Reputation from studentized - Victory Hockey League

studentized reacted to eaglesfan036 in The Tagging @Members Thread November 21, 2020

Just make me a special group of members who cant use the tag

studentized reacted to Toast in Toast Journal -- S74 Western Europe Roster and Captains! November 11, 2020

With the first few sims out of the way I wanted to take an in-depth look at the Western Europe team for the S74 World Cup and why I think we have one of the stronger clubs in the tournament. We have started 3-0-0 and I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it. Of course there are still two sims to go for the round robin before the games become do-or-die but I am feeling strongly that we are going to keep on this trend and hopefully place quite nicely in the medal round.

In this media piece I wanted to go over each of the selections and give some insight to why I made the choice. To wrap things up at the end of the post we are going to name the captains who will carry us through the rest of the World Cup!
S74 WESTERN EUROPE ROSTER

I feel like the team is a good mix of ages. We got some guys like Chris Hylands who is coming up and will lead some World Cup teams in the future and we have some older players like Phil Marleau who we can hopefully get some Gold on as they head towards the end of their career.

Chad Magnum, Center — Magnum was one of the easy selections for the team. Hovering at around 900 practice hours on the ice and recently in the spotlight of a blockbuster trade, I’m sure that most members are familiar with Magnum. Corco has been around the league for as long as I can remember as well and it is definitely nice seeing some familiar faces I can bring on board.

Last season for Toronto he put up 32 goals and 89 points for over a point per game. Something else that caught my eye was the 385 hits that he dished out. I want the team to be a little physical on the puck despite the risk that it could get us into penalty trouble. Magnum is being relied on heavily if we want to make it far in this tourney.

Phil Marleau, Center — This is probably the last time that we are going to see Phil Marleau on the ice so I’m hoping that we are going to be able to get a gold medal to close out this career. Phil is another member who was around during my peak activity so it’s nice being able to get all these old faces on board to help me get reacquainted with everything.

Marleau is another similar player to Magnum and will be carrying the weight of the second line for us. While his faceoffs are not fantastic, his stats on the ice for Riga last season were. A point per game with 418 hits is insane and I’m not sure if I’m just out of touch with how the VHL is or if we have two terrifying two-way centers to hopefully carry the offense here.

Uhtred, Winger — When I first saw this name on the eligibility list I had a hard time figuring out the pronunciation of it if I’m being honest. I’m not familiar with leafsman but taking a look and seeing a player with 800 practice hours was something that is hard to to over-look. Uhtred is one of the younger players on the team and hopefully someone we can rely on.

Last season for Seattle Uhtred put up a ridiculous 101 points and was an offensive machine. It would be crazy not to want them leading the Western Europe group. While not physical like our two centers, I can see Uhtred putting a ton of pucks in the net for us and the scoring touch is definitely something that gets me excited to see each sim.

Owen Nolan, Winger — Coming from the Dynamo, studentized is another member that I’m not familiar with from my past in the VHL but Owen Nolan was a player that I decided to bring in for Western Europe as another scoring winger and I think it’s nice to have a solid mix of players heading towards the end of their careers and those just starting.

At around 600 practice hours I wasn’t sure what to expect and was blown away when I saw Nolan has put up 43 goals last season with 95 points. Clearly this is another offense-first player but Nolan’s build makes me think that he is another solid option for the centers to go to either wing to hopefully finish off any rushes.

Jared Spaz, Winger — So we got through a couple members that I did know and now I’m lost looking at majority of the eligibility list for the rest of the team. Spaz was another winger that was near the top of the board for Western Europe but is still relatively young being a S70 guy. Spaz was also one of the guys to join us at the Discord server which is fantastic as well.

Spaz has another shooting-first build which seems to be the common thing. Being a solid part of the Titans offense last season, Spaz also showed the ability to be a point-per-game player and that is ultimately why I wanted them on the team to compliment the rest of the style that we had going so far. Spaz can alternate between the top two lines depending on how things go through the next few games.

Chris Hylands, Winger — For our last piece on the offense, I’m going to the youngest skater on the team. I haven’t met Hylands but they’ve been the most enthusiastic member since the World Cup started and I’m sure this isn’t going to be their only World Cup.

Looking over these players, I’m starting to see a common theme that everyone is working towards for offense and it seems to be working! Malmo definitely seems to be one of the younger teams but Hylands still excelled with 46 goals and 95 points which is wild! 478 shots may be the most that I’ve seen from a player by going through their stats and the 700 practice hour build is exactly the style I was looking for.

Roque Davis, Defense — The defense on Western Europe is our selling point. That’s not to say the forwards or goalies are weak but we may have the strongest defense in the entire tournament. Having Josh on board is fantastic for the team because it’s not hard to see the dedication to the league. The simmer of this World Cup can’t hurt to have on your team but I hope no one would ever think that’s a reason we’re performing well.

1000 practice hours on a player is ridiculous. Having someone that can be relied on to be the best of the best regardless of where they are on the ice is not something I’m going to take for granted. Davis is going to get wild amounts of ice time for good reason. Being point per game on multiple occasions for Davos just further shows how valuable this will end up being for us.

Lance Flowers, Defense — CowboyinAmerica is someone I recognize from the good ol’ days as well and someone who I’m happy to bring in on the team. A consistent person when it comes to building talented players seems like an obvious choice for any team and being at this stage of Flowers’ career can’t hurt!

Flowers is a monster for anyone who doesn’t know. Finding out that he is 6’7” was a blessing and explains why he is a force in his own zone. Regularly putting up 100+ blocked shots and a handful of hits to say the least, Flowers is going to be someone I rely on for the penalty kill as penalties seem to be crazy. I’m not familiar with the Dragons as a team yet either so it’s good to get more representation on the team!

Odin Omdahl, Defense — A newer member that I don’t recognize in zepheter was the first choice for the second pairing and apparently I’m just picking leaders from the Seattle locker room! Named a captain for the Berz this season it would be nice to try building some excitement with the World Cup by bringing in supposedly a strong LR player.

I don’t know what’s in the milk in Seattle but the points these people are putting up! Odin has a stronger build to be an offensive guy on the blue line but isn’t afraid to risk his game for the team. Well over a point-per-game the past couple seasons and over 150 shots blocked is someone that West Euro is going to need in both ends of the ice to hopefully lead us to Gold.

Erik Summers, Defense — Nice. One of the older players from S69 and not someone I’m familiar with personally but has steadily built a solid defender that has been relied on in the past for us. I recognize the name and it’s nice to seemingly have a full skater roster for us.

Summers is up there at around 700 practice hours and has a decent build that doesn’t seem to be focused entirely on scoring which is good for us to have some difference. With high strength and skating hopefully Summers will be someone we can rely on to carry the puck for us. Putting up 82 points in Helsinki this season is great too and penalty minutes dipped significantly so hopefully this will be someone we can rely on to stay out of the box.

Nicolas Fomba, Goaltender — Nice. Our starting goaltender for the tournament is another S69 player and someone who has seen a few World Cups as well. This new era has me trying to figure out who all these new members are but it’s nice to see someone who is relatively active around the league.

Another piece of the S74 Bears, Fomba was a back-up goalie who had some decent stats. At 400 practice hours and having a championship on their resume is something that is valuable and hopefully something that will work some STHS magic! A 89.7 save percentage is nothing fantastic but carrying the starter work load for Warsaw in S73 resulted in some nice performances and two shutouts. We’re going to hope STHS keeps playing nice with Fomba.

Peiro Angela, Goaltender — The youngest player on the roster! Peiro is a S74 and will serve as the backup for the team if things get messy. I’m not familiar with monkey but they have been a solid welfare and practice facility earner. Hopefully we can get them a medal early in their career.

So there you have it, the S74 Western Europe roster is looking pretty damn good in my opinion! It has been a long time since I’ve had any sort of GM role but this is certainly exciting so far. Despite being away from STHS for a good four years it definitely catches on quick. I had some trouble making the final call on this roster but I love seeing how active the team is and I look forward to the next so many seasons in this new attempt to rejoin the VHL!

To close things off I want to announce who will be the captains for the remaining games we have this tournament:

Assistant Captain - Roque Davis @Josh
The first assistant captaincy is going to Josh. Roque is going to be someone this team relies on heavily for the rest of the tournament and I feel an ‘A’ is the very least of a thank you I can give for getting these games going.

Assistant Captain - Lance Flowers @CowboyinAmerica
It’s nice still seeing these familiar faces around the VHL and CiA is someone I remember fondly. Joining the Discord and getting involved was a big piece of these selections and I’m hoping that Flowers has a solid rest of the tournament.

Captain - Chris Hylands @Hylands
And finally, our captain for the S74 World Cup. While I may not know Hylands, I do love to see the dedication of the first West Euro member to join the World Cup Discord and being involved through the varying channels. I wanted to promote some excitement through this tournament and I’m happy to give the ‘C’ to someone who I feel is excited for the tournament.

If you made it this far in this media piece for my ramblings, congratulations on joining the Western Europe hype train. Please join us over in the Discord to join in on the trash talk (https://discord.gg/f4VdeVjZ) and go Europe! Feel free to point things out to me that I missed or call me out on stupid comments, I need to learn everything the VHL has to offer all over again and I need the help!

2101 words. Using for PT weeks 11/08-11/15, 11/16 - 11/22, 11/23 - 11/29 and 11/30 - 12/6

studentized reacted to Toast in [S74] -- Team Western Europe Roster & Discussion November 10, 2020

TEAM WESTERN EUROPE

Forwards
(S70) C - Chad Magnum - @Corco
(S67) C - Phil Marleau - @Phil
(S71) RW - Uhtred - @leafsman
(S68) RW - Owen Nolan - @studentized
(S70) LW - Jared Spaz - @Spaz
(S72) LW - Chris Hylands - @Hylands(C)

Defense
(S71) Roque Davis - @Josh (A)
(S68) Lance Flowers - @CowboyinAmerica(A)
(S70) Odin Omdahl - @zepheter
(S69) Erik Summers - @Erik Summers

Goalies
(S69) Nicolas Fomba - @efiug
(S74) Piero Angela - @Minermonkey

Congratulations everyone on making Team Europe! I'm thankful for the opportunity to GM this squad and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do in the tournament! I am going to release an article tomorrow to give more on each selection but I wanted to get this announcement out to not hold things back.

I'd love if you all would join WCoH Discord server (https://discord.gg/QHysbvcb) so we can discuss the tourney! Let's do this!

studentized reacted to fishy in S74 User Rankings November 7, 2020

studentized reacted to fishy in S74 VHFL Final Results October 24, 2020

Thank you again to @Spartan for creating the spreadsheet I used to get all these numbers!!! You're amazing!!!
Unfortunately the tables don't show up in the dark mode, but if that's the worst thing that happens, I think we'll all be okay.
The top 3 earners in the league this season were @studentized with 1456.9, @BladeMaiden with 1437.65, and @Victor with 1433.84. The top earning skaters & goalies will be released soon!

To claim your TPE, use the link of this post. Claim uncapped > Fantasy > VHFL!

Group 1
TPE
1
@fever95
1413.52
6
2
@Tape-to-Tape
1310.05
5
3
@diamond_ace (GM)
1309.84
4+1
4
@.sniffuM
1276.53
3
5
@der meister
1265.31
2
6
@Peace
1214.33
1

Group 2
TPE
1
@Plate
1411.85
6
2
@Rayzor_7
1323.51
5
3
@TheLastOlympian07
1313.13
4
4
@a_Ferk (GM)
1244.85
3+1
5
@Corco
1206.33
2
6
@JigglyGumballs
1104.61
1

Group 3
TPE
1
@Sonnet (GM)
1395.64
6+1
2
@TTtheT
1337.65
5
3
@MexicanCow123
1318.85
4
4
@Blazzer
1260.84
3
5
DQ
1209.1
N/A
6
@Enorama
1188.21
1

Group 4
TPE
1
@Mike
1385.05
6
2
@Quik (GM)
1373.41
5+1
3
@JeffD
1269.5
4
4
@fonziGG
1237.45
3
5
@Smarch
1228.71
2
6
@DoktorFunk
1132.24
1

Group 5
TPE
1
@McWolf
1355.91
6
2
@Tate
1318.64
5
3
@jhatty8
1279.44
4
4
@FrostBeard
1224.45
3
5
@Beketov (GM)
1224.33
2+1
6
@KnightRiley
1062.06
1

Group 6
TPE
1
@Jubis (GM)
1413.25
6+1
2
@Josh
1388.12
5
3
@dlamb
1343.24
4
4
DQ
1239.9
N/A
5
@AW13
1220.51
2
6
@Emi
1000.65
1

Group 7
TPE
1
@OrbitingDeath
1408.15
6
2
@Doomsday (GM)
1362.85
5+1
3
@Renomitsu
1360.9
4
4
@Mason
1333.21
3
5
@HearnNation67
1215.72
2
6
@Mrpenguin30
1175.51
1

Group 8
TPE
1
@Spartan (GM)
1358.05
6+1
2
@MMFLEX
1330.73
5
3
DQ
1299.5
N/A
4
@Matt_O
1293.85
3
5
@GRZ
1270.72
2
6
@Matt thunder
1024.13
1

Group 9
TPE
1
@BladeMaiden
1437.65
6
2
@Jubo07
1363.84
5
3
@Hylands (GM)
1283.04
4+1
4
@CowboyinAmerica
1273.01
3
5
DQ
1209.9
N/A
6
@Banackock
1175.11
1

Group 10
TPE
1
@wcats
1404.05
6
2
@chikn
1365.53
5
3
@ZP16 (GM)
1342.32
4+1
4
DQ
1338.1
N/A
5
@Mongoose87
1093.84
2
6
@TXC
525.14
1

Group 11
TPE
1
@Crstats23
1413.65
6
2
@omgitshim
1329.3
5
3
@rory (GM)
1314.25
4+1
4
@gorlab
1282.51
3
5
DQ
1210.13
N/A
6
@Berocka
1154.44
1

Group 12
TPE
1
@hedgehog337
1405.65
6
2
@Patrik Tallinder(GM)
1327.13
5+1
3
@Ricer13
1304.84
4
4
@Hoopydog
1272.41
3
5
@Jeffie43
1254.05
2
6
@McLovin
1194.33
1

Group 13
TPE
1
@Cxsquared
1428.72
6
2
@Mr_Hatter
1324.73
5
3
@STZ
1309.85
4
4
@leafsman(GM)
1260.31
3+1
5
@MattyIce
1256.25
2
6
@Zyrok
1201.5
1

Group 14
TPE
1
@Victor
1433.84
6
2
@KaleebtheMighty
1341.45
5
3
@Nykonax
1313.45
4
4
@Beaviss
1287.13
3
5
DQ
1285.3
N/A
6
@Acydburn
1233.53
1

Group 15
TPE
1
@jpsd
1396.65
6
2
@Velevra
1352.51
5
3
@solas
1312.33
4
4
@Rhynex Entertainment
1256.25
3
5
@Xflexz
1221.33
2
6
@Jtv123 (GM)
1152.24
1+1

Group 16
TPE
1
@dasboot
1413.71
6
2
@SirRupertBarnes
1309.55
5
3
@TheFlash (GM)
1299.32
4+1
4
@SweatyBeaver
1286.45
3
5
@Motzaburger
1275.73
2
6
DQ
1273.3
N/A

Group 17
TPE
1
@IamMOOSE
1331.44
6
2
@GustavMattias(GM)
1323.11
5+1
3
@Da_Berr
1309.85
4
4
@jRuutu
1302.85
3
5
@frescoelmo
1287.93
2
6
@Greg_Di
1271.92
1

Group 18
TPE
1
@studentized
1456.9
6
2
@zepheter
1339.31
5
3
@DollarAndADream
1337.25
4
4
@fishy (GM)
1274.13
3+1
5
@Hooperorama
1265.12
2
6
DQ
1225.44
N/A

Group 19
TPE
1
@Spence King
1406.45
6
2
@Biggreen10
1371.7
5
3
@bigAL (GM)
1310.71
4+1
4
@Esso2264
1289.32
3
5
@Zetterberg
1268.25
2
6
@DMaximus
1245.64
1

studentized reacted to VHL Bot in NYA/DAV; S74 October 4, 2020

HC Davos receives:
Owen Nolan

New York receives:
S75 DAV 2nd
Joe Proto
Big Chungus

This trade has been accepted by all parties and is pending league approval.

studentized got a reaction from dlamb in New York Americans Press Conference Questions September 28, 2020

1. We are 4-4-1 after 9 games at the time of writing, 2nd in the North American Conference. How do you feel about that?

North American division finally looking weak. Unfortunately it's when we start the rebuild. Maybe playoffs?

2. Defenseman Hugh Jass has been incredible so far, with 16 points in 9 games. Will he eclipse his 61 points set last year?

Most definitely. Probably end up at the ppg rate.

3. Do you have any pre-game superstitions? If so, what are they?

Ice baths. Keeps you fresh.

4. Through 8-ish games for each team, which has been the most surprising start, good or bad?

Calgary was looking bad. Doing better now.

5. If you could relocate one VHL or VHLM franchise, who would it be, where would they go, and why?

I'd be down for a Montreal team. D.C seems cursed so maybe move them. I guess NYA cursed too though.

6. Dallas vs Tampa, Stanley Cup on the line. Who are you taking, and in how many games? (DAL leads 1-0)

I had Tampa in 5 before it started. After watching games 1 to 3, I could see it actually going that way but could also go 7. Series is physical. Taking Tampa either way.

studentized reacted to fishy in S74 VHFL Group 18 - complete September 23, 2020

i wanted him

studentized reacted to Esso2264 in S74 New York Americans Captains September 19, 2020

birb noise

C- Hugh Jass @TheFlash
A- Owen Nolan @studentized
A- Jerry Wang @ColeMrtz

studentized reacted to CowboyinAmerica in A Heartfelt Goodbye to New York September 10, 2020

A Wonderful New York Career

After six seasons, the time has come – Lance Flowers is set to leave the New York Americans. Despite entering free agency, though, there aren’t any hard feelings about the Americans franchise as I’m taking off. In fact, the exact opposite. Although I didn’t know much about the franchise or its management before being drafted second overall all the way back in Season 68, I couldn’t imagine having a better home over the past several years. Through the ups and downs, being named captain, and the many, many streaks, it has been an absolute pleasure playing for this franchise.

And with that, I have some people to thank.

The first one is obvious: Thank you @Esso2264 for being a spectacular general manager for this team. Even without surmounting the crapshoot of the playoffs, I never had any doubt that he was doing everything in his power to make this team a winning environment. He always kept us in the loop with major moves, had realistic but strong expectations for this team, and wasn’t afraid to rock the boat if something wasn’t working. His GMotY is very well deserved, and I’m glad I got the opportunity to contribute to the strong team he’s put together. I know the rebuild will go well with him in charge, and I hope the next reign of Americans ends in a cup. The cavalcade of Assistant GMs that have come through New York have been great as well, including @dlamb currently and former AGM and current teammate @ColeMrtz. I encourage anybody drafted or signing here to buy into the system, because I strongly feel it will pay off.

Among the multiple players I’ve had in this league, there are very few occasions where I’ve had the same teammate for six seasons, let alone two. It’s been fun being the core of the Americans with @.sniffuM and @studentized, us and others coming from that strong S68 to put together a winning team. I’ve always been a fan of being part of a rebuilding process, trying to build something out of nothing to reach the top. I’m glad that others were just as willing to put up with the highs and lows as me.

A lot of other players have come and gone from the Americans over the time I’ve been here, way too many for me to list and tag here. From players I played with early on like @McWolf and @chillzone to some of the players on these newer teams like @TheFlash and @rjfryman, I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by awesome talent and even better people while I’ve been here. It isn’t always a given that you’ll have fun on whatever team you’re drafted to, but with amazing people joining us on this journey, I’ve certainly been lucky.

And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the member who was supposed to be my defensive partner over the whole course of my career: @Elmebeck. He was the American I talked to the most in those early days, and I could tell through all of my interactions truly a kind person. I was gone on a trip in Asia when he passed; I didn’t know until I was back a week later. And when I learned, it hit like a ton of bricks. Our highest highs would have been even better if he were around, and my thoughts continue to be with his family.

It's been a ride, Americans. And no matter what happens in free agency and the final two seasons of Flowers’ career, I’ll always consider New York his home. Thank you for the six seasons of fun.

studentized reacted to Laine in VHL Weekly Review - S73 Week 4 August 20, 2020

Welcome to the fourth edition of VSN’s S73 Weekly recap (Games 355-475). We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.

Speaking of other VSN content, make sure to check out the other great work from the greater VSN family! Here are a few handy links to check out, from our weekly podcasts to in-depth history articles, scouting reports, and more!

Talents Behind the Trophies | Under 250 | Ringless: S49 Quebec City Meute | VSN Australia | S73 Future Watch: EU

Recap
Week 4 was a story with 2 sides. Goalies were absolutely shutting the door to all shooters at the beginning of the week, recording a total of 14 shutouts across the entire week. The last 3 days of the week, it was all about the shooters. Mostly within the last 3 days, 16 hat tricks were recorded across the league including one game where a player scored 5 goals. As the playoffs grow closer, the amount of fighting and physicality has gone up. Hits are at a high for this season and we saw 16 fights across the week. It will be interesting to see how the play of teams will change heading into the playoffs.

3-Stars

First Star
Odin Omdahl (SEA) - 6 G, 21 A, 39 Shots Blocked
Second Star
Benny Graves (DCD) - 11 G, 14 A, 63 Hits
Third Star
Greg Eagles (RIG) - 2.53 GAA, .910 SV%, 4 Shutouts

Power Rankings
Featured on this week’s graphic are Berocka Sundqvist on the Seattle Bears, Mikko Lahtinen from the Calgary Wranglers, and Guy Lesieur playing for the D.C. Dragons.

Shoutout to @Pengu for the banner

This week, the Seattle Bears regain the top spot on the Power Rankings, and rightfully so. The Bears have been terrific all season long, and if not for the insane winning streak that the Helsinki Titans went on, they may have topped the rankings for 3 weeks in a row. This week they were led by this week’s 1st Star, Odin Omdahl, who played a string of great games and anchored Seattle on that blue line. The #2 spot goes to the Calgary Wranglers who have had a resurgence as of late, and have climbed up our rankings all the way from the bottom spot last week after riding a 10 game win streak. They had some stellar goaltending this week from Jacques Lafontaine, who won 12 of his 14 starts which is an incredible stat.

The final spot in our top 3 goes to the D.C. Dragons, who after struggling to start the season, have put all doubts aside and are now firmly cemented in the North American Conference playoff race. Star centre Benny Graves has been the key to the Dragons’ success, and he led the way this week with some terrific performances that earned him our 2nd Star of the week. Coming up next, at #4, we have the Moscow Menace. Moscow has been ever-present in the power rankings this season, only missing out in Week 1, and they have done that on the back of some excellent goaltending by Raymond Bernard. He currently leads the league in save percentage and his solid play has been critical to Moscow’s success.

Filling in our back half of the rankings, coming in at 5th spot are the Helsinki Titans who fell off after an amazing week last week. They rode an incredible win streak straight to the top of the rankings and after some average play from the team, they have slipped down the ranks. Erik Summers continues to have a fine season and is currently leading the team in points. Our #6 spot goes to the Vancouver Wolves who have been ever-present in our Power Rankings this season. Their top players are doing all the work for them, most notably, Brock Louth and Jeff Downey who both had great weeks and continue to help push Vancouver towards a playoff spot.

Making their first appearance this season in our power rankings, the Toronto Legion will claim spot #7. They’ve been unfortunate to miss the rankings all season, having just missed out in previous weeks, but they finally put together a solid week and it is enough to get a spot in our Top 8. This week was all about the team game for Toronto, with nobody on the roster exploding with fantastic individual performances, but fans of the Legion will be happy to see the team starting to gel. Our 8th and final spot is held by the Prague Phantoms. The Phantoms have been right in that playoff hunt all season long, and are currently just 1 point shy of a postseason berth. With their starting goaltender Virgil Ligriv announcing his retirement earlier this week, they have handed the reins over to Woody McPine who stood tall in his 13 starts and managed to win 8 games.

Notable Games

Game 361 - Prague Phantoms vs Calgary Wranglers

This week’s surprise tilt saw the Phantoms take on the Wranglers. The scoring got started early, as just 1:01 into the game, rookie defenseman Kosmo Kramerev would fire a bomb past Woody McPine to put the Wranglers up by 1 early. This would be the only goal of the period, but Calgary dominated the rest of the way. They outshot Prague 15-4 in the opening frame and didn’t slow down in the second. They would get a pair of goals from Willie Dredge at the 46-second mark and the 4-minute mark of the second period to make it 3-0. Midway through the frame, Prague would battle back and score 2 power-play goals within a span of 2:54 to cut the deficit to 3-2. Prague would keep battling all the way to the buzzer that ended the second period but didn’t find a way to tie the game up. All seemed lost for Prague when Kris Rice would bury a wicked wrist shot to make it 4-2, but they didn’t give in. Just 43 seconds later, Gary Tarantino would drill a slapper that had eyes for the net, making it 4-3. Prague would outplay Calgary throughout the third period and it would pay off and just 2:09 after cutting the lead to one, Dagmar Havlova would score on a breakaway to tie it up 4-4. Throughout the rest of the third period, no goals would be scored and it would take extra time to settle this game. Overtime would be back and forth, but with just 36 seconds left in the extra frame, Alex Pearson would put home the game-winning goal, stunning the Calgary crowd as Prague rallied to win against the Calgary Wranglers.

Game 373 - Los Angeles Stars vs Warsaw Predators

An interesting matchup surfaced this week in Europe, as Los Angeles and Warsaw would clash in a game for the ages. It wouldn’t take long for LA to get on the scoreboard as just 2:40 into the game, Tyler Barabash Jr would drill a one-timer home on the power play to make it 1-0 LA. Later in the frame, Sigard Gunnar would score his 40th goal of the season to double the LA lead to 2-0. Warsaw would respond quickly, with Zeno Miniti putting Warsaw on the board just 6 seconds later. The first period would end with the score staying 2-1 for LA. LA would jump out to a strong second-period start, scoring 2 goals in the first 6 minutes to go up 4-1. Warsaw needed a miracle, and they got one. In the next 3:20 after Sigard Gunnar’s goal that made it 4-1. Warsaw would come back and tie the game, receiving 1 goal from Damien Wolfe and receiving 2 goals from Zeno Miniti, including his hat trick goal that made it 4-4. LA would fight back and with around 5 minutes left in the second, Markus Nygren would put LA back on top 5-4. In the third, Warsaw would continue to battle back and just 1:35 in, Hunter Hearst Helmsley would tie it again, making the score 5-5. The third would be a very competitive period from both teams, but we would need extra time for this game. Overtime wouldn’t solve anything, so we headed for a shootout. In the shootout, Sigard Gunnar would be the only one who would find the back of the net as LA’s emergency backup goalie would stop all 3 shooters in the shootout to help LA win a wild game by a score of 6-5.

Game 410 - Warsaw Predators vs Calgary Wranglers

One of the best individual performances of the season would come during a game between Warsaw and Calgary. Calgary would jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of the first, receiving goals from Mikko Lahtinen and Willie Dredge. Despite this early barrage, Warsaw would get to within 1 before the end of the period, getting a goal from Damien Wolfe. The second was very uneventful and only one goal would be scored as Dalton Wilcox would tie the game up 2-2 with 5 minutes to go in the period. In the 3rd period, Mikko Lahtinen would explode, scoring 4 goals in around 7 minutes to put Calgary up by a score of 6-2. Calgary would ride this 3rd-period performance to a 6-2 win over Warsaw. Lahtinen with the performance of the season so far, scoring 5 goals and tacking on an assist for 6 points on the night. This is sure to be a confidence booster for him.

Events of the Week

Fights

Game 368 - Milos Slavik vs Nate Wright In a tilt between two expansion rivals, Milos Slavik and Nate Wright would drop the mitts. Wright fought admirably, but Slavik was the more skilled combatant here and Slavik ended up winning the fight. It was a fun fight to watch though, lots of punches and blocks.
Game 371 - Remy Moreau vs Mikko Aaltonen Trying to set a tone for his team after giving up an early goal, Mikko Aaltonen would challenge Remy Moreau to drop them. The two of them went at it. Aaltonen got the jump on him and gave Moreau a few nice shots to the jaw, but Moreau came back and got Aaltonen right in the nose. The fight ended in a draw, but Aaltonen had to go off for some repairs.
Game 382 - Griff Manzer vs Bob Helminen After tying the game and losing the tie only moments later, Griff Manzer challenged Bob Helminen right off the next faceoff. Helminen accepted and the two got right down to business. Both combatants were able to land some good blows, but Manzer ended up getting the final hit on Helminen, knocking him to the mat.
Game 387 - Jet Jaguar vs Squirrely Dan During a highly contested match between the Chicago Phoenix and HC Davos where Chicago just extended their lead to 2-1. Jet Jaguar thought it would be a good idea to set the tone for the rest of the game and fight Squirrely Dan. The two of them went at it pretty good. Both of them were leaking a bit of blood after this fight. However, before one of them could land a deciding blow, the linesmen broke it up.
Game 399 - Andrej Petrovic vs Tony Bolonee With Vancouver down late in the game, Andrej Petrovic and Tony Bolonee decided to drop the mitts. The two wouldn’t bother blocking and beat at each other’s faces. Both of them hung in there through the whole fight. The linesmen ended up separating the two, with the fight ending up in a draw. Bolonee would end up being ejected for instigating the fight.
Game 400 - Dalton Wilcox vs Dagmar Havlova Trying to set the tone early for their teams, Wilcox and Havlova would fight just 6 minutes into this game. Havlova would get some solid punches in on Wilcox but in the end, Wilcox was just too much for Havlova to handle and he would end up winning this bout.
Game 406 - JaredN vs Ola Vikingstad Late in a 5-1 win for Seattle Bears, JaredN would fight Ola Vikingstad. Both players got off a lot of punches that didn’t really materialize into any sort of advantage. As a result, the linesmen would eventually break it up and the fight would end with the result being a draw.
Game 411 - SS Hornet vs Frans Eller In the most unlikely matchup, SS Hornet and Frans Eller would drop the mitts. Hornet would get some solid right-hand punches in and get Eller on the brink. As Hornet got the finishing blow on Eller, Eller got him right in the nose. Hornet wins but pays the price. He would have to go off for some repairs but would be right back out there 5 minutes later.
Game 412 - Randy Marsh vs Brock Louth Two tough customers in Marsh and Louth would drop the mitts here. They would start hammering each other right away, wearing both combatants down as the fight went on. The two would begin to struggle and the linesmen would break them up.
Game 434 - Brock Louth vs Remy Moreau Two players who already have fought players this week decided to drop them here. Louth got some solid right-hand punches in, but Remy would give him a nice shot right in the jaw. This fight was going somewhere, but the linesmen broke it up too early. I really would’ve liked to see the two keep scrapping.
Game 438 - Damien Wolfe vs DeFenz Mann After a huge hit by Wolfe on one of Mann’s teammates, Mann decided to stand up for his teammate and fight Wolfe. Man came out firing, but the rookie was eventually put to bed by Wolfe, who managed to get him square in the jaw with a right hand. Mann eventually returned to the game after getting 20 stitches in his jaw.
Game 439 - Jim Bob vs Scott Greene In a highly contested game between the two best teams in the VHL, Seattle got one early and in response, Bob challenged Greene to try and get Helsinki going. The two traded punches, again and again, getting weaker with every blow. Just when it looked like the next punch would be the winner, the linesmen separated the two. We missed out on a great ending to this fight.
Game 440 - Remy Moreau vs Gert B Frobe This is Remy’s 3rd fight this week, this time taking on a tough customer in Frobe. Frobe would surprise Remy early, getting in some solid right hands and an uppercut to the jaw. In response, Remy would give Frobe one of his signature right-handers to the Jaw. The linesmen would separate the two and both would go off for repairs.
Game 450 - Gary Tarantino vs Kyl Oferson Tarantino and Oferson would drop the mitts during a highly contested game between Riga and Prague. Tarantino would come out firing with his punches, but Oferson held firm. Once Tarantino was tired out, Oferson landed a few solid blows. At this point, both combatants were exhausted so the linesmen broke them up. Tarantino was ejected for instigating the fight.
Game 453 - Codrick Past vs Chris Hylands With Malmo losing 2-1 in the second, Hylands took it upon himself to put some spark on the bench and fought Codrick Past. Codrick came out with the punches, but Hylands held firm and even pushed back with punches of his own. The linesmen broke them up eventually.
Game 466 - Gary Tarantino vs Luciano Valentino In a highly contested game between D.C. and Prague, tensions began to run high and Tarantino would end up challenging Valentino near the end of the first period. The pair didn’t bother blocking and instead just began punching each other right away. To the surprise of many, they both were still standing after they had tired out and the linesmen had to break up the bout. Valentino had to go off for repairs and Tarantino was ejected for instigating the fight.
Game 471 - Owen Nolan vs Kris Rice Our final fight of the week takes us to a clash between Calgary and New York. After a late Calgary goal would put the game out of reach, Nolan would decide to take his anger out by fighting Rice. The two went back and forth for about 20 seconds. Trading punches and going blow for blow throughout. The linesmen, unfortunately, broke them up as the fight was ending. It would have been a great finish and I was disappointed that they broke it up so soon.
Hat-Tricks

Game 373 - Zeno Miniti Zeno Miniti would record a hat trick during a crazy game between the Los Angeles Stars and the Warsaw Predators. Despite the hat trick, Warsaw would end up losing 6-5 in a shootout.
Game 392 - Gary Tarantino In a pivotal matchup against the New York Americans, Gary Tarantino would score 3 goals, including 2 in the third to help the Phantoms steal a 5-4 win from New York.
Game 393 - Willie Dredge Willie Dredge would record a goal in every period of the game on his way to scoring a hat trick against Moscow. Unfortunately for Dredge, Moscow would end up winning the game 4-3.
Game 401 - Valtteri Vaakanainen In a marquee matchup between the surging Titans and falling Americans, Valtteri Vaakanainen would score 1 goal in the first period and 2 in the second to record a hat trick in a 5-2 win for the Titans over the Americans.
Game 410 - Mikko Lahtinen In perhaps the performance of the season by a skater, Mikko Lahtinen would score 5 goals in a 6-2 win for Calgary over Warsaw. 4 of those goals from Lahtinen would come in the third period to break a 2-2 tie. This game has to be a confidence booster for him.
Game 413 - Benny Graves Benny Graves would record a hat trick during a game between the Dragons and the Legion. He would score 2 in the second and the game-tying goal in the third in a 4-3 OT win for the Dragons.
Game 419 - Brock Louth Brock Louth would record a hat trick against the Chicago Phoenix, potting 1 goal in the first and 2 in the second for the hat trick.
Game 424 - Berocka Sundqvist Berocka Sundqvist would record a hat trick, scoring 1 in the first and 2 in the third to help lift Seattle over Warsaw by a score of 5-3.
Game 425 - The Terrible Trivium The Terrible Trivium would record a hat trick in a key game for London against the rival HC Davos Dynamo. He would score 2 goals in the third and the OT winner to propel London to a 5-4 OT Win.
Game 429 - Sigard Gunnar Sigard Gunnar would record his first hat trick of the week, scoring 3 goals including 1 in each period to lead the Stars to a 4-1 win.
Game 437 - Owen Nolan Owen Nolan would record a hat trick, netting one in each of the three periods played during a 5-2 win for the Americans.
Game 442 - RJ Jubis RJ Jubis would record his first hat trick this week, scoring 3 in regulation and a 4th goal in overtime to lift the Wranglers over the United by a score of 5-4.
Game 445 - Uhtred Uhtred would record his first hat trick of the week, netting 3 goals on 6 shots during a wild 6-4 win for the Seattle Bears.
Game 446 - Teemu Lehtinen Jr Teemu Lehtinen Jr would record his first hat trick of the week, scoring 3 goals and tacking on an assist in a 6-3 win over London.
Game 447 - Gregg Stallion Gregg Stallion would record his first hat trick of the week. He would net 3 goals, including the game-winner in a 5-4 win over Davos.
Game 453 - Chris Hylands Chris Hylands would record his first hat trick of the week, scoring 3 goals on 9 shots. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be enough as Riga would defeat Malmo by a score of 4-3.
Game 470 - Gary Tarantino Gary Tarantino would record his second hat trick of the week, netting 3 in a win for the Phantoms as they defeated Riga in the game by a score of 5-2.
Shutouts

Game 359 - Riga Reign vs Moscow Menace Greg Eagles would record the league’s first shutout of week 4, making 26 saves in a 4-0 win against Moscow. 11 of those 24 shots came in the 3rd so he did a tremendous job protecting the Riga lead.
Game 367 - Toronto Legion vs Seattle Bears Rayz Funk would shut down the high powered Legion offence, making 29 saves in a 3-0 Seattle victory. All 3 Seattle goals came in the first period and Funk did a good job keeping the door shut the rest of the way.
Game 370 - London United vs Riga Reign Greg Eagles would chalk up his second shutout of the week in a dominating 5-0 Seattle win over the London United. Riga dominated from the drop of the puck and Eagles only had to make 18 saves. Nevertheless, it is still a shutout and 10 of those stops came in the 3rd period.
Game 390 - Riga Reign vs Los Angeles Stars Greg Eagles would get another shutout, this time against the Los Angeles Stars. Riga dominated this game start to finish to win 7-0. Eagles made 18 saves to clinch the shutout.
Game 395 - London United vs Calgary Wranglers Jacques Lafontaine would record his first shutout of the week against London. Lafontaine would stop all 12 London shots to take the game by a score of 3-0.
Game 397 - Chicago Phoenix vs Seattle Bears Rayz Funk would record his second shutout of the week, backstopping Seattle to a 3-0 win over the Chicago Phoenix and recording 14 saves in the process.
Game 415 - New York Americans vs Los Angeles Stars β-LAS G, the emergency backup goalie for the Los Angeles Stars would record a shutout. He went in at the beginning of the game and stopped all 35 New York shots in a 1-0 Win.
Game 419 - Chicago Phoenix vs Vancouver Wolves Jimmy Spyro would record his first shutout of the week, making 37 saves in a 6-0 win over the Chicago Phoenix.
Game 420 - Calgary Wranglers vs D.C. Dragons Jacques Lafontaine would record his second shutout of the week, stopping 25 shots in a 3-0 win over the D.C. Dragons.
Game 423 - Los Angeles Stars vs Riga Reign Greg Eagles would continue his stretch of great performances this week, recording his 4th shutout of the week in a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Stars in which he stopped 29 shots.
Game 426 - Moscow Menace vs Toronto Legion Raymond Bernard would stand tall for the Menace, stopping 31 shots in regulation, 4 in OT and both shooters in the shootout to help Moscow beat Toronto 1-0.
Game 448 - New York Americans vs Los Angeles Stars β-LAS G would record his second shutout of the week against the Americans, making 35 stops in a 1-0 OT win.
Game 464 - New York Americans vs Helsinki Titans A Red Guy played great for New York in this game, stopping all 23 Helsinki shots to steal a 1-0 win for the Americans.
Game 467 - Moscow Menace vs Los Angeles Stars β-LAS G would continue a string of terrific games as the emergency goalie for the Stars, making 24 saves in a 3-0 win over Moscow for his 3rd shutout of the week.
Game 469 - London United vs HC Davos Dynamo β-LDN G would record the final shutout of the week, making 31 saves in a 1-0 win for London over the HC Davos Dynamo.
Rookie Spotlight
Jacob Tonn

Shoutout to @Zetterberg for the rookie spotlight banner!

This week we shine the spotlight on our first rookie goalie this season, and we have chosen to go with none other than Jacob Tonn of the Seattle Bears. Tonn originally joined the league as a waiver signing, opting to play in San Diego with the Marlins where he had somewhat of a tough time. Having said that, in Season 71 when he joined, the Marlins were in the middle of a rebuild and were one of the worst teams in the league, so his early stats are not great indicators of his all-around performance. He was drafted 18th overall in the dispersal draft by the Mississauga Hounds where he helped them to a playoff spot with a solid 2.84 GAA and .893 save percentage. Unfortunately for Tonn and the Hounds, they ran into a red hot Philadelphia Reapers squad and were eliminated in 5 games.

Following the playoffs, the Seattle Bears drafted Jacob Tonn at 4th overall in the VHL draft. The Bears were looking for their goalie of the future and they definitely got that in Tonn. What the netminder lacks in height, he’s only 5’5”, he makes up for in raw talent. He has had a pretty successful rookie campaign for Seattle, with an 8-3-1 record after 13 games. His raw stats are good for a rookie, with a 3.28 GAA and .878 save percentage and we can expect to see those improve soon as he continues to work on his game. What impresses me most about Tonn is his ability to win games for his team despite what his stats say. He won 45 games in his full season in the minors and already has 8 wins under his belt for the Bears. I am excited to see how he improves in the coming seasons.

With the retirement of Rayz Funk coming up on the horizon, Tonn will need to absorb all he can from the franchise goaltender in their two seasons together. It will be interesting to see if Tonn will follow in the footsteps of Funk and play out his entire career with the Bears, and with no other goalie currently in the system, it seems that Seattle is banking on just that. So far, Jacob has come up clutch when his team has needed it. For example, this week he made 3 starts and won every one of them which helped cement Seattle’s spot at the top of the standings. Seattle will be hoping they will see more and more of that as Tonn gains experience at the highest level.

Having impressed so far in his rookie season, it is likely that Seattle will look to Tonn more often as Funk ages and creeps up on retirement. It will be crucial for Jacob to string together some solid performances next season as the proverbial torch is passed. I expect that Tonn will live up to all expectations as his stats are solid for a rookie, and we will be looking at a goaltender that will be one of the best in the league someday. It’s very rare to see a goalie under 6 foot these days, and Tonn is a full 7 inches under that mark, but his pure talent can’t be ignored. Seattle has chosen to ignore that and have put their full faith in the Canadian netminder.

- VSN Writer Patrik Laine

studentized reacted to McWolf in S73 VHFL Members Rankings August 20, 2020

VHFL Members Rankings
SEASON 73 EDITION

Hi everyone, welcome to this first edition of VHFL Members Ranking. Basically, I will be ranking members based on how many TPE they have won from the VHFL in the last 5 seasons. This won't be a subjective ranking at all; I won't determine if someone is better at drafting than another. We're only going to look at the TPE gained over the last 5 seasons and assign every past season a multiplication factor, just like the IIHF does with their own World Ranking. The way the IIHF does it is that every season that pass, previous seasons ranking values are docked 25%. So in 2020, points earned in the 2020 World Championship are worth their full value, points earned in 2019 World Championship are worth 75% of the full value, and so on until 2016; points awarded in 2016 World Championship are not impacting the ranking anymore. Translate that to the VHFL, I'm going to do virtually the same thing, but with 5 seasons instead of 4. Why 5? I don't know. I was compiling the data and took a break after backtracking 5 seasons. Never got back into it so now I have 5-season worth of data lying around and figured I would work with that. My initial idea was to backtrack until the first VHFL seasons and see who were the all-time best VHFL players, but I don't think that'll be as interesting as this. I might get back into it at some point, but for now I'm going all-in with this Members Ranking.

Now, I don't know exactly where I'm going with that. I figured it would be something that's fun to do, but I also thought it could be interesting to maybe use the rankings when forming the groups in future season. I don't know. Instead of going randoms and having some strong groups, some worse groups, maybe force it so they all have top tier and bottom tier players in an equal ratio. Or purposefully make stronger groups where some of the best VHFL members face each other in an attempt to see which members come out on top when they are forced to draft against the best the league has to offer. It's just an idea, though. It can also simply be a ranking for the sake of ranking things, doesn't have to be used in any way.

The Formula

Since we are going with 5 seasons instead of 4 like the IIHF does, we are going to drop the value of past seasons by 20% for every season that past instead of 25%. The points we are awarding every season are the TPE their final position is giving them. So, 6 TPE for finishing 1st, 5 TPE for finishing 2nd, and so on, up to 1 TPE for finishing 6th and 0 TPE for not participating or getting disqualified. Since we are really only looking at the final VHFL results, I'm not considering the 1 TPE bonus awarded for members that managed their own groups. For this season's ranking, this gives us the following formula to calculate our point totals:

Points = (S72 TPE) + (S71 TPE * 0.8) + (S70 TPE * 0.6) + (S69 TPE * 0.4) + (S68 TPE * 0.2)
Just to put the formula in context, if someone was to win his group every season from Season 68 to Season 72, they would be awarded 6.0 points in S72, 4.8 points in S71, 3.6 points in S70, 2.4 points in S69 and 1.2 points in S68, for a grand total of 18.0 points. No one can ever go over that. On the other side of the spectrum, someone who finished 6th every season would get a final score of 3.0. Now, members could score less than that if they haven't participated every season. The real minimum points someone could score by participating at least once would be 0.2, with a 6th-place finish 5 years ago and no other participation since, but this is not really interesting for our ranking.

The reason I have decided to go that way with the ranking instead of simply going with an average of the last couple of seasons is to avoid punishing newer members for their mistakes in their first couple of VHFL participations. We see this situation happen fairly often, new members are on their first player who's still in the VHLM, so they don't know too much about what's going on in the VHL. They draft based on what they know and, more often than not, they pick players that looked like they did well last season or, worse, they pick rookies that just got drafted early in the offseason. "I played with Groovy Dood last season and he did well, and he was justed drafted first overall; he'll probably do well next season in D.C., right?" But these same members could go on to become great at drafting and could become one of these members that you hate to have in your group, so it would be unfair to punish their ranking for their inexperience from many seasons ago.

The Ranking

So, the way I want to approach this is, I'll be segmenting the full 167-member list into tiers for every 2 points, and I will discuss some members in every tier. We're already around 1,000 words in, so let's just dive right in.

Tier I: 14.0+

RK MEMBER PTS S72 S71 S70 S69 S68 1 @gorlab 16.2 6 4 6 6 5 2 @GustavMattias 16.0 5 5 6 6 5 2 @OrbitingDeath 16.0 6 6 6 2 4 4 @McWolf 15.8 5 6 6 4 4 5 @Tagger 15.4 6 6 5 4 6 @Victor 15.2 6 6 4 4 2 6 @rjfryman
15.2 6 4 5 6 3 6 @STZ 15.2 6 5 5 3 5 9 @Velevra 14.4 3 6 5 6 6 10 @Mr_Hatter 14.2 4 5 5 6 4
I'll say it once so he'll be proud of me: gorlab was gifted with the mad VHFL skills. OrbitingDeath isn't too bad either, fresh off 3 straight group wins. First thing you'll notice by examining this part of the table is the sheer abundance of 6s and 5s. You don't end up in this top tier without winning or coming close to win most of the time. These 10 members combine for 21 wins and 13 2nd-place finishes in the last 5 seasons. 34 top 2 finishes over 49 participations (looking at you Tagger, and your DNP in S68.) But how are these members consistently so good? Is there a way to draft that these ten follow mindlessly? We'll take a look at the position breakdown of this most recent S73 VHFL Draft and see if we can find any correlation.

A tendency is easy to decypher here. In the first two rounds, our 10 top drafters have selected a total of 15 forwards and 5 defensemen, with everyone picking at least one forward. Then, in the third round, our members went with forwards only 3 times and with defensemen the 7 remaining times. Halfway through the draft, 6 of our experts had 2 forwards and 1 defenseman, 3 had the opposite, 1 forward and 2 defenemen and only 1, Velevra, went all-in with forwards, filling his 3 spots in as many rounds. Rounds 4 and 5 were mostly used to round out the rest of the team, with 4 members going for goaltenders in these rounds, while most of them opted to keep them for the ultimate round. There's not one secret recipe that makes you win everytime. I guess the best strategy is in finding value in the later rounds. I personally like to draft forwards early, because the big names usually score big, and I draft defensemen later because I find it easy to find some steals. If some others like gorlab and STZ are finding success by selecting defensemen early but getting good value with late forward selections, good for them. But then, what makes for a good value pick? How can these members determine which players are due to take a step up before the other members catch up on it? The answer is magic. Honestly though, I'm not going to give up my own way of picking late-round defensemen, but we'll take a look at the players these 10 members have selected the most often, just for fun. #1 might surprise you.

PLAYER # Alex Bridges 4 A Red Guy 3 Cinnamon Block 3 Lance Flowers 3 Julius Freeman 3 Benny Graves 3 Jaxx Hextall 3 Thomas Landry II 3 Phil Marleau 3 Ray Sheilds 3
Alex Bridges comes at first, with 4 selections in 10 rounds. He's not the guy we usually think about when we talk about the VHFL and which players should be selected the most often. The rest of table is mostly populated by players you'd expect to see here: A Red Guy, Cinnamon Block, Lance Flowers, Julius Freeman, Benny Graves, Jaxx Hextall, Ray Sheilds. Ok, maybe you wouldn't have expected Sheilds to make the list in the offseason, but he had an insane season start and people started selecting him way early in their respective groups. The three that got him did so later than earlier, so they did find value with this pick. The other two that were selected 3 times, Thomas Landry II and Phil Marleau are not players that ever really scored a lot. Their career highs in goals and points are respectively 34 and 66 for Landry and 22 and 54 for Marleau. So why are they being selected so much? Because they hit. Simply saying they hit is a massive understatement; they hit a lot, and that ties in with the one tendency that might be easy to overlook, but possibly the most important of all. These 10 members' VHFL rosters are filled with players that are going to hit a lot. On average, their skaters have 79.1 Checking and 46.2 Discipline. All in all, there wer only two skaters selected by one of our elite VHFL drafters who has less than 60 Checking: Guy Lesieur, selected by Victor, and Jerry Wang, selected by gorlab. Alternatively, only one player selected by the same drafters has more than 60 Discipline, but Freeman's 80 Discipline is vastly overshadowed by his 90 Checking. Every skater taken by these 10 members had at least as much TPE invested in their Checking stat than in their Discipline stat; no one had a higher Discipline; Lesieur, Wang, Freeman and Hulk Hogan were the only four players with a gap of less than 20 between the two attributes. Hitting is vastly underrated when it comes to the VHFL, and this is something these 10 Tier I members understood literally years ago.

Tier II: 12.0-13.8

RK MEMBER PTS S72 S71 S70 S69 S68 11 @DollarAndADream 13.8 6 3 3 6 6 12 @chillzone 13.6 2 6 6 6 4 12 @DMaximus 13.6 4 5 6 4 2 14 @Jayrad28 13.4 6 3 5 4 2 15 @Jubis 13.2 5 5 5 3 16 @Acydburn 13.0 5 6 3 1 5 16 @Dil 13.0 5 3 4 5 6 16 @enigmatic 13.0 6 2 3 6 6 19 @omgitshim 12.8 4 5 2 6 6 20 @GRZ 12.6 4 6 4 2 3 20 @studentized 12.6 5 4 4 4 2 20 @leafsman 12.6 6 4 4 1 3 23 @Jbeezy76 12.0 5 3 4 3 5 23 @hedgehog337 12.0 3 5 6 3 1 23 @jRuutu 12.0 5 1 6 6 1
In this second tier, we start seeing a bit less wins and a bit more bad performances. Still, there are only 3 members in this group of 15 without a group win in the last 5 seasons: Jubis, studentized and Jbeezy76. Most members here got a pattern of showing greatness one season, only to fall back down the next season. One good example of that would be our friend chillzone, who won his group three straight seasons from S69 to S71, but his ranking tanked because of the recency bias of my method. His 2 TPE last season really hurt him here. Maybe analyzing the positional breakdown of members in this tier, along with their own favourite players this season might give us an idea why they are slightly overshadowed by their rivals of Tier I.

Quick parenthesis before we get into it: I said earlier that I'd love for this ranking to be used to form the groups, but in the meantime, it's a good tool to evaluate group strength. Upon seeing these first two tiers, I feel super bad for Group 4's newcomer @Crstats23, who had to faceoff against Victor (6), Velevra (9), DollarAndADream (11), hedgehog337 (24) and - we'll see him in the next tier - Patrik Tallinder (31). And with all odds against him, I look at his team and he did well. I wouldn't be surprised if he sneaked in the 3rd or 4th position.

Once again, we can see the same kind of tendency that we saw from the 10 members from Tier I: no goalies were taken in the first three rounds, with a big focus on forwards in these same rounds. In fact, four members selected their three forwards with their top three picks and five others went with two forwards and a defenseman. The last three rounds were a mixed bag, with about as many players from every position being selected overall, as our 12 teams slowly filled their remaining roster slots. Nothing out of the ordinary here, compared to Tier I. Let's take a look at this tier's favourite players.

PLAYER # Brock Louth 4 Lincoln Tate 4 Greg Eagles 3 Julius Freeman 3 Sigard Gunnar 3 Hunter Hearst Helmsley 3 Hulk Hogan 3 Jet Jaguar 3 Mikko Lahtinen 3 Erik Summers 3
Most selected players here are Brock Louth and Lincoln Tate, which makes sense. They are both high TPE stars on their respective teams. The rest of the list is composed of similarly high TPE players. Much less surprising results than for Tier I, where we saw guys like Alex Bridges and Thomas Landry II be selected so often. The most surprising common pick in tier II is probably Sigard Gunnar, but it's mostly surprising how well he's been playing this season. No one expected him to be the league leader in goals and points from literally day one, but truth is, he's been a reliable power hitting forward in VHFL for 2 seasons now, so it's not surprising to see 3 members trust him in their respective drafts. And that part about power hitting kind of ties in with my next point: CK and DI. The average skater drafted by a Tier I member had 79.1 Checking and 46.2 Discipline and, while the tendency towards drafting high-CK, low-DI skaters is still present among Tier II members, there's a non-negligeable difference in the results. In fact, the average Checking among these players is 72.8 and the average Discipline is 49.7 - a difference of -6.3 in CK and +3.5 in DI. Moreover, more players with low CK were drafted, as 7 different players with less 60 CK were selected, and 5 players even had a higher or equal Discipline: Guy Lesieur and Owen Nolan are both 40-40 in both attributes respectively, while Acyd Burn is 56-60, Micheal Gary Scott is 86-90 and Gabriel Gutzwiler is 40-60. I won't start saying these players are 100% bad picks because of their low hitting potential, but they're bound to end up with least points than their rivals with high hitting potential, just because of that sweet 0.2 point added per hit. The raw difference of -6.3 in CK and +3.5 in DI might not seem like a whole lot, but it means the gap is 9.8 lesser and, with 5 skaters on every team, that can start making a big difference in the end.

Tier III: 10.0-11.8

RK MEMBER PTS S72 S71 S70 S69 S68 26 @.sniffuM 11.8 1 6 6 3 6 26 @MexicanCow123 11.8 5 5 3 1 3 26 @Ricer13 11.8 6 4 1 5 29 @CowboyinAmerica 11.6 6 2 1 6 5 30 @diamond_ace 11.2 4 6 4 31 @Patrik Tallinder 11.0 5 3 3 4 1 32 @Tape-to-Tape 10.8 6 6 32 @BladeMaiden 10.8 6 6 3 6 32 @bluesfan55 10.8 6 1 5 5 32 @Midnite 10.8 2 4 6 2 6 32 @Enorama 10.8 4 4 3 2 5 37 @Jubo07 10.6 1 6 3 5 5 38 @Advantage 10.4 6 2 6 4 39 @FrostBeard 10.0 5 3 1 3 4
And this is where we started to seeing a mixbag of patterns, I guess. Some people who draft really well most of the time, but missed their shot in one or two occasions. Some others who pretty much always finish near the middle, but participate steadily and get the low-hanging fruit that is the free TPE from participating and finishing low in the standings. In my opinion, there are three outliers in this group; three members with fun scoring patterns. .sniffuM, BladeMaiden, Tape-to-Tape. Two of them are extremely similar, .sniffuM and BladeMaiden won their respective group thrice in 4 seasons from S68 to S71, but then proceeded to score 1 or 0 last season. Their resume up to last year would have easily put them in the top tier, but one underwhelming performance last season single-handedly killed their ranking, which I feel is one of the issue with setting up the formula that way. It's a bit too late to go back though, maybe I'll adjust it before next season though. The third player in my shortlist, Tape-to-Tape, is the absolute opposite. He didn't participate in 3 of the 5 seasons used in the rankings, but straight victories in S71 and S72 gives him a total of 10.8 points, good for 32nd overall... tied with BladeMaiden.

From now on, I won't do an advanced analysis on every member's S73 VHFL draft, like the positional breakdown and most common players per tier. They're very time consuming, and I feel like the results would get more random, as later tiers appear to be a mix of people being average on a yearly basis and people showing glimpses of greatness some seasons, then drafting a bit worse the next. The first two tiers were enough to tell the story I wanted to tell anyway and with 62 games played per team now, I think it's more than time to just finish this article and move on to some other things (like nothing, I'll be claiming that for 4 weeks, see you later!)

Tier IV: 8.0-9.8

RK MEMBER PTS S72 S71 S70 S69 S68 40 Proto 9.8 5 6 40 @MMFLEX 9.8 3 4 2 5 2 42 @JeffD 9.6 5 4 4 3 42 @Big Mac 9.6 2 4 4 5 42 @oilmandan 9.6 3 4 2 5 1 45 @Greg_Di 9.4 4 1 2 6 5 45 @TXC 9.4 4 3 4 1 1 45 @ColeMrtz 9.4 4 2 1 5 6 48 @dasboot 9.2 6 4 48 @Mike 9.2 6 4 48 @Spartan 9.2 6 4 48 @zepheter 9.2 3 2 5 4 48 @Tate 9.2 1 4 6 2 3 53 @TTtheT 9.0 5 5 53 @Josh 9.0 3 1 5 3 5 53 @Phil 9.0 4 4 2 1 1 56 @a_Ferk 8.8 4 6 57 @Quik 8.6 5 3 6 57 @TheLastOlympian07 8.6 3 6 5 59 @Renomitsu 8.4 2 2 3 5 5 59 @Matt_O 8.4 6 1 3 2 59 @Corco 8.4 5 2 3 62 @TheFlash 8.2 1 6 4 62 @Seabass 8.2 2 3 2 5 3 62 @Bushito 8.2 3 1 3 4 5 65 @Erik Summers 8.0 1 6 2 1 3 65 @Cxsquared 8.0 1 3 4 4 3 65 @wcats 8.0 4 2 1 2 5
Our average tier, as finishing with 3 TPE every season for 5 straight season would net you a score of 9.0. Like in the last two tiers, we see some members getting average results year after year, others getting good results some years, bad results other years and, finally, some potential future VHFL greats, as we have 5 members with 10 total TPE gained over the last two seasons, their only two participations. In fact, dasboot, Mike, Spartan, TTtheT and a_Ferk are ranging from scores of 9.2 and 8.8 after playing only 2 seasons because they all got back-to-back top 3 finishes. I expect at least a couple of them will feature in a higher tier as soon as next season.

Tier V: 6.0-7.8

RK MEMBER PTS S72 S71 S70 S69 S68 68 Jtv123 7.8 3 2 3 2 3 69 Nykonax 7.6 2 2 2 5 4 70 Beaviss 7.4 1 1 5 4 5 70 Rayzor_7 7.4 3 2 1 4 3 72 Anthony Matthews 7.2 1 5 6 4 72 fonziGG 7.2 1 5 4 3 74 Doomsday 7.0 3 5 74 solas 7.0 3 5 74 Sonnet 7.0 4 3 1 74 Esso2294 7.0 2 3 1 3 4 78 fever95 6.8 3 6 2 78 animal74 6.8 4 1 2 2 80 Kekzkrieg 6.6 1 2 4 3 2 81 BigTittySmitty 6.4 4 3 81 Philliefan 6.4 3 3 4 3 81 Beketov 6.4 1 2 1 5 6 81 Poptart 6.4 1 4 1 1 6 85 DoktorFunk 6.2 1 5 5 1 85 Matmenzinger 6.2 4 3 2 2 85 Motzaburger 6.2 2 3 1 2 2 85 DarkSpyro 6.2 4 1 1 2 89 ahockeyguy 6.0 6 89 twists 6.0 6 89 Sharkstrong 6.0 5 5
And this is where I stop tagging people. Except maybe a couple of them. @Beketov, how are you guys bad at VHFL? You've been here for literally a decade. Same goes to you @Beaviss. I remember being scared of having you in my groups when I started back in S62, but it seems like you're the one that should have been scared. Honestly, there's more players here that participated all seasons and just did bad everytime. The more I look at it, the more I think I will limit the ranking to maybe 50 names next season. There are too many people here who visually don't care as much about VHFL as I do.

Tier VI: 5.8-

RK MEMBER PTS S72 S71 S70 S69 S68 92 HearnNation67 5.8 5 1 92 McLovin 5.8 2 2 2 2 1 94 Berocka 5.4 2 1 2 1 5 95 Dalton Wilcox 5.2 3 6 5 95 BarzalGoat 5.2 4 1 2 97 Ahma 5.0 5 97 rory 5.0 5 97 Spence King 5.0 5 100 ng1291 4.8 4 1 100 VinCal 4.8 4 1 102 Alex Bridges 4.4 2 3 102 Z16 4.4 3 3 1 104 Ferda 4.0 5 104 flatl99 4.0 4 106 Zyrok 3.8 3 1 107 Banackock 3.6 4 1 107 pennypenny 3.6 2 2 107 NyQuil 3.6 6 110 Cornholio 3.4 1 2 4 110 Frank 3.4 5 2 110 LittleRiDog 3.4 5 2 110 Peace 3.4 2 1 1 110 HenrikZoiderberg 3.4 3 2 4 115 VanCanWin 3.2 5 6 115 KC15 3.2 1 5 3 117 Boragina 3.0 3 117 der meister 3.0 3 117 Elmebeck 3.0 3 3 117 Pengu 3.0 3 117 Sharkie 3.0 3 122 Walter Fizz 2.4 3 122 Nothing but goals 2.4 4 124 NumberJ5 2.0 2 6 124 Da_Berr 2.0 2 124 GrittyIsKing09 2.0 2 124 KnightRiley 2.0 2 124 ROOKIE74 2.0 2 124 SweatyBeaver 2.0 2 124 Zetterberg 2.0 2 131 Snussu 1.8 1 4 131 jacobaa19 1.8 1 1 133 SDCore 1.6 1 6 134 Sade 1.2 6 134 Elhandon 1.2 6 134 HughJas_ 1.2 6 134 Patpou22 1.2 3 134 BigBallerFromDownUnder 1.2 1 4 134 Grant 1.2 2 134 Kendrick 1.2 2 141 Kylrad 1.0 5 141 Aye my name jeff 1.0 1 141 Bacon 1.0 1 141 bigAL 1.0 1 141 eaglesfan036 1.0 1 141 Hylands 1.0 1 147 Smarch 0.8 4 147 Brrisbrr 0.8 4 147 Bruins10 0.8 4 147 MetalToday 0.8 4 147 FBR 0.8 4 147 StamkosFan 0.8 4 147 scoop 0.8 1 154 DizzyWithLogic 0.6 3 154 Thatguy91 0.6 3 154 Gaudette 0.6 1 1 154 JDGraves 0.6 1 158 majesiu 0.4 2 158 TukTukTheGreat 0.4 2 158 jack 0.4 2 158 Joubo 0.4 2 162 SidTheKid87 0.2 1 162 Steve 0.2 1 162 Sullvino 0.2 1 162 MacH 0.2 1 162 Juddy 0.2 1 162 Bucky___lastard 0.2 1
And this is where it ends. I'll literally only tag 2 members here: the only 2 who scored so low despite participating in all 5 seasons of VHFL. Keep it up @McLovin, @Berocka. Nowhere to go but up! I don't know why I'm still doing this. I could lie and say I'm word padding now, but truth is I went above 2,000 words somewhere while I was talking about Tier II I think. I'll just stop now. This will be better next season, I swear.

studentized reacted to .sniffuM in [S73] A Red Guy has retired! August 17, 2020

Sad this phase of my VHL life is ending. Got some shoutouts for the boys:

@Esso2264 - Thank you for always pressing forward through so much of the shit we took, and doing a great job rolling with all the punches the team took. It was an honor to play for you bud.

@CowboyinAmerica @studentized - My S68 buddies, thanks for your continued efforts in building the great core our team has had throughout my career, it was a constant struggle but it would have been much tougher without you guys.

@Elmebeck - Rest in peace.

@TheFlash @rjfryman @Motzaburger @ColeMrtz - Thank you for coming onto the team more recently and helping us salvage this era of New York Americans hockey, I look forward to pushing for a cup with y'all one more time.

All my other current and former New York teammates - Thanks for being here and making this place always feel welcoming amidst the ups and downs.

@dlamb and the army of former New York AGMs - Thank you for all the great work you guys did/have done on the job, both for the team and for our master birb's sanity.

@OrbitingDeath - Thank you for setting the bar high for our draft class and giving everybody someone to chase after.

@Mr_Hatter - Thank you for being a great rival and a great member for the league. I look forward to watching the end of your Hall-of-Fame career.

Let's go win a cup Americans!

ARG out, Muffbeav in.

studentized reacted to Quik in Weekly TPE Cap Changes August 6, 2020

Hey everyone,

So, I'm guessing the title of this announcement has probably got you wondering what the hell I'm talking about with weekly TPE Cap changes. It's nothing as radical as it sounds, just some minor alterations to how things work, going into effect on Monday, August 10th.

As you may recall, last year we implemented a cap of 6 TPE on secondary PTs. This will remain in effect, however, the total Weekly TPE Cap will now be based 100% on the Primary PT that is completed. In essence, while the Cap will begin at 12, it will be adjusted down to 10, or 11, if you claim VHL Welfare or VHL Pension, respectively.

The portal will automatically handle any adjustments on overall Cap, whereby claiming welfare or pension will automatically lower your potential claims for the week. If you have already claimed secondary TPE, before claiming welfare/pension, the portal will adjust the welfare/pension claim to meet the correct Cap for that week.

Weekly TPE Cap Deciders:
12 TPE Cap: Media Spot, Graphic, Podcast, Affiliate Welfare, Job Pay (6+)
11 TPE Cap: VHL Pension Plan
10 TPE Cap: VHL Welfare Plan

As part of the changes, anyone may now claim welfare/pension in any given week, including those with a PT-replacing Job (with the exception of VSN, as their pay is considered a PT+job pay), but will be subject to the limits of a lowered weekly Cap.

@Members
@Commissioner

studentized got a reaction from hylands in New York Americans Press Conference Questions August 3, 2020

1. We currently sit 1st overall in the league. What do we need to do to make sure we stay there?

Don't change a thing. Playing with a purpose right now.

2. Have you changed your personal goals for the season after the first week?

Not really. 40/40 please. Maybe lead league in plus/minus too with the line we got going.

3. Are you the kind of player to keep the same routine during a win streak?

Absolutely. Not superstitious but maybe just a little stitious.

4. What is your favourite VHL team to visit?

Davos is beautiful. And a good hockey town.

5. What kind of music do you work out to?

Anything but country.

6. Who do you think has been the surprise of the season as far as the overall standings go?

Why is DC so bad? Feel bad for them cause they bought at deadline a couple years back to build a good squad.

studentized reacted to Will in Change to Welfare/Pension Claiming August 1, 2020

Hello there,

As of today, claims made under the James Platts Welfare Program or VHL Pension Plan can be automatically claimed on the Portal in a similar fashion to Practice Facility. These claims are not required to be approved by updater's and TPE will be awarded immediately.

Note: The Portal automatically determines pension eligibility by looking at a user's past and current players. Some older, returning members may find they are only offered 4 TPE - this is due to previous players not existing on the Portal or not being linked to their user account. If this is the case, contact an admin or commissioner and we will manually approve you for the pension plan.

Claims made under the VHL Partnership Plan with SBA and EFL are not quite as automated, but a post in a weekly welfare thread is no longer required. These claims can be made directly in the Portal by using the new "Affiliate PT" option under "Claim Capped" and linking to your PT on SBA or EFL. These claims will continue to be reviewed and approved by updater's.

Full claiming instructions and eligibility requirements can be found here.

At this time, there is no changes to the monthly Affiliate Check program and those will continue to require posting in a monthly thread.

Obligatory @Members (don't hate me)

studentized got a reaction from hylands in New York Americans Press Conference Questions July 27, 2020

1. This week marks the start of a new season, just how excited are you?

Pretty excited. Expansion teams mean scoring will be up. Should be a fun one.

2. Who do you think will be our biggest competition this season?

Seattle has been the enemy since I've joined.

3. What did you improve at most this off-season?

Adjusting back to winger. Focus on scoring more than I ever had, laid of defence.

4. What are your personal goals as a player for this year?

Another 40/40 would be best case scenario. I'd be happy with 30/30 too.

5. What's the best way to get prepared for the first game of a new season?

Play with the same intensity as the playoffs. We have a mostly in tact core.

6. Who is your favourite for the Continental Cup in Season 73?(it's us isn't it?)

Ya, it's us for once. Riga also should compete again.

studentized reacted to Banackock in His back fucking hurts, okay?! July 27, 2020

Ray in his natural habitat.

If you bring your screen within 4 inches of the above gif and study it, what do you see? Some might see a man wearing glorious clothing that act as magnets for women's clothing. Some may add that they see a bright, magnificent brain bucket that keeps his wisdom library loaded and safe. Some may even happen to notice that he could very well indeed be wearing a leash that is tied to a playground structure. Fortunately, this secondary Seattle HQ is hidden in the autonomous section of the city (MOVE OVER CHAZ) formally known as Banaz. Fortunately, both Seattle and Banaz laws allow the tying up of subjects for educational purposes only. What about this could be educational? Well, let me take you down memory lane, hey?

S68 Continental Cup Champions
S69 Continental Cup Champions
S71 Continental Cup Champions

DA BEARZ

Since that beautiful 71 win, we've seen some decent success and manage to keep the ball going. UNFORTUNATELY, we've come to notice something and it's something we've neglected for sometime. We haven't had the best massage team on the Bears the last season because the only back that was working come playoff time was Ray Funk. I joke. I really do, Seattle. But let's be honest here, the man has played some big games. Arguably, I would say the regular season is the Bears time. We have our climbs, our dips, but we always manage to come out of it good. Then, we hit playoffs. Then, USUALLY, Ray Funk takes over. Last playoffs he took off. We said fuck it. We've done our thing, won 3 cups and you know what? Ray could be fucking sleepy, man. But no. He thinks he can take some more time off. Heading into the regular season, Funk is really taking the whole "I am B in regular season, A+ in playoffs" thing to a whole new level and potential could have him ranked B- or even C+ to the right, nasty VHL scout. Take a look and see for yourself.

Ray Funk Reg. Season Stats

Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA MP 73 (SEA) 10 5 1 0 0.89 3.9 0 30 273 461 72 (SEA) 65 41 19 3 0.912 2.63 1 169 1920 3861 71 (SEA) 68 40 21 6 0.918 2.36 5 159 1938 4039 70 (SEA) 67 34 24 7 0.916 2.42 3 159 1891 3946 69 (SEA) 65 39 22 4 0.923 2.25 8 146 1896 3897 68 (SEA) 64 38 22 4 0.921 2.42 8 155 1957 3838 67 (SEA) 65 28 29 8 0.913 3.08 2 202 2315 3932 Totals 404 225 138 32 0.916 2.55 27 1020 12190 23974
Ray Funk Playoff Stats
Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA MP 72 (SEA) 5 1 3 1 0.902 3.56 0 16 163 269 71 (SEA) 17 12 3 2 0.937 1.67 2 30 474 1074 70 (SEA) 11 6 3 2 0.926 2.4 0 27 364 673 69 (SEA) 19 12 5 2 0.924 2.19 1 47 615 1286 68 (SEA) 14 12 1 1 0.935 1.79 3 26 400 870 Totals 66 43 15 8 0.928 2.10 6 146 2016 4172
BABA Oogaboogazu... WE SUMMON YOU!

A few seasons back, we performed a ritual against Moscow and were crowned victorious champions, hoisting the continental cup. I embrace the fact that we have to welcome Baba Oogaboogazu back to the Seattle Bears as an special specialist. In this role she will be conducting special services to their members of the organization, however, her main focus and task at hand at the moment is going to be fixing Ray Funk and ending this shit slump he's caught up in. STAY TUNED FOR MORE.

studentized reacted to Esso2264 in S73 New York Americans Captains July 21, 2020

hello yes hi

C- Lance Flowers @CowboyinAmerica
A- Owen Nolan @studentized
A- MGS @Motzaburger

studentized got a reaction from hylands in New York Americans Press Conference Questions July 20, 2020

1. How is the off season treating you so far?

It's been nice to get some time away. Was a long season and gotta come into the next one fresh

2. How do you prepare for the next season coming up?

Lots of rest. Personally have to adjust to a different role and still help the team win.

3. Do you let loose during the off season and eat without restrictions?

Pretty much. Sushi, pizzas, and a bunch of other crap this past week.

4. Are you the type to go on a vacation, or spend the time at home on your time off?

Try to get a month long vacation abroad each year. Really missing that this year.

5. What are your thoughts on the expansion for this upcoming season?

I expect a high scoring year. Good for forwards.

6. How do you rate our chances at success for next season?

NY will be fine. This is the year to bring it home and maybe sail off into the sunset.

studentized reacted to Doomsday in Season 73 VSN Top 25: #25 - #21 July 20, 2020

Special thanks to @Pengu for being a creative mastermind!

#25 - #21

It's been an eventful off-season for the VHL, with four brand new teams entering the fold. But with the expansion draft and VHL Entry Draft over, training camps have opened once again. A new season is just around the corner and the Riga Reign are ready to defend their status as VHL Champions, which means it's time once again for another staple of the VHL off-season: the VSN's Top 25! With eight different members of VSN contributing towards ranking the Top 25 this season (@FrostBeard, @Doomsday, @Erik Summers, @Patrik Tallinder, @Hylands, @rjfryman, @Matt_O, and @Berocka) and featuring write-ups from Doomsday, hylands, @Mr_Hatter, Patrik Tallinder and @diamond_ace, VSN's annual ranking of the Top 25 players in the VHL is here! As the league waits for the new season to begin, we'll count down from #25 all the way to #1, in the course of segments of five players. So, let's get started with #25, a member of the aforementioned VHL Champions...

25. LW - Patrik Tallinder
Season 72: Unranked

The list begins with not only a new entrant into the Top 25 but also a new entrant into the ranks of Continental Cup winners. With a career-high 63 points, Patrik Tallinder helped the Riga Reign to a quick, lopsided playoff run en route to the cup. This was a career year for Tallinder in most stats, with more goals than ever before, tied for the same assist total as last season, more shots, more shot blocks, more power-play goals, and fewer minutes spent in the penalty box. The one exception is his hit count has gone down season upon season - early in his career, he showed flashes of a physical game, but as his career has gone on he’s dropped that in favour of a higher scoring game. Given that trajectory, and on a team such as Riga, Tallinder could be poised to break out even more in the upcoming season since Riga should yet again be a top team, and Tallinder is in his prime.
- diamond_ace

24. D - Cinnamon Block
Season 72: 21

S69’s first overall pick finds herself falling a bit in the rankings this year, but not by any fault of her own. Block followed up a fantastic breakout season in S71 with an even better S72 season. Despite a small drop in goal scoring, the Prague defender put up a notable 56 more hits, as well as 39 more shots blocked. Early on in her career, her game seemed to cater more towards defence. However, after her rookie season, she saw her defensive numbers dip a bit while her offence progressed. In S72, Cinnamon Block really started to see a nice balance between elite-level offensive and defensive play with the aforementioned stats. As soon as this season, we could be looking at a Labatte candidate because of just how little weaknesses she shows in her game nowadays. There’s no right answer to the question of whether offence or defence wins championships, so why not cover both bases with a defender like Block.
- Patrik Tallinder

23. D - Roque Davis
Season 72: Unranked

Entering into our preseason Top 25 rankings for the first time, we have the young Davos defenseman, Roque Davis. Davis has already achieved more than many players, and with only two seasons under his belt, he has a lot of time left to make his mark on the league. Following a fantastic performance in the VHLM with San Diego that saw him earning top defensemen while leading the league in assists and points, Davis had big expectations in his first season in the VHL. Playing on a Davos team that finished bottom of the league, Davis found himself as the key playmaker for the team as a rookie, and he failed to disappoint. Finishing with 69 points, he was tied for 3rd out of defensemen, but his astounding 25 goals lead the league out of defensemen and netted him not only the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy for top rookie but also the Alexander Valiq Trophy for top offensive defenseman. This past season, with a much-improved team alongside him, Davis shifted away from the role of goal-scorer and focused more on his playmaking, earning 14 more assists at the cost of 10 fewer goals. His 73 points, while not enough to earn him silverware in a season with star-studded defensive performances, showcases his solid output, as he remained in the top 25 for points. With the majority of his career ahead of him, we can’t wait to see what Davis does next!
- Hatter

22. C - Benny Graves
Season 72: Unranked

Now entering his fifth season, D.C. Dragons lifer Benny Graves, drafted second overall in Season 69 (nice), makes his debut on the VSN Top 25 after posting career-highs across the board in Season 72. Although he's been a remarkably consistent talent so far in his career, scoring 28 goals two seasons in a row in Seasons 70 and 71, he broke through with 37 goals in Season 72. Finishing with 74 points, Graves averaged over a point per game in what was a tremendously disappointing season for the Dragons. With a versatile skill set, Graves is a player that's simply dangerous anywhere on the ice. He's a threat to score, he's not afraid to hit, he's a wizard in the faceoff circle and became a major weapon on the power play with 12 man-advantage goals. If D.C. can figure out how to bust out of the rut they're in, Benny Graves could be a household name by the end of the season.
- Doomsday

21. RW - Owen Nolan
Season 72: 24

Jumping up a few spots from last year, on the back of a very good season with the New York Americans, we have the Irish winger, Owen Nolan. Nolan scored 40 goals and had 42 assists last season, for 82 points in 72 games. He upped his point production by nearly 10 points as the Americans benefited from some midseason acquisitions. The winger is quite versatile as a forward, boasting above-average face-off skills which allow him to be utilized both on the wing and at the centre. He has an incredible eye for goal and is seemingly able to score from anywhere on the ice. His shooting skill is nearly matched by his puck handling, which is what probably allows him to be so successful in the offensive zone, as he makes it seem like child’s play when he is at his best. Nolan is also a very responsible and reliable player in the defensive zone. His phenomenal skating ability comes in to play here; he is great on the backcheck and has all-around great hockey IQ. On an Americans team that is poised for another cup run, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nolan build on last season and have his numbers go up even further and potentially be among the top forwards for scoring come the end of the season.
- hylands

Featuring three players brand new to the Top 25, the next generation is beginning to make their presence felt in the VHL! However, we're not done revealing players new to the Top 25! Along with three mainstays to this list, two brand new players will be joining the ranks of the VHL's Top 25 on the next segment! Stay tuned for #20 to #16 on our next article!

Players Mentioned: @Patrik Tallinder, @omgitshim, @Josh, @STZ, @studentized

studentized got a reaction from Quik in Happy Birthday VHL! July 19, 2020

At 13, I was taking guitar hero a little too seriously probably. As good as I was, the guitar hero career didn't pan out

studentized reacted to Laine in Super Series EP 1: S72 NACF: Calgary Wranglers vs New York Americans July 15, 2020

Introduction:
Welcome to Super Series, where we will be discussing some of the best playoff series in recent memory. Let us start with arguably the best series of the S72 Postseason, the North American Conference FInals between the Calgary Wranglers and New York Americans. The season series between these two was quite even (4-1-3 for Calgary, 4-4-0 for New York).

Calgary Wranglers
(49-16-7, beat TOR 4-3)

Calgary came into this series after a gruelling 7 game thriller against the Toronto Legion. The Wranglers were offensively lead by Sigard Gunnar, Willie Dredge, Edwin THE Encarnation, Mikko Lahtinen and Charlie Paddywagon. Each of these players averaged over a point per game across the entire S72 Postseason. Edwin The Encarnation and Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen lead the way defensively, being the top 2 players in shot blocks all throughout the S72 Postseason. In goal, the Wranglers had Jacques Lafontaine, whom amassed a 0.908 save percentage and 3.02 goals against average across the postseason.

New York Americans
(38-26-8, beat SEA 4-1)

New York had the upper hand in both rest and ability heading into this series, having dispatched the defending Continental Cup Champion Seattle Bears in round one with a dominating 4-1 series win which saw New York play some of their best hockey all year. They were lead offensively by Owen Nolan, who had 16 points across 12 postseason games in those playoffs. However, their defense was playing excellent hockey that spring. Lance Flowers, Hugh Jass and Micheal Gary Scott were all top 10 in points by defensemen that spring. Flowers was playing at over a point per game pace (13 in 12 games). All three of those defensemen were also top 10 in blocked shots, contributing at both ends of the ice. Julius Freeman and Keven Foreskin led the way physically, being in the top 5 in hits throughout the postseason. However, the biggest X-Factor for New York in series was going to be A Red Guy, who was playing at a good level that postseason recording a .905 save percentage, but backing it up with a 2.76 goals against average.

Game 1: NYA 4 - CGY 3 (NYA Leads 1-0)

This game was very close. Most of it was the two teams trying to feel each other out, but the firework started early with Owen Nolan opening the scoring for the Americans just 3:23 into the game. It wouldn't take long for Calgary to respond though, as RJ Jubis would pot his 3rd of the playoffs just 4:03 later. The middle half of the period was very physical with not a lot of shots from either team. New York thought they had striked gold near the end of the period as Soren Jensen scored with 2:57 left in the first period, but Willie Dredge would come back 1:25 later to tie the game 2-2 for Calgary. The score would be 2-2 after one. New York came out firing in this period, recording 15 shots in the 2nd period and getting power-play goals from Scott and Jensen to take a 4-2 lead into the intermission. The third was extremely low shooting, but lots of hitting. Calgary was using their will to knock New York off the puck and it paid off with Gunnar making it a 1 goal game with just over 8 minutes to go. However, it wasn't enough. New York shut the door the rest of the way and took game one with a 4-3 win.

Game 2: CGY 3 - NYA 2 (Series tied 1-1)

This game opened with more firing. 21 combined shots between the two clubs in the opening 20. As you can imagine, there was some scoring in the first. Richard Penisson opened the scoring for New York mid-way through the first, but Sigard Gunnar would tie it up with 38 seconds left to send us to the first intermission with the teams knotted at 1-1. In the second, it didn't take long for Calgary to build off of their late goal in the first, tacking on a power-play marker from Latrell Mitchell just 58 second into the middle frame. New York would get one back late in the from Penisson, his second of the game to send us to the 3rd tied at two goals a piece. The third was back and forth with a balance of shots and physical play. Calgary would end up getting the lone goal of the period from RJ Jubis mid-way through the period. It would be enough as Calgary would shut down the New York offense and take game 2 to tie the series 1-1.

Game 3: CGY 4 - NYA 3 (CGY Leads 2-1)

Calgary rode a fast start to the win in this one, scoring 3 goals in the first period, but New York also had one to make it 3-1 after 20. At the beginning of the second, New York absolutely stunned the Calgary crowd, scoring 2 goals in the first 4 minutes of the second to level the game off 3-3 through a dominating period for New York, as they outshot Calgary 18-4 in the second. However, Calgary would get the last laugh of the second, getting a goal Mikko Lahtinen with 15 seconds left to send us to the intermission with the score 4-3 Calgary. New York once again dominated offensively in the 3rd, but not to the same extent as the second period, only outshooting Calgary 12-7. Calgary's physical defense would prove too much as they would shut down New York in the final frame in a wild 4-3 win for the Wranglers.

Game 4: NYA 3 - CGY 1 (Series tied 2-2)

This game was utterly dominated by New York, but the reason why may surprise you. It looked like Calgary was going to roll over New York, having scored on a dominating power-play shift just 2:36 into the game but then, penalty troubles. Calgary ended up taking 9 penalties in game 4, giving up 2 power play markers and getting outshot 53-22. The only 5 on 5 goal for New York came later in the first from Owen Nolan to tie it up 1-1. New York would score twice in the second, the first goal being 10 seconds into the middle frame to go up 3-1 going into the third. In the final frame, New York's defense shut down the surging Calgary offense to take game 4 and tie the series.

Game 5: CGY 3 - NYA 1 (CGY Leads 3-2)

This is the definition of stealing a game for the Calgary Wranglers. New York gets a goal midway through the first to go up 1-0, but Calgary strikes at the end of the period with Sigard Gunnar getting a power-play goal with 12 seconds left to level the game at 1-1 heading into the break. Calgary finished what they started in the second, getting 2 goals midway through to go up 3-1 heading into the third. From there, Jacques Lafontaine shut the door, stopping 11 out of 11 New York shots in the third period, 37 out of 38 in the game to help the Wranglers go up 3-2 in the series with a chance to close it out at home.

Game 6: NYA 6 - CGY 2 (Series tied 3-3)

New York absolutely dominated this game. It started early with a goal from Acyd Burn less than 5 minutes in to make it 1-0 Americans. Their lead would grow later with Owen Nolan's 4th playoff goal making it 2-0. Calgary would respond right away with Kris Rice scoring 25 seconds later to slice the lead in half. However, it didn't last long as only 1:45 later, Keven Foreskin would tack on a NYA power-play goal to make it 3-1 heading into the intermission. Calgary would begin to claw back in the second, Sigard Gunnar's 8th goal of the postseason would cut the New York lead to 1 again 7:17 into the second, but less then 4 minutes later, Foreskin would tack on his second of the game to make it 4-2 New York. It would stay like this through the second with New York entering the third with a 4-2 lead. New York would make it 5-2 on a quick goal by Jensen 12 seconds into the third period. They would get the game's final goal at 6:19 of the third on a 5 on 5 bullet from Scott. New York forces a game 7 with a decisive 6-2 win in Calgary.

Game 7: CGY 3 - NYA 2 (CGY wins series 4-3)

This game 7 had everything you needed. The goals started early, Calgary got 2 goals in the first 5 minutes of the game from Gunnar and Jubis to go up 2-0 heading into the second period. New York would battle right back, as near the end of the second period, they would score 2 goals in 10 seconds to tie it 2-2. That 2-2 score would take us into the third. The third was a very physical period as big hits and checks into the board became a common site. New York dominated the shot board in the 3rd period, outshooting Calgary 14-3 in the final frame. Despite this, Calgary made their 4th shot count, as Gunnar would score his league-leading 10th goal of the playoffs with just 30 seconds left on the board. New York wasn't done, getting 3 shots away in the last 15 seconds. However, their season was over. Calgary would take this game 3-2 and move on to the S72 Continental Cup Finals against the undefeated Riga Reign.

(1596 words, 8474 characters written by @PatrikLaine)

studentized got a reaction from hylands in New York Americans Press Conference Questions July 13, 2020

1. Sucks big time. We should have capitalized on chances we had though so only ourselves to blame

2. For sure. It gave us a taste of what being a top team feels like

3. Rooting for Riga. Glad they pulled it out.

4. Captain Flowers was a rock of a dman. Easy mvp for me.

5. Gotta clear the mind but no time for tears.

6. Western Europe let's gooo

studentized reacted to Plate in The Only Expansion Draft Article You Will Ever Need (Part 1) July 13, 2020

The Only Expansion Draft Article You Need

Expansion drafts are some of the biggest highlights we can bring to the VHL. They are a time for stress as players live with uncertainty. Will you be protected? Will you move and be part of a potential Cinderella story? I am going to break down for you everything you need to know about the expansion draft format. I teamed up with @SirRupertBarnes to tackle a huge project where we made a protection list for every single team in the VHL. Huge shoutout to him. You can find the link to the second part of this series at the end of the article.

I will only be talking about the expansion draft/what teams will protect in this article. I do not touch on the Draft Lottery Tournament or the new playoff format. I will do that next season.

Rules for existing teams
TLDR; Your team will protect eight active players eligible to play in S73. That is anyone drafted from S66 to 72. This includes both skaters and goalies. Draft picks cannot be selected directly from existing teams. You will likely see your team protect 1 goalie, 2 or 3 defensemen, and the rest forwards.

There are only a couple exceptions to the rules. If an expansion team is forced to select a player that is inactive, they also get a 2nd round pick in one of the three upcoming drafts (S73-75). It is a little wordy, so I will break it down for you guys.

London selects an inactive player from Moscow. Moscow now must give up a 2nd round pick on top of that player. Moscow chooses what 2nd round pick they get rid of. The pick must be a part of the S73, S74, or S75 draft.

How does the Expansion Draft Work?
There are 24 total assets that the expansion teams will be drafting from. Because there are 4 expansion teams and 24 things to pick from, the draft will be 6 rounds. The three major selections the expansion teams will be picking from are players, their S73 draft positions, and compensation picks.

Any unprotected player from existing teams are up for grabs. Once an existing team has lost a player to the expansion draft, they cannot lose any more players.
During the S73 VHL Draft Lottery, placeholder teams will mark where the expansion teams get to draft. The range for which expansion teams get their selections is between 5-12. This process is done separately, by random. Those positions are acquirable in the expansion draft in the same way that a player would be selected. They will be used for expansion teams to determine their own place in the draft.

There will be 8 compensation picks available for selection by expansion teams. They are placed 21-24 overall in each of the next two drafts, S73 and S74. Expansion teams are limited to 2 compensation picks in a single draft and 3 in total. These picks are arbitrary and only serve the purpose of filling out expansion team rosters quickly.

Are You Protected?
I went through the list of teams alphabetically and made up my own list of what the players I would protect. I also went through and talked about what players I think will be chosen. Mind you, take this all with a grain of salt. Since the actual lists are hidden from our eye I thought it would be fun to make up a "public list" for people to see who they would protect with this perspective.

Names in black are protected, with the best player available shown underneath. TPPS stands for TP per Season. It doesn’t take into account Veteran depreciation, or rapid VHLM growth. If a player has twice the average TPPS (The average being 172), then they are considered to have "superstar" talent and have an "!" next to their number when listed. A player that has red showing on their background in TPPS has a "?", to signify an opinionated decision rather than the "best one". This is a case by case basis. The number next to the best player available was their TPA at the time of writing.

Calgary Wranglers
Projected Expansion List (TPPS): R. Jubis (225), K. Rice (215), E. Encarnacion (284), M. Lahtinen (263), L. Mitchell (450!), G. Zod (395!), J. Lafontaine (231) , C. Paddywagon (134?)
Best Available Players (TPPS): J. Poremba (208), S. Gunnar (159?)

The biggest decision that Calgary will be making is whether or not to protect Paddywagon (939 TPA) for another cup run next season, or to protect the goalie prospect Poremba. My first list had Paddywagon unprotected in favour of Poremba. After looking it over, it makes more sense to expose the goalie prospect.

Calgary will be poised to take a cup next season so you want to protect most of your good players. Unfortunately in this case, Calgary also has some prospects that they want to keep. It will be possible to protect most of the core pieces. Zod, Mitchell, Lafontaine are all super important players to the future Wranglers squad.

Gunnar and Poremba are both available with the list that I've proposed. Either player could easily be taken. Poremba will be a solid starter in the league, but is a bit of a project. The other option, Gunnar, had an incredible 80 point season in S72 and was +44. An expansion team is going to get a very solid player from Calgary.

D.C Dragons
Projected Expansion List: B. Graves (249), L. Valentino (191), B. Forest (158), G. Washington (237), G. Leslieur (189), X. Leflamant (195), S. Wolski (330), L. Flaten (292)
Best Available Player: R, Johnson (145?)
D.C’s core is at a great spot for now and the future. The players from Graves all the way to Leslieur are your VHL studs that will be protected for the long haul.

There are also a couple great prospects looking to bolster the roster in the form of Wolski and Flaten. Their splashes into the VHL will be under the Dragon's wing.

Ricky Johnson is a solid defenseman that will probably be heading out of the Dragons lair. A consistent 40 point scoring defenseman will be sought after pretty early on in the expansion draft.

The Dragon's management has done a great job at building a team to look forward to in the future. Only time will tell what player will be chosen from this squad.

H.C Davos Dynamo
Projected Expansion List: R. Davis (377!), D. Oquinn (172), S. Hornet (539!), R. Winter (485), J. Bruden (200), J. Lefebrve (235), C. Rust (193), J. Exotic (181), T. McHugh (168)
Best Available Players: H. Helmsley (159), J. Jaguar (152), J. Willis (154), B. Chungus (152)

You may notice that legends Hunter Helmsley and Jet Jaguar are unprotected. They are both retiring next season. I may be too ocular on this season, in my assessment on Davos for next season. I do not think they have a realistic chance at making the cup next year. I foresee them selling everything anyway. (This is going to age like a fine wine, I already know it).

The issue here is that Davos has too many prospects that they want to protect. Rust, Exotic, Lefebrve and McHugh are all important pieces for their future. On top of that, you have the cornucopia of your team in the form of S. Hunter that will be holding together the fruit of your future.
You could make the case for protecting H. Helmlsey or J. Jaguar, then trading them for more value next season. There is only one situation that I can see where Davos protects everybody. Davos places their protection list, where Helmsley and Jaguar are protected in place of Exotic and McHugh. Then offers a 2nd or 3rd to whatever expansion team selects J. Willis over T. McHugh.

But as of the list that I have now, there are too many players to protect. You will be seeing a great player leave this organization. It would not surprise me if a player from Davos was selected among the first round of the expansion draft.

As for who will be chosen, H. Helmsley or J. Jaguar are a bit of an “all-in” selection. You have one season to make use of their skill before they retire. You can also make a case for selecting a prospect such as B. Chungus or J. Willis, but we all know that isn’t happening.

It will be interesting to see Gustav Mattias get Davos through this expansion draft.

Helsinki Titans
Projected Expansion List: E. Summers (221), H. Okada (189), J. Bob (332), J. Spaz (174), V. Vaakaneinen (491), S. Elsby (364!), Z. Driver (328), J. Rose (225)
Best Players Available: B. Helminen (152), K. Andersen (146?)

Helsinki has a player pool loaded with some star talent. Vaakaneinen, Elsby and Driver are all future prospects that will tear it up. It’s important to protect those core pieces that are already established and still have quite a bit of time left in their careers. These lists do have a tendency to pick on veterans, but time is a resource that is just as valuable as TPA sometimes.

In the VHL you have Summers, Okada and Bob that are too good to let go. The Titans have great players that are VHL ready, and will-be VHL ready players in a season or two. They had a pretty good record and even made the playoffs. I don't think Helsinki will go into a full push next season, which is why letting a regular go isn't the worst thing to have happen.

I would say that Helsinki wouldn’t be too bothered to give up Helminen or Andersen. It sucks losing a future piece like Heminen and Andersen is already a top 4 defenseman. The other options are too valuable, which is saying something for the quality of players on the Titans roster. Hafkey has a lot of TPA (887), and for an expansion team they might want to make a push, could be a viable option. In my opinion I would be taking Helminen or Andersen over that player.

That's it for part one of this article. The second part, written by @SirRupertBarnes is found with the link below. I hope you all had a good read and make sure to drop a like on his section of the series! We put a lot of work into this and it was a ton of fun. Cheers.

Words: 1685 (Pre-Edit, I only added a thank you to SirRupert Barnes)

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