Seabass

@Members
 
Normally this would just go to the ban thread but given the circumstances I think it's best that everyone know what's going on.
 
It has unfortunately come to the attention of myself and @Acydburn that @Josh has been embezzling league funds for his own purposes. Via his access to the league PayPal he was stripping donation funds as payments for portal, forum, and domain hosting with amounts far higher than were actually needed. Because the line items were things he was paying for we had no reason, for a number of years, to think anything of it and were unaware that the costs were actually far less than what he was reimbursing himself which amounts to potentially thousands of dollars; we're still working out the total figures.
 
Obviously we are completely shocked at this behaviour and have immediately stripped Josh of his role as commissioner pending potential future legal action. We have always held firm that the league funds are used exclusively on league related activities so I am quite frankly pissed that a member of the blue team would take donation money for their own uses; whatever his excuses may be. Please be aware that we will be launching a further investigation and audit of all our costs and funds to be sure that no one else has done anything of the sort in the past.
 
Sincerely,
@Commissioner
 
Edit: In case any future people see the is and don’t see the date; it was purely an April Fool’s joke, Josh was in on it (in fact it was his idea) and the donation money is not only safe but audited.

"I had some jitters before the draft I'll admit. I knew it was going to be a big day for me and for my career and I was nervous to meet my new team. When Davos called my name I immediately proceeded to embarass myself by shaking the GM's hand and calling him by the wrong name. Haha, I hope he can forgive me as I'm now just really excited to be a member of the Davos hockey club."
 
That was Steve French after being drafted by Davos 21st overall at the S93 VHL Entry Draft.
 
I figured the draft would be interesting and even though I had conversations with quite a few scouting teams in the end I had no clue where French was going to go in the draft. He was ranked around 20th overall by scouting but ranked 19th overall in tpe. In the end by having Steve go 21st overall he becomes my latest drafted player in any VHL draft. Which if you've seen my activity trends lately I definitely understand why. I've been slacking compared to my past players. 
 
I'm happy to see French get drafted by Davos though. If you don't know, I've got quite a lengthy cupless drought dating back to s11 that includes quite a few finals appearances where my teams have fallen short. But, Of course I won that cup in S11 as a member of the Davos Hockey Club and I haven't played for them since. So maybe the only team I've ever won with can be the team that helps me break this curse. 
 
 
 
 

"I had some jitters before the draft I'll admit. I knew it was going to be a big day for me and for my career and I was nervous to meet my new team. When Davos called my name I immediately proceeded to embarass myself by shaking the GM's hand and calling him by the wrong name. Haha, I hope he can forgive me as I'm now just really excited to be a member of the Davos hockey club."
 
That was Steve French after being drafted by Davos 21st overall at the S93 VHL Entry Draft.
 
I figured the draft would be interesting and even though I had conversations with quite a few scouting teams in the end I had no clue where French was going to go in the draft. He was ranked around 20th overall by scouting but ranked 19th overall in tpe. In the end by having Steve go 21st overall he becomes my latest drafted player in any VHL draft. Which if you've seen my activity trends lately I definitely understand why. I've been slacking compared to my past players. 
 
I'm happy to see French get drafted by Davos though. If you don't know, I've got quite a lengthy cupless drought dating back to s11 that includes quite a few finals appearances where my teams have fallen short. But, Of course I won that cup in S11 as a member of the Davos Hockey Club and I haven't played for them since. So maybe the only team I've ever won with can be the team that helps me break this curse. 
 
 
 
 

"I had some jitters before the draft I'll admit. I knew it was going to be a big day for me and for my career and I was nervous to meet my new team. When Davos called my name I immediately proceeded to embarass myself by shaking the GM's hand and calling him by the wrong name. Haha, I hope he can forgive me as I'm now just really excited to be a member of the Davos hockey club."
 
That was Steve French after being drafted by Davos 21st overall at the S93 VHL Entry Draft.
 
I figured the draft would be interesting and even though I had conversations with quite a few scouting teams in the end I had no clue where French was going to go in the draft. He was ranked around 20th overall by scouting but ranked 19th overall in tpe. In the end by having Steve go 21st overall he becomes my latest drafted player in any VHL draft. Which if you've seen my activity trends lately I definitely understand why. I've been slacking compared to my past players. 
 
I'm happy to see French get drafted by Davos though. If you don't know, I've got quite a lengthy cupless drought dating back to s11 that includes quite a few finals appearances where my teams have fallen short. But, Of course I won that cup in S11 as a member of the Davos Hockey Club and I haven't played for them since. So maybe the only team I've ever won with can be the team that helps me break this curse. 
 
 
 
 

"I had some jitters before the draft I'll admit. I knew it was going to be a big day for me and for my career and I was nervous to meet my new team. When Davos called my name I immediately proceeded to embarass myself by shaking the GM's hand and calling him by the wrong name. Haha, I hope he can forgive me as I'm now just really excited to be a member of the Davos hockey club."
 
That was Steve French after being drafted by Davos 21st overall at the S93 VHL Entry Draft.
 
I figured the draft would be interesting and even though I had conversations with quite a few scouting teams in the end I had no clue where French was going to go in the draft. He was ranked around 20th overall by scouting but ranked 19th overall in tpe. In the end by having Steve go 21st overall he becomes my latest drafted player in any VHL draft. Which if you've seen my activity trends lately I definitely understand why. I've been slacking compared to my past players. 
 
I'm happy to see French get drafted by Davos though. If you don't know, I've got quite a lengthy cupless drought dating back to s11 that includes quite a few finals appearances where my teams have fallen short. But, Of course I won that cup in S11 as a member of the Davos Hockey Club and I haven't played for them since. So maybe the only team I've ever won with can be the team that helps me break this curse. 
 
 
 
 

"I had some jitters before the draft I'll admit. I knew it was going to be a big day for me and for my career and I was nervous to meet my new team. When Davos called my name I immediately proceeded to embarass myself by shaking the GM's hand and calling him by the wrong name. Haha, I hope he can forgive me as I'm now just really excited to be a member of the Davos hockey club."
 
That was Steve French after being drafted by Davos 21st overall at the S93 VHL Entry Draft.
 
I figured the draft would be interesting and even though I had conversations with quite a few scouting teams in the end I had no clue where French was going to go in the draft. He was ranked around 20th overall by scouting but ranked 19th overall in tpe. In the end by having Steve go 21st overall he becomes my latest drafted player in any VHL draft. Which if you've seen my activity trends lately I definitely understand why. I've been slacking compared to my past players. 
 
I'm happy to see French get drafted by Davos though. If you don't know, I've got quite a lengthy cupless drought dating back to s11 that includes quite a few finals appearances where my teams have fallen short. But, Of course I won that cup in S11 as a member of the Davos Hockey Club and I haven't played for them since. So maybe the only team I've ever won with can be the team that helps me break this curse. 
 
 
 
 

"I had some jitters before the draft I'll admit. I knew it was going to be a big day for me and for my career and I was nervous to meet my new team. When Davos called my name I immediately proceeded to embarass myself by shaking the GM's hand and calling him by the wrong name. Haha, I hope he can forgive me as I'm now just really excited to be a member of the Davos hockey club."
 
That was Steve French after being drafted by Davos 21st overall at the S93 VHL Entry Draft.
 
I figured the draft would be interesting and even though I had conversations with quite a few scouting teams in the end I had no clue where French was going to go in the draft. He was ranked around 20th overall by scouting but ranked 19th overall in tpe. In the end by having Steve go 21st overall he becomes my latest drafted player in any VHL draft. Which if you've seen my activity trends lately I definitely understand why. I've been slacking compared to my past players. 
 
I'm happy to see French get drafted by Davos though. If you don't know, I've got quite a lengthy cupless drought dating back to s11 that includes quite a few finals appearances where my teams have fallen short. But, Of course I won that cup in S11 as a member of the Davos Hockey Club and I haven't played for them since. So maybe the only team I've ever won with can be the team that helps me break this curse. 
 
 
 
 

So this may come as a surprise to some and not to others. After the many seasons as being the GM of Prague I am stepping down. Life has become too hectic for me to handle everything at once so I am giving up my position as the GM of Prague. I will still be a commissioner though so I'm not leaving leaving. I wanted to thank everyone who has been/is on Prague. We were able to finally win a cup for the franchise!
 
So with that said we will be looking for someone to take over as the GM of Prague!
 
If you are interested in the opening, please post in this thread. Please do not contact the Commissioners outside of this thread, we will reach out to the chosen candidate privately.
 
***Please refrain from making comments regarding any candidates and their "worthiness" of being hired for this job, positive or negative. Any comment that is not an application will be removed to maintain a clean list of actual candidates, and (I hate that this actually needs to be said, but...) any member bashing will not be tolerated.***

CIA’s Early, Probably Wrong S93 Mock Draft
 
The playoffs are here, and that means the event that absolutely everybody is waiting for. No, of course not the playoffs, who cares about those? No, what everybody is really focused on is the VHL Draft, the illusion of hope that will inevitably crush 15 out of 16 teams each season.
 
And this draft is a particularly interesting one. At the beginning of this particular draft cycle, there was a belief it’d be a weak draft year. There weren’t many recreating members, after all, especially with a few high profile S83 players instead preferring to take some time off before recreating. It also didn’t help that most of those early creates were all forwards, meaning there wasn’t going to be much variety at the top of the draft.
 
Then, the deluge happened. Spurred on by a renewed recruitment drive on Youtube, new members began to enter in drove. The result is a draft with more first generation players than we’ve seen in any time in recent memory. And since many of those new members joined at the same time, there really isn’t much separating anybody in the draft. Indeed, as of Sunday, Feb. 18, there are fourteen players between 221 TPE and 199 TPE. Yes, that’s just 22 TPE, separating the fourth and seventeenth ranked players in the first round.
 
In my opinion, that means this could very well be the craziest draft we see in a long time. It also promises to be the most unpredictable, and a lot is going to depend on unknown GM preferences and scouting meetings that haven’t happened yet. In fact, it would be a fool’s errand - downright irresponsible, in fact - to try and predict any of this before the lottery has even occurred.
 
Luckily, downright irresponsible is why I’m here. Before I get into the mock, there’s two important things to keep in mind:
 
1. This is one person’s opinion, and I know nothing. I’m very purposefully not active on Discord outside of my locker rooms, so I don’t know who’s friends with who or player plans that may have been discussed on there. I’m making picks based on what I know and team fits.
 
2. If you’re dissatisfied with where I put you, please absolutely take it personally. It’s because I hate you, specifically, person I’ve never met in real life.
 
Now with that in mind, let’s get to picking. TPE totals are as of Sunday afternoon.
 
  1. Seattle Bears: C Antonia Bucatini, Houston Bulls, 354 TPE, @CowboyinAmerica
 
I swear I’m not doing this to be conceited, and I think there’s a very good chance that Gianfranco Del Rocco is the first name on the draft board for a few lottery teams (more on that in a second). But I do expect Bucatini to be one of the top two, both because of the agency’s history and also the raw TPE total. As it relates to the Bears specifically, I’ll just say this: I’ve only actually created one forward before. That player, Gabriel McAllister, went first overall in S56 to the Bears and a relatively new GM named Bana. Four seasons later, Bana had his first title, and McAllister was named Playoff MVP.
 
  2. HC Davos Dynamo: LW Gianfranco Del Rocco, San Diego Marlins, 327 TPE, @Victor
 
The easiest pick on the board, put it in pen. While some drafts have surprises, I’ll be a bit shocked if myself and Victor aren’t 1-2 in some order. And while Del Rocco falls to Davos here, I wouldn’t be shocked if he was top on their draft board regardless. After all, Victor is a former Davos GM, many of his best seasons as a member were with the franchise, and Davos could be looking for new blood after having CIA’s Booberry just a few seasons ago. Plus, Davos actually has the best combined chance at the first pick in the lottery (32.5%), giving them a chance to make this a reality.
 
  3. Vancouver Wolves: LW Forum Content, Miami Marauders, 221 TPE, @frescoelmo
 
This is where I believe things start to get interesting. The easy pick would be winger Jean-Pierre Devote, who has the most TPE on the board. There’s also an argument for one of the more active first gen players who would provide a high upside. But I’m going with door number 3 in winger Forum Content. Fresco is one of the very, very few sim league members who have been around longer than I have (read: we’re old), and given past member history, there’s less of a chance of burnout than perhaps some of the newer members. The Wolves have their top-end talent from their host of S92 picks, what they really need are steady players to fill out the roster. Content certainly has the capability to be a star, but the high floor is even more important for me here.
 
  4. Chicago Phoenix: LW Jean-Pierre Devote, San Diego Marlins, 276 TPE, @eagle_3450
 
Early on in this drafting cycle, Devote was promoting himself as a potential first overall pick. And while he may have fallen a tiny bit behind Bucatini and Del Franco in terms of training points earned, there’s still all the makings here of a potential star. That potential mixes nicely with what the Phoenix need here, because I view Chicago as the exact opposite of Vancouver: A lot of really solid players, but in desperate need of a high ceiling player who could be the leader of the team into a new generation. That’s also why I think some enterprising first gens could be in consideration here, but Devote’s TPE advantage right now and previous earning gives the advantage.
 
  5. HC Davos Dynamo (from Warsaw): D Lucy Leitner, Houston Bulls, 215 TPE, @LucyXpher
 
A lot has been made of Davos getting this pick from Warsaw, so what now will they do with it? I have two immediate thoughts: First that they may not want two forwards in the lottery knowing there will be many available later, and second that Alex is not a GM afraid of taking a chance on first gens. So with that in mind, we see a first gen off the board here in Leitner. One of those coming to the league early in the season, Leitner has been a revelation on the blue line for the Bulls, averaging more than a point per game. Their insightful articles have also been a revelation, and show someone both invested in the league and not as prone to potential burnout in what may be a longer Davos rebuild.
 
  6. Riga Reign: D Benjamin Abenduct, Houston Bulls, 208 TPE, @Schnee
 
The Reign are my single most intriguing team as we enter the draft. Barring a bit of lottery luck or playoff lack of luck, they have three first round picks that sit in the middle of the first round. That gives them an opportunity to take a few chances, or perhaps even trade up with a team that’s looking for more established players (Chicago?). But as I’m not predicting trades, I wouldn’t be surprised if Riga takes a similar tactic to Davos’ last pick and knows there are forwards later. Thus, Leitner’s linemate Abenduct is the pick, a first gen who has been a continuously strong earner since joining at the beginning of the season. With Cobalt Burns set to retire and new defensemen in the prospect pool, Riga desperately needs some youth on the blue line.
 
  7. New York Americans: LW Chris Reynolds Jr, Houston Bulls, 213 TPE, @Crstats23
 
New York has a lot of offensive talent right now, but only one forward in their pool younger than S88 (last year’s first round pick Wayne Gretzky). So I’d expect them to go forward, and the third straight Bull to go off the board in Reynolds would seem to be a perfect fit. Reynolds’ agency proved to produce loyal players given Pete Mitchell’s eight seasons in Davos, something that relatively new GM STZ should value given that the Americans are still trying to build a new identity. Reynolds has also been a consistent earner, even if not always at the max, and the Americans have seemed to value long-term consistency as evidenced by the Gretzky pick.
 
  8. Prague Phantoms: RW Annie Oaks, Las Vegas Aces, 206 TPE, @Noodle Enjoyer
 
With Prague being eliminated in the wild card round, it would seem to be the end of an era. Four of their starters are retiring this offseason; stars John Jameson and Nikolas Kauppi are following next season. With a full rebuild potentially looming on the horizon, that screams to me a first gen who Prague can mold over time and serve as the centerpiece as more players come in with high picks in coming seasons. Between both Saskatoon and Las Vegas, Oaks has emerged as one of the VHLM’s top offensive talents and can be exactly that type of scorer Prague can build around. A perfect earner as far as I can tell, Oaks also has star upside to be the next in a line of top earners once Jamerson and Kauppi are gone.
 
  9. Toronto Legion: D Gul Dukat, Miami Marauders, 199 TPE, @MSouthworth
 
This is where the draft order could start to change based on the playoffs, and the Legion certainly wouldn’t mind picking last in the first round. But if they’re here, an infusion of youth into the defensive core is a must if they’re going to extend their window of opportunity. Dukat is the third of the three first gen defensemen I’d expect to go earlier than some may expect, providing high-level upside as long as their earning stays consistent. Much more of a defensively-oriented player than either Leitner or Abenduct, Dukat would also fit in nicely with a team that has high-profile scorers in Jaks and Atlas, but could use a bit more blue line strength.
 
  10. Riga Reign (from London): LW UghSike, Miami Marauders, 202 TPE, @UghSike
 
You thought I was going to pick a different forward here? Ugh, sike! (Sorry, it was the low-hanging fruit.) After going defense with the first pick, and with S91 draftee Red Panda fully entrenched at goalie, going forward with their next two firsts makes sense for the Reign. UghSike has been a consistent earner since joining, recently topping the 200 capped mark for the VHLM. And even if the points haven’t necessarily been there yet with Saskatoon or Miami, that will change in time as long as the TPE stays consistent. A good team/player fit, as Riga has had success bringing first gens along.
 
  11. Riga Reign (from D.C.): RW Nathan Ecker, Houston Bulls, 199 TPE, @Nathan_8
 
And with the next pick, Riga goes to the opposite side of the ice, taking right winger Nathan Ecker. Another first gen who came in near the start of the season, Ecker started off slow for the Bulls but picked his game up near the end of the season, ending with 25 goals while playing on Houston’s second line. But more important than that is a desire to be involved with the league, as evidenced by a JST GM position. That portends good tidings for long-term league longevity, and once again Riga is a good landing spot for first gens.
 
  12. Moscow Menace: C Tyler Lawson, Houston Bulls, 172 TPE, @Nyx
 
I’m curious where Moscow would go: recreating members who might occasionally get welfare but provide consistent earning (Nabokov, Kolesinska, French), or a first gen who has a higher ceiling, but potentially a lower floor? But having two late firsts allows them to split the difference, and I’m predicting a newer member in Lawson here. Although Lawson joined a little later than some players who have gone already, only getting in 56 games with the Bulls, he nonetheless has been a consistent earner and quickly worked his way up draft boards. The Menace do have three young talented centers in Gunner, Ruutu and Richmond, but Lawson’s current build could easily be molded to play on the wing as well.
 
  13. Moscow Menace (from Los Angeles): D WWumbo, Ottawa Lynx, 172 TPE, @Fire Tortorella
 
What, you thought my returning player spiel in the previous section was just about forwards? The same logic could apply just as easy to defensemen - and perhaps moreso, given that Andersson isn’t too far from regression and Pereira is a semi-regular welfare earner. WWumbo may see some welfare himself, but in a defensive pool with less depth than forward, a consistent earner and VHL regular would be welcomed into Moscow. Just don’t hire Torts as the team’s coach.
 
  14. Helsinki Titans: G Jorgen Lovstrom, Philadelphia Reapers, 202 TPE, @Pifferfish
 
Wait, a goalie hasn’t gone yet? Yes, it’s a rough market for goalies this season for two main reasons. First, there are a few talented ones, meaning teams could feel they can afford to wait and not miss out. And second, five of the picks in the mid-first are owned by Riga and Moscow - two teams with young goalies of their own who aren’t looking for a replacement. But those factors are Helsinki’s gain, as they get a talented netminder in Lovstrom here. The goalie for the VHLM-leading Reapers, Lovstrom has shown he knows how to win - important for a Helsinki team that may be looking to extend its window even beyond Fuukka Rask’s retirement in two seasons’ time.
 
  15. Malmo Nighthawks (from Calgary): RW Yermolai Nabokov, Philadelphia Reapers, 205 TPE, @fonziGG
 
What do you get for the team that has everything? There are some talented goalies on the board, but Malmo has a few prospect goalies to replace Ash Sparks, including last year’s 10th overall pick Olafur Gunnleifsson. Defense is the strength of the team already with a few young players. So forward is where I’m going, and with a known member in Fonzi. Nabokov has a few welfare claims to his name, but the Fonzi agency has also demonstrated an ability to make strong players if motivated. Landing on the reigning Victory Cup champions would seem to be strong motivation, especially since it looks like the team’s core will continue winning for a few seasons.
 
  16. HC Davos Dynamo (from Malmo): G Ondrej Vencko, Houston Bulls, 182 TPE, @Mutti
 
With their two lottery picks in this mock, the Dynamo already selected a forward and a defensive player. So when entering the rebuild, what’s left? Why, a goalie of course? It’s a matter of preference between Vencko and Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen, but I’m going with the first gen here. Outside of one hiccup week, Mutti has been a consistent earner since joining the league on a youthful Bulls team, emerging as the lead goalie in the run to the five seed. The Dynamo certainly have no problem with first gen goalies (see: Lachlan Summers), and Vencko would be ready to go upon Summers’ ultimate retirement.
 
Just missed first round:
 
RW Trimiskez Artav @jake - Was on track to be at the top half of the lottery, but two welfare weeks followed by not updating this week worries me. Can get back to things quickly though.
 
RW Miner vHLer @Rhynex Entertainment - I’m so excited to see how the build idea works. But with a lot of depth in the draft, I’m not sure teams would be as excited.
 
C Vanuza Kolesinska @chikn - For teams wanting a consistent presence, Kolesinksa is your player. But I’m expecting more swings for first gens this draft.
 
RW Steve French @Seabass - Same reasoning as above, though I’m curious whether the agency’s past association with Moscow means anything with their late firsts.
 
G Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen @Snussu - Goalie is just going to be a tough position this draft with who currently holds firsts. But I’m sure someone like L.A. or London would love to trade back in to the late first and pick them up. 
 
D Ray Stanton @horoscope - My dark horse first round pick, given how many teams need defense. Has been a strong earner since joining mid-season, if the scouting interview goes well a team could swing for the high upside.

VHLM Playoff Preview
Mysterious Fish
 
This playoff preview stuff is getting so repetitive so I am here going to try and add a twist to it. I will be talking about every series but I have asked each GM two questions:
What is your team’s strength? and, What is your team’s weakness? Doing that I will have my own sort of addition to mine.

(1) Philadelphia Reapers vs Saskatoon Wild (8)
 
Alright so starting off with the 1vs8 matchup. The Reapers have had a great season but not amazing. Philly ended the season 1st in the league and 1st in the east with 54 wins and a total of 112 points. Saskatoon on the other hand ended the season 8th in the league but 5th in the west. After selling at the deadline they managed to make the playoffs 1 point behind 7th and 9 points ahead of 9th.

Alrighty, my prediction is Reapers will win the series in 5. 
 
The Wild will find a way to steal one game with some luck between the pipes by most likely Austin Goulet lll @Tuchy and some production from Leo Neelson III @silentnyrf31, Connor simard @Alex99, and Pierre Marc Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito. 
 
Philly one the other hand will probably win because of Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish in between the pipes, and Yermolai Nabokov @fonziGG as the best forward. Otherwise Philly doesn’y have that much except some meh to bad depth and some meh defense.

Saskatoon Wild answers: @Ricer13
What do you think Saskatoon's strength is?
“A strength of Saskatoons, especially in this series is going to be our defense. It’s not a massive edge but it is an edge we will need.”

What do you the Saskatoon's Weakness is?
“Our weakness is going to be goaltending. We have two goalies who’ve been fighting for the starting job where as Philadelphia’s strength is going to be their goaltending.”

Philadelphia Reapers answers: @Lemorse7
What do you think Philly's strength is?
“Goalies of course and we also have 2 of the top 5 center in faceoff might be even 2 in the top 3”
 
What do you the Philly's Weakness is?
“Not clear on it but he did say Also the Jinn chemistry on the ice is just something else that need to be study”

(4) San Diego Marlins vs Houston Bulls (5)
 
The most hyped up series in the playoffs with the series between 4 and 5 that most people say would be a great Finals. Yet here we are. The Marlins with one of the best offenses in the league finished 4th in the league and 3rd in the west, they have had an interesting season but a good one at that. The Bulls finished one point behind San Diego in the standings finishing 5th in the league and 4th in the west. With a full roster of 12-6-2 they have the depth all around with insane goaltending. 
 
Alrighty, this might be a bit biased but when everyone says Houston is going to win I am going to go with San Diego in 7.
 
San Diego has a great offense with 4 capped and 1 that is 10 tpe away. The capped forwards consist of Dietrich Reingaard @JigglyGumballs, Gianfranco Del Rocco @Victor, Jean-Pierre Devote @eagle_3450 and Wayne Gretzky @MubbleFubbles. Dwight Schrute @Jamomayo is at 190 tpe right now. The defense improved a lot at the deadline with a big move getting Ray Stanton @horoscope, along with a few waivers and then a decent goalie in the net.
 
Houston has probably the best depth but too much depth can hurt teams. In this case it might with too much star power that might not get as much playing time as needed. With 3 capped forwards by the names of Chris Reynolds Jr @Crstats23, Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica and Trimiskez Artav @jake. Then 2 capped defenders, Benjamin Abenduct @Schnee and Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher. Then one of the best goalies by tpe Ondrej Vencko @Mutti. 
 
Overall this will be a fun series and it will really be a story of how the depth players perform vs others or in the case of Houston depth players vs Depth and Star players.
 
San Diego Marlins answers: @McGriddy10
What do you think SDM's strength is?
“I think our strength is offense”

What do you think SDM's Weakness is?
“our weakness is defense”
 
Houston Bull answers: @AJW
What do you think Houston's strength is?
“I would say Houston’s strength is the depth of players we have consistently earning. Luckily enough we got a shipload of players before the regular season started and a few more joined along the way. Majority have stuck around to playoffs so I feel I’ve  got a good idea on each players strengths/weaknesses. We have a lot of options to play different players in different lines if needed.”
 
What do you think Houston's Weakness is?
“Houston’s weakness is definitely unpredictability. Throughout the entire regular season we had A LOT of 1-1 sims. It seems like we’ll beat up a team one game, then the next game we might fall asleep. To go far in these playoffs we need to stay consistent, and not give up games that we should be winning.”
 
(2) Las Vegas Aces vs Ottawa Lynx (7)
 
In a series that might be good we have the 2 and 7 seeded teams. Las Vegas who is quite similar to San Diego in the sense of offense it is just Las Vegas has a tiny bit worse top 5 based on tpe. LVA finished the season 2nd in the league and 1st in the west. Ottawa who has been struggling is basically everyone on the tpe side who finished 7th in the league and 3rd in the east.
 
My prediction is Las Vegas will win in a clean sweep.
Las Vegas with a good group of forwards which includes 2 capped forwards Caesar Monterrey @CaptainGatsby and Annie Oaks @Noodle Enjoyer who they acquired in a trade with Saskatoon and then 3 more forwards in the 190+ range of tpe and then a solid D with good depth and 1 capped D by the name of Bric Sheithaus @Oldhead911. In net they have a decent goalie Hugo Boss @Dil with 130 tpe.
 
Ottawa has the 2 leading point scorers both capped by the names of Ivan Ivanov @KmaddFPSand Wayne Shotzky @Kenamatic. The next closest forward by tpe is Steve French @Seabass with 177 tpe. On the defensive side no one is capped but Wwumbo @Fire Tortorella is the top D with 172 tpe. In the net with 98 tpe Alexander ovieckin jr @penguinb19.
 
With poor goaltending on Ottawa and good offense for LVA this is why LVA will prevail.
 
Las Vegas Aces answers: @McLovin
What do you think LVA's strength is?
“our strength is absolutely our offense. bolstering the most consistent and potent offense in the league over the last two seasons has given us a remarkably unique opportunity to outscore and outpace our opponents, and we've used that greatly to our advantage of this last season especially.”
 
What do you think LVA's weakness is?
“our greatest weakness is the other side of the coin, our defense and goaltending for sure. we let up on average a significantly larger number of goals than other similarly ranked teams, and Hugo Boss can only do so much to stop the high volume of shots he faces every night, but even he has weak nights sometimes”
 
Ottawa Lynx answers: @Grape
What do you think Ottawa's strength is?
“Strength would be high end offensive talent”
 
What do you think Ottawa's weakness is?
“Weakness is subpar goaltending”

 
(3) Mexico City Kings vs Miami Marauders (6)
 
Lastly we have the series between Mexico City and Miami. Mexico City has the depth but not a real superstar but they still finished 3rd in the league and 2nd in the west. Miami was the best team to start the season going 15-0-1 but after the first 16 games they only won 22 more games in 56. Still with that they finished 6th in the league and 2nd in the east.
 
My prediction is Mexico City will win in 6 games.
 
Mexico City is worse on paper with only one capped player Trey Daniels @Tdan04 outside of him the team just has a bunch of depth that has worked well for the forwards. The Kings defense has 2 good D then the other 3 are under 100 tpe.
 
Miami does have a chance to win if their offense of 5 capped forwards Forum Content @frescoelmo, UghSike @UghSike who were both picked up at the deadline in a trade with Saskatoon. The other 3 are Joe Shmo @matt sovick, Matthew Highmore @NineIQ v2 and Vanuza Kolesinska @chikn. One the defensive side they have basically 2 capped players, Pierre Ennis @DeciBell4 and Gul Dukat @MSouthworth. So in total Miami has 7 capped players which should mean they win but in this case they have too much of the same in their star players instead of some different style of players.
 
On paper Miami should win but their goalie even though the goalie has good tpe has been performing poorly.
 
Mexico City Kings answers: @hylands
What do you think Mexico City's strength is?
“Our strength is definitely defence and goaltending. When I drafted this team I had a clear direction I wanted to go, and that was building from the goalie outward.”
 
What do you think Mexico City's weakness is?
“Our biggest weakness is forward depth. Looking at all of the other playoff teams, they have a lot more firepower than we do. However, the players we do have are extremely dedicated to the cause and know exactly what is needed from them.”
 
Miami Marauders answers: @Tetricide
What do you think Miami's strength is?
“Our strength definitely comes from our offensive prowess, whether it's from our forwards or defense.”
 
What do you think Miami's weakness is?
“However, we lack the opposite from our forwards -- defense. There are a few like Highmore, Kolesinska, and Loo who have helped a little in that department, but it's caused us to have a close goal differential towards the end of the season at 17. Because of that, our goaltending has suffered quite a bit as well, and it all just kind of falls down from there.”


 
Although this does not matter in the 2nd round San Diego will beat Philly in 6 because Philly really only has a goalie and then between the Aces and the Kings the Aces will win in 7. In the Finals between the Aces and the Marlins the Marlins will take it in 6.
 
This has been my VHLM Playoff Preview and lets enjoy the playoffs!

1) I dont really know i've just been tuning the guy out to be honest. As long as we keep up our effort level I think we can keep the momentum going. 
 
2) Obviously I'd love to win the Cup as I've never won it with any of my past players
 
3) Yeah I seem to have picked up the nickname Snowhead. It all comes from my typical shenanigan of throwing snowballs at my teammates heads during practices. 
 
4) Fries and gravy is odd to some people. Idk I thought Kraft Dinner and Ketchup was gross but I tried it and it ain't bad. 
 
5) Warhammer Fantasy
 
6)I don't remember it's been years. Must at least of been before 2017 because I was gifted a voucher for a free movie dated 2017 that I still haven't collected yet. In all reality I don't watch many movies and when I do I'd just rather be in the comfort of my own home and not have to deal with people or commuting. That and if I want to pause for a bathroom break or smoke break I can.

With Season 92 now past its halfway point and the trade deadline one week away, it's a natural time to consider which VHLM players have been most important to their teams so far.  It is the opinion of this writer that the VHL/VHLE/VHLM should have All-Star Games and in lieu of official selections, I decided to make my own selections and put together two All-Star rosters for the VHLM. 
 
The Format: I envision the VHLM All-Star Game as a 3-on-3 contest because that format seems best suited to showcasing the skills of the most talented players in the league.  I selected one team each for the VHLM's Western and Eastern Conferences.  Each team consists of 12 skaters and 3 goalies-- that's 8 forwards and 4 defenders making up 4 lines. I would propose playing a 45 minute game with 3 periods at 15 minutes each.  
 
The Selections: I think any good All-Star roster should include players from every team in the league, but should ideally not omit any players who deserve to be there.  Thankfully, it was possible to create these lineups with at least two deserving representatives from each team (at least one skater), and no more than four from any single team.  There were inevitably a few deserving players that needed to be left off to make up these numbers and I will recognize them at the end.  Choosing goalies was the hardest because it's very difficult to compare their performances with drastic variations in games played and team quality.  I chose 20 games played as the minimum threshold for goalies who were selected, which unfortunately eliminated some goalies who have performed well in a small sample size.  I ordered the roster lists below by position and team alphabetically.
 
VHLM Western Conference All-Stars:
 
Houston Bulls - (RW) Trimiskez Artav @jake - 21G-32A-53P
Las Vegas Aces - (RW) Elle Aura Ashe @Lynersify - 22G-29A-51P
Saskatoon Wild - (RW) Annie Oaks @Noodle Enjoyer - 24G-25A-49P
Las Vegas Aces - (LW) Stinky @taylorherd - 27G-26A-53P
Mexico City Kings - (LW) Loona Buckzo @WildfireMicro - 20G-25A-45P
San Diego Marlins - (LW) Jean-Pierre Devote @eagle_3450 - 31G-30A-61P*
San Diego Marlins - (LW) Dwight Shcrute @Jamomayo - 25G-30A-55P
Saskatoon Wild - (LW) Forum Content @frescoelmo - 20G-41A-61P
 
Houston Bulls - (D) Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher- 9G-35A-44P
Houston Bulls - (D) Benjamin Abenduct @Schnee - 9G-33A-42P
Las Vegas Aces - (D) Bric Sheithaus @Oldhead91 - 11G-42A-53P
Mexico City Kings - (D) Free Gorlab @eaglesfan036 - 17G-27A-44P
 
Houston Bulls - (G) Ondrej Vencko @Mutti - .890%, 3.06GAA, 15W
Mexico City Kings - (G) Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen @Snussu - .899%, 2.68GAA, 21W
San Diego Marlins - (G) Samuel Wazinski @samthemancub - .914%, 2.47GAA, 26W

VHLM Eastern Conference All-Stars:
 
Halifax 21st - (C) Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica - 26G-23A-49P
Mississauga Hounds - (C) Wernher von Braun @Prof. Zach Enron - 21G-18A-39P
Ottawa Lynx - (RW) Ivan Ivanov @KmaddFPS - 24G-34A-48P
Ottawa Lynx - (RW) Steve French @Seabass - 26G-24A-50P
Philadelphia Reapers - (RW) Yermolai Nabokov @fonziGG - 26G-33A-59P
Halifax 21st - (LW) Aanarsi Reingaard @Laine - 23G-21A-44P
Miami Marauders - (LW) Matthew Highmore @NineIQ v2 - 24G-26A-50P
Ottawa Lynx - (LW) Wayne Shotzky @Kenamatic - 27G-30A-57P
 
Miami Marauders - (D) Bilbo Teebaggins @SackButter - 12G-34A-46P
Miami Marauders - (D) Pierre Ennis @DeciBell4 - 8G-28A-36P
Philadelphia Reapers - (D) Enn Jinn @jhatty8 - 14G-37A-51P
Philadelphia Reapers - (D) Magni Jinn @DontCallMeCarson- 7G-34A-41P
 
Miami Marauders - (G) Shaunca @shaun1979 - .888%, 2.72GAA, 1SO, 20W
Mississauga Hounds - (G) Marc-Andre Fleury @ElementStyx9 - .907%, 3.45GAA, 8W
Philadelphia Reapers - (G) Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish - .919%, 2.35GAA, 1SO,27W
 
Notable Omissions:
 
Houston Bulls - (LW) Chris Reynolds Jr @Crstats23 - 20G-20A-40P
Miami Marauders - (RW) Leon Bruhmaninho @BigBruhman - 13G-28A-41P
Philadelphia Reapers - (C) Taylor Swift @lilchrist - 13G-29A-42P
Philadelphia Reapers - (RW) beaubeau primetime @Bobo - 18G-23A-41P
San Diego Marlins - (C) Adam @Adam Ma - 11G-37A-48P

In addition to selecting All-Star teams from the Western and Eastern Conferences, I also wanted to recognize the top players from the entire league in a All-VHLM Team lineup.  For this full lineup of five skaters and a goalie, I selected the best players from each particular position (LW, C, RW, D, G).
 
All-VHLM First Team
 
(LW) Forum Content - (C) Antonia Bucatini - (RW) Yermolai Nabokov
(D) Bric Sheithaus - (D) Bilbo Teebaggins
(G) Jorgen Lovstrom
 
 
Congratulations to all of the above players on their very successful seasons to this point.  I think having an actual simulated All-Star Game would be a lot of fun just to see how combinations of the top players produce alongside each other.  I apologize to anyone who felt they should be included on the list.  There were a lot of deserving players and a number I listed who just didn't fit based on the criteria, despite having All-Star worthy seasons.  Adam, for example, centers possibly the hottest line in the VHLM right now between Devote and Shcrute.  I really wanted to include him but couldn't justify dropping another player.  
 
If you saw things differently or have other players you want to shout out, please feel free to tag them in a reply so they can also be recognized!  
 
 
Lauren Lambert for VHL.com
02/04/24 -  Theme Week: All-Star
 

1. Put me on the first line
2. I'm old, my first player was in S7 won a Continental Cup in S11 and haven't won it since, been cursed ever since going even to what 4 straight finals appearences with Moscow and losing all of them. 
3. I'm not sure I don't pay that much attention to what's going on to offer any real insight. 
4. My younger self was wrong thinking that "quitting smoking can't be that hard just stop and you know mind over matter and dont be a pussy and you'll do just fine" It took me almost 6 years to finally quit smoking lol
5.Went skating in the woods on a frozen wetland area we shovelled a path on. 
6.Cold. You can always layer up. With the heat there's only so many layers to remove and having to be wet all the time from sweat or just having to cool off is just gross. Nobody likes swamp nuts. 

While it is likely too early to say this, I would like to say that, so far, the recruitment drive has been a success. Not only did we get sheer quantity in a ton of new members (my email inbox has yet to forgive me), but also a lot of high quality members who have already shown more activity than some of the longer standing members. The big takeaway in this drive is that there are still a fair amount of people out there interested in this sort of thing, and all that was needed was to simply put it out there that we exist. That being said, if we could follow this up with more successful drives, bring in some more top notch members, we could enter a new golden age in the VHL, maybe not at the same level as the reddit recruitment or covid times, but still a legitimate increase in both quantity of members and activity, and see expansion in the leagues. The M is already nearing capacity and could be due for some growth, which would be nice to see, considering as of now only two teams miss the playoffs. The E might remain relevant for a few more seasons and could go back up to six, or if success is really booming, could sniff eight. The VHL may not see expansion in some time. Inactives would likely be axed first before expansion occurs. While this all depends on the future, I can at least say I have hope. Before the drive, the league was stagnating at best, slowly bleeding itself dry. Now, air has filled the lungs once again, and the league finally has some activity again.

Ottawa looking like a wagon this year I wish you best of luck in all matches not against Saskatoon, keep up that scoring pace Frenchie!

This week we got to see the French Sensation, Steve French get drafted to the VHLM and make his season debut with the Ottawa Lynx. The Lynx are off to a hot start only earning at least a point in all but one of their 8 games played so far and are currently tied for 2nd in the league standings. 
 
French has been rock solid so far and has offered the team some good secondary scoring playing on the 2nd line alongside Juslaf Rajskovsky and Kevin O'Connor. French was selected at the draft with the 17th overall selection by the Lynx and has made quite the first impression as he currently sits among the top 10 on the VHLM scoring list. He's had 13 points in 8 games which is tied for 8th in the league. He's also 2nd in the league in total goals scored (8) trailing only fellow team mate Ivan Ivanov. 
 
I honestly thought French would go in the top 15 selections of the S92 VHLM Dispersal Draft and he fell just outside of that. Obviously, it's good for the Lynx and sucks to be the teams that passed on me as I'm sure they made a mistake there. 

What a great start to the season for Moscow. A brief run to the top was fun to see even though it was going to be a short stay. We do have a team that will compete more and push into a playoff spot. It has been very motivating to be a part of it all and just makes us want to do better. I think on the player side, we have delivered. Coaching has to make it all work, so far so good but changes are needed if we really want to get serious about this season. If not, it will be a fun season that we do better than a team in a rebuild would do. Time will tell.
 
The league has me worried. It doesn't even show up if you Google hockey sim leagues. The SHL does, strange. I predict that sooner rather than later the draft will be all about the top 5 players at best as the talent is just not there like it used to be. I know it runs in cycles, but this is beyond that. I know when I was really turned off by the VHL. Yes, I think the hybrid system broke the league from the M to the VHL. I am just letting my experiences that I had prior to that change carry me forward.
 
Good luck to everyone. Let's have a great season full of highlight reel games.
 
Word count: 239

Today we got to meet up with VHLMer, Steve French at a local barber shop for a few quick questions. He was getting a fresh new cut and a shave in preparations for the draft. He's of course in town to attend the S92 VHLM Dispersal Draft in which he's finally eligible for after playing the end of the last VHLM season in Miami. 
 
Steve what do you have to offer VHLM teams out there?
 
Well I'd like to tink I'm a pretty good team player out dere, you know alwayz looking out for my team mates and stuff, fighting if I 'ave to, I'll always 'ave their backs out dere. I'm also willing to go battle in the 'ard areas and get physical around the boards. I'm a good all around player I tink and I'll always try my best and not to fuck tings up. 
 
Where do you think you'll end going in the draft and is there any teams specifically where you'd like to go?
 
I tink it would be pretty cool to just get drafted, I don't really tink I care where I go. Just being in da VHLM is a big privilege. 
 
Are you nervous for the draft?
 
No, i'm just excited. I just want to know where I'm going and get the chance to meet some of my teammates. Right now is like Limbo, ya know? 
 
Anyways Steve thanks for the quick chat I wish you luck in the upcoming draft
 
Yes you too. 
 
 
 
 
 

Today we got to meet up with VHLMer, Steve French at a local barber shop for a few quick questions. He was getting a fresh new cut and a shave in preparations for the draft. He's of course in town to attend the S92 VHLM Dispersal Draft in which he's finally eligible for after playing the end of the last VHLM season in Miami. 
 
Steve what do you have to offer VHLM teams out there?
 
Well I'd like to tink I'm a pretty good team player out dere, you know alwayz looking out for my team mates and stuff, fighting if I 'ave to, I'll always 'ave their backs out dere. I'm also willing to go battle in the 'ard areas and get physical around the boards. I'm a good all around player I tink and I'll always try my best and not to fuck tings up. 
 
Where do you think you'll end going in the draft and is there any teams specifically where you'd like to go?
 
I tink it would be pretty cool to just get drafted, I don't really tink I care where I go. Just being in da VHLM is a big privilege. 
 
Are you nervous for the draft?
 
No, i'm just excited. I just want to know where I'm going and get the chance to meet some of my teammates. Right now is like Limbo, ya know? 
 
Anyways Steve thanks for the quick chat I wish you luck in the upcoming draft
 
Yes you too. 
 
 
 
 
 

Today we got to meet up with VHLMer, Steve French at a local barber shop for a few quick questions. He was getting a fresh new cut and a shave in preparations for the draft. He's of course in town to attend the S92 VHLM Dispersal Draft in which he's finally eligible for after playing the end of the last VHLM season in Miami. 
 
Steve what do you have to offer VHLM teams out there?
 
Well I'd like to tink I'm a pretty good team player out dere, you know alwayz looking out for my team mates and stuff, fighting if I 'ave to, I'll always 'ave their backs out dere. I'm also willing to go battle in the 'ard areas and get physical around the boards. I'm a good all around player I tink and I'll always try my best and not to fuck tings up. 
 
Where do you think you'll end going in the draft and is there any teams specifically where you'd like to go?
 
I tink it would be pretty cool to just get drafted, I don't really tink I care where I go. Just being in da VHLM is a big privilege. 
 
Are you nervous for the draft?
 
No, i'm just excited. I just want to know where I'm going and get the chance to meet some of my teammates. Right now is like Limbo, ya know? 
 
Anyways Steve thanks for the quick chat I wish you luck in the upcoming draft
 
Yes you too. 
 
 
 
 
 

Today we got to meet up with VHLMer, Steve French at a local barber shop for a few quick questions. He was getting a fresh new cut and a shave in preparations for the draft. He's of course in town to attend the S92 VHLM Dispersal Draft in which he's finally eligible for after playing the end of the last VHLM season in Miami. 
 
Steve what do you have to offer VHLM teams out there?
 
Well I'd like to tink I'm a pretty good team player out dere, you know alwayz looking out for my team mates and stuff, fighting if I 'ave to, I'll always 'ave their backs out dere. I'm also willing to go battle in the 'ard areas and get physical around the boards. I'm a good all around player I tink and I'll always try my best and not to fuck tings up. 
 
Where do you think you'll end going in the draft and is there any teams specifically where you'd like to go?
 
I tink it would be pretty cool to just get drafted, I don't really tink I care where I go. Just being in da VHLM is a big privilege. 
 
Are you nervous for the draft?
 
No, i'm just excited. I just want to know where I'm going and get the chance to meet some of my teammates. Right now is like Limbo, ya know? 
 
Anyways Steve thanks for the quick chat I wish you luck in the upcoming draft
 
Yes you too. 
 
 
 
 
 

1. Does Steak and BJ day count?
2. Haven't even played a game yet in the VHLM just joined up
3. Lets fucking do it.
4. Settlers of Catan
5. Confidence, we need to get a good win streak going to change that.
6. Typical fall weather, mild not too cold not too warm. Plus the added fall colors are just a bonus.

Player Information
Username: Seabass
Player Name: Steve French
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 32
Position: RW
Height: 74 in.
Weight: 220 lbs.
Birthplace: France

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Dude your team is full 😆

Player Information
Username: Seabass
Player Name: Steve French
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 32
Position: RW
Height: 74 in.
Weight: 220 lbs.
Birthplace: France

Player Page
@VHLM GM