With apologies to our group-format forefather @McWolf for the copyright infringement
Last season, many of you may remember a big-ass mock draft that came out just a couple hours before the actual draft. Long story short, a lot of people loved it, and we're back for more.
I organized it this time, but it wasn't my idea--that credit goes to a few people in the Hounds locker room who wanted this done. I messaged everyone who took part in the last group mock, as well--one was on board, the others weren't, and that's OK. What matters is that we're here and we've got this thing going again. So, let me introduce the new crew: myself, @Renomitsu, our one returning writer, Hounds AGM @Berocka, and Hounds alum and current Mexico City AGM @Cxsquared. Give these guys some love, too--not just me.
This was done the same way last season, but I'll explain it again so nobody has to go to last season's group mock to figure it out. We each ranked the picks, in order, and threw together the averages of our ranks. Below, you'll find a list of the individual averages, in order, along with each person's guesses. While we realize that this method may place players with teams that don't necessarily need them, it should certainly represent a general trend and show differing opinions on player selection.
(Also, TPE numbers are as of Wednesday night. If you earned between then and now, your TPE may be off. Many apologies, but please recognize that this isn't a big deal)
Let's get into it!
ROUND 1
#1: Prague Phantoms
Benny Graves | @STZ | C | Las Vegas Aces | TPE: 347
Gustav: 1 | Berocka: 2 | Renomitsu: 1 | Cxsquared: 4
Prague won the draft lottery, and it's certainly a good season to win draft lotteries. Though the #1 overall pick is often a highly coveted position, Prague should be very happy to keep it, regardless of any offers thrown their way by other teams. Graves' agent is a longtime VHL vet, former GM, and Hall of Fame Builder, and it looks like he's here to stay as he's got a recruitment job and maintains a high activity level on the forum. He could be "here to stay" on more than just the site, too--recently he wrote an article about his draft plans, in which he says that he plans on sticking around wherever he's selected long-term. For a recent expansion franchise like Prague, this is perfect. They're in need of a center and want players that will stick around as integral parts of their future plans, and Graves satisfies both. So, while the Phantoms do have other needs as well, Graves is clearly #1.
-Gustav
#2: D.C. Dragons
Soren Jensen | @Velevra | LW | Houston Bulls | TPE: 337
Gustav: 3 | Berocka: 3 | Renomitsu: 2 | Cxsquared: 2
Fresh off his Founder’s Cup victory, Soren Jensen comes in at #2. This is a big pickup for the D.C. Dragons having finished last place in their inaugural season. Jensen will slot right into the Dragons top line and immediately start making a difference. Helping drive the Bulls during the playoffs last season, the left winger Jensen put up an impressive 19 points in just 15 games. This Dane is primarily a playmaker forward but has a great defensive mindset. This pass first mindset led to Jensen racking up an impressive 86 points last season with 49 of those points coming from assists. The D.C. Dragons are still a young team without a lot of star players so Jensen will have a chance to become a staple of the franchise. Only time will tell what kind of impact Soren Jensen can make for this expansion team.
- Cxsquared
#3: Riga Reign (from Moscow)
Cinnamon Block | @omgitshim | D | Las Vegas Aces | TPE: 306
Gustav: 2 | Berocka: 6 | Renomitsu: 3 | Cxsquared: 1
Kinda odd that I'd get the first pick to go to my team, eh? At the end of the day, however, this is a pretty reasonable pick for the Reign. They recently traded away veteran and star defenseman Joseph McWolf, leaving them with just two active defenders in Tate and Hackett. They need someone who can step in and take substantial 2nd line minutes, and fast; S66's Charlie Paddywagon re-signed with Davos, Stropko Jr. is likely to return to Calgary, and giving a free agent a known quantity like Block/omg to round out a second line is sure to at least draw some interest. Not only that, but Riga already has a handful of active wingers, three active centers, and have a low chance of getting what they want out of a goalie this season. Not only is Block the best pick available, she's also a great fit for Riga in the future.
-Renomitsu
#4: New York Americans
Guy Sasakamoose | @Cxsquared | D | Mississauga Hounds | TPE: 243
Gustav: 5 | Berocka: 7 | Renomitsu: 6 | Cxsquared: 3
Guy Sasakamoose is an amazing big bodied Canadian superstar (totally not biased description in anyway) estimated to go #4 overall. It was clear to our panel that Sasakamoose would go in first round, but as you can see it wasn’t clear where. He ended up landing here as the New York Americans’ first pick, which is actually the one spot no one predicted. In reality New York doesn’t need another defenseman but picking up Sasakamoose would give them a lot of options when almost all of their D are up for contracts in season 71. That being said, Sasakamoose is going to turn out to be a solid pick for whichever team gets him. He’s the second highest TPE defenseman in the draft and put up 63 points in his first season with the Hounds. The big question will be how will this first generation player handle the change to the VHL? Will he step up to the challenge or end up getting lost in the pack?
- Cxsquared
#5: Calgary Wranglers
Hiroshi Okada | @enigmatic | C | Philadelphia Reapers | TPE: 251 Gustav: 4 | Berocka: 4 | Renomitsu: 4 | Cxsquared: 10
The 5th pick is for Calgary after receiving it in a trade from Toronto, and with this pick Calgary will go after an incredible centre from Philadelphia Reapers in Hiroshi Okada. The young Japanese player had an outstanding season with the Reapers, scoring 98 points. With Calgary being incredibly short on forwards, with only 5 at the time of writing, it is no surprise that they would pick a forward with their first pick in this draft. With Okada not being very strong on faceoffs, he will likely play a role on the wing. This fits in with Calgary’s needs as they have 3 centres and only 2 wings, so adding a forward to play on the wing should fill their biggest hole. -Berocka
#6: Riga Reign (from Vancouver)
Guy Lesieur | @KC15 | RW | Las Vegas Aces | TPE: 208
Gustav: 10 | Berocka: 5 | Renomitsu: 5 | Cxsquared: 5
I promise this isn't a coincidence -- I mean, if it happened three times that'd be weird. But Guy Lesieur is likely to go to the pick just before this (Calgary) or to Riga's third pick of the draft per Gustav. And it makes sense, too - Lesieur's agent is pretty active in other sim leagues, he's a surprisingly well-rounded player with a modern scoring-first forward build (80 SC, 80 DF, 72 PH, 75 SK). Calgary had a significant retooling this season, holding a fire-sale for many of their players in exchange for picks or seeing some of their players possibly walk in free agency. As a result, they need to start a rebuild from the ground-up; at pick 5, Lesieur is the best pick available, is a versatile scoring winger, and would be a piece that tempts Tyler Barabash Jr. to return to the Wranglers. On the other hand, if he goes to Riga he may sit on the third line for a couple of seasons before replacing one of the less-active players, but would certainly have a starting spot in the future.
-Renomitsu
#7: DC Dragons (from Davos)
Erik Summers | @Erik Summers | D | Houston Bulls | TPE: 215
Gustav: 6 | Berocka: 8 | Renomitsu: 8 | Cxsquared: 6
Summers wasn't projected to be picked at #7 by anybody, but DC should be happy to have him if he's around when this pick comes up. Only one DC defenseman, Luciano Valentino, is any more than semi-active, and Summers is more than able to fill (or, at least begin to fill) this hole on the roster. As one of the fastest-rising, most active first-gens of the draft class, look for Summers to go to a team that's looking to develop young talent--and there is no team better for that than DC, where Summers can use all the ice time he can ask for to his advantage. As a young player on a team with not much veteran talent, he'll also be able to grow into a dominant presence and a face of the franchise (hm, when have we ever heard this from a first-gen defensive defenseman at #7 overall? Not sure). Personally, I've got Cinnamon Block going to DC at #2, but if that doesn't happen and Summers is there at #7, all the stars are aligned for this pick, one which makes perfect sense.
-Gustav
#8: Helsinki Titans
Patrik Tallinder | @Patrik Tallinder | LW | Mississauga Hounds | TPE: 201 Gustav: 9 | Berocka: 9 | Renomitsu: 9 | Cxsquared: 8
Helsinki with their first pick in the draft will pick Patrik Tallinder, and the Swedish left winger will be a good future star for the Titans. He played quite well in the VHLM, helping the Hounds to a 4th place finish. With another season under his belt he will be a force to be reckoned with in the VHL, and with Helsinki’s cap issues at the moment, having a player who stays down another season will help them. Also, with three forwards going to be UFA’s in S70 it is a great pick by Helsinki to help boost them into the future. Tallinder’s great season and continuous growth make him a great pick-up at 8th overall. -Berocka
#9: Calgary Wranglers
Solomon Crawford | @AndrewWarren13 | G | Mexico City Kings | TPE: 181
Gustav: 14 | Berocka: 1 | Renomitsu: 14 | Cxsquared: 9
Easily the most controversial pick of the draft this year, with some guessing he’ll go 1st overall and some putting him all the way down at 14th. What’s clear is that Crawford is the top goalie in this draft. Solomon Crawford was drafted first overall last season by the Mexico City Kings. Crawford managed to net 4 shutouts last year, even though the Kings had a mediocre season. So far Solomon Crawford has only managed to build a middling career in the VHLM with a career SV% of only 0.889 and a 3.13 GAA. While he hasn’t been amazing in the VHLM, he easily has the ability to make a solid VHL backup goalie and even the potential to become a starter in a season or two. If Fang Flashback ends up not working for Calgary then Crawford could easily fill that role for them.
- Cxsquared
#10: Riga Reign
RJ Jubis | @R Jubis | LW | Saskatoon Wild | TPE: 212
Gustav: 7 | Berocka: 13 | Renomitsu: 7 | Cxsquared: 15
Okay, so maybe I just got lucky/unlucky this season, but this pick is technically one I was close to the consensus on. RJ Jubis is a traditional Canadian offensive forward (SC 81, PA 70, DF 70), with solid scoring and passing chops and some supplementary skills to go along with them. But among our panel, we're a bit undecided as to whether he'll go early to DC, or a bit further down the draft to Moscow or New York. My general opinion on the matter is that GMs need to take a careful look at recent TPE gains; Jubis has been a monster the last few weeks, outgaining some of his similarly-rated classmates (+58 in the last two weeks). Further, D.C. is doing OK on defensemen and goalies, and the S69 class is extraordinarily thin at center. After the already-selected Hiroshi Okada and Benny Graves, our next-best center is Weibel at under 100 TPE; Jubis is a natural choice here, as the talent sacrifice needed to hit center for D.C. just drops too far.
-Renomitsu
#11: Calgary Wranglers (from Malmo)
Kris Rice | @Krice13 | RW | Mississauga Hounds | TPE: 188
Gustav: 11 | Berocka: 10 | Renomitsu: 10 | Cxsquared: 11
Here's where I get to insert a shameless plug for one of my own players, and here it is: Rice is great. Originally drafted by the Hounds in the fourth round this past season, Rice has climbed the leaderboard, and now sits in a position to be picked at the end of the first. Also, get this--Calgary has zero playmakers. None. Every one of their forwards has a scoring build. Rice is a bit behind fellow forward Ben Storm in TPE, but by virtue of his build is bumped up a few spots and picked by a team that needs a player like him. Versatility has often been thought to be the key to winning, and Rice is simply the first step on Calgary's road to throwing every type of player at the opposition from every direction.
-Gustav
#12: New York Americans (from Seatle)
David OQuinn | @JohnOQuinn | D | Saskatoon Wild | TPE: 190
Gustav: 8 | Berocka: 14 | Renomitsu: 11 | Cxsquared: 12
Rounding out the first round is the defenseman David OQuinn. Once again this defenseman was a hard choice on where to place him. He ended up landing here at 12th going to New York. While David OQuinn doesn’t really fit into New York's current roster he could be a great call up in season 70. Sitting at 190 TPE currently, OQuinn will probably spend another year in the VHLM. This will probably turn out amazing for him and he’ll put up a dominant performance. Last season he was a passing powerhouse ending up with 63 assists. OQuinn had a solid defensive year blocking 123 shots and throwing 167 hits even though his team, the Saskatoon Wild, didn’t put up a great performance. While he won’t make an impact this year David OQuinn could be an early steal for whoever picks him up.
- Cxsquared
ROUND 2
#13: Moscow Menace (from DC)
Will Clarke | @Will | D | San Diego Marlins | TPE: 173
Gustav: 13 | Berocka: 12 | Renomitsu: 16 | Cxsquared: 7
Clarke is not, in the words of the immortal hedgehog, "super saiyan TPE-earning whore mode," but he's consistent, and any GM who drafts him knows exactly what they're getting. Will, one of the most valuable contributors to the league as a whole, earns a full 12 per week with his portal development job, and while that's usually all he gets, the fact that he's a virtual guarantee to stick around, and do so consistently, is enough for Moscow to pick him up at 13--his hall-of-fame builder status, as well as the fact that his last player finished his career with Moscow, is just an added bonus in the form of experience.
-Gustav
#14: Prague Phantoms Ben Storm | @BigBallerFromDownUnder | RW | Hallifax 21st | TPE: 192
Gustav: 12 | Berocka: 11 | Renomitsu: 12 | Cxsquared: 14
The only player to come from the land down under, Ben Storm seems like a solid pick as 14th overall. Ben Storm is a right winger out of Australia who is a great offensive forward. Last season with the Halifax 21st, Storm put up a respectable 47 points, with 26 of those being goals and the other 21 being assists. Ben Storm is one of the rare players that’s equally comfortable setting up plays as he is finishing them off. For the Prague Phantoms, this fills quite a hole they have in depth forwards. While it’s much colder than he’s used too, Ben Storm has the ability to eventually become a top forward in Prague. His skating and puck handling skills really have been sharpened by having spent most of his early years skating in the hot Australian Outback. Ben Storm really brings an interesting background and skill set to the VHL and it will be exciting to see where those skills take him.
- Cxsquared
#15: Malmo Nighthawks (from New York)
Markus Nygren | @Devise | LW | San Diego Marlins | TPE: 137 Gustav: 15 | Berocka: 15 | Renomitsu: 13 | Cxsquared: 16
Malmo made an incredible run last season, finishing with the most points in the regular season and making the finals. With this great run, the GM will be looking to make picks to help this success continue on into the future. With this in mind, Malmo will use their freshly traded pick to grab Markus Nygren. Nygren’s agent is well known for bringing in talent that will continue to grow through the full 8 seasons. Hopefully with another season of growth in the VHLM, Nygren could be a good replacement for Jake Davis, who will be retiring at the end of S69. The one downside could be that in the regular season Nygren only got 10 points, and as a playmaker you would be hoping for better production than that. Only time will tell if he will be a good pick, but I think it’s worth Malmo making a play. -Berocka
#16: Riga Reign (from Moscow)
Fernando Jokinen | @Ahma | D | Houston Bulls | TPE: 164 Gustav: 17 | Berocka: 16 | Renomitsu: 17 | Cxsquared: 13
Umm.. this is a Riga pick, shouldn’t this be for Renomitsu to do? Gustav make up your mind. Anyway, moving on to the actual pick, with Riga’s fourth pick of the draft they select Fernando Jokinen. This pick I think will completely depend on the previous picks and what Riga’s needs are. So far in the mock they have selected 2 forwards and a D-man, so they should definitely add more defence as they currently only have two defenceman in Hackett and Tate, who both go UFA next season. Jokinen could fill in this huge gap for Riga--with 103 shots blocked in his maiden season in the VHLM he is an absolute powerhouse in defence. With another season in the VHLM Jokinen should make an incredible defensive defenceman. This would be a great pick up for Riga, it will fill their gaps in the team but will also pick up an absolute shot blocking superstar in the making. - Berocka
#17: HC Davos Dynamo (from Toronto) Daldo | @Harpskii | RW | San Diego Marlins | TPE: 147
Gustav: 18 | Berocka: 17 | Renomitsu: 15 | Cxsquared: 17
One of the less contested picks, we have Daldo coming in at 17th overall. It’s quite amazing to see how far this Canadain right winger has come, having been drafted 50th overall in season 68’s VHLM entry draft. Going from 50th overall in the VHLM to 17th in the VHL is quite the feat. It’s really no surprise, though--Daldo shown consistent and steady growth all throughout his first season in the VHLM. He had a slow start to his regular season with the San Deigo Marlins which landed him with 33 points by the end. It was the playoffs where Daldo really shined. He ended up with 10 points in 6 games in his first playoff run. For HC Davos this provides some much needed talent into their prospect pool. If Daldo keeps growing at the steady past he’s already shown, he’ll become a stable in the VHL in no time.
- Cxsquared
#18: Vancouver Wolves
Jimmy Spyro | @Spyro | G | Ottawa Lynx | TPE: 111
Gustav: 16 | Berocka: 18 | Renomitsu: 19 | Cxsquared: 23
Goalies are always tricky picks to explain in mock drafts. Since we're taking the average of positions, oftentimes these picks end on teams that don't really make a lot of sense. Gustav has this young Canadian with lightning reflexes going to the Reign -- which does make pretty good sense provided Kallis Kriketers' impending heavy regression next season -- two of us have him going to Vancouver, and I have him going to Davos. With Greg Eagles as the S67-draftee goalie of the future (seemingly), I opted for Davos - who have a recently-less-active Samuel Ross sitting behind S64 draftee and recent award-winner Finn Davison. By the time Davison faces significant regression, a (theoretically) active Spyro could be hitting his stride in the mid-high tier TPE range, something that Davos, Vancouver, and Riga all would be willing to take a risk on. But he's definitely a project moreso than an immediate starter; for that reason, we could see him span the range of picks we've seen so far.
-Renomitsu
#19: HC Davos Dynamo
Kevin Reegsman | @Reegs | D | Las Vegas Aces | TPE: 121
Gustav: 19 | Berocka: 20 | Renomitsu: 20 | Cxsquared: 20
Reegsman, a late entry to the draft class and a welfare earner, has risen up the board some since his signing with Vegas not long after he joined the site. Though relatively quiet on the forum, he seems reliable enough, and with a selection at 19 could end up in a solid depth role for a VHL team in the future, filling in the second pairing and proving valuable on the penalty kill with a defensive build. Davos, too, is a team that's suddenly in great need of a defenseman, seeing top players Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen (did I spell that right?) and Charlie Paddywagon departing in free agency. All in all, a good landing spot for Reegsman, especially if he continues to develop.
-Gustav
#20: Helsinki Titans
Milos Slavik | @Frank | LW | Houston Bulls | TPE: 117
Gustav: 21 | Berocka: 24 | Renomitsu: 18 | Cxsquared: 18
Casually mentioning Frank to a newcomer will likely get you a blank stare (I can confirm, I was new after Frank's heyday), and that's because the league legend is fairly quiet these days. He does have a player, though, and that player is ready to be drafted. Though he wasn't projected by anyone here to go at #20, this makes sense--Helsinki's aging roster puts them in prime position for a fire sale, and they aren't looking to be good in the near future. So, why not pick up Slavik, who will be on the roster in a season or two and will likely fill a depth role when the roster starts to take shape? The Titans have a solid selection on their hands, and Frank's reputation could make this a big deal on paper.
-Gustav
#21: Moscow Menace (from Calgary)
Oskar Lagesson | @fever95 | D | San Diego Marlins | TPE: 135 Gustav: 20 | Berocka: 21 | Renomitsu: 21 | Cxsquared: 21
Moscow are quite a full team at the moment, but come next season they have one player retiring and six up for UFA. Even if they manage to re-sign all the UFA’s, the one retiree will need to be replaced. Moscow make the pick of Oskar Lagesson to fill in for the loss of Paolo Nano. The 23 year old Swede played three quarters of the season with the Marlins in San Diego. Playing an extremely physical defensive game he landed 111 hits and blocked 51 shots in his 56 games. The agent for Lagesson is well known around the VHL and that will help add confidence to the Moscow GM to pick up Lagesson. - Berocka
#22: Riga Reign
Shush Nyko | @SDCore | LW | Mexico City Kings | TPE: 124
Gustav: 22| Berocka: 26 | Renomitsu: 22 | Cxsquared: 22
With six semi-active to active wingers plus one winger already drafted, why would the Reign want yet another wing player? The answer here lies in the potential to let Shush develop in the minors for a season or two before taking one of the second- or third-line spots, after regression hits 1-2 of their older players. As Shush Nyko is a pretty raw prospect, he isn't particularly specialized; though he's shown some scoring chops for the Kings (33 G, 68 P), he's still at a point in his career where he's flexible enough to become a scorer, enforcer, or passer. He's shown a solid foundation in most facets of the game, and that's a good sign for a player who will spend another season in the VHLM. Berocka's choice in sending him to Davos is a pretty reasonable selection too -- especially since the Swiss team will be retooling a decent amount this offseason.
-Renomitsu
#23: Vancouver Wolves (from Malmo)
Blacker Velver | @Higgins | D | Las Vegas Aces | TPE: 154
Gustav: 26 | Berocka: 19 | Renomitsu: 29 | Cxsquared: 19
At this point, we've got a polarizing pick on our hands. Velvet, aka Higgins, another one of those "former legends I never really met because they were active in the pre-Gustav days," created Velvet on the condition that Boubabi would be unbanned, and at the time was able to ascend right up near the top of the class (with 138 TPE, according to my draft board). After that point, he went largely inactive, popping in every now and then but never doing any serious earning. With that being said, though, he's still a 150-TPE player and he's on the board. Having earned a little recently, too, he's likely caught the eyes of a GM or two, and at this point it's justified for Vancouver to take a shot at him and hope it works out.
-Gustav
#24: HC Davos Dynamo (from Seattle)
Richard Fitzwell | @Tomato Soup | D | Philadelphia Reapers | TPE: 129
Gustav: 23 | Berocka: 25 | Renomitsu: 23 | Cxsquared: 26
With just a few players left in the >100 TPE range, the Dynamo pick up a solid defender who's surprisingly active for this point in the draft. Fitzwell is a good technical and physical wall, especially for the VHLM where point scoring tends to take preference over virtually every other skill. After being taken 62nd overall in the S68 VHLM draft, a spot at the end of the second round of the VHL draft is a pretty nice underdog story. With just two defensemen on the roster prior to free agency, Davos may have a spot with decent minutes for Fitzwell... if he stays active for a season or two. He'll need to prove himself to Dynamo management for another minor league season to do that, but the workings are there if he keeps up his current earning pace.
-Renomitsu
ROUND 3
#25: HC Davos Dynamo (from D.C.) Kristopher McDagg | @Viperxhawks19 | LW | Saskatoon Wild | TPE: 98
Gustav: 24 | Berocka: 27 | Renomitsu: 24 | Cxsquared: 24
Kristopher McDagg is arguably one of the more physical forwards in the VHLM which lands him at 29th overall to the HC Davos Dynamo. This power forward put up a crazy 137 hits last season and a very respectable 32 blocks. It’s clear that McDagg wasn’t afraid to put his body on the line to help his team the Saskatoon Wild. That physical play hasn’t stopped McDagg from being a steady offensive force. In season 68 he put up a respectable 51 points and an impressive 2 short handed goals. By far the most notable thing about McDagg is his height standing at a solid 6’5”. This height really helps him in the corners when he’s battling for pucks. He won’t see the VHL for at least another season but when he does he’ll provide a great depth role to HC Davos.
- Cxsquared
#26: HC Davos Dynamo (from Prague)
Griff Manzer | @Garsh | D | Philadelphia Reapers | TPE: 93
Gustav: 25 | Berocka: 22 | Renomitsu: 25 | Cxsquared: 34
Manzer has a story that is oddly similar to Fitzwell's: an exceptionally young, promising defender with a good earning pace at the end of his first VHLM season. Garsh created quite a bit later than his Reapers teammate projected around #24 above, preventing him from placement in the VHLM Dispersal Draft. But he's one of the top 30 TPE players in his class, and that's got to perk up the ears of any GM with picks going into the third round. This would help round out Davos's second or third pair, and maybe give them some flexibility in power play/penalty kill playtime in the future. It'd be a great storyline for former teammates, and Manzer and Fitzwell would probably be closely watched as they develop in the minors.
-Renomitsu
#27: Helsinki Titans (from New York)
Gary Tarantino | @Garrett | RW | San Diego Marlins | TPE: 81 Gustav: 30 | Berocka: 28 | Renomitsu: 28 | Cxsquared: 29
With the draft getting thin there is not as much choice for Helsinki so with the 27th pick they select Gary Tarantino. This player started out quite strong but sort of fell into a rut during the tail end of the season. Tarantino has been seen spending his small amount of time practicing on the rink just skating around shooting pucks. You would think with this training this would result in more goals, but in the 73 games played Tarantino has only scored 5 times. However, if Helsinki believe that they can give him the puck at the right time, Tarantino might become a prolific sniper, scoring goals night after night. It is a risky strategy but if it pays off it would easily be worth the 3rd round pick. - Berocka
#28: Riga Reign (from Moscow)
Shane Weibel | @ComplexRevo | C | Minnesota Storm | TPE: 80
Gustav: 36 | Berocka: 32 | Renomitsu: 26 | Cxsquared: 25
Oftentimes players in the latter half of their class will be a crapshoot: GMs will draft players with some promise, and hope they pan out long-term. Our panel was pretty divided on when Weibel would go, especially as an inactive of 1 month. Gustav and Berocka have Weibel going to Vancouver or Helsinki, respectively, while our other two panelists think he might go a bit earlier to one of Davos's three consecutive picks. It's possible that Weibel returns to form, but unlikely provided the last few weeks' worth of updates - especially the expected bulk claim period at the end of each season.
-Renomitsu
#29: HC Davos Dynamo (from Toronto) Sade Taika | @Sade | RW | Saskatoon Wild | TPE: 82
Gustav: 34 | Berocka: 30 | Renomitsu: 27 | Cxsquared: 28
Sade Taika is a speedy right winger from Finland. In general she’s small for a hockey player, but she makes up for this with her speed and passing skills. These skills mean she’s a bit harder to hit, having only taken 101 hits last season which in this day and age is quite low. HC Davos has a large need for depth forwards, so Sade Taika should fit that bill perfectly. She has a unique play style that will be interesting to watch when she reaches the big leagues. She managed to watch her head while playing for the Wild in the VHLM, but will that also hold true for the VHL? She’s got a lot to offer but also still has quite a long way to go before she’s VHL ready.
- Cxsquared
#30: Vancouver Wolves Boris Boris | @Walter Fizz | G | Las Vegas Aces | TPE: 86
Gustav: 32 | Berocka: 23 | Renomitsu: 31 | Cxsquared: 33
The Vancouver Wolves have a great goalie in Greg Eagles, but a good goalie prospect would help them in the long run. Boris Boris is fresh off his first season in the VHLM helping Las Vegas Aces having an amazing season coming in at second place. It’s clear he still needs more time in the VHLM but could easily be a great get for Vancouver at 30th overall. Even with the Aces' stellar year, Boris Boris only had a decent season with a 0.861 SV%, but managed an impressive 2.39 GAA. It was a slow year for Boris but he made great progress. He even put up 4 shutouts with only 35 games played in the regular season. Greg Eagles could prove to be a great mentor for Boris if he ends up going to Vancouver. Boris Boris has the potential but needs to keep up his steady growth. Hopefully being drafted in the VHL gives him the push he needs to take his game to the next level.
- Cxsquared
#31: HC Davos
King Kruul | @LefLop | D | San Diego Marlins | TPE: 81 Gustav: 35 | Berocka: 31 | Renomitsu: 34 | Cxsquared: 27
The extreme heavy hitting d-man from Germany hasn’t been seen around the ice recently. In fact it has been reported that he is spending time hanging around some basketball locker rooms trying to change sports. But, if these rumours turn out to be untrue and the possibility of playing hockey and basketball at the same time become easier Kruul could be a great pick up for Davos. Kruul had 270 hits in the VHLM but he did spend 154 minutes in the penalty box, as a primarily physical player enjoys throwing his 218-lb body around the ice. A player like this could be a good pick up for Davos, you know he won’t be a hall of famer but having a physical 3rd or 4th line could help turn the game in your favour. I think it is worth the pick to get some physical presence on the team. -Berocka
#32: Helsinki Titans
Nicolas Fomba | @efiug | G | San Diego Marlins | TPE: 73 Gustav: 27 | Berocka: 29 | Renomitsu: N/A | Cxsquared: 36
One of the few goalies on the list is Fomba, who looks like he could be VHL level talent in a couple of seasons but not any time soon. This could work into Helsinki’s plans perfectly--with Pepper retiring at the end of S70, Fomba could step up in S71 and be the backup for Ligriv. Fomba is still attending training and trying to improve but a goalie who stays in the VHLM for two seasons suits Helsinki. This allows Ligriv to continue to backup and learn from Pepper, and when he is ready to take over Fomba can step up and take a couple of games a season. Helsinki would make a great pick at number 32 with a good backup for the future. - Berocka
#33: Calgary Wranglers
Jack Russell | @quanack | C | Mexico City Kings | TPE: 74
Gustav: 29 | Berocka: N/A | Renomitsu: 30 | Cxsquared: 35
Russell could end up going higher up the board if GMs are keeping their eyes open. Though he's only at 74 TPE, he's earned welfare this week, and if he continues to earn, he could end up higher on the board than 33. At this point in the draft, every pick is more or less a shot in the dark, but Russell escaping the third round is certainly not a possibility that I can see, personally.
-Gustav
#34: Riga Reign
Logan LeBlanc | @Briedaqueduc | LW | Las Vegas Aces | TPE: 71
Gustav: N/A | Berocka: 33 | Renomitsu: 33 | Cxsquared: 31
With no updates since September, it's unlikely LeBlanc will see much ice time in the majors; this pick will likely be a contingency (i.e. "well if he comes back..."). He showed some promise in scoring while working with limited minutes for Las Vegas; LeBlanc would most certainly be a project, and is one of just a few picks that didn't fall on one of our experts' projections -- the expectations have been set, Mr. LeBlanc. Will you meet them?
-Renomitsu
#35: New York Americans (from Malmo)
Justin Goodhope | @Apoc_Chaos | LW | Minnesota Storm | TPE: 69 Gustav: N/A | Berocka: 35 | Renomitsu: 35 | Cxsquared: 30
Goodhope hasn’t been seen at practice for over a month, but rumours exist that he hasn’t quite given up at hockey, with people spotting him around the training rink watching on. The left winger from Canada hasn’t really done much in his first season in the VHLM, only contributing 9 points in his 62 games played. New York might hope that the pick on Justin will be a good one in the future. As when he was at training he would give 100% at making himself a better skater and with 69 TPE going into S69, I can imagine that that sign could mean great things for New York and I am sure it will be a nice pick. - Berocka
#36: Vancouver Wolves
Toppi Attakallio | @Bobby Bummhole | G | San Diego Marlins | TPE: 63
Gustav: 33 | Berocka: 36 | Renomitsu: 32 | Cxsquared: N/A
Attakallio's agent has created and retired a few players already, but this goaltender has been earning a little recently, claiming practice facility the past couple weeks and claiming welfare this week. Since we're in the "everyone just picks whoever looks best" phase of the draft, he'll here go to the Wolves, who have a starting goaltender for the foreseeable future in Greg Eagles but who hope Attakallio will develop into a legitimate prospect nonetheless, whether they hope to trade him or keep him around as a backup.
-Gustav
Honorable Mentions
Kim Jong Un | @Gaudette | LW | Halifax 21st | TPE: 69
Gustav: N/A | Berocka: 34 | Renomitsu: 36 | Cxsquared: 32
Un (or, should I say, Kim--surname comes first in Korea!), is a recreate whose draft position is somewhat unclear. He hasn't earned in a while, but his agent's last player, Blake Gaudette, maintained a respectable earn rate for a while and was at one point looking like a solid Malmo prospect. Only the draft will tell whether he's selected in the first three rounds, but in this mock he finds himself right on the edge.
-Gustav
Isak Sjostrom | @Austin2997 | G | Philadelphia Reapers | TPE: 71
Gustav: 28 | Berocka: N/A | Renomitsu: N/A | Cxsquared: N/A
Personally, I'm surprised to see that nobody's got Sjostrom higher--he's been a consistent welfare earner for at least the past month (any farther back than that, admittedly, I'm too lazy to check). If any consistent welfare earner, regardless of position, makes it out of the top 36, they'll be quite the steal for whoever ends up picking them. Sjostrom's goalie status may cause a few teams to pass, but he'd be a reasonable pickup for any team as a long-term project and possible future starter.
-Gustav
Elliott Porter | @Ren | D | Saskatoon Wild | TPE: 70
Gustav: 31 | Berocka: N/A | Renomitsu: N/A | Cxsquared: N/A
Porter wouldn't be on this list if we wrote this mock last week, as he'd been inactive for about a month prior. This week, though, he logged on and claimed welfare and practice facility. If this is the start of a run of activity, he could be a late steal in the draft, and see himself be picked up somewhere in the third round if GMs are paying enough attention.
-Gustav
Word counts for media spot claims:
Gustav: 2,010
Berocka: 1,468
Renomitsu: 1,494
Cxsquared: 1,645
Recent events within the league have made it clear that the VHL, both historically and currently, has been running far too much of a "Laissez faire" approach in regards to policing the use of insensitive slurs and other language. Not everyone in the league will obviously agree with how these events went down but the point remains that our approach has simply been too relaxed and things have gone too far without the administration necessarily realizing it. This is not simply in relation to the board, or the discord, or any members in particular but is a wide spread problem across multiple areas of the site and it's due time something is done about it.
Ultimately the VHL was founded in an interesting time for the internet, 2007. It was a different place back then, a rather toxic place if we are being honest. However it is not 2007 anymore. The kind of words we have seen weren't acceptable (but perhaps more tolerated) back then and they certainly aren't now. To give a few examples, though they should hardly be necessary, using words like gay or retarded as synonyms of stupid is ridiculous and long past its expiration point. This isn't about censoring your posts, being Social justice warriors, or arguing about meaning of words changing over time but rather about the league being inclusive to all its members and potential members.
With that in mind, moving forward, the league shall be more proactive in avoiding these types of slurs. Staff using them will be treated more severely for obviously reasons but from the top down we expect to see uses reduced and will be punishing those who do not wish to comply or clearly skirt the rules when looked at in context. Punishment will be determined by the blue team on a case by case basis but can include:
• Warnings
• Removal of job positions on the site
• Temporary or permanent suspensions from discord, the forum, or both
• PT Bans, both full and partial
Punishment will depend on how severe and how frequent the offences occur and will be made more severe for repeat offenders. It is not a matter of wanting to ban members for this sort of thing but we will if we have to. Quite frankly it's an easy thing to avoid and isn't something that should be a problem in 2019. We will be leaning on our mod team as well as the BOG and general member base to make sure that people who are using insensitive language towards others or groups; whether intentionally targeted or otherwise, are punished accordingly for it. In addition we will be subdividing the Discord better to hopefully spread discussion from general and make it easier to watch for things. In this vein we will also be doing a search at the end of the week of discord and the forums for key words and phrases to keep an eye on things.
In general things will fall under the guise of our already in place rules regarding Drama, Fighting, and trolling but with special attention paid to people making claims in general instead of specifically targeted. Our aim, as I said, is not to censor but to make the VHL a welcoming place for everyone.
Obviously this did all stem from an event as I alluded to and there are certain members who shall be receiving punishments for their involvement in that event. The league recognizes that, while these rules were not in place at the time, members were warned to not provoke any further action and to stand down. Instead of doing so several members took matters in their own hands and made an already complex situation far worse for themselves and for the league. For their part in all this the following members shall receive the following punishments:
@Josh: 1 week PT ban (as in max cap is 6/12)
@Banackock: 1 week Update ban
@DilIsPickle: 1 week Update ban
@Nykonax: 1 week Update ban
@jRuutu: 1 week PT ban (as in max cap is 6/12)
@Matt_O: 1 week PT ban (as in max cap is 6/12)
I know you guys likely won’t be happy about these but it’s what we deem fair given the situation that was either caused or exacerbated by your behaviour. It is our hope that these punishments are the only ones we require in the subject. Given that it’s Thursday and the cap has already likely been hit for you guys the punishments will be served next week.
It is our sincere hope that the VHL can move on past our old behaviour and into a brighter, more welcoming era. We hope you can all understand that this is not an attack on your rights as members but simply a policy to make sure that your right to speech does not infringe upon the rights over others to enjoy the league.
Re: SBA Affiliation
In addition to the above code of conduct the league would like to make a mention of the SBA affiliation which was recently dropped because of the above mentioned issues. The league has been in talks with the BoD of the SBA but is not making this code of conduct simply to appease them or to get back the affiliation. If things improve and those discussions do continue on the right path it may happen some day but that is not our main goal and is out of our hands.
However we do recognize that stopping SBA affiliation claims on our end, which was done while we sorted things out, is unnecessary and does negatively impact some of our players. For this reason, regardless of our affiliation coming back or not, and to alleviate the concerns of 90% of the population about how their dual membership of the VHL and SBA will be affected, we will continue recognizing SBA PTs as valid VHL PTs in line with previous affiliation agreements. Our updaters were told to put a hold on, not deny, any claims made while the affiliation welfare was down and they have also been instructed to approve back claimed ones for this past week if the PT week was missed by dual membership members.
VHLM Players Answer 3 for 1 Capped TPE or 6 for 2 Capped TPE:
1. How do you feel about your performance this last season?
2. What aspect of your game will you be working on the most this offseason?
3. If you are staying in the VHLM and are staying with your team, What do you think of your teams chances next season?
4. If you are staying in the VHLM and are in the VHLM Draft, What team would you love to play for?
5. If you are going to be drafted and play in the VHL, which team do you hope drafts you?
6. If you could change one aspect of your game what would it be.
7. What aspect of your game do you think is your greatest strength?
8. What do you bring to a VHL team?
9. What kind of player do you want to be?
10. Name one VHL player you look up too?
You guys all wanted discord to have a bigger percentage so it kinda needs the follow the same rules since it’s such a big part of the league. You can’t have it both ways.
As someone who is very new I am seeing things differently. As a short background I found VHL randomly in some twitter replies, I had no idea what a sim league was or any idea what my interest level would be once i started. I'm not in any danger of leaving but my excitement has certainly died down a bit while I'm sitting around. Checking my stats was the first thing i was doing every morning, and I looked forward to checking out the advanced stats posted in the team's discord on my lunch break. I'm at a point where every game my player is in is kinda exciting. Most of my games are just me getting a hit or two but i want to see that.
I'll be honest, I'm not really following the playoffs. It doesn't matter how competitive the games are I'm not at a point where I'm overly concerned with how other are doing. I'm sure this will change over time as I get to know more people through playing with them or just knowing the community longer. I'm not sure how other new players view things but this is how I do currently.
That being said, obviously there is probably some downtime that can't be avoided. Most teams will lose out in the playoffs at some point and I'm not sure what off seasons look like here but there is probably some there too. That's something that I'll get used to but even if my team got dumpstered in the first round being included in more stuff would be more fun.
This post has gotten away from me a bit as it's getting late for me but hopefully everything makes sense.
As someone who is very new I am seeing things differently. As a short background I found VHL randomly in some twitter replies, I had no idea what a sim league was or any idea what my interest level would be once i started. I'm not in any danger of leaving but my excitement has certainly died down a bit while I'm sitting around. Checking my stats was the first thing i was doing every morning, and I looked forward to checking out the advanced stats posted in the team's discord on my lunch break. I'm at a point where every game my player is in is kinda exciting. Most of my games are just me getting a hit or two but i want to see that.
I'll be honest, I'm not really following the playoffs. It doesn't matter how competitive the games are I'm not at a point where I'm overly concerned with how other are doing. I'm sure this will change over time as I get to know more people through playing with them or just knowing the community longer. I'm not sure how other new players view things but this is how I do currently.
That being said, obviously there is probably some downtime that can't be avoided. Most teams will lose out in the playoffs at some point and I'm not sure what off seasons look like here but there is probably some there too. That's something that I'll get used to but even if my team got dumpstered in the first round being included in more stuff would be more fun.
This post has gotten away from me a bit as it's getting late for me but hopefully everything makes sense.
As someone who is very new I am seeing things differently. As a short background I found VHL randomly in some twitter replies, I had no idea what a sim league was or any idea what my interest level would be once i started. I'm not in any danger of leaving but my excitement has certainly died down a bit while I'm sitting around. Checking my stats was the first thing i was doing every morning, and I looked forward to checking out the advanced stats posted in the team's discord on my lunch break. I'm at a point where every game my player is in is kinda exciting. Most of my games are just me getting a hit or two but i want to see that.
I'll be honest, I'm not really following the playoffs. It doesn't matter how competitive the games are I'm not at a point where I'm overly concerned with how other are doing. I'm sure this will change over time as I get to know more people through playing with them or just knowing the community longer. I'm not sure how other new players view things but this is how I do currently.
That being said, obviously there is probably some downtime that can't be avoided. Most teams will lose out in the playoffs at some point and I'm not sure what off seasons look like here but there is probably some there too. That's something that I'll get used to but even if my team got dumpstered in the first round being included in more stuff would be more fun.
This post has gotten away from me a bit as it's getting late for me but hopefully everything makes sense.
The Board of Governors helps come up with ideas to improve the league. It's basically a big discussion group to bounce ideas off everyone and to flesh things out before they're implemented.
They also do VHL award voting and voting for the Hall of Fame.
With Vancouver’s most recent loss, assistant captain Micheal Gary Scott had was in some serious denial in his last interview this season post-game:
“I don’t know why everyone is asking me why we lost, we couldn’t have lost.”
“What’s wrong with you reporters, we wing game seven and you try and trick me and tell me we lost?”
“We scored five goals they scored two.”
“We scored two goals?.... No, no way.”
“Hello, Zoiderberg? Did they screw up the score in head office cause we couldn’t have possibly lost?”
“WE LOST?!”
“WHAT?!”
Seems as if MGS was quite delusional all game long. It’s like he completely was numb to the fact that the Wolves saw a second-round exit to the Wranglers. To make matters worse, MGS was overheard on his cellphone when leaving the arena:
“We did it mom! We are going to go all the way again this year! We can’t lose!”
I took my script that runs through the play by play to count shot attempts to create advanced metrics and ran it for every season starting with season 20. I compiled seasons 20 – 29 in a spreadsheet available here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ld2ZxzYsO9mwXXMeOjz-A7hcekoK19l773q4qD2kKDI/edit?usp=sharing.
The spreadsheet has a list of all the games played in a season with the corresponding advanced metrics for each game. Then there’s a workbook with a pivot table that shows the average for each advanced metric for each team over the entire season. I will keep adding seasons to the spreadsheet as I get time and I’ll probably end up writing more articles highlighting each decade. (Although there are some issues with some of the games or an entire season not showing up properly and some player names from older seasons found a way to break my script, so it might take some additional time to sort through that.)
Here I’ll highlight the best teams from the 20s decade in the VHL. The primary factor for determining “best” is their Fenwick %.
5) S22 – S23 Helsinki Titans – (S22 Fenwick % 58.98, S23 Fenwick % 58.96). Two great seasons for Helsinki where they made the finals each season. They won the cup in S22 and lost to Calgary in the S23 finals.
4) S20 - S22 Toronto Legion – (S22 Fenwick % of 59.92). Toronto’s best year metrics wise was S22 where they had a league best Fenwick % of 59.92. Toronto finished the regular season with a 62-8-2 record good for one of the highest point totals from a team in VHL history (126 Points). The S22 season was the end of a great run of 3 consecutive finals, which included the Legion hoisting the cup in S21. Unfortunately for them ion S22, Toronto lost to Helsinki 4 games to 2 in the Continental Cup finals.
3) S25 – S26 Vasteras Iron Eagles – (S25 Fenwick % 60.03, S26 Fenwick % 62.18). This Iron Eagles team had an exceptional S26, having the best regular season record and recording the 4th highest Fenwick % of the decade with 62.18. The used that domination to beat the New York Americans in the S26 Cup finals and take home the now defunct franchise’s final cup.
2) S25 - S28 New York Americans – (S26 Fenwick % 59.29, S28 Fenwick % 63.66). This Americans squad made 4 straight final appearances. Unfortunately for them they lost all four of them. Still this was a fantastic team with the crown jewel being the 4th season, S28, where thy had the 3rd best season of the decade with a Fenwick % of 63.66
1) S26 – S28 Seattle Bears – (S26 Fenwick % 61.49, S27 Fenwick % 64.41, S28 Fenwick % 63.68). It’s shocking to look at the unbelievable metrics this team was putting up and see that they only made the finals once in these 3 years. S27 is the best performance from any team this decade, S28 is second best and S26 is 5th best. That is an amazing run. Seattle had the best regular season record in S27 and S28. They did win the S28 cup, beating a great New York American team that was featured earlier in the list. All that added up makes the S26 – S28 Seattle Bears the best team of the decade.
People should know when they're conquered.
Great tournament, and thank you so much to the simmers that made it happen. Also, thanks to everyone that lost to us, suckers.
After technical problems with the venue, ice being way too soft and another French strike by the Union of Zamboni Drivers the WJC got moved from Palais de Sports in Sorbonne to Eis Arena Wolfsburg in Germany.
The delay of the start of the tournament seems to have benefited Team Europe even more, if they were the slated favorites earlier they have pulled away even more now.
VSN expert talking head explains, "They now have several player near, or even over the 350 TPE, but the roster stands as it was picked. So it is indeed a formidable team, perhaps one of the best in WJC history."
Fredrik Elmebeck, who only got picked because his father runs the team, a filthy display of nepotism, celeberated on Twitter that he was "Going to tear shit up for Europe, I'll probably hit 350 too!"
Due to insurance and cost reasons the VHL were ready to pull their players from participating, but after negotiations the world organization managed to come to an agreement by having the VHLM logo on all jerseys for the tournament.
1) The Reapers added two Free Agents in the past week, D - Griff Manzer ( @Garsh) and G - Isak Sjostrom ( @Austin2997) to the team. What item did you contribute to their welcome gift basket?
Well I can neither confirm or deny that i may have re-gifted the bottle of sauerkraut that I received from Jacob.
2) D - Jacob Perry ( @Liberty_Cabbage) is leading all VHLM players with 17 powerplay goals. Why do you think he has so much success on the powerplay?
He has great patience and waits for the perfect shot.
3) Isak Sjostrom has worked hard enough in his short time in Philadelphia to be named the new starting goalie. Do you think this was a good move for the Reapers?
Absolutely, he's working hard and improving every day. He's a guy who wants to win.
4) D - Richard Fitzwell ( @Tomato Soup)recently scored his first goal in the VHLM, what do you suggest he do with the puck?
I would enshrine it on a mantel above the fireplace
5) Say the Reaper team ended up on an island in a Hunger Games Battle Royale scenario, who would win? How come?
Thormund Giantsbane. We had a recent team building activity at one of those axe throwing places, he was by far the best at it.
6) What’s your best non-hockey related skill?
I do a little bit of writing on the side. Check out my new Sci-Fi novel Atlantis Retreating.
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Garsh got a reaction from Erik Summers in Should the VHLM have an 8 team playoff?
Garsh got a reaction from Mr_Hatter in Should the VHLM have an 8 team playoff?.thumb.jpg.32657f240eb71cc5cbc960ba77d35071.jpg)
Garsh got a reaction from Rayzor_7 in Should the VHLM have an 8 team playoff?
Garsh got a reaction from Cxsquared in GM 377: Philadelphia Reapers vs. San Diego Marlins
Garsh got a reaction from Liberty_Cabbage in Philadelphia Reapers Press Conference
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