Frank

I think the leadup to the VHL Draft is probably one of my favourite portions a career. Considering how the last draft cycle went for me, with me spending a large portion of my career with the team that drafted me, building a dynasty with them and eventually winning our Continental Cup together, my hopes are high.
 
Looking forward to my VHL career, my goal this time around is being in the right place at the right time for my personal career. I had a blast riding on Daniel Janser’s coattails last time around, and I still hold that time very dear to me. But this time I’m giving myself the best odds to get myself a legendary personal career. I will be communicative, I will be helpful, I will give my all to whichever franchise has my contract currently. But I will have no objection to hitting FA or working towards trades. With that in mind, I want to outline my current thoughts toward each of the VHL Franchises and how I think they will fit my player, Jillian Woods.
 
Calgary Wranglers
 
Funnily enough, this is the only VHL Franchise to have drafted me. Never played for them the first time around, as they seem to have just picked BPA and then ended up with a bunch of random VHL-ish goalie prospects and shipped me off. Landon Wolanin obviously played a large chunk of time there. Seeing how Strasmore, McFleury and Stauffer have struggled to put up offense though, I am not sure this is a good fit right now.
 
Chicago Phoenix
 
Cole is a GM that I’ve always wanted to play for, and there are a decent amount of young prospects that should have a good amount of success. I’m not sure they have a Janser-level talent here, but this feels very reminiscent of what Calgary looked like coming into S84. I fear that I would probably ride along with Lamb and Collberg for a long while before I could ever step into my own. It would be a great ride, but I wonder if there are better options for my personal success.
 
 
D.C. Dragons
 
D.C is an interesting scenario. They’re very obviously putting their efforts into winning right here, right now. They’ve got the next couple of seasons lined up, assuming they can find a Tucker Jr replacement, but this could be a great shot for someone like me to shine. Sure, they’ve got Calaway and some really solid supplementary defenders, but a second defender here could get some really strong usage on a team that will certainly score goals.
 
 
HC Davos Dynamo
 
Davos has very little on their roster, but a ton of draft capital and prospects. This was an expertly planned rebuild, and should be a very potent team. They’ve secured Bucatini and Forum Content up front that should be high TPA players, some decent goaltending prospects, but their main lack here is on defense. Getting to be the player who can take advantage of some high-potential players, especially while the talent level is still low, would give me a great shot of shooting out the gate hot.
 
Helsinki Titans
 
I’m not really sure what to make of Helsinki at this point. This season was obviously not supposed to have happened this way for the team, they had lots of talent, but were a piece or 2 short of the rest of the insanity that is Europe at the moment. They have a lot of prospects, but very few in VHLE territory and none above 300TPA. Most of the team will be aging out by the time I’d be getting around, but for a couple seasons, maybe we could get up to some trouble. Not hugely optimistic though.
 
London United
 
... hi guys. If you’ve been paying attention to the United roster over the last few seasons, I am a high-TPA defender hater. I much prefer to dump my cap into forwards and goaltenders, which yes, is ironic since I made a defender. I’m sure if I was on the board for myself I would take myself, but we both know that won’t happen, and I’ll be okay without that happening.
 
Los Angeles Stars
 
Not much here to talk about. Much like Helsinki they have a lot of prospects but not many that are near the VHL roster. I wouldn’t mind being one of the first pieces, but I’d probably prefer being the second draft of a rebuild.
 
Malmo Nighthawks
 
This has always been a very D-heavy franchise, and I’m sure Kaleeb knows how to sling D around by now. McFleury will be gone, and Stone aging out, could be a great chance for me to step inat the perfect time to become the next guy. The question is whether there will still be a contending team by that point.
 
Moscow Menace
 
Who keeps giving Moscow picks? Yeah this team is already a contender and has a boatload more picks coming. There’s no room for me I’m afraid, even if it would be a great ship to ride along on.
 
New York Americans
 
This team has been built from the back, and should be set there for the first half of my career. I don’t really think this is the spot that gets me the best start. I will cheer them on in their attempt to break the curse though, as I do always love a curse-breaker. If I were a forward, this would be a prime target for me.
 
Prague Phantoms
 
Prague is on a heater here in their last-ditch effort to get another Cup. By the time I’m up, there won’t much left from the current roster, if anything. They may not have much to sell and this may be a long rebuild. Much like the Stars, could be fun to be a first piece, but I’d much prefer to be in the second draft of a rebuild.
 
Riga Reign
 
Riga will have a new GM coming in for the first time in forever. This core didn’t really turn out, but some pieces could carry over, or some real assets could be recouped and a great team created. This is a really enticing spot for me, and I’m hoping that a great GM can be put in to run this rebuild.
 
Seattle Bears
 
I have always been a Seattle hater, as a Wranglers fan. But hey Leandro and Ricer have both done a stint there, so surely it can’t be that taboo. I can never really project what Seattle will be with Bana’s unique ability to just decide to compete and then it just happens. If I were to pick a positional need now though, it would be on defense and with a lot of talent retiring shortly, I could certainly find a spot in their retool, along with Mina.
 
Toronto Legion
 
Toronto is another team all in, and have a lot of talent retiring in the next couple of seasons. If they choose to ride to the end, this could be a tough rebuild, but they could also be the best team in the league for a couple more seasons. Really depends on what their plan is as to whether I would want to be in on this team. Could either be a really convenient timing on my part, or being the worst defender on a stacked, aging roster.
 
Vancouver Wolves
 
This is pretty much the same situation as Moscow, but a couple seasons behind. This team is loaded, will probably secure their final pieces this draft and move on to kick our asses until we change the rules again. Some things never change my friends and Vancouver winning in the finals against Moscow may once again be on the cards for the next 5 seasons. Oh, and there’s no room for me in this inn.
 
Warsaw Predators
 
This is the oldest, youngest team out there. I fear they may be perpetually cursed to have 3 good pieces forever. What it does mean is that the top couple of players on this squad rack up major success, but the team ends 5th or 6th. Would be a great launching point for me, and maybe I can help break the cycle! I have fond, distant memories of Warsaw, and would love to be back at some point.
 
 
Anyways, that’s about it. Some final disclaimers here for legal purposes. This article does not replace a draft interview. This article does not exclude anyone. I will sign with whichever team drafts me. I may not extend beyond that, but this article does not imply the results of that future decision. This article is not meant to sway opinion, encourage tomfoolery, or break any rules. Any names and likenesses are purely circumstantial. I am not liable for any decisions made from here on out. This is not legal advice. Talk to your doctor before drafting Jillian Woods. Not available to citizens in Quebec, Texas, Florida and Nova Scotia.
 
Also shoutout to this ridiculous S94 Class, and this wave of defenders who will inevitably kick my ass my whole career.

https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/17588090/
 

 

As if I needed more motivation.

@Mysterious_Fish asked me to run round 1 as they were busy.
 
So you're stuck with me (for now).
 
Another year, another disappointing cup run for [insert your favorite team here]!
 
To drown your sorrows, have some bonus TPE!
 
The form will close at 6 pm EST on Monday, 4/22.
 
 
ROUNDS WILL BE RELEASED AS SOON AS THE MATCHUPS ARE SET*.
*Unless NHL decides to start Round 2 early for some reason. Then I will do East / West if necessary.
 
SCORING SYSTEM (like last year)
Max - 225 points
Series winner - 10 points
Series Length (doesn't have to be the winner) - 5 points
 
TPE PAYOUT
 
Stanley Cup Champs in round 1 - 4 additional TPE
1st - 6 TPE
2-3 - 5 TPE
4-5 - 4 TPE
6-10 - 3 TPE
11-20 - 2 TPE
21+ - 1 TPE
 
HERE IS ROUND 1!! GOOD LUCK!!!
 
 
 
Check to see if you completed it!
 
 

Just fight Rip Wheeler a few times, that will boost your win loss record.

This season has been a little rough for Vancouver’s rookie winger, Logan Ninefingers.  He has done some good things at times and abysmal at times.  He has recently gotten into a physical role and had some good fights along the way.  So today I’m going to take a deep look at Nine finger’s career fight card.
 
VHLM S91
Game 304- vs Alexandros Mograine (Saskatoon) (fought to a draw)
 
VHLE S92 Oslo/Bratislava
Game 67- vs C1 (rome) Win-  at least I can beat up a bot
Game 78- vs Karol Lamb @dlamb(BRA) --  Loss---  Getting beat up by your GM really hurts. 
Game 114- vs S Winston Dixon jr @Rjdixon01 (VAS)  Win
Game 117- vs C1 (ROM) draw-   me and this dude have beef for sure
Game 21- playoffs vs Theo Allard @InstantRockstar (COL)  Loss
 
S92 Pro Am
Fight vs Callum Gary Yanick Janser @Daniel JanserDaniel -  LOSS
 
S93 VHL Vancouver
Game 195 vus Raimo Tuominen @SlapshotWrangler(CGY) Draw
Game 298 vs Jarmo Ruutu @jRuutu (MOS) loss
Game 306 vs Tommy Sleeves @dasboot(HSK) loss 
 
 
Conclusion, winning fights isn’t easy and apparenlty Logan needs to hit the weight room in the off season.  Happy Friday everyone
 
 
 
 
 

It is Friday evening, and I am sitting somewhere in Finland listening to my neighbor play their flute. I have lived in this building for a few years now, and I cannot say for sure who lives in this building with me. I like it. I like the anonymous vibe this building has. Unfortunately, now I know someone here plays the flute. I don't know that person, I don't know where they live exactly, I don't know their name, but my respect for the person and towards this building has gone down as a result. 
 
Like a recently planted birch, sitting on a fertile ground, just waiting to get bigger and bigger, each minute that goes by my hatred grows. I started to wonder if this forum would be better if we were not able to see the usernames. All we would see is the content and when it was posted. You could comment and react to the content like now. The portal would not show the updating history, just the statistics and attributes. But of course the updaters/staff could see who posted and what. I think the anonymity and not knowing who posted and what could make for some interesting interactions. You would have to invest in the content in front of you as the username would not dictate whether you take the time to engage or not. You could perhaps be more open and honest in commenting on what you see and hear, both good and bad. Sometimes it is harder to be positive and give nice feedback because then you might feel like you need to do so all the time. Sometimes the content you see should be commented on more harshly than your "role" in VHL allows. Many great moments and stories never come alive because we are too busy keeping appearances up. 
 
If I now think about my flute-playing neighbor again, I would hate them even more if I knew who they were and where they lived exactly, because they knew other people lived in this building, and out of all instruments they decided to play the flute. But then again, now that I don't know who they are and where they live exactly I don't feel as bad yelling at them to stop. On some other day, I could even add a swear word or two into the yelling. If I knew who they are and where they live I would have a harder time yelling for them to stop, because I need to keep appearances up. Nobody wants to be known as the person who yelled at a kid practicing or a pensioner trying on a new hobby. Nobody wants to be known as the person who said nice things to a kid or a pensioner playing the flute - that would be weird.
 
Because of the anonymity, this great meeting of souls could take place. The neighbor feels like they can play the flute while surrounded by other people and I get to yell at them. They know that nobody knows who they are or where they live exactly and vice versa, I know that they know that they don't know who I am or where I live exactly. The flute was still being played, loud words were yelled, and feelings were hurt. This would not be possible if we knew each other on any level. 
 
If we knew each other well and where we lived exactly, the only thing that would have happened was the flute was being played. I would more than likely just ignore the noise. I might not even think twice about it. What a sad story that would be.

we can kick @Grape out and make room for you

The next two weeks are super busy for me so trying to do an extra long media spot to count for two weeks.  I am off to Las Vegas for two weeks which is waaaay too long to be in the desert.   So this weeks Around the League will cover a bunch of topics such as Bollos de Trueno potential draft spot, a look in on Rip Wheeler, the race to the playoffs, and maybe other random stuff to get me to 1000 words.
 
BOLLOS de TRUENO
A quick look in at the upcoming draft shows a pretty deep first round and truly a bunch of  “can’t miss” draft pick for the first 10-15 picks.  Lots of big names and huge earners litter the top spots and a large amount of these picks are defensive players.  What does that mean for Trueno?  Well lets look deeper at BDT.
 
Without even looking at @Thunder current player in Trueno we have to think his draft stock is high simply because of his history.  His first player, Jake Thunder was the type of defenseman that set the standard for modern era VHLers looking to make a Hall of Fame dman.  
 
Not knowing what type of build Trueno will be, it seems likely we will be looking at Jake Thunder 2.0 but maybe better since Thunder is passed the learning curve now and knows what to put his TPE into now.  
 
Currently, Bollos de Trueno plays for Saskatoon and is having a great season.  In 61 games he has 12 goals 39 assists 51 points with 94 hits and 67 SB. 6 of his 12 goals are on the power play and he somehow snagged a shorthanded goal to show he is a threat in any circumstance. 
He currently sits #7 in overall TPE (3rd overall for defenders) for the upcoming draft class that shows 7 defensemen in the top 15. 
 
So where will he go?  Based on the current standings it looks like LA will have #1 pick with Davos picking #2.  LA’s needs could force them to take a sure pick goalie in Soju @Frank first overall and based on Franks past players could prove to be the smart choice. 
 
If Davos had the second pick they could go with #2 in overall TPE in Jillian Woods @jacobcarson877who is lighting it up in Ottawa (18-47-65) and another guaranteed winner of a pick.  But could Davos draft Trueno at #2 since his former player was a Davos legend?  Davos has some young forward talent but some needs all around so tough to say, only @AlexAlex knows.  There is some amazing forward talent as well in Maverick Goncalves @leandrofg who skipped the M and is already playing well against better talent in the VHLE.  Maverick is supreme talent and earner, and we can easily see him go #1 in this draft or any previous draft.  If he falls to #2 will Davos pick him up to lead their club in the future?  
 
Other names like Felicia Hardy @JCarson, Pierre Mac Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito, The Phantom of the VHL @Hogan, Pombo @samx, Lazlo Holmes @Gustav , Maple Dogwood @dogwoodmaple, Erik Thorvaldsson @Tetricide, and Wally Lose @youloser1337 all complicate the matter too since they are all great talent with historically great players.  
 
My prediction for Bollos de Trueno’s draft spot is #2-#8 spot.  My sincere hope is that he somehow falls to Vancouver’s draft selection so that I may play with my friend in real life. But it’s more likely he ends up somewhere else just based on pure statistics and, in that case, I hope to smash his face on the daily.  
 
LOL.  Best of luck Trueno, either way I can’t wait for you to get to the VHL and make another Hall of Fame defenseman.  
 
RIP “Glass jaw” Wheeler
To date, I have recruited four players to the VHL.  Two shit the bed early and were useless. One made the hall of fame (Jake Thunder) and one recruit I like to consider an off and on disappointment in Rip Wheeler.  Now, I know Rip in real life, and we work together. So, we often have conversations about Rip Wheeler @ScottyP and my player, Logan Ninefingers dropping the gloves and going at it.  For example, he told me that he was, “going to make that rookie Ninefingers pay the price in the big leagues,” when my player got to the VHL. 
 
So recently when the Vancouver Wolves squared off against the Prague Phantoms in game 393 in Prague.   So, in front of his sold-out hometown crowd Rip Wheeler  tried to assault young Vancouver forward, Riley Martin @Smarch. At the 16:44 mark Rip embarrassed himself by challenging the youngster to a fight by slashing him up the ice over and over.  What happened after will be shown on YouTube clips for ages as the rookie Martin served right hand after right hand into Wheeler’s mouth. Wheeler looked like a puppet on strings as Martin showed the veteran forward a little about pugilism on ice. 
 
To add fuel to the fire poor Wheeler was given a game misconduct for his antics and a guaranteed hearing with league officials over his behavior.   However great the fight win was for Vancouver they ended up losing in a shootout to a goal by Skor McFluery.  
 
VHL Standings
At the 60-game mark the Toronto Legion are currently the best team in the league with a 43-15-2 record.  Malmo, Seattle, London, New York, Moscow, and Prague are all close and this off-season should be a fun one to watch. 
 
Seattle and Moscow made the most moves at the deadline to try and improve their clubs and I think both were successful and pose a real threat to other clubs come playoff time.  Warsaw, defending champs DC, and Chicago also have their talents and are looking to wreck their pairings come playoffs.  
 
The current hot team in the league is Malmo with a 4-game win streak and is in a battle for top spot in the European division with London. It will be an exciting ending to the season to see where these clubs shake out.  
 
will claim for weeks 04/28 and 05/05

I call it Soja too after 3 bottles of Soju. 

Soja is the new Soulja Boy!! 😂

@Frank Really needs to be cracking that shit up!! 😂
 

Soja

When we consider the day-to-day work of a general manager in VHL, VHLM, and VHLE, I think it is safe to say the level of effort and dedication required could be compared to the effort and dedication of a car salesperson. The cars are going to be there even if the salesperson is not right next to the car all the time. If you have a question or if something needs to be done the car salesperson will get back to you in a bit, or they will send the recently hired young car salesperson to do the dirty work. 
 
A lot of the actual selling is done by the internet as the cars are advertised on the websites and other forums. People can also research the cars in advance.  Sure, the car salesperson can hype up the car and say this and that, but you would be foolish to fall for their sweet words.  Similar to VHL, the actual selling is done by the portal as we can see the players, picks the team has, etc to see if we would want to play in the team. When the GM approaches you or starts to sell their team up, you know they are up to no good, you would be foolish to fall for their sweet words. 
 
Quite interestingly, the general manager also shares a lot of similarities with a person about to buy a new car. They both point their fingers toward something while saying: " I want that one".  General managers, of course, point their fingers towards players. They look at the stats and numbers but ignore them completely as something else captures their attention, similar to a person who is about to buy a yellow car that eats a lot of gas just because they are over 40 and think they deserve nice things. 
 
A lot of being a general manager and car salesperson is about showing up. Some days it will rain, and some days the sun will shine, but when you come to the office most of the hard work is already done. 

Player Information
Username: Anthique
Player Name: Alphonse Desjardins
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 18
Position: D
Height: 76 in.
Weight: 215 lbs.
Birthplace: France

Player Page
@VHLM GM

@Ricer13

@Noodle Enjoyer

Getting it ready for Seattle's first round exit. 

Atta boy!! B-VAN G2

@Noodle Enjoyer

Was posting this last week, but Theme week happened.

1.     As mentioned, it has been a dull trade deadline but Moscow made a trade to collect a top defender in Kronchy Kardashian for a depth defender Celise Pereira and S94 DCD 1st; what did you make of this trade overall?
Think it's a nice trade for Moscow. Hopefully Helsinki gets a good prospect with that pick as their other trade of Jubis for a pair of 2nds was underwhelming. 
 
2.     Helsinki Titans was also involved in the only other trade of note so far by shipping off Fuukka Rask to the Da Bears for bunch depth players; two 2nd and two 3rd round picks; usually depth players so what did you think?
As mentioned earlier Helsinki should have asked for more or waited until the off season.
 
3.     Vancouver Wolves are currently six points back of Chicago for the final Playoff spot; Do you think we can make up the ground in the final 20 games and make the playoffs?
I hope so but if we miss I won't lose any sleep. We're trying to build the strongest team we can and feels like we're getting close.
 
4.     Playoff or No Playoffs, what are your overall thoughts about this season?
Underwhelming expected our off-season moves would have paid off in the standings. I'll take it as motivation for next season.
 
5.     Did you watch any of the Zoo Tycoon 2 Ultimate stream from Beketov or will you watch any of it later? Why or why not?
No if zi had more free tine I would have tuned in. But also I have no idea what that game is.
 
6.     With Playoff around the corner; it means the weather is becoming nicer; what are you looking forward to the most?
It's a win win. Enjoy the nice weather or the playoffs. 

Player Information
Username: RileyL
Player Name: Boris Bone-Breaker
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 29
Position: D
Height: 78 in.
Weight: 238 lbs.
Birthplace: Russia

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Things are starting to heat up between Prague Phantoms winger Rip Wheeler, @ScottyP, and Vancouver Wolves winger Logan Ninefingers, @Scurvy.  Game #393 found Rip Wheeler to be skirting the ice time with Logan Ninefingers, knowing all too well that Ninefingers has been after Wheeler.  Logan Ninefingers, the hard working, gritty power forward for the Wolves had reached out to his GM, @Frank, for a chance to share the ice with Wheeler so they could match up and air out some differences.  Ninefingers has been vocal about how disappointing Wheeler is as a hockey player, giving a lackluster effort and just going through the motions.
 
For almost two periods, every time Logan Ninefingers stepped on the ice, Rip Wheeler immediately asked for a sub out.  This chicken shit worked as Logan Ninefingers was keenly aware of Wheeler’s antics of being mouthy only when Ninefingers cant get to Wheeler.
 
At the 16:43 mark, Wheeler had only four shots, all of which were easily stopped by Dalkr Vidarrson, @kaleebthemighty.  Wheeler received a pass from Skor McFleury, @Alex, while looking on the Vancouver bench and seeing Ninefingers was about to jump on the ice.  Wheeler dumped the puck and went right after rookie Riley Martin, @Smarch, with what can only be described as a limpwristed attempt to challenge Martin.  Now Martin, not about to back down from anyone, let alone Rip Wheeler, reveled at the instigating and proceeded to use Wheeler’s face to redden his knuckles.  Spanish Moon Moth, @Renomitsu and Guntis Gavilrovs, @Girts embraced for a fight to a draw; as did Nikolas Kauppi, @Tetricide and Mikko Borisyuk. @Minebro.  Spanish Moon Moth and Nikolas Kauppi both shook their heads in disgust as they saw Rip Wheeler pick himself off the ice and skate to the bench as quickly as possible knowing that Wheeler will not be tangling against Logan Ninefingers anytime soon.  Before opening the bench door, Wheeler could be heard begging the referee to give him a game misconduct so he could avoid Ninefingers another day.
 
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Player Information
Username: Greg_Di
Player Name: Roger Eagles
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 21
Position: G
Height: 76 in.
Weight: 190 lbs.
Birthplace: Poland

Player Page
@VHLM GM

When looking around the league for possible rebrand options, there's one grouping that sticks out like a sore thumb.  Looking along the west coast, it's clear that there are just too many teams on that side of the continent.  In order to continue to grow the game and keep interest from fans all across the country, we need to move one of those franchises.  The easy selection is one of Vancouver or Seattle because, while it makes for a nice rivalry, that's just too much hockey for that close of quarters.  Because I once played for Vancouver, I'm letting them stay put and moving the Seattle Bears to Atlanta.
 
Why Atlanta, you might ask?  Well in the interest of full disclosure, I'm born and raised here.  But more than that, Atlanta has everything you want in a major sports city. We have the world busiest airport which is more than capable of handling the fan and team traffic, in addition to thousands of hotels in and around the city to accommodate the gargantuan needs of a franchise.  When you look at what other major institutions call Atlanta home, it's a no-brainer. World headquarters of Coca-Cola, Home Depot, and a slew of other Fortune 500 companies are all here, as well as the College Football Hall of Fame, the Georgia Aquarium, and Centennial Olympic Park. For rabid sports fans, there's the Braves, the Hawks, and the Falcons, as well as the numerous other sporting events Atlanta hosts, including the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and College Football National Championship.  
 
Now that we've established that Atlanta can physically do the job as a major city, it's time to talk about geography. There is a massive hole in the league for teams in the Deep South which needs to be rectified. I know hockey may not be a traditionally popular sport, but the love of the game has grown exponentially in the last decade with more and more professional hockey players coming out of the Peach State and surrounding areas.  For the actual branding, my first gut has to be the Peaches.  Georgia is the Peach State and the city of Atlanta has something like 125 different roads with the words "peachtree" or "peach" in the title.  If we go with peach, I'm envisioning a light peach colored peach with green stem, with some dark red accents on the fruit itself.  Across the peach would be two hockey sticks pointing in opposite directions at the bottom of the logo.  We could even go with Georgia Peaches if the league wanted to, as that's what we're quite famous for.  Another option would be the Atlanta Grits.  With the prominence of Waffle House in the Deep South, I could see a logo of a plate of buttered grits with two hockey sticks acting as fork and spoon on the plate.  This would be a great link to the cuisine and culture of the region and highlight one of the many delicious things that makes the South the South.  We could even partner with Waffle House as we'd have a natural strategic partnership to help market the brand and grow the popularity.
 
Regardless of which brand the league would decide to pick, two things are quite clear: first, Atlanta needs a team, and second, the league needs Atlanta.
 
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