Garsh

Hi all and welcome to the S90 HOF induction where we are inducting 2 fine players of VHL's recent past - a first ballot HOFer and one who's had to wait around a bit longer than others.
 
C - Daniel Janser, S82-S89 
RS: 576 GP, 314 G, 422 A, 736 P, +173, 775 PIM, 1,590 HIT, 399 SB, 52 GW
PO: 61 GP, 31 G, 41 A, 72 P, +10, 107 PIM, 141 HIT, 39 SB, 6 GW
 
S85 Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding)
S85 Mike Szatkowski Trophy (Most Points)
S85 Kevin Brooks Trophy (Most Goals)
S86 Scotty Campbell Trophy (Most Valuable)
S86 Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding)
S86 Mike Szatkowski Trophy (Most Points)
S86 Kevin Brooks Trophy (Most Goals)
S86 Scott Boulet Trophy (Top Two-Way Forward)
3x All-VHL First Team (S85, S86, S87)
One Continental Cup (S87)
 
First up, it's the slam dunk induction. In a 3 season spell, Daniel Janser dominated the VHL offensively and led the Calgary Wranglers to a drought-busting Continental Cup, thus securing his own VHL and Calgary immortality. His overall body of work made sure that it was an instant induction, never falling below the point-per-game mark during his 8 seasons in the league. Janser was also a bit of a VHL throwback in 2 ways - one as a league-leading Wrangler, evoking memories of the likes of Brett Slobodzian and Jardy Bunclewirth, and one as a a genuine Swiss superstar, a nation starved of success since the heyday of Scotty Campbell and Calgary's own Scott Boulet. Having spent a weekend in Switzerland this summer I was reminded again it is very expensive place and all those who doubted Janser made an expensive mistake. A very fine first-gen performance by @Daniel Janser
 
 
D - Matty Socks, S74-S80 
RS: 504 GP, 160 G, 433 A, 593 P, +79, 586 PIM, 812 HIT, 1,157 SB, 26 GW
PO: 60 GP, 11 G, 48 A, 59 P, -3, 78 PIM, 121 HIT, 122 SB, 3 GW
 
3x All-VHL Second Team (S76, S78, S80)
One Continental Cup (S76)
 
On the subject of first-gens, Matty Socks was another one, part of the supercharged draft classes which drove the VHL's most recent, and largest ever, 4-team expansion. Part of the reason the Chicago Phoenix were the first of the 4 teams to be crowned champions was hitting gold on many of their first draft picks with Jean Pierre Camus already in the HOF and Socks now joining him. What may otherwise seem like a short list of accolades is what kept Socks out of the HOF for nearly 10 seasons but what kept Socks on the ballot is the sheer consistency - like Janser, never falling below the point-per-game mark (except a 71-point rookie season), regularly named as one of the league's best defencemen and a key part of Chicago's 6-season playoff run. Good things come to those who wait, congrats @fishy
 
 
Voting results
Daniel Janser - 10/10
Matty Socks - 6/10
----
Papa Emeritus - 2/10
Kristof Welch - 2/10
Jakab Holik, Robin Galante Nilsson, Paul Atreides, Reylynn Reinhart, Oskar Lindbergh, Zach Kisslinger II, Hari Singh Nalwa, Nico Pearce - 0/10

1.  I am your new AGM. What do you think? *Spins around slowly with arms out for some reason.
I am looking forward to it, especially if you do pressers on the regular!  We have been on teams together in the past and it has been a good time.
 
2.  What do you think about the off-season moves the team has made?
I think its been good, adding a big name to the team is always exciting.
 
3.  The VHL draft stream seems to have lost a bit of excitement. How would you spruce it up for everyone?
I'm not sure, I tend to only watch at most the first round.  They can go on too long on occasion though.
 
4.  Who in the league have you not played with that you would like to?
On my 3rd player its getting a little harder to remember who I have played with and who I haven't, but I'm pretty sure I have never played with @Renomitsu.
 
5.  I need help moving my couch, give me your best excuse to avoid helping me.
I have ankylosing spondylitis, which is basically spine arthritis.  
 
6.  What is your favourite movie monster? Doesn't have to be any of the classics.
I'm not a big horror movie person, but in terms of monsters in general I love Godzilla.

1.  I am your new AGM. What do you think? *Spins around slowly with arms out for some reason.
I am looking forward to it, especially if you do pressers on the regular!  We have been on teams together in the past and it has been a good time.
 
2.  What do you think about the off-season moves the team has made?
I think its been good, adding a big name to the team is always exciting.
 
3.  The VHL draft stream seems to have lost a bit of excitement. How would you spruce it up for everyone?
I'm not sure, I tend to only watch at most the first round.  They can go on too long on occasion though.
 
4.  Who in the league have you not played with that you would like to?
On my 3rd player its getting a little harder to remember who I have played with and who I haven't, but I'm pretty sure I have never played with @Renomitsu.
 
5.  I need help moving my couch, give me your best excuse to avoid helping me.
I have ankylosing spondylitis, which is basically spine arthritis.  
 
6.  What is your favourite movie monster? Doesn't have to be any of the classics.
I'm not a big horror movie person, but in terms of monsters in general I love Godzilla.

How does it feel to be swimming in a sea of wrongness?

1 New York Americans     Callum Gary Yannick Janser @Daniel Janser                           D TPE: 378                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 11 37 48 27 113 96 260 92                             S90 Playoffs 9 0 4 4 0 20 8 21 8                             The Americans are in full rebuild. They have some good forward pieces and a young goalie developing, but what they don't have are defenders. In fact, they only have one VHL caliber defenseman throughout their player list. They need a defender to herald the future core of New York. Without hesitation, Callum Gary Yannick Janser should be the selection here. They've shown how effective they are defensively with a strong 27 +/- along with 260 hits and 92 shots blocked with Saskatoon this past season. New York should be thrilled to grab this franchise defender with the number 1 overall pick in the S91 VHL draft and should build their defense around this selection.                                             2 Moscow Menace     Thor Reingaard @N0HBDY                           RW TPE: 395                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 3 1 4 -7 43 34 52 4                             S90 Playoffs 5 1 0 1 -5 3 4 2 0                             Moscow has made a number of moves to command a stranglehold of the top 5 selections in this draft, walking into the event with 3 picks in the top 5. They have a few young players to build around, like Axle Gunner, Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage, and Jarno Ruutu. To continue build up a competitive team for the future, they'll look to add strong players to build around their current core. Enter Thor Reingaard, the first of Greenland's Greatest Generation to go off the board. While they posted a low point total in their VHLE season, the sky is the limit for Thor who will absolutely thrive in Moscow's system. It is a very strong selection, and gives Moscow a key piece towards building that future 1st line to compete with.                                             3 Moscow Menace     Spanish Moon Moth @Renomitsu                           C TPE: 347                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 13 14 27 4 210 50 132 20                             S90 Playoffs 7 4 5 9 -1 25 2 7 1                             Moscow continues with another first round pick, adding another key piece to their future forward core. While one could argue that they need some defensive help or possible look to grab a future franchise goalie here, the talent present on the draft board is to large to ignore. With the 3rd overall pick, Moscow selects the first of the Moths, Spanish Moon Moth. They'll form a deadly combo with Reingaard in this draft for the Menace, adding a more physical game to complement the scoring prowness of Axle Gunner. With this selection, Moscow looks primed for the future and will only look better as they still have another high end first round selection in this draft.                                             4 Seattle Bears     Leif Reingaard @Zetterberg                           D TPE: 349                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 12 65 77 56 167 72 135 105                             S90 Playoffs 11 2 6 8 4 19 8 19 17                             Seattle made some last minute moves to move up to the 4th overall pick. They have a few pieces on the team for the future like Severus Targaryen and Simons Worst Nightmare but not a whole lot else. From trades and the team's direction into the offseason, it looks like the rebuild in Seattle is in full swing. While needs for the team can be highlighted across all positions it's hard to argue with the selection made here. Leif Reingaard could be considered the top defenseman in this draft, and with some patient planning Seattle moves up here to grab the Greenland native. Reingaard showcased their offensive and defensive prowness in the VHLM and will look to transition quickly up to the VHL. Seattle will begin to form a new core around Leif Reingaard and should be incredibly pleased to grab him here.                                             5 Moscow Menace     Olober Syko @Spartan                         G   TPE: 299                                   Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     S90 Regular Season 72 57 13 2 0.92 1.67 11 121 1513                             S90 Playoffs 11 7 4 0 0.905 2.36 1 26 273                             With their third pick in the top five, Moscow decides to address the glaring area of need on their roster: goaltender. Sam Tombstone is in his final season and Joseph Reed isn't ready to be a VHL goaltender, but the perfect solution in Olober Syko is right here on the board for the Menace. He had a dominant showing in the VHLM with San Diego in Season 90, winning 57 games with a .920 save percentage and a goals allowed average of just 1.67, shutting out his opponents 11 times in the process. Syko is the top goalie in the Season 91 class in terms of TPE as well, and he just so happens to be Spartan's own player, who also just set the all-time TPE record in a career with his previous player. With Moscow expected to not compete again in Season 91, Syko will likely get to develop further in the VHLE as well. This is a slam dunk of a selection for Moscow here.                                             6 Chicago Phoenix     Grimgore Ironhide @FrostBeard                         LW   TPE: 340                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 55 70 125 65 522 62 203 47                             S90 Playoffs 17 12 12 24 11 86 22 62 13                             With goaltender Ryan Artyomov the only truly solidified piece of Chicago's future at this point, best player available is the way to go for their continued rebuild, and fortunately for them, they get an excellent piece here at sixth overall with Grimgore Ironhide. The key piece of the Mississauga Hounds' championship run, Ironhide led the entire VHLM in goals, assists, points, and +/-, and he continued to dominate in the playoffs as well. He possesses an extremely high hockey IQ, and is always in the right position to make the play, both on offense and defense. He also does not need to be on the man advantage to do damage, as 52 of his 55 goals were scored at even strength, with all 12 of his playoff goals being even strength as well. Whether he becomes a franchise player for Chicago or a trade chip, Ironside easily provides the most value for Chicago here.                                             7 Helsinki Titans     Mina @Baozi                         D   TPE: 296                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 10 53 63 -25 206 81 136 118                             S90 Playoffs 5 1 7 8 0 13 2 4 6                             A season after adding two defensemen in YaBoi Oven and Tommy Sleeves that tower above the VHL at 6'8 and 250 pounds, the Helsinki Titans at seventh overall select Mina, who is at the opposite end of the size spectrum: 5'5, 140 pounds. However, what Mina lacks in size is made up for in offensive prowess. With ten goals, five on the power play, and 53 assists with Mexico City in Season 90, Mina has demonstrated a flair for generating offense thus far, and will be able to develop further in the VHLE in Season 91. The Titans do possess a relatively young defensive core, including the aforementioned Season 90 draft picks, along with Season 87 first round pick Kronchy Kardashian, but with no defensive prospects in Helsinki's timeline, Mina fits into the team's plans, with this mod team reunion complimenting the existing core ideally.                                             8 Riga Reign     Joshua Schwarzer @Velevra                         LW   TPE: 303                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 29 44 73 23 378 40 111 40                             S90 Playoffs 9 5 3 8 3 38 4 9 4                             The Riga Reign are in a pretty interesting position heading into Season 91. They have a pretty equal blend of youth and experience, and their prospect pool is loaded with prospects on the verge of jumping to the VHL. This is a team ready to compete now and in the future, and Joshua Schwarzer is a player who adds to their future potential. Coming off a season in which Schwarzer demonstrated immense potential as a two-way forward on Houston and Saskatoon, where he demonstrated responsibility in both ends of the ice and scored 29 goals to boot. Additionally, he will get to develop even further in the VHLE and be in great shape to be a difference maker for Riga in Season 92.                                             9 Vancouver Wolves     Sunset Moth @McWolf                           D TPE: 284                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 16 28 44 9 149 62 143 167                             S90 Playoffs 7 1 4 5 -7 10 4 12 16                             Sunset Moth is a very interesting pick that could pay huge dividends for Vancouver as he'll make it to the roster in short order. Moth is a pick that has an extremely high ceiling, but also a middling floor as they project anythere between a 1st and 3rd defensemen. This past season they played a crucial role in the VHLE with Bratislava. One of a few players to make the jump straigh to the VHLE last season, Moth put up decent statistics in their rookie season in the E with a very respectable 44 points in 72 games played. We could expect them to make the roster after 1 more season in the VHLE.                                             10 D.C. Dragons     Dalkr Vidarsson @KaleebtheMighty                           G TPE: 283                                   Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     S90 Regular Season 69 44 19 6 0.907 2.33 5 163 1745                             S90 Playoffs 6 2 4 0 0.897 2.71 0 19 184                             With the retirment of Bubbles Utonium, the D.C. Dragons are without a elite goaltender, with this pick they should easily be able to get their goaltender of the future with Dalkr Vidarsson. Last season Vidarsson put up very good numbers in the VHLM with a 0.907 SV% and a 2.33 GAA, both of which were near the top of the league. Vidarsson will be looking to make their debut in S92 and could just about step straight into the starter role that very season! This would be a huge pick for D.C. and their future!                                             11 Chicago Phoenix     Lionel Collberg @Masu Chan                           D TPE: 280                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 25 67 92 17 239 68 160 194                             S90 Playoffs 20 7 17 24 -1 59 18 43 45                             With Chicago in full rebuild mode still, getting a franchise defensmen is something that is needed to assist Artyomov on the defensive end. With Colberg they get just that, last season Colberg was unstopable with 92 points, 25 of which were goals! in the playoffs their play continued with a solid 24 points in 20 games played. Colberg will be another piece in the right direction for Chicago and honestly a no-brainer of a pick at this point.                                             12 Riga Reign     Theo Allard @InstantRockstar                           C TPE: 272                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 41 62 103 -8 420 38 132 96                             S90 Playoffs 4 0 3 3 -2 12 6 6 2                             Riga made some moves this offseason in an effort to turn their attention to the future with The Frenchman's departure. Now that the focus shifts to their new roster a new franchise center is needed, and Theo Allard fits that slot perfectly as they have all the potential in the world and that showed while they were in the VHLM. Last season Allard had more than 100 points and was the backbone of their team's offence. For Riga this will be a move towards the future, but Allard will be the perfect building block in a new era.                                             13 Warsaw Predators     Red Panda @Lemorse7                         G   TPE: 288                                   Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     S90 Regular Season 72 54 16 2 0.913 2.02 8 146 1680                             S90 Playoffs 17 12 5 0 0.91% 2.25 0 40 457                             With a rebuild that has yet to take that step forward towards competitiveness, the Predators need to secure a position fo rthe foreseeable future. The best way to do that is to follow up the long reign of Wumbo with another goaltender who could push them towards another championship one day. Red Panda plays with a unique style and is primed to revolutionize the art of goatending one game at a time. Whether or not Warsaw can take that step forward, look for Red Panda to get a lot of shots, and a lot of opportunities to grow and get better. They should also have the opportunity to tear up the VHLE next season.                                             14 Seattle Bears     Gustav Mattias @Berocka                             TPE: 229                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 10 9 19 36 121 50 136 7                             S90 Playoffs 11 5 5 10 4 31 0 14 1                             Berocka is back! As Seattle begins work on its rebuild, a pipeline of reliable assets will be important to support the next era of Bears dominance. Mattias projects to be a glass cannon scorer, with a shot that always has to be respected. There is a lot to be developed here, particularly the defensive work ethic and fluid skating, but there is lots of time to work on those before the big show. Look for Gustav to continue to make progress in the VHLE next season, and get accustomed to the kind of play style that will be needed to succeed in the VHL.                                             15 Vancouver Wolves     Rin Kagamine @Rin                             TPE: 255                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 13 36 49 28 134 26 62 104                             S90 Playoffs 9 4 3 7 0 31 6 10 15                             After disappointing down the stretch, Vancouver has torn down to the studs, and is looking to build themselves up from the bottom again. A popular design philosophy is to build from the back forward, and grabbing a promising young defender is how you fulfill that. Kagamine has proven their ability to score, and played very well alongside C.G.Y Janser, leading the Wild to a top-3 finish. There is always a question as to whether the other half of an iconic pair can continue to have that sort of success without their more esteemed partner, but look for Kagamine to show how strong they are as an individual as they battle for playing time and scoring share in the VHLE. Look for them to continue to grow their offensive game to keep up with the stronger defensive opposition in the VHLE.                                             16 New York Americans     Toby Kadachi @ROOKIE745                             TPE: 301                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 31 31 62 13 258 39 150 22                             S90 Playoffs 17 2 6 8 2 56 12 31 8                             Toby Kadachi comes from an agency with a rich connection with the history of this league. While it has been a few seasons since they produced a VHL star, they have been able to in the past, and New York desperately needs to find some starpower throughout this draft. They follow up what should be a franchise cornerstone pick at #1 with what should be an excellent, long-term addition to their forward group. The goal now is to work towards maintaining this talent, and continuing to grow the team organically. Kadachi is well rounded and should end up being a solid two-way scorer. While he is eligible to play in the VHL in S91, look for him to likely take the opportunity to grow his game and score lots of points in the VHL while he waits for the New York rebuild to continue.                                             2ND ROUND                                     17 Malmo Nighthawks     Phillip Rave @tcookie                           C TPE: 236                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 33 41 74 40 344 44 145 7                             S90 Playoffs 11 6 9 15 9 50 12 24 2                                                     18 Warsaw Predators     Bryce Woodworth @SirRupertBarnes                           RW TPE: 204                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 19 17 36 -44 237 48 188 21                             S90 Playoffs 5 4 2 6 0 20 6 7 2                                                     19 Helsinki Titans     Behrens Minion @UnknownMinion                           LW TPE: 214                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 49 54 103 19 435 46 186 72                             S90 Playoffs 4 1 0 1 -6 19 4 12 6                                                     20 Prague Phantoms     Isaac McFlopper @sportexperts show                           LW TPE: 193                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 27 40 67 -44 271 51 175 147                             S90 Playoffs                                                                       21 London United     Arne Holmquist @axtron                         D   TPE: 157                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 18 31 49 -37 154 64 124 122                             S90 Playoffs 5 4 3 7 -1 17 2 7 7                                                     22 Chicago Phoenix     Nico Belique @Syzygy                         RW   TPE: 156                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 21 42 63 3 292 6 73 41                             S90 Playoffs 20 6 8 14 -1 64 14 29 7                                                     23 Moscow Menace     Dan jr @Danzo                         C   TPE: 146                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 32 46 78 -22 320 43 141 47                             S90 Playoffs - - - - - - - - -                                                     24 Vancouver Wolves     David Slezak @ShawnGlade                         G   TPE: 203                                   Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     S90 Regular Season 69 37 26 5 0.906 2.52 5 166 1758                             S90 Playoffs 20 11 7 1 0.908 2.56 2 49 535                                                     25 London United     Scrungle Bungle @Novanod                           D TPE: 139                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 10 42 52 -28 130 88 175 161                                                                                                     26 Riga Reign     Jacob Smith Jr. @jacobaa19                           C TPE: 155                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 19 37 56 19 209 52 102 1                             S90 Playoffs 9 3 3 6 3 30 4 7 3                                                     27 Warsaw Predators     Dietrich Reingaard @JigglyGumballs                           RW TPE: 125                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 9 19 28 50 80 38 132 7                             S90 Playoffs 11 0 1 1 5 17 4 16 1                                                     28 Warsaw Predators     Olumide Anderson @Theory                           LW TPE: 139                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 63 28 44 72 -17 296 24 109 66                             S90 Playoffs 4 2 4 6 1 15 2 6 5                                                     29 D.C. Dragons     Luna Everdeen @Dee                         LW   TPE: 133                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 34 43 77 -38 355 32 141 117                             S90 Playoffs - - - - - - - - -                                                     30 Toronto Legion     Hezeus Ohmontegue-Steinhardt X @Sisyphus                         D   TPE: 127                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 72 6 28 34 58 72 74 127 61                             S90 Playoffs 11 0 1 1 -1 5 18 18 13                                                     31 Seattle Bears     Tom Dufour @Cookie                         RW   TPE: 118                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     S90 Regular Season 43 14 25 39 2 204 28 102 19                             S90 Playoffs 5 1 1 2 -3 20 0 10 1                                                     32 HC Davos Dynamo     Pipo Popa @npuBeT                         G   TPE: 195                                   Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     S90 Regular Season 72 17 49 6 0.911 3.77 1 274 3067                             S90 Playoffs - - - - - - - - -                              
         

@Zetterberg
Welcome everyone,
 
We are back for another article of the Victory Sports News, and in this article, we are going to rank the 10 1st overall picks in the VHLE from S80 to S89. We are not going to rank them according to the overall of their career, but only according to their career in the VHLE. Most of the 1st overall picks had really short career in the VHLE, so the sample is small, but we can still see which player had the biggest impact for their respective team.
 
10-Miervaldis Arpa @lil OG z - G (S82)
 
Miervaldis Arpa was the first overall pick of the Yukon Rush in S82 and as of right now, is also the first and only goalie to ever get drafted first overall in the history of the VHLE. It is difficult to rank Arpa, because the Yukon Rush did not make the playoffs this season and they did not have a good team. This is a reason why Miervaldis also did not have a really good season and finished the regular season with 27 wins, a save percentage of 0.904% and an average of goals against of 3.59 in 56 games.
 
9-Rick Grimes @tinafrombobsburgers - C (S86)
 
Rick Grimes was the first overall pick of the Istanbul Red Wolves in S86 and even if he is listed as the worst player, he still had a really good season. Indeed, he scored 27 goals and 38 assists for a total of 65 points in 72 games. He also had a differential of +30 and 112 hits during the regular season. Before the regular season, Rick Grimes was traded with Daryl Dixon @Ricer13 to the Bratislava Watchmen at the beginning of S86 for Damian Steele @73MPL4R, Zlatan Ibrahimovic @Markusbg and the S88 1st of the Watchmen who became Mark Calaway @Beketov.
 
8-Montgomery Burns @LastOneUp - RW (S89)
 
Montgomery Burns was the first overall pick of the Vasteras Iron Eagles in S89 and got traded at the trade deadline to the Cologne Express in company of Jack Quill @GoldGear88 and Mason Rice @Sawyer13. In 72 games with both teams, Burns scored 31 goals and added 34 assists for a total of 65 points. He also won the Renaissance Cup at the end of the season with Cologne, and he scored 8 points (4g, 4a) in 9 games during the playoffs.
 
7-Leandro Goncalves @leandrofg  - C (S83)
 
Leandro Goncalves was the first overall pick of the Vasteras Iron Eagles in S83. He played the entire season with the team and had 29 goals and 40 assists for a total of 69 points in 72 games. Goncalves finished the season with a differential of +18 and 162 hits. In the playoffs, he scored 8 points (4g, 4a) in 9 games, but the Iron Eagles lost in the final of the
Renaissance Cup to the Bratislava Watchmen 4-1. Leandro ended up winning the Continental Cup in the VHL with the Calgary Wranglers in S87.
 
6-Velociraptor Greg @samx - D (S84)
 
Velociraptor Greg was the first overall pick of the Cologne Express in S84. As a defenseman, Greg finished the season with 17 goals and 49 assists for a total of 66 points in 72 games. Velociraptor also added 63 hits and 147 shots blocked. In 6 games in the playoffs, Velociraptor Greg scored 2 goals and 6 points, but the Cologne Express lost in the first round of the playoffs. The last 4 players were really hard to rank, because they all had very similar career, and they could all interchange.
 
5-Darth Kaprizov @Darth Kaprizov - C (S80)
 
Darth Kaprizov was the first overall pick of the Cologne Express in S80 and he was also the first player to ever be drafted in the VHLE. He scored 40 goals and 49 assists in 72 games for a total of 89 points. In S80, the Cologne Express were not a good team, and they did not make the playoffs, but he still finished second for the most points for the Express behind Nathaniel Minion @UnknownMinion who had 102 points. If it was difficult to rank the last 4 players, the next 5 players were easy to rank, since they all had pretty different career in the VHLE.
 
4-Hulk Hogan 2 @Hogan - C (S81)
 
Hulk Hogan 2 was the first overall pick of the Istanbul Red Wolves in S81. Hogan 2 really had an incredible season with the Red Wolves as they finished first in the VHLE at the end of the regular season, and they won the King’s Cup. Hulk finished the season with 32 goals, 64 assists and a total of 96 points in 72 games. In the playoffs, Hulk Hogan 2 was even better as he scored 15 points (8g, 7a) in 15 games, but Istanbul lost in the first round of the playoffs.
 
3-John Jameson @Frank - C (S85)
 
John Jameson was the first overall pick of the Oslo Storm in S85. Jameson was part of the beginning of the Storm’s domination between S85 and S88. Indeed, Oslo finished first in the regular season and in the playoffs to win the King’s Cup and the Renaissance Cup in the same year in S85. John also finished first in the league for the number of points with 103 (51g,
51a) to win the Ronan Lavelle Trophy who is awarded to the most valuable player of the regular season. He also added 8 points in 12 games in the playoffs.
 
2-Kronchy Kardashian @Garsh - D (87)
 
Kronchy Kardashian was the first overall pick of the Yukon Rush in S87 and is also one of the best defensemen the VHLE ever saw. Indeed, he finished the season with 26 goals and 77 assists for a total of 103 points in 72 games. Kardashian also had 171 hits and 153 shots blocked that helped them won the Jake Thunder Trophy awarded to the best defenseman of the regular season.
 
1-BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson @JardyB10 – RW (S88)
 
BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson was the first overall pick of the Rome Gladiators in S88 and the first overall pick to play more than one season in the VHLE. Indeed, BjornaBjorkson said that he wanted to play his entire career in the VHLE and he currently played 4 seasons in the VHLE playing 288 games, scoring 135 goals, and adding 142 assists for a total of 277 points. BjorkaBjorn won the Renaissance Cup in S87 with the Cologne Express and the Florida Man Trophy in S88 with the Rome Gladiators for the best player of the playoffs as he had the best playoff run in the history of the VHLE with 29 points (16g, 13a) in 15 games.
 
It is all for me, thank you for reading and I will see you in another article of the Victory Sports News.
 
P.S. feel free to do your own ranking of the first overall pick in the VHLE and to write it in the comments section.

Hi all,
 
It's been over 24 hours since a controversial announcement so I am here to fill the gap.
 
The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted the absence of the seasonal Elmebeck Trophy nominations thread this season and certainly will now after I've put up the Slobo vote.
 
There have been rumblings in the BOG for a few seasons now about the small amount of nominations, the fact that it can be difficult to have truly outstanding reasons for nomination every 2 months, and that we got used to a very familiar stream of names - mainly VHLM GMs and BOG members most of whom have already received their due credit either through the Elmebeck Trophy or other means.
 
Rest assured, the award is not being discontinued. We are just hoping to liven it up a bit by making it a bi-seasonal award (i.e. the S91 edition will look at the period covering both S90 and S91) and maybe looking at other factors, like how we can encourage nominations, and/or increasing the threshold for making the final ballot.
 
So we'll get to work on fine tuning those details (with suggestions in the public forum more than welcome!) and come back with a refreshed version of the Elmebeck Trophy in about 2 months.
 
Until then, continue being wonderful.
 

i think i will make a new one

Hello everyone, Wayne Gretzky here and you might remember "The Great One" Wayne Gretzky as the best hockey player of all time, which is why "Queen G" Wayne Gretzky decided to come to the Victory Hockey League to re-assert myself, that being "The Human Hat-Trick Machine" Wayne Gretzky, as the Aristotle of Ice Hockey. However, since joining the league, The Right Honourable Wayne Gretzky has been appalled at the treatment that Wayne Gretzky (the hockey player that Scotty Campbell wishes he was) has received since declaring for the Season 92 Draft. For one, not one single soul has uttered the name "Wayne Gretzky" since that momentous day where Wayne "The Brain" Gretzky declared for the Season 92 VHL Draft, despite the fact that nobody on this planet, or in fact any other planet, is within touching distance of "The Gold Standard" Wayne Gretzky's talent. Furthermore, Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Wayne Gretzky has only received offers of $1.5 Million dollars to join Minor League teams in the lead-up to "The Dashing One" Wayne Gretzky's VHL Draft, a paltry sum when one considers what Wayne Gretzky, the only muggle more magic than Harry Potter, can bring to a Minor League team. Naturally, Wayne Gretzky is too Gretz (adjective: to be akin to a god-like being, e.g. Wayne Gretzky) to even consider a minor league team, but the gall of these Minor League teams even offering a megastar like Wayne "Insane In The Membrane" Gretzky such a pittance is downright laughable.
 
You have offended "The Best There Was, The Best There Is and The Best There Ever Will Be" Wayne Gretzky and now you will all pay the price. 

Hello fans, haters and those bored enough to read this letter on Twitter,

I have opened my notes app today (Please check the link in my bio to get an exclusive deal on a new Iphone 23XL Super Pro Limited VHL Edition 4.8TB, while supplies last, please contact your local Apple Orchard for more details) to tell you all about my plans for the coming season. Fear not (or perhaps fear, if you’re into that), I will not be retiring this offseason. I will be coming back for more, and stronger than ever next season. I have been fighting some nagging injuries over the last few seasons, and thanks to the hard work of the folks in the London United organization, I have had an extra long offseason to heal, rejuvenate and train my body to grow even beyond my previous 99 point heights.
 
But, I know that this is the beginning of the end. The deals I have struck with Simon are coming to a close, and after one more demon-infused season, I will be forced to return my soul, which is owed to Lord Simon himself, with imminence. I am afraid that I will soon be no more than a husk of meat and bones. This is the cost of becoming a VHL player, and each player must weigh the value of their soul accordingly. Some get the good end of the deal. They work hard and get just enough attention from their patron to make it to the Hall of Fame, where they are allowed to live alongside their soul and one loved one in the glory of their success and Simon’s goodwill forever. Everyone else must forfeit their soul to the dark overlord and return to the world, a mindless prophet, seeking new and impressionable children to indoctrinate into their blood cult.
 
I can feel my mind tugging me towards a young child. Please keep this in context, I promise I’m not weird, I’m just in a cult. I cannot find them, as if they were in the Latvian 3rd tier league or something. They are completely shrouded in ice dust, and play in a flurry of incomprehensible motion. At the conclusion of S91, my time is up and I must venture forth into the world to find my charge. It will likely take me a few weeks to find and induct them, but soon there will be another loyal servant among us (sus?).
 
I have narrowed down my search a small amount, as I imagine that I am looking for a defender. But something tells me that this isn’t just one defender, but perhaps 2. Or maybe just one particularly large one. I can’t really tell. I feel as though I will need the help of a trusty feline companion to fully uncover this mystery. If anyone knows of a particularly talented hockey cat that I can align my goals with, please contact me in my Instagram DMs, or Saturdays  on Snapchat from 1:00 am to 1:37 am, excluding 1:11 to 1:23 am as that is my designated levitation and sleep paralysis time.


Love,

Landon Wolanin

1. We are in 3rd place and it looks like that's where we will finish. Are you happy with that looking back at the season?
I am very happy for you, hope you all can make some noise in the playoffs.
 
2. There is a chance that Rome and Vasteras swap positions in the standings. Do you have a preference for which team to matchup against in the playoffs?
I'm not to familiar with how the matchups have gone for the Watchmen this season, but I hope you play the favorable matchup.
 
3. What is your favourite way to relax after a game?
A nice hot shower to relax and reflect on the game.
 
4. What do you think is the most important quality to be a good GM in the league?
Being a presence for your team and being approachable.
 
5. What is your favourite board game of all time?
I love Kingsburg, its a game where you are a Lord and you are competing against other Lords, for the Kings favor.  It takes place over 5 years and after each Spring/Summer/Fall you go to court which is the best part of the game.
 
6. What do you think is the most amount of costco hot dogs you can eat in one sitting?
I don't know, maybe like 3 or 4 if i really hated myself and tried.

I'm not sure for a single book, but I have read several omnibuses, most of which were over 1000 pages, the longest probably being Paths of Darkness which was 1184 pages according to good reads
 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62482.Paths_of_Darkness_Collector_s_Edition
 
Not sure if it counts since its multiple books put together but i did carry these around in HS with my textbooks to read when I had time

I'm not sure for a single book, but I have read several omnibuses, most of which were over 1000 pages, the longest probably being Paths of Darkness which was 1184 pages according to good reads
 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62482.Paths_of_Darkness_Collector_s_Edition
 
Not sure if it counts since its multiple books put together but i did carry these around in HS with my textbooks to read when I had time

1. If you were Bratislava GM, which area of the team would you look to strengthen in a trade, and why?
I think you are all perfect as is.
 
2. There has been basically no trade activity around the league, why do you think that is?
In the E specifically, I think there is just not much movement in general.  In the VHL, I think some teams made their moves earlier in the season (see Helsinki/Moscow). 
 
3. For those of you that have been VHL drafted, which team will you be graduating to, and are you excited? For the moths that haven't been drafted, do you have a preference or any hopes for the eventual VHL draft?
I was drafted to Helsinki, and we are not doing as well as we would have hoped but we are having a good time.
 
4. Are you at all interested in becoming a GM in one of the leagues? Or have you had past GM experience?
No thanks, I don't think I would be a good GM.
 
5. Can you recommend me an awesome band that I've probably never heard of?
Do you know about Ad Infinitum?  I love Ad Infinitum.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POwK89M7PH8
 
6. If you were in charge of taking the team out to dinner, what kind of restaurant are you taking us to?
I will take you all to my favorite local family owned pizza place.

another season is almost in the books, and again i find myself asking where has the time gone? it seems like just yesterday jebediah big ol doinks in amish was lacing up the skates for his very first game in bratislava and the vhle. it's been a pretty consistent season from jeb's side of things. some steady improvement has been seen, and he has been rewarded with a decent haul of points. with 52 points in 66 games, he looks set to break his previous record of 56 points. being my first proper defenceman, i really didn't know what to expect long term for my player.
 
at first it was kind of disappointing not seeing all the points start to pile up, but i think the whole league has seen a drop in scoring compared to what i was used to pre hybrid attributes. on top of that, this has been by far the most competitive season in the vhle which i think has lead to a bit of a drop in scoring. big doinks is currently 3rd amongst defencemen for points, so i can't be upset! maybe he can go on a bit of a streak and take 2nd.

Oh we can't name players after rainbows now??  This league is so fucking soft

Oh we can't name players after rainbows now??  This league is so fucking soft

Oh we can't name players after rainbows now??  This league is so fucking soft

Oh we can't name players after rainbows now??  This league is so fucking soft

Oh we can't name players after rainbows now??  This league is so fucking soft

@Garsh

Hello. I am somebody who is known by quite a few titles in the VHL circle. I am muffins, I am sniffum, I am a former pretty bad Vasteras GM, I am a former pretty good Warsaw GM, I have been FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY out of consideration for GM of the year, I am a VHL Hall of Fame Builder, I am a GFX maker, I am pretty irrelevant to the modern scope of the VHL considering I was gone for quite a while. But one distinction I have that not a lot of people might know about is that I played a pretty big hand in the FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY meme becoming a thing in the league, some ten years before the term meme ever came to be used as it is today.
 
But before I get into that, here’s a little bit of context and prior backstory that honestly mostly serves to pad the word count. If you don’t really care about this part (and you really probably shouldn’t), feel free to skip ahead a couple paragraphs where there will be a nice convenient tl;dr. Anyways, we begin our story some time in 2008 or so; I was 13 years old, and had been active in OOTP 6.5 players leagues that I had found on a complete coincidence for close to a year at that point. Somebody joined one of the leagues I was in and made graphics that far blew away what everybody else there was making, and they said they had honed their skills in the VHL. That interested me enough to check the league out even though I didn’t (and still don’t) really care at all about hockey. I created a new player with my name, did one point task, and promptly went inactive, going into my draft with a whopping 6 TPE. Calgary’s General Manager at the time was looking for somebody to draft in the 3rd round (a wasteland of inactives at the time) and saw that I put my screenname on a popular instant messaging service on my VHL profile, so he reached out to ask if I’d be active if he picked me. I said sure, so he drafted me. He boasted a few times around the league that he got himself a massive steal late in the draft, but I never even logged in to sign my contract, let alone earn any TPE. A few weeks later I was released and that was it for Damien Walec.
 
A few months later I recreated in the league as Optimus Prime. I stayed active enough to earn some TPE, including writing a biography that was essentially me transcribing the Transformers Wikipedia page and then adding on 100ish words at the end about Optimus Prime deciding to become a hockey player. I earned enough TPE to be selected in the 2nd round by Helsinki, but by that point I had once again run out of steam and ended up falling off as an inactive. From there, because I was still young and dumb, I figured nobody would want to touch any of my future players with a 10 foot pole because of my history of going inactive, so when I wanted to give the VHL a third shot I decided to come back with a new alias rather than using my old username.
 
Tl;dr my first couple VHL players didn’t go well and I worried I wouldn’t be taken seriously as a user and a potential player unless I re-joined the league with an alias. My third attempt at a player, Joey Clarence, was part of the S18 Superdraft that probably played a massive part in helping the VHL last past some of the doom and gloom that comes along with being a league driven by about 30 active members or so. Still, despite the fact that I was actually earning TPE at a strong rate, because I was in the eyes of others a new member in a draft full of good recreates, and because of the fact that I was a goalie in such a strong goalie draft, I wasn’t seeing a lot of attention being paid to my own player. I also decided that it’d be good to try to switch things up and have some fun with stuff considering playing things more as myself the first couple times around resulted in me getting bored pretty quickly.
 
So, I ended up going around to threads, generally media spots but at times just any thread at all, that didn’t mention Joey Clarence somewhere within them, and just commenting “šnubbed”. I did it quite a few times, just fucking around, and eventually people took notice. It was kind of hard not to when being the best team meant you had 6 active members on your team; when that’s your league setup, one person commenting the same thing in tens of threads a week is going to get peoples’ attention. Eventually the commissioner of the league, Slobo, who himself was apparently running quite a few multis to make the VHL’s rough active user numbers look a little less rough, decided to make a podcast talking about some things going on in the league. In the podcast he mentioned how annoying he found the whole “šnubbed” thing to be, and somewhere within that he mentioned FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY. From there, the word filter was put onto the forum and longtime members rejoiced every time a new member would use the word FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY somewhere in a media spot or a post only to be flabbergasted by what it changed to.
 
So yeah, that’s really it. I annoyed some people by trying to be a troll and putting FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY in threads all over the league and eventually the filter to make it FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY was implemented and subsequently carried over to every new iteration of the VHL forum that came along after. My attempts to continue trolling ended with me outing myself pretty stupidly (@JardyB10 was the one to figure it out), Joey Clarence ended up being one of the last active players selected in S18 but I stayed active and had a strong career, then went on to make my first and only VHL Hall of Famer on my next player with Tukka Reikkinen.
 
Long enough for 2 weeks of claims

1. We are about 1/3rd of the way into the season. Is your player performing how you expected them to?
A little below expectations, I thought for sure this would end up being a point per game season, but currently coming up short on that.
 
2. Our goaler Jonny Elgar leads the league in save percentage and goals against. How important is an elite goaltender to the team's success?
I think a great goalie is huge for a team.  No other one person can take over a game the way they can.
 
3. If you could be any animal, which one would you be and why?
I don't know, maybe a corgi?  Everyone loves corgis.
 
4. If you were stuck at burning man, what lengths would you go to to survive?
All of the lengths, I am getting the heck out of their.
 
5. Are you a beach and ocean type person, or more of a woods and lake type person?
I would describe myself as more of a woods and lake person.
 
6. What is your favourite nostalgic media to consume?
Probably like old youtube videos from an earlier part of life.

My main character complex is through the roof right now

Damn you didn’t need to make a whole theme week for my player..
 
thanks Bek 🍻