HOF

Awards
Continental Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Zach Parechkin
Mike Szatkowski Trophy - Max Molholt
Alexander Beketov Trophy - Max Molholt
Scott Boulet Trophy - Zach Parechkin
David Knight Trophy - Mike Molholt
Grimm Jonsson Trophy - Zach Parechkin

Roster
C - Max Molholt
C - Kol Mikaelson
LW - Zach Parechkin [C]
LW - Marcel Faux
LW - Benjamin Zeptenbergs
RW - LeAndre St.Pierre
D - Francis York Morgan
D - Black Velvet [A]
D - World B. Free [A]
G - Hans Wingate

All Stars
C - Max Molholt
LW - Zach Parechkin
RW - LeAndre St.Pierre
D - Francis York Morgan
D - Black Velvet
D - World B. Free
G - Hans Wingate

Expanding Horizons

From the very moment I mapped out the rough plan for the ten articles to turn VHL 30 in 30 into VHL 40 in 40, the last one was going to be about expansion. It simply made sense as if any theme defined the VHL's fourth decade, it was expansion. Finishing off the series has taken longer than originally anticipated but the timing still feels right. Season 44 is seen as being very likely the last year of both expansion franchises' second competitive cycles and so it's fitting to recap where we are now. There is much to discuss, from the results of the expansion teams to the impact expansion had on the league, to VHLM expansion and overall whether the whole process was a positive decision.

Prior to Season 30, the topic of expansion was probably on par with trying to find consistency in the VHL's grading system – it was brought up on a regular to semi-regular basis but remained a pipe dream. Although the idea was tempting, the majority opinion was always that the VHL was not ready for such a move and after all, several rosters were still terrible every season even in an eight-team league. Despite this, when the “blue team” at the time – the three commissioners David Knight, Sterling, and Jardy – made the surprise announcement near the start of Season 30, expansion saw little opposition. Even though there was no obvious improvement in draft quality, both in the recent past or in the foreseeable future, the league appeared to trust its higher-ups. Perhaps the general excitement over the fact that expansion was actually finally taking place took over and it was easy to get on board the bandwagon, especially with the well thought-out organisation involved. The GM selection process was transparent, clear and fair, with significant weight given to how straightforward it would be to get the two GMs' players, the highly-rated youngesters Alexander Valiq and Kameron Taylor, onto their respective teams. Picking the location, name, and designing the logos was a process which managed to involve the league and left few disappointed. Finally, there was a clear vision as to how the new teams would be entered into the entry draft and for expansion draft rules, ultimately all resulting in a fairly seamless transition going into Season 31.

The process of getting expansion off the ground, at least on the VHL level, proved to be a good sign for how expansion would eventually play out. Despite having it far from easy early on, the newly-formed Quebec City Meute and Cologne Express have done well to make a name for themselves and have avoided the lower reaches of the league for most of their existence. The first three or four seasons were probably the most challenging but the two original GMs, Pavel Koradek and Joey Kendrick, respectively, proved worthy of the challenge and trust and persevered until both left their franchises in good health at the end of Season 36. Now, both the Meute and Express are on their third General Managers, a fairly average amount in the VHL over 14 seasons. This stability in having competent and responsible people in charge has allowed expansion to look good both on and off the ice.

“The biggest challenge we had was that unlike professional teams, the league didn't really help out expansion teams here. You could say the VHL doesn't know how to do expansion properly. Burning a pick and essentially a shot at landing free agents with a less than stellar roster base cost us a few years. The biggest challenge you have is building the name and trying to install a successful attitude that has the league looking at your franchise as a place to be. You don't have the history to base anything off of or the image of past eras to get people on board with.” - Joey Kendrick, founder of Cologne Express

“Without a doubt the most difficult aspect has been getting over the stigma of lack of franchise history. The issue with attracting people to play for an expansion team is not rely too heavily on the "help build history" aspect. A lot of people are looking for a great locker room and a good time, and just relying on the fact that you have a newer franchise and all of the stuff makes a bigger deal can get you into hot water some times.” - Ryan Power, current GM of Cologne and former agent of former Quebec City goaltender Skylar Rift


The much-discussed expansion draft

The sentiments above go along with Quebec City Meute founder Pavel Koradek's emphasis on “staying patient”, but while there were struggles with building a competitive roster, what of the actual impact on the rest of the VHL? As alluded to previously, the league took a risk by expanding when there was no obvious over-saturation of talent in eight-team Season 30 or before, but it's a decision which as paid off. The balance of the league has changed slightly, but probably for the better, as while some teams have remained in the basement every season, extra playoff spots seem to have added an appeal to try to compete and there are likely one or two more cup contenders these days than before expansion. This seems odd given that there was no obvious influx of talent into the VHL over the post-expansion decade, nor was there a streak of great draft classes (Season 33 and Season 40 stand out but neither really broke the streak of one great class per generation). However, the commissioners did a good job of planning ahead and thinking of how to retain members. Discussed prior to expansion, the [James Platts] Welfare and Pension Plan was unveiled shortly after and has gone on to be a key tool in both attracting a certain demographic as well as getting VHL veterans to stick around. It has proved to be a key factor in allowing a ten-team league to fill out rosters as well as an eight-team one and thus allowing expansion to be a success not just in terms of performances of the expansion teams themselves.

That said, despite the certain issues faced early on, the results and methods of Quebec and Cologne have done their own part to invigorate the VHL. Both teams finally came into relevance in Season 34 and their early peak was in Season 35, when the Meute won their first championship and the Express made it to the European Conference final. The contrast in how the two franchises reached that stage could not have been more stark. Quebec fully embraced the role of league villain which was definitely a welcome change after having 30 seasons where it seemed every original franchise went through that reputation at various points. Through the accumulation of the three Valiq brothers, Alexander, Niklas, and Tomas, then the free agency coup of signing both highly-rated winger Yuri Grigorenko and goaltender Skylar Rift before Season 34, and finally trading two drafts' worth of picks for former first overall pick Wesley Kellinger, the Meute made few friends, especially with the Express' struggles to attract free agents. There was lots of schadenfreude over Quebec's failure to win a playoff series in Season 34 but they had the last laugh the following season. Cologne, meanwhile, had to make do with a role as the loveable underdogs. Certainly they boosted their reputation by preferring to build a homegrown team defined by the likes of Taylor, Reggie Dunlop, and Evgeni Chekhov. Perhaps even more noticeable was the Express' commitment to reclamation projects like Jim Gow, Gregory Glass (later Chris Raymond), and Abraham Sander (later Conner Low), among others. Results-wise, though, there was a clear leader early on.

“My aim was to get them into contention as soon as possible, without sacrificing too much down the road. I may not have ran away with a ton of cups, but getting a new franchise a title so quickly is something to be proud of. After I stepped down, there were some thing I might have done differently, but they seem to be having some success.” - Pavel Koradek, founder of Quebec City Meute


Quebec City won their first cup in their fifth season

“First and foremost the aim was to provide a place that was fun, exciting and wanted to have a winning mindset from the beginning. Instead of directly building a team from scratch, we wanted to at least gain some quality in our players while our younger players were progressing. I was happy with my tenure, not sure if that is a satisfaction feeling though. I wanted to win a title as GM there and allow the guys who stuck with the team to gain that championship on a new franchise. I'm very happy with the franchise since my tenure has concluded. There was still an adjustment period after leaving for them, but they did come around and have now climbed into a successful era.” - Joey Kendrick

The early spark could have fizzled when the two teams went into their first true rebuilds around Season 37, following the departure of their original GMs. The successors, former Davos GM Frank Chadwick for Quebec and Cologne veteran Alexander Schneider, would only be in charge for the transition into a second era of contention, and both appeared to focus more on building through the draft. However, in Season 40 a huge off-season would allow both franchises to revert to form. It all started with Cologne winning the draft lottery and thus meaning the two teams were set to pick first and second in a superb draft with two generational talents in Thomas O'Malley and Mason Richardson. The Meute decided to cash in on their second overall selection though, and traded it for an impressive package from the Express of all teams, giving Cologne two franchise players but leaving Quebec with lots more assets to make noise in the trade market. That is precisely what they did, acquiring numerous pieces from the rebuilding recent four-time finalists HC Davos Dynamo, thus propelling them into what looked like second place in North America. While the Meute were upset by the Calgary Wranglers that season and the Express' own dreams ended in a sweep by the eventual champions from Riga, the stage was set for an expansion rivalry bigger than ever.

Quebec would consolidate their status as the league's hated team the following off-season, when the appointment of the outspoken Clinton Chevy as GM, coupled with the individual success of Bruno Wolf and Aksel Thomassen, meant the Meute got media coverage akin to their previous Valiq- and free agent-fuelled era of success. Even though Cologne would soon be led by former New York GM Ryan Power, who through Skylar Rift directly led to Quebec's first cup and who had a known track record for avoiding draft picks, it was the Express who were the league's favourites to win when the two franchises finally met in a surprise final in Season 42. The Express prevailed, vindicating the loyalty of the likes of O'Malley, Richardson, Nicolas Caprivi, Logan Laich, and Ron World Peace. A rematch in Season 43 seemed likely but both teams were surprised by ultimate underdog champions Seattle and now in Season 44 we may see one last explosive entry into this highly entertaining second chapter of Quebec and Cologne's history.

“With Cologne, even as co-GM, the moment I came in we had to instantly try to build a team that people would want to come to play at. After having the Kameron Taylor era where the team was simply competitive but couldn't never seem to put anything together, free agents and players we were interested in trading for often asked what our goals were for pushing the team beyond that level. Honestly the fact that we just happened to win the lottery and be at the perfect moment to pick up both O'Malley and Richardson played a huge role in getting the team's identity over that hump. Once Olynick was traded [allowing the acquisition of eventual playoff MVP Martin Brookside] and we had the pieces to be an elite level team suddenly that stigma went away and the team the league embraced Cologne as the "team to finally win".” - Ryan Power


Cologne waited longer but victory was all the sweeter coming against their expansion rivals

While expansion has been an undisputed success at the VHL level, in all aspects really, the jury is still out in the VHLM. Never a particular hub of activity even before Season 31, many felt it would have been best to pursue alternatives to adding two new teams to the minor league system. In the end, the cynics were sadly proved right. Following a rather rushed entry just before the off-season, with a short application process and little clarification on the drafting and other logistics, a ten-team VHLM saw little improvement on its eight-team version and ultimately the most damning indictment was the decision to contract back to eight teams prior to Season 43. The silver lining of the entire process was that the expansion franchises themselves, the Bratislava Watchmen and Yukon Rush, have been an undisputed success. Rarely missing the playoffs, and always for good reason, featuring great managerial alumni like Vince Wong, Sam Helberg, Jordan Eng, and Austin Gow, the Watchmen and Rush have seen an unprecedented run of success in the VHLM, winning 8 of the 13 post-expansion Founder's Cups, which included two all-expansion finals. That alone meant that VHLM expansion was not a complete waste of time and in the end all four new franchises at both VHL and VHLM level have maintained a certain appeal to players.

“I've always been attracted to the history in the league. Given that I make pretty terrible players not counting Skylar Rift I wanted a chance to push my mark onto league history in some way. I knew I wanted to be involved in both expansion teams first Championship win if I could. Obviously I signed and helped Koradek out with lines and a few other GM tasks with Quebec with Rift and played a big part in their Cup win. Given that I was so close to completing my task I instantly made it my goal to join Cologne with Laich, which happened decently early on his career. I wasn't intending on GMing Cologne at the time but as the opportunity fell into my lap it kind of felt like fate, and I was happy to be able to get them their first Championship as well.” - Ryan Power, who also won the Founder's Cup with Yukon (Skylar Rift in S31) and Bratislava (Logan Laich in S36)

There is not much more to add. At the end of the day, the decision to expand back in S30 was a good one all around and added an extra dimension to the VHL, without fundamentally altering it. It's been a breath of fresh air to see franchises write new storylines and engage in genuine rivalries, which were starting to lack a bit after 30 seasons of the same old franchises all going through peaks and troughs. The trade market has been more interesting as a result of extra teams and the first few off-seasons in particular had quite insane amounts of deals being done. Sixty percent of the league qualifying for the playoffs has also had positive results in terms of keeping more people entertained. To conclude, I wanted to ask a provocative question as to which of the two expansion franchises is “better”. The results were interesting to say the least and that just goes to show that it's good to have two teams in Quebec City and Cologne which VHL members can feel so strongly about.

“As franchises the teams match up pretty evenly. Both teams have won a single championship but will have been home to a decent number of Hall of Fame players as we are about to close a chapter on another era here soon in the VHL. Quebec has a few more names from it's early winning days that were close or still on Hall of Fame ballots whereas Cologne had a sure lock player in Taylor. I think Cologne has been able to attract more super star franchise type players for longer. Although the current era of Wolf and Thomassen somewhat contradicts that point. Still Taylor and O'Malley are pretty big names that thus far have been Cologne boys their entire careers basically.

Even looking beyond the "winning" stuff Quebec due to its nature of being the hated team has less loyal players. I think when all is said and done at the end of Season 50 Cologne will have more jerseys hanging in the rafters from players who made significant impacts or were loyal for a lot of their careers. With the exception of the GM player and one or two of his friends Quebec has always been the ideal destination for a trade target to go for a season or two before they retire, or a free agent pick up to help them win a cup in the last couple seasons of their career. They are kind of like the Leeroy Jenkins of teams. Whereas Cologne to me feels a lot more home grown for a lot of key pieces, whether it's by trade or draft the players tend to stick it out longer. Although it isn't like the edge I'd give Cologne is huge, as I think both franchises are pretty close.” - Ryan Power

“Cologne is better because although we are tied in cup victories, Cologne hasn't had the shaky front office record. Koradek leaving it to Frank wasn't bad, but Frank leaving it to a kid has somewhat driven their image down. that whole Valiq thing was silly and eventually ended very poorly as well. Not to mention Quebec is an awful place, only the poutine can save it.” - Joey Kendrick

“Quebec is clearly superior since our logo is a wolf, what more can be said?” - Pavel Koradek


That does it for VHL 40 in 40. It took longer than anticipated and I am not sure if I will find the motivation to do ten more for S50 but we shall see. Certainly it has been worthwhile writing these and providing a few more entries to look back on in the Hall of Fame. I would like to extend special thanks to Sterling for helping finish the series, as well as of course everyone who provided quotes, which for this edition were Kendrick, Koradek, and Mr. Power. These articles would not be the same without your contributions. Last but not least, thank you to all the readers and hope you enjoyed.

C - Aleksi Koponen
C - Max Mølholt
LW - Jorma Ruutu
LW - Simon Valmount
RW - Niels Skovgaard
RW - Theo Axelsson
D - Golden Jedtsson
D - Kerkko Hyvarinen
D - Marquis Hyvarinen
D - Joel Jarvi
G - Sven Wolf
G - Joanna Akerfeldt
 


 
C - Severin von Karma
C - Thaddeus Humbert
LW - Wolfgang Strauss
LW - LeAndre St. Pierre
RW - Shawn Muller
RW - Tyson Kohler
D - Phil Hamilton
D - Jeff Hamilton
D - David Hamilton
D - World B. Free
G - Hans Wingate
G - Greg Clegane
 


 
C - Bronson Faux
C - Unassisted
LW - Marcel Faux
LW - Zach Parechkin
RW - Brady Stropko
RW - Tom Lincoln
D - Francis York Morgan
D - John Sleeman
D - Black Velvet
D - Ted Doughty
G - Atticus von Braxton
 
Awards
Most Valuable Player: Jorma Ruutu (SCA)
 
Top Forward: Jorma Ruutu (SCA)
 
Top Defenceman: Phil Hamilton (EUR)
 
Top Goaltender: Sandro Clegane (MER)
 
Breakout Star: Sven Wolf (SCA)
 
--------------------------------------------
 
Top 10 Tournament Scorers
1. Jorma Ruutu (SCA) - 21
2. Max Mølholt (SCA) - 20
3. Simon Valmount (SCA) - 18
T4. Lord Karnage (WOR) - 17
T4. Biggu Kyanon (WOR) - 17
6. Marcel Faux (CAN) - 16
7. Bronson Faux (CAN) - 15
T8. Aleksi Koponen (SCA) - 14
T8. Freedom McJustice (USA) - 14
T8. Edwin Reencarnacion (WOR) - 14
T8. Thaddeus Humbert (EUR) - 14
 
--------------------------------------------
 
Final Standings
1st(Gold) - Scandinavia
2nd(Silver) - Europe
3rd(Bronze) - Canada
4th - World
5th - Mercenaries
6th - United States

Awards
Continental Cup
Victory Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Hans Wingate
David Knight Trophy - Mike Molholt
Grimm Jonsson Trophy - Zach Parechkin

Roster
C - Tim TebowGow
LW - Zach Parechkin [C]
LW - Benjamin Zeptenbergs
RW - Max Molholt [A]
RW - LeAndre St.Pierre
RW - Jack Kowalski
D - Francis York Morgan
D - Black Velvet
D - World B. Free [A]
D - Chuck Goody
G - Hans Wingate

All Stars
LW - Zach Parechkin
LW - Benjamin Zeptenbergs
RW - Max Molholt
RW - LeAndre St.Pierre
D - Francis York Morgan
D - Black Velvet
G - Hans Wingate

Awards
Continental Cup
Victory Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Hans Wingate
David Knight Trophy - Mike Molholt
Grimm Jonsson Trophy - Zach Parechkin

Roster
C - Tim TebowGow
LW - Zach Parechkin [C]
LW - Benjamin Zeptenbergs
RW - Max Molholt [A]
RW - LeAndre St.Pierre
RW - Jack Kowalski
D - Francis York Morgan
D - Black Velvet
D - World B. Free [A]
D - Chuck Goody
G - Hans Wingate

All Stars
LW - Zach Parechkin
LW - Benjamin Zeptenbergs
RW - Max Molholt
RW - LeAndre St.Pierre
D - Francis York Morgan
D - Black Velvet
G - Hans Wingate

C - Thomas O'Malley
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200 lbs
Jersey Number: 14
Drafted: 1st OA, Cologne (S40)
Username: @Green
 
For quite some time, Scotty Campbell has been mentioned as the greatest player in league history with little challenge.  Little did we know in Season 40, but there was a player being drafted who was about to have a career good enough that we can honestly say he may have been better than Scotty Campbell.  Given that Thomas O'Malley didn't play in an era littered with so many horribly developed players, as Campbell did, it is quite tremendous how successful he would become.  After a long and absolutely breathtaking career, Thomas O'Malley would finish up a four-time League Champion, three-time League MVP, four-time Most Outstanding Player, four-time Scoring Champion and even a Playoff MVP.  While we could spend days debating if he is indeed the greatest of all-time, two things are for certain: First, he is definitely the greatest of his generation.  And second, he is most definitely a first-ballot Hall of Fame talent.  
 
Career Awards:
S40 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy - Top Rookie S41 Mikka Virkkunen Trophy - Most Sportsmanlike S42 Continental Cup - VHL Championship (COL) S42 Terence Fong Trophy - EU Conference Champions (COL) S43 Terence Fong Trophy - EU Conference Champions (COL) S43 Brett Slobodzian Trophy - Most Outstanding Player S43 Mike Szatkowski Trophy - Most Points S43 Kevin Brooks Trophy - Most Goals S44 Terence Fong Trophy - EU Conference Champions (COL) S44 Scotty Campbell Trophy - League MVP S44 Brett Slobodzian Trophy - Most Outstanding Player S44 Mike Szatkowski Trophy - Most Points S44 Kevin Brooks Trophy - Most Goals S44 Alexander Beketov Trophy - Most Assists S45 Continental Cup - VHL Championship (HSK) S45 Terence Fong Trophy - EU Conference Champions (HSK) S45 Victory Cup - Best Regular Season Record (HSK) S45 Scotty Campbell Trophy - League MVP S45 Brett Slobodzian Trophy - Most Outstanding Player S45 Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Playoff MVP S45 Mike Szatkowski Trophy - Most Points S46 Continental Cup - VHL Championship (HSK) S46 Terence Fong Trophy - EU Conference Champions (HSK) S46 Victory Cup - Best Regular Season Record (HSK) S46 Scotty Campbell Trophy - League MVP S46 Brett Slobodzian Trophy - Most Outstanding Player S46 Mike Szatkowski Trophy - Most Points S47 Continental Cup - VHL Championship (NYA) S47 Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy - NA Conference Champions (NYA) S47 Victory Cup - Best Regular Season Record (NYA)  
Season 40 Statistics:
Regular Season: S40(COL) 72GP | 38G - 72A - 110P | +71 | 6 GWG | 58.0FO% Playoffs: S40(COL)  4GP | 1G -  0A -  1P | -2 | 0GWG | 40.0FO%  
Thomas O'Malley entered the Victory Hockey League with quite a lot of expectation, along with fellow Cologne rookie, Mason Richardson.  O'Malley was joining a pretty strong Cologne team led by veterans Wesley Kellinger, Karsten Olsen and Logan Laich.  The Express had a strong season and O'Malley and Richardson both dominated rookie performances with O'Malley recording 110 points and Richardson having a strong 98 point season to go along with 124 hits and 137 blocked shots.  In a very tight vote, Thomas O'Malley pulled out the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy with his tremendous rookie season setting the tone for the rest of his career.  While the Express were a strong club, O'Malley and company did not pull their weight in the playoffs losing quickly to the Riga Reign after receiving a bye to the European Conference finals.  Nevertheless, with his offensive performance standing out as much as it did, Thomas O'Malley was already well on his way to a Hall of Fame career already.
 
Season 41 Statistics:
Regular Season: S41(COL) 72GP | 39G - 52A - 91P | +43 | 7GWG | 61.8FO% Playoffs: S41(COL) 5GP | 3G - 3A - 6P | 0 | 0GWG | 63.0FO% The Cologne Express took a step back in Season 41 with the loss of Kellinger and Olsen, and O'Malley and Richardson simply could not keep their paces up from their rookie campaigns.  While O'Malley's ninety-one point season was hardly anything to be ashamed about, the sophomore was disappointed about regressing statistically along with the rest of his team.  However, with a prime opportunity to still do damage in the playoffs, there was hope in Cologne that they could get revenge for last year and catch fire at just the right time.  This time the Express did not have the bye and had to beat the Helsinki Titans in the first round, in order to get their chance to get revenge against the Reign.  However, the team never caught fire and instead perished in just five games to the Titans who were led by both Naomi Young and Jake Wylde.  There were some improvements for O'Malley though, as he showed he still could contribute at an elite level offensively despite being the main catalyst and not having veterans like Kellinger helping him along.  Additionally, he also showed improve play on faceoffs as he climbed almost four whole points.  
 
Season 42 Statistics:
Regular Season: S42(COL) 72GP | 40G - 38A - 78P | -4 | 10GWG | 62.9FO% Playoffs: S42(COL) 16GP | 8G - 10A - 18P | +9 | 1GWG | 64.5FO% The steady decline would continue for O'Malley as he would have easily the worst regular season of his career in Season 42.  The Express themselves would finish at a sub-par 38-27-7 record which most certainly put them in a rather difficult position to do much damage in the playoffs.  O'Malley finished second on the team in scoring with just seventy-eight points and while he continued to stay fairly disciplined, Thomas was clearly getting frustrated even getting into a fight late in the season in the third period of a loss.  O'Malley knew that if he and the Express couldn't correct things soon, they may very well be in a difficult position to make up for their previous playoff failures and knock out both the Vikings and Titans.  However, once game one started between the Vikings and Express in their opening round matchup, it was clear that the Green Machine came to play, as did Thomas O'Malley.  The Express dismantled the Vikings in four and won a tight series win against the Titans in seven, to advance to the VHL Finals for the first time.  The team was mainly being led by Martin Brookside but O'Malley, Robin Gow and Mason Richardson all were performing at an incredibly high level too, which made them a very dangerous matchup for the Quebec City Meute.  At the end of the day, the Express were too much to handle, catching fire at the right time, beating the Meute in just five games.  What a dominant playoff performance after such a sub-par season, and perhaps this playoff run was exactly what O'Malley needed to take the next step and stop the decline statistically.
 
Season 43 Statistics:
Regular Season: S43(COL) 72GP | 53G - 78A - 131P | +55 | 11GWG | 64.4FO% Playoffs: S43(COL) 18GP | 9G - 8A - 17P | 0 | 3GWG | 56.2FO% This was the year that Thomas O'Malley became a bonafide superstar.  Up to this point, O'Malley had a solid start to his career with well over 1.0 points per game.  However, he had been declining up until Season 43, when things would change in a big way for the young American center.  The Express made a big move in the off-season trading for Xin Xie Xiao who had just one season left in his career.  Xiao would solidify the top line alongside O'Malley, bringing an intimidating brand of hockey revolving around his blistering shot and ruthless brand of physical hockey.  O'Malley thrived with the new found room and went off for a league best 53 goals and 131 points.  Xiao finished just behind him with 124 points and 292 hits, and Cologne would finish with a 56-13-3 record, despite the fact that they moved Mason Richardson that off-season in a deal to acquire Bismarck Koenig.  The Express entered the playoffs as favourites to repeat and breezed through both the Dynamo and Vikings, on route to the VHL Finals and a date with the Seattle Bears.  In shocking fashion, the Bears who were generally considered underdogs in every series that year, pulled out a seven game upset after coming back from a three-to-one deficit.  While it was a difficult end to the year for O'Malley, he had a lot to be proud of.  He had easily the best season of any player in the league, and while he did not win MVP, he was able to capure the Most Outstanding Player Trophy and led the league in both goals and points.  This was the first step in what would be a long string of legendary seasons that O'Malley would put together.
 
Season 44 Statistics:
Regular Season: S44(COL) 72GP | 59G - 76A - 135P | +56 | 10GWG | 63.7FO% Playoffs: S44(COL) 13GP | 4G - 12A - 16P | -5 | 2GWG | 55.5FO% It would be hard to top what Thomas O'Malley did in Season 43, but did he ever do it.  O'Malley, coming off one the best seasons in the modern generation, came back ready to improve those numbers and did so with a 135 point campaign, leading the Express to a 52-16-4 record.  The Express received a lot of offense from their top three contributors: O'Malley, Koenig and Klose.  However, many of their losses did come due to their average goaltending and a defense that did not have the depth that some of the other top teams had.  What those teams did not have though was Thomas O'Malley who led all VHL players in goals, assists and points during the regular season.  A rare enough feat, it was not the only hardware O'Malley would receive that season.  First, was the playoffs though with the Express entering as the favourites to head to the finals representing the European Conference.  After receiving the bye into the EU Conference Finals, the Express won a tight seven games series against the Vikings moving on to face the Wranglers who were led by a goalie who may be the greatest of all-time at his position, Hans Wingate.  In a tough series where O'Malley gave everything he had, he was unable to lead the Express past the Wranglers who had the edge in the net and two players in Cote and Miller who combined for fifty-eight points in the playoffs.  While it was another disappointing end to the season (and perhaps O'Malley had started to become use to it) he once again had the Awards Ceremony to look forward to.  Thomas would sweep the board winning League MVP and Most Outstanding Player to go along with the trophies he would receive for leading the league in goals, assists and points.  At this point, people started taking notice of a career that may be talked about more significantly than the average Hall of Famer.  At this point, O'Malley had played five seasons and had three 100+ point campaigns, a season where he topped 90 and another where he finished with 78 but then played a huge role in a Continental Cup victory.  At this point, there was talk that with three more strong seasons, O'Malley may just be in the conversation for the greatest of all-time, or at least of his generation.
 
Season 45 Statistics:
Regular Season: S45(HSK) 72GP | 50G - 72A - 122P | +55 | 9GWG | 65.5FO% Playoffs: S45(HSK) 12GP | 8G - 12A - 20P | +6 | 1GWG | 56.1FO%  
Lets just add a fourth 100+ point season to the record books for Thomas O'Malley.  The center would continue his strong play...but for a new team!  That off-season, O'Malley was traded from Cologne to Helsinki (along with Klose) in a deal for three first round picks.  The Express had decided with a couple tough playoff finishes in a row, that perhaps it was time to move on and sell assets while they still held the value that they commanded.  Helsinki instantly became cup favourites adding these two stars to a team that already boasted Aleksi Koponen, Brady Stropko and Greg Clegane.  The Titans would finish with a strong 52-15-5 record to comfortably finish first in the league and take home the Victory Cup for best regular season record.  O'Malley and Klose's chemistry showed with the two leading the way offensively for Helsinki.  Klose had a very solid 97 point season but it was O'Malley who easily led everyone on the Titans offensively, with a downright dominant 122 points.  Once again, it sounds like a broken record, but O'Malley would lead the league in points and was just barely behind in the goals and assists department as well.  The Titans earned their bye and used the rest to prepare for their eventual matchup, and did it ever pay off.  Led by O'Malley, the Helsinki Titans defeated the Dynamo in just five games before taking on a Wranglers team that boasted some familiar faces in Koenig and Wingate.  This time, O'Malley would get the last laugh against Hans with a dominant finals showing, finishing well above everyone else on the Titans offensively with twenty points and eight goals in just twelve games.  O'Malley won his second Continental Cup and his first Playoff MVP to go along with League MVP, Most Outstanding Player and the trophy he earned for leading the league in points.  At this point, with two seasons left, O'Malley was approaching 700 points and there was a pretty strong belief that he should hit 900 which is nearly uncharted territory for anyone in the modern area of the Victory Hockey League.  That, along with his award cabinet that already stretched about triple what most Hall of Fame players had, made him a pretty special and unique player thus far.  
 
Season 46 Statistics:
Regular Season: S46(HSK) 72GP | 57G - 72A - 129P | +65 | 9GWG | 66.4FO% Playoffs: S46(HSK) 10GP | 5G - 6A - 11P | +1 | 2GWG | 63.6FO% The Titans would get some help in Season 46 adding Jackson Miller mid-season and seeing some of their players like Phil Hamilton take a huge step forward in development.  Meanwhile, it was status quo for O'Malley who continued to dominate, and do so in a fashion that made him stand out easily.  O'Malley would lead the league in points for the fourth consecutive season with 129 in the 72 game campaign.  In addition, he had become the league's best draw taker finishing just under 67% in the dot.  O'Malley finished the season just four points short of the 800 mark which was going to make that last season pretty interesting.  As for Season 46, O'Malley finished with thirty-six more points than anyone else on the Titans making him a pretty clear MVP candidate.  The Titans finished the season with another fantastic record, bringing home their second straight Victory Cup with a 54-12-6 record.  It had been more than two decades since a team had defended their Continental Cup victory successfully, but the Titans were looking to do that after ripping through the Dynamo in just five games.  The Titans took aim at the Wranglers for a second straight season and trampled them in five as well for a second straight Continental Cup.  O'Malley maybe didn't match expectations offensively but he still had a solid playoff run, finishing over a point per game and with a fantastic faceoff percentage.  The expectations perhaps are set sometimes too high with how incredible he is during the regular season, but that shouldn't take away from another solid playoff run.  O'Malley would finish with his third consecutive MVP Trophy and fourth consecutive Most Outstanding Player Trophy to go along with leading the league in points for the fourth straight year.  He became the first player to win the scoring title four straight times and now has won it more than anyone that is not named Scotty Campbell, doing so in a much more competitive era.  In addition, he tied both Campbell and Grimm Jonsson for the most MVP wins of all-time, with both winning on three separate occasions.
 
Season 47 Statistics:
Regular Season: S47(NYA) 72GP | 45G - 72A - 117P | +59 [ 8GWG | 67.7FO% Playoffs: S47(NYA) 12GP | 5G - 5A - 10P | -5 | 1GWG | 62.5FO% Thomas O'Malley's final season would bring one more destination switch in his storied career.  O'Malley entered Free Agency before his final season in order to find a team that could help him win a third consecutive Continental Cup.  Thomas decided on New York who already boasted top names like Edwin Reencarnacion, Lloyd Light, Jorma Ruutu and Blake Campbell.  With just 104 points needed to hit the illustrious 900, O'Malley would not leave it to chance dominating early and often finishing with 117 points and solidifying him in a very small group of players to accomplish the feat.  He also finished with one of the best faceoff percentages of all-time, narrowly missing out on hitting 68% on draws.  The Americans finished 57-10-5 and won the Victory Cup for best regular season record.  This was the third straight season that O'Malley's team had finished with the league's best regular season record.  Speaking of doing things for the third straight time, the Americans squeaked out a win against the Calgary Wranglers in seven, before dismantling the Stockholm Vikings in five.  O'Malley didn't have his best playoff run and finished fourth on the team in scoring that playoffs, but it was still a fitting way for O'Malley to finish his career.  His final season saw no individual awards won by O'Malley, as he passed off the torch to other players who had become frustrated with not being able to best him in previous seasons.  However, O'Malley would win his third straight Continental Cup and the fourth of his career, adding to an already storied career with strong playoff accomplishments and some of the greatest regular season accomplishments in league history.
 
Career Totals:
Regular Season: 576 GP | 381 G - 532 A - 913 P | +400 | 70 GWG Playoffs: 90 GP | 43 G - 56 A - 99 P | +4 | 10 GWG  
How do you even sum up Thomas O'Malley's career? He retired with the fourth most points in VHL history, finishing just one back of Kevin Brooks for third on the list.  What is especially impressive is that he has the most points of any player created since the first decade completed.  Given that the three player's above him (Campbell, Szatkowski and Brooks) all played against much worse talent, some could argue that O'Malley's accomplishments outweigh everyone else's.  In addition to his regular season success, O'Malley finished third all-time in playoff points.  While he did play a significant number of games, his ninety-nine points and dominant faceoff taking played a huge role on four different Continental Cup winning teams.  He finished his career with perhaps the most impressive trophy case ever, even including Scotty Campbell.  Thomas O'Malley may very well be the greatest VHL player of all-time.  He is most certainly the greatest VHL player that wasn't created in the original VHL draft back in Season 1.  That alone is an unbelievable accomplishment and one that this lengthy and detailed Hall of Fame article can't even describe properly.  His career numbers may not be touched by any modern player for quite some time and his trophy case alone will live on as Thomas O'Malley enters the VHL Hall of Fame.

Founder's Cup
Jack Reilly Trophy - Blake Campbell
 
Roster
C - Vincent Adultman
C - Alexander Davidson
C - Bobby Boucher
LW - Bjorn Kobayashi
LW - Pavel Ovechkin
LW - Adam Holmstrom
RW - Bogdan Podarok
RW - Mikhail Gribov
D - Saul Hackett
D - Benjamin Tumack
D - Ken Anderson
D - Zach Voss
D - Tanner Hynes
D - Sam Weaver
D - Tobias Klingberg
D - Tony Pellerin
D - Sean Connery
G - Artom Zhumbayev
G - AK47

Top Prospects
C - Vincent Adultman
LW - Pavel Ovechkin
RW - Bogdan Podarok
G - Artom Zhumbayev

Founder's Cup
Jack Reilly Trophy - Blake Campbell
 
Roster
C - Vincent Adultman
C - Alexander Davidson
C - Bobby Boucher
LW - Bjorn Kobayashi
LW - Pavel Ovechkin
LW - Adam Holmstrom
RW - Bogdan Podarok
RW - Mikhail Gribov
D - Saul Hackett
D - Benjamin Tumack
D - Ken Anderson
D - Zach Voss
D - Tanner Hynes
D - Sam Weaver
D - Tobias Klingberg
D - Tony Pellerin
D - Sean Connery
G - Artom Zhumbayev
G - AK47

Top Prospects
C - Vincent Adultman
LW - Pavel Ovechkin
RW - Bogdan Podarok
G - Artom Zhumbayev

Founder's Cup
Jack Reilly Trophy - Blake Campbell
 
Roster
C - Vincent Adultman
C - Alexander Davidson
C - Bobby Boucher
LW - Bjorn Kobayashi
LW - Pavel Ovechkin
LW - Adam Holmstrom
RW - Bogdan Podarok
RW - Mikhail Gribov
D - Saul Hackett
D - Benjamin Tumack
D - Ken Anderson
D - Zach Voss
D - Tanner Hynes
D - Sam Weaver
D - Tobias Klingberg
D - Tony Pellerin
D - Sean Connery
G - Artom Zhumbayev
G - AK47

Top Prospects
C - Vincent Adultman
LW - Pavel Ovechkin
RW - Bogdan Podarok
G - Artom Zhumbayev

Awards
Continental Cup
Victory Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Edwin Reencarnacion
Kevin Brooks Trophy - Edwin Reencarnacion
Aidan Shaw Trophy - Blake Campbell
Mikka Virkkunen Trophy - E'Twaun Delicious

Roster
C - Thomas O'Malley [A]
LW - Edwin Reencarnacion
LW - Jorma Ruutu [C]
RW - Lloyd Light
RW - E'Twaun Delicious
RW - Evgeny Nezhmetdinov
D - Biggu Kyanon [A]
D - Thaddeus Humbert
D - Thomas Duddy
G - Blake Campbell

All Stars
C - Thomas O'Malley
LW - Edwin Reencarnacion
RW - Lloyd Light
D - Biggu Kyanon
G - Blake Campbell

C - Bismarck Koenig
C - Severin von Karma
LW - Christoph Klose
LW - Wolfgang Strauss
RW - E'Twaun Delicious
RW - Jakub Rhinehart
D - Phil Hamilton
D - Kurtis Hunter
D - Thaddeus Humbert
D - Jeff Hamilton
G - Hans Wingate
G - Greg Clegane
 


 
C - Aleksi Koponen
C - Tim TebowGow
LW - Jorma Ruutu
LW - Oskars Harumpf
RW - Simon Valmount
RW - Max Mølholt
D - Golden Jedtsson
D - Kerkko Hyvarinen
D - Marquis Hyvarinen
D - Joel Jarvi
G - Bernie Gow
 


 
C - Tyler Cote
C - Gifford Shock
LW - Rami Jakobssen
LW - Thomas Duddy
RW - Brady Stropko
RW - Shawn Muller
D - Arcturus Mengsk
D - World B. Free
D - Jaime Hill
D - Pablo Escabar
G - Sandro Clegane
G - Fedir Okranitz
 
Awards
Most Valuable Player: Sandro Clegane (MER)
 
Top Forward: Bismarck Koenig (WEU)
 
Top Defenceman: Phil Hamilton (WEU) & Biggu Kyanon (WOR)
 
Top Goaltender: Sandro Clegane (MER)
 
Breakout Star: Sandro Clegane (MER)
 
--------------------------------------------
 
Top 10 Tournament Scorers
1. Bismarck Koenig (WEU) - 22
2. Severin von Karma (WEU) - 18
T3. Simon Valmount (SCA) - 17
T3. Aleksi Koponen (SCA) - 17
5. Biggu Kyanon (WOR) - 16
T6. Wolfgang Strauss (WEU) - 15
T6. Tim TebowGow (SCA) - 15
T8. Christoph Klose (WEU) - 14
T8. Max Mølholt (SCA) - 14
T8. Jorma Ruutu (SCA) - 14
 
--------------------------------------------
 
Final Standings
1st(Gold) - Western Europe
2nd(Silver) - Scandinavia
3rd(Bronze) - Mercenaries
4th - World
5th - United States
6th - Canada

G - CAL G
Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 205 lbs.
Jersey Number: 69
Drafted: S25 CGY (via GM Rule)
Username: JardyB10
 
CAL G came into the league as one of the more anticipated goaltenders of the post-Aidan Shaw era. Created by then-Calgary General Manager Jardy Bunclewirth as a Season 25 player, the player’s name was a bit of a joke about what he would be to the organization for the long term. Ironically, CAL G ended up playing no games in Calgary. Instead, he played out his first year of VHL eligibility in the VHLM and then saw his rights shipped to Seattle for a package of picks (one of which ended up being Hall-of-Famer Phil Rafter). CAL G now sits sixth in career wins despite less games played than everyone above him and many below him, and has the fourth best save percentage along with the best Goals Against Average in league history. One of the best goaltenders in the VHL’s storied history, CAL G gets his dues today with a Hall-of-Fame induction.
 
Career Awards:
S24 Founder's Cup (Saskatoon) S24 Sawchuk Trophy (Top VHLM Goaltender) S25 Founder's Cup (Saskatoon) S25 Sawchuk Trophy (Top VHLM Goaltender) S26 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy (Top Rookie) S27 Victory Cup (Seattle) S28 Continental Cup (Seattle) S28 Victory Cup (Seattle) S28 Daisuke Kanou Trophy (Playoff MVP; shared with Felix Peters) S29 Scotty Campbell Trophy (VHL MVP) S29 Aidan Shaw Trophy (Top VHL Goaltender) Season 25 Statistics (VHLM):
Regular Season: Saskatoon Wild [VHLM] 72 GP / 59-8-4 / 0.920 SV / 2.20 GAA / 2 SO Postseason: Saskatoon Wild [VHLM] 10 GP / 8-2-0 / 0.907 SV / 2.65 GAA / 1 SO CAL G was drafted third overall in the Season 24 VHLM Dispersal Draft by the Saskatoon Wild. On a roster that was bolstered by Gunnar Axelson’s ridiculous 185-goal season with strong contributions, CAL G won the Sawchuk that year as the VHLM’s top goalie and the team easily won the Founder's Cup, but he surprised many by choosing to stay down in the VHLM for his first year of VHL eligibility rather than ascend to the Calgary Wranglers’ top netminder position. With CAL G and Vladimir Boomchenko returning, the Wild looked like strong favorites to repeat. Also adding the services of future Hall-of-Famer Jarvis Baldwin, Saskatoon was able to finish with the VHLM’s best record for the second consecutive season. CAL G once again won the Sawchuk Trophy as he established himself as the only elite young netminder in the minors. In the postseason, the Wild had little trouble, winning both of their series’ 4-1 despite a less resolute postseason effort from the hyped goaltender. Going into the VHL as only the third multi-Sawchuk winning goaltender in VHLM history, expectations were high for CAL G.
 
Season 26 Statistics:
Regular Season: Seattle Bears 64 GP / 47-12-5 / 0.912 SV / 2.15 GAA / 11 SO Postseason: Seattle Bears 6 GP / 2-4-0 / 0.903 SV / 2.64 GAA / 1 SO Following a franchise-shaping offseason deal between Seattle and Calgary to send CAL G to the Bears, there were a lot of expectations for the Saskatoon product in net with a massively talented roster in front of him. G responded with a league-leading 11 shutouts, while finishing fourth in the league in save percentage and third in Goals Against Average. The Bears, who had gone 25-38-9 in the previous season, finished with 109 points in the standings as six different players accounted for at least 100 points. In the postseason Seattle faltered on the back of a poor effort from CAL G, but his great regular season was enough to net him the Stolzschweiger Trophy as the league’s top rookie. It was becoming increasingly clear that a star was rising in the VHL.
 
Season 27 Statistics:
Regular Season: Seattle Bears 65 GP / 53-8-4 / 0.928 SV / 1.60 GAA / 19 SO Postseason: Seattle Bears 7 GP / 3-3-1 / 0.918 SV / 2.32 GAA / 1 SO CAL G had easily the greatest season for a VHL goaltender that wasn’t named the league’s top goaltender. His 19 shutouts remain a league record today, as does his 1.60 GAA. It seems pretty ridiculous nowadays to see that Andreas Bjorkman’s save percentage being .003% higher could trump these records en route to an Aidan Shaw Trophy win. CAL G led Seattle to a Victory Cup in Season 27 as the league’s winningest team, but the team was shocked by the New York Americans in the North American Conference Championship 4-3. G played well in the series, but many were beginning to doubt his ability to lead a team after a second consecutive first round loss.
 
Season 28 Statistics:
Regular Season: Seattle Bears 62 GP / 49-11-1 / 0.921 SV / 1.75 GAA / 8 SO Postseason: Seattle Bears 13 GP / 8-5-0 / 0.917 SV / 2.03 GAA / 1 SO After a record-setting season, CAL G took a bit of a step back but still produced a fantastic season. For a second straight year, Seattle managed a Victory Cup win, solidifying them as one of the premier teams of the late-Season-20’s. Of course, this era is known for the advent of cross-over, a system that allowed three teams from one conference to make the playoffs (back when there were still only four in each conference) if the other conference only had one deserving team. It’s a system that was short-lived, as VHL expansion took away the need for it, but it created interesting match-ups, including CAL G’s first ever postseason showdown against his former Calgary Wranglers. Led by rookie Marius Henchoz, Calgary nearly stole the series, but CAL G instead picked up his first VHL postseason series victory 4-3 to set up a rematch against the New York Americans, who had eliminated the Bears in the playoffs a season ago. This time, Seattle prevailed 4-2 to win the league’s Continental Cup, while CAL G shared the Daisuke Kanou Trophy as the league’s postseason MVP with teammate Felix Peters for his efforts.
 
Season 29 Statistics:
Regular Season: Seattle Bears 64 GP / 43-15-6 / 0.932 SV / 1.70 GAA / 10 SO Postseason: Seattle Bears 7 GP / 3-3-1 / 0.881 SV / 2.98 GAA / 0 SO CAL G bred a lot of expectations following his leading Seattle to a Cup in Season 28, and boy did he deliver. After a major snub for the Aidan Shaw Trophy two seasons back, CAL G was able to claim the trophy as the top VHL goaltender for the first time in his career with a fantastic year, taking his game to such a new level that he was ultimately crowned regular season MVP. Still, Seattle took a bit of a step back, following behind the upstart Toronto Legion in the chase for the top record in the North American Conference. Against Davos in the first round of the postseason, CAL G played uncharacteristically poor, and Seattle found themselves bounced in the first round for the third time in four years.
 
Season 30 Statistics:
Regular Season: Seattle Bears 64 GP / 40-16-8 / 0.922 SV / 1.97 GAA / 3 SO Postseason: Seattle Bears 12 GP / 7-5-0 / 0.927 SV / 1.94 GAA / 1 SO Seattle was able to ascend once more to the top of the North American Conference in an era that was extremely low on scoring. CAL G didn’t perform as great in Season 30 as he did the year before but was still an instrumental piece in Seattle’s success. Still holding a grudge over the Season 27 playoff defeat, the Bears dominated New York in the first round of the postseason 4-1, setting up an epic finale between two North American teams, as CAL G went in to face Calgary once again. A match-up with a ton of great narratives (although CAL G1 would unfortunately never see the net for the Wranglers), it was an extremely hard fought and close match-up that proved one of the greatest finals series’ in VHL history. Calgary asserted themselves with a 3-1 lead before the Bears won a huge game five in triple overtime. Following a CAL G shutout to even the series at three, Marius Henchoz put up a shutout of his own in game seven to secure another Bears disappointment. G had his best postseason performance in his career, but it wasn’t quite enough to hold off the upstart Wranglers.
 
Season 31 Statistics:
Regular Season: Seattle Bears/Vasteras Iron Eagles 56 GP / 27-25-4 / 0.930 SV / 2.28 GAA / 8 SO It became abundantly clear that Seattle no longer had the roster to compete with the new-guard in the North American Conference. In 36 games in Seattle, CAL G had a 16-17-3 record despite a fantastic 0.934 save percentage. Seattle then chose to blow up the whole thing, sending G, Jarvis Baldwin and Genghis Khan to Vasteras for four players and four picks. In Vasteras, CAL G played only 20 of the last 36 games, as the team was looking to give playing time to young goaltender Vincent Vega as well, but in his 20 starts G helped Vasteras to 11 of their 24 wins on the year. After years of being regarded as a franchise goaltender, CAL G had fallen back to playing a gatekeeper role, despite his immense talents clearly still being intac
 
Season 32 Statistics:
Regular Season: Vasteras Iron Eagles 64 GP / 44-13-6 / 0.934 SV / 1.79 GAA / 9 SO Postseason: Vasteras Iron Eagles 7 GP / 3-4-0 / 0.911 SV / 2.72 GAA / 0 SO It was clear that Vasteras made the move to add CAL G and Jarvis Baldwin with an eye towards Season 32 rather than Season 31. Vincent Vega had fallen out of favor with the organization, allowing CAL G to reclaim his rightful place as a full-time netminder, and he played exceptionally. One of five goaltenders to finish with a save percentage over 0.925 and one of three to go over 0.930, Season 32 was defined by franchise goaltenders, as a performance on the level of CAL G’s in Season 32 could bring in an Aidan Shaw Trophy in almost any other season. Vasteras finished the year with 104 points, although that was only good for third in the European Conference, and the team lost in seven in the first round against the upstart Helsinki Titans in CAL G’s final VHL game.
 
Career Stats:
Regular Season: 439 GP / 303-100-34 / 0.926 SV / 1.88 GAA / 68 SO Postseason: 52 GP / 26-24-2 / 0.913 SV / 2.33 GAA / 4 SO CAL G may have only won one Continental Cup, but even at his worst he was still easily in the discussion as one of the top four goaltenders in the VHL. Stick him in nearly any other era, and his Aidan Shaw trophy collection would likely include three wins rather than one. He still holds the single season shutout and GAA records, and held the career shutout record until Alexander Labatte passed him by one. Overall, CAL G is one of the league’s truly elite goalies, putting him up there with the likes of Aidan Shaw, Daisuke Kanou, Labatte, and Benjamin Glover, and perhaps very few others.

Awards
Continental Cup
Victory Cup
Terence Fong Trophy
Scotty Campbell Trophy - Thomas O'Malley
Brett Slobodzian Trophy - Thomas O'Malley
Mike Szatkowski Trophy - Thomas O'Malley
David Knight Trophy - William Shaw
Grimm Jonsson Trophy - Phil Hamilton

Roster
C - Thomas O'Malley [A]
C - Aleksi Koponen
LW - Christoph Klose [A]
LW - Wolfgang Strauss
LW - Marcel Faux
RW - Jackson Miller
RW - Giovanni Reuel
D - Phil Hamilton [C]
D - Pablo Escabar
D - Souryuu Kaminogi
D - Theo Matsikas
G - Greg Clegane

All Stars
C - Thomas O'Malley
D - Phil Hamilton
G - Greg Clegane
 

Awards
Continental Cup
Victory Cup
Terence Fong Trophy
Scotty Campbell Trophy - Thomas O'Malley
Brett Slobodzian Trophy - Thomas O'Malley
Mike Szatkowski Trophy - Thomas O'Malley
Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy - Greg Clegane
David Knight Trophy - William Shaw
Grimm Jonsson Trophy - Phil Hamilton

Roster
C - Thomas O'Malley [A]
C - Aleksi Koponen
LW - Christoph Klose
LW - Wolfgang Strauss
LW - Marcel Faux
LW - Thomas Duddy [C]
RW - Brady Stropko
D - Phil Hamilton [A]
D - Pablo Escabar
D - Souryuu Kaminogi
D - Theo Matsikas
G - Greg Clegane

All Stars
C - Thomas O'Malley
G - Greg Clegane  

Awards
Continental Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Tyler Cote
Aidan Shaw Trophy - Hans Wingate
David Knight Trophy - Austin Gow

Roster
C - Tyler Cote [A]
C - Tim TebowGow
LW - Rami Jakobssen
LW - Marcus Hurley [C]
RW - Sachimo Zoidberg
RW - Jackson Miller
RW - Teuvo Ruutu
D - Jaime Hill [A]
D - Nicklas Karlsson
D - Michael Clardy
D - Kerkko Hyvarinen
G - Hans Wingate

All Stars
C - Tyler Cote
RW - Jackson Miller
D - Jaime Hill
D - Nicklas Karlsson
G - Hans Wingate

Awards
Continental Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Niklaus Mikaelson & Brady Stropko
Grimm Jonsson Trophy - Phil Villeneuve

Roster
C - A.C. Savage [A]
C - Rift Pajodcast
LW - James Faraday [A]
LW - Wolfgang Strauss
RW - Brady Stropko
RW - Jakub Rhinehart
D - Phil Villeneuve [C]
D - Nicklas Karlsson
D - Pablo Escabar
D - Borje Samuelsson
G - Niklaus Mikaelson

All Stars
LW - James Faraday
D - Phil Villeneuve
G - Niklaus Mikaelson

Victor Alfredsson


Joined: April 4, 2009
Member Number: 4,679
Positions Held: Administrator, Moderator, VHL General Manager, VHL Financier, Media Spot Grader, Head Grader and (Calls himself) League Historian
 
The Victator, as he's lovingly referred to, has been a mainstay in the Victory Hockey League since Season 11. Interestingly enough, I (again) have to take full and complete credit for this monster. I remember the early days on the New York Americans working alongside General Manager Brandon Best. We needed a goalie real badly and there were two really good ones available to us. We decided to take a chance on a young kid named Alfie_Forever and his player Vase Trikamaki from Finland. Little did we know that the other goalie, Tayson Barabash (represented by Bushito) would also fall to us later in the draft. I told Brandon to draft them both since first gens typically have a tendency to either light it up or flame out. In retrospect, they both lit up the league and interestingly enough again, they both became somewhat polarizing characters in league history.
 
In some respects, Alfie almost always got under my skin. He's a smart guy, an incredible worker and he happens to be very opinionated. Due to these qualities he often gives off the love/hate vibe. In one way I love the guy because of everything he contributes and because he's a genuinely good guy. In another way his confidence and desire to be the best at everything borders on seriously annoying. I remembered being very proud of him after we won the Continental Cup together in S14 with the Americans. That's essentially when Alfie was no longer my mentee. After the Cup win the Americans had to go in another direction due to cap concerns/age. Brandon Best had mostly retired from his role and the team needed a new General Manager. I looked to Alfie to carry the load and I was largely disappointed with his effort, trading off assets for a failed attempt at a run and eventually giving way to Streetlight who turned the franchise around again.
 
Early on, Alfie became involved in the league by the way of jobs. He acted as a grader at first I believe. He also acted as VHL financier. In both roles he was certainly one of the best the VHL has ever seen. Later on he moved up to become the Head Grader and a moderator. Throughout all this time, Alfie wanted to contribute more. He even became critical of the admin team at some points. Essentially David's last act as an administrator in the league was to establish expansion in S31. Alfie became an admin right around this time as I maintained too that David and Jardy needed to add more people to the blue team to support them as the VHL had begun to lag. Due to a fairly sizable chunk of the league history being lost between S23-34 due to the site crash, I don't recall the specific dates of anything.
 
In more recent memory, as a VHL General Manager, Victor certainly established himself as one of the greatest of the past 15 seasons, capturing 2 Continental Cups during four finals appearances as the Manager of the Davos Dynamo, concurrent with his tenure as an administrator. He definitely was and is a Manager who was not afraid to pull the trigger on big moves He often  won trades outright, due to I assume, Victor being a shrewd negotiator. He also emerged as the league's 'official' historian, a moniker he gave himself after writing the majority of the past 40 for 40 articles himself. Perhaps his most notable contribution is that ever-encompassing VHL encyclopedia inside his head. He seemingly has the power to spit out amazing stats and occurrences from up to five real life years ago whereas I've forgotten a lot of things that have happened around this place in that same time. Alfie did a masterful job keeping the VHL Hall of Fame in excellent condition, making sure the league's history was been well documented and stored.
 
In terms of policy or changes made during Victor's term as an admin, I'd say he was a fairly conservative leader. He acquired a very well balanced and well run league. He also left it as a well balanced and well run league. We've all been fortunate to be standing already on the shoulders of giants. The biggest highlight to me came during S35 when the league moved again to its current home. Without a lot of Victor's knowledge, it would have been a much more difficult transition. The new site has created a much more stable league. I can't think of any huge changes to the inner workings of the league since Victor stepped in as a commish. His hand in the 40 for 40 series was extremely valuable. Obviously the man did a lot of his work behind the scenes, allowing the Board of Governors to expand their role in setting changes. His leadership is/was a reflection of this. In large capacity, the league has been far more committed to the VHLM due to Victor. He established the VHLM magazine with Noah, created the individual team locker rooms and aided a number of new members in their respective environments, when needed.
 
Victor was a great administrator for a few key reasons. First of all, he was always Johnny on the spot with making needed behind the scenes moves such as running the draft, tabulating HOF and Award ballots, moving permissions and player threads, etc. He was a simple master of activity. The guy created some of the best players in the history of the league during the second, third and now fourth generations of the VHL. His commitment to the league was the key factor in helping revive activity in a lot of ways. If you have an active and capable leader, you have a strong league. Second of all, Victor does truly care about the league and despite wanting to win so badly, he's often done the best for the league in a lot of ways that we don't and can't see. Third, I think his legacy will most notably be reflected in the history he has maintained and retained. I've always fancied history myself, but I don't have the time to remember as much as he does. It's simply amazing.
 
I've only joined paths with Victor a few times in the league (New York S11-14, Toronto S22-23ish, New York S41-42) and they have always been good times. He's very determined, confident and active. He adds a lot to a team and to the league. Since he's also very competitive and he's also become somewhat of my rival. I've never been too concerned with individual statistics or awards (not as much as he has been), I've always been more focused on watching the league flourish and I think Victor too has done this in his own unique way. In a lot of ways, I'd say our relationship has been adversarial and due to this he has blurred the lines between respect and insult on occasion. I respect the guy a lot despite me seeing him seemingly from all angles since he's joined. A lot of ways, it's hard for the old man to watch someone he drafted, mentored and aided mature into one of the greatest members in the league. Victor's contributions to the VHL have been enormous over the past five years. I'd like to see him continue on as a valued mentor and respected opinion-maker. It's clear he's beloved by the masses and for good reason; he's been a tremedous administrator, player agent, General Manager and member.
 
So here's to you Alfie_Forever, long live the Victator!
 
-sterling

Awards
Continental Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Tyler Cote
Aidan Shaw Trophy - Hans Wingate
David Knight Trophy - Austin Gow

Roster
C - Tyler Cote [A]
C - Tim TebowGow
LW - Rami Jakobssen
LW - Marcus Hurley [C]
RW - Sachimo Zoidberg
RW - Jackson Miller
RW - Teuvo Ruutu
D - Jaime Hill [A]
D - Nicklas Karlsson
D - Michael Clardy
D - Kerkko Hyvarinen
G - Hans Wingate

All Stars
C - Tyler Cote
RW - Jackson Miller
D - Jaime Hill
D - Nicklas Karlsson
G - Hans Wingate

Awards
Continental Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Tyler Cote
Aidan Shaw Trophy - Hans Wingate
David Knight Trophy - Austin Gow

Roster
C - Tyler Cote [A]
C - Tim TebowGow
LW - Rami Jakobssen
LW - Marcus Hurley [C]
RW - Sachimo Zoidberg
RW - Jackson Miller
RW - Teuvo Ruutu
D - Jaime Hill [A]
D - Nicklas Karlsson
D - Michael Clardy
D - Kerkko Hyvarinen
G - Hans Wingate

All Stars
C - Tyler Cote
RW - Jackson Miller
D - Jaime Hill
D - Nicklas Karlsson
G - Hans Wingate

Awards
Founder's Cup
Prime Minister's Cup
Mitch Higgins Trophy - Marcel Faux
Skylar Rift Trophy - Ariel Weinstein
Ethan Osborne Trophy - Marcel Faux
Alexander Chershenko Trophy - Marcel Faux
Vladimir Boomchenko Trophy - Max Molholt
Ryan Sullivan Trophy - MC Hammer
Benoit Devereux Trophy - Ariel Weinstein

Roster
C - Sean Blacker
LW - Marcel Faux
LW - Kane Hamilton
RW - Max Molholt
RW - Travis Willcox
RW - Casper Salomon
RW - R Truth
RW - Ethan Henderson
RW - Matty Gatsby
RW - Ryan Carlson
RW - Scott Kibbie
D - Biggu Kyanon
D - MC Hammer
D - Erik Hedman
D - Stabby McFullO'Schmidt
D - Benjamin Bellamont
D - Pierre-Luc Lefrancois
G - Ariel Weinstein

Top Prospects
RW - Max Molholt
RW - Ethan Henderson
D - Biggu Kyanon
G - Ariel Weinstein

Awards
Continental Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Tyler Cote
Aidan Shaw Trophy - Hans Wingate
David Knight Trophy - Austin Gow

Roster
C - Tyler Cote [A]
C - Tim TebowGow
LW - Rami Jakobssen
LW - Marcus Hurley [C]
RW - Sachimo Zoidberg
RW - Jackson Miller
RW - Teuvo Ruutu
D - Jaime Hill [A]
D - Nicklas Karlsson
D - Michael Clardy
D - Kerkko Hyvarinen
G - Hans Wingate

All Stars
C - Tyler Cote
RW - Jackson Miller
D - Jaime Hill
D - Nicklas Karlsson
G - Hans Wingate

Awards
Continental Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Tyler Cote
Aidan Shaw Trophy - Hans Wingate
David Knight Trophy - Austin Gow

Roster
C - Tyler Cote [A]
C - Tim TebowGow
LW - Rami Jakobssen
LW - Marcus Hurley [C]
RW - Sachimo Zoidberg
RW - Jackson Miller
RW - Teuvo Ruutu
D - Jaime Hill [A]
D - Nicklas Karlsson
D - Michael Clardy
D - Kerkko Hyvarinen
G - Hans Wingate

All Stars
C - Tyler Cote
RW - Jackson Miller
D - Jaime Hill
D - Nicklas Karlsson
G - Hans Wingate

Awards
Continental Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Tyler Cote
Aidan Shaw Trophy - Hans Wingate
David Knight Trophy - Austin Gow

Roster
C - Tyler Cote [A]
C - Tim TebowGow
LW - Rami Jakobssen
LW - Marcus Hurley [C]
RW - Sachimo Zoidberg
RW - Jackson Miller
RW - Teuvo Ruutu
D - Jaime Hill [A]
D - Nicklas Karlsson
D - Michael Clardy
D - Kerkko Hyvarinen
G - Hans Wingate

All Stars
C - Tyler Cote
RW - Jackson Miller
D - Jaime Hill
D - Nicklas Karlsson
G - Hans Wingate

Jardy Bunclewirth

Joined: March 24, 2010
Member Number: 13,232
Positions Held: VHL Commissioner, League Simmer, VHL & VHLM General Manager, Moderator, Media Spot Grader

It's fairly straightforward to differentiate a good first-gen from a bad one these days. Generally it's clear-cut before the draft which new members can be expected to stick around and which ones are just going through the motions, but this wasn't always the case. Technically speaking, “first-gens” existed from the VHL's first season but it's quite simple to pinpoint the exact moment when the term became popular. Shortly after Season 16, it evolved from the commonly accepted “new Jardy”.

It's a paradox in itself that Jardy was seen as the ideal first-gen when in truth, he was evidence of the extremely flawed recruitment and retention system. Picked in the third round of a mediocre at best draft, perhaps solely because Calgary GM Matt Bentz liked his player's name, Jardy was not active before joining a VHL team and his 0-point, little-ice-time performance with a terrible Bern team before the S16 draft was everything that was wrong with the VHLM. It's quite impressive that he ever stuck around and we're quite fortunate for it. From his first few weeks in Calgary (and their VHLM affiliate in Minot), it was quite clear Jardy was much more involved than the vast majority of fellow new members and inspired enthusiasm for his teams. The rise was meteoric, in Season 16 he was just a very active new guy who seemed to have the whole league on MSN, by Season 17 he was one of about three good writing graders and the GM of Minot, by the start of Season 20 he had won two Continental Cups, built a VHLM championship-winning squad, was league MVP and named a VHL commissioner.

By the time he was Calgary's GM and suddenly the league simmer in Season 23, Jardy was rightfully held up by the VHL as an example for any new first-gens of what can be achieved without 20 seasons of prior history. By this point there were so many more, less drastic, but nonetheless concrete examples of successful new members, but still Jardy reigned supreme. Perhaps it was his activity levels and success, both as a player and a member, which inspired other league veterans to promote activity among new members, or maybe it was simply a good period for league recruitment, but in any case Jardy became the flag-bearer for a new generation, which, more or less, stopped VHL stagnation and propelled it to another 20 seasons of existence and a much better 20 seasons than the first to boot.

In a way, it is a disappointment that I am writing Jardy's Builder article, as it is generally symbolic of a member's waning activity. In Jardy's case, that original spark, brighter than almost any I have witnessed here, has been on the wane for a long time, but he remains nonetheless an example of formidable longevity. Many newer members only know Jardy as the drunk who sims late or sometimes not at all and occasionally rants on various topics (a staple of his commissioner tenure), but the fact of the matter is he is the longest-serving simmer of the three in VHL's history. While scotty and sterling may have been more punctual and regular, they also didn't last as long, and in Jardy's now 20-season and counting run, any accusations of riggery have been either tongue-in-cheek or simply rare and unbelievable, for it is quite clear that he would never actually rig. That trust and a thick skin has allowed Jardy to maintain, with little objection, one of the most demanding jobs in the VHL for several real-life years.

I think it's fair to say that player success is far from the reason Jardy has stuck around or was so enthusiastic to start, for if anything, his original player Bunclewirth did not initially inspire a lot of confidence. That is, until he made it to the big leagues and proved the worth of additional VHLM development with three cups, a ridiculous point-per-game pace, and one of the greatest rookie season of all-time. An all-time great goaltender in CAL G followed, but it feels insincere to conclude this on Jardy's achievement in the sim. It's not a stretch to suggest Jardy and the example of Jardy contributed to the VHL existing for games to be simmed, not mention the actual act of them being simmed by him. I have been fortunate to keep in contact with him for a long time, from our time as graders and Calgary teammates, all the way through being fellow commissioners and now to living out a sort of post-active existence in the league. The constant positivity is and has been infectious, the stories and past events wonderful, and the VHL has undoubtedly benefited from the presence of Jardy over the years.

Jardy Bunclewirth

Joined: March 24, 2010
Member Number: 13,232
Positions Held: VHL Commissioner, League Simmer, VHL & VHLM General Manager, Moderator, Media Spot Grader

It's fairly straightforward to differentiate a good first-gen from a bad one these days. Generally it's clear-cut before the draft which new members can be expected to stick around and which ones are just going through the motions, but this wasn't always the case. Technically speaking, “first-gens” existed from the VHL's first season but it's quite simple to pinpoint the exact moment when the term became popular. Shortly after Season 16, it evolved from the commonly accepted “new Jardy”.

It's a paradox in itself that Jardy was seen as the ideal first-gen when in truth, he was evidence of the extremely flawed recruitment and retention system. Picked in the third round of a mediocre at best draft, perhaps solely because Calgary GM Matt Bentz liked his player's name, Jardy was not active before joining a VHL team and his 0-point, little-ice-time performance with a terrible Bern team before the S16 draft was everything that was wrong with the VHLM. It's quite impressive that he ever stuck around and we're quite fortunate for it. From his first few weeks in Calgary (and their VHLM affiliate in Minot), it was quite clear Jardy was much more involved than the vast majority of fellow new members and inspired enthusiasm for his teams. The rise was meteoric, in Season 16 he was just a very active new guy who seemed to have the whole league on MSN, by Season 17 he was one of about three good writing graders and the GM of Minot, by the start of Season 20 he had won two Continental Cups, built a VHLM championship-winning squad, was league MVP and named a VHL commissioner.

By the time he was Calgary's GM and suddenly the league simmer in Season 23, Jardy was rightfully held up by the VHL as an example for any new first-gens of what can be achieved without 20 seasons of prior history. By this point there were so many more, less drastic, but nonetheless concrete examples of successful new members, but still Jardy reigned supreme. Perhaps it was his activity levels and success, both as a player and a member, which inspired other league veterans to promote activity among new members, or maybe it was simply a good period for league recruitment, but in any case Jardy became the flag-bearer for a new generation, which, more or less, stopped VHL stagnation and propelled it to another 20 seasons of existence and a much better 20 seasons than the first to boot.

In a way, it is a disappointment that I am writing Jardy's Builder article, as it is generally symbolic of a member's waning activity. In Jardy's case, that original spark, brighter than almost any I have witnessed here, has been on the wane for a long time, but he remains nonetheless an example of formidable longevity. Many newer members only know Jardy as the drunk who sims late or sometimes not at all and occasionally rants on various topics (a staple of his commissioner tenure), but the fact of the matter is he is the longest-serving simmer of the three in VHL's history. While scotty and sterling may have been more punctual and regular, they also didn't last as long, and in Jardy's now 20-season and counting run, any accusations of riggery have been either tongue-in-cheek or simply rare and unbelievable, for it is quite clear that he would never actually rig. That trust and a thick skin has allowed Jardy to maintain, with little objection, one of the most demanding jobs in the VHL for several real-life years.

I think it's fair to say that player success is far from the reason Jardy has stuck around or was so enthusiastic to start, for if anything, his original player Bunclewirth did not initially inspire a lot of confidence. That is, until he made it to the big leagues and proved the worth of additional VHLM development with three cups, a ridiculous point-per-game pace, and one of the greatest rookie season of all-time. An all-time great goaltender in CAL G followed, but it feels insincere to conclude this on Jardy's achievement in the sim. It's not a stretch to suggest Jardy and the example of Jardy contributed to the VHL existing for games to be simmed, not mention the actual act of them being simmed by him. I have been fortunate to keep in contact with him for a long time, from our time as graders and Calgary teammates, all the way through being fellow commissioners and now to living out a sort of post-active existence in the league. The constant positivity is and has been infectious, the stories and past events wonderful, and the VHL has undoubtedly benefited from the presence of Jardy over the years.