Spartan

Andrew Skilton, A.K.A the GOAT from Palmerston ONTARRIOOOOO 
 


  I had this idea for a while, but wasn't sure how to...execute it or how to go about it, really. But it came out way better than I was honestly expecting :D! Took me. An unreasonable amount of time but it looks REALLY good in my very humble opinion. 

  Also, there's a few Easter eggs in the photo itself, so brownie points to whoever gets it first!

  Here's everything broke down bc its kinda interesting: 


anyway. thats all
-ethan

After winning their second straight Victory Cup, the Malmo Nighthawks entered the playoffs hoping to avoid the same disastrous outcome from a season ago. So far, things are not looking good, as they've dropped the first two games to Moscow.
 
Last season, the Nighthawks fell in a sweep to the United in Round 2 of the playoffs. It was a very disheartening series, but Malmo came back this season with the same championship expectations they had going into Season 92. Although their 51-17-4 record wasn't quite as good as they had in the prior season, it was enough to finish first overall in the league once again. Knowing very well that the regular season record does not matter when it comes to the playoffs, the Nighthawks were cautiously optimistic going into the post-season. Yes, the regular season results meant nothing at this point, but neither did the sweep from a season ago. That was the past, and this is now. Sometimes, though, history does repeat itself.
 
The Nighthawks are in a 0-2 hole once again. They managed to take Game 1 to overtime, where Moscow finished things off with a quick power play goal. Game 2 was not particularly close, as the Nighthawks didn't manage a goal until the final minutes of the game, losing by a score of 3-1. In both games, Malmo was outshot despite having more power play opportunities, which is not a good sign for the rest of the series. It is certainly not over, but things are not looking good for the Nighthawks right now.
 
This is actually the third season in a row that the Nighthawks began the playoffs with an 0-2 deficit. In Season 91 when this current core made the playoffs for the first time, they also started 0-2. They were the fourth seed in Europe, playing against the Helsinki Titans in Round 1 of the playoffs. They did manage to tie up the series before losing the series clinching Game 5.

Another week, another 150 words for TPE, let's go!
 
Anyone who hasn't seen Wildcard game 3 between NY and Chicago, or really anyone that looked only at the main link, needs to go in and hit full game to see the true madness of it. Spoiler alert, it was OT6! Aka they played nearly 3 full games in that one game since our OT periods aren't shortened, they are the full 20 minutes. I don't know the record for the longest playoff game, I'm sure @Victor has a spreadsheet for it mind you, but that's gotta be damn close. What an absolutely insane game.
 
DC finished off the season strong so that's nice, was that done last time I wrote one of these? I don't actually remember. Shame we took such a nose dive mid season but hopefully we are heating up when it counts. Plus Calaway managed to finish with 32 goals as a D which is pretty crazy even if I was a few points under where I was last season and probably won't get any award votes. Who knows, maybe a really good playoff run and I can somehow pull my first Kanou...... hahaha yeah right. Toronto is uf first either way, I imagine no one gives us a chance at winning it but who knows.
 
Trivia has still been stupid simple.

1. Did you ever think we would be in a wild card series after having been at the top of the conference?
Honestly no, it was a bit of a rough stretch there but we seem to have come out a better team.
2. Many players have had career best seasons. Are you happy with your player's season?
Yes, absolutely. I know Rashford will never be an elite player but as long as he's contributing meaningfully on a winning team that's all I can ask for.
3. What are your plans for developing your player? Is there a skill or two you are working on?
That's a secret!
4. Our goalie seems to be playing very well for the most part. Can a 2nd year goalie take us to the cup finals?
I feel like this question has been asked a few times, but yes, yes he can and will.
5. Were you under the impression that this season was the one we were going to make our big push?
I think so, especially after last year. We already seemed so close and Spartan made some big moves.
6. What team should we be worried about assuming we finish off Warsaw?
Nobody. We play our best and we'll win.

1. Are we having fun yet? Tight race in the EU.
Yeah its exciting when a conference is tight like this.

2. What team have we played that has surprised you the most?
I think it was a little surprising that we swept Warsaw in the wildcard round.

3. It's been a bit dead in the locker room lately, why?
Probably a timing thing, college students are entering their finals weeks, and its warming up so people are probably spending less time at the computer.
 
4. How is your player doing compared to your expectations?
I am slightly disappointed in my regular season performance,  and I'm doing about as expected so far in the playoffs.
 
5. Do you think we need to shake lines up or just ride it out?
We did end up making some changes towards the end of the season and it worked out for us so far.
 
6. Who does Spartan listen to on Spotify?
My guess is something like this.   
 

1) I didn't think we'd drop down to a wildcard but anything can happen I'm sure. Who knows, maybe next season we'll be back near the top.
2) Yeah I think my guy did ok. Set some career highs so I'm happy anytime there is improvement.
3) Right now I'm working on DC then maybe my shots, not sure yet
4) I believe in our goalie!
5) I did yes, but while we may not have finished where we thought we would we could always make a deep playoff run
6) I don't worry too much about it, no matter who comes up will be a challenge and we need to beat the best to win it all anyway

Presser for the week ending Cinco de Mayo

1. Did you ever think we would be in a wild card series after having been at the top of the conference?
2. Many players have had career best seasons. Are you happy with your player's season?
3. What are your plans for developing your player? Is there a skill or two you are working on?
4. Our goalie seems to be playing very well for the most part. Can a 2nd year goalie take us to the cup finals?
5. Were you under the impression that this season was the one we were going to make our big push?
6. What team should we be worried about assuming we finish off Warsaw?
 

1. Are we having fun yet? Tight race in the EU.
Would be more fun if the loser of the race would miss the playoffs, now it is good teams competing who is more good. In the end we will play against one of the good teams in the playoffs.

2. What team have we played that has surprised you the most?
LA - only 5 wins so far in the season,  you need to try to be that bad.

3. It's been a bit dead in the locker room lately, why?
No shoe policy has pushed players to hang out at the cafeteria

4. How is your player doing compared to your expectations?
Above expectations I would say, I was hoping few more goals, but overall solid so far!

5. Do you think we need to shake lines up or just ride it out?
I think we need to all put our names into a hat, and let the GM pick one name from the hat. Who is chosen will have their whole body covered in honey and feathers. The hope is that the show will please Simon T, which in return shows as favorable sim luck.

6. Who does Spartan listen to on Spotify?
The sound of old janitor trying to figure out which key is the right one to various doors. A lot of key chain sounds and key motion inside the locks mixed together on a loop.

1)      I am enjoying watching the menace perform at VHL, I hope I can contribute soon.

2)      Seattle Bears, they have made a good turn around.

3)      It’s been dead because there have not been enough snacks and drinks.

4)      I am beating the expectations of my player; I didn’t think id have this many points.

5)      I feel if we are a lock for playoffs shacking the lines up could be a good test for playoffs.

6)      I have no idea what spartan listens to on Spotify.

David Rashford Getting Real Taste of Playoff Hockey
It's been a long road to the most coveted time of year for a hockey player, but David Rashford is finally in the playoffs and loving life. His team, the upstart Moscow Menace, managed to get through the wildcard and into the quarterfinals on the back of a strong team performance. "Everyone seems to be contributing at a high level," said Rashford after morning skate. "We have worked so hard to put ourselves in the best position possible and peak at the right time. Everything seems to be coming together at the right time luckily. We made a couple of line tweaks throughout the season to see which guys are most comfortable playing with each other and it looks as though we have got it sorted out." When asked how he feels his personal performance is at, Rashford replied "I'm playing some of the best hockey of my career. It may not look like it on the stats but I think I'm positively contributing at a high level. It's been a couple of years to get to the point where I feel this comfortable but all the hard work has finally paid off."

Here we are, in a wild card series against Warsaw. As of this article, we have only played two games which we won both. I am not sure that will happen again but I can always hope. Moscow hasn't really changed much during the season other than adding to our defense. A few line adjustments here and there but nothing major. It's not like we had a bad season at all, several teams were able to push us down the list when we needed to push up. There are several teams that look scary but to be honest, I think Moscow has the horsepower to push harder than the season indicated. We were hot early in the season when other teams were kind of coasting. Very similar to last season when out of the blue, we get smacked down in the first round by a team that wasn't near the top until the last half of the season. It seems like the European conference is just too tight and a few off games will see you drop like a dress on prom night. I do have confidence in the team to put up a good fight in every game. Every player has been working hard to improve their skills. Should be an exciting playoffs.
 
Word count:214

A great tragedy took place, the good people of VHL were forced to continue with their weekend without getting to enjoy a sim on Saturday. As I am writing this, it is unclear what happened exactly, but when we consider the prestigious nature of the VHL Playoffs and how much these simulation leagues mean to people, I think it is important to do whatever we can as a community to heal together. A big part of the healing is, of course, finding those who are guilty and getting revenge.
 
When we think about days in a week, it is often considered more acceptable to not do something if that something takes place during the weekend. That is because we have been taught by the media and big corporations that weekend is an important time, that is when we should go out to spend our hard-earned money in stores, and that is when we should spend time with our families and loved ones. Throughout history, we have also been taught that Sunday is a holy day and no work should be done on that day. If we think about the horror show that took place, is it now fair to ask the sim team to work on Sunday if they were not able to work on Saturday? On one hand, I think that is only right for them, but then on the other hand, I think that is still not enough. I think the sim team should be forced to write a public apology where they explain what happened, why, and what steps are going to be taken, so something like this will never happen again.
 
If you were affected by the negligence of the sim team, write your comments in the comments. Remember, those who remain quiet do not speak and those who do not speak are quiet.

Idk, everyone else was doing it.

Can we have more than a handful of hours to fill these out 😐

https://imgur.com/0abbrjRhttps://imgur.com/0abbrjR
 
When I first started this project, I started out with the idea of rating every teams’ prospects and then grading the team on the selections that they made but the more I dove head first into collecting data the harder it was for me to justify grading only the Prospect Pool list on the team page since a majority of the teams had a failing grade due to some teams draft heavily in some drafts and not at all in other drafts. I then decided that a Prospect should be a player that is still in the prospect pool but also still on a rookie contract. While this moved some of the team into a positive position, I am still not complete sure that this is an accurate show case of a team’s prospect pool but rather more a show where a team currently stands or will stand in the next few seasons as it is only a small three season snap shot. Team in a competitive window of win now will not be drafting near the first round or at least not often enough to affect their score in a hugely positive manner. While a team rebuilding the past two or three seasons will show positive since they have collected or should have collected a good number of prospects and lastly a team just starting into a rebuild will have a hugely negative ranking since none of the prospect have either joined the team yet or been drafted yet.
 
Take the ranking at face value is what I am trying to say but could be a good indicator of what teams might be up and coming in the next few seasons while it could also indicate, which teams might be falling off slightly.
 
Either way let’s take a look at each teams’ prospects:
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  10 1st Round Picks:  0 2nd Round Picks:  3 3rd Round Picks:  4 4th Round Pick:  3 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  5  
Calgary Wranglers Prospects      (S93) LW - Miner vHLer (OSL)  @Rhynex Entertainment 17th (2nd Round) (S93) RW - Oliver Loo (SSK) (COL)  @Misty 23rd (2nd Round)  (S93) D - Wladyslaw Mintus (HOU) (OSL)  @mintusaurus 37th (3rd round)  (S93) D - Carson Tripp (SSK) (STO)  @Cartripp14 29th (2nd Round) (S93) LW - Hunter s (SDM)  @Hunter S 59th (4th Round) (S91) D - Hezeus Ohmontegue-Steinhardt X (VAS)  @Sisyphus 35th (3rd Round)  (S93) RW - Trimiskez Artav (STO)  @jake 60th (4th Round) (S93) D - Vanman Stein (COL)  @Vanman 55th (4th Round) (S91) C - Hershey McFleury  @YaBoiDuggie 44th (3rd Round)  (S91) D - Thickums Mcgillacutty  @Jer_Lefebvre 46th (3rd Round)   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 29.00)    
Calgary Wranglers prospect pool is rather shallow due to draft location in the past three season with only three 2nd round picks with (S93) LW - Miner vHLer (OSL) @Rhynex Entertainment the teams current best prospect ready to join the roster next season. (S93) RW - Oliver Loo (SSK) (COL) @Misty is still another season away and should join in season 96; with two other S93 Draft picks ready the season after in (S93) D - Wladyslaw Mintus (HOU) (OSL) @mintusaurus and (S93) D - Carson Tripp (SSK) (STO) @Cartripp14. So, how does Calgary have an F grade with four players joining their roster from their prospect pool in the next three seasons? This is due to the inactive players and the fact that the team doesn`t have a need for top prospects being VHL ready in the past three season this season or next thus the grading system hurts them more than other teams.
 
Calgary Wranglers have two player retiring at the end of the season in (S85) D - Phil Strasmore @Phil and (S85) LW - Larry Abass Jr @RileyL; (S93) LW - Miner vHLer (OSL)  should replace the retiring Abass Jr @RileyL nicely while Calgary will need to look for a temporary defender or two as the team waits on their top two defending prospects in (S93) D - Wladyslaw Mintus (HOU) (OSL) @mintusaurusand (S93) D - Carson Tripp (SSK) (STO) @Cartripp14; who won`t be ready until S97. Timing is also prefect for (S93) RW - Oliver Loo (SSK) (COL) @Misty as they should also replace the retiring (S86) RW - Adam Rage @MrMom at the end of next season should he resign this off season.
 
Overall, Calgary Wranglers are in an interesting position as they should be in a compete now situation but as if writing Calgary are tied for the final Wildcard spot and will hope that they can force their way into the playoffs. The team will need to re-tool or enter a rebuild in the next three or four season so should become larger players in future drafts and see their prospect pool become stronger.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  9 1st Round Picks:  4 2nd Round Picks:  3 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  1 Prospect in the VHL:  4 VHL Ready Prospects:  2 Inactive Prospects:  0  
Chicago Phoenix Prospects     (S91) RW - Bryce Woodworth  @SirRupertBarnes 22nd (2nd Round)  (S91) LW - Joshua Schwarzer  @Velevra 6th (1st Round)  (S91) D - Lionel Collberg @Masu Chan 11th (1st Round)  (S92) D - Karol Lamb  @dlamb 8th (1st Round) (S93) LW - UghSike (OSL)  @UghSike 5th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Jean-Pierre Devote (COL)  @eagle_3450 20th (2nd Round)  (S93) C - Vanuza Kolesinska (ROM)  @chikn 18th (2nd Round)  (S93) LW - Kevin OConnor (OTT) (VAS)  @Luke033 52nd (4th Round)  (S93) C - Micah Cederbaum (SSK) (COL)  @MicahC 46th (3rd Round)  
 
Grade: B +   (score: 78.33)    
Chicago Phoenix has rather impressive depth in their prospect pool aided by the fact that four of the prospects from the past three season have already made the jump to the VHL for the team. More impress is the fact that they took a risk on (S93) LW - Jean-Pierre Devote (COL) @eagle_3450; who if I remember correctly had shown signs of inactivity just before the draft and seen his draft stock fall to the second round; in which now looks like a rather smart pick; as he is ready for the VHL next season along with last season 5th overall selection (S93) LW - UghSike (OSL) @UghSike. Mean while (S93) C - Vanuza Kolesinska (ROM) @chikn is still another full season away but means we will see three of the five players in the Chicago prospect pool making VHL debut in the next two seasons.
 
Chicago forward core might look a lot different next season with (S85) RW - Babay Shrimp @Blazzer as the only player set to retire but both (S93) LW - UghSike (OSL) @UghSike and (S93) LW - Jean-Pierre Devote (COL) @eagle_3450 set to join the roster; something will need give!! Luckily for Chicago they have a single forward signed at the moment for next season so should easily have room for the two forward prospects and (S93) C - Vanuza Kolesinska (ROM) @chikn the season after.
 
Overall, Chicago Phoenix look like a team moving in the right direction but will need to follow last season strong draft by adding more VHL ready prospects to an already deep prospect pool.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  6 1st Round Picks:  1 2nd Round Picks:  2 3rd Round Picks:  2 4th Round Pick:  1 Prospect in the VHL:  1 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
D.C. Dragons Prospects     (S91) C - Theo Allard  @InstantRockstar 10th (1st Round)  (S91) RW - Tom Dufour (VAS)  @Cookie 29th (2nd Round)  (S89) LW - Justin Chen  @Jchin1604 33rd (3rd Round)  (S93) G - Herald Benson (HOU)  @Benson 19th (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Connor Hellebuyck (MEX)  @HockeyFan4Life 48th (3rd Round) (S93) RW - Brash Candicoot  @TrinityMonk 64th (4th Round)   
Grade: E (score: 41.67)  
D.C. Dragons are the defending Continental Cup champions and it shouldn`t be a huge surprise that the Dragons have one of the small prospect pools of all the team in the league but have some very key prospects starting with (S93) G - Herald Benson (HOU) @Benson, who like it or not is going to be the goaltender of the future for the Dragons. But there is a problem; (S85) G - Henry Tucker Jr @NSG retires at the end of this season and Benson is still a season away so D.C. has a huge problem and question mark around what they will do in the off season; to get a goaltender until Benson is ready. (S91) RW - Tom Dufour (VAS) @Cookie is ready to make the jump to the VHL next season but doesn`t seem to have a place within the current roster structure in D.C. so could be moved during the off season in either a deal to bring in another defender or a stop gap goaltender.
 
D.C. Dragons are still in contend now mode but will need to find a goaltender to cover off the development gap while they wait for goaltender of the future Benson to be ready and with an aging forward core could look to retool in the off season or the following off season as majority of the forward core will retire.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  18 1st Round Picks:  4 2nd Round Picks:  5 3rd Round Picks:  4 4th Round Pick:  3 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  3 Inactive Prospects:  1  
HC Davos Dynamo Prospects      (S93) C - Antonia Bucatini (OSL)  @CowboyinAmerica 1st (1st Round)  (S91) D - Sunset Moth (PHI) (VAS)  @McWolf 13th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Forum Content (BRA)  @frescoelmo 6th (1st Round)  (S91) G - David Slezak  @ShawnGlade 20th (2nd Round)  (S91) RW - Ivan Ivanov (VAS)  @KmaddFPS 32nd (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen  @Snussu 12th (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Steve French (ROM)  @Seabass 21st (2nd Round)  (S91) C - Piston Maicupp (ROM)  @MandyManiac 43rd (3rd Round)  (S92) LW - Dwight shcrute (STO)  @Jamomayo 17th (2nd Round)  (S93) D - Billy Joel (HOU) (ROM)  @The goat of hockey 27th (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Kendra Cavill (LVA)  @Firekiss 42nd (3rd Round)  (S93) D - Masa Akimoto (LVA) (STO)  @Hokikeijot 47th (3rd Round)  (S93) RW - Armas Jortikka (MIA) (OSL)  @Kavadar 50th (4th Round)  (S93) G - Da TypThond (SSK)  @Erik Undrafted  (S93) D - Russell Sprout (MIA) (ROM)  @betta57 45th (3rd Round)  (S93) G - Austin Goulet lll (SSK)  @Tuchy Undrafted  (S93) D - Blaze Thunderstrike (LVA)  @eaglesfan036 56th (4th Round)  (S93) D - Magni Jinn (PHI) (VAS)  @DontCallMeCarson 49th (4th Round)   
 
 
Grade: E (score: 40.56)  
HC Davos went with the quantity over quality aspect when it comes to their team’s overall prospect pool but that doesn`t mean that they don`t have quality within their prospect pool as Davos has three prospect ready to join the VHL next season in (S93) C - Antonia Bucatini (OSL) @CowboyinAmerica, (S91) D - Sunset Moth (PHI) (VAS) @McWolf and (S93) LW - Forum Content (BRA) @frescoelmo. Whom should be followed rather quickly by three more prospect the following season in goaltender of the future (S93) G - Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen @Snussu, (S93) RW - Steve French (ROM) @Seabass and (S93) D - Billy Joel (HOU) (ROM) @The goat of hockey. So, six prospect in the next two season joining your roster should sound great right? Not when you have nothing on your roster in the first place. These six players are the starting blocks of foundation of a building and will need to hold it together for another season or two. Expect to see Davos at the bottom of the league for at least another season or two unless they start to move prospect for veteran player to build a competitive team.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  13 1st Round Picks:  2 2nd Round Picks:  5 3rd Round Picks:  3 4th Round Pick:  2 Prospect in the VHL:  2 VHL Ready Prospects:  0 Inactive Prospects:  5  
Helsinki Titans Prospects      (S92) LW - Adi Dassler  @BOOM 3rd (1st Round)  (S91) LW - Isaac mclflopper  @sportexperts show 19th (2nd Round)  (S92) LW - Matthew Highmore (VAS)  @NineIQ v2 19th (2nd Round)  (S93) C - Tyler Lawson (ROM)  @Nyx 14th (1st Round)  (S90) RW - Barry McOckiner (COL)  @LanerDUST 33rd (3rd Round)  (S93) RW - Anthony Simmons II (MIS) (COL)  @Starchychaff 35th (3rd Round)  (S92) D - Dustin Moore (HFX)  @Maxx 24th (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Samuel Wazinski  @samthemancub 30th (2nd Round)  (S91) C - Keegan Vos (ROM)  @DDZ_44 39th (3rd Round)  (S93) D - Landon Flatt (OTT) (BRA)  @Lando10 62nd (4th Round)  (S93) C - Aiden Paige (MIA)  @Apaige131 Undrafted (S93) RW - Cole Stermer (HOU) (BRA)  @Bazeus 57th (4th Round)  (S93) LW - Filip Zinek (HOU) (BRA)  @FiZi 32nd (2nd Round)   
 
Grade: F (score: 30.77)  
With one of your best prospect being a player that you just traded for in (S92) LW - Adi Dassler @BOOM; who came over via a trade with Moscow Menace shows that the team might be heading in the wrong direction. No VHL ready prospect for a team that is outside of the playoff looking in and traded away their starting goaltender without having a goalie of the future in place means Helsinki looks to be in a tight spot, needing to either trade for a starting goaltender or draft a starting goaltender this off season but likely means if the team cannot get a starter next season; will once again be watching the playoff next season.
 
(S92) LW - Matthew Highmore (VAS) @NineIQ v2 and (S93) C - Tyler Lawson (ROM) @Nyx are two season away and should replace retiring pair (S87) RW - Ellis Woolfenden @D3X and (S87) LW - Jarkko Laakkonen @Xdjk93 at that time. After that Helsinki will need to hope that they hit on majority of their twelve picks this coming draft as the rest of the prospect are rather slim picking at the moment; not helped by five inactive prospects. Helsinki seems to be throwing as many darts at the board and hoping a few of them will stick; not the best way of building a prospect pool in my opinion. If I am correct Helsinki with have twenty-four prospect by the end of this season draft. Luckily for Helsinki; they don`t have any major needs to build a roster next season other than a starting goaltender.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  8 1st Round Picks:  1 2nd Round Picks:  3 3rd Round Picks:  2 4th Round Pick:  2 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  0 Inactive Prospects:  3  
London United Prospects    Drafted  (S90) D - Joseph Dubois (COL)  @Dubois 37th (3rd Round)  (S91) C - Alexandros Mograine (COL)  @sliceruser 42nd (3rd Round)  (S91) D - Scrungle Bungle (COL)  @Novanod 21st (2nd Round)  (S91) D - Arne Holmquist (BRA)  @axtron 25th (2nd Round)  (S92) D - Vanellope von Schweetz (COL)  @Arce 13th (1st Round)  (S92) G - Hugo Boss (OTT)  @Dil 22nd (2nd Round)  (S93) C - Jacob Longstreet (SSK) (COL)  @Dynamicmlb_42 51st (4th Round)  (S93) LW - Owen two (MEX) (BRA)  @do3bo1 63rd (4th Round)   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 12.50)  
By far the worse prospect pool in the VHL but should anyone be surprised when the team has been super competitive for the past six or seven season; if not longer. An aging roster in a season of either win or bust means that they have either traded away most of their future picks, prospects or selected late in the first round to be competitive. This team is set to enter a rebuild regardless of what happens during this season playoff and will look to see their prospect pool depth increase in the next few seasons.
 
Doesn`t help either when 40% of your prospect pool is also inactive and your top prospect in (S90) D - Joseph Dubois (COL) @Dubois is also inactive. (S91) C - Alexandros Mograine (COL) @sliceruser seems like a hidden gem grabbed in the 3rd round and could make the roster as early as next season; rather impressive from such a late pick. While (S91) D - Scrungle Bungle (COL) @Novanod is two season away at best still but could play a large role as part of the rebuild in London. It will be an interesting off-season in London to see how they start to retool or enter a complete rebuild like I think they are headed for.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  7 1st Round Picks:  1 2nd Round Picks:  3 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
Los Angeles Stars Prospects      (S91) RW - Nico Belique (STO)  @Syzygy 24th (2nd Round)  (S92) LW - Joe Shmo (BRA)  @matt sovick 15th (1st Round)  (S93) D - WWumbo (STO)  @Fire Tortorella 22nd (2nd Round)  (S91) LW - Leo Neelson III (SSK)  @silentnyrf31 Undrafted  (S93) C - Taylor Swift (MIS) (ROM)  @lilchrist 26th (2nd Round)  (S93) LW - Connor simard (HFX) (BRA)  @Alex99 36th (3rd Round)  (S93) D - Connor Mclaughlin (LVA)  @Connor Mclaughling Undrafted   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 28.57)  
Considering Los Angeles Stars took majority of their roster straight into retirement; they have done a fairly good job at starting the process of rebuilding their prospect pool by adding picks; which I am not reviewing and (S91) RW - Nico Belique (STO) @Syzygy via a trade from Vancouver Wolves. The Stars will need to hit on every pick in the next two drafts with limited draft picks and the fact that they have already missed on (S93) D - WWumbo (STO) @Fire Tortorella with their 22nd overall pick last season as he seems to have gone inactive. The only 1st round prospect in (S92) LW - Joe Shmo (BRA) @matt sovick has also gone inactive since being traded to Los Angeles from Vancouver. (S93) C - Taylor Swift (MIS) (ROM) @lilchrist and (S93) LW - Connor simard (HFX) (BRA) @Alex99 are still a few season away from joining the VHL and the Stars but should be joining the roster just as it starts to turn the corner.
 
The Stars have a large shopping list and they should be shopping this off season when the draft starts in a few more weeks. It will be interesting to see who they draft at either 1st overall or 2nd overall depending the outcome of the draft Lotto but with a very strong draft they should come out with three or four really strong foundational pieces to build their team around.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  7 1st Round Picks:  2 2nd Round Picks:  2 3rd Round Picks:  3 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  1 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
Malmo Nighthawks Prospects      (S91) C - Phillip Rave  @tcookie 17th (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Jorgen Lovstrom  @Pifferfish 7th (1st Round)  (S92) G - Olafur Gunnleifsson  @JartY 10th (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Ocean Codoller (OTT) (BRA)  @FreshOceanCod 39th (3rd Round)  (S91) G - Shaunca (MIS)  @shaun1979 48th (3rd Round)  (S93) C - Caleb Nowell (OTT) (ROM)  @PhoenixsPc 44th (3rd Round)  (S92) RW - Bjorn Ragnulf  @ng1291 26th (2nd Round)   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 37.86)  
S92 Draft was very unkind to the Malmo Nighthawks as the drafted two players in (S92) G - Olafur Gunnleifsson (10th overall) and (S92) RW - Bjorn Ragnulf (26th overall) @ng1291; both have since gone inactive meaning Malmo came away from the S92 draft with no prospects. This forced them to double down and select (S93) G - Jorgen Lovstrom (7th overall) @Pifferfish their only VHL ready prospect following season. (S93) G - Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish will join the team as the teams goaltender of the future just in time as (S86) G - Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro is set to retire of the second time in his career but with a season of transition means Malmo shouldn`t see any drop off in way of a team in the contention for the Continental Cup. With only one hole to fill due to surprise announcement that (S86) RW - Yaroslav Bogatyrev @Bojovnik was retiring a season early and no 1st round picks in the next two season; it looks like the prospect pool might remain rather slim pickings for at least a few more seasons. Not a huge concern since most of the team is still in the prime and a key piece already in place in (S93) G - Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  11 1st Round Picks:  6 2nd Round Picks:  5 3rd Round Picks:  0 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  4 VHL Ready Prospects:  2 Inactive Prospects:  4  
Prospects      (S91) LW - Grimgor Ironhide  @FrostBeard 7th (1st Round)  (S92) C - George Richmond  @badcolethetitan 2nd (1st Round)  (S91) D - Leif Reingaard  @Zetterberg 3rd (1st Round)  (S91) G - Olober Syko @Spartan 5th (1st Round)  (S93) D - Benjamin Abenduct (OSL)  @Schnee 9th (1st Round)  (S90) D - Didier Verhault (ROM)  @FTK 21st (2nd Round)  (S91) LW - Olumide Anderson (OSL)  @Theory 23rd (2nd Round)  (S92) D - Petit Hughie (LVA) (ROM)  @Sen 14th (1st Round)  (S92) D - Viktor Vyzovsky (STO)  @Vik 18th (2nd Round)  (S93) C - Walter Jinn (PHI) (VAS)  @Adrest245 31st (2nd Round)  (S92) C - Wernher von Braun (VAS)  @Prof. Zach Enron 20th (2nd Round)   
 
Grade: C (score: 59.54)  
Moscow has collected a lot of young talent over the past four or five season but I would have thought that they would have scored higher with four players already on the main roster in the likes of (S91) LW - Grimgor Ironhide @FrostBeard, (S92) C - George Richmond @badcolethetitan, (S91) D - Leif Reingaard @Zetterberg and (S91) G - Olober Syko @Spartan  but missing on four draft pick seems to have driven down the score; not to mention either rebuild really started in S90 and I am only going to S91 due to rookie contracts. This shows that Moscow really has transitioned or really should be transitioning into a win now situation. Scary to think not only does Moscow have (S93) D - Benjamin Abenduct (OSL) @Schnee and (S91) LW - Olumide Anderson (OSL) @Theory ready to join the roster as early as next season but they also currently hold two first round pick in this season strong first round draft. How likely are we to see some of these prospect trade to rebuilding teams?
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  5 1st Round Picks:  4 2nd Round Picks:  0 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  2 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  1  
Prospects      (S91) D - Callum Gary Yannick Janser  @Daniel Janser 1st (1st Round)  (S91) D - Rin Kagamine  @Rin 15th (1st Round)  (S92) C - Wayne Gretzky (OSL)  @MubbleFubbles 11th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Chris Reynolds Jr (OSL)  @Crstats23 11th (1st Round)  (S91) LW - Luna Everdeen (STO)  @Dee 34th (3rd Round)   
 
Grade: B (score: 75.00)  
S91 Draft was the last draft ran by the old management @thadthrasher before handing over the management duties to current Manager @STZ but set the team up for the future with (S91) D - Callum Gary Yannick Janser (1st overall) @Daniel Janser and (S91) D - Rin Kagamine (15th overall) @Rin late in the first round. These two prospects joined an already young developing core and have no helped push the Americans to two consecutive playoff appearances; which should continue to be the norm with one of the better, but smallest prospect pools. Add in (S92) C - Wayne Gretzky (OSL) @MubbleFubbles; who should be VHL ready next season and (S93) LW - Chris Reynolds Jr (OSL) @Crstats23; who will be VHL the following season allowing a steady stream of young prospect to continue to flow onto the teams’ roster. New York Americans are in a good place right now as they continue to improve!!
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  6 1st Round Picks:  2 2nd Round Picks:  2 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  1  
 
Prospects      (S91) C - Spanish Moon Moth  @Renomitsu 4th (1st Round)  (S93) D - Chuck E Cheese (LVA) (VAS)  @a_Ferk 24th (2nd Round)  (S93) RW - Jack Dickins (MIS) (OSL)  @Mystery_boy98 28th (2nd Round)  (S91) RW - Elle Aura Ashe  @Lynersify Undrafted (S93) C - Charlie klepacki (HOU) (STO)  @chuck.hockey7 40th (3rd Round)  (S93) G - Ondrej Vencko  @Mutti 8th (1st Round)   
 
Grade: E (score: 45.83)  
Prague Phantoms look all but set to be heading into a rebuild with (S85) C - John Jameson @Frank, (S85) LW - Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide and (S85) G - Matt Murdock @Acydburn retiring at the end of the season. Prague prospect pool isn`t the deepest or strongest but do have some key prospect in place with (S93) G - Ondrej Vencko @Mutti being the most important as he takes over the starting role from Murdock likely next season. Prague will look to build through what should be a deep draft this off season with four picks in the first two rounds; but they will need to really hit on their selections or they could be looking at a long rebuild. Another key prospect already in the VHL for the Phantom will be (S91) C - Spanish Moon Moth @Renomitsu as likely a key piece to build around. Prague is in for an interesting off season and draft but have put in enough effort to keep them from getting an F so far!!
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  12 1st Round Picks:  5 2nd Round Picks:  1 3rd Round Picks:  5 4th Round Pick:  1 Prospect in the VHL:  2 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  1  
Prospects      (S92) LW - Kimi Raikkonen  @mattyIceman 9th (1st Round)  (S91) G - Red Panda @Lemorse7 8th (1st Round)  (S93) D - Lucy Leitner (VAS)  @LucyXpher 3rd (1st Round)  (S90) RW - Stefan Nikolaev (VAS) @Is_thatok 46th (3rd Round)  (S91) C - Dan jr (STO)  @Danzo 26th (2nd Round)  (S93) RW - Yermolai Nabokov (VAS)  @fonziGG 15th (1st Round)  (S91) D - Bric Sheithaus (COL)  @Oldhead91 38th (3rd Round)  (S91) C - Caesar Monterrey (BRA)  @CaptainGatsby 40th (3rd Round)  (S93) C - French Fries (SSK) (ROM)  @solyom 33rd (3rd Round)  (S93) D - Ray Stanton (HOU) (ROM)  @horoscope 16th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Elf shoes (HOU) (COL)  @ELF_SH0ES 54th (4th Round)  (S93) C - Isaak Robinson (MIA) (ROM)  @isaak 38th (3rd Round)   
 
 
Grade: E (score: 47.08)  
End of an era in Riga as current GM @hedgehog337 will hand over the duties to a new manager at the end of the season; likely before this season draft. Hedge has done a good job collecting young roster just looking to breakout and collecting a steady stream of young talent that should give the new manager a few tools to help shape the team’s future. Three solid picks in the last three drafts (S91) G - Red Panda @Lemorse7, (S92) LW - Kimi Raikkonen @mattyIcemanand (S93) D - Lucy Leitner (VAS) @LucyXpher should make the team much better starting as soon as next season. All the other prospects are still another season or two away with eleven of the twelve prospects active tell you a lot about the scout effort put in by current so to be former management. Riga can afford to wait for these prospects to develop or use them to add pieces to improve the current roster moving forward since they have such a young roster. Add in two first round picks this season and they could really start to contend sooner than later; not to mention to see a strong prospect pool starting as soon as this season draft.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  10 1st Round Picks:  6 2nd Round Picks:  2 3rd Round Picks:  2 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  4 VHL Ready Prospects:  2 Inactive Prospects:  3  
Prospects      (S91) LW - Toby Kadachi  @ROOKIE745 14th (1st Round)  (S91) RW - Gustav Mattias  @Berocka 16th (1st Round)  (S91) D - Mina  @Baozi 12th (1st Round)  (S92) G - Giorgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87 5th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Gianfranco Del Rocco (VAS)  @Victor 2nd (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Nathan Ecker (ROM)  @Nathan_8 10th (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Marek Nowaczyk (OTT) (OSL)  @Chillybro 34th (3rd Round)  (S92) LW - Alexis Laffayette (ROM) 
@DustyMclaren 21st (2nd round)  (S93) D - Enn Jinn (VAS)  @jhatty8 43rd (3rd Round)  (S92) C - Brent Pritchett  @Brent 30th (2nd Round)   
 
Grade: C (score: 61.50)  
The Seattle Bears are back after a strong S91 Draft that seen them select (S91) LW - Toby Kadachi @ROOKIE745, (S91) RW - Gustav Mattias @Berocka and acquiring (S91) D – Mina @Baoziin a trade; all playing in the VHL for the Bears. Mix in a few veteran players; acquired via UFA and at this season trade deadline; and the Bears won the North American Conference after starting the season as surprise team even fighting for a wildcard spot. With only one retiring player in (S85) RW - Henry Eagles @Greg_Di and two prospect ready to make their debut in the VHL next season in (S93) LW - Gianfranco Del Rocco (VAS) @Victorand (S93) RW - Nathan Ecker (ROM) @Nathan_8; the Bears will need to make a few rosters decision this off season to make room but that is always a nice situation to be in considering that Seattle should still be a contender next season. I haven`t even mentioed (S92) G - Giorgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87, the team goalie of the future who made his debut this season but could move into a back-up role to develop a bit longer behind (S86) G - Fuukka Rask @Jubis allowing the team to continue to contend without seeing a huge drop off. The VHL was hoping for a few season without being mauled by the Bears; yeah that won`t happen now!!
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  6 1st Round Picks:  2 2nd Round Picks:  1 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  2 Prospect in the VHL:  1 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
Prospects      (S91) G - Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly 30th (2nd Round)  (S93) D - Gul Dukat (COL)  @MSouthworth 13th (1st Round)  (S92) LW - Wayne Shotzky (STO)  @Kenamatic 16th (1st Round)  (S93) D - Phil Taylor (OTT) (STO)  @Legacy 61st (4th Round)  (S91) RW - Kel Varnsen (OSL)  @JayF 36th (3rd Round)  (S91) C - Rory Sullivan  @Odette.Boudreaux 45th (4th Round)   
 
 
Grade: E (score: 40.00)  
Toronto Legion have been contender for the past few seasons now after winning the Continental Cup in S91 so it shouldn`t come as much of surprise that Toronto doesn`t have the deepest prospect pool in the league but they have some very key prospect with (S91) G - Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly learning this season as back-up to soon to retire (S86) G - Joel Castle @animal74 and Toronto will hope he is ready to take over the net in the next season or two. Bobbly has looked good in his fifteen starts this season with an 7-3-1 record 2.84ga and 0.910sav%. (S93) D - Gul Dukat (COL) @MSouthworth should add some nice youth to the blueline next season and strength the team backend. (S92) LW - Wayne Shotzky (STO) @Kenamaticand (S93) D - Phil Taylor (OTT) (STO) @Legacy are still a few season away from joining the big club. Toronto still look to be competive for a few more season but that will depend on Bobbly transition to the starting role.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  9 1st Round Picks:  7 2nd Round Picks:  1 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  6 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
Prospects      (S92) RW - Logan Ninefingers  @Scurvy 1st (1st Round)  (S92) RW - Riley Martin  @Smarch 4th (1st Round)  (S92) D - Guntis Gavilrovs  @Girts 7th (1st Round)  (S92) D - Vlad Von Carstein  @Dom 6th (1st Round)  (S92) D - DB IV  @wcats 12th (1st Round)  (S91) G - Dalkr Vidarsson @KaleebtheMighty 9th (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Annie Oaks (COL)  @Noodle Enjoyer 4th (1st Round)  (S92) LW - Loic Trepagoat (ROM)  @Trepagoat 23rd (2nd Round)  (S91) RW - Demko (ROM)  @Demko 41st (3rd Round)   
 
Grade: B +  (score: 76.67)  
Vancouver Wolves have no problem selecting in the first round with seven of the nine prospects being selected in the first round of the past three drafts, with S92 Draft being a huge turning point in the teams rebuild; where they selected five players in the first round. All seven first round picks should be in the VHL as of next season when (S93) RW - Annie Oaks (COL) @Noodle Enjoyer joins the roster. Overall score for the Wolves was hurt by later round picks both as both are currently inactive otherwise this would have been the only team with an A grade. Luckily for Vancouver they have a chance to increase their overall prospect pool and prove that they can draft in later rounds with three 3rds round picks in this season draft; not to mention adding two more highly rated players as Vancouver will select twice in the top 6 again!! Ugh!! This team should be an interesting team to watch as they have the talent to contend sooner rather than later.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  14 1st Round Picks:  1 2nd Round Picks:  9 3rd Round Picks:  3 4th Round Pick:  1 Prospect in the VHL:  3 VHL Ready Prospects:  0 Inactive Prospects:  6  
Prospects      (S91) RW - Thor Reingaard  @N0HBDY 2nd (1st Round)  (S91) LW - Behrens Minion  @UnknownMinion 18th (2nd Round)  (S91) G - Pipo Popa @npuBeT 31st (2nd Round)  (S91) C - Jacob Smith Jr (VAS)  @jacobaa19 27th (2nd Round)  (S90) C - Aeschylus Jigglejawns CXXXVII II (BRA)  @.sniffuM 34th (3rd Round)  (S90) RW - Joseph Jec (STO)  @Joseph Jec 32nd (2nd Round)  (S90) LW - Jorji Costova  @Hybrid1486 31st (2nd Round)  (S93) D - Cody Toland (OTT) (COL)  @ctoland102 25th (2nd Round) (S91) RW - Dietrich Reingaard (ROM)  @JigglyGumballs 28th (2nd Round)  (S93) RW - Leon Bruhmaninho (SSK) (OSL)  @BigBruhman 41st (3rd Round)  (S91) LW - Aanarsi Reingaard (HFX) (VAS)  @Laine 33rd (3rd Round)  (S93) C - Gavin Bebard (MEX) (STO)  @Gavin Bebard 53rd (4th Round) (S92) LW - Commander Doom (LVA)  @Mech hi 29th (2nd Round)  (S92) D - John Season (HFX) (ROM)  @dylanjj37 28th (2nd Round)   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 30.36)  
With only one first round draft pick in the past three season in their current prospect pool you would think Warsaw has been a contender but sometimes things just don`t work out as planned; no matter how good they actually look on paper. Also, when I look at Warsaw this shows the state of the prospect pool and the league ability to generate top end talent more than Warsaw’s ability to draft. With nine second round picks you would think Warsaw has a decent prospect pool but it has been rather hit or miss. Four of the nine second round prospect have gone inactive, retired or have large stretches of inactivity. Warsaw actually has been rather unlucky. Warsaw is still a young and developing team; that really needs (S91) G - Pipo Popa @npuBeT to take over the starting role in a season or two from newly acquired (S86) G - Lachlan Summers @kirbithan. Warsaw will also look for (S91) LW - Behrens Minion @UnknownMinion to take a larger step forward along with the other prospects; who are still a few seasons away. (S91) C - Jacob Smith Jr (VAS) @jacobaa19 at the moment is the next prospect to likely make the Predators roster but that won`t be until S95 unless fast tracked.
 
 
Overall Ranking of Teams Prospect Pools:
Team name  Score  International  Grade Chicago Phoenix 78.33 B + Vancouver Wolves 76.67 B + New York Americans 75.00 B   Seattle Bears 61.50 C Moscow Menace 59.54 C Riga Reign  47.08 E Prague Phantoms 45.83 E D.C. Dragons 41.67 E HC Davos Dynamo  40.56 E Toronto Legion  40.00 E Malmo Nighthawks 37.86 F Helsinki Titans  30.77 F Warsaw Predators 30.36 F Calgary Wranglers 29.00 F Los Angeles Stars 28.57 F London United 12.50 F

I bet y'all missed my ramblings about which teams are the best, or which players are the best where I give heavy favoritism to the teams I'm on, ranking them higher than they rightfully should. And I'm now back and ready to be an active menace to the league once more, and absolutely disappoint you like my grandfather is of my alcoholic father. So without further ado, let's get this absolute weed filled rant about the league started. Today your supreme leader Nick is going to rank teams in the VHLM who I believe to be the top 5 contenders for a cup, based off a glance. I also want to preface that this is all surface level analysis and sensationalist writing meant to trick you into thinking it's controversial.
 
5. Philadelphia Reapers
70 gp, 29W 29L 12OTL
This team is pretty interesting to me, a completely .500 team with only 6 real players, knowing the sim gods they'll sweep Ottawa in the first round somehow.
If only this team had more real players especially considering they're managed by the legendary @Lemorse7, someone I have a lot of respect for.
He's somehow wiggled this team into a playoff position, and that's actually incredibly impressive to me. I know that I don't know much about anything at all ever, but what I do know is that the sim gods could absolutely hand this team a series and even potentially a cup.
 
4. Las Vegas Aces
70 gp, 38W 26L 6OTL
Would you look at that, we still have the old Aces logo! What a throwback, side note I remember when we were all voting on a rebrand of the Aces, good times.
I was tempted to put Vegas as the number one team on the rankings, just to piss off Ottawa and Halifax players/fans. But I would be wrong to do such a thing, even though I know we're going to win the cup with very little difficulty, considering I've sacrificed my first born child for a Vegas cup win.
This team is interesting to say the least, super star Pombo @samx leading this team to a deep run with star center Nicholas Sunderbruch Jr at his side and the amazing Chuck E Cheese the best defenseman in the league, this team should surely be a threat come playoffs. The only reason they're at number 4 is because of recent struggles, probably due to Sunderbruch unable to lay off that sticky green herb before games.
 
3. Houston Bulls
70 gp, 45W 21L 4OTL
The best team in the West at the moment and probably the only REAL contender from the west at this point in time, playoffs could change that, you never know.
But a team loaded with solid and superstar players on both ends of the ice, this team is a real threat entering the VHLM playoffs.
Only one defensive player under 200 TPA, and a maxxed goalie, along with wingers and centers that could very well hit 200 before the playoffs, this team is not to be trifled with.
The sheer talent on this roster, anything but a cup appearance should be considered a failure of a season, but unfortunately the sim gods could very well just say "sike" and have them swept in the first round, you truly never know. But until then I'm high on this team for sure.
 
2. Ottawa Lynx
70 gp, 49W 13L 8OTL
Some might argue that the Lynx should be the number one pick on this board, and the standings would agree with you. This team is most likely to win the cup, lets be real. Star players and some future hall of famers on this team for sure, and yet I still think that this team might just fall short of it all in the end, and for Ottawa players I surely hope that isn't the case, especially considering I have a history with this team on my last player The Red Menace, when we won the founders cup together several years ago. Any team with @Dilon it is surely a contender in my eyes (I missed you buddy). And I fear for any team that gets to face off against them in the coming days. Surely a team to look out for, probably league favorites.
 
Are you ready for number one? The best team in the league? The team I predict to win it all?
Well are you? Be honest with me, I'll know if you're lying.
I mean it, be ready for this.
 
1. LAS VEGAS ACES
SIKE I BAITED YOU! Did you really think I would ever count out this storied franchise? They have the best player to ever grace the face of the earth on the team, Nicholas Sunderbruch Jr, a center with a chip on his shoulder and a lust for competition. No team that plays the Aces will stand a chance, in fact they're going to sweep the entire playoffs, winning every game by double goal margins. I'm talking 15-1 scores, 11-0, and the sort. Vegas is a powerhouse, we've merely been tanking the last few days as a way to rest up and get ready for the playoffs, seeding doesn't matter for this brickwall of a team, all that matters is getting into the tourney and playing for the greatest trophy in minor league hockey. May god save anyone who has to face off against this team.
 
     And with that I'm going to end this newest return of Nicks Picks, I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. May your nights be amazing and I hope you find happiness. Anyways I hear my dad coming home from the bar, I need to go grab my helmet and jockstrap. Stay warm and stay icey, seacrest out.

You thought I had milked all I could from my list of my most common last names in VHL history? Think again, for that list provides a wonderful alternative – most popular FIRST names in VHL history!
 
On this occasion I will not list out every player to have played in the VHL but instead focus on some of the big hitters. I will also caveat that I did not add any new VHL players who debuted in S93 so apologies if the totals for some of these popular names need to be adjusted slightly (although I'd be amazed if it was by more than 1 or 2). If you do want the full list, then it is available at the link below.
 
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FsUQv-rCKu6bI3y0KCfQVUwJvcBlYH3mWl8iF2Kt5Js/edit?usp=sharing
 
Alex (20) and Alexander (21)
Well we have a clear runaway winner. 41 Alexs/Alexanders have graced the VHL (nearly 2% of all VHL players ever). 8 of them are in the Hall of Fame (approximately 5% of the Hall). 3 of them have trophies named after them – Chershenko in the VHLM and the Beketov and Valiq in the VHL. It's a pretty good name to have in hockey (see Ovechkin, Mogilny, and to a lesser extent Radulov). It's only the 44th most popular male name in the US in the last 100 years but as evidenced by the list above, it has a more international impact across Europe especially.
 
Anyway, you guys want me to type out the full list? Of course you do. *deep breath*
 
Abraham, Beketov, Brandner, Buturlin, Carter, Chershenko, Davidson, Deslauries, the Great (good on him making it some 2,350 years after his death), Johnston, Kharlamov, Khavanov, Labatte, Letang, McNeil, Minion, Murphy, Parise, Pearson, Pepper, Povenofsky, Randoulov, Rawnsley (he was actually a CPU but it's not like any other name is particularly close anyway), Sauve, Sclafani, Staal, Stokes, Stoyanovich, Stroheim, Thrower, Torjano, Valiq, Watson, Yengeni, Young, and finally Kachur (twice), Gegeny (twice as well) and Bridges (also twice).
These guys will take some time to dislodge from the top.

 
David (22)
We do have a nearly one-man attempt to challenge the Alex/Alexander supremacy. In fact, if you split those two, they actually finish just below David, the name which former commissioner David @Knight uses to name all his players. He accounts for nearly half of the 22-man roster with 9 Davids – the Hall of Famers Smalling, Henman, Night, and Walcott and also Blind, Hamilton, Januzaj, Knight himself, and now Rashford. So long as he keeps going, the Alexanders can not get too complacent.

 
John (17) and Jon (9)
I'm going to stick this one below David because it's a bit more controversial than combining Alex and Alexander – Jon can be Jonathan and that's less likely to be John although these could be the same name sometimes. More importantly, despite 28 of Johns and Jons over the years, there is not too much quality in their ranks. There's just the 1 Hall of Famer – Locke and only a handful of notable players otherwise with Sleeman and Frostbeard in the level below Locke and Jameson who should be this group's second entry into the Hall.

 
Michael (15) , Mike (3), and Mikey (3)... and Mikael? (3)
Quite a mix here, depending on where you draw the line on what counts as a Michael – in any case it doesn't move them up or down from fourth place. The Michaels on their own don't have much star power but when you add in Mikes you get both Szatkowski and Szatkowski Jr and suddenly this group is looking a lot more glamorous.

 
Matt (13) and Matthew (7)
A more straightforward combination – Matthew straight from the Bible and the shorter version, Matt. We have the three most similarly sounding Hall of Famers here – Bentz, Bailey, and Bentley, and also Pogge, Thompson, and Defosse for a very strong ratio of Hall of Famers to players (6 out of 20). So clearly this is a good name to have if you want to make a real impact in the league.

 
Ryan (17)
The good thing about Ryan is that there isn't really any alternative so we know for a fact there are 17 of them not being grouped with anyone else. One of them is actually just called Ryan with no last name which I think is something unique for this article. There's no Gosling vs Reynolds dynamic in the VHL – the clear leader is lone Hall of Famer Sullivan (the original) although there is also erstwhile all-time TPE leader Kastelic and other noteworthy players.

 
Jeff and Jack – 15 each
These two names aren't actually the same name, but they're just joint seventh in this list (unless we add Jack together with John which we are not going to do). None of the Jacks have made the Hall of Fame or have been close with the most successful probably being Shephard, although O'Riley, Sound, and Kowalski were also above average players in their time. The Jeffs have a bit more sparkle with Hamilton and the second Downey in the Hall. Both names can more up quickly to catch up to the Ryans and the Matts in due course.

 
That's about as far down the list as I'm willing to go for my own sanity. Other points to note on the list are the David-like effort by his brother Phil to drag that name up the ranking, although unlike David, @Phil has had no help as I believe all 10 players are his (but we know an eleventh is just around the corner). The 10 Shawns in the meantime are primarily the work of TheLastOlympian (Brodeur, Gretzky, Howard, Muller, and Zyuzin) and 3 Shawn Glades. Mildly amusing is the fact “The” ranks in midtable with 9 appearances thanks to The Charm, The Loch Ness Monster, The Mediocre One, The Process, The Seabasstard, The Board Game Clue on Skates, The Terrible Trivium and current star The Frenchman who is en route to be their first Hall of Famer. I think that's as much content as I can get out of this list, for now anyway.

We love NTCs in Moscow

It was a tough choice, but if we hadn't made that move, I'm sure your extension would have had an NTC on it. Just had to try and go for it while we still had some ELCs to flex with

We love NTCs in Moscow

I was having some free time, so just for the fun of it I decided to browse the portal. I noticed that it is not as common for players to have the "NTC" in their contract. Most teams have a couple of players with the clause on their current deal, and some teams have none, so it is fair to say that the majority of players in VHL at the moment do not have an NTC on their contract. I started to wonder why is that. Over the years I have learned that general managers appreciate when a player commits to the team and works towards the common goals. And in my opinion, nothing says I am interested in staying more than a NTC.
 
I think one big reason behind the lack of NTCs is the fact that general managers are too nice. They are out there helping and being good people. If your general manager approaches you and says there have been few offers for you or the season is not going well, so you might be traded, it is a given that the general manager then tries to find a nice place for you. That is wrong and a shame. Where is the fear of getting traded to a bad team? It does not exist, because it has become acceptable for general managers to be our friends. We should hate our general manager, we should be afraid of our general manager. When you are traded, you should hear about it on the forum first. Or ideally, you would not have to worry about it as you have that NTC on your contract.
 
Another reason is the lack of competition. It has become acceptable for teams to tank and suck. It is widely accepted as part of the experience to have teams rebuilding. On the surface, that is how it is in every sport, but in most sports, the level of competition is still more fierce. VHL simply has too many teams and not enough active players. The general managers are forced to be nice because the pool of actives is so small. When teams in VHL tank and suck, they are not even trying to compete and make deals. I think that is because welfare players are too good. It is too easy to build a solid player with welfare. Active players should be fought over, the should be hunted. Welfare players in return should be terrible. The league plays a big part in that, but the real enablers are the general managers and them being too nice. The general managers are out there understanding when they should be making threats and promises about the player getting traded out if they don't make that graphic or media spot next week. 
 
If you ask me, the league should drop a few teams, welfare should be made weaker, and like in Jason Bourne, before any general manager is accepted into the program they should be forced to fire a welfare player. I think through those steps VHL would have more passion and character. More importantly, the users in VHL would learn valuable lessons about thinking a few steps ahead and never describing who is or is not in the room with them when standing in front of a window.
 
 

0Welcome back to this article series that unites sim league hockey into a super league that is theoretically plausible but practically impossible. Last week, the two thirds of the WSH in North America was sorted out and arranged. Today, the European Conference will be explored as well as my plans for the VHLE. While all the teams in Europe come entirely from the VHL, I did pull from SHL history to name many of the teams. So this does unite both leagues as much as the pervious articles in this series. With that being said, it is time to see what the Old World has for hockey clubs.
A Hop Across the Pond
 
With the worst of the work finished with the conclusion of the North American teams, It was time to deal with the eight teams of the VHL's European Conference. Those teams are listed below.
 
HC Davos Dynamo (Switzerland)
Helsinki Titans
London United
Malmo Nighthawks (Sweden)
Prague Phantoms
Riga Reign (Baltic States)
Warsaw Predators
 
With no team from the SHL and needing even divisions, three expansion teams were needed. A similar look back in VHL history would be enough to find worthy cities and names. The WSH European Conference is listed below.
 
Berlin Steel
HC Davos Dynamo
Helsinki Titans
London United
Madrid Thunder
Malmo Mammoths
Moscow Menace
Paris Revolution
Prague Phantoms
Riga Reign
Warsaw Predators
 
The Berlin Steel and Paris Revolution were set to be inaugural clubs in the VHLE but were swaped out at the last minute during to potential copyright issues. (more on that league later) The branding has been mainstays in the Junior Showcase Tournament, but these franchises were ment to be so much more. Including them in this expansion restores what was taken away better than if they remained a part of the VHLE. The Madrid Thunder were a short lived VHL brand that some have asked for to return. The WSH would welcome the revival of the Thunder with a logo and color to recall the Buffalo Thunder, a similarly short term brand from the SHL. Thus the teams is a perfect fusion of both leagues, which is the point of this whole project. Malmo was rebranded because of the Hamilton Steelhawks as per Rule 5. I thought about rebranding Hamilton instead, but with a name perviously attach to Colorado that I believe works better than what I thought up for Hamilton, the Malmo Mammoths were born. Thus the major clubs were completed but my work was not done yet.
 
Changing The E
 
With the finish line in site, there was only one more league to work on. The Victory Hockey League Europe is an optional middle league between the VHLM and the VHL. It started with six teams quickly expanded to eight taking two franchise from the VHLM only to later contract back down to six where it stands today. At the highest of it's power the VHLE had the following teams.
 
Bratislava Watchmen 
Cologne Express
Geneva Rush
Istanbul Red Wolves
Oslo Storm
Rome Gladiators
Stockholm Vikings 
Vasteras Iron Eagles 
 
This league like the awkward middle child that doesn't get the love of it's younger or older siblings. Because I can relate, I expanded the E to fourteen teams under the new name World Simulation Hockey Minors (WSHM). The franchise of this league are listed below.
 
WSHM 
North Division 
 
Amstel Admiraal
Cologne Express
Glasgow Highlanders
Gothenburg War Boars
Oslo Storm
Stockholm Vikings
Vasteras Iron Eagles
 
South Division
 
Bern Royals
Bratislava Watchmen
Geneva Peace Keepers
Istanbul Inferno
Rome Gladiators
Syracuse Hydras
Toledo Scorpions
 
Each of the teams locations for the new teams are franchise that did exist in the in the VHL or VHLM except for Glasgow. Speaking of Glasgow, what better way to honor Scotland's proud military history than in Scotland itself. This team is why the Ottawa Lynx kept their name. Amsterdam had a team in the VHL's inaugural season. They were the Amstel Tijgers and being based on a real team is what killed the team. But remembering Dutch's history as a great naval power and invoking the memory of the SHL's Portland Admirals while keeping the Dutch spelling in tribute to the original team results in a perfect revival of a classic club. Gothenburg, Sweden had an early and brief VHLM franchise called the Eagles. With a simple revival out of the question due to nearby Vasteras having a too similar brand, I chose a brand based on Gulinbusti, a mystical boar from Nordic myth. It also gives the three Swedish teams a land, sea, and air synergy going on. The Bern Royals were a long standing VHLM team and current JST brand that was somehow forgotten when the VHLE began. Peace Keepers were a suggestion of my own for a rebrand of the Geneva Rush. With the Rush name back in Yukon where it belongs, this solid name is a tip of the had to one of the biggest employers in Geneva, the United Nations. And we finally have the Swiss rivalry that always should have existed in the VHLE at the start. The Istanbul Red Wolves was one of contracted teams I mentioned earlier.  (The other one was the Geneva Rush) Adding an alliterated name cast off from Atlanta to produce a brand that works, given the history of fires in that city.The Toledo Scorpions are a straight revival of an early VHLM team.The Syracuse Wolfpack were a brief VHLM franchise, that unfortunately for me shared a name with the SHL's New England Wolfpack. So it was only fitting that I pulled from New England's history as the Hartford Hydras to fix this problem. This name brings to mind the great myths build around the Mediterranean Sea, of which Syracuse is a port city on.
 
Conclusion
 
I am thankful the the SHL has a rich history of team name to pull from. It made my life a whole lot easier especiallyin this part of the project. I would like to personally thank the individuals in both leagues who archive this history. It truly makes projects like this possible. Up next week is the full revised list of all the team in this project as it stands. But that might not be the conclusion of this series after all. With two expansion teams in the WSHJ and three in the WSH, I could do six team divisions within conferences in both leagues. So I did just that. I will be set to explain both the expansion franchises and the new divisions in part 5 of this series. But with that, this article is at an end. Let's get a conversation going about the project so far so I can make changes for next week. I appreciate you for taking the time to read these ravings of a madman. Goodbye until next week. Cheers.
 

1. It’s always fun playing meaningful games, but winning more of them would be a bit more fun.
2. Toronto Legion: a lack of depth but just don’t seem to lose
3. I mean in fairness I haven’t been contributing much. A locker room full of me’s would be ever so quiet. I’m making more of an effort lately.
4. No complaints at all. 
5. We’ve kind of settled on the line combos minus some small tweaks. Hard to say whether the early season or late season lines work better.
6. I actually don’t know so I’ll have to look it up!