Elmebeck

So if you haven't already seen my previous articles on ELO and the VHL, go look em up now, there's four of them. The first explains my basic methodology and some of the terms that I'll be referring to here. I've completely overhauled the formulae and adjusted it to work for both the VHL and VHLM, so I'll dive a bit more into the changes I've made here assuming you've already got a basic understanding of ELO and the VHL.
 
First, a fun graph:

 
This is ELO tracked from S67 Game 1 in the VHLM and tracked across the entire season. Each team starts at 1000 and gains and loses as they win or lose games. The biggest difference you might notice at first glance is that the jumps and dips seem much more nuanced. This is because the formula for ELO gain now takes into account win margin in addition to the wins and losses themselves. Every minute dip and rise is a 1 or 2 goal game and each big jump you see is a 4-5+ goal win. I had to play around with the formula for quite a while before coming up with a graph I was happy with, and this is essentially what I came up with:
 
K = constant (which I've had to lower a ton from the old 32 to the new 6)
C = chance of winning = 10^(Team's ELO/400) / [10^(Team's ELO/400) + 10^(Opponents' ELO/400)]
M = margin of victory
New ELO = Old ELO ± K * (M^2/2) * (1-C)
 
The M^2/2 part is the one I've had trouble with, but after playing around with that and K a bit, I think I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.
 
As for the graph itself right now, you can clearly see the haves and the have-nots in the VHLM with the 1st-6th place teams having a tidy lead over the 7th-11th place teams. If I'm betting on any one underdog to win, it would be the Rush, as they're the ones on the best trajectory upwards leading into the latter part of the season (@Josh will no doubt be happy to hear this).
 
As for the bottom half, I think we should all be a little surprised that Mexico isn't any lower. If you followed my VHL ELO graphs from the season before last, you would have seen how Moscow dropped out of view like a rock, and that is what a truly bad team looks like on a graph like this. Here, however, Mexico maintained a respectable distance from Mississauga and Saskatoon, even passing the Hounds are more than one point this season.
 
Just for fun, because I know @Nykonax would ask, here's what the graph looks like if I plug in K = 32, which is what I was able to use just fine before the shift in formulae to account for win margin. Ottawa and Yukon are way too good, Halifax trashed the end of the season, and Vegas and San Diego managed to turn things around at some point.
 

 
512 words, claiming for Washington 8/25

GM: Jason Glasser (432/247/154/31/525)
Former GM(s): Jardy Bunclewirth (504/172/307/25/369)
Record (after S20): 936 GP | 419 W | 461 L | 56 OTL | 894 P | 2,771GF | 3,311 GA
Playoff Record (after S20): 47 GP | 24 W | 17 L | 6 OTL | 1-1 vs TOR, 1-1 SEA, 1-0 vs HEL, 1-0 vs DAV, 0-2 vs NYA
 
Season 32 VHL Entry Draft
 
Round 1, Pick 8: Chico Salmon
Round 1, Pick 10: Cody Inko
Round 4, Pick 38: Pass
 
Season 32 Regular Season - 72 GP | 50 W | 16 L | 6 OTL | 106 P | 246 GF | 145 GA
The Wranglers had moved on from franchise top scorer and goal scorer in Season 32 as Alexander Chershenko was now gone. The Wranglers though still had other franchise pillars like Volodmryr Rybak, Yuri Grigorenko, Clark Marcellin, Ryan Sullivan and Mariusz Henchoz in net. The Wranglers were able to finish 1st in the NA conference as Rybak and Marcellin put up some nice numbers (both reached over 100 points). Henchoz was stellar in net with a 0.927 save percentage and a 1.96 G.A.A as the Wranglers finished with 106 points.
 
Season 32 Playoffs - 5 GP | 1 W | 3 L | 1 OTL | Loss vs New York Americans
In basically what was a rinse wash and repeat of last season, The Americans were able to beat the Wranglers in 5 games once again. Alexander Chershenko had the last last laugh since he left Calgary for New York and now would be going onto the finals. The Americans dispatched the newly expanded Quebec City Meute in 5 games before this minor upset in the conference final. Game 1 went to OT in which the Americans won on a Radislav Mjers PP point blast. Game 2 saw the Americans take a 2-0 series lead into the 1st intermission but not before all hell broke loose. In the end, Clark Marcellin ended up beating up his old teammate Alexander Chersenko. The Americans made it 3-0 before Clark made it 3-1 but that's how the game would end. Game 3 in New York had another general fight as well as Rad Mjers and Ryan Sullivan fight to a draw. Henchoz shut the door stopping all 40 shots with 2 2nd period Wrangler goals to secure the victory. Game 4 went down to the wire aswell but the Americans 2nd period lone goal proved to be the difference as the Wranglers were able to match the Americans 2 goal periods in 1 and 3. Back in Calgary down 3-1, the Wranglers knew they were fighting for their playoff lives. It was looking good, the Wranglers were up 2-0 with 19 minutes left in the 3rd. Connor Evans made it 2-1 though at the 1:32 mark. Evans tied the game at the 6:18 mark before Samu Heiskanen scored the 3rd and final unanswered goal at the 12:14 mark.
 
Trades:
Not available until Season 35
 
Awards:
Mikka Virkkunen (Most Sportsmanlike) - Yuri Girgorenko
 
Overall:
Overall, it was a good regular season followed by playoff disappointment. The Wranglers have really turned it around since the mid 20's which was really the franchises only dark period. Volodymyr Rybak is 2 points away from scoring 500 career points in a Wrangler uniform and is just 23 points behind Chersenko for the all time franchise lead as well as just 7 goals behind him. Ryan Sullivan breaks the 300 point barrier and finished the season at 349 making him the 2nd highest scoring defender behind Lars Intranquilo. Clark Marcellin also becomes 8th player to break 300 points with his 307 season ending total. Yuri Girgorenko becomes the 13th player to break 200 career points with his season ending 203. Rybak also leads the Wranglers in +/- at +184. Ryan Sullivan jumps to 2nd all time in PIM's with 560 but is still waaaaay back of Lars who has 1033. Sullivan and Marcellin look to become the 4th and 5th players to break 1000 hits. Rybak takes over 1st in shots with 2281. Rybak also jumps to 2nd all time in GWG with 34.
 
Calgary Wranglers Season Stats
 
 

So obviously there's not a ton to talk about regarding the expansion draft since we don't know what the rules will be or who will be left unprotected, but there is one thing we can absolutely be sure of: there will be teams out there who will be unhappy with the expansion draft and will be forced to leave exposed some players they don't want to. There are teams with a lot of active players on them, teams with a bunch of up and comers and planning on that being their base going forward, as well as teams with vets who are going for the cup in the near future.

As an expansion GM myself, I will say one thing to all incumbent teams: I am open to Vegasing the hell out of this draft. Got someone you don't want to lose? Work out a deal with me ahead of time, I'll take the player and ship him back to you, or take a different player from your team in exchange for a pick trade in my favor to offset the loss of not taking said player. I fully anticipate having a William Karlsson type of situation out of this draft, or maybe a Jonathan Marchessault/Reilly Smith deal, within of course the different confines a league such as this provides than that of our non-sim league counterparts. Of course, there's one much bigger caveat in this particular situation than there might have been back in the Vegas expansion, or even than there was back in each of the Moscow and Malmo expansions: @Enorama also gets to pick players and I'll have to work around that. That might have to lead to some creative trades that might be situational based on what's going on at the time, but we'll see how that affects things and who's available when and all of that.

Let's say, hypothetically, that 7 players are protected. If your 8th guy is a 250 tpe guy in his 2nd season, not perfectly active but still pretty heavily active and definitely not a guy you want to lose, and your 9th guy is a 500 tpe guy in his 7th season that is depreciated down to only 370 or so of those tpe being used and went inactive 2 seasons ago: I obviously want the first guy - make it worth my while (picks, another decent prospect who's maybe too early in his career to be eligible for selection, if that's a thing) and I'll grab the second guy. I'm perfectly fine with building through mostly picks. I definitely have no intentions of going @Devise on this and taking only players and no picks - that's been proven to be a viable strategy for an existing team, but I don't think it's viable for an expansion team with currently no assets.

That's of course not to say I'll take every offer on the table. You give me a 5th rounder, it's not going to be worth enough to make up the difference between the two guys in our hypothetical scenario in the third paragraph. Ultimately, depending on what comes through, I may end up with nothing, or I may end up with several deals, but this offers a chance for things to spruce up a bit if a few dominoes fall in a certain way. It'll be fun.

For Kefka, since I'll now have to distinguish that.

The saturation of the goalie market has long been a source of consternation for VHL GMs. For a while there, it generally worked itself out, and I'm not super familiar with how it went before I got here in S19 (my first VHLM season) and S20 (my first VHL season). Then as players such as Alejandro Messi, Vince Stephan, and the like took spots on VHL teams despite definitely not being in the same league as their contemporaries such as Daisuke Kanou @tfong or Joey Clarence @.sniffuM (to use the two of the four who are still around now) it became a bit of a power imbalance: contendership was largely determined as much, or nearly as much, by whether a team had a good goalie as by whether they had a good roster. Then came the influx of the GM goalies; one such example was Andreas Bjorkman @Tyler with then-Vasteras. The thought behind this was that the GM would always be at least moderately active if not highly active, and so teams would not need to employ low-active goalies. This was the trend for years, through several generations of players, but the side effect was that newer members were largely discouraged from making goalies. If an established vet wanted to make a goalie, a team where the GM neared the end of their goalie career would be one of only a few landing spots, or sometimes the only landing spot. If a new member did, it was a pretty hefty wait and see approach - a spot would become available if the new member was truly promising, but anything less than that and it would ultimately become a bit of an issue. For what it's worth, I largely tried to avoid the trend, with some combination of Skylar Rift @Devise (more on that in the historical article here) and Marius Henchoz. Eventually I created Martin Brookside, who finished out my tenure in Calgary and was eventually traded to Cologne after @eaglesfan036 took over in Calgary.

The GM-goalie trend has gone by the wayside, which I largely consider to be a good change, because it means other players can create goalies. There have been plenty of great members to create goalies who have made a large impact on the league since, from first gens Brick Wahl @BladeMaiden, Alexander Pepper @Sonnet and Tristan Iseult, to established non-GM members making franchise goalies Roger Sterling @Will and Ismond Kingfisher (RIP Spade) to guys who skirt this line and are more established elsewhere but have gone on to be great here, such as Finn Davison @Poptart.

As it stands right now, there are 3 goalies in the top 15 of the S68 Live Rankings, and 3 more between 27 and 36. To me, these rank from "obviously good enough to start for a franchise, barring a major life event" in A Red Guy @.sniffuM to "could become a starter depending on how well he gets on with his new team and if he finds his stride in the league" in Block Buster @Banana2311 and everywhere in between. The top three especially look like good bets to start somewhere - but are there three starting spots? The two aforementioned goalies as well as Raymond Bernard @Mr_Hatter, Fang Flashback @uphillmoss, Bruce Grimaldi @Psyduck77 and Samuel Ross @Brrbisbrr will be watching this draft with even more interest than the skaters in it; a skater, short of top activity, will still find a place on a roster and largely contribute just fine. A goalie generally either starts (60+ games) or is a backup (a handful of games, at least 8, but unlikely to go above 12-15 at best) so the cutoff between "did enough" and "didn't quite do enough" is a much sharper cutoff at this position. Plus, that doesn't even take into consideration the goalies that will inevitably add to the logjam next season, such as Solomon Crawford @AndrewWarren13. So what spots are open now, what spots will be opening, and what spots are mostly spoken for?
 
Obviously the two biggest opportunities for new goalies are with the expansion teams, one of which is mine. @Enorama I'm sure is doing some of his own research already, and probably has a few guys he's working with on said research, just as I have. Adding two new starter roles and two new backup roles will clear out a bit of the logjam, but I don't know how many of the guys listed above would want to be a backup, at least beyond the first few seasons of their careers, plus there will be teams with backups exposed in the expansion draft that might be safer bets for us to take - New York for example has 4 goalies, with one active, one semi-active (a convenient backup) and two inactive. Would Eno and I take one of the draftees, put all our eggs in their basket, and pick up a clear backup in the expansion draft so as not to threaten the role of the starter? Would we take two of the draftees (perhaps one from the top 15 and one from the 27-36) and play them as largely a tandem, some split of games in the 50-22 range, so that if the starter leaves, the backup is good enough and active enough to start (at the risk of that not being a situation the players themselves want, although still better than they'd get somewhere else, but one can't always assume people will react to a situation logically)? Would we bypass the draftees entirely, giving a shot to a current backup that's a bit more established than a guy coming out of the draft (example would be Pekka Pouta @Snussu) who isn't earning at a top tier goalie rate going forward but would be a bit more competitive in the first 2-3 seasons of the team than a new player coming in?

It would neither be fair nor correct to put all the burden of housing 6 goalies onto Eno's and my shoulders, and it definitely won't happen that way. There are a few categories the other teams fall into, and first I'll take a look at the category most likely to be interested in picking up some of these players: the starter is aging (in depreciation, or will enter it in the upcoming season) and there isn't an heir apparent. The two most obvious examples of this are Riga and Helsinki. Kallis Kriketers @hedgehog337 and Alexander Pepper @Sonnet are the two highest TPE goalies in the league, and both will be entering their 6th season. Their backups aren't likely to become starters, with this group coming up behind them - Pepper's backup in particular (Tristan Iseult) will be retired at the end of these playoffs and definitely won't be a threat. Clayton Park was at best a sporadic welfare claimer, but at this stage he may not even be that, as he's been gone since July 28th. It wouldn't surprise me if Riga and Helsinki picked up goalies in this draft to develop under the last portions of Kriketers/Pepper's careers and then take over, although either one could just as easily wait until next season and take Crawford or another goalie then, sacrificing a season of development for a further season under the new starter down the line. Moscow could still go this way as well - Roger Sterling will be entering his final season and therefore he'll definitely need to be replaced. Owen May @FacebookFighter, however, is a much better option going forward than Clayton Park, and while May kind of rides the line between starter-level activity and not (he's already been passed by Rayz Funk who is a season younger, but he's also not terribly far behind JB Rift who is two seasons older) it has recently come out that May's activity has been affected by personal issues in his life. Given that, I think the move is likely to go ahead and trust him to start, and let his situation resolve. He's not far behind where a starter needs to be anyway - the aforementioned Rift, one of the "worst" starters by TPE-to-season ratio, is good enough to backstop a team in first place after all. If Rift is enough, surely May can get there with two extra seasons.

The next category is S64, and here is where Rift comes into play, along with two other starters in Brick Wahl and Finn Davison who were mentioned earlier. Of the three, there's actually a bit of a gap, which could come into play regarding future goalie situations. Wahl and Davison are clearly a good margin ahead of Rift in TPE, and so it seems as though the two of them could fight depreciation more easily once they get there. This, to me, makes Calgary and Davos less likely teams to take a goalie at least at this stage. Davos also has Pekka Pouta, one of the better backups in the league but with a TPE total you'd like to see more in an S66 or S67 draftee if he's to be relied on long term. They both still could, especially given the relationship between certain members of Calgary and either S68 draftee Fang Flashback or S69 draftee Solomon Crawford, but it's likely not a direction they need to explore unless someone falls for value late. Toronto, however, provides an interesting conundrum. Outside of Rift, there is not a single other goalie on their roster. We all know Devise doesn't like to keep any draft picks, but if he could somehow acquire one of these goalies (through draft, or more likely for him, through trade) it would leave open the possibility of a certain turn of events. Rift, being far behind Wahl and Davison, is perfectly competent as a starter now but doesn't seem likely to be able to fend off depreciation as easily. Considering Rift is the GM player, and Devise could easily just recreate whenever he felt like it, maybe he'd take a goalie, develop them for a season or two behind Rift as he takes his final free season and maybe the first depreciated season, then allow them to take over as he recreates elsewhere. This also seems like a very Devise-like thing to do since it would continue the window of contention, as there would be no seasons under a low-TPE goalie, since most of the guys in this class would be at or near Rift's current level two seasons from now.
 
The S67 starters or heirs apparent also come as a bit of a tiered system, much like the S64s. Rayz Funk @Rayzor_7 is by a wide margin the best of the class and is already Seattle's starter. It's unlikely anything will change that going forward. If I rank the teams as most to least likely to take a goalie in the draft, which I won't explicitly be doing but you get a pretty good idea from the article, I'd have Seattle dead last. Funk is the guy so to speak and isn't at risk at all. The second tier of S67 guys include two who are in a very similar spot in TPE (one point apart on the portal) but one is the current starter, and the other is set to take over in the future. Michael Johnson @fonziGG will safely be in the net for Malmo for a long time, and appears to be the Davison of this class if Funk is the Wahl, whereas Greg Eagles @Greg_Di has the more heavily developed but significantly less here Ismond Kingfisher to deal with, at least for the time being. It's also possible Vancouver lets Kingfisher dangle in the expansion draft, as a sort of carrot in front of the two new horses in case Eno or I want to contend immediately. Not likely, but possible. Either way, Malmo and Vancouver both seem to be set in goal going forward. New York, however, has the final S67 draftee and isn't nearly as set as the other three. Thorvald Gunnarsson @Saelven88 is the most active of New York's four goalies but he's in the same class as Funk, Johnson, and Eagles, while being well back of Johnson and Eagles and less than half of Funk in TPE. It remains to be seen what New York will want to do - are they willing to bank on the moderately active Gunnarsson or the potential return of Kolur Bjoernsson @jblock3 who hasn't been on in two weeks, or do they take a new guy to push Gunnarsson and potentially take over the net long term?
 
So ultimately, you have Riga and Helsinki who would look for an heir to two successful thrones, New York who may not have what they believe to be the future in the franchise currently depending on what they think of Gunnarsson going forward, Moscow and Toronto who could get creative or could rely on what they have, Calgary and Davos likely aren't quite at the stage to need a goalie yet but could take one if the value presents itself late or for personal relationships, and Seattle, Malmo, and Vancouver are definitely unlikely, unless they grab a backup.

2190 words
Dagmar doesn't have to do anything for a month

1) I expect a competitive series splitting games and ultimately us taking the win.
2) Our D core is just as good if not better than theirs. Our forwards which was a weak point for our team in the beginning have improved drastically. Regarding their effectiveness, they can do all they want, I believe we're the better team.
3) @Dalton Wilcox, we both belong to the Malmo Nighthawks organization and have always been competitive towards one another. There are reports that I will be chosen to be protected over him in the upcoming expansion draft. I will prove why I was chosen as the better player, while also eliminating him and the Houston Bulls from cup contention.
4) Compete level is at an all time high, players chirp and get scrappy. Playoff hockey is like no other, just an accumulation of all the hard work put into the regular season in preparation for this moment.
5 I put faith in my teammates, it's been a long season but having them to rely on really helps.
6) More cash then when I'm back home in Vancouver, America seems to have more cash transactions than back home.

Following an amazing draft by the incomparable @Banackock, the Seattle Bears suffered a disappointing back half to their season, barely (bear-ly) missing the playoffs after a few close defeats. There is hope though, as the young team had several statistical leaders among its crop of players. A quik breakdown of the Bears' core in S67 for players drafted S66 or later:
 
Acyd Burn @Acydburn - Top 50 in league-wide goal scoring, Top 25 in league-wide shots, Top 50 in league-wide Powerplay Goals, Top 50 in league-wide Points per 20 minutes played, 5th overall in Rookie Scoring
 
Ambrose Stark @Banackock - Top 50 in league-wide Powerplay Goals, 10th overall in Rookie Scoring, 
 
Henrik Zoiderberg - All-WJC Team, WJC Round Robin points leader, WJC tournament round goals leader, Top 50 in league-wide in Powerplay Goals, Top 50 in league-wide in Penalty Kill Assists, Top 50 in league-wide in Penalty Kill Points
 
Hulk Hogan @HulkHogan - Top 50 in league-wide Assists, 8th league-wide in Shots Blocked, 3rd league-wide in Penalty Minutes
 
John Frostbeard @FrostBeard - Top 50 in league-wide Goals, Top 50 in league-wide Assists, Top 50 in league-wide Points, Top 50 in league-wide Powerplay Goals, Top 25 league-wide in Penalty Kill Goals, Top 50 league-wide in Penalty Kill Points, Top 25 league-wide in Points per 20 minutes played, 3rd overall in Rookie Scoring
 
Kevin Low @Smarch - Top 50 in league-wide Powerplay Goals
 
Scott Greene @DoktorFunk - Top 50 in league-wide Goals, Top 50 in league-wide Shots, Top 25 in league-wide Powerplay Goals, Top 50 in league-wide Powerplay Points, Top 25 in league-wide Penalty Kill Goals, Top 25 in league-wide Penalty Kill Assists, Top 25 in league-wide Penalty Kill Points, 6th overall in Rookie Scoring
 
Shane Mars @Spade18 - Top 25 in league-wide Goals, Top 50 in league-wide Assists, Top 50 in league-wide Points, Top 25 in league-wide Shots, Top 50 in league-wide Powerplay Assists, Top 50 in league-wide Penalty Kill Goals, Top 50 in league-wide Points per 20 minutes played
 
3 of the top 10 scoring rookies were Bears this year. This can lead to only one conclusion.
 

 
WE ROAR WE SCORE!
 
See you next season, everybody.
 
edit:
362 words
TPE for week ending August 25

All teams should invest in a goal song, by the way.

I am not even a Canucks fan, but I always hope they will score one more.
 

The Music of the VHLM
By  A. Simon-Cowell-Type
 
Part 7
 
Welcome back to The Music of the VHLM! This is the 7th installment of this series, and our second-to-last team. Mexico has come and gone through our looking glass, and today we are moving on to a team that many think might make a deep playoff run this postseason. Of course the regular season has finished, and at the end of it all, one team stands apart from the others; but in 4th place. 
 
Yukon Rush
Tom Sawyer, by Rush
 
The Rush finished the season with a points total of 104, 7 points back on third place Minnesota, and 10 points ahead of 5th place Halifax. Offensively, this Yukon team wasn’t anything special, nor were they poor. Their 230 goals scored was simply 4th best in the league, just like their position. However, it was their shut-out defense that has many turning their head. The Rush only conceded 143 goals this regular season. That’s 3 goals less than the Storm, and 15 less than both Philadelphia and Ottawa, making them the number one defense this season. Leading the blue line is ace defenseman pairing Lance Flowers @CowboyinAmerica and Wolf Stansson Jr  @Cornholio, who are supported in the net by arguably the top draft prospect in his position, A Red Guy @.sniffuM.  
 
To represent the Rush in this article, we have chosen the song from Canadian prog rock legends of the same name, Rush. Of course, we are going with none other than Tom Sawyer. This masterful work blends hard rock, synth, and fantastical lyricism to create an enduring legacy; something that Yukon will be seeking to do this postseason. 
 
@Josh
 
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned next week as we finish our coverage of the VHLM
 

Neat. I like it when limits are pushed or authorities and laws are questioned.

Honestly though, the podcasters I think are deserving of more. I know, 12 TPE limited for people not having enough time, etc. - but putting that effort in there could be worth 12 pts, and perhaps also promoted more on the front page.

I do my 150 and 500 word articles for now (no cheesy 6 pts graphics as of yet, but I am sure I will get to that too), but I try to make it entertaining - for myself, and hopefully for the reader - I bet writing this article was entertaining to you, kudos.

It's that time of the week again ladies and gentleman, I am here to grace you mortal beings with a beautifully written 150 word article about... VHL.com articles.
 
Now, I think that VHL.com tasks are great, simple tasks that you can do to earn a quik 2 tpe. There are many forms of it, it can be a podcast, simple graphic, or even a 150 word article, such as the one you are currently reading.
 
My problem is with people expecting a lot of effort, for just a simple task.
 
If we take a gander at:
 
It states that: 
 
 
 
I can assure that there will be people who bitch at me this week as well for not "putting in effort". But let's look at what the rules demand a VHL.com article be like.
 
You may only do one XM Radio Article per week.
This is my only VHL.com ARTICLE this week.
 
 
Each article is expected to be at least 150 words, but should be around 200 words. If you are found to be writing articles short of this limit you may have your ability to write articles revoked.
 
At the time of writing this sentance we are at approximately 150 words (without counting any of the copy pasted stuff) and I'm not even done yet. By the end of this article we will be at about 237 words, which is greater than 200, even though it is expected to be only a mere 150.
 
Each article is expected to be league related, and have a degree of relevance to the VHL.
This article is league related, as it talks about VHL.com articles, which are apart of the VHL.
 
All work must be 100% original or you could face a ban from posting XM Radio articles ranging from weekly to permanent.
Everything I wrote in this article is 100% original, (nothing copy-pasted from the rules page is being counted towards the word limit)
 
The end.
 

Might be hard to see me when you are face first is the ice all game ?

I hope to see you on the ice @SidTheKid87!

pretty big talk for someone who still sits at the kids table at thanksgiving. Can’t wait to show you how this “lazy” guy operates next season @Elmebeck

Yes, it's off center. Defence.

Tennessee News: What's on your short term list looking like you will be a top 10 to 20 draft for S68?
Fredrik Elmebeck: I really don't know, I am hoping for an American destination, but who can tell.
TN: Whom?
FE: Who.
TN: So who do you see as your biggest rival?
FE: For the draft? There are a lot of more skilled defencemen than me, but the only only one above me from this year is probably the erotically charged @Esso2264, we have no sexual relationship though.
TN: What?
FE: Just a play on his name instead of making a joke on circumcision.
TN: If you get drafted, either into one of the established teams or one of the two new teams in VHL, what are you seeking in terms of money, stats or reputation?
FE: As I have already told multiple scouts, although the new franchises are yet to contact me, I am looking to do my best, put effort into every game and, and then the dice lands where they land. All I promise is to be the best I can be. However I would prefer a North American location, and also be able to face @SidTheKid87 before he fades into mediocrity.
TN: So you have some sort of vendetta with Sid?
FE: Not at all, I just think his name, style of play and position is bland and wrong, and frankly it's lazy. I'd love to see him pick me up on that.
TN: For the new franchises, which cities would you favor if given the chance?
FE: I was once offered a job in Reykjavik that I turned down and later regretted, so that would be awesome if they got a proper team there. But I really would like to go to USA, so a mid-western or southern team, perhaps Amarillo Sarsaparillas, would also suit me if New York or Seattle wouldn't draft me.
TN: No Canada or mainland Europe for you? 
FE: I like Canada a lot, eh, got some Canadian jokes in store ... and I like most of the European teams too. I just want freedom, so I'd rather go over the 'pond' instead of staying here.
TN: As for players in the league WHOM have you connected with?
FE: Mostly @Tate, @Dalton Wilcox and @FrostBeard for now, but the list seems to exponentially open up, and I like the rookies like @Viperxhawks19, etc. it can only get better from here on.
TN: Thank you for your time.
FE: No worries, mate. Just kidding, don't throw your jandals at me, I am neither Aussie or Kiwi, but do throw some shrimps on the barbie!
TN: We're from the deep south, save your Oceanic jokes for another time.
FE: Wilco.
 

Yes, it's off center. Defence.

Tennessee News: What's on your short term list looking like you will be a top 10 to 20 draft for S68?
Fredrik Elmebeck: I really don't know, I am hoping for an American destination, but who can tell.
TN: Whom?
FE: Who.
TN: So who do you see as your biggest rival?
FE: For the draft? There are a lot of more skilled defencemen than me, but the only only one above me from this year is probably the erotically charged @Esso2264, we have no sexual relationship though.
TN: What?
FE: Just a play on his name instead of making a joke on circumcision.
TN: If you get drafted, either into one of the established teams or one of the two new teams in VHL, what are you seeking in terms of money, stats or reputation?
FE: As I have already told multiple scouts, although the new franchises are yet to contact me, I am looking to do my best, put effort into every game and, and then the dice lands where they land. All I promise is to be the best I can be. However I would prefer a North American location, and also be able to face @SidTheKid87 before he fades into mediocrity.
TN: So you have some sort of vendetta with Sid?
FE: Not at all, I just think his name, style of play and position is bland and wrong, and frankly it's lazy. I'd love to see him pick me up on that.
TN: For the new franchises, which cities would you favor if given the chance?
FE: I was once offered a job in Reykjavik that I turned down and later regretted, so that would be awesome if they got a proper team there. But I really would like to go to USA, so a mid-western or southern team, perhaps Amarillo Sarsaparillas, would also suit me if New York or Seattle wouldn't draft me.
TN: No Canada or mainland Europe for you? 
FE: I like Canada a lot, eh, got some Canadian jokes in store ... and I like most of the European teams too. I just want freedom, so I'd rather go over the 'pond' instead of staying here.
TN: As for players in the league WHOM have you connected with?
FE: Mostly @Tate, @Dalton Wilcox and @FrostBeard for now, but the list seems to exponentially open up, and I like the rookies like @Viperxhawks19, etc. it can only get better from here on.
TN: Thank you for your time.
FE: No worries, mate. Just kidding, don't throw your jandals at me, I am neither Aussie or Kiwi, but do throw some shrimps on the barbie!
TN: We're from the deep south, save your Oceanic jokes for another time.
FE: Wilco.
 

The race for first in the European Conference came to an end Sunday. The Helsinki Titans despite a roller coaster campaign managed to hold off Moscow and Riga for the conference title. The Titans acquired their 40th win of the season; a decisive 6-1 win over the leagues last place team from New York. This week will mark the start of the season 67 playoffs where Helsinki will receive a buy into round two where they will face the winner of the Menace and Reign. Should The Titans move past their eventual opponent, they would successfully achieve their fourth consecutive finals appearance. Helsinki saw a drop in offensive performance compared to their dream season 66. Only three skaters managed over a point per game; Borwinn (77), Thompson (83) and this seasons big acquisition Dan Wilinsky (86). Goaltender Alexander Pepper achieved almost identical stats with a 2.45 GAA, .922 S% and five shutouts. The Titans struggled season long with line chemistry, yet the playoffs offer a fresh start.

Regarding the North American Conference; The Toronto Legion outperformed all season with a lackluster roster and below average goaltender. There is a lot to be said about line chemistry and finding the right mix of skill and depth but don't be surprised if the winner of the round one match-up between Vancouver and Calgary manage to handle them with more ease than the standings would suggest. Stay tuned for what should be another exciting installment of the VHL playoffs.

Adrienne hopes expansion teams will be in lottery
 
Condor Adrienne is a weird person, but that is something new. After shouting the whole season about having Malmo and Moscow as his main targets he has shifted his targets over the last weeks. With the announcement of the incoming expansion Adrienne would love to the first pick in franchise history for either of the new franchises.
After having talked to both the expansion GM’s he would definitely be on board for joining them despite knowing that he will not win with them anytime soon. But there might be one small issue and that is the upcoming draft.  The teams that Condor wants to join the most would be the expansion teams, but they are only picking in the middle of the round probably.
So Condor hopes he has it by the wrong end and hopes that the expansion teams will be included in the draft lottery so they both have a chance to land as high as possible.
Adrienne hopes he can avoid drama after being drafted but he feels like there will be. Some teams have acknowledged they would probably not draft him, but there are also teams in the lottery that he doesn’t want to end up with that haven’t even contacted him, which could lead to complicated situations after the draft.
 
So here it’s hoping the expansion teams will have a chance to end up winning the lottery so that Adrienne can start his career of at one of his two dream destinations. 

The VHL playoffs are finally here and Eagles is excited by Vancouver's potential to go far. The Wolves completed a great turn-around in the second half to finish the season in 2nd place.
 
" It's definitely exciting watching the turn-around, all our players clicked and we managed to get home ice advantage" Said Eagles " It was a close race, 2nd to 6th was only separated by 3 points so it was an exciting finish"

The Wolves now switch gears and are training heavily for the playoffs. If the Wolves can keep the momentum going from the second half of the season they should have no problems going far in the playoffs.

" It would be great if we can make the finals again, I know Vancouver were close last year when I was playing in the VHLM and this year I want to be part of that run and help support from the bench, All our players are ready to go and it would just be an underachievement if we didn't end up in the finals once more" Eagles said from this morning practice

For a while, @Beaviss and co did an outstanding job of getting tons of new faces in here, and they have really made the league into a much more fun place than it was a year ago. For the moment, it appears as if recruitment has slowed, which might actually be a good thing, as perhaps it is better for the VHL to slow down and think things through rather than keep rapidly adding people and creating more teams. Let things stabilize at 12 teams for a while, and see what happens from there. Also, hopefully the two additional teams can get us closer to the 6F 4D system that the majority of the league desires, despite Beave boy's wishes. I can tell you from personal experience that only getting 15 minutes a night with a 500 tpe player sucks, when some of my teammates get 30 minutes a night. I get that it's all in the name of winning, but hopefully the new teams make that not necessary. 

Yes, it's off center. Defence.

Tennessee News: What's on your short term list looking like you will be a top 10 to 20 draft for S68?
Fredrik Elmebeck: I really don't know, I am hoping for an American destination, but who can tell.
TN: Whom?
FE: Who.
TN: So who do you see as your biggest rival?
FE: For the draft? There are a lot of more skilled defencemen than me, but the only only one above me from this year is probably the erotically charged @Esso2264, we have no sexual relationship though.
TN: What?
FE: Just a play on his name instead of making a joke on circumcision.
TN: If you get drafted, either into one of the established teams or one of the two new teams in VHL, what are you seeking in terms of money, stats or reputation?
FE: As I have already told multiple scouts, although the new franchises are yet to contact me, I am looking to do my best, put effort into every game and, and then the dice lands where they land. All I promise is to be the best I can be. However I would prefer a North American location, and also be able to face @SidTheKid87 before he fades into mediocrity.
TN: So you have some sort of vendetta with Sid?
FE: Not at all, I just think his name, style of play and position is bland and wrong, and frankly it's lazy. I'd love to see him pick me up on that.
TN: For the new franchises, which cities would you favor if given the chance?
FE: I was once offered a job in Reykjavik that I turned down and later regretted, so that would be awesome if they got a proper team there. But I really would like to go to USA, so a mid-western or southern team, perhaps Amarillo Sarsaparillas, would also suit me if New York or Seattle wouldn't draft me.
TN: No Canada or mainland Europe for you? 
FE: I like Canada a lot, eh, got some Canadian jokes in store ... and I like most of the European teams too. I just want freedom, so I'd rather go over the 'pond' instead of staying here.
TN: As for players in the league WHOM have you connected with?
FE: Mostly @Tate, @Dalton Wilcox and @FrostBeard for now, but the list seems to exponentially open up, and I like the rookies like @Viperxhawks19, etc. it can only get better from here on.
TN: Thank you for your time.
FE: No worries, mate. Just kidding, don't throw your jandals at me, I am neither Aussie or Kiwi, but do throw some shrimps on the barbie!
TN: We're from the deep south, save your Oceanic jokes for another time.
FE: Wilco.
 

Yes, it's off center. Defence.

Tennessee News: What's on your short term list looking like you will be a top 10 to 20 draft for S68?
Fredrik Elmebeck: I really don't know, I am hoping for an American destination, but who can tell.
TN: Whom?
FE: Who.
TN: So who do you see as your biggest rival?
FE: For the draft? There are a lot of more skilled defencemen than me, but the only only one above me from this year is probably the erotically charged @Esso2264, we have no sexual relationship though.
TN: What?
FE: Just a play on his name instead of making a joke on circumcision.
TN: If you get drafted, either into one of the established teams or one of the two new teams in VHL, what are you seeking in terms of money, stats or reputation?
FE: As I have already told multiple scouts, although the new franchises are yet to contact me, I am looking to do my best, put effort into every game and, and then the dice lands where they land. All I promise is to be the best I can be. However I would prefer a North American location, and also be able to face @SidTheKid87 before he fades into mediocrity.
TN: So you have some sort of vendetta with Sid?
FE: Not at all, I just think his name, style of play and position is bland and wrong, and frankly it's lazy. I'd love to see him pick me up on that.
TN: For the new franchises, which cities would you favor if given the chance?
FE: I was once offered a job in Reykjavik that I turned down and later regretted, so that would be awesome if they got a proper team there. But I really would like to go to USA, so a mid-western or southern team, perhaps Amarillo Sarsaparillas, would also suit me if New York or Seattle wouldn't draft me.
TN: No Canada or mainland Europe for you? 
FE: I like Canada a lot, eh, got some Canadian jokes in store ... and I like most of the European teams too. I just want freedom, so I'd rather go over the 'pond' instead of staying here.
TN: As for players in the league WHOM have you connected with?
FE: Mostly @Tate, @Dalton Wilcox and @FrostBeard for now, but the list seems to exponentially open up, and I like the rookies like @Viperxhawks19, etc. it can only get better from here on.
TN: Thank you for your time.
FE: No worries, mate. Just kidding, don't throw your jandals at me, I am neither Aussie or Kiwi, but do throw some shrimps on the barbie!
TN: We're from the deep south, save your Oceanic jokes for another time.
FE: Wilco.
 

Not at all, quite nice. Thanks!

@Elmebeck

pretty bad tbh - forced this one until the bitter end

As many of you may know, the Board of Governors has undergone a re-structuring. With the exponential growth the league is seeing, we felt it important to add some new voices into the mix as we continue to strive to grow with our member base.
 
Before announcing the new additions, we would like to thank @Bushito, @Tagger, and @TheLastOlympian07 for their contributions, as they will no longer be part of the BOG. In their place, @Advantage, @Josh, @Matt_O, @Renomitsu, and @Sonnet will now be joining the BOG.
 
In addition to the changes of seated members, @tfong will be joining as the League's @Public Liaison. His primary role will be as a secondary point of contact for all matters directed to the @Commissioner . As always, we encourage members to use the Suggestion and Complaint section for any ideas pertaining to the league. When posting anything that you feel requires the commissioners' attention, we ask that you also tag the Public Liaison, to prevent any issues from going unseen. He will also be tasked with updating the community on Current BOG Discussions, as a way of maintaining transparency into the league's operations.
 
For a list of active BOG members, you may refer to this page, as it is updated with any, and all, BOG changes.
@Members

Oceanic Expansion Possibilities
 
The most recent VHLM draft took place in Sydney, now that it has been a while the Australian government released a statement that this brought an extra half a million dollars in Australian tourism making it the 3rd biggest sporting event after the Australian open and the Australian Grand Prix. This has shown the Australian government that I've hockey is an emerging sport in Australia. After all this increased popularity the Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian Ice Hockey Association have released they are going to start a league to help Australian kids to teenagers improve before the VHL. The Junior Oceanic Hockey Championship (JOHC) has been planned to provide a competitor to the VHLM where the only teams are from the USA and Canada. The JOHC will provide a way of the best hockey players from the pacific and Australia to improve their skills and prepare them for the VHL draft. This has been sponsored heavily by two VHLM stars Berocka Sundqvist and Block Buster. This is what Berocka Sundqvist had to say about it.
 
Berocka Sundqvist stated "It was hard to get some good practice in growing up here and I feel like my game improved significantly when I moved to Sweden. This will allow Australians, New Zealanders and other islanders to pursue their dreams here before moving to the big leagues. I will be investing heavily in the Brisbane team whenever I get the chance."
 
Auckland Kiwis
 
Jersey colours: Primary Lime Green, Secondary Brown.
Logo: This would be a picture of the Animal, I am unsure of a background.
Reasoning: Auckland is the most populated city in New Zealand and constantly gets confused as the Capital. I believe that the most popular city should have the Animal that New Zealand is most known for. This is also one of the only teams that does not have alliteration, I am a big believer that sports teams with alliteration are better sports teams.
 
Wellington Warriors
 
Jersey colours: Primary Blue, Secondary Red.
Logo: Would be a mask depicting the end of a Haka with a Maori Man with his tongue out.
Reasoning: Wellington is the Capital of New Zealand and would represent the tribe nature of the New Zealanders. The tough nature of the New Zealanders is well known around the world, especially for their Haka, the Warriors represent this and would help get the support from the locals.
 
Christchurch Chiefs
 
Jersey colours: Primary Black, Secondary Yellow
Logo: A Wahaika which is a traditional weapon of the Maori
Reasoning: Christchurch is one of the three biggest cities in New Zealand and the chiefs are a representation of the leader of each tribe in Maori culture. 
 
Fijian Fighters
 
Jersey colours:Primary Light Blue, Secondary Orange
Logo: A Fijian Cannibal fork with leaves on the top to resemble a palm tree.
Reasoning: Known for their violent past including a history of cannibalism Fijians are known for their fighting amongst clans and I think this suits the small island nation. 
 
Somoan Sharks
 
Jersey colours: Primary Dark Blue, Secondary Grey
Logo: Anything but a shark biting a hockey stick in twain
Reasoning: The Samoans are most known for their sportsmen and they take their sport seriously that they will be a serious threat. Sharks are known to be always around the islands and I believe are a good fit for this team and not just because of alliteration.
 
Cook Islands Cocopucks
 
Jersey colours: Primary Brown, Secondary White
Logo: A Brown Puck with the three coconut dots on it
Reasoning: Cook Islands are a small group of Islands that are not well known outside of the Pacific. These small islands are a great holiday destination for their great snorkelling and like most small beach islands they are known for fresh coconuts hence the pun and the alliteration making it a great team.
 
Tasmanian Devils
 
Jersey colours: Primary Red, Secondary White.
Logo: Would be an outline of tasmania with horns and a devil tail.
Reasoning: The most recognisable I believe of this list. Not just one of the Looney Tunes but is also an extremely feisty marsupial that is only found on the island of Tasmania. This could use the animal or similar to the New Jersey Devils. The logo would be on top of a silhouette of the island.
 
Alice Springs Heat
 
Jersey colours: Primary Light Blue, Secondary White
Logo: Would be cool to have Uluru on Fire
Reasoning: Alice Springs is one of the most central towns in Australia and is most known as the closest big town to Uluru or Ayers Rock. The team colours would have to be an orange or red as the main colour. 
 
Brisbane Bandicoots
 
Jersey colours: Primary Maroon, Secondary Gold
Logo: Simply just a Bandicoot from the side
Reasoning: Brisbane is a huge city for sport and the Bandicoot is one native animal that hasn’t been used by any other Brisbane teams. Being from Brisbane and a huge fan of Crash Bandicoot it wasn’t too much of a tough decision. As with most Brisbane teams I stuck with the famous colours of Maroon and Gold.
 
Cairns Crocodiles
 
Jersey colours: Primary Dark Green, Secondary Red
Logo: A crocodile half out of the water
Reasoning: The northern tip of Australia is known for all the huge saltwater Crocs made famous by the late Steve Irwin. I picked this as I wanted Queensland to have more than one team. I picked Cairns as it is a bigger city in the north of the state, also alliteration. 
 
Melbourne Matildas
 
Jersey colours: Primary Purple, Secondary Green
Logo: A Man with a Swag (Australian Swag) over his shoulder
Reasoning: Matildas was chosen as per the famous poem Waltzing Matilda, and I couldn’t figure a better alliteration for Melbourne.
 
Broome Emus
 
Jersey colours: Primary Red-Orange, Secondary Orange-Red
Logo: An Emu head
Reasoning: Broome is out in the middle of nowhere in Australia and all you can see is the red dust of the Australian outback hence the uniform choices. I mainly chose Broome for the potentials memes come playoff times with the possibilities of sweeping or being swept.
 
Adelaide Redbacks
 
Jersey colours: Primary Black, Secondary Red
Logo: A top down view of a redback
Reasoning: These animals are annoying, having to check your shoes that have been in the shed to long or anything that has stayed still for too long could potentially be home to these dangerous spiders. Another Australian animal that I think deserves a team in the JOHC.
 
Newcastle Numbats
 
Jersey colours: Primary Silver, Secondary Pink
Logo: A front on picture of a Numbats face
Reasoning: Newcastle adds an extra team along the east coast between the Brisbane and the Sydney team. I only really picked Numbats as I wanted a Newcastle team but couldn’t think of better alliteration for Newcastle.
 
Sydney Magpies
 
Jersey colours: Primary Black, Secondary White
Logo: A Magpie
Reasoning: These birds are peaceful birds for ¾ of the year but come Spring they turn into one of the most annoying animals in Australia. A whole three months of either keeping your head on a swivel or wearing a helmet with Googly eyes on the back and zip ties sticking out of it. This animal is just as annoying as anyone who is from Sydney. Enough Said.
 
Darwin Dingos
 
Jersey colours: Primary Coral, Secondary Teal
Logo: A Dingo
Reasoning: Darwin is a big lot of nothing in the north of the country. Dingos are pretty big in Australia and it had alliteration so that is the main reason that it was choosen. 
 
Exhibition Match
 
Also another way of promoting the sport to the far reaches of Australia and New Zealand there would also be an exhibition tournament between the Australian Kangaroos and the New Zealand Cold Blacks, which will be a 5 stage tournament around smaller regional towns to help promote the sport. One year in Australia then the next in New Zealand.
 
Australian Kangaroos
 
Jersey colours: Green and Gold
Logo: A green puck with the Southern Cross with gold stars
Reasoning: An Australian team would be comprised of the top prospects of all Australian Born players no matter where they are playing. Of course as per every Australian sports team they would be playing in the green and gold.
 
New Zealand Cold Blacks
 
Jersey colours: Black and White
Logo: A black puck with a white fern
Reasoning: A New Zealand team would be comprised of the top prospects of all New Zealand Born players no matter where they are playing. As most New Zealand teams use a variation of the All Blacks the Cold Blacks seems to be a good compromise.
 
 
 
Hopefully the higher ups over in the VHL will listen to the new council of the JOHC. The ability to expand the VHL and help it become a worldwide organisation. This would also help Team World in the WJC be more competitive without the need to grab the leftovers from the USA and Canada. It also adds the ability to have a team Oceanic in the World competition. If there are any suggestions for the JOHC please contact berocka@johc.com.au or comment here.