Gavin Minton

1. Hitting the gym regularly 
 
2. Playing basketball Loski could have played basketball instead but chose hockey.
 
3. As stated above basketball
 
4. Very quick development 
 
5. Not sure exactly but I think I'll be a late round steal
 
6. SS Hornet

Ending my third week in the VHL I think it is time for me to give my review of the league.

 
                     HISTORY
Easily one of my favorite things to do in the league is look into the history of it. The best players, seasons, teams, ect. How rich the history is amazed me at first, but looking back on it their would be a ton of history to look back on after 10 years and 70 seasons wouldn’t their. 


 
                 EARNING TPE
When I first joined I didn’t think I would enjoy having to write articles to improve my player, but it gives me things to do in my free time. I enjoy reading other articles and seeing what other members think about different topics

 
                FINAL REVIEW
I think it is safe to say that the VHL does exactly what its suppose to do, get you involved. I enjoy the site and the dedication it akes, and I think I’m going to stick around awhile.

 
164 words

Ending my third week in the VHL I think it is time for me to give my review of the league.

 
                     HISTORY
Easily one of my favorite things to do in the league is look into the history of it. The best players, seasons, teams, ect. How rich the history is amazed me at first, but looking back on it their would be a ton of history to look back on after 10 years and 70 seasons wouldn’t their. 


 
                 EARNING TPE
When I first joined I didn’t think I would enjoy having to write articles to improve my player, but it gives me things to do in my free time. I enjoy reading other articles and seeing what other members think about different topics

 
                FINAL REVIEW
I think it is safe to say that the VHL does exactly what its suppose to do, get you involved. I enjoy the site and the dedication it akes, and I think I’m going to stick around awhile.

 
164 words

Ending my third week in the VHL I think it is time for me to give my review of the league.

 
                     HISTORY
Easily one of my favorite things to do in the league is look into the history of it. The best players, seasons, teams, ect. How rich the history is amazed me at first, but looking back on it their would be a ton of history to look back on after 10 years and 70 seasons wouldn’t their. 


 
                 EARNING TPE
When I first joined I didn’t think I would enjoy having to write articles to improve my player, but it gives me things to do in my free time. I enjoy reading other articles and seeing what other members think about different topics

 
                FINAL REVIEW
I think it is safe to say that the VHL does exactly what its suppose to do, get you involved. I enjoy the site and the dedication it akes, and I think I’m going to stick around awhile.

 
164 words

Ending my third week in the VHL I think it is time for me to give my review of the league.

 
                     HISTORY
Easily one of my favorite things to do in the league is look into the history of it. The best players, seasons, teams, ect. How rich the history is amazed me at first, but looking back on it their would be a ton of history to look back on after 10 years and 70 seasons wouldn’t their. 


 
                 EARNING TPE
When I first joined I didn’t think I would enjoy having to write articles to improve my player, but it gives me things to do in my free time. I enjoy reading other articles and seeing what other members think about different topics

 
                FINAL REVIEW
I think it is safe to say that the VHL does exactly what its suppose to do, get you involved. I enjoy the site and the dedication it akes, and I think I’m going to stick around awhile.

 
164 words

Ending my third week in the VHL I think it is time for me to give my review of the league.

 
                     HISTORY
Easily one of my favorite things to do in the league is look into the history of it. The best players, seasons, teams, ect. How rich the history is amazed me at first, but looking back on it their would be a ton of history to look back on after 10 years and 70 seasons wouldn’t their. 


 
                 EARNING TPE
When I first joined I didn’t think I would enjoy having to write articles to improve my player, but it gives me things to do in my free time. I enjoy reading other articles and seeing what other members think about different topics

 
                FINAL REVIEW
I think it is safe to say that the VHL does exactly what its suppose to do, get you involved. I enjoy the site and the dedication it akes, and I think I’m going to stick around awhile.

 
164 words

Ending my third week in the VHL I think it is time for me to give my review of the league.

 
                     HISTORY
Easily one of my favorite things to do in the league is look into the history of it. The best players, seasons, teams, ect. How rich the history is amazed me at first, but looking back on it their would be a ton of history to look back on after 10 years and 70 seasons wouldn’t their. 


 
                 EARNING TPE
When I first joined I didn’t think I would enjoy having to write articles to improve my player, but it gives me things to do in my free time. I enjoy reading other articles and seeing what other members think about different topics

 
                FINAL REVIEW
I think it is safe to say that the VHL does exactly what its suppose to do, get you involved. I enjoy the site and the dedication it akes, and I think I’m going to stick around awhile.

 
164 words

Ending my third week in the VHL I think it is time for me to give my review of the league.

 
                     HISTORY
Easily one of my favorite things to do in the league is look into the history of it. The best players, seasons, teams, ect. How rich the history is amazed me at first, but looking back on it their would be a ton of history to look back on after 10 years and 70 seasons wouldn’t their. 


 
                 EARNING TPE
When I first joined I didn’t think I would enjoy having to write articles to improve my player, but it gives me things to do in my free time. I enjoy reading other articles and seeing what other members think about different topics

 
                FINAL REVIEW
I think it is safe to say that the VHL does exactly what its suppose to do, get you involved. I enjoy the site and the dedication it akes, and I think I’m going to stick around awhile.

 
164 words

Ending my third week in the VHL I think it is time for me to give my review of the league.

 
                     HISTORY
Easily one of my favorite things to do in the league is look into the history of it. The best players, seasons, teams, ect. How rich the history is amazed me at first, but looking back on it their would be a ton of history to look back on after 10 years and 70 seasons wouldn’t their. 


 
                 EARNING TPE
When I first joined I didn’t think I would enjoy having to write articles to improve my player, but it gives me things to do in my free time. I enjoy reading other articles and seeing what other members think about different topics

 
                FINAL REVIEW
I think it is safe to say that the VHL does exactly what its suppose to do, get you involved. I enjoy the site and the dedication it akes, and I think I’m going to stick around awhile.

 
164 words

Ending my third week in the VHL I think it is time for me to give my review of the league.

 
                     HISTORY
Easily one of my favorite things to do in the league is look into the history of it. The best players, seasons, teams, ect. How rich the history is amazed me at first, but looking back on it their would be a ton of history to look back on after 10 years and 70 seasons wouldn’t their. 


 
                 EARNING TPE
When I first joined I didn’t think I would enjoy having to write articles to improve my player, but it gives me things to do in my free time. I enjoy reading other articles and seeing what other members think about different topics

 
                FINAL REVIEW
I think it is safe to say that the VHL does exactly what its suppose to do, get you involved. I enjoy the site and the dedication it akes, and I think I’m going to stick around awhile.

 
164 words

Have you ever done anything in life, anything where you considered yourself pretty good at it? Like to the point where you start feeling real confident about your abilities? No? Okay, just pretend you have. Pretend that you are a gazelle. Your the best damn gazelle around, you outrun the slowest gazelle every day and never get caught by the predator! In fact, you outrun not just the slowest gazelle, but all of them. They consider you the Usain Bolt of gazelles, and you use your intelligence and maneuverability to buy yourself another day on the planet. The predator of the gazelle--the lion usually aims to catch the slowest gazelle in order to find it's meal. Now imagine the lion stalks around per usual, and the chase begins--but this time, that motherfucker is fast. This lion might as well have augmented limbs because he is so goddamn fast that he only wants the fastest gazelle to satisfy is undying hunger. He catches the fastest gazelle with no stress and peaces out to dine on his meal leaving all the gazelles to wonder what the hell just happened to their Usain Bolt. As you, the fastest gazelle, are being feasted on alive by the family of the lion you think to yourself; This motherfucker is O.P. That Lion is the Moscow Menace. Yeah, thats right. Moscow Menace isn't even a gazelle, they are the fucking lion. They are laughing in their dressing room as they rip to shreds the competition like a simple VHL gazelle. Forget beating the rest of the gazelles to live another day-- How in the hell do we stop this monstrosity that the VHL has created?
 
SUPER IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF OVERPOWEREDNESS
 
As a hockey fan and a VHL newbie, I am very sad to bring you the top 50 players in order of points minus every player from a team other than Moscow. Hint: The list is not as short as you may think.
 
Jet Jaguar @gorlab
97 points in 72 games you say? You must be referencing a demigod by the name of Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl from an ancient time where hockey players actually played the game on ice with sticks and skates! Nope, were really talking about Jet Jaguar and the absolute beast of a player he is.
Conclusion: OP
 
Randoms @hedgehog337
Ok, obviously there will be a player well beyond the point-per-game stat line, but probably no more right? Wrong. Randoms is just a random dude that GM @Victor found on the streets of Russia sipping vodka out of a damp sock, but turned out to be the best damn goalscorer since...since himself. There is nobody quite like dampen sock sipping Randoms.
Conclusion: Drunk and OP
 
Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen @flyersfan1453
You already probably know that this man racks up points, not only in the VHL but in Jager credits. "What are Jager credits?" you may ask-- Jager credits are a made up currency that Smitty takes for his endorsement deals with Jagermeister, the alcoholic beverage. He believes that these will purchase him beverages from the company but he couldn't be more wrong. Good move, Jagermeister.
Conclusion: Not Drunk but OP
 
Mat Tocco @Matmenzinger
What is there to know about this little guy? Other than him being a scoring machine, he also starred in the movie Indiana Jones. He played the character, "short round" as he was the only person available that was short enough to play the role. Rocking a 5'9" 170 pound frame, good luck hitting this guy as he slips through between your legs and scores top shelf while screaming "MISTAH JONES MISTAH JONES!"
Conclusion: Short but OP
 
Dan Baillie @wcats
We are seeing a recurring theme here--No, not that I'm a biased and sore loser roasting the team that beat me in the playoffs, that Moscow is full of players that can score points like crazy. Dan Baillie is 9th on the list of 50 players, and we are already at 5 Menace players being mentioned. The winger scored 77 points and put up a 32 goal season, which is never to be taken lightly.
Conclusion: OP
 
Gritty @eaglesfan036
Hey- who are you and how did you get in her-- Hi guys this is the same guy that wrote all the rest of this stuff, and I'm here to say that Gritty is the best player in the entire league, he is underrated, he is handsome, and he doesn't take yes for an answer! Gritty ain't afraid to get down and dirty when it comes to scoring goals and dishing out apples, but when it comes to the Moscow Menace, I'm- I mean He, is the most complete player!
Conclusion: Gritty
 
Vladimir Pavlov @Victor
Another Russian in his home country, what else could go right for the Menace? Seriously, the VHL need to put limits on how many Russians are allowed to abuse vodka during games. Moscow's bench looks like the curb outside of the bar full of drunks chatting it up about nothing altogether, but at the same time they get on the ice and turn into straight savages searching for the last bottle of vodka left on post-apocalyptic earth. Besides that, Pavlov is a great defenseman that deserves the recognition that he has gotten, though he forgets everything the next day so whats the point.
Conclusion: Drunk and OP
 
Dean Clarke @Kyle
You thought we were done? You can't forget the Dean. The Dean is the most normal resembling figure on the Moscow team. Although he is in the top 50 players in points, He reminds me that you don't have to be in a vodka-fueled rage coma to do well in the VHL. Putting up good numbers for a well rounded defenseman, He is showing promise for an even brighter future in Moscow, if that is even possible with all the drunk Russians raging across the league. Anyway, thank you Dean Clarke for keeping away from the vodka and helping build a better and safer VHL.
Conclusion: All Natural
 
Raymond Bernard @Mr_Hatter
You are joking right? They also have a goalie that can put up 45 wins in a season with a 2.51 GAA? Is he on the drink too? No, he's not. Well maybe, theres no way to be sure, but no matter that, he's a goalie that can steal games on any day. Signed to be with Moscow for another 3 seasons and looking good at that. All we can do is pray that this man doesn't find where Randoms keeps his dampen socks.
Conclusion: OP
 
Now I ask all of you, please consider signing my petition to remove the abuse of vodka in the EU conference, obviously were staring right at you Moscow. This team is not only good, but tolerant. They will feast on the substance until their insatiable hunger for vodka can no longer be met, then they move on to something else-- something worse, US. If they aren't already feasting on us, they will be soon when they run out of vodka. We can only hope that people like Dean Clarke will see the condition of his teammates before they turn into VHL player eating zombies that play great hockey.
FINAL CONCLUSION: MOSCOW IS OP!!!
 
I have implemented a security device that will force these players to leave you alone for a short while. Please use the following image to create a distraction if you are to run into one of the previously listed players.

Instructions: Use with caution. Pull photo up on phone and show to raging drunk. Proceed to throw phone as far as you can once individual makes a loud screeching noise. DO NOT CONSUME BECAUSE THIS IS A PHOTO!
 
Disclaimer: This is meant to be funny, and was not meant to hurt the feelings of others. If you have been found with injured feelings, please contact @Beketov.
 
1,310 words for PT weeks March 8 and March 15

Checks media spot subforum
 
Sees I'm out of claims
 
Screams internally
 
So welcome to another article! Here we'll be taking a look at how every VHL team is doing--now, yes, but more importantly, into the future. We'll see who's sticking around, who's leaving, how each team is set up for the draft, all that good stuff. If you like overly wordy analysis that takes up half your computer screen to say what could be said in two lines, you've come to the right place. So, let's get into it, I guess...
 
 
 
NORTH AMERICAN CONFERENCE
 
 
 

Calgary Wranglers
On Pace For: 44-20-8
Current Standing: 3rd
GM: @Bushito
 
The Present: Calgary looks good this season, and that's thanks to a solid veteran core with one of the best defensive games in the league. With five players over 600 TPA and a blueline where the average exceeds 700, they're a hard team to crack. Among the veterans, center Tyler Barabash Jr, defenseman Brady Stropko Jr, and goalie JB Rift provide the team's strongest statistical showings, though talent in Calgary is very much spread across the board--despite the Wranglers' record and standing, you'd have to go to 19th on the points list to find Barabash, and the same or similar may be said about many other categories, indicating that there is no sole savior of the team and that it is working well as a whole.
 
The Future: How the Wranglers look now is nothing compared to what they might look like in a few seasons. Prospects Sigard Gunnar, Hiroshi Okada, Kris Rice, RJ Jubis, and Jacques Lafontaine are all a season or two old and max earners (or close to max earners) on the brink of busting their careers wide open, and that's not even taking into consideration the two top picks in this past draft, Mikko Lahtinen and Edwin THE Encarnacion. If you think they've got a good team now, just wait--especially when they've got two first-rounders in S72.
 
Best Case: "Best case" is wonderful to think about for a team in a situation like this. Calgary's got five players over 600 TPA right now, and they've managed to put together a solid roster that can win games already. I'm counting seven significant earners on this list alone who are ready to move to the next level, and that's not even looking at the rest of the roster, many of whom are respectable earners in their own right. So, best case scenario? Bush builds a dynasty out of this, going on a long run of success and winning a few cups.
 
Worst Case: It's difficult to imagine what could possibly go wrong with a team that already seems to have completed a rebuild and are enjoying the post-tank success with much more and potentially much greater to come. A good look at the portal, though, combined with the questionability of some recent events, could even put Calgary under in a few seasons, though that assumes that all that can possibly go wrong does. For one, only four players are signed through S72, and none are signed through S73. For the Wranglers to keep any of their players past that point, they'll need a few good re-signings--though, admittedly, chances are low that everyone decides to bail. The team was briefly put in jeopardy for a brief period of time last season, though, when a large part of the roster retired due to internal conflict. Though the team looks to have sorted things out since, it will be necessary for management to continue to monitor its locker room in order to actively avoid the worst.
 
Players mentioned:
 
 
 

D.C. Dragons
On Pace For: 29-33-10
Current Standing: 9th
GM: @Enorama
 
The Present: At the moment, D.C. is a bit below average, but that's a good deal better than they were a couple seasons ago when expansion hit. They actually have more players above 600 TPA than Calgary, at seven compared to Calgary's five, though the pieces aren't quite fitting together in the same way. Next to nobody is seeing individual success--Mikko Aaltonen, the team's point leader, is 23rd on the league leaderboard, while in categories like hits and shots blocked Dragons are barely breaking into the top 40. Even Kallis Kriketers is having his worst season since S64. D.C. does have a roster that looks good on paper, though, and that much is contributing to a just-about-average level of team success.
 
The Future: D.C. is one of the league's youngest teams, with almost two-thirds of the active roster being either S68 or S69. Whatever's going on there with player retention is working--Luciano Valentino and Mikko Aaltonen are already signed for the rest of their careers, while John Frostbeard just picked up a two-season extension. In the S69 draft, too, they were able to pick up Benny Graves, who stated before the draft that no matter where he was drafted, he planned to stick with them long-term. Other notables picked up in recent drafts, too, include Guy Lesieur and Ricky Johnson, while prospect Derek Eriksson continues to maintain a respectable earn rate in the minors and Eno's GM player, George Washington, is another career-long Dragon at forward. While they've got a first-round pick in both of the next two drafts, it's imperative that they select a goalie if they can't get one in free agency--Kallis is out after this season and backup Pekka Pouta doesn't have future face-of-the-franchise potential.
 
Best Case: The best case for D.C. is that career signings and player retention are what will lead to them winning. While the Dragons have a couple picks to work with, it really won't be much, so maintenance and growth of the current roster will need to be management's number-one priority. If it works out, though, and they're able to free up some cap space by letting a few inactives go and securing a good goalie before long, D.C. will be a team to be reckoned with in a season or two.
 
Worst Case: Career signings are a double-edged sword. On one hand, you're quite possibly locking up the future core of your team and ensuring its success for seasons to come. On the other, though, now you've got a massive contract on your hands that can limit cap space and make movement difficult. There's also the question of goaltending--will the Dragons be able to find a legitimate, long-term starter in time to catch their roster in full swing? The future doesn't look bad, but D.C. will have to jump through a few hoops to get there.
 
Players mentioned:
 
 
 

New York Americans
On Pace For: 35-29-8
Current Standing: 6th
GM: @Esso2264
 
The Present: New York looks pretty good on paper--nine players above 600 TPA and a good crop of young talent--though they're currently enjoying a fairly average place in the standings because for some reason they keep losing to Davos. Fellow baguettes Joel Ylonen and Joseph McWolf make up the team's veteran leadership, and while New York is yet another team barely cracking the top 40 in points (only two players in that range, with none in the top 30!), goaltender A Red Guy is enjoying a reasonably decent season, coming in at .918 SV% and 2.36 GAA. Overall, not half bad with a decent shot at playoff success.
 
The Future: The Americans are a young team who look like they've got a bright future--S67 steal and TPE whore Boris the Forest is locked up for the rest of his career, and with recent selections like Lance Flowers, David OQuinn, Soren Jensen, and Owen Nolan leading the prospect pool, New York will break the curse of the S60s and will once again become one of the teams to beat. There's one obvious concern, though--a huge portion of the roster is in their contract year this season. Notable names that could be out the door next season include A Red Guy, Thorvald Gunnarson, Lance Flowers, and Ryo Yamazuki II, and that's not even considering forced retirement of McWolf or the tragic departure of Elmebeck, which will cut out half of the Americans' blueline. If players can be re-signed, this might not be a big deal, but it's a definite concern nonetheless.
 
Best Case: In short, New York re-signs the players that matter and make a good choice with their first-rounder in this offseason's draft, maybe cashing in on defense. If this can be done, there shouldn't be any major concerns going forward--having so many contracts end in one season does raise concerns, but it also allows a team to decide who to keep and who to move in a much more flexible manner. Next season's cap should be easy to navigate, and if the right players are convinced to re-sign, the Americans will continue to be a threat.
 
Worst Case: You can probably guess the worst case by now--basically, everyone leaves and New York gets thrown back into the void only a couple seasons after crawling out of it. They're in danger of losing both of their goalies, all but one defenseman, and two active forwards, and if all this happens, New York will find it difficult to stay afloat. Their last first-round choice was a bust as well even though I told Esso to pick him, as Iangenere Risteneen hasn't been seen for a while. So, if the next draft sees a similar miss, it's difficult to imagine the Americans remaining competitive, and even more difficult to imagine them finding legitimate success.
 
Players mentioned:
 
 
 

Seattle Bears
On Pace For: 38-29-5
Current Standing: 8th
GM: @Banackock
 
The Present: There's no time like the present to be in Seattle. Winners of the last two cups, the Bears are feeling good behind (as I'm holding back snarky Hounds-related comments) a strong showing from their S67 draft class. Acyd Burn, Ambrose Stark, Henrik Zoiderberg, Scott Greene, Sundqvist, LeGrande, Hogan, Funk--they're all S67, and only four members of the current roster aren't. There's a good chance that they'll continue to find success this season as well--with nine players above 600 TPA, they're a much better team than their eighth-place standing suggests.
 
The Future: When most of your roster is S67, and six of them are signed through S73, you'll be in the running for a while. Though Seattle doesn't have any prospects in the minors at the moment and won't have any homegrown replacements for its current players for a while, they also don't have much to worry about at the moment. The main concern for Seattle, at the moment, is cap--salary goes up as more TPE is earned, and if the season ended today and restarted tomorrow, they'd be $1.5 million over the cap, even if Jack Lynch is left to free agency--and that's assuming nobody else goes into a higher bracket (a few are close right now and will likely break it by then). They'll be in deeper trouble cap-wise if they use either or both of their two first-rounders in the coming draft on players who will be playing up. So, while the future is still bright, there will need to be at least one cap dump trade to get there.
 
Best Case: The best thing that can happen to the Bears here is trading away an older, more expensive player (best choice would be Slade, though he's got a no-trade clause) and then using picks to fill in the gap left in the lineup by that player. Then, by the best-case model, that player fits in nicely and the Seattle machine keeps running. Keeping every asset will be impossible, so the best case is simply a smooth transition past the inevitable loss of current strength that keeps the team moving forward and on top.
 
Worst Case: Sure, Seattle will end up temporarily a little bit worse after this coming offseason. As has been said a million times here already, someone valuable has to go. Worst case? Robbie chooses to exercise the no-trade clause and takes up $4 million in next season's cap space. If that happens, Seattle enters cap hell and needs to offload someone right on top of their career, in their fifth season. At that point, they've taken a step into "sell players for future assets," which is a major step running contrary to the current plan. It won't be the end of the world, but it could knock the team out of elite level long enough for the S67 class to start depreciating--and at that point, it's time for this team to start finding replacements.
 
Players mentioned:
 
 
 

Toronto Legion
On Pace For: 26-36-10
Current Standing: 11th
GM: @Peace
 
The Present: There isn't much to be said about Toronto's roster at the moment. They're plagued with inactives, have only one first-round draft choice, and have a thin prospect pool with a few inconsistent welfare earners. The lone bright spot on the current roster is Chad Magnum, this past season's 5th overall selection and a max earner who was shipped off to Toronto as part of a large players-for-picks deal that saw Toronto's first-rounder in the coming draft go to Davos (let's not talk about what I did with it after that). Other semi-actives on the Toronto roster include Nethila Dissanayake, a former Saskatoon player who may remain loyal to current Toronto management, and Aron Nielsen, a S66 first-rounder making a recent return from inactivity.
 
The Future: It generally isn't a great sign when the most impressive player out of the "present" group is also the most impressive player in the "future" group, but here we are. Magnum is the only player currently owned by Toronto who has future star potential. One player retires next season, and all but three are set to enter free agency, with only a few able to be re-signed as actives. Though the Legion's late first-rounder will almost certainly be burnt for Erik Killinger, Peace's player sitting near the top of the S71 class, Killinger and Magnum are the only two definite pieces they've got in place at the moment and more than time will be necessary to make them competitive.
 
Best Case: The few active prospects they have ramp up their earning game enough to at the very least provide solid depth, and the rest is done through creative trading, free agent signings, and smart drafting, if it takes long enough to do that they'll have the picks to do it. They'll likely go through a couple more rough seasons, but will be reasonably well-set for the future in good time.
 
Worst Case: Management is unable to make anything happen within a few seasons. Magnum becomes impatient with the consistent lack of success and leaves in free agency, or he sticks around and the process takes long enough that he and Killinger don't have many prime years left when Toronto begins to compete. 
 
Players mentioned:
 
 
 

Vancouver Wolves
On Pace For: 47-18-7
Current Standing: 2nd
GM: @Beaviss
 
The Present: There's a lot to like about the Wolves. They've got a small roster of only twelve players, but ten of them are over 600 TPA and two--HHH and Freeman--are over 1,000. Those two sit in the league's top 10 in points, spearheading the Wolves' current success. Goaltender Greg Eagles is enjoying a fantastic season in net, and there isn't a weak spot on the team that would lead one to believe that it might be going otherwise. 
 
The Future: Though Vancouver is a bit older than some of the other teams on this list, that's certainly no major concern at the moment. They'll have Freeman, Downey, Eagles, and very likely HHH through S73, they have not one but two max earners in net (backup Jimmy Spyro says hi), and to go with a long list of draft picks, they've already got prospect Griff Manzer maintaining a respectable earn rate in the minors. The Wolves have pretty much reached any GM's dream spot--to have a good team and the future assets to keep it going. Cap shouldn't be an issue next season, either, as 5-million-dollar defender Tzuyu retires and they'll be able to trade a lower-TPA player like Jerry Wang or let Kevin Low go to free agency if that isn't enough of a discount.
 
Best Case: Beav continues to lead the team to success and smoothly transitions it into the next era. They're perfectly set up for this, and if this is done right they'll be a consistent threat to any other team in the league for, well, as much of the future as can be reasonably imagined with their current assets. Manzer comes up and continues earning well enough to become a legitimate part of the gameplan, either Spyro or Eagles is flipped for big-time draft capital or a star at some other position, and the team cashes in at the draft with some solid picks.
 
Worst Case: It's very tough to imagine a worst case here, but one thing or another might go wrong. Tzuyu is out the door, and Kevin Low might be, and if both leave, the roster is left without a fourth defenseman--and the third will be Manzer, who will still be relatively low on the TPE chart. Micheal Gary Scott satisfies his lifelong dream of going off to Seattle in free agency, and Vancouver whiffs on its first-rounders in both of the coming drafts. These are still events that the Wolves will be able to recover from, but it won't make the transition between solid teams a simple handoff.
 
Players mentioned:
 
 
 
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE
 
 
 

HC Davos Dynamo
On Pace For: 18-42-12
Current Standing: 12th
GM: GM Himself, @GustavMattias
ego grows audibly
 
The Present: OK, fine, let's talk about how Davos is doing right now. We suck! But that's OK, we've got our actives. As far as this season goes, Davos player leadership consists of a few older and largely inactive individuals--Materazo (our only player above 600 TPA, but at least that's one more than Toronto) is putting up great numbers on both ends of the ice, while John Madden and Anthony Matthews represent the other two pre-S66 players contributing to our game at forward. On the back end, goaltender Samuel Ross recently returned from inactivity and has been earning well since. Overall, sure, we're last in the standings, but it's a rebuild, so that is to be expected.
 
The Future: Oh boy, the future. That's what we're all about. Let's talk about that--four first-round picks in the next two seasons, and five seconds. To go along with that, we've got a couple Davos-for-life players on defense in Fernando Jokinen and Andrej Petrovic, and there's also Milos Slavik at forward with the potential to be a decent second-line player on a good team. Winger Alex Bridges leads the pack among prospects, with a decent earn rate and solid team activity.
 
Best Case: The best case is, obviously, that I nail it in the draft and build the best team in the league. There's nowhere for this team to go but up, and there's potential to go way up if things are managed well. We've got the prospect pool and the younger players to build a future support structure already, but the star power needs to be obtained from somewhere else, and the draft is where we'll do it.
 
Worst Case: I run the team into the ground by being an idiot, making stupid decisions, and not drafting well. If I do, too, it's entirely my fault--I was handed a perfectly set-up team and now it's on me to work with that. And if I'm stupid enough, it won't happen quite the way anyone here in Davos is hoping. I'm still unproven as a GM on the VHL level, and if it turns out that I suck at it, that will be the team's greatest enemy.
 
Players mentioned:
 
 
 

Helsinki Titans
On Pace For: 37-30-5
Current Standing: 7th
GM: @Jubo07
 
The Present: The Titans sit in seventh place at the moment, and they're hanging on to the last bits of their former glory days. Julian Borwinn, Joey Boucher, Sidney Crosby, and Alexander Pepper are all in their last seasons, and it looks like Helsinki is doing what they can to make the best of it. They've made some moves to secure some players from S66 and later--Ben Hafkey, Erik Draven, Erik Summers, and Guillaume Fontenette come to mind--and have built a decent roster with dreams to compete and bring what's left of the @Quik era to an end with a bang.
 
The Future: I came into this one thinking that this segment would be all about how the Titans need to rebuild, scrap everything, become the next Davos and all that stuff. It turns out that that isn't really the case, though--Helsinki has easily the best pool of VHLM prospects that the league has to offer, and many of their players from S66 or after will be sticking around for a bit. Though a step back is expected, it won't be nearly as drastic as one might believe. Virgil Ligriv will likely take over in net, while the others mentioned above will make up the future core. Among the prospects, Jared Spaz and Ike Bennett come to mind as two that do 6-point tasks with a decent earn rate, and there are many more welfare earners who should be up in a season or two. It seems that a retool, not a rebuild, is in order, and for that Helsinki management is grateful.
 
Best Case: Though it's unrealistic to expect Helsinki not to take a step back, a best case scenario leads one to believe that they'll be able to emerge from the transition in only a season or two without ever tanking or being at the bottom of the league. They'll have at least two solid earners next season, and likely a bit more than that, with a first-round pick in the draft, another first-rounder in S72 when Jubo's recreate comes up, and the cap space to accommodate some free agent signings or perhaps a big-ticket player or two in a trade. If all goes well, the Titans will once again stand atop the league with an entirely different roster in not too much time.
 
Worst Case: The worst case scenario in this instance is simply that the retool might not be done in a matter of one or two seasons. It might take a bit longer to develop the prospects--assuming, of course, that they all continue to develop and none go inactive--and by that point players like Hafkey, Fontenette, and Ligriv will be significantly affected by depreciation and well on their way to retirement. Assuming Helsinki does attempt a successful retool--and I maintain that they should, regardless of what the worst case scenario says--their prospects need to maintain their earn rates. If management isn't able to flex their player retention muscles, the Titans will be left with yet another aging roster, this time with nowhere else to go but a complete rebuild.
 
Players mentioned:
 
 
 

Malmo Nighthawks
On Pace For: 31-38-3
Current Standing: 10th
GM: @Advantage
 
The Present: Malmo is the league's most unlucky team, and (I hope) I'm not just saying that because I play there. With eight players above 600 TPA, right up there with the more above-average teams in the league, they've still managed to be...not that great, currently sitting in 10th place. Much of the roster is in the S66-S68 range, with players like Jerry Garcia (ahem), Phil Marleau, and Michael Johnson representing the first generation of the team's history. Further supplemented is the blueline, with the likes of Condor Adrienne, while the forwards lines are graced by the presence of Aleksander Rodriguez and Dan Wilinsky. There's a solid roster there, but one that simply is not working.
 
The Future: If you thought D.C. was notorious for career signings, then take a look at Malmo's finance page and think about how wrong you were. Every player in the S66 class or after on the 600-TPA-or-more list is locked up for most or all of the rest of their career, leaving Malmo (on paper) very set up for the future. Though Dan Wilinsky is retiring this season and Ryan Sullivan Jr the next, the Nighthawks will see first-round prospect Lewis Dawson promoted next season and will then have the cap space for a move or two to be made, and perhaps a signing as well. 
 
Best Case: Everything finally clicks for Malmo after two seasons of underwhelming sim results, and they're able to enjoy success because of it. Marleau finally finds his place on the team, Garcia stops taking so many penalties, and the Nighthawks are back on top of the league with seasons to go on the big-boy contracts. Management hits on the first-rounder in S72, and all is well. 
 
Worst Case: SimonT continues to vomit all over Sweden and Malmo's current roster simply doesn't do the trick. The career signings given to half the team begin to hurt the team rather than help it, as moves should be made to bring Malmo back to where it should be and it becomes difficult to ship people off elsewhere, particularly now-inactive Rob Mattalex, who will cost any team taking him on $4 million per season, even after depreciation hits. Malmo is unable to scrape together enough prospects for a successful retool and goes the way of the Helsinki worst-case.
 
Players mentioned:
 
 
 

Moscow Menace
On Pace For: 48-17-7
Current Standing: 1st
GM: @Victor
 
The Present: "Top of the League" is really all that needs to be said about Moscow at the moment. They've got eight players over 600 TPA, and while that isn't top of the league, they're making it work. A veteran core including Jet Jaguar, Randoms, and the venerable Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen lead the way at the moment, and there's a ton to like on the leaderboard--six out of the top ten point scorers are from Moscow: Jaguar, Randoms, Smitty, Gritty, Mat Tocco, and the highly underrated Dan Baillie, a player who isn't a household name but has contributed almost a point per game in his Moscow career while also showing his two-way ability by consistently reaching impressive hit totals. Moscow is dominant this season, and it's hard to imagine anyone getting by them in the playoffs.
 
The Future: The future looks good in Moscow, more so than one might expect from a look at the finances page. Though Smitty and Gritty are officially set to enter free agency after this season, neither one has historically been prone to leaving a team, and it's easy to see both re-signing. As far as younger players go, the Menace don't have much in the way of prospects, but they do have a good amount of draft picks in the coming drafts, as well as TPE whore Raymond Bernard in net, active long-term signing Nate Telker at forward, and GM player Vladimir Pavlov on defense to keep the ball rolling (or, "keep the puck moving," I guess?) into the next generation of Moscow players.
 
Best Case: Smitty and Gritty re-sign and stick with Moscow for the rest of their careers, as does Jaguar. The Menace make some good draft choices and maybe a signing somewhere along the way, and remain a good team for the foreseeable future. One can afford to run the team conservatively at the moment, too, as more than enough cap space will be freed up by the retiring Randoms to retain the current roster should they decide to stay where they are.
 
Worst Case: Smitty and Gritty decide to take their orange fur elsewhere and the Menace aren't as menacing in S71 after, well, not making signings like Smitty and Gritty. They remain mediocre--think of a big buff dude grimacing at you rather than scowling in terms of menacing quality--but aren't top of the league. They'll have space to work with, both cap-wise and draft-wise, but Victor, being the idiot that he is in this worst-case model, somehow manages to screw up both, missing signings and picking busts, until Moscow has an aging and top-heavy roster ready to tip over. As you can see, this worst-case scenario takes a whole lot of screwing up to achieve, but it's the most realistic out of everything as there isn't really much that can go wrong.
 
Players mentioned:
 
 
 

Prague Phantoms
On Pace For: 37-25-10
Current Standing: 5th
GM: @diamond_ace
 
The Present: Prague is getting off to a better start than the other S67 expansion, D.C., and they're doing it with a super balanced roster. With only two players above 600 TPA, but tons in the 500-600 range, the Phantoms are making a name for themselves through depth, teamwork, and a little bit of sim luck. Current Prague veterans leading the way include Roll Fizzlebeef and Brick Wahl, though the roster runs a bit deeper with many noted players from S66-S69 seeing themselves in supporting roles. Though it could be argued that they're playing a bit above their caliber at the moment, the Phantoms are a decent team that happens to be very, very balanced.
 
The Future: Prague's got three players--Alex Pearson, Jacob Perry, and Wolf Stansson Jr--signed through S73, with Seabass Perrin and Cinnamon Block representing a couple young bright spots on defense with solid earn rates and bright futures. Solomon Crawford isn't the fastest earner, though likely figures to be the starting goalie once Wahl is out. The Phantoms don't have many draft picks, with one first-rounder next season representing the only significant pick held by the team, but if the current roster is able to be retained successfully, they could be in more serious contention in a season or two.
 
Best Case: The best case here isn't really as dynasty-ish and high up as some of the others, but it's still an optimistic one. Prague's future lies in retention--if they lose some players to free agency, which is possible, they may end up making some signings of their own, but the smartest way to develop the Phantoms is simply to just wait for the current roster to develop and reach a higher level of competition. After a hit in the coming draft's first round, the Phantoms sit back and wait--the defense breaks into the next level, Pearson steps it up at forward, and Prague earns a spot near the top of the league in an undisputed manner.
 
Worst Case: Prague picks a bust next season and growth of the current roster proves to be of questionable effect. Block, Perrin, and Stansson should stick around, but most others on the team are welfare earners with second-line potential. The team also has no real star power at forward, a part of the ice a good deal more important in this league than the blueline. In this case, we'd see less of management running the team into the ground and more of the team running itself into the ground--most of this plan is dependent upon the team's ability to improve itself, and if it fails in that regard, there won't be much to see in a few seasons.
 
Players mentioned:
 
 
 

Riga Reign
On Pace For: 42-23-7
Current Standing: 4th
GM: @hedgehog337
 
The Present: Riga's got seven players above my arbitrary 600-TPA standard, and as has been the norm as long as I've been in this league (since the prime days of Preencarnacion and Cast), plenty of star power. They seem to have transitioned well between rosters, keeping Ryan Kastelic, the TPE whore who makes most other whores look like nuns by comparison, throughout that entire period. The current stars of the team include Kastelic, Lincoln Tate, Apollo Hackett, and former Davos franchise goalie Finn Davison, acquired this past offseason in a deal which gave Kallis the chance to be shipped out to D.C.. The Reign are strong as always, and though they aren't on top of the league, no major concerns are present as far as this season goes.
 
The Future: Oh, look, Riga has a good team and a good set of picks again. I'm hardly surprised--this has, of course, been the case for most of the time I've been in this league. With three first-rounders in the next two drafts, Riga is there to make a big splash with their selections, and they'll be strengthening an already good team with a decent prospect pool--they've got a few decent earners in the VHLM, but forward JaredN and goaltender Nicolas Fomba, who projects as a solid backup, are the top two in that regard. With the current roster, the entire blueline is signed through next season, though only two forwards will be around for sure--with the rest either retired or hitting free agency, an overhaul up front might be necessary.
 
Best Case: Hedge re-signs who he needs to at forward and Riga solves their goaltending problem, either through the draft or a trade. He's able to use some free cap space left in the absence of Kastelic to seduce bring in a solid player up front, and Patrik Tallinder and Guy Sasakamoose continue on their young talent track and develop into legitimate stars. Solid draft choices are made, Riga continues to be a good team, and nobody is surprised in the slightest.
 
Worst Case: For a team where everything has gone right in recent times, what could possibly go wrong? The worst that can happen to the Reign at the moment is a loss of just about their entire forward personnel--Kastelic will be forced out, and should the others choose to exercise their right to test the market, it could thin the team out quite a bit more. Davison retires before Riga is able to find a legitimate replacement, and the team effectively becomes limited to its strong defensive core only. Though this situation is unlikely, some smart management will be necessary to avoid it.
 
Players mentioned:
 
 
Word count: 5,711. Apparently it's a 20-minute read too, hope you enjoy it. Thank God for multi-claims, because I might need them in the next few weeks.
 
See you in a month!

OTTAWA, CANADA -- Apparently the Canadians have defied all of the odds by almost cruising into the World Junior Championships' gold medal round against the United States of America. The Victory Hockey League's premier news outlet - Victory Sports News - ranked the Canadian hockey club last due to their weaknesses at forward and defense, yet the hockey clubs team effort has earned them at least a silver medal in this seasons hockey skill showdown. Canada's goaltender duet has displayed some impressive skill between the pipes, they've told the world that the blue crease is theirs to lose, and boy have they claimed dominance in this seasons WJC. 

Canada has faced 'superior teams' every game, if we use the VSN's ranking as a comparison, but I think Canada's weakness isn't the roster itself with the 'jack of all trades' approach it naturally shifted to with the players available for selection. I strongly believe that the proper weakness for Canada is the lack of a true offensive or defensive VHL player other teams had. Team Canada has one player in the VHL, and he played two games against the United States of America, while VHLM starter Hextall started the first six games for Canada. Goalies are definitely a strength for Canada, but having balanced roster isn't. I wouldn't even say Canada's roster is mediocre, it features many VHLM capped players, and while not a strength in the WJC it does provide some remarkable balance.

You'll see it mentioned a lot down below. 

CANADA 3 - 1 EUROPE 
 
The Canadians first game was against VSN's top ranked hockey club, and they dominated them for a short while. By that we mean the Canadians were dominated... but only statistically during the first period. The Canadians let a surprising twenty six shots on net during the first twenty minutes of the game, but tightened up their play in the second and third periods and displayed a very competitive roster against the Europeans. Although Canada's Jaxx Hextall was remarkable this game, the strength of the Canadian roster was actually their well balanced roster. Sure, the first period was bad, and Hextall bailed them out... however, beyond that - the last 2/3rds of the game, the Canadian club came together and defeated the Europeans for their first win of the tournament. 

Let's not take this away from Hextall, though, it's because of him this game ended 3-1 with his forty two saves that shutdown Europe's offense.  

Combine Hextall with the seven individual Canadians who got on the score sheet this game, with Velvet and McDagg earning two points each, it's easy to see why the 'well balanced roster' was the star of this game. 

CANADA 2 - 1 WORLD

The second game the Canadians played was much closer, but this time the sole star of this victory lies on the strength of Jaxx Hextall's performance in the goal crease. Hextall once again earned forty two saves on the forty three shots he faced, and the Canadians only dominant period - the first - also produced their two goals of this tight hockey match. Team World climbed away from Canada mid-way through the second period, ending the frame trailing by one goal and creating more chances than the Canadians could muster. The third period was almost all World, but a few push backs from the Canadian club with strings of shots and opportunities gave the Canadians a bit of a breather. 

Jared and Rassmussen both scored in the first period, which ended up just just enough for the victory. The well balanced roster wasn't as strong this game as it was against the Europeans, but the thing about well balanced rosters is they're not great at anything but not terrible at another either. They're the jack-of-all trades type of roster builds, and I think this game showcases how Canada plays their game. They're not going to offensively dominate another team but have a weak defense, and they're not going to choke a teams offense with a strong defense. Their goaltending show from Hextall brought them through this one, but Hextall and Lafontaine are the Canadian's 'strength' and it was to be expected they'd show up while wearing the Canadian maple leaf on their chests. 

CANADA 4 - 3 ASIA (OVERTIME) 

The Canadians and Asians were pretty similar through forty minutes of game time, and even though Asia had the lead on the shot clock and scoreboard, the story behind those shots told a much more balanced story... or about as balanced as STHS can make it appear, anyway. The score however told a different story, with Asia leading 3-1 heading into the third period. Rasmussen's lone goal for Canada in the first was their only strike at that point in the game. It was generally back and forth for the most part, so each teams offense was able to conquer over the others defense, and at times both teams defense defeated the others offense. It looked like a classic rock, paper, scissors game between the two hockey clubs, but Asia won three times over Canada's one. 

By the third period, however, Canada stepped out ahead despite being out shot in the period 15-6. Asia took twice the amount of shots (and then some) but were generally weaker shots that were sucked up by Hextall generally without a rebound, or tossed to the sideboards behind the net. The quality of the Canadian shots displayed careful offensive opportunities, and Canada drew within one after Damien Wolfe collected his own rebound off the backboards and hit the twine. 

With just under two minutes left in the game Alex Burrows tied it for team Canada. In the overtime frame the Canadians won the game after Hextall made an easy save, froze the puck, and allowed Canada to reset their lines. Jared won the faceoff back to Velvet, who skated down the rink and took a shot from the blue line that completed Canada's comeback just 32 seconds into the five minute frame. 

Jaxx Hextall once again stood on his head and made fifty saves, but some credit to the Canadian defenders is due for containing the majority of Asia's shots to the wall. The tightened up offense allowed Hextall to make a save and redirect the puck behind the net, allow it to rebound towards a defender or cover the puck up without a rebound. At first the Asians had quality scoring chances, went up 3-1 after forty minutes, but couldn't find many opportunities in the third period. So far VSN is correct, their strength is goaltending, but the claim that their roster is their weakness is somewhat incorrect. While their claim that Canada doesn't have a true 'superpower' on offense or defense is true at a national level, they do have VHLM top ten scoring leaders in both Erik Killinger and Hugh Jass. If the cap for the WJC was 250 instead of 350, they'd be some of the tournaments top players in a multi-way tie with other 250 rated players.
 
CANADA 4 - 3 ASIA

In a rematch between the Asians and the Canadians, it can be best summed up by saying it was the 'same shit in a different pile'. Jaxx Hextall performed remarkable, just as he had in his three other starts, making forty plus saves for the forth time in a row. Both teams played well, but this time the Canadian 'stars' activated after three relatively quiet games. Defender Hugh Jass never hit the scoreboard, but he played thirty two minutes for the Canadian club and was nearly sound defensively for his club. Meanwhile, teammate Erik Killinger erupted offensively with three points, where he only had two in the previous three games. Did we mention he had fifteen shots this game? Yeah... one-five shots, fifteen.

Despite Killinger taking nearly half of the shots Canada recorded, this game was a pretty well-balanced effort from the Canadian club. They weren't amazing at one thing, but they weren't terrible at another, and kept the game going back and forth the whole night. From all of the games that Canada has played up to this point, Asia has been their most difficult challenge, simply because their roster is more or less the same from a quick glance. No real roses, but no real shits either. 

WORLD 6 - 0 CANADA 

There is really nothing to say about this game. Canada came out and laid a giant goose egg, even though the game was - in most perspectives other than the score - pretty back and forth between the two clubs. Canada was victorious the last time these two teams met, emerging with a 2-1 victory, but team Canada's win in that match was solely on the shoulders of Jaxx Hextall and his performance in net. 

EUROPE 3 - 2 CANADA (OVERTIME)
 
When you look at the fact that Canada has been out shot in every game they play, it's easy to say things like 'they're not that good' or 'their weakness is really showing'. I counter that by saying the Canadian club isn't about dominating one side of the game or another, and admit their strength in net is factual, but the truth behind Canada's squad is their well-balanced approach isn't really a weakness. They have players like Killinger, Daldo, Jass, Velvet, Wolfe, Burrows and Graves who are all defensively responsible while also possessing offensive and physical skills. Of course when you compare this core of players against another teams top player who playing in the league top level of competition, they're not going to look appealing, because the entirety of Canada's core - minus Lafontaine - are still playing in the minor system with their respective VHLM teams.  

In this particular game Jaxx Hextall once again performed well, and the Canadians top defender - Jass - finally got a pair of goals for his junior resume. The Canadians ended up loosing this game in overtime, but it was a pretty even game all things considered. 

CANADA 4 - 3 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

If this is a prequel to the gold medal match, we're going to be in for a real nice treat, regardless of which club comes away with the more expensive necklace. To say this game was even is an understatement, both the United States of America and Canada played eerily similar games against one another. The difference is Canada had Erik Killinger with his hat trick, twelve shots on net, two hits and just over thirty four minutes of ice time. Canada also had a tall wal- wait, no, Lafontaine started this game! 

Hugh Jass recorded two points as well, but the thing about this game was Canada's special teams were on point -- well their penalty kill was, anyway. I'd say they had a flawless penalty kill, and two power play goals on eight chances is still producing at a quarter rate, so it was alright. In fact it was their power play success and collapse during five on five play that gave some of Canada's skaters a negative plus/minus rating! 

CANADA 4 - 1 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The Canadians will play the Americans three times in the World Juniors, and one of them is for the gold medal, so we've got a free two game sample to judge how it'll go. Canada is up two-zero, so it's reasonable to be confident they can win the gold medal game as well. Obviously coaches will be making their adjustments, lines will be changing and strategies will be altered. Whoever can gain the tactical advantage over the other will emerge victorious, and the club who does will be enjoying their celebration later on.

Lafontaine made twenty seven saves as Canada cruised to a four-one win over the Americans, and Erik Killinger recorded two goals and an assist in the victory. The Canadian forward had nine shots, a plus one, four hits in over thirty one minutes of ice time. Rasmussen earned three helpers on the evening, and McDagg continued his success against the U.S by earning another two points. If we use these two games as a foundation for a prediction, we could anticipate Lafontaine to get the start and McDagg, Rasmussen, Jass and Killinger to continue earning points against the American squad.      











Just over 2, 000 words. Claiming for the next four weeks. 

So I need something to do a Media spot on I decided to look at the goalie leaders of each team, the goalies who have played for the team and who is leading in wins and such. I'm getting my info off the portal in the league team's list section and I feel like this list probably doesn't go all the way back to the 1st season (for the teams who have been around that long at least) so sorry to all the goalies who played before the move to the portal. Names in bold means the player is active with the team, numbers in bold mean that's the best on the team.
 
Moscow Menace
Name:                              Seasons with team:                    Games played:                    Wins:                    shutouts:                    Save percentage:                    Goals against average:
Owen May                                         3                                             134                                63                              2                                      .906%                                                3.39
Raymond Bernard                           3                                              124                                77                              7                                     .905%                                                2.69
Finn Davison                                    1                                               72                                 26                              2                                      .919%                                                2.73
Justin Cole                                       1                                               65                                  9                               0                                      .897%                                                 4.43
Roger Sterling                                  1                                               52                                 25                              3                                      .917%                                                3.03
Chase                                                2                                               25                                  7                               0                                      .904%                                                3.05
Ismond Kingfisher                           1                                               10                                  3                               1                                      .913%                                                2.59
 
Raymond is the active goalie and under contract for the team till Season 73 and will no doubt pass Owen May and become the leaders in games played and seasons played with the team. Chase is playing his 2nd season with the team although last season he went to play with Seattle but returned to Moscow. Pretty decent goalie history but I would like to see some more long term goalies.
 
New York Americans
Name:                              Seasons with team:                    Games played:                    Wins:                    shutouts:                    Save percentage:                    Goals against average:
Ismond Kingfisher                          5                                              308                                123                           16                                     .918%                                               2.95
Ike Arkander                                    5                                              236                                140                            29                                    .924%                                               2.20
A Red Guy                                        3                                              167                                 80                             12                                    .915%                                               2.54
Jakab Holik                                     2                                              128                                 90                              37                                   .930%                                               1.55
Ilya Kopralkov                                 2                                              124                                 53                              18                                   .913%                                               2.70
Rhett DeGrath                                 2                                              110                                 70                              19                                   .927%                                               1.93
M.T. Power                                      3                                               81                                  59                              15                                   .908%                                               1.83
Ariel Weinstien                               1                                               44                                  33                               7                                    .927%                                                1.70
Kolur Bjoernsson                           1                                               44                                   7                                0                                     .886%                                               4.22
Thorvald Gunnarsson                   3                                               40                                  16                               0                                     .902%                                               2.99
Joe Nixon                                        1                                              13                                   1                                 0                                     .919%                                               3.51
 
A Red Guy has a chance to move on this list but is not under contract for more seasons after season 70. Gunnarsson has been the backup to Red for the 3 seasons both players have been with the team, he's also not under contract past Season 70. They've had some pretty solid goalies.
 
Vancouver Wolves
Name:                              Seasons with team:                    Games played:                    Wins:                    shutouts:                    Save percentage:                    Goals against average:
Greg Eagles                                   4                                               202                                117                            17                                     .912%                                             2.48
Roger Sterling                                1                                                64                                  36                              2                                       .906%                                             2.86
Ismond Kingfisher                         1                                               57                                  34                               1                                       .903%                                             2.78
Tristan Iseult                                  1                                               56                                  21                               2                                        .901%                                            3.02
Joe Nixon                                       2                                               41                                  14                               0                                        .906%                                            2.74
Jimmy Spyro                                 1                                               10                                   5                                 1                                        .912%                                           2.48
 
Eagles in under contract till Season 73 and if he doesn't get traded anywhere he'll set some really insane records for the franchise, I hope he stays with the team for the rest of his career but I do worry what that would mean for Spyro. Spyro I'm sure won't want to be a backup forever and with Eagles only being drafted 2 seasons earlier I could see Spyro maybe getting traded, however I'm just speculating and have no idea what the plan is in Vancouver and their goalie situation. While Eagles will no doubt be the face of the Wolves to come I'm curiuos to see what the future holds for the team and it's future goalies.
 
Riga Reign
Name:                              Seasons with team:                    Games played:                    Wins:                    shutouts:                    Save percentage:                    Goals against average:
Kallis Kriketers                              7                                                463                               291                            61                                    .920%                                              2.21
Markus King                                  5                                                 326                               205                            52                                     .923%                                             2.07
Ilya Kopralkov                                5                                                198                                97                              15                                     .911%                                             2.59
Arvid Aamo                                    2                                                134                                56                               7                                      .909%                                             3.18
Sandro Clegane                             2                                                125                                94                              37                                    .931%                                             1.54
Vernon Von Axelberry                   1                                                 68                                 28                               3                                      .905%                                             3.07
Dmitri Dadonov                              1                                                 65                                 18                               3                                      .923%                                             2.79
Finn Davison                                  1                                                 59                                 28                               3                                      .918%                                             2.45
Clayton Park                                   2                                                 38                                 13                               0                                      .914%                                             2.50
Joanna Akerfeldt                           1                                                  9                                   2                                 0                                     .886%                                             3.57
M.T. Power                                      1                                                  9                                   5                                 1                                     .902%                                            2.45
Sean McGee                                   1                                                  8                                   3                                 0                                     .882%                                            3.69
 
Currently Finn Davison is the only listed goalie and with him being in his 7th season they will no doubt be looking for a new goalie. It's a shame Kallis was traded as he had a chance to become just the 2nd goalie to play over 500 games with 1 team and possibly the first with 300 wins with 1 team but was traded to the Dragons, Kallis also holds the 2nd most shutouts with a single team with 61. Overall I think they have a pretty out standing goalie history and they are 1 of 2 teams to have 3 or goalies play 5 or more seasons with the one team.
 
D.C Dragons
Name:                              Seasons with team:                    Games played:                    Wins:                    shutouts:                    Save percentage:                    Goals against average:
Pekka Pouta                                  3                                               127                                 42                              5                                     .906%                                              3.05
Kallis Kriketers                             1                                                54                                   26                              3                                     .914%                                              2.43
Block Buster                                  1                                                22                                    6                               1                                     .909%                                               2.75
Joe Nixon                                       1                                                9                                      3                               0                                     .914%                                               3.44
 
Being one of the newest team's there isn't much to talk about, having the fewest names on the list of any team. They've had Pouta since the team came into the league and hopefully he sticks around. Look forward to the goalie drafting of this team in the future.
 
Calgary Wranglers
Name:                              Seasons with team:                    Games played:                    Wins:                    shutouts:                    Save percentage:                    Goals against average:
Norris Stopko                                6                                                390                                237                           45                                     .923%                                             2.16
Brick Wahl                                      6                                                376                               169                            23                                     .919%                                             2.56
Jacob                                              4                                                256                               115                            31                                     .922%                                             2.40
Ariel Weinstein                              3                                                193                               133                            38                                     .927%                                             1.67
Artom Zhumbayev                        1                                                 64                                 25                              4                                       .926%                                             2.91
JB Rift                                             1                                                 58                                 31                              6                                       .917%                                             2.34
Fang Flashback                             2                                                 22                                  9                               1                                       .896%                                             3.14
Shawn Brodeur                              1                                                 14                                  4                               0                                       .919%                                             2.84
Sam Wall                                        1                                                 13                                  2                                0                                      .903%                                              4.18
Jacques Lafontaine                     1                                                   4                                   3                               0                                       .904%                                              2.90
 
One of the more impressive teams when looking at their goalie history, they are 1 of only 2 teams to have at least 2 goalies play 6 or more seasons with a team. Stopko played with Calgary from season 58 to season 63 and Wahl would join the team in Season 64 and played with them till season 69. 2 great goalies back to back and I wish Wahl stayed with the team and finished his career there and Jacques Lafontaine whos already looking like a franchise goaltender could have picked up from where Wahl left off.
 
Prague Phantoms
Name:                              Seasons with team:                    Games played:                    Wins:                    shutouts:                    Save percentage:                    Goals against average:
Bruce Grimaldi                               1                                                62                                  22                               0                                      .894%                                             3.87
Owen May                                       1                                                56                                  25                               4                                      .908%                                             2.89
Brick Wahl                                       1                                               45                                  22                                4                                      .917%                                             2.61
Solomon Crawford                        2                                                44                                   9                                 2                                      .885%                                             3.79
Kolur Bjoernsson                           1                                                12                                   1                                 0                                      .902%                                             4.0
 
Expansion brother of the Dragons there isn't much history here, only Crawford who is active with the team has played more then 1 season with the team.
 
HC Davos Dynamo
Name:                              Seasons with team:                    Games played:                    Wins:                    shutouts:                    Save percentage:                    Goals against average:
Shawn Brodeur                             5                                                 306                               134                            25                                     .913%                                             2.51
Finn Davison                                 5                                                 288                               135                            20                                     .918%                                             2.66
mist4ke                                          5                                                 201                                58                             18                                     .919%                                             2.86
Sandro Clegane                            2                                                 131                                76                             19                                     .924%                                             2.05
Apollo Skye                                   2                                                 128                                39                              7                                      .918%                                              2.76
Rhett DeGrath                               2                                                 128                                63                             14                                     .928%                                             2.23
Samuel Ross                                 3                                                  90                                 26                              5                                      .909%                                             2.86
Arvid Aamo                                   1                                                  69                                 14                               1                                     .900%                                             3.95
Rhett Stoffiday                              1                                                  40                                 10                               1                                     .915%                                             3.33
Edwin Threencarnacion              1                                                  32                                 18                               6                                     .945%                                             1.39
Torstein Ironside                          1                                                  21                                  7                                2                                     .937%                                             1.94
Tyler Smith                                    1                                                  11                                  4                                0                                     .891%                                             3.41
Pekka Pouta                                 1                                                   9                                    2                                0                                     .892%                                             3.48
Cole Mertz                                    1                                                   8                                    4                                0                                     .888%                                             2.92
Kolur Bjoernsson                         1                                                   4                                    0                                0                                     .948%                                             2.50
 
The 2nd team to have at least 3 goalies hit 5 seasons with the team, the Dynamo have been pretty good with their drafting/trading for goalies. They've had a crazy 8 1 season goalies though probably from all the longer term goalies. Samuel Ross is under contract for 1 more season after this season 70, I wonder if he'll be the 4th goalie to hit 5 seasons with the team and myabe even pass them. Great goalie history  for Davos.
 
Malmo Nighthawks
Name:                              Seasons with team:                    Games played:                    Wins:                    shutouts:                    Save percentage:                    Goals against average:
Michael Johnson                         4                                                257                                129                            16                                    .915%                                             2.68
Johnny Havenk Carison              1                                                 65                                   27                              5                                     .917%                                             2.86
Juan Jaundice                              2                                                 19                                    7                               0                                     .896%                                             3.87
Clayton Park                                  1                                                 11                                   4                                1                                     .907%                                             3.05
Kolur Bjoernsson                          1                                                  4                                    0                                0                                     .873%                                             3.53
 
Johnson dominates the stats for a fairly short goalie list, and he is under contract for the team till the end of his career, assuming he doesn't get traded he could pass the 500 games mark and hit 300 wins for the team, I hope to see that happen.
 
Helsinki Titans
Name:                              Seasons with team:                    Games played:                    Wins:                    shutouts:                    Save percentage:                    Goals against average:
Alexander Pepper                         8                                                518                                298                           30                                      .917%                                            2.59
Astrid Moon                                   6                                                387                                255                           75                                      .919%                                            1.88
Dmitri Dadonov                             2                                                131                                 47                             11                                      .923%                                            2.75
Jacob                                             2                                                 128                                 88                            12                                       .923%                                           2.14
Markus King                                  1                                                 66                                   49                            10                                       .928%                                           1.75
Tristan Iseult                                 1                                                 31                                   14                             1                                        .916%                                           3.05
Virgil Ligriv                                    2                                                 19                                    12                             2                                       .930%                                           1.86
Brienne O'Tarth                             1                                                  8                                      0                              0                                        .909%                                           5.38
 
The Titans are the only other team to have 2 goalies play 6 or more seasons with the team and the only team to have a goalie play all 8 seasons with the team. Alexander Pepper will forever be a legend in Helsinki as he is the only goalie to play 500 games with 1 team and only 2 shy of hitting 300 wins with a single team. They also have the most insane shutout record of 75 accomplished by Astrid Moon who also has a very impressive goals against average of 1.88! during his time with the team. Ligriv has been with the team since the start of his VHL career and I wait to see where he'll end up in the Titans history books. Possibly the best goalie history ever.
 
Toronto Legion
Name:                              Seasons with team:                    Games played:                    Wins:                    shutouts:                    Save percentage:                    Goals against average:
Torstein Ironside                          6                                                 386                               218                            55                                     .924%                                             2.20
JB Rift                                            5                                                 265                               137                            15                                     .915%                                             2.69
Johnny Havenk Carison             4                                                 154                                 80                             10                                     .917%                                             2.74
Greg Clegane                                2                                                128                                 86                              31                                    .933%                                             1.62
Hans Wingate                             2-3                                               128                                100                            22                                    .932%                                             1.62
Shawn Brodeur                            1                                                  63                                  28                              4                                      .904%                                             3.37
Norris Stopko                               1                                                  58                                  29                              3                                      .930%                                             2.52
Owen May                                     1                                                  53                                  17                              1                                      .915%                                             2.77
Brienne O'Tarth                            1                                                  21                                   1                               0                                       .882%                                            5.28
 
Yet another case where I'm sad a played was traded out but I understand why. Not an outstanding goalie history but still better than others and 55 shutouts is 3rd most with 1 team. (Also I don't know what happened with Hans Wingate, there was no link over his name and I couldn't find him in the player search bar. Safe to assume he played 2 or 3 seasons though)
 
Seattle Bears
Name:                              Seasons with team:                    Games played:                    Wins:                    shutouts:                    Save percentage:                    Goals against average:
Jakab Holik                                   5                                                328                                195                            51                                     .922%                                             2.02
Roger Sterling                               5                                                323                                178                            21                                     .917%                                             2.86
Rayz Funk                                      4                                                251                                136                            21                                     .919%                                             2.51
Vernon Von Axelberry                  3                                                137                                 88                             19                                     .916%                                             2.05
Mist4ke                                          2                                                130                                 51                             10                                     .921%                                             2.74
Markus King                                  1                                                 64                                  42                              7                                      .925%                                             1.96
Clayton Park                                  1                                                 60                                  19                              2                                      .903%                                             3.59
Key Perought                                1                                                  54                                  22                              2                                      .904%                                             3.01
Artom Zhumbayev                       1                                                  51                                   9                               2                                      .921%                                             2.56
Tristan Iseult                                 1                                                 18                                   4                                0                                      .906%                                             3.26
Joe Nixon                                      2                                                 15                                   8                                2                                      .916%                                             2.19
Chase                                             1                                                  8                                    2                                0                                      .896%                                             3.50
Joanna Akerfeldt                         1                                                  5                                    0                                 0                                      .926%                                            3.31
 
With Rayz Funk under contract til season 73 which would be his 2nd last season, the Bears are on track to get a 3rd player to hit 5 seasons with the franchise and he might just set new records in games played and wins with the Bears. Holik's 51 shutouts are 4th best and he's one of 4 players to get 50 or more shutouts with 1 franchise. Again a pretty good goalie history.
 
(word count 2065)

5th Annual Unofficial VHL Regular Season Awards – S70
Another exciting regular season has come to a close. That means we can dole out some regular season awards! Welcome everyone to the 5th Annual Unofficial VHL Regular Season Awards for S70.
 
These awards have been created by me. There is no voting process and they are not officially recognized by the VHL Board of Governors. I wrote descriptions for most of these award names in the original award post. Let’s get things underway!
 
The Pylon Award (worst +/- rating) – Bert Meyers @RunnerBert11 
HC Davos players occupied the top, or really bottom, 6 spots in this list. Bert led the way with -45.
 
Previous Pylon Award Winners:
S69 - Basaraba Moose (-57)
S68 – Sven Hitz (-58)
S67 - Piotr Jerwa and Nethila Dissanayake (-34)
S66 - Bryce Zhields (-49)
 
The Gandhi Award (least penalty minutes) – Denver Wolfe @InstantRockstar 
Denver had 2 PIM in his 1,988 minutes played.
 
Previous Gandhi Award Winners:
S69 – Hugh Chan (4 PIM, 2050 Minutes Played)
S68 – Jack Lynch (0 PIM, 1473 Minutes Played) 
S67 - Diljodh Starload (0 PIM, 2091 Minutes Played)
S66 - Beau Buefordsson (0 PIM, 1939 Minutes Played)
 
The Timex Award (received most hits) – Hunter Hearst Helmsley @Beaviss 
HHH was hit 282 times, 36 more than the next closest player, Roll Fizzlebeef @TacticalHammer
 
Previous Timex Award Winners:
S69 – John Madden (357 hits taken)
S68 – Mikko Aaltonen (297 hits taken)
S67 – Rauno Palo (302 hits taken)
S66 - Beau Louth (300 hits taken)
 
The John Wayne Award (most shots on goal) - Julius Freeman @rjfryman 
Julius claims the award for the 2nd straight season. He took 453 shots this season, 1 more than his winning total from last season and 29 more than the next closest player, Randoms @hedgehog337.
 
Previous John Wayne Award Winners:
S69 – Juilius Freeman (452 shots)
S68 – Rylan Peace (466 shots)
S67 – Matt Thompson (495 shots)
S66 – Shane Mars (533 shots)
 
The “Hit the Broadside of the Barn” Award (most own shots blocked) - Shawnomir Jagr @TheLastOlympian07 
Vancouver is really taking home the shot awards. Shawnomir lands this award by having 129 of his shots blocked.
 
Previous HtBotB Award Winners:
S69 – Julian Borwinn (136 shots blocked)
S68 – Rylan Peace (144 shots blocked)
S67 - Beau Louth (153 shots blocked)
S66 - Oyorra Arroyo (142 shots blocked)
 
The “Can’t Hit the Broadside of the Barn” Award (most own shots missed) – Julius Freeman @rjfryman 
Julius completes the Vancouver sweep of the shooting awards by leading the league with 343 shots missed.
 
Previous CHtBotB Award Winners:
S69 – Elias Dahlberg (320 shots missed)
S68 – Rylan Peace (351 shots missed)
S67 - Beau Louth (364 shots missed)
S66 – Roctrion King (372 shots missed)
 
The New Shin Pads Award (most blocked shots) – Guillaume Fontenette @okochastar 
Guillaume wins this award in back-to-back seasons. He topped the league by blocking 145 shots, barely beating Apollo Hackett @Renomitsu and Sydney Crosby @SidTheKid87 who each had 144 blocked shots.
 
Previous New Shin Pads Award Winners:
S69 – Guillaume Fontenette (166 shots blocked)
S68 – Seabass Perrin (207 shots blocked)
S67 - Piotr Jerwa (170 shots blocked)
S66 - Lando Baxter (189 shots blocked)
 
The Tired Legs Award (most minutes played) - Julius Freeman @rjfryman 
Normally we see this award go to a star player on a struggling team. Not this year. Julius was all over the ice, taking and missing shots in his league leading 2,164 minutes played, just over 30 minutes per game.
 
Previous Tired Legs Award Winners:
S69 – John Madden (2,259 minutes)
S68 – Mikko Aaltonen (2,290 minutes)
S67 - Shawn Glade (2,226 minutes)
S66 - Robert Malenko (2,324 minutes)
 
The Snap! Award (most power play minutes) - Julius Freeman @rjfryman 
Freeman is really raking in the awards this season. He led the league with 372 minutes on the power play. That’s 68 minutes more than the next closest players, Cody Smith @cody73 and RJ Jubis @Jubis from Calgary.
 
Previous Snap! Award Winners:
S69 – Elias Dahlberg (368 power play minutes)
S68 – Joseph McWolf (351 power play minutes)  
S67 - Beau Louth (437 power play minutes)
S66 - Jake Davis (412 power play minutes)
 
The 1 vs. 100 Award (most time on penalty kill) - Jacob Perry @Liberty_Cabbage 
Prague must have taken a lot of penalties as their players occupied 7 of the top 8 slots for Penalty Kill minutes. Jacob lead the team and the league with 380 minutes spent killing penalties.
               
Previous 1 vs. 100 Award Winners:
S69 – Wolf Stansson Jr (328 minutes)
S68 – Jack Lynch (353 minutes)  
S67 - Aron Nielsen (374 minutes)
S66 - Lew Bronstein (352 minutes)
 
The Sean Archer Award (highest face-off win %) - Hunter Hearst Helmsley @Beaviss 
HHH claims this award by winning 60.78% of the 3,001 faceoffs he took.
               
Previous Sean Archer Award Winners:
S69 – Rauno Palo (59.45%)
S68 – Podrick Cast (62.56%)
S67 - Beau Louth (63.09%)
S66 – Rauno Palo (63.10%)
 
The Castor Troy Award (lowest face-off win %) - Zeno Miniti @Zeno 
Zeno claims this award again. To his credit he was much improved from last season, but still had a league worst 42.07% of faceoffs won.
               
Previous Castor Troy Award Winners:
S69 – Zeno Miniti (32.27%)
S68 – Gritty (36.31%)  
S67 - Gucci Garrop (35.07%)
S66 - Bryce Zhields (30%)
 
The Triple Deke Award (most penalty shot goals) - Owen Nolan @studentized 
Owen wins this award in consecutive seasons. He once again led the league with 6 penalty shot goals. Milos Slovik @Frank also had 6 PS goals, but Nolan gets the award because he scored his 6 on 10 attempts, one less than Slovik.
               
Previous Triple Deke Award Winners:
S69 – Owen Nolan (6 penalty shot goals)
S68 – Jorgon Weyed (6 penalty shot goals)  
S67 - Veran Dragomir (8 penalty shot goals)
S66 - Leph Twinger (5 penalty shot goals)
 
The Rocky Award (most fights won) – 
We have co-winners! RJ Jubis @Jubis  and Ambrose Stark @Banackock 
There were actually 7 players with 2 fights won this season. Jubis (2-0-0) and Stark (2-0-4) share the award because they both did not lose a fight.
               
Previous Rocky Award Winners:
S69 – Edward Vigneault (4 fights won)
S68 – Tyler Barabash Jr (2 fights won)  
S67 – ACL TEAR (6 fights won)
S66 - Ryuu Crimson (4 fights won)
 
The Glass Joe Award (most fights lost) – Walter Clements @cpetrella 
Walter went 0-3-3 in his fights which is bad enough to claim this award. Nethila Dissanayake @nethi99 also lost 3 fights, but their record was 2-3-5. Those 2 wins are more than enough to keep Nethila from winning this award.
               
Previous Glass Joe Award Winners:
S69 – Rusty Shackleford (5 fights lost)
S68 – Podrick Cast and Jordan Tonn (2 fights lost)  
S67 - Kronos Bailey and Hunter Hearst Helmsley (4 fights lost)
S66 - Rauno Palo (3 fights lost)
 
The Stars Award (most stars won) – Randoms @hedgehog337 
Randoms won a league leading 25 total stars this season. Honorable mention to last year’s winner Julian Borwinn @Jubo07 who topped the league with 14 1st stars, a fine way to end a career.
               
Previous Stars Award Winners:
S69 – Julian Borwinn (27 total stars)
S68 – Matt Thompson (32 total stars)   
S67 - Rauno Palo (25 total stars)
S66 - Matt Thompson (28 total stars)
 
The “Always a Bridesmaid” Award (most stars without winning 1st star) – Luciano Valentino @Kekzkrieg 
Luciano got 6 stars this season, but never received a 1st star. Call out to Hugh Chan @HughJas_who managed to win 5 3rd stars without ever winning a 1st or 2nd star.
               
Previous Bridesmaid Award Winners:
S69 – Tzuyu (12 stars)
S68 – Zeno Miniti (9 stars)  
S67 - Dan Baillie (13 stars)
S66 - Mikka Pajari (7 stars)
 
The Biggest Backpack Award (player with the largest difference in points from the rest of their team) - Julian Borwinn @Jubo07 
Borwinn led the Titans with 95 points. That’s 22 more than the next closest teammate, Ben Hafkey @McLovin
           
Previous Backpack Award Winners:
S69 - John Madden (28 points more than teammate)
S68 – Mikko Aaltonen (28 points more than teammate)      
S67 - Podrick Cast (23 points more than teammate)
 
 
This concludes the unofficial award ceremony… Oh wait, sorry we have a new award making its debut this season! The award is:
 
The Anniversary Award! 
 
This award goes to the player whose total points rank matches the season number. This season was season 70. That means this award goes to the player who finished 70th in total points. The winner of this year’s Anniversary Award is…
 
Orion Slade @BluObieZ 
Orion’s 44 points put him in 70th place overall. That’s all that’s needed to win the Anniversary Award!
 
Ok that’s it now! Thank you to everyone reading. Congratulations and/or condolences to all the winners! Have a good night!
 
1,469 words. Will claim for 2 weeks.
 

The HOF is the greatest honour a player can have bestowed upon them. Only the best of the best can make it and Smitty is one of those legendary figures in hockey. Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen has been in the VHL for 6 full seasons now and is almost a guaranteed lock for HOF in the future when he retires. Over those 6 seasons, he has accumulated point totals of 413 points (100 G/313 A). Furthermore is +/- is no slouch either, clocking in at a solid +127, showing how capable he is in his defensive end. Not only that but he has been a nightmare for opposing players to play against racking up an additional 1201 hits. Smitty is an extremely unique defenseman as both his skating and hands are some of the best in the game, surpassing many forwards. These stats along with him winning the Jake Wylde Trophy and Alexander Valiq Trophy each once and the Sterling Labatte Trophy twice should cement his place with the all-time greats.

That's right, I'm writing my future Hall of fame piece about myself, deal with it.
 
Erik Summers wins, it is what he does. In his first season, he won the cup in the VHLM. In his second season he won Gold at the World Juniors. In his third season he is currently the favorite to win Rookie of the Year and who knows, maybe he even walks away with another cup.
 
Sure, many of these are team accomplishments, but if he keeps filling his trophy case at this pace, there no one who could argue against his induction.
 
The biggest factor that may hold Summers back is the extra heat he spent in the VHLM which will cap his VHL seasons at 7 instead of 8. However, at a one trophy per season pace, maybe seven seasons is all he'll need to make his mark on the league.
 
What do you think? Will he make it? Only time will tell.

@McWolf

In a world full of players not everyone can be the best, that is why there is such a distinction to being a hall of fame player. You were one of the best to ever play the game and if that is not what you wake up and strive for each morning then who is to blame but yourself that greatness was never achieved?
Some players are handed perfect genetic bloodlines that give them an edge, a natural inclination at hockey, strong legs and a good hockey IQ, but some players have to earn every bit of it and that is the kind of player I am striving to be.
I want to bet on myself to become one of the greatest hockey players the VHL has ever and will ever see and the only way I can accomplish that is if I set my mind straight from day one that anything less than perfection is not good enough. That anything less than every hour of my waking day being put towards being better is unacceptable. 
I want to bet on myself to be the best, and I am damn sure I am not going to be losing that bet anytime soon.

The Hall of Fame. Every sport has one, and no matter what sport you play being in the hall is one of the greatest achievements you could ever accomplish. 
     What does it truly mean to be in the Hall of Fame? Does it mean your the best of best? Does it mean your one of the greatest players of all time? Does it mean you revolutionized the game? The answer is all the above.
     Players in the Hall of Fame end up there for totally different reasons. Some players, like Scotty Campbell, are there for how easy they made it seem to put the puck in the net. While others, like Sandro Clegane, made it nearly impossible to put the puck in the net. 
     Some players that I have not seen mentioned very much this week is Joseph McWolf and Alexander Pepper. Who is to say that haven't changed the way the game is played? Who is to say they aren't inspiring people to be better? When the next wave of inductees are announced will we see the real impact their careers had on the league? They are prime examples of being great players being put done by stats,sure they might not have as many points as Borwinn, but they still are some of the greatest players soon ending their career.
    So what does it mean to be in the Hall of Fame? In my mind it means you changed the game, you inspired people to be better, you were to simply put it, great.
 
256 words

The Hall of Fame. Every sport has one, and no matter what sport you play being in the hall is one of the greatest achievements you could ever accomplish. 
     What does it truly mean to be in the Hall of Fame? Does it mean your the best of best? Does it mean your one of the greatest players of all time? Does it mean you revolutionized the game? The answer is all the above.
     Players in the Hall of Fame end up there for totally different reasons. Some players, like Scotty Campbell, are there for how easy they made it seem to put the puck in the net. While others, like Sandro Clegane, made it nearly impossible to put the puck in the net. 
     Some players that I have not seen mentioned very much this week is Joseph McWolf and Alexander Pepper. Who is to say that haven't changed the way the game is played? Who is to say they aren't inspiring people to be better? When the next wave of inductees are announced will we see the real impact their careers had on the league? They are prime examples of being great players being put done by stats,sure they might not have as many points as Borwinn, but they still are some of the greatest players soon ending their career.
    So what does it mean to be in the Hall of Fame? In my mind it means you changed the game, you inspired people to be better, you were to simply put it, great.
 
256 words

The Hall of Fame. Every sport has one, and no matter what sport you play being in the hall is one of the greatest achievements you could ever accomplish. 
     What does it truly mean to be in the Hall of Fame? Does it mean your the best of best? Does it mean your one of the greatest players of all time? Does it mean you revolutionized the game? The answer is all the above.
     Players in the Hall of Fame end up there for totally different reasons. Some players, like Scotty Campbell, are there for how easy they made it seem to put the puck in the net. While others, like Sandro Clegane, made it nearly impossible to put the puck in the net. 
     Some players that I have not seen mentioned very much this week is Joseph McWolf and Alexander Pepper. Who is to say that haven't changed the way the game is played? Who is to say they aren't inspiring people to be better? When the next wave of inductees are announced will we see the real impact their careers had on the league? They are prime examples of being great players being put done by stats,sure they might not have as many points as Borwinn, but they still are some of the greatest players soon ending their career.
    So what does it mean to be in the Hall of Fame? In my mind it means you changed the game, you inspired people to be better, you were to simply put it, great.
 
256 words

"Was standing on his toes the whole time" I died

Choosing a Hall of Famer years after their retirement is no easy task. Undoubtedly, trying to guess which active player(s) has a shot at legendary status is even harder. There is, however, one exception: Hunter Hearst Helmsley. More commonly known as HHH, he already has the 3rd-most TPE out of all active players, and he is 3 seasons younger than both of the players above him. Both of those players will be forced to retire at the end of the season, leaving HHH as the player with the most TPE and TPA. Not only that, but he has earned all of this TPE before hitting regression, meaning all of it which he does not bank has been applied without penalty. As a result, he has 99 Skating, Puck Handling, Faceoffs, Passing, Scoring, and Defense in addition to 70 Checking, and 80 Strength. Not only is he incredibly skilled physically, but he also is a great presence in the locker room with his 76 Leadership. While he has yet to win an award in the big leagues, he won all three of the Mitch Higgins (Regular Season MVP), Ethan Osbourne (Regular Season Points), and Alexander Chershenko (Regular Season Goals) Awards/Trophies in his only full VHLM season. He was already part of the Victory Cup-winning Vancouver Wolves team in Season 69, and he has been nominated for a variety of awards, having garnered at least a vote for the Brett Slobodzian Trophy, Scott Boulet Trophy, and Dustin Funk Trophy, and he was nominated for the Scotty Campbell Trophy. All of this came just last season. Somehow, he didn’t even make the All-Rookie team in his first season. Yet, after now guaranteeing his second point-per-game season in a row and approaching point-per-game status for his career, Helmsley is widely acknowledged as one of, if not, the best players in the game. After this season concludes, he will still have half of his career to go. Will he hit regression? Of course. But between store purchases to lessen the pain and almost 100 TPE banked already - with more surely on the way, it’s essentially a foregone conclusion that HHH will stay at an elite level for the rest of his career. His agent, Keaton Louth, has already won the David Knight Trophy once and has remained one of the best GMs around ever since. Oh, and said agent is also the General Manager of HHH’s team, so there’s no doubt that HHH will always be put in the best position to succeed. The only question that remains is, will the Hall of Fame committee recognize Helmsley’s sustained excellence to join the legends in the Hall despite a lack of silverware to show for it, at least for the first half of his career? They better. It’s the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Trophy-Winners. While some hardware for his trophy cabinet would surely help, HHH has been robbed of awards throughout his career. The Committee shouldn’t punish him for things outside of his control; HHH has continued to be an excellent player, teammate, and leader, and, if he continues at his current pace, he deserves to be a lock for immortality.
 

Hi Everyone in VHL Land
 
Today I have the admin @Josh joining me on the podcast we talk a range of VHL topics and answer some of the most hard hitting questions in all of the VHL.
 
Thank you Josh for doing the podcast it was a lot of fun.
 
Remember to ask any questions you have here: 
Hope you all enjoy a fair few people mentioned but mainly @Dil
 
See you next time for the VHLM All Star Skills Competition.
 
https://open.spotify.com/episode/30RbMKmqoSe0OiYf57BOTm