1. I don't think we should do any big changes
2. I do believe so, and thats what makes it interesting!
3. I think people might underestimate Loona's insane rookie season with currently 55 points
4. I think it will be a close battle, but ultimately they will succeed in it
5. A Hawk!
6. Lowkey, keep the mind focused on the job!
My final Media Spot while being player-less! I’m still tossing around ideas for a position, just waiting to see what the field does now. I know at least 3 big names are going with defenders, waiting to see what some of the other big names do, particularly Leandro. I’d like to get the chance to maybe stand above the crowd positionally. Landon Wolanin was great, and probably a top 10 forward of his time, but I’d like to get the chance to maybe tickle the Hall of Fame conversation. If I’m going to go TPE crazy, like I inevitably will, I may as well be in the running.
I am also hoping to get to play at least a few games with my San Diego Marlins. I’ve made it very clear to them that they should take whoever they get, particularly first-gens, and I’ll figure it out after the fact. We’ll see what the VHLM draft brings and I’ll do the best with whatever I get!
I do have an idea for each position as to what I’d want to do, and I think I can make something distinctly good at each position. Really excited to get build-crafting again and learn from some of the mistakes I made along the way with Landon. I’m also hoping to maybe make some off-meta decisions, and craft a player who can carry their growth a little better throughout their career.
It's really amazing to see so many players eligible for the VHLM, and see teams so full. I’m excited to get to meet and get the context around so many of these new users and maybe help them find their way to great VHL careers. I’m still really proud looking around the league and seeing all of the great S84-87 players that I got to help in the early stages of their careers making a lasting impact on their teams, their teammates and the league as a whole. Not to steal any of their credit, of course, but it’s a bit rewarding to feel like I made a bit of a difference along the way.
December and January did… not go the way I anticipated, and things are only looking a little wilder for February and beyond. I don’t anticipate it getting in the way of my ability to be in front of a computer for at least the length of time it takes to write some words on a page, but I hope that I can find a bit of security in the coming weeks. That is one thing I miss about the COVID era, was always knowing what my next day would look like. Things are always changing now, and it is a bit exhausting trying to keep up with all of the changes. But having something that can remind me of what day is Monday, and keep track of the days going by is nice. A week-to-week routine and knowing when my next measly affiliate check comes in to tell me the month, is pretty great.
Recreate Rules
1) You can't just be up there and just doin' a recreate like that.
1a. A recreate is when you
1b. Okay well listen. A recreate is when you recreate the
1c. Let me start over
1c-a. The user is not allowed to do a motion to the, uh, GMs, that prohibits the GMs from doing, you know, just trying to sign the player. You can't do that.
1c-b. Once the user is in the stretch, he can't be over here and say to the GMs, like, "I'm gonna sign for ya! I'm gonna play for your team! You better watch your butt!" and then just be like he didn't even do that.
1c-b(1). Like, if you're about to sign and then don't sign, you have to still sign. You cannot not sign. Does that make any sense?
1c-b(2). You gotta be, signing motion of the contract, and then, until you just sign it.
1c-b(2)-a. Okay, well, you can have the signing up here, like this, but then there's the recreating you gotta think about.
1c-b(2)-b. Gustav hasn't had a defenceman recreate in forever. I hope he wasn't typecast as that one guy that only cares about stat padding.
1c-b(2)-b(i). Oh wait, he's on the Board of Governors too! That's even worse.
1c-b(2)-b(ii). "delete the E" -- Gustav Mattias, "BoG." Haha, classic...
1c-b(3). Okay seriously though. A recreate is when the user makes a movement that, as determined by, when you do a move involving the signing and field of
2) Do not do a recreate please.
With the Malmo Nighthawks sitting at the top of the European Conference, Phillip Rave finds himself in a familiar place about halfway through his rookie year.
It's maybe not the place everyone dreams of being when they envision being a professional hockey player, but you won't hear Rave complaining about it too much. Rave finds himself a role player for the second straight year - he's playing more than he did last season for the VHLE's Cologne Express, but the offense just isn't there for him right now.
Fortunately, Rave plays a pretty complete game and prides himself on being responsible defensively in addition to providing that scoring touch. He would be the first to admit, though, that the transition to the VHL hasn't gone quite as smoothly as he'd hoped. "It's been fun, for sure. You know, the fastest way to get better at anything is to play against people that are better than you... I'm pretty early on in my career, and there's a lot I can learn from my teammates and from other players, and I'm just trying to get better every shift and learn wherever I can," says Rave. "This is the top level of hockey you'll find. The players here are so, so good. It's taking some getting used to but... it's not a level that I don't think I can get to. It's just going to take some hard work and discipline."
Rave has just 5 goals and 14 points in 32 games, but it feels like he's close. He sports a +8 rating, which is good for fifth on the team, and has 106 shots on goal. His shooting percentage of 4.7% suggests he's just been a little unlucky so far, although some might argue it suggests he's just taking bad shots, instead. Among VHL rookies, Rave isn't particularly close to the scoring lead, which belongs to Helsinki's Grimgor Ironhide (31 points in 32 games), but he isn't letting it get to him. "Yeah like I said, this is the best league in the world and those are the best guys in my draft class, so... look I'd have loved to be a Rookie of the Year contender, but at the end of the day, what I really appreciate is looking at the standings and seeing the Malmo Nighthawks in first place."
The EU was expected to be the more competitive of the two conferences in S92, and so far, it's living up to that billing with the top-five teams separated by eight points. The Nighthawks have a five-point gap over the London United and Helsinki Titans for second. There's a bit of a gap after the Moscow Menace, eight points down to the Riga Reign, so with 40 games left in the season, the Nighthawks sit in a playoff position by 16 points. Early in the season, it felt like the Nighthawks were fighting the puck a little. Strong play by the defense and from netminder Ash Sparks held them afloat until the offense came around. With a recent surge in offensive production, the Nighthawks are finding their stride.
For Rave, who played in the VHLM finals two seasons ago with San Diego and won a Renaissance Cup last season with Cologne, he's exactly where he wants to be. "I live for the big moments," says Rave. "I don't care about how many goals or assists I score in a random regular season game in the middle of the year. I just want to be there when we're fighting for the trophy at the end of the year. And I've been fortunate to the in that position so far in my first two years, and fortunate to be playing for a team that has a chance to be there again this year. That's all I want, man. I want to win games... the rest takes care of itself."
"It's frustrating for sure, to put in the work not and not see the fruits. A lot of the coin tosses we'd win at the start of the season just aren't falling to us now. It sucks. The room gets eerily quiet after games. If I have to go out and parade around during the three star presentation after a 1-0 or 2-1 loss again I'm going to reach that point too."
Tough words from Americans goaler WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW speaking to media in Madison Square Garden following a 0-2 home stand fans expected four points. The Americans had high expectations following their strong start in season 93, seeing 36W not only rise to the top of the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy discussion, but the Shaw and Campbell trophies as well. Fans are heralding the Westport, CT born goaler as the greatest Americans goaler since A Red Guy - whom 36W had posters of on his walls growing up.
Methodology:
We have developed a rating system that accounts for each VHLM player's STHS adjusted attributes and assigns them an overall rating between 0 and 99. We then took those ratings and applied them to each team's most recent lineups as of the January 11th sim. The only exception to this is the San Diego Marlins who had issues due to trades and other roster management: leading to very obscure looking lineups on the index. For them I requested an updated lineup card from their GM and he replied hastily enough to get this going speedily. Thank you to @Mysterious_Fish for that! With all of this said, a couple caveats:
1) Some teams have players roster that were not yet placed in their lineups, these players were all omitted from their team's scores. When these situations occur we will provide the player's name and individual rating so you can mentally picture how much they change things for their team being in the lineup.
2) Some teams vary on how many Bots they voluntarily place in their lineups. This is most notable in defenses as some teams with two Dmen choose to run bot on half their lines, and some just stick them on every unit.
3) As was stated earlier, the data here was collected on January 11th shortly after sims. That means that those players who had not yet updated this week or gotten their PTs accepted may now be much better than the data shows. In particular this will impact those newly created players that sit at 0 TPA for some time while they await advice from their GM. Some of these individuals may be in the lineups and tanking their team's rating when they now are an actually contributing member of the lineup.
Well here we are again folks. Feeling a bit like its S85 again with this team. The Hounds have once again dug deep and reached the depths of despair and fans are upset about it. I however do see some reasons for hope. For one, this data is based on their lineups and for some reason they are only single shifting all their players. Second, they do have one very trade-able piece in F Wernher von Braun @Prof. Zach Enron. We have him rated at a 63: good for top 15 score in his position group.
Now for the bad and the ugly. The lack of a goalie is the most pressing issue for this team. Any current backup that wants playing time ought to be requesting a move here to see some extra action. Another concern is some potentially valuable trade chips in their forward core are on the brink of being released due to inactivity in the practice facilities. Maybe the waivers come flooding in for some abundant playing time, but I highly doubt that will be enough to turn the tides of what's bound to be a lowly year for the blue and silver.
Our next squad with a tough road ahead of them are your defending Founder's Cup champions. Last year's Skylar Right winner Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly has moved up to the VHLE and left a major void in this Saskatoon lineup as they have two netminders below the 100 TPA benchmark you like to see at this juncture. Maybe one starts to step up the earning in a major way and wrangle a hold of that starting job, but as of this moment it's a toss up who will be getting minutes. A positive for this team I really like the look of is the forward core, despite the low ranking at 9. Lots of 1st gens using various training methods to get the TPE built up shows strong leadership from the incumbent Jack Reilly winner in @Berocka. With a mind like that at the helm steering these young players, I think this team is a dark horse to crawl up these rankings as the season progresses. Defense will be a struggle for sure but look out for the Wild in S92.
Led by first overall pick Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica, Halifax has a decent forward core. They rank 6th and that's without having Aanarsi Reingaard @Laine in the lineup. Specifically in regards to Reingaard, he is one of the most efficiently built players in the M below 125 TPA. This is a player who shows knowledge in where to put the points they do earn. Beware of this type of guy once they hit about 150 TPE, because he will be playing much like an average 200 TPE player. Now if we look at the backside of the roster, we have another team without a top tier goalie heading into the season, but they do have 2 players in that group on the roster. One could crank up the earning and get the certified starter role, but as of now both leave a bit to be desired. Also of note, only Cavill @Firekiss has gotten the starting nod (as of writing) despite both net minders being active earners and our projections seeing Topper @Habs_22 as the better option in the short term. This is a call to HFX management @ShawnGlade and @Will3, get Topper some playing time! As far as their defense is concerned they really only have one guy until Kronos @Youngbuck applies some TPE which is also very much dragging their numbers down. For this team to amount to much more than getting swept in the first round, Bucatini will have to put together a godly campaign.
A once beloved franchise now possibly past their prime from the late 80s, this team actually has so much hope. They didn't have a 1st round pick in the draft but more than made up for that by trading just a 3rd for Barry McOckiner @LanerDUST. If they can keep the developing forward focused and earning, we might be talking about this move as a reason for @AJW to win the Jack Reilly. Other than that this team does have a good launching point. Currently four Defensemen rostered is a great place to be in the VHLM (only three are considered in their 7th overall ranking) and quite a few forwards past or at the 110 TPE mark. Once again I see quite a few 1st generation players earning from lots of sources, which takes a team from middle of the pack to contending fast! This is another dark horse squad if they keep the guys they have active and earning like this!
Here we have a team with a clear identity! Offense is their best defense. They will be trying to take the lead early with lots of shots on net and hang onto it via continued pressure. Ivanov @KmaddFPS is the BEST player in the VHLM as far as our model is concerned and this team is built to feed him the puck a lot. Also, this comes on the back of losing a pretty promising young player over contract disputes. You'd think with a player refusing to apply and no leverage to keep him around the Lynx would lose the trade of that player but I actually think they got away with grand larceny here. This team has a bright future after that deal and even if this isn't their season, expect big things for years to come. @Grape always has a knack to realigning his team's after down years.
Here are the teams we expect to realistically be in the hunt come the playoffs. This team is a direct foil to what the Lynx want to do. Built on a strong defense with the addition of hot goaltending prospect, Jørgen Løvstrøm @Pifferfish, this team will be looking to keep opponents to under 30 shots and 2 goals on a game to game basis. You may look at the standings and see a pretty putrid goals against number so far (as of writing), but that will be shrinking fast. The Heartbreak Kid in net is exactly the type of injection this squad needed to keep them afloat while a slew of young forwards find their footing out there. Once that front unit gets clicking, this is a dangerous team. Once again, I'd like to point out another player who is very efficient with their TPE in Taylor Swift @lilchrist. To be top 2 among forwards in application efficiency league wide while applying into your faceoffs (which the model does not reward in overall, but is noted for all Centers) is crazy promising. In fact, each of the Reapers' top 6 forwards have a .4 or higher in their application efficiency. This number generally ranges from .2 to .5 so this is a great sign of a position group bound for major growth. On defense we see the same thing, each defender on this team ranged from a .38 to a .41 efficiency rating.
Miami is probably the most balanced team in the VHLM. They have no top tier positional groups, but they also have none in the bottom half of the league. The main concern I have for Miami is the possibility of their starting goalie going IA. Now let's say he does, all hope is not lost. Miami has the second most efficient applying goalie ready to go as their backup. He might be a bit raw now, but with enough time to grow he can become a top tier goaltender in the VHLM. No matter what happens in net for Miami, I still like a lot about this squad. Highmore @NineIQ v2 is a top 6 forward and Ennis @DeciBell4 is a top 4 defenseman in the league. Shmo @matt sovick and Kolesinska @chikn are both quite solid contributors in their own rights. I will say that I do believe for this team to maximize its offensive talent it needs to keep Shmo and Highmore split up as both want that puck on their stick. Shoes @ELF_SH0ES is another player who isn't going to contribute a lot now, but could soon be a key player for this offense. @Tetricide is a solid GM, and I believe in the culture of the team thriving with a solid outlook.
@hylands is one of the few GMs in the VHLM I do not know much of anything about. But based on what I'm seeing he is doing a good job here. This team is where Philadelphia projects to end up now! Led by a strong defensive front featuring Free Gorlab @eaglesfan036, Chuck E. Cheese @a_Ferk, aaaaand (do I dare try to spell this name from memory without copy pasting?) Alexsanteri Kaskiniemi-Kakkonen @Snussu we have a strong guess as to what team will have the least goals against at the end of this season. Major shout-out to Loona Buckzo @WildfireMicro. This user was one of my first players as a GM in the JST and what a great locker room presence in the past. Textbook "glue guy" and we love those in the VHLM. Also, the player happens to be tied with Trey Daniels @Tdan04 for the honors of best forward on the team.
Now I understand how those positional rankings might make you double take and ask how in the world Vegas could be #2 in the league, but they are. This forward core is loaded! Stinky @taylorherd, Piston Maicupp @MandyManiac, and Elle Aura Ashe @Lynersify are all top 7 forwards in the league. Don't get it twisted either, this D-core is good too. Harjen Van Araken @VaderTheTater and Bric Sheithaus @Oldhead91 are both top 7 in their position as well. They are really only ranked 5th because of a lack of bodies. A top 4 goalie is also is not a bad place to be with so much room to grow for Hugo Boss @Dil. Now readers, this is all well and good but it can't possibly get better for Vegas…. riiiiight? Wrong!!!! Remember when I said Philly had the 2nd most efficient skater in the M? Well this team has #1, Finneas Finnegan O Cleirigh @Gorth takes the crown in that regard! Shout-out to @McLovin on building this monster of a team. Reminds me of @Shindigs's types of of roster from when I first came around the VHL. He would be proud.
Finally we made it to the end of the line. Another dominant looking Marlins team tops the charts like back in S86. This squad boasts a forward tied for best in the league and a defenseman who is the certified number one player at his position in Jean-Pierre Devote @eagle_3450 and Factor Lee @Hockeywizard676, respectively. They just acquired Wayne Gretzky @MubbleFubbles for a pretty penny from Ottawa. They have the advantage of a full defensive rotation to help them despite only featuring one top talent. Goaltending could be an issue for this team but I think @Mysterious_Fish can get his guy earning like a champ. Gianfranco Del Rocco @Victor and Dietrich Reingaard @JigglyGumballs also help boost up this group of forwards a ton in these rankings. Both are quite solid players. The only actual concern I have for San Diego is they are a nearly capped team. Every other team in the VHLM has the room to grow and close the gap that they have. Should be an interesting S92.
"And with the 19th pick in the VHLM draft" the VHLM commissioner begins to announce "the Mexico City Kings select Loona Buckzo from the United Kingdom" Loona's eyebrows rasie a bit as the drafts pick is announced, and soon sighs and grabs $20 to give to her friend Moxxie.
"Yeah I know, here you go" Loona says as she hands the money to him "can't believe I lost that bet"
"Honestly I didn't really know if you were gonna be drafted to a team outside the US, I just guessed" Moxxie says as he puts the money in his pocket. The two of them had made a bet on whether or not Loona would be drafted to the US, and Moxxie took the win. "Anyways, The Kings seem like a good team, so this should be fun"
"There is just one problem though" Loona says a bit nervously "I speak absolutely zero Spanish"
"Hmm I think I might know someone who could act as our translator" her other friend and Moxxie's wife Millie says after taking a bite of pizza "if nothing else, think about all the tequila we can drink there!"
"I don't drink much, but I hope you have fun with it" Loona smiles a bit "still if you can get a translator that would be helpful, otherwise this might be tricky for us"
After putting the players in charge of choosing their own captains, the results are in! I'll keep this one short and sweet.
Captain - Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen @Snussu
All of the players this season are brand new to the team except for one returnee. Having already made a big impact inside the locker room, our 2nd overall pick from the S92 draft has been voted to captain the team.
Assistant Captain - Loona Buckzo @WildfireMicro
Another player that is brand new to the team and has made an instant impact. I am proud to award one of the assistant captain spots to Loona.
Assistant Captain - Trey Daniels @Tdan04
Our one and only returning player from the previous season. Trey Daniels has shown that he believes in the team, and he will serve as our 2nd assistant captain.
Congratulations to all of our captains this season!
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hylands reacted to Snussu in Mexico City Kings Press Conference
hylands got a reaction from STZ in Pitch My Recreate
hylands got a reaction from fromtheinside in Hall of Not Bad, Volume 8: Brendan Telker (and Paul Atreides!)
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hylands got a reaction from AJW in Running With the Bulls: Tinker Tyler Sidney Spy
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hylands got a reaction from jacobcarson877 in i almost ran out of room trying to spell this name.thumb.jpg.3c40639c136066b3ed0ccd953a6127c4.jpg)
hylands got a reaction from comrade cat in i almost ran out of room trying to spell this name
hylands got a reaction from Jason kranz in i almost ran out of room trying to spell this name
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