Siddhus

underrated 

Tim Waters has accepted a Signing Offer from Warsaw:

S77: $1,000,000

Welcome everyone! It is time to start our S76 entry of the VHL Chess Tournament.

Everyone has been separated into four groups and they are as follows:
 
Group A
 
@Nykonax
@ColeMrtz
@Juice
@Mr_Hatter
@Zetterberg
@thadthrasher
@snackhero

Group B
 
@Siddhus
@Ricer13
@RedSus
@rory
@TheCHEESE
@TacticalHammer
@N0HBDY

Group C
 
@bigAL
@hedgehog337
@Caboose30
@jhatty8
@MattyIce
@Matt_O
@IHateBobNutting

Group D 
 
@Vat
@Ledge_and_Dairy
@TXC
@Hoopydog
@GrittyIsKing09
@inflastud
@LilHCorny
Tournament Rules:
 
1. All games will be played on chess.com or the chess.com app. Forum only users please post your username below for group members to add you. Anyone who uses discord there will be a channel to display usernames in the server.

2. Games will EITHER be 10 minute Rapid Game, 30 minute or a 24 hour daily. This worked well last season and allows the ability for our international players to be able to participate. The 24 hour games go on the honor system. If you commit to this mode please make sure to take your turn. Same as last season, you should play "unranked games" and decide prior to the start of your game whether or not "takebacks" will be allowed.

3. Each group will play in a round robin which will lead into the playoff rounds.

4. Each player in each group will play each other 2 times. (You can play as many exhibition ones as you'd like.) Please limit it to one game per group member per day.

5. Standings will be determined on a point system. A win is 1 points, a draw .5 and a loss is 0.

6. Playoff Format is as follows: The top 3 teams of each group move into the playoffs. Top seed gets a bye through the first round. Group A 2nd vs. Group B 3rd and Group B 2nd vs Group A 3rd.  I will have an actual bracket made once playoffs start. It will be single elimination until we have crowned a champion.

7. Be a good sport, be respectful to one another and have fun!
 
Loose Ends:
 
-Once you have completed a game you will post the results in the discord servers results channel. For forum only users please post your results below. 
 
-I will tally up all the results and post the final standings at the end of the round robin.

 
Discord Server
 
Here is the link to join the server: https://discord.gg/Mqds6Ztw
 
-Feel free to ping, stream and shit talk in our discord server. Hell you can even shit talk in this thread.

-Feel free to play non tourney games as this server is our chess club server not an official tourney server.

-Be mindful of those who do not use discord. It may be best to play dailies with them.
 


 
 

this will be fun, gl group b

@124715 👀 

In, very average player 

Review:
This shit's epic. I love all the vibrant colors you used in this graphic especially the light blue you used on the font and on the right side of the image. Everything meshes very well, the font is clear and nice to look at and the background is also very fitting. There's really no where you went wrong in this and for that reason it is a 10/10.

Player Information
Username: TacticalHammer
Player Name: Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr
Recruited From: SisterLeague
Age: 22
Position: D
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 198 lbs.
Birthplace: Canada

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Game 57: Chicago Phoenix vs. Calgary Wranglers
Game 58: D.C. Dragons vs. Vancouver Wolves
Game 59: Moscow Menace vs. Helsinki Titans
Game 60: Malmo Nighthawks vs. Warsaw Predators

@Will
https://vhlforum.com/topic/90674-ay-ay-ron-hof-article/
 
Here is Ay Ay Ron's complete, if there is anything wrong, please let me know.
 

Joe Kelly showing no remorse for putting cheaters in their place
 
“The SH”V”L?”
“No, the VHL.”
“What the f--k kinda ripoff name is that?”
 
With those words between Joe Kelly and his agent, his fate was sealed. Since Rob Manfred had banned Kelly from Major League Baseball for life for his steadfast refusal to fellate Manfred, as well as being the most vocal antagonist of the scumbag organization known as the Houston Astros, Joe had been looking for new ways to flex his athletic prowess and still make enough money to impress the honey’s. Originally having considered the SBA, Kelly quickly tossed aside that option as he didn’t feel like playing in a league with only two real teams. He then considered football in the EFL, but his agent advised against this due to “speed being king”, and Kelly not being an olympic sprinter.
 
Thus, Kelly began to set his sights on the VHL - more specifically, the VHLM. Despite not even knowing how to skate, Joe was intrigued by the ability to hit anyone he disagreed with, as well as the freedom to carry a dangerous weapon on him at all times. 
 
In order to prepare for this major shift in profession, Joe knew he had to bring in the best. Wanting to make a big impression on any potential VHL suitors, he shelled out for the best tandem skaters alive to train him how to maneuver on the ice - Chazz Michael Michaels and Jimmy MacElroy. With their help, Kelly was quickly able to pick up the ability to skate efficiently and effortlessly, even eventually lending his ability to improving their own Iron Lotus. 
 

Chazz Michael Michaels and Jimmy MacElroy, responsible for Kelly's skating prowess.
 
For play on the ice, however, Joe needed to dig deeper. His years of focusing on another sport meant he was behind in even the most basic of formations and play - and thus, it was Joe’s idea to reach out to someone who was a master at teaching kids to win in Pee-Wee - Gordon Bombay. With Bombay’s help, Kelly was able to adapt to puck handling and shooting at a rate Bombay had never seen out of a child. He even learned something called a “knuckle puck” that is sure to come in handy as he climbs through the VHLM ranks.
 

Coach Bombay, responsible for teaching Kelly how to handle a puck and score.
 
With the training received from Michaels, MacElroy, and Bombay, Joe Kelly appears primed to break into the VHLM - and, eventually, and VHL - with some noise. Playing time so far has been minimal, but Kelly knows that will come with time, when it is earned - which is all Kelly desired. To earn his place.

@Siddhus

I've DM'd all the commissioners to speak with the privately but I will publicly throw my name in. 
 
I feel like I strive for the best of the M every single season. As GM, I've really fought for new member activity, I have fought my ass off for retention the last 10 seasons, and I've ensured that quality of activity > anything else. I've always ensured that my team has put new members first, and I've always ensured that everyone is as well taken care of as possible. 
 
Because of my tenure this time around, I feel like I have the knowledge and understanding to get the job done. I know what is going on in the league already, I have visions and ideas and goals for the M and how to just proceed in a very positive way. I've been a GM now, I've been an AGM, I've been a former commissioner with both Smarch and Eagles way back when, I know what it takes, I know the qualifications, I know what I want, and this is it. I had gone to apply before Sonnet got hired, so I am hoping this time around, with more time, I'm considered. 
 
You guys know my list of achievements, my list of what I've done around this league and others. But I am very open and hoping if you have any questions, comments or concerns, you will at the very least reach out to let me know. I'm very serious about this role, and really want to pave the way for the M in a big way. 
 
Thank you for considering me, and most importantly good luck to everyone applying ❤️ 

#Gustav4Commish

I'd love to throw my name into the hat. I've been a VHLM AGM and GM, 2X-WJC Commissioner and General Manager as well as a World Cup Commissioner and General Manager. I've also been apart of the recruitment team in multiple ways. I'm currently the AGM of DC as well so I feel like I have plenty of league experience that would be brought into the role. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out
 
Thank you for the opportunity!

1. With the draft finished, who do you think had the best draft and why? Us, managed to get the goat, @Renomitsu
2. How do you think our draft went? Like above, we did pretty good and managed to get active players late.
3. Muff the madman actually did it and gave everyone huge bonuses in their contract. What do you spend your first paycheck on? Smh gotta save it all, for complete TP reroll
4. WIthout much veteran support on the team who do you think should be our A's and C next season? Reno goat, gib him captain.
5. What are your expectations for next season as a team? Probably have a low position and get another high pick next season.
6. What are you hoping to accomplish next season as an individual player? Hoping to be a top 10 rookie, but might be to hard.
 

Okay this may be a bit worded but here it goes
 
Hey goes in new here I won’t be active on website much except for claims and stuff but on discord you can message me at Nordin#6819
 
After that note, hey you guys can call me Nordin and I want to tell you why I chose my player name and number.
 
My player is Kelley Power, he is an Irish forward from the area around Waterford, Ireland (near Cork). My grandma’s (on my dad’s side) family hails from Waterford, Ireland. They were the Power(s) and they were the Irish Clan that rules the area for hundreds of years. I’m very proud of that heritage and one day I hope to visit there at the family reunions where people from all over the world attend. 
 
Well my family moved here because of Oliver Cromwell cracking down on Ireland after they supported King James (who was excited by Cromwell). The “punishment” was fierce and brutal. And most Irish clans were forced to give up power. My ancestors lost their land and titles which would prompt them to come to the colonies in the americas in the coming years where at least three of them would serve in the American Revolution for the Unites States. So that’s where I got the idea for the last name, as for the first name it’s another Irish clan name and also a common Anglo-Irish First name so it didn’t take me much time to think of the first name.
 
I will be wearing number #98 for a similar reason noted above.
In 1798, the Irish people (influenced by both the American and French Revolutions) revolted against the British crown. They failed and many fled to the United States.
my number 98 is a tribute to that
 
On a side note, most Irish Immigrants came over to the US around 1653 (Cromwell Suppression), 1798 (Irish Revolution of 1798), and 1845 (the Irish Great Potato Famine of 1845). Just a fun fact lol.
 
My player render will be Brian Lawton since only three players in NHL history have worn 98. So I only had 3 options between Brian Lawton, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Mikhail Sergachev. 
So I didn’t have many options lol.
 
Anyway I hope that wasn’t too long of an Explanation but I wanted to show you guys I chose everything specifically and   It want just random lol.
 

@Josh please make change, thank you

I'm interested. I don't think I'm the most skilled in the slightest, but I have done a bit of everything and maybe I would be needed?
 
Standard sigs:
 
Posters:
 
Logos (very unskilled)
 
Misc:
 

Position: D/RW
Birthplace: Windsor, Ontario
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 216
Jersey Number: 5
Drafted: S56 1st round, 2nd overall, Helsinki Titans
Username: boubabi
 
Despite waiting a few seasons after becoming eligible before finding his way to the VHL Hall of Fame, Ay Ay Ron's recognition as one of the all-time greats could not have come at a more relevant time. The same season that the user boubabi's indefinite ban was overturned, his last player is invited into the annals of the HoF. Long recognized as a phenomenal regular season performer, especially in his time as a defenseman, Ron overcame the critics of his playoff performances by collecting the Daisuke Kanou trophy in S60 as the Playoff MVP. Tacking that on to his trio of Alexander Beketov trophies (tied for the most by any single player) demonstrates the all-round dominance that Ron had shown at times throughout his career. Following a late-career position change to forward, his career point total slid in just under a point per game at 572 points in 575 career games played.
 
Career Awards
S59 Alexander Valiq Trophy (Top Offensive Defenceman) S59 Alexander Beketov Trophy (Most Assists) S60 Continental Cup S60 Daisuke Kanou Trophy (Playoff MVP) S60 Alexander Valiq Trophy (Top Offensive Defenceman) S60 Alexander Beketov Trophy (Most Assists)  S61 Jake Wylde Trophy (Top Defensive Defenceman) S61 Alexander Beketov Trophy (Most Assists)   
S56
Regular Season 56 (HSK) | 72GP | 10G - 22A - 32P | 55 | 116SHT | 131PIM | 217HIT | 2GWG Playoffs 56 (HSK) | 7GP | 0G - 0A - 0P | 0 | 4SHT | 20PIM | 24HIT | 0GWG Drafted 2nd overall by the Helsinki Titans, Ron had some high expectations as he entered the VHL after two seasons in the VHLM. Like most defensemen, Ron started his career with a not impressive but respectable rookie season, posting 32 points and 217 hits. His Helsinki Titans made it to the VHL playoffs, but went out in the first round, while Ron himself had an entirely unspectacular performance, with no points and only 4 shots on goal across 7 playoff games. Ay Ay Ron played on the first line and third line for the Helsinki Titans, already proving his big impact in his first season.
 
S57
Regular Season 57 (HSK) | 72GP | 12G - 41A - 53P | 75 | 169SHT | 132PIM | 201HIT | 3GWG Playoffs 57 (HSK) | 9GP | 2G - 3A - 5P | 12 | 15SHT | 16PIM | 22HIT | 1GWG Ron's performance skyrocketed as he entered his sophomore season. In today's VHL, his 53 points (41 of which being assists) might not turn any heads, but in S57, this meant that a new young gun had entered the scene. Ron finished 10th in points for a defender that season and 8th in +/-,  but this was just the start of a great career. Helsinki won out the first round in the playoffs, but unfortunately lost to the Reign in a 4-1 series.
 
S58
Regular Season 58 (HSK) | 72GP | 16G - 58A - 74P | 45 | 259SHT | 155PIM | 254HIT | 4GWG Playoffs 58 (HSK) | 7GP | 0G - 3A - 3P | -1 | 35SHT | 14PIM | 25HIT | 0GWG Ron finally got his one point per game season, with 74 points in 72 games. A component of this was his increased shot count, with Ay Ay getting 90 more shots this season, to amass 259 shots in total. With this increased scoring output, he moved in to the top five offensive defensemen of the season. Along with this offensive improvement, Ron improved his defensive game, getting 254 hits. The Helsinki Titans, unfortunately lost out in the first round of the playoffs, losing in a tight series that went all the way to 7 games, against the New York Americans.
 
S59
Regular Season 59 (HSK) | 72GP | 19G - 81A - 100P | 53 | 184SHT | 145PIM | 255HIT | 3GWG Playoffs 59 (HSK) | 14GP | 2G - 7A - 9P | 1 | 34SHT | 38PIM | 53HIT | 0GWG Ay Ay Ron's development reached an all-time high, with him hitting the 100 point mark. This gave him a .91 Points per 20 minutes, which put him at 7th in the league. With this accomplishment, he was voted in for the Alexander Valiq and Alexander Beketov Trophy, given to the players with Top Offensive Defensemen, and Top Assister. Ron's performances, helped the Titans go all the way to the finals where they lost in a 7 game series against the Seattle Bears. 
 
S60
Regular Season 60 (HSK) | 72GP | 13G - 73A - 86P | 23 | 198SHT | 106PIM | 245HIT | 3GWG Playoffs 60 (HSK) | 13GP | 2G - 15A - 17P | 3 | 32SHT | 36PIM | 47HIT | 0GWG Ron's point totals dropped in Season 60, but that did not stop Ay Ay from repeating in his awards. He won Top Offensive Defensemen and Top Assister, once again gaining 86 points. Despite the drop in production, this was Helsinki's season, as they won the Continental Cup against the New York Americans, who had elimated the Titans from the playoffs two seasons prior. Ron played a vital part in the Titans' run, securing himself playoff MVP. With this win, he was able to prove everyone who said, he was only good in the regular season, wrong.
 
S61
Regular Season 61 (HSK) | 72GP | 11G - 91A - 102P | 61 | 199SHT | 140PIM | 238HIT | 4GWG Playoffs 61 (HSK) | 7GP | 3G - 4A - 7P | 0 | 21SHT | 26PIM | 45HIT | 0GWG Season 61, was a bounceback year in terms of regular season stats, as Ron passed the 100 point mark again. He was able to get his third straight Alexander Beketov Trophy, as he accumilated the most assists. But instead of winning the top offensive defensemen, he stepped up his game, and won the Top Defensive Defensemen Trophy(Jake Wylde Trophy), with 238 Hits and 140 Shots Blocked. Helsinki could not go back to back as they lost in the second round to the eventual champions, HC Dynamo.
 
S62
Regular Season 62 (DAV) | 71GP | 26G - 49A - 75P | 6 | 285SHT | 140PIM | 252HIT | 4GWG Playoffs 62 (DAV) | 7GP | 2G - 3A - 5P | -6 | 23SHT | 6PIM | 32HIT | 1GWG In Season 62, Ron was traded to the HC Dynamo for Konstantin Mulligan and two 3rd round picks. Ron had a hard time, adjusting to his surroundings and was not able to capture any awards in this season. HC Davos lost in the semifinals against Meute, in a tough seven game series. Ron was getting older, and regressing, and with that his performance took a big hit. But with him still averaging over a point per game, he was a big part for Dynamo.
 
S63
Regular Season 63 (TOR) | 72GP | 22G - 28A - 50P | 24 | 201SHT | 98PIM | 215HIT | 2GWG Playoffs 63 (TOR) | 2GP | 0G - 2A - 2P | 3 | 4SHT | 2PIM | 9HIT | 0GWG In Season 63, it was announced, that it would be Ron's final season. He was traded to Toronto, in hopes to give them a chance at the playoffs. He switched to Right Winger, to help Toronto more, but the season ended with him only accumulating 50 points. In terms of team, Toronto got sweeped in the playoffs, ending Ron's career.
 
Career Totals
Regular Season Totals | 575GP | 129G - 443A - 572P | 342 | 1611SHT | 1047PIM | 1877HIT | 25GWG Playoffs Totals | 66GP | 11G - 37A - 48P | 12 | 168SHT | 158PIM | 257HIT | 2GWG Ay Ay Ron led a very HoF worthy career as a defensemen. He was the only player to have won three Alexander Beketov trophies, while also adding in a Jake Wylde and two Alexander Valiq trophies. He also ended his career as a one time champion with the Helsinki Titans. In terms of all-time statistics, Ron is 10th in assists and 40th in all time points on the offensive side. For Defense, he is 17th in Hits and 37th in Shots Blocked. Ay Ay Ron is a well deserved Hall of Famer, with his awards resume and stats, and gets the ending that he deserves in the Hall. 

1) So what do you think of the new logo so far? Do you miss the yellow The logo is pretty nice, the maker did a really good job with it.
2) The VHLM Dispersal Draft is coming soon, if you're eligible, would you like to be on a different team? If so which team(s) would it be Didnt even know there was a Dispersal Draftm but yea sure release me idk.
3) What are your plans this offseason? Any sort of tournament or are you just looking to relax? idk, what tournaments are happening in the offseason, so no.
4) What got you into hockey? The affliate welfare smh.
5) Do you think the Aces will be any good next season? Or will they be a basement team? Hopefully, I should be 250.
6) If you were to play along with someone from another team whether it be the VHL or the VHLM, who would it be? Cant say since its tampering smh.

Making the Las Vegas Aces logo
 
With the Las Vegas logo being announced and the massive amount of support it’s gotten I figured it would be a cool idea to share the process in making it, and give an insight into some of the challenges we faced as well as some of the original designs.

I was first approached by Spartan about a month ago asking if I would help him create a new logo for Las Vegas. I was always bothered by how the logo at the time looked so I accepted and straight away got to work on coming up with a concept. Spartan had given me two ideas to work with, one he wanted the nighthawk jet incorporated into the design if possible, and two he wanted to keep the ace of spades. My original idea was to take this image

And turn it into the ace of spades using the body and the tail wings but I just couldn’t figure out a good way to do it plus the ace of spades would have had to be upside down. So my next idea was to have a bird-eye view of the plane and put an ace on it similar to the Winnipeg jets logo. The jets logo would be my inspiration moving forward. The original design looked like this,

 
(It's bad I know but it was the basic design that helped shaped the official one)
I wasn’t happy with how simple it looked so I added lines to the triangle and the jet to add some dimension and make it look less basic, that looked like this:
I was pretty happy with how it turned out but felt like it needed something else to be added onto the sides because long vertical logos are a pain to put onto jerseys and make it look good, so I added a design on either side which in hindsight I have to admit was a bit much, I also added an A to make it similar to the original logo. And finally, I removed the club and heart which I’m not sure if that was a good idea but at the time the logo was busy enough already. That design looked like this,

I was happy with it so I sent it to spartan for some feedback. This is when it got a bit crazy, we went through around 40 different designs before nailing the one we wanted, and even more designs that I haven’t shown to anyone. So from this point onward I’ll just show the ones that were the most important ones in the process.


The next step was adding colour to the logo, Before I even started on the project we had to decide a colour scheme, Black was pretty much a given and white is easy to work with and it’s very hard to pull off a logo without it especially one incorporating dead space.
So we had to decide between green or yellow, four colours seemed like too much and would probably not look great on the logo, that’s not to say logos can’t have four colours but for the one we wanted it seemed like three would fit best.
I added a very subtle green that really you couldn’t see then sonnet added green into the diamond which we all agreed looked better.

                    Green            So little green you can’t even notice

Next up was the background or shape in the background. The lines on either side of the diamond just didn’t fit so we had to come up with an alternative It was discussed if we or should just keep it as a diamond and not include a background but I kept pushing for the background and eventually we came up with these two designs:
.

The one on the left looked way too much like a shoulder patch rather than a logo and so we decided to work on the one on the right and improve the stripes. Which lead to this design.
 
Then we got feedback from the people in charge, the lines make it look like a tribal mask, not a plane. Change was needed so I adjusted the lines trying to make it look more like a plane sonnet also pitched in an idea for the lines on the plane.

    Mine                                                             Sonnet’s 

 
Two important changes happened here, sonnet added the line through the middle and I swapped the colour of the spade. Both would make it to the final design. I then added another suggestion, making the plane face upwards. The upward plane made it into the final design over the downward for two reasons. The first, It was easier to tell it was a plane, and second, when a plane is facing down it's considered to be crashing while one going upwards is considered flying.

Again people didn’t like the lines on the plane so after playing around trying a way to implement them we decided against them, Gorlab gave a suggestion to change the green to the felt green used on casino tables which was a great idea that we decided to use. The next step was to put it all together. Sonnet made the diamond that we decided to use and again the idea for just the diamond came up which again using this template sonnet held a vote for some criticism. 
We added minimal detail to a couple of them but it was pretty obvious that no detailing was the way to go. People thought that the casino chip was the way to go so we went into finalizing it I set up a a bunch of options to pick from.

#4 was the one picked and it got accepted almost immediately.
And that is how Las Vegas got it’s new logo.

I would like to give a huge thank you @Spartan for inviting me to work on this project and helped come up with the idea and gave criticism and @Sonnet who helped keep me on track and edit the logo, I doubt it would look even close to as good as it does now without their help. And another thank you to everyone else who helped work on this project.
 
1,037 words 5,349 characters
claiming weeks ending 06 and 13

The Best 11 Debuts in the Past 11 Seasons (S62-S72)
 
When you’re a rookie in any sport, you want to make a good first impression. You are a relative unknown – your coaches and teammates don’t know what you can do. You’re trying to carve a role on the team and gain the respect and trust of your team as quickly as you can.
 
It’s no different in the VHL, which may arguably be one of the hardest professional league to come into as a young player. While many players step onto VHL ice with grand dreams and visions of scoring big goals and making critical saves, this is a veteran’s league and few rookies have the chance to make an impact right away. This has not always been the case, of course. There have been many fresh faces who have wowed the crowd in their first game. While a strong first game doesn’t necessarily translate into a fantastic season, it does give management and fans something to look forward to - an alert that here is someone to keep an eye on - a potential star to follow. Conversely, many Hall of Famers and present stars have had less than stellar debuts. Any number of stats can give warning that here is a player who opponents will have to watch out for: points, shots, shutouts, fights. Any player who can produce these in his first game can be proud
 
 
We’ll start with a few eye-popping stats that were produced by rookies in their first game over the last 11 seasons:
 
Hat Trick – Jeff Blaze, RW  @NyQuil  S73
Even though the current season is not included in this list, I wanted to give a shout-out to Toronto rookie winger, Jeff Blaze, to become the first player in 7 seasons to score a hat trick in their debut in a 5-1 win against Chicago. You’ll meet the last player to do so later in this list.
 
Most Minutes Played (34:56) – Sidney Crosby, D  @SidTheKid87  S63
Defenseman Sidney Crosby played this obscene amount of ice time in his first game with Helsinki in S63. He was more than up to the challenge as he assisted on two goals, was +1 with 2 PIM, 5 hits and 4 shots blocked.
 
Most Shots (16) – Julian Borwinn, LW  @Jubo07  S63
In the same game as Crosby’s minute-munching, fellow Titans rookie Julian Borwinn shot himself into the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy conversation immediately (which he did win) by putting on a shooting clinic hurling 16 pucks at Davos goalie Arvid Aamo. Aamo only let one of Borwinn’s shots get by him on the power play which ended up being the game-winner in a 4-2 Helsinki win.
 
Most Hits (8) – Randoms, LW  @hedgehog337  S64 & Elasmobranch Fish, D  @Sharkstrong  S65
Randoms showed signs early on of his rough and tumble ways as his led all skaters with 8 hits in a 3-1 loss to Calgary while also assisting on Davos’ only goal.
 
Fish also led all skaters with 8 hits in his debut for the Wranglers, a 4-2 win over Helsinki. He also potted his first ever goal on the power play on a laser point shot and led Calgary in ice time on the penalty kill.
 
Most Shots Blocked (8) – Joseph McWolf, D  @McWolf S63
Largely due to his Americans getting annihilated 7-0 by Seattle in his debut and being outshot 68-25, VHL legend Joseph McWolf showed his mettle by leading New York with 8 blocked shots. The rest of his teammates blocked another 11.
 
Most Faceoffs Won (26) - Scott Shawinganen, C  @Cornflakers  S63
In the same 7-0 blowout, McWolf’s rookie teammate, Scott Shawinganen took an astounding 69 faceoffs against the Bears but only won 26.
 
Most Penalty Minutes (17) – Evgeni Komarov, D  @Gooningitup  S65 & SS Hornet, C  @McWolf  S72
Evgeni Komarov would start his career as a feared yet respected pugilist with an attempt to injure penalty and game misconduct at 8:55 of the third period of an overtime loss to New York. He was a +3 and had four hits, a shot, and a blocked shot at the time of his ejection. At season’s end he would be second in the VHL in penalty minutes (215) and third in blocked shots (159).
 
The much anticipated debut of can’t-miss prospect SS Hornet was perhaps shorter than he imagined but sometime emotions can get the better of a young player. With Davos having just scored to gain momentum at 14:40 of the second period, Dynamo defenseman Alex Bridges threw a monster hit on Riga winger Patrik Tallinder behind the Davos net which drew a scrum. Like his namesake, Hornet buzzed into the scum and started a scrap with sophomore Reign center Kyl Oferson. It was an even tilt but it earned Hornet the instigator penalty along with the fighting major and a game misconduct.
 
Most Saves (49) – Bruce Grimaldi, G  @Psyduck77  S68
Unfortunately for rookie goalie Bruce Grimaldi, he didn’t get the win for the expansion Prague Phantoms, but he did keep it close by stopping 49 of 55 shots in a 6-4 loss to Vancouver.
 
Shootout Winner (5th Round) – Ryuu Crimson, LW  @SlapshotDragon  S63
Can’t get much better in your first game than winning it for your team in a shootout. Even though he only had 3 shots in 21 minutes of ice time, Reign rookie Ryuu Crimson shaked and baked his way down the rink to deposit the winning goal behind Quebec City goalie Tristan Iseult to give the Reign a 5-4 win.
 
 
Here are the top 11 debuts in the last 11 seasons (S62-S72):
 
#11
Berocka Sundqvist, LW  @Berocka  S68
1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS, +1, 2 PIM, 7 Shots, 4 Hits, 22:20 TOI
The well-loved Australian began his career at left wing and had a great debut for the resurgent Seattle Bears. He would snipe his first VHL goal early in the first period on the power play to make the score 2-0 and then assist on Henrik Zoiderberg’s marker in the second period. Sundqvist’s goal would stand as the game-winner as the Bears dismantled the expansion D.C. Dragons 7-1. Berocka and the Bears (nice ring to it!) would go on to win the Continental Cup that year.
 
#10
Vladimir Shaposhnikov, RW  @ng1291  S72
1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS, +2, 4 Shots, 3 Hits, 3/3 FO, 19:38 TOI
Coming fresh off of a 51-goal, 102-point season with the VHLM’s Las Vegas Aces, Vladimir Shaposhnikov kept Toronto his first game against the New York Americans by assisting on the Legion’s first goal and then scoring the equalizer at 17:33 of the third period to send the game to overtime. The Legion would eventually win the game in the shootout and the Russian winger had made his mark with the two points, +2, 4 shots and 3 hits earning him the 2nd Star of the game.
 
#9
Block Buster, G  @Banana2311  S69
34 saves from 35 shots (0.971 SV%), W, 60:00 minutes
After a solid two years in the VHLM, Aussie import Block Buster got his first VHL start in the Dragons’ second game of the season and it would arguably be the best performance of his 22-game career. As one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league, D.C. needed their goaltending to be stellar and Block Buster was nothing short of that in his debut. He outdueled Toronto’s star netminder, JB Rift, by stopping 34 of the 35 Legion shots he faced for an impressive 2-1 win. Of those shots, he stoned Toronto snipers, Jordan Tonn, Rylan Peace, and Orion Slade, a combined 20 times. Block Buster was named 1st Star of the game for the first and last time.
 
#8
Kyson Blake, LW  @TMI  S65
1 G, 2 A, 3 PTS, +2, 2 PIM, 7 Shots, 26:30 TOI
Kyson Blake started his Rookie of the Year season in fine style by contributing on all three of Moscow’s goals, putting up a goal and two assists in a 4-3 overtime loss to New York. He also led his team with 7 shots.
 
#7
Isak Sjostrom, G  @Austin2997  S72
45 saves from 47 shots (0.957 SV%), W, 60:00 minutes
The Wolves’ slight Swedish netminder put on a puck-stopping clinic against Toronto in his debut as he made the most saves by a rookie in his first game since the aforementioned Bruce Grimaldi in S68. Sjostrom (the Philadephia Reapers career leader in games, wins, shutouts, and saves) stopped shots by every member of the Toronto Legion with only Chad Magnum putting the puck behind him (twice). He made 45 saves to give Vancouver a 4-2 win outdueling former top VHLM goalie, playoff MVP, and Founder’s Cup winner Jaxx Hextall in a game that saw a combined 95 shots by both teams.
 
#6
Jet Jaguar, C @gorlab  S66
1 G, 2 A, 3 PTS, +3, 7 Shots, 2 Hits, 1 Shot Block, 3/4 FO, 23:37 TOI
Jet Jaguar’s brilliant debut gave fans a peek of what to expect for the next eight years. Jaguar and fellow rookie linemate Dimitri Volosenkov (featured further below) accounted for all of Moscow’s offense but unfortunately Riga scored twice in the last minute to take the game 5-4. But Jaguar still had 3 points, was +3, had 7 shots and took 2nd Star of the game.
 
#5
Vaydar Odinsson, RW  @BOOM™  S63
2 G, 2 PTS, +3, 11 Shots, 2 Hits, 4 Shot Blocks, 31:33 TOI
While the above mentioned Crosby and Borwinn had memorable debuts, it was teammate, Vaydar Odinsson, who shone the brightest that same game against Davos. Odinsson did everything he could in the 4-2 Helsinki win as he scored twice on 11 shots, played the second-most minutes behind Crosby and led the team in power play ice time, was second in penalty killing ice time and even went 2-for-2 in the dot. His performance earned him the 1st Star of the game.
 
#4
Jimmy Spyro, G  @DarkSpyro  S70
36 saves from 36 shots (1.000 SV%), W, SO, 60:00 minutes
I guess if you want your rookie goalie to have a great debut, play them against Toronto. The much anticipated debut of the Vancouver rookie padstacker did not disappoint. Coming off leading Mississauga to the Founder’s Cup finals in S69, Spyro was in the zone stopping all 36 Legion shots directed toward him. He earned the 1st Star of the game and the distinction of being one of two goalies to get a full-game shutout in their debut in the last 11 seasons (the other was Virgil Ligriv who only had to stop 10 shots.)
 
#3
Robert Malenko, D  @pennypenny  S62
2 G, 2 PTS, 8 Shots, 6 Shot Blocks, 31:52 TOI
It’s hard to score in the VHL. It’s harder to score as a defenseman. It’s even harder to score as a rookie defenseman. Someone forgot to tell that to Robert Malenko. The first-year blueliner for Toronto ate his Wheaties before the game and scored the first two goals of the game on his first two shots! Talk about a debut for the ages. He opened the scoring with a howitzer that fooled Seattle goalie Roger Sterling only 2:46 into the first period. Malenko scored again on the power play on his second shot of the game. Unfortunately, that’s all the goals Toronto could muster as Seattle came from behind to win the game 3-2. Malenko shone at the other end of the ice as well leading Toronto with 6 shot blocks. He was awarded the 1st Star of the game for his stellar effort.
 
#2
Carles Puigdemont, C  @Eudaldkp  S65
2 G, 1 A, 3 PTS, +2, 14 Shots, 6/18 FO, 29:49 TOI
The slick New York center had himself a heck of a debut to cement a 5-2 win over Toronto. First, in the second period, he got his first VHL point by assisting on the third New York goal scored by Ryan Sullivan Jr (the eventual game-winner). Then later in the period, he scored his first VHL goal to make it 4-0. After Toronto scored early in the third period, Puigdemont buried the Legion 37 seconds later with his second goal of the game. Talk about killer instinct! He finished with a game-high 14 shots and earned the 2nd Star of the game.
 
#1
Dimitri Volosenkov, LW  @SirRupertBarnes  S66
3 G, 1 A, 4 PTS, +3, 10 Shots, 5 Hits, 1 Shot Block, 26:26 TOI
And at #1, we have Moscow’s Russian rookie Dimitri Volosenkov who put on a show in his debut that wouldn’t be matched for 7 years. Volosenkov was all of the Menace offense scoring a hat trick and assisting on rookie teammate Jet Jaguar’s first VHL goal for a total of four points. Moscow was leading 4-3 until Riga scored twice in the last minute to steal it away. With the hat trick, 10 shots, and 5 hits, Volosenkov put on a show for the record books and earned the 1st Star of the game and topped this list of best VHL debuts.
 
 
 
2100+ words: Claim 1/4

DISCLAIMER: This scouting report is brought to you by MattyIce, and this has no affiliation to the VSN Scouting department.  These are simply rankings, not who will go where based on recreates or favoritism, nor will I make any predictions.
 
This is a monster list, so we will keep this moving quickly:
 
Rank 1-20
@Renomitsu @Jtv123 @BladeMaiden @fonziGG @Quik @Esso2264 @Emi @Enorama @Plate @flyersfan1453 @okochastar@Banackock @Smarch @AW13 @Jeffie43 @Z16 @InstantRockstar @Blazzer @Matmenzinger @Riley_Couture
Yeah, this a stacked top end.  Pretty certain the top 10 are slam dunk selections, along with some surprise earners like Emi Rune and Riley Couture.  Couture jumped a massive 9 spots into the top 20 while the top six pretty much held on to their spots.  One surprise rank demotion though, Lucifer Olivier Leveque not training as hard apparently, dropping four spots to 17th, despite being a top dman in his rookie VHLM season.  Overall, this bunch will not disappoint any talent scout.
 
Rank 21-40
@kesytamm @Siddhus @Philliefan @Mason @Rhynex Entertainment @Kyle @Wheaties @Gooningitup @LatinViking @Crstats23@Grape @Psanchez55 @chatfan036 @gregreg @Corgi34 @NickSunderbruch @Nepto @inflastud @DirtyDerek
The top half of this group have quite a bit of potential.  Kasey Tamm, playing for Las Vegas, leads this group with 48 goals and 93 points, which is nothing to brush off.  Some players like Gabriel Akerstrom, Tim Waters, Rhynex Entertainment and goalie Vsevold Askarov have shown some promise, putting up points for their clubs and slowly climbing the rankings.  Like any draft, there will be some hits and misses within this group.
 
Rank 41-60
@Kloxified @JorgTheGoat03 @GeckoeyGecko @dariusmarimotoman @kentakira @Haydon Learmonth @Goliathus @BigZouzou @Cwalker @MSO94 @Matt thunder @OscarTheSwagDude @Wreckening @Huulio @Minermonkey @Firekiss @CosmicStorm @Cambodia1617 @Briedaqueduc @BumLightYear31
Some of these players haven't played a full season, so their potentials remain unknown, or untapped.  However, some standouts like Kloxified, The Blob, Carson Walkers, Darius Marimoto and Tee Pee II come to mind as players that have produced for their clubs.  Relative newcomer Frank THE TANK Googenheim jumped up into this group with hopes to make a statement to get another look from the scouts.
 
Rank 61-80
@jacobcarson877 @Jaster Mereel @TommySalami @jack u @Xflexz @AnthonyOuellet @jimmyallen93 @Kelsier @Salminen @H0PPY75 @Josequaresma @snackhero @nickthe00 @chris @wdymbrother6 @Killerninjamoder @Brodie_Landry @Braden Neeson @jspilly27 @Kinoe Ander
There are many free agents in this group, however, four players have played the entire season.  All of these players' potentials are unknown to the scouts, and it's even up in the air if they will all get drafted.  If I were speaking to any of these players, I'd get to the bottom of who is responsible for their training to get a pulse for what they can bring to the table.
 
Well there you have it!
 
MattyIce, signing off on this scouting report.  Cheers VHL!