mattyIceman

Player Information
Username: rjfryman
Player Name: Asher Reinhart
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 16
Position: C
Height: 73 in.
Weight: 205 lbs.
Birthplace: Greenland

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Boring 

I'd offer on you, boss.  But we are full on forwards

I'd offer on you, boss.  But we are full on forwards

Hi everyone (removing members tag so people aren't pinged twice), with that confirmation, the league has surpassed all 3 milestones for total contributions to the 2020 Holiday Charity Drive. Thank you to everyone who has contributed! If you haven't donated yet, the donation drive will continue through the 20th, and all donations through the league paypal will be added to the amounts we split among Food Banks Canada and Feeding America, while you will be eligible to claim the personal donation rewards, if you haven't already.
 
All Members may now claim the following community rewards*:
 
$500 Community Donations: 2 Uncapped TPE for Everyone
$1000 Community Donations: 4 Uncapped TPE for Everyone
$2000 Community Donations: PT Doubles Week for Everyone
 
*Must be claimed on a player created on, or before, December 25th, 2020.
 
Thank you again to everyone for being so generous!

ew

Hiya Vince, I'm MattyIce, the assistant GM of the Houston Bulls.
 
We have some 2nd pairing minutes for you to play on, and we're pushing for a playoff spot right now so you'll be a huge add!
 
We have some cool people in our locker room that will help you get set up to earn that sweet tpe too.
 
We have the members to help you, we have bulls, we have minutes for you and we took care of the plane ticket to Houston.
 
All you gotta do is quote this post and respond Horns Up!
 
Cheers, MattyIce

Brilliant career!  

I have nothing more to say than that I am truly honored to have GM'd @OrbitingDeath. Truly wonderful member and I truly hope our paths will cross again! Malmo forever!

Condor Adrienne has announced their retirement.

Our playoff spot is clinched, we are just relaxing to be in shape for the playoffs 😎😝

The VHLM Power Rankings are back just in time for the home stretch of the regular season. This week is a particularly interesting for a couple reasons. First, there has a been an eruption of trade activity in the past seven days as teams begin to make their push for the playoffs. And beside the trades, the sims in the past week were super interesting and in turn has provided some movement in the power rankings. In particular, one team in the top 5 went on a historic winning streak, while the two teams I've considered to be a powerhouse all season have started to sputter and stumble a touch. That's enough preamble, let's dive into it and take a look at what I'm talking about!
 

Last Week: 1  |  This Week: 1  
Nestling in their comfy #1 ranking for the third straight week, Mexico City continues being the toast of the league. That being said, it hasn't been a banner week for the Kings. Mexico City was one of many teams who were shopping this week ahead of the league's trade deadline. While making substantial upgrades, the team still only managed to go 4-5-1. This could be a situation where you just don't mess with a good thing. Team chemistry is important and shaking things up on your roster always carries risk. Despite that, I do think the upgrades the Kings made were logical ones. First earlier on last week the Kings set a S77 1st Round Pick and Kid Frost (a VHLM drafted welfare earner who has multi-VHLM season control) to Houston in exchange for the capped-out fiesty Frenchmen @domg5 Dominic Gobeil. As noted in last weeks Power Rankings, Houston's season was pretty much done for, and Gobeil seemed to be the prime trading candidate there. Mexico gets a physical winger who is a jack-of-all-trades. He sacrifices the body with bone crushing hits and shot-blocking but he also has an undeniable scoring touch. A couple days later the Kings doubled down and decided to address their defensive depth. They decided to get Yukon on the horn and after some intense back and forth negotiations, the Kings landed themselves a top TPE earning defense. For a pair of picks and a lower end defensemen named Roger Jone (but usable for the Rush next season), Mexico acquired @GoliathusTee Pee E II. TPE II was the defensive leader in Yukon all season, but Yukon decided to pull the trigger on him to recoup some assets for future seasons.  These two deals have definitely bolstered Mexico City's roster but so far have not yielded the results they were hoping for. Luckily there is still time for these new players to assimilate themselves with their teammates and get the Kings back on track in time for the playoffs.
 

Last Week: 2  |  This Week: 2  
Coming in at #2 yet again is the Philadelphia Reapers, albeit by the slimmest of margins. It's been a weird past week for Phlly, and it's really hard to make head or tails of any of it. In their last 10 games they've went dead even going 5-5. While they have had impressive wins against legitimate teams like Mexico City and Miami, they also dropped games to Yukon, Halifax and even the lowly Ottawa Lynx. However, the singular thing that keeps Philly nested in the 2 spot for one more week is a little thing I like to call "The Ric Flair rule". TO BE THE MAN, YOU MUST BEAT THE MAN! San Diego was knocking on the door of the 2 spot this week and had their chance to overtake the Reapers, but Philly slammed the door in their face by ending their legendary winning streak (more on that in a moment), Philly management has been smart about the tweaking of their roster going into the deadline. They were the ones who got the ball rolling when they picked up blueliner @McLovin Gustav Hjalmarsson nice and early before any other teams had gotten the ball rolling on their deadline deals. Hjalmarsson has fit in nicely with the Reapers, as I noted in last week's Power Rankings. Though they upgraded their squad, it feels like Philly has lost some of their early season magic. They are still a team with embarrassment of riches at all positions, I think it is just a matter of finding some good mojo with all these talented players. They are simply too good to go quietly in a first round exit come the playoffs. Reapers management will be looking to find that magic chemistry  in the last week of the season before going into the postseason.
 

Last Week: 4  |  This Week: 3 
Retaking the #3 spot on our list is none other than the hottest team in the league over the past week, the San Diego Marlins. As I previously mentioned, the Marlins almost took over Philly's 2nd place spot, but came up just a hair short. Nonetheless, there is nothing but good vibes happening in San Diego right now. Highlighted by franchise best 14-game winning streak, the Marlins have won 16 of their last 17 contests are nipping on the heels at the top teams in the league. Sadly it was none other than the Reapers who ended San Diego's incredible stretch. When you dive into this win streak, you will see it's been the same formula that San Diego has used all season.  The dynamic duo of Nero Endrizzi and @Tate Red Lite continue to reign terror over their opponents, both having now eclipsed the 80 point plateau for the season, which is good for 4th and 5th in league scoring.  Not far behind them is defensemen @fromtheinside Scotty Kaberle who now sits 6th in league scoring with 81 points, leapfrogging teammate Cowboy Prout who has been dominant in his own right. On top of all this the Marlins have continued to get fantastic production from various sources as @BOOM™ Gunnar Odinsson and @Nikdandrea34 Nikolas D'Andrea continue to shine for the club. Still looking to improve, the Marlins just last night went out and solidified their defensive core even further by acquiring max-capped @OscarTheSwagDude Kate Upton.  Marlins management will be hoping for Upton to memorize opponents and be the piece that puts them over the top. But as we have seem with the other top teams, sometimes adding a new player into the fray can have converse effects to what you may be hoping for. It should be interesting to see how Upton factors into the Marlins heading into the last stretch of games in the regular season.
 

 Last Week: 3  |  This Week: 4 
Falling one spot this week, the Saskatoon Wild come in at number 4 this week despite another great week of sims. Going 7-3 in their past 10, the Wild have continued to show they are going to be a team to be feared going into the postseason. It's really a testament to how well they've been playing when take a glimpse at the standings. They are only 2 points back of the San Diego even after that team had a record setting win streak. Saskatoon just keeps chugging along at very impressive pace. They continue to mix a nice variety of offensive ability and physicality and are proving to be a handful for even the best teams in the league. Offensively @dartFlorent Vericel continues his record smashing pace as he is in sole position of first in league scoring with 98 points, just two shy of the century mark. When it comes to laying the body, @dshervill winger Braxton Hunter and d-man@drewowo Logan Moore are ranked 1-2 in the entire league for hits with 246 and 228 respectively. The Wild also decided to round out there D-core by adding a high end TPE defenseman. For a S76 2nd and a S77 3rd, the Wild acquired puck-moving defensemen Rick Osman. With this move, Sasky management has really confirmed they are all in on this year. They have a legitimate chance to compete for the Founder's Cup so it will be interesting to see if mortgaging their immediate future will pay dividends. 
 

Last Week: 5  |  This Week: 5  
Back for another week at #5 is the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces to me are by far one of most curious teams in the league right now. They have been amongst the busiest teams in the league over the past little while. They've wheeled and dealed and despite looking like a vastly improved team on paper, Vegas has only managed to go 5-5 over their last 10 games. While splitting their last 10 may not seem so bad at first glance, if you look a bit closer they played a ton of easy teams and didn't really beat anyone of consequence. They even dropped games to Houston and Minnesota - two teams who have are clearly focused on their future seasons. Though this sounds very doom and gloom, I do like the moves Vegas management made. With their defense already among the best in the league, it was clear they needed offense and perhaps goaltending. They started by picking up sophomore winger @fyrefly Sheldon Juniper who is an elite, clutch scorer and a proven winner, having won a cup last year with Miami.  But they weren't done there. They then proceeded to hit up Mississauga and take winger @MMFLEX  Dan Dan and center @Aye my name jeff Jordan Tate. Though these two trades costed them a decent amount of draft stock, they have come away with a full line's worth of capped forwards. The Aces seriously lacked scoring punch and with these three all coming in before the deadline, Vegas absolutely addressed their biggest weakness. I think it is just a matter of figuring out which players mesh well together. If Vegas can figure that out before the playoffs start, watch out. Oh and if this didn't impress you, they decided to go out and get a capped goalie by trading Matt Sovick Jr to Miami for the one and only @thadthrasherThadius Sales. Having two goalies with multi-season control allowed Vegas to do this without giving up an arm and a leg in draft picks so this was huge for them.
 

Last Week: 6   |  This Week: 6 
Another week, another sixth place spot for Miami. The Marauders managed to go 6-4 over the last 10 games but half of these games were against either Ottawa or Minnesota, so that could be a tad bit misleading. While Miami has definitely made some nice additions to their roster, their latest trade was a real head-scratcher to me. As I just mentioned in the Aces recap, Miami shipped off their goalie Thad Sales for Matt Sovick Jr. While Sovick Jr is certainly a serviceable goalie and it is certainly appealing that you will be able to retain him for next season, I hate this deal for Miami. Last week on the VHL Roundtable Podcast I asked both @Ricer13 GM Kris Rice and @Zetterberg AGM Zetterberg what their plan was going into the trade deadline. They both seemed to indicate they liked their team and wanted to compete this season, and I agreed with that assessment. Earlier in the week they went out and acquired capped out center @TenZi Kevin Sterk from Yukon. Shortly thereafter, they struck a deal with Mississauga by acquiring rock solid blueliner @JorgTheGoat03 The Blob. Those two trades in my mind were just what Miami needed. They went out and spent some assets in order to improve their center and defensive depth. So with that being said, why would then turn around and ship out one of the best goalies in the league?  I the Miami brass wants Miami to be competitive year in and year out, but with essentially no picks to speak of in the S76 draft, I don't understand the thought process behind that deal. Trade analysis aside, Miami is still a very dangerous team and will definitely still be a tough matchup for anyone who runs into them come playoff time. 
 

Last Week: 8   |  This Week: 7  
Despite their best attempts at selling, Yukon finds themselves edging out Halifax for the 7th spot in the Power Rankings. With their eyes on the future, the Rush decided to start selling off some assets to reload for future seasons. While they managed to deal off some players, the market was pretty limited in some ways and as a result Yukon still has some top end talent. After bidding adieu to Juinper, Tee Pee E and Sterk, Yukon still managed a 5-4-1 record including 2 wins over conference leading Mexico City. The Rush still boast some formidable scoring power with the likes of @DirtyDerek Daddy Derek and team captain @GreenGato Vick Fairchild leading the way. On defense @Juice Kristof Welch continues to impress scouts with his development and is now scoring at a more consistent pace as well.  Team favourite and rock solid netminder @Kloxified Kloxified also avoided swapping teams at the deadline, so all things considered the Rush still ice a pretty solid team and will give teams a good fight night in and night out. 
 

Last Week: 7  |  This Week: 8 
Swapping spots with Yukon and dropping one spot this week was the Halifax 21st. This club is very similar to Yukon in a couple of ways. They were a decent team all season with some holes in their roster and just as the Rush have done recently, they've made a couple traded to focus towards their future. And also like Yukon, they are left with some high end talent on their team post trade deadline, probably because of the scarce market for high end players. Thanks to the mega draft class of S75. many rosters are already filled to the brim and aren't in need of adding anyone. As mentioned earlier throughout the article, Halifax shipped off a pair of elite defensemen for draft picks. However, when the dust settled they still have a few big time players on their roster that still keeps them dangerous. @Dolant Dolant Fertitta remains on the roster and he is going to continue on his tear through the M. Linemate @Nick Kirkpatrick Theodore James St. Louis also stayed put and he is no joke either, having just eclipsed the 80 point plateau this past week. And while their top 2 defenders were shipped out, promising defensive prospect @Parriyah9374 Javad Kamkar will get an excellent opportunity to showcase himself on the top D pair with Clinton Giftopoulos.
 

Last Week: 9  |  This Week: 9 
Back in their familiar spot again this week are the Houston Bulls at #9. I was VERY tempted to move them up higher after they sneakily enjoyed themselves an 8-1-1 record over their last 10.  And while a handful of these were against the bottom tier teams, they did real off wins against Saskatoon, Vegas and even Mexico! What's even more preposterous is that this win streak is coming off the heals of trading top earning forward Dominic Gobeil. The Webber brothers ( @Webberj Jon and @WebberP Paul) have become the team leaders, with Jon leading the team with 37 goals! Defensively @Nope488 Not A. Player leads all defensemen in points with 43, not to mention he has blocked a whopping 123 shots this year. Somebody get that guy an ice pack! Meanwhile in the crease @Caboose30 Trent Gibson continues to hold down the fort. Though they are lacking in some areas, I wouldn't rule out Houston sneaking up on one of either Yukon or Halifax and potentially claiming the 8 seed before the end of the season. It would be incredible to see, I am routing for them!
 

Last Week: 10  |  This Week: 10 
Now we move into the bottom tier of the league. I will definitely give Mississauga some credit though. They were the most successful team in selling off all their high-end assets at the deadline.  They made 4 trades in the past two weeks which netted them 6 future picks in drafts and 4 players. Rookie winger @Sljppers continues to put on a show in the 905 as she now is the active leader in scoring for the Hounds with 64 points in 58 games. When you see a rookie who is producing at over a point per game that is reason enough to get hyped. They Hounds are undoubtedly going to be a force to reckoned with some S76 but for now they are amongst the leagues bottom-feeders. They hold onto the 10 spot this week, but just barely!
 

Last Week: 11  |  This Week: 11 
Coming in yet again at 11, the Minnesota Storm have at least started to see a little bit of stability.  While still only have a record of 3-6-1 in their past 10, they still aren't exactly world beaters, but they are at least competitive in most games now, even taking wins this past week off Las Vegas and Miami! It should be noted that the Storm sent their top tender @Hello  Hi Hello to their fellow cellar dweller buddies the Lynx in exchange for picks. Speaking of picks, the Storm have a ton of them going into the draft. It will be interesting to see how Storm management deals with asset management come draft time. 
 

Last Week: 12  |  This Week: 12  
Rounding out the Power Rankings we have the familiar face of the Ottawa Lynx. It was a week to remember for the Lynx as they managed FOUR wins this week, one of which was against none other than the Eastern Conference leaders, the Philadelphia Reapers! With those four wins they doubled their win total of their entire season! Congrats to them on a few huge wins. This will definitely help morale in the Ottawa LR. The only other thing to note is the aforementioned trade with Minnesota. On one hand I don't know if spending draft picks in a year you are historically bad is a good idea, but on the other hand Hi Hello will be back for next season, so that checks off a major need that they will no longer have to worry about come draft time. 
 
 
That wraps up another weekly Power Rankings. We are winding down the season with roughly 10-12 games left for each team. There is still lots of things to be decided as we head into the VHLM playoffs. Will Houston sneak in? Could San Diego stay hot and overthrow the Kings in the West?  This time next week we will have the answers so be sure to keep your eyes peels for the final installment of the Power Rankings next week! Until then thanks for reading and take care!
 
 

Uh, yeah same here lol

@Motzaburger is a star that shines ever bright. 
 
Hello and welcome to Season Five of The Talents Behind the Trophies! In this series, we delve deep into the history of the Victory Hockey League to learn more about the players that the various awards of the VHL and VHLM are named after. Many times, people covet a trophy, yet they don't know the story behind the player the award is named for. Personally, I feel that the stories of these players should be told. You see, these awards were initially named after NHL players, eventually taking the name of VHL players who personified the spirit of that award. Naturally, these are some of the best to ever grace the league, and The Talents Behind the Trophies will ensure their stories are known. 
 
But before we get started, let's take a look at the VSN content that's out this week! Quite a lot of great content this week, for both your eyes and ears! Learn about the storied history of the greatest VHLM franchise to ever grace the league in Minor Adjustments, and find out which current VHLM teams are heating up in the VHLM Power Rankings! As the off-season nears, Hall of Fame talks are heating up in the Board of Governors, and it's the big topic in this edition of BoG Update. Speaking of the VHL off-season, learn about the supposed wisdom of safe/risky picks with @Patrik Tallinder , and find out what's going on in the league in Around the VHL. Finally, our beloved Aussie podcasters have more great content for you this week, and @Berocka is particularly proud of their work this week, so give it a listen!
 
Minor Adjustments | VHLM Power Rankings | BoG Update | Around the VHL | Hindsight | The Bootcast | VSN Australia
 
When a team in the VHL begins a new season, they all have the same goal: winning the Continental Cup. Setting your sights on the top prize of the VHL is hardly a surprise, it is the ultimate goal that everyone who laces up in the VHL plays for. However, there is another trophy that teams must win in order to earn the right to play for the Continental Cup, the award for winning their respective conference. For players in the North American Conference, that was the Punch Imlach Trophy, until Season 28, when it changed to the Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy. From Season 58 to 65, during the dark ages of contraction, the VHL operated under a single conference, and as a result, there were no conference championships to be awarded, but thankfully today the league remains stronger than ever, and the Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy will be awarded for the tenth time since it's reinstatement in Season 66 in Season 75.
 

After a short hiatus, the Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy returns, although it remains a rather unheralded award. 
 
It is fitting, naturally, for an award as overlooked as it is to be named after a player that additionally flew under the radar. Devon Marlow-Marta was a four-time All-Star who spent his entire six season career with the Calgary Wranglers. While he was a excellent player that would be considered a vital component of any winning team, even his Hall of Fame article seems incredulous that Marlow-Marta made the Hall of Fame. He certainly did not put up the kind of numbers that Scotty Campbell, Brett Slobodzian, or Scott Boulet did. Yet, after a six year career played exclusively with Calgary, Marlow-Marta carved out a career where he became known as a player who did all the little things in a big way, culminating with immortality in the VHL Hall of Fame and on the trophy awarded to the champions of the North American Conference. 
 
His VHL career began in Season Five, joining one of the early VHL's most powerful teams in the Calgary Wranglers. Featuring legendary names such as Brett Slobodzian, Scott Boulet, Sterling Labatte, and Joey Kendrick, it was very easy for a young rookie like Marlow-Marta to get lost in the shuffle, and he did to an extent. With 21 goals and 30 assists, his 51 points were good for 11th on the Wranglers, but his responsible +28, one of the few positive ratings on the team, combined with just 22 penalty minutes, quietly established him as a valued member of Calgary, and after being dispatched by the Seattle Bears with relative ease in the playoffs, Marlow-Marta took on a bigger role with the team in Season Six. He more than doubled his offensive production, with 45 goals and 63 assists for 108 points, and a +57 rating, earning his first All-Star nomination. Season Six also marked the first, and only, individual award that Devon Marlow-Marta would ever win, the Francis Trophy, awarded to the player deemed to be the most sportsmanlike in the VHL. Although the Wranglers were able to get past Seattle in seven games during the first round, Scotty Campbell and the Helsinki Titans undid the Wranglers' stellar season in just five games to win their first-ever Continental Cup.
 

Despite joining a strong Calgary team, they did not return to their previous glory until Devon Marlow-Marta emerged as their prominent offensive threat.
 
With Brett Slobodzian and now Scott Boulet both lost to retirement now, it was now up to Marlow-Marta the new face of the Calgary offense, and he did not disappoint. He eclipsed 50 goals for the first time, finishing with 115 points and a +47, earning a second straight All-Star nod. The Season Seven Wranglers got revenge on Campbell by bouncing the Toronto Legion, his latest team, in the first round. However, the Continental Cup continued to elude the new-look Wranglers, as the Avangard Havoc went on to defeat Calgary in six games. However, the third time would prove to be the charm in Season Eight, as the Wranglers were bolstered by a career season from Marlow-Marta, his 132 points and +62 leading the way. After placing 11th in scoring on his team as a rookie, he was now fourth in the VHL in scoring. On their way to the Continental Cup, Scotty Campbell and his Toronto Legion were dispatched one final time, and Calgary defeated the Riga Reign to finally hoist the Continental Cup once again after years of frustration. 
 
Season Eight ultimately proved to be the zenith for this Calgary squad, as the Wranglers' power began to diminish. Marlow-Marta failed to reach 100 points and be nominated as an All-Star for the first time since his rookie season. Matt Bentz had begun to emerge as the top threat for Calgary, although he didn't seem to be particularly ready for it, as the Wranglers' title defense was unceremoniously cut short by a sweep from the Toronto Legion, gaining revenge for first round exits on behalf of Calgary the past two seasons. Perhaps unwilling to continue on if these were to be his new standards, Devon Marlow-Marta decided Season Ten would be his last, and it proved to be the toughest season of all. Many of the Wranglers' biggest names were now gone, and Calgary had entered a rebuild. Marlow-Marta, however, refused to leave his home, and in spite of a dreadful year, he turned in another stellar season, earning a fourth and final All-Star nod. Despite a career-high 55 goals, the depleted Calgary team could only manage 13 wins, and Marlow-Marta rode off into the sunset without one last chase at the Continental Cup, as Bentz was left to pick up the pieces of a shattered dynasty that not even Scott Boulet himself could save. 
 

The light in the darkness, the determined of Matt Bentz on and off the ice proved to be the flame that kept the passion for Calgary Wranglers' hockey alive in the aftermath of their early success.
 
Although he put up big numbers and was an integral piece of several great Calgary Wranglers teams, debate raged as to whether or not he was a Hall of Fame player. He never finished higher than fourth in league scoring, never leading the league in goals, assists, or points, and only played in six seasons. However, his consistent, efficient play, both in the regular season and in the playoffs, ultimately proved to be too much to ignore for voters, and Devon Marlow-Marta entered the VHL Hall of Fame with David Night in the Class of Season 17. As a reliable, yet constantly overlooked player in VHL history, he was the perfect embodiment for the North American Conference Championship trophy. Just like how you can't make it to the championship without hard-working players like Devon Marlow-Marta, players in the North American Conference cannot compete for the Continental Cup without first winning the trophy that bears his name, a fitting legacy for a player that seemingly never stopped working. 
 
Editor's Note: Thanks are in order to @Victor for helping to fill in the missing information on the history of the Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy, which is conspicuously absent from the Portal. Take a look at that, won't you, @Will?
 
Player Mentions: @Devon, @scotty, @rybak_49, @djscooter, @sterling, @Kendrick, @Matt, @Knight

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Under 250: The VHLM Report. In this series, we will be taking a look at the trends and topics from the past week in the VHLM. What twists and turns will our minor league hold? Stay tuned to find out!
 
Talents Behind The Trophies | Minor Adjustments | VHLM Power Rankings | Around the VHL
 
The Review
 
This season is officially a strange one. It seems as though with approximately 12 games to go (give or take a few depending on team) the playoff picture is all but secure. The Mississauga Hounds, Minnesota Storm, and Ottawa Lynx are all definitely out, and the only real sense of tension at all at the bottom of the playoff picture is whether the Houston Bulls can close the gap on either of the 60-pointers: the Yukon Rush and Halifax 21st. (NOTE: The standings show Halifax as having clinched, because STHS still thinks we’re going by conference and they only have to finish above Minnesota/Ottawa. This is not the case, and they have not clinched.)
 

 
We can say with a fair degree of confidence that the Philadelphia Reapers, Mexico City Kings, San Diego Marlins, and Saskatoon Wild will be this year’s home seeds, and that the Las Vegas Aces and Miami Marauders will also make the playoffs. The question is whether Houston can make the climb to steal a spot, or are Halifax and Yukon safe?
 
The Race
 
Let’s look into the rosters of each of the three teams in question and see where they should have finished, had it not been for STHS’ inherent randomness, and determine where the race might go from here. 
 
Halifax:
 
Halifax is running a particularly thin roster, with only six forwards and four defenders on the team. This is particularly small compared to the other two - the VHLM typically runs much nearer capacity than what Halifax currently has. Admittedly, this is partially the result of recent events, as Kate Upton was traded to San Diego, a team much closer to the top of the standings, and Nolan Fowler is now a free agent after having not updated beyond base TPE. It will be interesting to see just how much of their place in the standings was driven by Upton, who was one of the better players on their roster. 
 
As it stands at the moment (and in the VHLM, volatility is the name of the game, so the roster may look different as early as tomorrow) the six Halifax forwards are Dolant Fertitta, Theodore James St.Louis, Empty, Ramarod Ramirez, Edward Kenway, and Matthew Willis. Of these, Fertitta, St.Louis, and Empty are all strong VHLM players, at or near the cap. Ramirez is adequate - he has, however, announced his retirement, so depending on how long it takes to finish out the season, he may get inactive ruled. The inactive rule may apply to Willis as well, since he has not applied beyond his base TPE, but he has joined more recently than Fowler did and is still in the wait time. This leaves us with Kenway, who is as of right now a decent left winger, but adding at such a rate that he’s likely a prospect for next season. 
 
Defensively, they have Clinton Giftopoulos, Javad Kamkar, Bahram Kamkar, and Videl Valor. Giftopoulos is a top VHLM player, although perhaps the most interesting player of note on this defense is Javad Kamkar. Not yet to Giftopoulos’ level, Javad Kamkar has been developing far faster and will prove an intriguing prospect for the upcoming season’s drafts. It’s only a matter of time before he passes Giftopoulos. Bahram Kamkar has been a little slower than Javad, and is a little newer to join the league, but still looks pretty promising moving forward. Videl Valor, like Matthew Willis, looks to be on his way to being inactive ruled - although he has added beyond base TPE and bought a little more time. In goal, Mike Sterling is a solid piece and is approaching the cap, and Loic Trepanier is a decent backup.
 
Yukon:
 
Yukon is a significantly deeper team, which also means they’re carrying around some guys that aren’t incredibly developed like Nathan Askarov, but overall this appears to be a stronger team than Halifax. They still only have four players on defense, but that’s a symptom of a league wide issue at this time. 
 
Their forwards are led off by Vick Fairchild, who is nearly capped already and will almost certainly be there by the playoffs. In fact, he might even be there by the time this article goes out. Daddy Derek and Michael Schmidt could reach the cap by playoffs as well with some luck, and Jim Allen doesn’t appear to be far behind. This is a solid crew of guys and arguably ought to be higher in the standings than they are, which might be a sign of a future surprise in the playoffs. Jonny Pacheco, The Great, and Gaspar Zakrevsky would all arguably have a higher role on Halifax than they do on Yukon, all are already pretty good and are developing at a rate that’ll likely make them two season guys for Yukon. Rounding out the forwards are the waiver signings, Guy Lambert, Ethan Kahn, and Nathan Askarov who are all maintaining activity and are decent for being newer entrants to the league.
 
Defensively, again there are only four. Kristof Welch, the best of the bunch, is similar to Kamkar of Halifax in that he’s a highly promising draftee and while he’s only a waiver signing for Yukon, he may end up skipping out on being VHLM drafted entirely if he’s at the cap by the start of the season, instead immediately reporting to his VHL team (a lot of this will depend on which VHL team it is, and how long the offseason goes for). Olof Samuelsson is a little slower in development, but is already a good player at the VHLM level and has certainly performed admirably for Yukon thus far. Germano Henchoz is a newer guy who has developed well so far, perhaps not quite as noticeably as Welch, but will certainly be a guy some team will be incredibly happy to have next season, and Roger Jone has been around the VHLM for a bit now but is a reliable, if slow earning, depth guy who puts in a quality shift. Goalie wise, Kloxified is essentially capped. He can’t really add anything more while in the VHLM, and is one of the better goalies in the league. Andrew Bowman, much like Loic Trepanier of Halifax, is a decent backup. He’s active, has added to his guy, but at the same time isn’t really about to threaten Kloxified’s spot for this season.
 
Houston:
 
Houston is the deepest of the three, and so perhaps it is surprising they find themselves out of the race at the moment, but then again they arguably have the least top end talent. It’s a weird thing that STHS does to give such a preference to having 1-2 really strong guys over 4-5 fairly solid ones, but with Halifax being as thin as they are and further selling off what they do have, maybe Houston pulls it off. It certainly seems the “fairest” result would be for Houston/Yukon to take the two spots, but at the same time that would be an unfortunate result for the actives Halifax does have, such as the Kamkars.
 
Forwards-wise, Jon Webber, Paul Webber, and Vladimir Mlinski are the top tier forwards for Houston, and none of them are locks to reach the cap by the end of the season, although they all could. The Webbers are a little better earners, but Mlinski is a recreate and more familiar with the site, and all three are guys who’ll likely be up at least next season. Eddie Dams and Bradley Senjo are possibly in the sweet spot, good players already but earning at a pace where they might be back, and Napoleon Bonaparte is developing quickly and could be a strong asset to a team in the bigs when the time comes. Craig Martin and Kid Frost were both late VHLM draftees who’ve kept active, and Houston’s been strong on the waiver wire to add Joan de Arc, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Alexander the Great, and Genghis Khan (also seemingly a recurring theme of historical people/places). However, the last six guys look to be more promising next season than this season. 
 
Defensively, Houston is the only one of the teams listed here with six players. Jared Carter and Not A Player are the top of the bunch, and both are near enough to cap that they’ll be competitive against the players who get there, although they’ll probably both not quite manage it. Zachary Sirois is the next best but is also on the verge of getting inactive ruled, so that could be a hit to their chances as well. Jackson Richard is a prime example of the type of player that’s always so valuable to the VHLM, as he’ll be around again next season almost certainly, and William of Orange is a new addition who’s done well to get up to where he is. Usilov Valentinovich has missed a couple weeks and may also get inactive ruled, although he’s got a week longer than Sirois. Largely, this defense will depend on Houston’s ability to find Sirois and Valentinovich, although that would just bring them down to four where the other teams are. Trent Gibson in goal is a solid starter, and while Jurgis Kalvelis Blazevicius behind him isn’t breathing down his neck, he’s competent when he needs to be called upon, like the backups for the other two teams. 
 
The Assessment
 
As it stands, Halifax has the thinnest roster, but arguably a stronger average among the players they do have, while Houston has the deepest roster with a larger number of new players filling out depth. Yukon has a strong combination of both, and potentially could be dangerous in the playoffs should they get there. Depending on how the rosters look over the final stretch, it does seem a little undeserved that Houston has a gap to make up on the other two, but it might already be just a bit too far. They’re 7 points back of Yukon and 9 of Halifax, while giving games in hand up on both current playoff teams. It’s not out of reach but it’ll be a difficult task if they want to get there, and it’s more likely that the two current teams will remain in the final playoff spots.

This was cool to see and I have no idea how I'm averaging 15 a week 😂

Hello everyone, and welcome to Hindsight! The VHL Entry Draft is approaching yet again, and numerous high-end prospects are eagerly waiting to hear their name called by one of the league’s sixteen franchises on draft day. Some prospects that you don’t think much of now will emerge as quality players in the future, and other more highly touted prospects won’t become quite the star you hoped for. But that’s the beauty of this process; no one really knows. You just have to take in as much information as you can, and hope to make the best educated guess that you possibly can on the draft floor. Today, we take a look at some of that information.
 
The early stages of the first round consist of players who are unanimously considered the cream of the crop. Sometimes a surprise pick will occur if a team really believes in a certain player, but generally the early first round contains a group that comprises low risk, high upside players. By the time you reach the end of the first round, the waters start to get a bit murkier. At this point, a question may arise among the GMs picking around that time.
 
 
“Do I take the safe pick, or the late riser?”
 
 
The safe pick around this point is a recreate who regularly earns between 6 and 12 TPE every week. They may not appear to have superstar potential, but it is almost guaranteed that they are an important part of your team moving forward. Four examples that we will be evaluating are:
Xavier LeFlamant @BarzalGoat
Zamboni Driver @Tape-to-Tape
Dan Baillie Jr @wcats
The Terrible Trivium @der meister
In this article, we will take a look at how these players have performed after being drafted. 
 
The other side of the coin is the late risers. These first gen players are the definition of high risk, high reward. With such a small sample size of immense success, it is difficult to gauge their long term value. However, you can quite possibly strike gold with one of them. Let’s see how they’ve worked out in the S70’s so far with the following players:
 
Justin Graves @JDGraves
Vin Calia @VinCal
Joseph Gainer @joeg
Kevin King @IamMOOSE
 
I am essentially generalizing two groups of players here, but we must remember that every case is different. Just because a player in a future draft is a late riser or safe pick, that doesn’t mean that this article can predict what kind of player they will become. WIthout further ado, let’s get started on a background check for each of these players.
 
 
(S71) Xavier LeFlamant - DC Dragons (SAFE PICK)
Our first safe pick is S71 2nd rounder, Xavier LeFlamant. Prior to his 20th overall selection, LeFlamant earned an average of 8.58 TPE per week, never dipping below 6 in any given week. He had model consistency in earning TPE, and some decent VHLM stats. He was coming off of a solid career with Dan Montgomery, for whom he had earned 715 TPE. This was a player who was destined to be a quality player in the VHL from the get-go.
 
Following the draft, LeFlamant would go on to climb the S71 TPE rankings all the way up to his current 12th place. He has been exactly what DC drafted him to be, still earning TPE as consistently as ever with an average of 12.08 TPE per week since the draft. As far as his playing career, he has been quite a solid contributor for the Dragons. His first two seasons were relatively quiet, but S74 marked the scoring winger’s breakout season. He posted 31 goals and 75 points, which was more than both of his other seasons combined. This season, LeFlamant is on pace to break those records yet again.
 
(S72) Zamboni Driver - Helsinki Titans (SAFE PICK)
Looking back on the S72 Draft, Helsinki had an unbelievable night. When you’re able to land Valtteri Vaakanainen, Spencer Elsby, James Rose and Zamboni Driver, you have drafted almost perfectly. Let’s take a look at their starting goalie though, who is fresh off of a jaw-dropping MVP performance at the World Cup last offseason. 
 
Zamboni Driver never earned below 8 TPE in any week before the draft, with an average TPE per week of 10.36. Tape-to-Tape had just earned 843 TPE with Joey Boucher, a S65 Continental Cup champion. In a draft with some impressive first gens, Driver found himself in the backseat a bit, only going 20th overall. Since then, he has become an absolute beast, both on and off the ice.
 
Nowadays, the Icelandic goaltender caps out regularly, and has turned into a bonafide VHL starter for the Titans. He has averaged 17.6 TPE per week since the draft, which is a remarkable step up. As mentioned earlier, he also just came away from the World Cup with tournament MVP, just weeks after playing lights out in the playoffs for a Helsinki team that reached the finals. This season, he is continuing on this stretch of greatness with a .920 save percentage. 
 
Zamboni Driver is a case of a safe pick turning into one of those “why didn’t I pick him?”  headscratchers. He went from a solid goalie prospect to one of the VHL’s elite young goalies, and he has a bright future ahead of him as well.
 
(S73) Dan Baillie Jr - Prague Phantoms (SAFE PICK)
User wcats decided to follow up the extremely successful career of Dan Baillie with Dan Baillie Jr. The original Baillie was a winner at the VHL and VHLM level, and was an important player on some championship teams. He finished his career with a total of 958 TPE.
 
Dan Baillie Jr would be considered a very safe pick because of said success, along with his 11.23 average TPE per week before the draft. Like Driver, he never fell below 8 TPE in any week. This was a pick that guaranteed your team a quality contributor on the wing, yet he was only picked at the 21st slot on draft night.
 
Since the draft, Baillie Jr has kept up his steady TPE earning, and he has had an impressive start to his young career in Prague. I asked GM @diamond_ace what he has meant to the team, and here is what he said:
 
"Baillie has been a great asset to Prague. Consider that he was taken 6 picks after Andre Lebastard, one of the usual run of first gen boom or bust types, who has definitely busted. Baillie was bust proof. That's the best part of the safe picks, they are safe, it's right in the term. The first Baillie was a key part of Moscow's best era and first cup - the second Baillie has a chance to do the same for us."
 
Clearly this is a player that is making an impact, and has provided exactly what Prague was hoping for when they selected him.
 
(S73) The Terrible Trivium - London United (SAFE PICK)
Another safe pick from the S73 Draft, The Terrible Trivium heard London call his name at 31. He was a member with multiple elite players before this one, and even 214 TPE to his name by draft time. Teams found themselves swinging for higher upside picks, but they did not realize that the upside that they were looking for resided in the safer pick. The young winger now sits at 17th in TPE in the S73 draft class.
 
Why was Trivium not considered a high upside pick? Well, his 10.08 TPE per week before the draft was not eye popping, but it was certainly not weak. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure why he fell to 31. Understandably, neither did Trivium. He posted a media spot titled “Angry and Motivated,” and he proved to be quite motivated indeed. 
 
Just a mere two and a half seasons later, The Terrible Trivium has amassed 95 goals and 186 points in just 195 games. He has averaged 15.71 TPE per week since he was drafted, and is an exceptional player on the ice. It’s safe to say that he was a fantastic pickup at 31.
 
 
Now, let’s take a look at some of the late risers and where they are now.
 
 
(S70) Justin Graves - Toronto Legion (LATE RISER)
Justin Graves joined in the last week of S70 eligibility, and wasted absolutely no time making a name for himself. Graves would average 19.67 TPE per week in his six weeks prior to draft day, and be rewarded with a 10th overall selection. Unfortunately, he would not become the player that Toronto had hoped for. He followed up his draft selection with a week of 20 TPE, and then a sudden dip to 2 TPE the next week was the last we saw of him. Toronto GM Peace has mentioned that Graves had some more important things going on in his personal life that caused him to go inactive, which is unfortunate when you consider the promise that he showed in his time here. Despite this, it’s pretty easy to conclude that Graves was a bust.
 
 
(S71) Vin Calia - HC Davos Dynamo (LATE RISER)
Drafted by Davos but then traded to Moscow, center Vin Calia was a player who skyrocketed up the draft rankings after an impressive first four weeks. He had the lowest TPE among all 2nd round picks in S71, but Davos took a chance on him because of the higher upside that he brought to the table.
 
This pick would pay off very nicely, with Calia now having the 11th most TPE in his draft class. Calia has averaged 15.28 TPE per week since the draft, and has put together a pretty nice career for himself so far. S75 could mark the first time he eclipses the point-per-game mark, with 57 points in his first 53 games this season. The young American has a balanced build that really seems to be working, and his numbers are good across the board as a result. This was definitely a great pickup at 16.
 
(S72) Joseph Gainer - Toronto Legion (LATE RISER)
The S72 Draft was one that included many promising first gen players, such as the VHL’s current top two point scorers Timothy Brown and Andrew Su. In the midst of all this, an extremely exciting late joiner may have fallen under the radar a bit. That player was Joseph Gainer, who was averaging an impressive 16.57 TPE per week prior to the draft. 
 
After his 22nd overall selection, Gainer would continue on his trajectory to stardom, and he looked to be one of the league’s better prospects at the time. Alas, that spark would fizzle out, with the Canadian winger going inactive 12 weeks after the S72 Entry Draft. Although this is a disappointing end, he has had considerable success with Toronto so far in his career, so positives can certainly be taken away from this pick. 
 
(S73) Kevin King - Vancouver Wolves (LATE RISER)
Now, we move on to our biggest success story of all these late risers. User IamMOOSE is a well-known figure around the VHL, and his player is an up-and-coming superstar. The S74 Continental Cup champion joined in the last week of S73 eligibility, and took the league by storm with 46 TPE in his very first week. After that, he would miss just 1 capped TPE ahead of the draft, proving his consistency and dedication to becoming a top tier player. Vancouver saw his astounding potential, and took a swing on him in the early 2nd round, 19th overall.
 
He has since climbed from the 25th highest TPE player in the draft, all the way to the 9th. He has averaged 19.9 TPE per week since he was chosen by the Wolves, and already has a cup victory to his name. King is exactly what you hope for — and more — when you draft a late riser. Here is what Vancouver GM @Beaviss had to say about drafting him:
 
“Kevin King has been one of the most surprising players I’ve gotten in the draft. I expected him to be a mediocre 2nd line forward for his career but shortly after I drafted him he proved otherwise. He immediately made an impact in the LR and on the ice once he made the big team roster. He was really crucial to the surprised cup win last season. If all my 2nd round picks turned out like King I’d never need a first round pick again.”
 
Analysis
 
DISCLAIMER: All of this data is taken from the player’s week of creation to the week ending on 12/6.
 
Safe Pick
TPE/W Before Draft
TPE/W After Draft
Xavier LeFlamant
8.58
12.08
Zamboni Driver
10.36
17.6
Dan Baillie Jr
11.23
12.52
The Terrible Trivium
10.08
15.71
AVERAGE
10.06
14.48
 
 
Late Riser
TPE/W Before Draft
TPE/W After Draft
Justin Graves (INACTIVE)
19.67
0.47
Vin Calia
15.5
15.28
Joseph Gainer (INACTIVE)
16.57
7.59
Kevin King
20.2
19.9
AVERAGE
17.99
10.81
 
As you can see, safe picks have the advantage here in TPE earning. Every single one of them trended upward after their draft, and some by large amounts. This was something that I didn’t really expect when I started this project. My first thought was that the two sides would be fairly equal on average, with the late risers having much more noticeable peaks and valleys in comparison to the reliable safe picks. However, the safe picks have really run away with this, and I think I really underestimated the potential that they possess.
 
As someone who has done scouting (or at least tried to) for 5 seasons now, I have always been one to hop on the bandwagon for late joiners who could be potential under the radar steals. However, this experience has made me take a step back, and realize that the upside that I’m looking for can be found within the safe picks in many cases. Just look at Zamboni Driver or The Terrible Trivium!
 
Do not take this as a slight to late risers though. If you pick the right one, you’ve hit the jackpot. It’s not often that you can get a Kevin King caliber player in the second round, so if you think you’ve got the winning ticket, you should absolutely go for it. The small sample size of TPE earning and community involvement can often make it difficult to predict the future of these players, but what’s life without a little bit of risk-taking here and there?
 
This has been a really fun project to work on. Nothing that was revealed here was groundbreaking by any means, but I think I learned a thing or two about underestimating recreates who may be considered low risk players with limited potential. Oftentimes, the reward is a lot greater than you'd think. Of course this is just my experience though. Maybe there’s someone out there who believes that late risers are too risky to take a chance on, and this study shows players like King and Calia who have proven themselves to be a step above those drafted around them.
 
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this! If I get another idea for studying the draft like this, maybe Hindsight will become an occasionally recurring series.
 
VSN has been pumping out quality content left and right recently. Take a look at these, and see if something interests you!
Minor Adjustments | BOG Update | VSN Australia | Under 250

Uh, yeah same here lol

This season has been a true shocker to me honestly with some of the top Forwards ! huge jump to 1st for @Eso Way 2 go ! and @Smarch  @N0HBDY AND @Nicolai488all with some huge points since last update making it a tighter race for 3rd, and closing the gap on 4th 🔥 heating up going into the final stretch Thanks @fishy*(IDK how i fucked that up LOL)  for tracking the stats and the update ❤️ 

you had me until the end there

@Blazzer
@MattyIce
@diamond_ace
@Josh
@thadthrasher

G'day VHL
 
It is your two least favourite Australians back again with another podcast. Honestly I think this one was a great episode but that is up to you to decide. Anyone who listens to this one I want you to give a score out of 10 on this post!
 
This is the first episode we don't use craig so the audio might be different but we are improving and striving to get better every episode (well @dasboot is anyway)
 
Hope you all enjoy
 
https://anchor.fm/berocka-vhl/episodes/One-and-a-Half-Aussies---Episode-7-enmrcp
 
We speak about:
 
League Standings
Holiday Bonaza
CONSPIRACY THEORIES
Question Time
 
Members Mentioned: @Banackock @Prout @Quik (@ members) I wish I could do that without getting in trouble!!!
 
Ask more questions! 
Feature on the podcast with a donation to charity
 
 

The 12 Days Of VHL Christmas - As Sang By A Non-First Gen
 
The Holidays in the VHL get pretty interesting, the community often comes together in a way that only the holidays seems to inspire. Taking a page from that play book or good cheer and hopefully good humor I present my 12 Days of the VHL Christmas. Hope ya'll are ready for this lol.
 
[Verse 1]
On the first day of Christmas, my sim leauge gave to me
A chance to win TPE.
 
[Verse 2]
On the second day of Christmas, my sim leauge gave to me
Two Simmers whims, and
A chance to win TPE.
 
[Verse 3]
On the third day of Christmas, my sim leauge gave to me
Three Admins
Two Simmers whims, and
A chance to win TPE.
 
[Verse 4]
On the fourth day of Christmas, my sim leauge gave to me
Four trolling turds
Three Admins
Two Simmers whims, and
A chance to win TPE.
 
[Verse 5]
On the fifth day of Christmas, my sim leauge gave to me
Five dreams of cups
Four trolling turds
Three Admins
Two Simmers whims, and
A chance to win TPE.
 
[Verse 6]
On the sixth day of Christmas, my sim leauge gave to me
Six goons a-slaying
Five dreams of cups
Four trolling turds
Three Admins
Two Simmers whims, and
A chance to win TPE.
 
[Verse 7]
On the seventh day of Christmas, my sim leauge gave to me
Seven Sieves a-slashing
Six goons a-slaying
Five dreams of cups
Four trolling turds
Five Three Admins
Two Simmers whims, and
A chance to win TPE.
 
[Verse 8]
On the eighth day of Christmas, my sim leauge gave to me
Eight trades a-pending
Seven Sieves a-slashing
Six goons a-slaying
Five dreams of cups
Four trolling turds
Three Admins
Two Simmers whims, and
A chance to win TPE.
 
[Verse 9]
On the ninth day of Christmas, my sim leauge gave to me
Nine Titans dangling
Eight trades a-pending
Seven Sieves a-slashing
Six goons a-slaying
Five dreams of cups
Four trolling turds
Three Admins
Two Simmers whims, and
A chance to win TPE.
 
[Verse 10]
On the tenth day of Christmas, my sim leauge gave to me.
Ten lamps a-lighting
Nine Titans dangling
Eight trades a-pending
Seven Sieves a-slashing
Six goons a-slaying
Five dreams of cups
Four trolling turds
Three Admins
Two Simmers whims, and
A chance to win TPE
 
[Verse 11]
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my sim leauge gave to me.
Eleven sniper sniping
Ten lamps a-lighting
Nine forwards dangling
Eight trades a-pending
Seven Sieves a-slashing
Six goons a-slaying
Five dreams of cups
Four trolling turds
Three Admins
Two Simmers whims, and
A chance to win TPE
 
[Verse 12]
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my sim leauge gave to me.
Twelve Pylons pining
Eleven sniper sniping
Ten lamps a-lighting
Nine forwards dangling
Eight trades a-pending
Seven Sieves a-slashing
Six goons a-slaying
Five dreams of cups
Four trolling turds
Three Admins
Two Simmers whims, and
A chance to win TPE
 

London with 6 big points

Where the fuck has our offence gone? NY shutting us out with a single goal? Simon I know you’re a bit drunk this season but what the hell.