club putting up one goal and eight assists. Mexico City would make the playoffs that season, and Verhault would go on to get his first taste of playoff hockey as he played in all ten games for the Kings that season, where he would add three assists during those ten games. The following off-season Verhault would be drafted first overall by the Las Vegas Aces. Along with eighteen overall in the VHLE Entry Draft and twenty-first overall I the VHL Entry Draft. Verhault would spend one season with the Aces where he would play in all seventy-two games, putting up fifteen goals and sixty-seven assists. After a very good first full season in Las Vegas, hopes were high for the young defenseman, but unfortunately the youngster fell off his practice schedule and would go onto to spend the next five seasons in the VHLE, including this season with the Bratislava Watchmen. Verhault is unlikely to spend any time in the VHL during his career, but could surprise us as he still has some VHL eligibility left currently. Honorable Mentions: Cowboy Prout (Season Seventy-Five First Overall – Retied 883 TPE): While Prout doesn’t follow the theme of the media spot having been a lower TPE earner, we wanted to add some players to get to the 2,000-word mark and decided to highlight two players that never won a team or individual award in their VHL career. Prout spent his VHL career with only two different VHL franchises, playing with Calgary for four seasons and New York for two seasons and never saw his name called during a VHLM, VHLE or VHL award ceremony. Cowboy Prout was represented by the player agency Prout, who has never represented another VHL player since Prout retired. Rick Grimes (Season Eighty-Five First Overall – Retired 983 Overall): Another player on our honorable mention list who like Prout was unable to find any individual or team success. Grimes was selected first overall by the Miami Marauders back in Season Eighty-Five where he played in one season with the Miami based VHLM club. Grimes would have a one-year stint in the VHLE with the Bratislava Watchmen and would then head to the VHL where he would also spend his entire VHL career from Season Eighty-Seven to Season Ninety-Two with the Helsinki Titans. Much like Prout listed above Grimes was never able to see any individual or team success during this entire VHL career and retired after Season Ninety-Two with 983 TPE. 2, 056 Words For the Weeks of: July 7- July 13 July 14 - July 20 July 21- July 27 July 28- Aug 3

VHL Player Spotlight – David VanHousen @David VanHousen Seventeen-year-old forward David VanHousen joined the Victory Hockey League back on May 15th, 2024. With VanHousen joining the league prior to the VHLM Dispersal Draft, he didn’t have to wait long to be picked up in his first VHL draft. VanHousen would eventually be picked up by the Houston Bulls with the twenty-fourth overall pick in the Season Ninety-Four VHLM Dispersal Draft. So far VanHousen has played in all thirty-one games for the Bulls this season and has put up decent numbers in his first season. The young American forward has put up five goals and twelve assists in those thirty-one games, along with a plus minus of plus ten. Since joining the VHL VanHousen has been pretty consistent at gaining TPE, even participating in Trivia once already is his short VHL tenure. With newer players still looking more towards welfare to improve their players, hopefully VanHousen can get into a groove and start pumping out point tasks in the coming weeks to differentiate himself from the other VHLE and VHL draft eligible players. We of course with him the best moving forward and as always are here to help out if he needs any ideas about what to do to improve his player more each week.

1. Either team can win or lose. I don't care. Its too close to football season, so hockey can end anytime now. 2. I mean if your teams win the Stanley Cup, it likely means something. However, I'm sure J.S. Gigure didn't care he won the Conn Smythe at the time. 3. Ryan Smyth is a good man and his married to someone from the town I grew up in, as that is where he played his junior hockey career. I don't know who stands in front of the net and gets garbage goals in the VHL so I couldn't compare him to anyone. 4. Someone that plays in front of one of the best offensive teams ever and isn't that great of a goaltender. However, in case of answeing the question I guess I would go with David Slezak. as with under 400 TPE no way he should have as many wins as he does. 5. Jimi Jaks? I guess cause hes the only person I can find in the individual leaders that has been over a PPG for the majority of his career. 6. I think experience plays some what of a role as it helps calm you down and play within your game.

I hope you find all the success you deserve n Riga!

VHLM General Managers One of the most thankless but important jobs in the Victory Hockey League is being a General Manager in the VHLM and VHLE. In this month’s media spot, I would like to look at the current VHLM General Managers and bring some much-needed attention and praise their way. Halifax 21st –Lexie Leitner (Season 93) @LucyXpher Coming off her first season as the General Manager in the VHLM, Leitner is looking forward to making another big splash in the league after last season’s fifty-one-win season. In Season Ninety-Three Leitner would make six trades during the off-season and course of the season to improve the club, including trading away the clubs Season Ninety-Four first round pick for a Season Ninety-Three second and fifth round picks for the clubs’ eventual leads in points Maple Dogwood. In her inaugural season as the architect of the Halifax based VHLM club Leitner would pick up some key pieces in the Season Ninety-Three VHLM Dispersal draft selecting, Pierre Marc Bouchard second overall, Andrew Skilton sixth overall, Patrik Tallinder twelfth overall and Tommy Shelby twenty-second overall. With a good core of players assembled the team would go onto having one of its best seasons since entering the league back in Season Sixty-Two however they would eventually fall in the playoffs in the VHLM Semi-Finals in six games to the eventual Founders Cup winners, the Saskatoon Wild. Now as we sit fourteen games into Season Ninety-Four Leitners’ Halifax club currently sits with a 12-2-0 record which is good enough for first place in the Eastern Conference and second place in the entire VHLM. Hopefully for Leitner and the Halifa faithful, Season Ninety-Four will see the club win its first ever Founds Cup Championship. Houston Bulls – AJ Williams (Season 92) @AJW AJ Willimas joined the Houston Bulls as General Manager for his second stint with the Bulls prior to Season Ninety-Two and made an immediate impact on the club, being named the co-winner of the Jack Reilly Trophy winner at the conclusion of his first season in charge of the Bulls. Since joining the Bulls, Williams has led the team to two forty plus win seasons, including a forty-seven-win season last year which tied the team with Saskatoon for first place in the Western Conference. One of the best moves Williams has made during his short tenure with the Bulls was back in his first draft in Season Ninety-Two, when he was selected as the future first overall pick in the Season Ninety-Three VHL Entry Draft, Antonia Bucatini. Last season in the playoffs the Bulls were able to push the best regular season team the Ottawa Lynx to the brink before unfortunately losing game seven in the semi-finals. Although the Bulls couldn’t bring home a Founders Cup last season, Williams still put together a team that Hoston should have been very proud of. After this first fourteen games in the VHLM this season, Houston currently sits third in the Western Conference with a record of 9-4-1, sitting 7 points out of first and only one point behind Saskatoon for second place. Williams will have a bit of work ahead of him to help the team be the team to beat in the Conference as the playoffs grow closer, as Houston is ready for the team to bring home its second Founders Cup in the teams’ history, after waiting twenty-six seasons since the first and only championship. Las Vegas Aces – Ben Hafkey (Season 90) @McLovin One of the most senior General Managers in the VHLM, Hafkey has been with the Aces now going into his fourth season, after joining the club back in Season Ninety. Hafkey has been a put together very consistent teams since joining the league, as his VHLM clubs have put up two forty-seven-win season and one forty-three-win season and a forty-win season. Season Ninety-two also saw Hafkey win the Western Conference and at the conclusion of the season named the co-winner of the Jack Reilly Trophy alongside Houston’s AJ Williams. This would be the season as General Manager of the Aces for Hafkey, as the Aces made it all the way to the finals against Philadelphia however, Hafkey and the Aces were unable to bring home the eleventh Founders Cup as they would eventually fall to the Reapers. During the Season Ninety-Three VHLM Dispersal draft, Vegas was slated to pick ninth overall and with that pick Hafkey picked up one of the best forwards that would play in the VHLM that season. Hafkey picked up winger Pombo, who in seventy-two games in Season Ninety-Three would put up fifty-one goals and fifty-one assists, which was second best in the entire VHLM only behind Philadelphia’s’ second year VHLMer Walter Jinn. After a successful four year run in the VHLM it was only a matter of time before the Aces needed to rebuild to allow for their next run, and Season Ninety-Four appears to be the year for that. In fourteen games this season Las Vegas only has 1 win which puts them in last place in the entire VHLM. Hafkey and the Aces organization might be in for a very long season during the rebuild phase here in Season Ninety-Four. Mexico City Kings – J Carson (Season 93) @JCarson Taking over the reins in Season Ninety-Three, J Carson is now in his second season leading The Mexico City Kings. In his first season as a General Manager in the VHLM, Carson took over a VHLM team that had made the playoffs in eight out of the last nine seasons. While the Kings were a mainstay in the VHLM playoffs over the last decade of VHLM hockey, they had only made the Founders Cup twice back in Season Eighty-Seven and Eighty-Eight. While Carson led the Kings to their ninth VHLM playoff appears in the past ten seasons last year, Mexico City didn’t have the greatest regular season as the team put up a 25-40-7 record. The team entered the playoffs to face-off against the best team in the VHLM last season, the Ottawa Lynx, and were bounced from the playoffs in five games. While the season didn’t end the way anyone in the organization would hope, there was more hope as the season shifted to Season Ninety-Four as the Kings were able to bring back their top scorer from Season Ninety-Three, Gavin Bebard and starting goalie from Season Ninety-Three, Connor Hellebuyck. During the off-season Carson was able to swing some deals for the other players that could possibly return this season (Anthony Simmons II, Chuck E Cheese, Felicia Hardy and French Fries) for mainly Season Ninety-Four draft picks, which allowed the Kings to be big players in the most recent draft. Those moves appear to have paid dividends so far this season as Mexico City currently sits in first place in the Western Conference and entire VHLM with a record of 13-1. With only one Founders Cup win in franchise history back In Season Seventy-Six, early indications are that Mexico City fans and the organization might be in for a treat this season. Miami Marauders – Kris Rice (Season 93) @Ricer13 Another member of the Season Ninety-Three management hires in the VHLM, Kris Rice is another VHLM General Manager in his second season with his VHLM club, but also his second stint with the Miami based VHLM club. Rice was previously the General Manager of Miami when they first entered the league back in Season Seventy-Two, leading the team until Season Seventy-Six. During his first stint with Miami, Rice was able to win one Founders Cup, along with two Jack Reilly awards. Most recently Rice was the General Manager of the Saskatoon wild for one season in Season Ninety-Two. Now back with the VHLM club where he started his VHLM General Manager career, Rice is looking to bring success back to Miami. While Miami won two more Founders Cups after Rice left, the team has only been in the Founders Cup once since the last time they won the Founders Cup, which was an appearance back in Season Ninety. Last season was a rough first season back for Rice, as the team was in a rebuilding stage that saw the Marauders finish in last place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 22-48-2. With a last place finish in Season Ninety-Three, Miami was poised to enter the draft in a good place and early on it appears they hit on their early draft picks. Miami was able to select Phil Sakic second overall and Tim Robinson eleventh overall, who currently sits first and second on the team in points after fourteen games played in Season Ninety-Four. The team overall has also performed well so far this season as the team has a record of 8-3-3, which puts them comfortably in second place in the Eastern Conference, ten points ahead of third place Mississauga. Although there is a lot of hockey ahead for Miami, with the Eastern Conference being a weaker conference this season, Miami should see a return to the VHLM playoffs, where anything can happen once you get in. Mississauga Hounds – Nathan Ecker (Season 93) @Nathan_8 Nathan Ecker is in his first ever VHLM General Manager stint with the Mississauga Hounds, where he currently is in his second season. The Hounds were able to make the VHLM playoffs in Eckers first season as General Manager, as the team posted a 30-33-9 record, which meant the team would have to face-off against the Saskatoon Wild in the first round of the Season Ninety-Three VHLM playoffs. The Hounds would eventually fall in five games to Ottawa in the Quarter Finals and Ecker and the franchise began looking towards the next season immediately. Mississauga entered the Season Ninety-Four VHLM Dispersal Draft with only one draft pick in the first three rounds, which unfortunately, did not allow the Hounds to restock the cupboards and fourteen games into the season it shows. The Hounds currently sit in third place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 4-10-1, currently tied with the Philadelphia Reapers who have the exact same record. While the team isn’t having the best season, Ecker will likely do everything he can as the season moves forward to give the Hounds the best chance at success for Season Ninety-Five and beyond. Ottawa Lynx – Blake Laughton (Season 86) @Grape Laughton is the longest tenure VHLM General Manager and currently is the head man for one of the top VHLM clubs in the league’s history. Ottawa has won a league best seventeen Founders Cups, and Laughton was the last Ottawa General Manager to bring home the championship back in Season Eighty-Seven. Since Laughton took over the club back in Season Eighty-Six, the Lynx have made the playoffs six times, including three straight years from Sason Ninety-One to Ninety-Three. Last season Ottawa finished the regular season with a record of 50-13-9, good enough for 109 points and first place in the Eastern Conference and entire VHLM. Ottawa looked like the team to beat in the VHLM playoffs however, come playoff time the Lynx ran into a read hot Saskatoon Wild club who would eventually beat the Lynx in a sweep during the Founders Cup. After being highly competitive for three straight seasons that say the Lynx empty the cupboards for playoff runs, this season the Lynx aren’t expected to be very competitive, which is the normal cycle after being competitive for so long in the VHLM. Currently Ottawa sits in last place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 3-10-1. With this season likely a lost season in Ottawa, Laughton and the management team are likely looking ahead to Season Ninety-Five and beyond. Philadelphia Reapers – James Rose (Season 94) @mattyIceman Since joining the VHLM back in Season Sixty-Five, the Philadelphia Reapers have consistently been one of the best VHLM clubs. Enter James Rose who is currently in the first season with the Reapers as General Manager, the person tasked with bringing back the Founders Cup to Philadelphia. While Rose is in his first season with Philadelphia, this isn’t his first go around as a VHLM General Manager as back in Season Eighty Rose oversaw the Houston Bulls. Season Eighty was a successful first season in management for Rose as the Bulls finished second in the Western Conference with a record of 38-28-6, which shows Rose knows how to build a winning club. Fast forward to Season Ninety-Four and Rose is currently leading his first rebuild of a VHLM club. The Reapers currently sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 4-10-1. While the Reapers will be a long shot to win the Founders Cup this season, Reapers fan should have a lot of confidence in the future with Rose at the helm. San Diego Marlins – Eric White (Season 92) @Mysterious_Fish San Diego General Manager Eric White is in his first go around as a VHLM General Manager, currently in his third season with the California based VHLM club. Since joining the club in a management role in Season Ninety-Two, White has led the Marlins to one playoff appearance, which was during his first season with the club. Last season the Marlins went through a little bit of a rebuild as the club posted an 18-45-9 record, which was the worst record in the Western Conference and entire VHLM. One positive about being the worst team in the VHLM is if you haven’t traded away your first-round pick in the next VHLM Dispersal Draft, you will be picking a generational talent in the VHLM draft. This was the case in the most recent draft for San Diego, as they selected defenseman Ahsoka Tano with the first overall pick in the Season Ninety-Four VHLM Dispersal Draft. The Marlins were also able to pick up forward Nicholas Sunderbruch Jr. in the first round with the fourth-overall pick. Now after fourteen VHLM regular season games plated, San Diego currently find themselves in fourth place in the very competitive Western Conference but are only four points out of moving into second place. With a lot of season ahead of them the Marlins have plenty of time to improve their game to continue to move up the Western Conference standings. Saskatoon Wild – Diego Machado (Season 93) @Dadam30 Likely the best VHLM playoff club, the Saskatoon Wild currently have Diego Machado at the helm for the second season. Saskatoon has appeared in nineteen Founders Cups and has won thirteen of those nineteen appearances, including winning it all last season in Season Ninety-Three. Diego put together an amazing team last season, of course winning the Founders Cup, but also took home some personal hardware as the Season Ninety-Three Jack Reilly trophy winner. Last season the Wild finished with a 47-21-4 record for first place in the Western Conference and then went on a run in the playoffs that saw the Wild only lose three games in the fifteen playoff games they played in. After an amazing run last season, the Saskatoon based VHLM club was expected to take a step back in Season Ninety-Four, but the team currently sits in second place in the Western Conference with a record of 9-3-1. With a good record and a good roster assembled again in Season Ninety-Four, Saskatoon will look to best the first back-to-back Founders Cup winners since the Las Vegas Aces in Season Eighty-Two/Eighty-Three. 2,558 Words For the weeks of: June 9-15 June 16-22 June 23-29 June 30-July 6

Player Spotlight – Carl Erhardt @Elite Steel After joining the league on April 19th, 2024, Carl Erhardt, the thirty-one-year-old United Kingdom born defender was able to get into 2 VHLM regular season games with the Halifax 21s. At the conclusion of the regular season, Erhardt found himself as part of the Halifax playoff roster, which saw him play in eleven more games with Halifax during their playoff run. Erhardt wasn’t able to get on the scoresheet during the regular season or playoff games but was a plus/minus of zero during the regular season and a plus three during the playoffs, showing his defensive prowess. At the conclusion of the Season Ninety-Three VHLM season, Erhardt was eligible for the Season Ninety-Four VHLM Dispersal Draft, which saw the defender drafted thirteenth overall by The Mexico City Kings. So far this season Erhardt has played in all ten games Mexico City has played and has really popped off offensively. In those ten games Erhardt has put up ten assists and a plus/minus of plus seven. The ten points currently has Erhardt in third place on the Kings roster in points, and tenth overall in the VHLM for defenseman points. Erhardt has been a welfare and sometimes press conference and or trivia earner so far in his young career, which is good to see him earn TPE, but has left a few easy TPE on the table each week. We of course would be happy to help him in any way, including suggestions on PT and TPE earnings. We wish him the best moving forward in his VHL career.

1. Not to me personally as I voted for those three. 2. I would trade my player. Extremely underwhelming for how much TPE I have and the contract that comes with that much TPE. 3. STHS is a joke of a sim engine sometimes, so I assume it is that. 4. I like that it has a light and dark mode. 5. I think we will finish as a WC team. 6. Ninefingers has been the most impressive as he is the clear leader on this team on the ice.

Claim week 4/4

Player Spotlight - Ronan Amnon @Breeze837 The young defenseman from Panama joined the VHL back on April 3, 2024, and was recently drafted in the Season Ninety-Four VHLM Dispersal Draft, fourteenth overall by The Mexico City Kings. Amnon is returning to the VHLM club that pick him up off waivers in Season Ninety-Three, where he played fifteen games for the Mexican based VHLM club after being picked up. In those fifteen games last year Amnon put up an impressive seven assists, twenty-four hits and thirty-three blocked shots. Now as the defenseman is about to enter his first full season in the VHLM, the hope for the youngster is that he will have a bigger impact for the Kings this season. Amnon has put up 89 TPA so far in just under two months, ensuring that he gets into the practice facility each week along with a VHL.com article. Amnon has also completed two media spots along with one graphic, which shows the youngster is trying his best to keep the TPE coming each week. With the TPE currently earned to date, Amnon is currently the fourteenth best prospect that will be available for the VHLE Entry Draft, a number that hopefully will only increase over the next few weeks. We wish the young defenseman the best of luck moving forward and as we do each week advise the youngster to reach out if they need any help of PT ideas moving forward.

1. Didn’t even know the draft took place until @Thunder appeared in the LR shortly after the draft. 2. Frank will earn TPE and could slip into the starting role or be traded. So it’s a good pick up for the future in my opinion. 3. I assume you weren’t disappointed being drafted 3rd overall, but possibly once it got that close you might have had some ideas that you were going to end up in Vancouver. I highly doubt you were disappointed though. 4. What the bloody hell is the ProAm tournament? 5. Yearly tournaments in the VHL never last, I expect this tournament to fall into the same fate as others that came before it unfortunately. 6. I am not actively following anything that’s not posted in our discord. I follow our team and that’s all I have time to invest into.

Claim week 3/4

I feel bad for beating up RIP as he seems like a good dude. Glad we can now win together instead this season!

Answers: 1. If I was to leave Vancouver on my own or at the hands of @Frank, I wouldn't mind playing for STZ. As an old timer, he's been around for a while and seems like a decent VHL mind. 2. First and foremost help my team make the playoffs. If that mean 20 points or 100 points for me, I don't care. 3. I enjoy chocking the chicken. Questions: 1. Prediction for Victory Cup team (Top team at the end of the regular season) 2. Prediction for last place team in the league. 3. Have your expectations for your current player matched what your player has done so far in their VHL career?

Player Spotlight – Gabriel Finley @burritohour Nineteen-year-old Canadian forward, Gabriel Finley joined the VHL on April 5th, 2024. Shortly after joining the league Finley joined the Miami Marauders for the final thirty-four games of the VHLM regular season. Finley had a decent first half of the season with Miami as he was able to put up seven goals and thirteen assists, which are decent numbers for a team that missed the VHLM playoffs this past season. With Miami missing the playoffs, it gave Finley a lot of time to work on his game in advance of the upcoming VHLM, VHLE and VHL drafts. Speaking of the drafts, Finley has already been selected in both the VHLE and VHL drafts that took place already this off-season. Finley was drafted twenty-eighth overall by the Vasteras Iron Eagles in the VHLE Entry Draft and thirty-third overall by the Malmo Nighthawks in the VHL Entry Draft. With the VHLM Dispersal Draft still upcoming, the team that Finley will likely play on in Season Ninety-Four has yet to be decided. Finley has been earning TPE consistently since joining the league at the beginning of April however, the young forward is still leaving some easy TPE on the table each week and we hope he’ll be able to join outside welfare and the practice facility more as his career progresses. We of course will be more than happy to help the youngster if he needs any advise moving forward.

Claim week 2/4

Player Spotlight - Samsayz I-Smell @CaptainSB After joining the league April 6th, 2024, Samsayz I-Smell was able to join the VHLM Houston Bulls for the remainder of the season. I-Smell was able to get into action in the last seventeen games, where the 6’8 defender put up one goal and nine assists. Houston was able to make the VHLM playoffs this past season which gave I-Smell more time to show his abilities to other VHLM general managers as a draft eligible player. I-Smell played in all twelve VHLM playoff games for the Bulls, where he put up one goal and one assist during those twelve games. I-Smell is a pure defensive defenseman early on in their VHL career and has yet to put any of their 142 TPE into any offensive attributes. Currently I-Smell is listed as the tenth best prospect available in the VHLM Dispersal Draft and second-best defenseman available, which might see him drafted higher than the tenth spot due to VHLM teams always needing defenseman. We wish the youngster all the best as he gets ready to take on his first full VHLM season next year.

1. The toilet? I don't think I do VHL stuff outside of Work. So technically I get paid to do VHL PTs including today doing this PC. 2. I will watch wrestling with another previous VHL member when we play madden on Monday nights, when there is no other sports on TV. 3. 3 team trades other than this off-season are quite rare in the VHL, so it was cool to see. 4. Green, seems to make some quality players in the VHL over the course of his VHL career, so I assume he'll have a big impact on the team this season. 5. All three will be equally missed, tough to trade young player away but with a big draft class of the same players, someone likely had to be moved to allow salary cap relief moving forward. 6. I don't know what you are even talking about. I'm not sure I even know frostbeards player was Ironside. Much like he likely has no clue I exist in the league.

Transaction ID: 97K77924H46984048 1M player store 5 Uncapped TPE Doubles Week

Season Ninety-Three Year in Review With lots of internal hype heading into season ninety-three for the Vancouver Wolves, expectations from management and players were set much higher than previous seasons. However, for the third straight season the Wolves came up short on their conquest to make the Continental Cup playoffs. After the seventy-two-game regular season, the Wolves only ended up missing the playoffs by three points, mostly due to their inability to keep the puck out of their own net, as they allowed the second worst goals against total in the North American Conference, with 236. Now that number might indicate the Wolves goaltender wasn’t up to par last season, but Dalkr Vidarsson wasn’t the real issue many nights for the Wolves, with that number likely to be much higher if not for the second-year goalie. Today we will do a quick recap of those players from the Wolves roster and what is expected as we head into season ninety-four. (S85) LW – Larry Abass Jr. After an off-season trade that saw Abass Jr. heading up the Pacific Coast from Los Angeles, Abass Jr. only lasted twenty-two games in Vancouver before heading to Calgary where he ended the season and his VHL career. In his short time in Vancouver Abass Jr. was one of the better offensive players for the Wolves, putting up thirteen goals and twenty assists, while also putting up a plus/minus of plus ten. With the season looking bleak after the first third of the season in Vancouver it was in the best interest in the long run for the team to trade off Abass Jr. to recoup some assets for the future. Unfortunately for Abass Jr. the trade to Calgary did not allow the retiring forward to head back to the playoffs, so he will have to ride off into the sunset with his one Continental Cup win with the season eighty-seven Calgary Wrangles in his back pocket. (S85) C – Sunglasses Joyo Another member of the Wolves that was brought over in an off-season trade from the Los Angeles Stars, Joyo much like Abass Jr. did not last one full season in Vancouver. While Joyo lasted a bit longer with Vancouver, as he spent fifty-two games with the team, he was eventually traded at the VHL trade deadline to the Warsaw Predators. Before being shipped off to Poland, Joyo was a productive member of the Wolves roster, putting up eighteen goals and forty-four assists in those fifty-two games played. Joyo wasn’t as successful offensively after being traded to the Predators, putting up eight goals and eleven assists in the twenty regular season games played with the Polish based VHL team, but he was able to get his last taste of VHL playoff hockey with the Predators, unfortunately being bounced during the wild card round. (S86) D- Jens Lekman Jens Lekman was the last off-season addition by the Wolves prior to season ninety-three, coming over in a secondary trade with the Los Angeles Stars. Lekman was brought over to help a younger defensive core that would see three rookies play for the Wolves in season ninety-three, giving the team another veteran presence beside one of the best defensemen in modern VHL history Liv Slater. Lekman would be the third off-season addition for the Wolves that wouldn’t last the entire season in Vancouver. Lekman played in twenty-two games for the Wolves putting up one goal and eight assists in his short time in Vancouver, while also having a plus/minus of minus six. Lekman was shipped out as part of the package of Calgary alongside Abass Jr. where he appears to be starting his last VHL season barring any future moves, as we enter the season ninety-four offseason. (S86) LW – Left Alone Alone was the first off-season addition for the Wolves as the VHLs ninety-second season turned into the season ninety-three off-season. Alone was brought over from Moscow in return for a season ninety-three Vancouver second round draft pick, which was a good exchange of both teams with the direction they were both taking at the time. However, like all other pick ups from Vancouver in the off-season, Alone couldn’t help Vancouver over the hump of making the playoffs. Alone was the only season ninety-three off-season addition that wasn’t dealt during the season and was able to play a full seventy-two games for the Wolves where he put up thirty-two goals and thirty-nine assists, which was second best overall on the team and lead the way for all the teams’ forwards. Alone appears to be coming back for a second full season in Vancouver as the off-season starts up, with the team hoping his final VHL season will be ended with a bang and Alones’ first Continental Cup in the league. (S86) – Thor Odinson Odinson was a part of the package deal return from Calgary that saw Abass Jr and Lekman return the other way to Calgary. Odinson played in fifty games last season with Vancouver, putting up six goals and ten assists in those fifty games. Odinson did perform better in the fifty games for the Wolves than he did in the previous twenty-two games played with Calgary, which was a good sign for the Wolves however, both the player and management will be looking for more out of the veteran forward in season ninety-four. With a older team around him this season, Odinson will hopefully be able to beat his previous career high of thirty-seven points back in season ninety-two with the Seattle Bears. (S88) D – Liv Slater The leader of the pack as I will call her Liv Slater is going to be back in the fold for the Wolves for her fifth straight season. After finishing second on the team in scoring in season ninety-two and first on the team in scoring in season ninety-three, Slater has really cemented herself as the best Wolves by far on the current roster. Last season Slater was awarded the captaincy of the Wolves for her consistent work ethic on and off the ice, a season that saw her pick up the Alexander Valiq Trophy, Jake Wylde Trophy and Sterling Labatte Trophy. Slater is constantly improving her game trying to be the best VHL defenseman in the league, something that appears to be happening as each day passes and now with a new veteran defenseman in the fold, the weight on the back of Slater should lessen as we head into season ninety-four. The only real question this season for Slater is whether she will again reach forty goals with what should hopefully be an improved Wolves forward core and will she finally break the 100-point barrier. Only time will tell for the sixth-year defenseman. (S89) RW- Zyn Westwood Westwood was part of the return from Warsaw in the trade deadline deal for Joyo last season, which saw the season eighty-nine draftee come over to Vancouver for the final twenty games of the season. In those twenty-two games Westwood put up three goals and five assists in a secondary role for the Wolves. Westwood is currently still on the Wolves roster currently in the off-season and hopefully will get another chance this season to help the Wolves head back to the post-season, but with the majority of the off-season still ahead of us and the Wolves currently making moves to improve the roster, Westwood many become a casualty of the moving parts. (S91) G – Dalkr Vidarsson Vidarsson just finished his second season in Vancouver, playing In sixty-three games in his sophomore season. Vidarsson had a decent rookie season where he put up twenty-six wins, a .925 save percentage and 3.09 goals against average unfortunately for the 6’7 goalie he was unable to improve on this numbers last season. In his second season in Vancouver Dalkr put up twenty-five wins a .913 save percentage and 3.08 goals against average. While his numbers didn’t improve, the team in front of him that was expected to help him grow also didn’t pull their weight, which wasn’t helpful to Vidarsson. As Vidarsson is about to enter his third season with Vancouver and in the VHL it would be safe to say the player and management are hoping he is ready to take the next steps for the franchise and help lead the Wolves back to the Continental Cup playoffs. With another veteran defenseman in the fold for season ninety-three Vidarsson should have more help keeping the buck out of the blue ice, even if Callaway doesn’t describe himself as a defensive minder defenseman. We look forward to Vidarsson lighting the league up this season and putting up what we expect to be career numbers. (S92) RW – Logan Ninefingers The former First Overall selection from the season ninety-two draft is hoping that he will be able to take his game to the next level in his second VHL season. After being the consensus rookie of the year for the Wolves that saw Ninefingers put up thirty-two goals and thirty-one assists, which was good enough for third amongst all VHL rookies, Ninefingers is looking to lead the team offensively in season ninety-two. Ninefingers is a all-around player that can excel at both the offensive and defensive sides of the ice, and its afraid to muck it up with opposing players on the ice either. Ninefingers is also closing in on 800 TPE as we head into season ninety-four, a number that will hopefully see him grow his game from what was already a very good rookie season. With a better team hopefully around him in season ninety-four Ninefingers might find himself on more leaderboards at the end of next season. (S92) D – DB IV Another member of the season ninety-two draft class for the Vancouver Wolves, DB IV is coming off a rookie season that saw him put up three goals and twelve assists, which doesn’t seem like a big impact on the roster, but for a player that prides themselves on defense first, any points from DB IV is a nice extra bonus. DB IV started the season with the bare minimum in TPE to enter the VHL, which likely didn’t help the young Canadian defenseman, but plus/minus of -13 was the second best on the team amongst players that played the full season in Vancouver, which would speak to the way he was playing defensively. With DB IV getting ready to enter his second season in Vancouver, hopes are that the defensive defenseman will be able to continue to improve his game in the Wolves end of the ice and will help Vidarsson even more in season ninety-four. (S92) D – Guntis Gavilrovs Gavilrovs was another member of the Wolves season ninety-two draft class that made their rookie debuts in season ninety-three. Gavilrovs had himself a decent rookie season putting up seven goals and twenty-eight assists while appearing in all seventy-two games for the Wolves. The two-way defender also put up some good defensive numbers as well with 253 hits to go along with 164 shots blocked. Unfortunately, for Gavilrovs his plus/minus took quite the hit with him playing so many key minutes for the Wolves last season as he ended the season with a minus 41, which speaks more about the way the team was playing and not his individual play. Gavilrovs is looking even more ready to hit the ice as the season turns over with Gavilrovs currently sitting at 684 TPE earned. Gavilrovs will have a bit more veteran assistance on the defense this year in Vancouver and won’t be as heavily relied upon to play as many minutes as he did last season, which should help the still growing defenseman. Hopefully season ninety-four will be another step forward for the 6’8 defender. (S92) D – Vlad Von Carstein Vlad Von Carstein played in his first VHL season in Vancouver last year, and unfortunately will not be returning to the club for season ninety-four. Carstein was send as part of a three team deal to the Malamo Nighthawks just a few days prior to the writing of this article as Vancouver had to move the second year defender to improve their forward core. Carstein played in all seventy-two games last season for the Wolves putting up nine goals and thirty-six assists, which place him as the sixth highest point performer on the Wolves last season. Now as he enters his second season in the league Carstein will look to have the same impact on Malamo and continue to grow his offensive and defensive game. 2, 081 words

1. London. Whew now I won't be traded... yet 2. W14, With 10 OT loses it appears, a few of those go into the win column and he might have a better chance 3. Our old friend Nick Sansoe 4. What's the Founders Cup. It was a series of hockey alright! 5. At least Cologne didn't win from the 2 seconds I looked. 6. Trade the pick to the highest bidder