JigglyGumballs

@Members
 
As you may have noticed from the TPE bans that have been handed out recently, AI use in point tasks is becoming a bit of an issue. I would just like to remind you all that using these tools in an attempt to earn TPE is against the VHL Code of Conduct, as stated below:
 
 
Our lovely crew of updaters will also be taking this matter more seriously, and will begin to use detection tools before approving submissions.  This goes for both AI generated media spot content AND graphics.
 
Thank you all for understanding, I know AI tech is moving at an exponential rate and is an amazing resource, however maintaining the integrity of the league and an even playing field for all members is paramount.

Hello again, so recently there’s been a tiny bit of drama around the recruitment teams methods of recruiting. Today I’d like to focus on what I find the most important the VHL Instagram. In my last post I got criticism for not providing solutions, So I’ve made a complete guide on how to actually use Instagram to promote the leagues brand and I have created my own Instagram account with examples.

Also I’d like to change my opinion on one of my points in regards to using NHL player’s likeness. I think it’s fine
because of how small the VHL is HOWEVER, It’s still legally questionable so it should be a caution we are aware of. 
 
(Disclaimer: I’m away on a trip so I didn’t have access to a computer meaning I couldn’t make examples of everything, but it should put across the main point.) 
 
1. Aspect Ratio:
When creating a post Instagram will automatically scale it to fit on your screen and will accommodate any photo. That is not the same if you decide to post a reel which has a fixed aspect ratio which is why we see the big black spaces filling up most of the current VHL insta’s posts. Photos should not be posted as reels keep them as photos and that solves the problem, you don’t need smoke effects and music over every still image. You should in general post using the classic 1080x1080px however it’s not necessary. 
 
2. Reels:
As mentioned before every single post made by the current insta is a reel. I’m assuming this is done to take advantage of the high traffic of users scrolling through reels to get more attention on posts. First I want to say reels is an important tool to be used when advertising on Instagram, however not when your post aren’t ads or more importantly not videos. The only still images that get attention on reels are screenshots of twitter, that’s it. Anything else put it in a regular post. So how does the VHL use reels then? Video ads, watch Kazxi’s ads on the game slapshot rebound, they are good examples of what I’d envision a vhl ads should feel like, obviously the content will be very different and focused on VHL activities. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs6SMFRNodi/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
that’s my idea at least but just as long video form content aimed at bringing in members is getting posted I’m happy.
 
 
3. Types of Posts:
Now one thing that I don’t think I made very clear on my last post is not every post has to be advertising. It’s ok to have a mix as long advertisement is present. In my mind there’s 3 types of posts, Ads, league retention posts, and a mixture of the two. Ads as mentioned in the reels section should be focused entirely on bringing in members.
 
League retention is more making content specifically for your followers, posting community graphics would fall under that as well as media spots, VSN posts, and basically anything you’d need a prior knowledge of the VHL to understand. These kind of posts are ok if they aren’t the entire Instagram. They should not be spread out into multiple posts. Add all the images into one singular post (in my example they are all on one image but using multiple slides in one post is also an option depending on how you want to present it) and throw in a title image to give the post some context. 
 
The mixture would be standings, stats,  trade announcements, and championship posts. It’s enough context for someone to understand what they are looking at even if they haven’t interacted with the VHL before. 
 
4. Branding: 
Branding is important, all posts should reflect the VHL brand identity which means careful attention and care should be used when designing a post. This includes the image pixel quality, and the quality of the image itself. That does mean jersey swaps and how well an image is cut. Using beginner artist works I think is fine in the occasional community post but shouldn’t be involved in larger scale league branding. Every single time you post you should keep this in mind, when people click on the vhl profile we want a good impression.
 
5. Example:
This example shows both the league retention and mixed posts as mentioned in Types of Posts, I didn’t include an ad because (as I mentioned before)  I’m on trip, and because of the amount of effort to do it should be the job of someone getting 6 tpe a week in job pay. But anyways here’s the insta: https://instagram.com/vhlsim_?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
 
I did see the current account posted a trade which is a good step in the right direction, despite the arguments I’m glad you guys listened and have shown you’re open to improvement. Hopefully this conversation helps get the recruitment going in the right direction. 
 
 
@Moon @Subject056 @Triller

So you're gonna come out of inactivity and become the zoomer king of VHL reels/shorts/tiktok right....?? (pls do I think the content would be hilarious)

So... The M and Recruitment as a whole has been down eh? The thread started by @Zetterberg has incited a lot of conversation, so much so that at this point this should be a theme for theme week. Nevertheless after reading through the numerous opinions and conversations that have since stemmed from this, why not put my two cents into the issue? As much as I love consuming drama, my craving for tea hasn't been satisfied and thus my dumb ass will throw myself into the fray.
 
Ironically enough, I stumbled upon Z's thread after it has been advertised on Instagram as a story. I honestly found that extremely funny since Z had his criticisms with the IG account only for his own thread to be advertised there. Either way, the general consensus I've seen/read is that the Recruitment team's issues have stemmed from a lack of direction and organization. It gives me the sense that there are people who put more focus on the IG/social media, there are also others who are currently working on recruitment drives. I guess what I'm saying is that everyone in recruitment seems to be doing their own thing in an attempt of getting new faces into the sim league. Of course as an outsider looking in, the vast majority of the basis of this is based on the observations I've made from the recent discussions. I could easily be wrong and anyone is open to prove me different. So where do we go from here? How can we provide possible solutions to these issues? Personally, I think this isn't just a simple "fix one thing and make gud" type of solution. It's more of a multi-layered process. I feel like there's a lot of specific parts and aspects that needs to be addressed in order to solve the recruitment issue. I'm not outright asking to completely reorganize the recruitment team, but I feel like these possible solutions could possibly provide feedback and insight from a person who's been in the league for a bit but has also spent a lot of time outside of it. Also, this doesn't mean I'm discrediting or undermining the tireless amounts of work the recruitment team does. It's a thankless job and when results doesn't show, it leads to criticism whether it's justified or not. However, when the backbone of what makes the league what it is now is struggling to help fill M teams, there needs to be some change. M GMs can't do their jobs if there's no newbies to retain. So without further adieu, here's a potential multi-step plan to help improve recruitment.
 
1) The odds are already stacked against us so how do we fight that?
The VHL is a simulation league where you create your own player and help them grow by participating in a forum based system where you make articles, graphics, podcasts, or videos in order to acquire a system of points that improve your stats that correlate with a sim engine that's not the EA NHL games or Franchise Hockey Manager and it's an engine most in a general audience likely don't know about. Quite the run on sentence right? Most people, fuck it, everyone here knows that the VHL is a very specific niche. None of the teams are related to the NHL and the only actual correlations to the NHL are the graphics and the idea that it's a be-a-pro or franchise mode sim league. The latter of which is true to a degree but the specifics behind it is what makes the VHL an incredibly niche league. This is the first layer of what makes recruitment hard. New people might be turned off by the idea of writing articles or learning a sim engine with a sketchy ass UI, thus the acceptance of 'clickers' (people like me who use Welfare and Practice) has been adjustment that unfortunately needed to be made to allow those who don't like the idea of writing paragraphs or making graphics. This issue will never have a clear solution as this is just how the league is. You'll have people who are interested in the forum/GM aspect and others who don't.
 
Another thing that puts the odds against recruitment and retention is the aforementioned lack of direction/organization. There NEEDS to be a Head of Recruitment. Someone who keeps track of the numerous recruitment initiatives, and acts as the representative to the blues and M GMs. If there is a head of recruitment and I don't know, then this part isn't exactly invalid. There needs to be someone who steps up and keeps things organized and makes the decisions of what gets prioritized based on the feedback from the admins, commishes, and the M GMs. Some people within recruitment might not necessarily be happy that their recruitment strategy isn't prioritized over others, but having that structure and having a person who can act on the best interests for the league is a big part of what I believe is a possible solution. You can have numerous recruitment methods whether it's YouTube ads or IG or even fucking Reddit if possible, but there needs to be someone who keeps track of the progress of the people who are working on those different methods and makes sure that problems, or any other points or ideas be addressed. Ideally this person shouldn't be any part of the actual recruitment process and acts as the supervisor and middle man between the team and the league. However, I'm not opposed to them being part of a specific part (YT, IG or fuck all else), but being neutral the different aspects of recruitment helps lessen any bias towards one method or another. This all leads onto a few points I'll go over further, one of which being...
 
2) Stick to what works.
YouTube and (previously) Reddit has been the biggest contributors to gaining new members. YT especially as the bans on advertising our league on subreddits have been gone for a while now. I am aware that there are YT drives being worked on, but there are a few issues with YT recruiting. One of the things addressed that came from Z's thread was the fact that YouTubers are hiking up their prices. The financials behind these types of recruitment is tough considering this a volunteer ran league. Another issue is the fact that the same YouTubers have ran multiple ads for the VHL at this point. While having that business relationship is important, as it will hurt the league more by not getting ads from these established connections. You can only make a pitch to the same fanbase a number of times before it's just tuned out. The solution to that is easy, simply reach out to more creators. The hard part is the negotiation process behind that which I can't help but think it's a nightmare sometimes. However, this method gives out a good chunk of new members in a large quantity over a short duration of time. Maybe only about 20% of the total recruitment drive actually stays. Maybe only half of that 20% actually becomes engaged forum participants and owners. That's still better than the lack of recruitment we've seen as of late. Capturing this quick bolt of lightning has worked in the past and will work again. This part of recruitment and the work the team does to make it happen is something I will always support. This should also be a large priority of the recruitment team over the other social media initiatives. It works if it gets through, so this should always be a big priority for the proposed Head of Recruitment and the league. It's been a while since I've watched hockey YT so I can't make any real suggestions now, but maybe anyone who sees this can list some YouTubers who you think could work to help bring a fresh new audience to the VHL. It might be a stretch (fuck it is a stretch) but the optimism in me always feels that there's a way.
 
3) The zoomer in me don't like how the VHL does social media.
I think this is one of my bigger gripes with recruitment right now. As a zoomer who's chronically online (lmao what a surprise), I find it really annoying that short form content isn't being taken advantage of right now. Yes the VHL Instagram mostly does reels. But is a PNG graphic of some established hockey player in a weird jersey and logo overlayed with random ass filters while blasting music really an instagram reel? This is nothing against the graphics part of recruitment or the people who run it as the graphics themselves are great. However from a recruitment perspective, and even as someone who's familiar with the league, this shit don't fly. Who the fuck sees this and thinks "oh hey what's this VHL thing? lemme just check this out" when they see Alex Wennberg in a Helsinki jersey or something. Most people would see this as "why is Wennberg in a random ah jersey lol?" The graphics and daily posts don't describe what the league is. Heck even personally I've just glanced over the posts and stories as they didn't seem to interest me at the time. I've liked a few but never gave it much thought. They don't show that this is referring to a sim league. The "join now" in the description being overshadowed by the graphics is not a good way to use this platform as a recruitment avenue.
 
Another issue I have is the audience the instagram is pandering to. The instagram account seems to prioritize towards the already established audience of current VHLers rather than trying to reach a new audience. Of course that's not always a problem. Knowing the VHL and the cycle of recreates dominating draft classes, I'm sure that giving some content towards that established audience will always be appreciated. However not showing anything that might entice a new audience is just a waste of effort.  The one positive thing I see from the Instagram is the abuse of hashtags. I would add a #foryou and a #reels along with the amount of shit put on there as it helps with the algorithm. You know what else helps the algorithm? Making real reels. Have someone that's comfortable speaking, or even a text-to-speech bot blabber out the standings or describe what the VHL is. Make actual short form content that catches the attention of users and put a "want to join? sign up for the VHL now" at the end of every video. Fuck it, put on some subway surfers or some shitty mobile game/minecraft parkour underneath. Let me make this clear, I'm all for showcasing the work and articles using the Instagram account, but in an age of Tiktok and YouTube shorts, short form content is KING. Have weekly standings or even go the sports media route and form narratives behind the teams. Something like "OH FUCK VASTERAS FLEECED OSLO AGAIN, ARE THEY GOING ALL IN? or will the be FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY" or something. This doesn't even have to be too frequent, just 2-3 times a week. Maybe even once a week if editing is a challenge. Improving the quality and taking advantage of an age where less than 1-2 minute videos are consumed constantly will help this avenue in getting not only more eyes to the VHL, but potentially more members.
 
 
In conclusion, recruitment is a multi-layered problem that needs a multi-layered solution. Retention is a whole nother can of worms I'm sure the M GMs are glad to discuss about. This is just something I want to propose based on the discussions held and my own personal views on this issue. I do hope that the VHL can have another solid recruitment drive soon as this is a community that is welcoming to those who join it despite the casual drama every now and then. Again, I don't want to bash the recruitment team for their hard work, but I feel like some of that work has been misused in the wrong places. I know I'm a lot more biased on the instagram part but showcasing the graphics/articles on the page is a positive. I just wish that there would be more effort in taking advantage of instagram as a recruitment platform. I really liked the discussion this brought on, and it's nice to weigh in on things again.
 
(2084 words)
Claiming for weeks ending 11/25-12/16

So... The M and Recruitment as a whole has been down eh? The thread started by @Zetterberg has incited a lot of conversation, so much so that at this point this should be a theme for theme week. Nevertheless after reading through the numerous opinions and conversations that have since stemmed from this, why not put my two cents into the issue? As much as I love consuming drama, my craving for tea hasn't been satisfied and thus my dumb ass will throw myself into the fray.
 
Ironically enough, I stumbled upon Z's thread after it has been advertised on Instagram as a story. I honestly found that extremely funny since Z had his criticisms with the IG account only for his own thread to be advertised there. Either way, the general consensus I've seen/read is that the Recruitment team's issues have stemmed from a lack of direction and organization. It gives me the sense that there are people who put more focus on the IG/social media, there are also others who are currently working on recruitment drives. I guess what I'm saying is that everyone in recruitment seems to be doing their own thing in an attempt of getting new faces into the sim league. Of course as an outsider looking in, the vast majority of the basis of this is based on the observations I've made from the recent discussions. I could easily be wrong and anyone is open to prove me different. So where do we go from here? How can we provide possible solutions to these issues? Personally, I think this isn't just a simple "fix one thing and make gud" type of solution. It's more of a multi-layered process. I feel like there's a lot of specific parts and aspects that needs to be addressed in order to solve the recruitment issue. I'm not outright asking to completely reorganize the recruitment team, but I feel like these possible solutions could possibly provide feedback and insight from a person who's been in the league for a bit but has also spent a lot of time outside of it. Also, this doesn't mean I'm discrediting or undermining the tireless amounts of work the recruitment team does. It's a thankless job and when results doesn't show, it leads to criticism whether it's justified or not. However, when the backbone of what makes the league what it is now is struggling to help fill M teams, there needs to be some change. M GMs can't do their jobs if there's no newbies to retain. So without further adieu, here's a potential multi-step plan to help improve recruitment.
 
1) The odds are already stacked against us so how do we fight that?
The VHL is a simulation league where you create your own player and help them grow by participating in a forum based system where you make articles, graphics, podcasts, or videos in order to acquire a system of points that improve your stats that correlate with a sim engine that's not the EA NHL games or Franchise Hockey Manager and it's an engine most in a general audience likely don't know about. Quite the run on sentence right? Most people, fuck it, everyone here knows that the VHL is a very specific niche. None of the teams are related to the NHL and the only actual correlations to the NHL are the graphics and the idea that it's a be-a-pro or franchise mode sim league. The latter of which is true to a degree but the specifics behind it is what makes the VHL an incredibly niche league. This is the first layer of what makes recruitment hard. New people might be turned off by the idea of writing articles or learning a sim engine with a sketchy ass UI, thus the acceptance of 'clickers' (people like me who use Welfare and Practice) has been adjustment that unfortunately needed to be made to allow those who don't like the idea of writing paragraphs or making graphics. This issue will never have a clear solution as this is just how the league is. You'll have people who are interested in the forum/GM aspect and others who don't.
 
Another thing that puts the odds against recruitment and retention is the aforementioned lack of direction/organization. There NEEDS to be a Head of Recruitment. Someone who keeps track of the numerous recruitment initiatives, and acts as the representative to the blues and M GMs. If there is a head of recruitment and I don't know, then this part isn't exactly invalid. There needs to be someone who steps up and keeps things organized and makes the decisions of what gets prioritized based on the feedback from the admins, commishes, and the M GMs. Some people within recruitment might not necessarily be happy that their recruitment strategy isn't prioritized over others, but having that structure and having a person who can act on the best interests for the league is a big part of what I believe is a possible solution. You can have numerous recruitment methods whether it's YouTube ads or IG or even fucking Reddit if possible, but there needs to be someone who keeps track of the progress of the people who are working on those different methods and makes sure that problems, or any other points or ideas be addressed. Ideally this person shouldn't be any part of the actual recruitment process and acts as the supervisor and middle man between the team and the league. However, I'm not opposed to them being part of a specific part (YT, IG or fuck all else), but being neutral the different aspects of recruitment helps lessen any bias towards one method or another. This all leads onto a few points I'll go over further, one of which being...
 
2) Stick to what works.
YouTube and (previously) Reddit has been the biggest contributors to gaining new members. YT especially as the bans on advertising our league on subreddits have been gone for a while now. I am aware that there are YT drives being worked on, but there are a few issues with YT recruiting. One of the things addressed that came from Z's thread was the fact that YouTubers are hiking up their prices. The financials behind these types of recruitment is tough considering this a volunteer ran league. Another issue is the fact that the same YouTubers have ran multiple ads for the VHL at this point. While having that business relationship is important, as it will hurt the league more by not getting ads from these established connections. You can only make a pitch to the same fanbase a number of times before it's just tuned out. The solution to that is easy, simply reach out to more creators. The hard part is the negotiation process behind that which I can't help but think it's a nightmare sometimes. However, this method gives out a good chunk of new members in a large quantity over a short duration of time. Maybe only about 20% of the total recruitment drive actually stays. Maybe only half of that 20% actually becomes engaged forum participants and owners. That's still better than the lack of recruitment we've seen as of late. Capturing this quick bolt of lightning has worked in the past and will work again. This part of recruitment and the work the team does to make it happen is something I will always support. This should also be a large priority of the recruitment team over the other social media initiatives. It works if it gets through, so this should always be a big priority for the proposed Head of Recruitment and the league. It's been a while since I've watched hockey YT so I can't make any real suggestions now, but maybe anyone who sees this can list some YouTubers who you think could work to help bring a fresh new audience to the VHL. It might be a stretch (fuck it is a stretch) but the optimism in me always feels that there's a way.
 
3) The zoomer in me don't like how the VHL does social media.
I think this is one of my bigger gripes with recruitment right now. As a zoomer who's chronically online (lmao what a surprise), I find it really annoying that short form content isn't being taken advantage of right now. Yes the VHL Instagram mostly does reels. But is a PNG graphic of some established hockey player in a weird jersey and logo overlayed with random ass filters while blasting music really an instagram reel? This is nothing against the graphics part of recruitment or the people who run it as the graphics themselves are great. However from a recruitment perspective, and even as someone who's familiar with the league, this shit don't fly. Who the fuck sees this and thinks "oh hey what's this VHL thing? lemme just check this out" when they see Alex Wennberg in a Helsinki jersey or something. Most people would see this as "why is Wennberg in a random ah jersey lol?" The graphics and daily posts don't describe what the league is. Heck even personally I've just glanced over the posts and stories as they didn't seem to interest me at the time. I've liked a few but never gave it much thought. They don't show that this is referring to a sim league. The "join now" in the description being overshadowed by the graphics is not a good way to use this platform as a recruitment avenue.
 
Another issue I have is the audience the instagram is pandering to. The instagram account seems to prioritize towards the already established audience of current VHLers rather than trying to reach a new audience. Of course that's not always a problem. Knowing the VHL and the cycle of recreates dominating draft classes, I'm sure that giving some content towards that established audience will always be appreciated. However not showing anything that might entice a new audience is just a waste of effort.  The one positive thing I see from the Instagram is the abuse of hashtags. I would add a #foryou and a #reels along with the amount of shit put on there as it helps with the algorithm. You know what else helps the algorithm? Making real reels. Have someone that's comfortable speaking, or even a text-to-speech bot blabber out the standings or describe what the VHL is. Make actual short form content that catches the attention of users and put a "want to join? sign up for the VHL now" at the end of every video. Fuck it, put on some subway surfers or some shitty mobile game/minecraft parkour underneath. Let me make this clear, I'm all for showcasing the work and articles using the Instagram account, but in an age of Tiktok and YouTube shorts, short form content is KING. Have weekly standings or even go the sports media route and form narratives behind the teams. Something like "OH FUCK VASTERAS FLEECED OSLO AGAIN, ARE THEY GOING ALL IN? or will the be FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY" or something. This doesn't even have to be too frequent, just 2-3 times a week. Maybe even once a week if editing is a challenge. Improving the quality and taking advantage of an age where less than 1-2 minute videos are consumed constantly will help this avenue in getting not only more eyes to the VHL, but potentially more members.
 
 
In conclusion, recruitment is a multi-layered problem that needs a multi-layered solution. Retention is a whole nother can of worms I'm sure the M GMs are glad to discuss about. This is just something I want to propose based on the discussions held and my own personal views on this issue. I do hope that the VHL can have another solid recruitment drive soon as this is a community that is welcoming to those who join it despite the casual drama every now and then. Again, I don't want to bash the recruitment team for their hard work, but I feel like some of that work has been misused in the wrong places. I know I'm a lot more biased on the instagram part but showcasing the graphics/articles on the page is a positive. I just wish that there would be more effort in taking advantage of instagram as a recruitment platform. I really liked the discussion this brought on, and it's nice to weigh in on things again.
 
(2084 words)
Claiming for weeks ending 11/25-12/16

So... The M and Recruitment as a whole has been down eh? The thread started by @Zetterberg has incited a lot of conversation, so much so that at this point this should be a theme for theme week. Nevertheless after reading through the numerous opinions and conversations that have since stemmed from this, why not put my two cents into the issue? As much as I love consuming drama, my craving for tea hasn't been satisfied and thus my dumb ass will throw myself into the fray.
 
Ironically enough, I stumbled upon Z's thread after it has been advertised on Instagram as a story. I honestly found that extremely funny since Z had his criticisms with the IG account only for his own thread to be advertised there. Either way, the general consensus I've seen/read is that the Recruitment team's issues have stemmed from a lack of direction and organization. It gives me the sense that there are people who put more focus on the IG/social media, there are also others who are currently working on recruitment drives. I guess what I'm saying is that everyone in recruitment seems to be doing their own thing in an attempt of getting new faces into the sim league. Of course as an outsider looking in, the vast majority of the basis of this is based on the observations I've made from the recent discussions. I could easily be wrong and anyone is open to prove me different. So where do we go from here? How can we provide possible solutions to these issues? Personally, I think this isn't just a simple "fix one thing and make gud" type of solution. It's more of a multi-layered process. I feel like there's a lot of specific parts and aspects that needs to be addressed in order to solve the recruitment issue. I'm not outright asking to completely reorganize the recruitment team, but I feel like these possible solutions could possibly provide feedback and insight from a person who's been in the league for a bit but has also spent a lot of time outside of it. Also, this doesn't mean I'm discrediting or undermining the tireless amounts of work the recruitment team does. It's a thankless job and when results doesn't show, it leads to criticism whether it's justified or not. However, when the backbone of what makes the league what it is now is struggling to help fill M teams, there needs to be some change. M GMs can't do their jobs if there's no newbies to retain. So without further adieu, here's a potential multi-step plan to help improve recruitment.
 
1) The odds are already stacked against us so how do we fight that?
The VHL is a simulation league where you create your own player and help them grow by participating in a forum based system where you make articles, graphics, podcasts, or videos in order to acquire a system of points that improve your stats that correlate with a sim engine that's not the EA NHL games or Franchise Hockey Manager and it's an engine most in a general audience likely don't know about. Quite the run on sentence right? Most people, fuck it, everyone here knows that the VHL is a very specific niche. None of the teams are related to the NHL and the only actual correlations to the NHL are the graphics and the idea that it's a be-a-pro or franchise mode sim league. The latter of which is true to a degree but the specifics behind it is what makes the VHL an incredibly niche league. This is the first layer of what makes recruitment hard. New people might be turned off by the idea of writing articles or learning a sim engine with a sketchy ass UI, thus the acceptance of 'clickers' (people like me who use Welfare and Practice) has been adjustment that unfortunately needed to be made to allow those who don't like the idea of writing paragraphs or making graphics. This issue will never have a clear solution as this is just how the league is. You'll have people who are interested in the forum/GM aspect and others who don't.
 
Another thing that puts the odds against recruitment and retention is the aforementioned lack of direction/organization. There NEEDS to be a Head of Recruitment. Someone who keeps track of the numerous recruitment initiatives, and acts as the representative to the blues and M GMs. If there is a head of recruitment and I don't know, then this part isn't exactly invalid. There needs to be someone who steps up and keeps things organized and makes the decisions of what gets prioritized based on the feedback from the admins, commishes, and the M GMs. Some people within recruitment might not necessarily be happy that their recruitment strategy isn't prioritized over others, but having that structure and having a person who can act on the best interests for the league is a big part of what I believe is a possible solution. You can have numerous recruitment methods whether it's YouTube ads or IG or even fucking Reddit if possible, but there needs to be someone who keeps track of the progress of the people who are working on those different methods and makes sure that problems, or any other points or ideas be addressed. Ideally this person shouldn't be any part of the actual recruitment process and acts as the supervisor and middle man between the team and the league. However, I'm not opposed to them being part of a specific part (YT, IG or fuck all else), but being neutral the different aspects of recruitment helps lessen any bias towards one method or another. This all leads onto a few points I'll go over further, one of which being...
 
2) Stick to what works.
YouTube and (previously) Reddit has been the biggest contributors to gaining new members. YT especially as the bans on advertising our league on subreddits have been gone for a while now. I am aware that there are YT drives being worked on, but there are a few issues with YT recruiting. One of the things addressed that came from Z's thread was the fact that YouTubers are hiking up their prices. The financials behind these types of recruitment is tough considering this a volunteer ran league. Another issue is the fact that the same YouTubers have ran multiple ads for the VHL at this point. While having that business relationship is important, as it will hurt the league more by not getting ads from these established connections. You can only make a pitch to the same fanbase a number of times before it's just tuned out. The solution to that is easy, simply reach out to more creators. The hard part is the negotiation process behind that which I can't help but think it's a nightmare sometimes. However, this method gives out a good chunk of new members in a large quantity over a short duration of time. Maybe only about 20% of the total recruitment drive actually stays. Maybe only half of that 20% actually becomes engaged forum participants and owners. That's still better than the lack of recruitment we've seen as of late. Capturing this quick bolt of lightning has worked in the past and will work again. This part of recruitment and the work the team does to make it happen is something I will always support. This should also be a large priority of the recruitment team over the other social media initiatives. It works if it gets through, so this should always be a big priority for the proposed Head of Recruitment and the league. It's been a while since I've watched hockey YT so I can't make any real suggestions now, but maybe anyone who sees this can list some YouTubers who you think could work to help bring a fresh new audience to the VHL. It might be a stretch (fuck it is a stretch) but the optimism in me always feels that there's a way.
 
3) The zoomer in me don't like how the VHL does social media.
I think this is one of my bigger gripes with recruitment right now. As a zoomer who's chronically online (lmao what a surprise), I find it really annoying that short form content isn't being taken advantage of right now. Yes the VHL Instagram mostly does reels. But is a PNG graphic of some established hockey player in a weird jersey and logo overlayed with random ass filters while blasting music really an instagram reel? This is nothing against the graphics part of recruitment or the people who run it as the graphics themselves are great. However from a recruitment perspective, and even as someone who's familiar with the league, this shit don't fly. Who the fuck sees this and thinks "oh hey what's this VHL thing? lemme just check this out" when they see Alex Wennberg in a Helsinki jersey or something. Most people would see this as "why is Wennberg in a random ah jersey lol?" The graphics and daily posts don't describe what the league is. Heck even personally I've just glanced over the posts and stories as they didn't seem to interest me at the time. I've liked a few but never gave it much thought. They don't show that this is referring to a sim league. The "join now" in the description being overshadowed by the graphics is not a good way to use this platform as a recruitment avenue.
 
Another issue I have is the audience the instagram is pandering to. The instagram account seems to prioritize towards the already established audience of current VHLers rather than trying to reach a new audience. Of course that's not always a problem. Knowing the VHL and the cycle of recreates dominating draft classes, I'm sure that giving some content towards that established audience will always be appreciated. However not showing anything that might entice a new audience is just a waste of effort.  The one positive thing I see from the Instagram is the abuse of hashtags. I would add a #foryou and a #reels along with the amount of shit put on there as it helps with the algorithm. You know what else helps the algorithm? Making real reels. Have someone that's comfortable speaking, or even a text-to-speech bot blabber out the standings or describe what the VHL is. Make actual short form content that catches the attention of users and put a "want to join? sign up for the VHL now" at the end of every video. Fuck it, put on some subway surfers or some shitty mobile game/minecraft parkour underneath. Let me make this clear, I'm all for showcasing the work and articles using the Instagram account, but in an age of Tiktok and YouTube shorts, short form content is KING. Have weekly standings or even go the sports media route and form narratives behind the teams. Something like "OH FUCK VASTERAS FLEECED OSLO AGAIN, ARE THEY GOING ALL IN? or will the be FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY" or something. This doesn't even have to be too frequent, just 2-3 times a week. Maybe even once a week if editing is a challenge. Improving the quality and taking advantage of an age where less than 1-2 minute videos are consumed constantly will help this avenue in getting not only more eyes to the VHL, but potentially more members.
 
 
In conclusion, recruitment is a multi-layered problem that needs a multi-layered solution. Retention is a whole nother can of worms I'm sure the M GMs are glad to discuss about. This is just something I want to propose based on the discussions held and my own personal views on this issue. I do hope that the VHL can have another solid recruitment drive soon as this is a community that is welcoming to those who join it despite the casual drama every now and then. Again, I don't want to bash the recruitment team for their hard work, but I feel like some of that work has been misused in the wrong places. I know I'm a lot more biased on the instagram part but showcasing the graphics/articles on the page is a positive. I just wish that there would be more effort in taking advantage of instagram as a recruitment platform. I really liked the discussion this brought on, and it's nice to weigh in on things again.
 
(2084 words)
Claiming for weeks ending 11/25-12/16

The sure fire way to improve recruitment/marketing
 
Everyone always says that there are no good ideas when it comes to ways to improve our marketing efforts, but that is simply untrue. There is one sure-fire method that everyone has forgotten about, except @BOOM.
 
Where we you when Boom dropped the hottest titties the VHL has ever seen? That single post probably attracted hundreds of new 12 year olds to play in the league. If my business minor in college taught me anything its that sex sells. Imagine a world where we partner with PornHub. We could get the post-video ads and start something like "Did post-nut clarity hit a little too hard? We have a solution for you, join the VHL". Literally would attract more 14 year olds than this league has ever had even during covid.
 
I also advise that any new graphics created must use a naked body. Hockey equipment in sigs is nice, but we're playing virtually, so we don't need that. We should also start allowing NSFW content on discord. In every channel. Think about how good of a first impression it would be to join the VHL discord server and someone FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY getting rizzed up by some hot babe with her tits out. Literally all of the 11 year olds would stay.
 
All I'm saying is if I had a way to look at hot nudes AND play virtual hockey I might just transfer my whole retirement fund to the league.

Callum was excited when his name was called first in the S91 VHLE entry draft. He would play for the same franchise as his dad, before the latter made himself a name in the VHL as Calgary's longterm captain. It is here where his old man honed his tools and became a center, due to the lack of players on that position. He called DJ to check whether the flat was still in family possession, which of course would make things much easier for the Swiss defender. It was not but his father had still the contact details of the real estate company who provided him with his accommodation this many years ago. Cal-Gary checked the time and figured that it was still too early in Oslo to get in touch with the agent. So he postponed it to the next day.

When he woke up, he noticed some missed messages and learnt that he was traded together with Greenland defender Leif Reingaard to Vasteras, which looks to compete in S91. In fact, one could be excused from thinking the Eagles are a Reingaard-family operated enterprise with Leif, Thor, Aanarsi and Dietrich either in the line-up or the prospect pool.
He checked out the squad and was convinced that Vasteras is setting to compete with a stacked roster. He is tied best defensive player together with Spanish Defender-turned-forward (and certified Mississauga legend) Hannibal Barca. He is also the toughest guy with a good physical play and no fear to drop the gloves. He brings some much needed grit to Sweden, which latest is essential come playoff time. Offensively, there are more gifted players in the roster and Janser is likely to play a lot of penalty killing minutes and take the role of the defensive anchor of his line as well as occasionally draw a line in the sand as enforcer.
Even though the VHLE will be a stepping stone for the Calgary native, he will give his best regardless.
Remarkably, Vasteras is no stranger to the Janser family, as Callum's uncle Marcel holds several franchise records for the Swedish team. It is no surprise then, that Marcel got a call from his nephew with the same questions as his older brother. Again, the twice Continental Cup winner has sold his flat in Vasteras ages ago, but provided the address of his then-real estate agent to Cal.
 
The Renaissance Cup is one trophy which so far eluded the Janser family. We will see whether young Callum will be able to change that.
 
 
 
 
 
 

With the S90 regular season in the rearview mirror, some teams shift focus to a playoff run while others - those in the rebuilding state - will instead shift their focus to draft day. The S91 VHL Entry Draft will feature a solid crop of young prospects looking to take the next step in their hockey careers, including a surprisingly large presence from Greenland. Let's take a look at the upcoming draft's top-20 ranked prospects and how they fared during their S90 campaigns.
Notes: TPE counts are as of the week ending September 24th. the "Central Scouting Rank" is just rank by TPE. The "Victory Prospect Network Rank" also mentioned is slightly different ... partially based on earning rates & partially just changed up for fun, because strictly ranking by TPE is kind of boring.
 

@N0HBDY
Central Scouting Rank: 1 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 1
One of the S90 draft's three S91 prospects playing in the VHLE this season, Reingaard found himself buried in the lineup of a very strong team and averaged just a little over 8 minutes of ice time per game. Reingaard finished the season with just 3 goals and 4 points in 72 games, but the fact that a draft-eligible player even managed to get into the Vasteras lineup this season is generally seen as a positive. Reingaard is a good skater who is strong on his skates, has an excellent shot, and has no discernible weaknesses in his game - he has even begun to evolve some face-off ability to potentially play centre at the next level. Reingaard's lack of production should not scare teams off; expect him to hear his name called very early in the S91 draft.
 

@Renomitsu
Central Scouting Rank: 2 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 2
Spanish Moon Moth spent the year with the Bratislava Watchmen and managed to carve out a regular role, finishing up the season with 27 points, 210 shots, and 132 hits. Moth is particularly responsible defensively for a draft-eligible player and used that defensive acumen to fit right in at the VHLE level. Moth has good offensive instincts, but compared to top prospect Reingaard, is a little better defensively but a little worse offensively.
 

@Daniel Janser
Central Scouting Rank: 3 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 3
The big Swiss-born defenseman Callum Gary Yannick Janer is your prototypical old-school defenseman - physical, nasty, and excellent defensively - blending in some mobility that renders him a royal pain in the butt for VHLM forwards to try to get around. Janser's 48 points is a relatively middling total compared to some of the other draft-eligible defensemen that played in this league this year, but that's because it's not Janser's game - he is clearly the most advanced defensive defenseman in this year's draft class; those 48 points were just a bonus. Piling up a whopping 260 hits, no forward wants to be tasked with entering the zone on Janser's side, and his playstyle will surely serve him well at the next level.
 

@FrostBeard
Central Scouting Rank: 4 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 4
Ironhide might not be the top-ranked prospect on this list, but if we were going just based on the draft year they just had, he would certainly be the first player off the board. The 6'8, 250 pound monster left a trail of destruction in his wake at the VHLM level this season, leading the league with 55 goals, 125 points, and 522 shots. Goaltenders were not the only victims Ironhide claimed as he also racked up 203 hits. At the S90 VHLM awards, it's a sure bet that Ironhide will hear his name called a few times.
 

@Zetterberg
Central Scouting Rank: 5 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 5
The second Reingaard on the list, Reingaard is the most offensively gifted of the three defensemen you'll find at the top of this year's draft class. Reingaard is definitely on the small side (5'9 165) but possesses plenty of talent to make up for it. Reingaard's good all-around offensive skills are highlighted by excellent vision that saw him register 65 assists this year. Despite that, he's plenty comfortable in his own end too, posting a +51 rating for the Marlins while also blocking 132 shots. 
 

@McWolf
Central Scouting Rank: 6 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 6
With Janser and Reingaard, Sunset Moth completes the trio of defensemen that will come off the board very early on in this draft. Like Janser, Moth is excellent defensively but not very developed offensively, however, unlike Janser, Moth is pretty small and lacking in physicality. That said, Moth was the only member of the S91 draft class to secure big minutes in the VHLE this season, taking a regular shift in Bratislava's top-4 and tallying 44 points in 72 games to go along with 143 hits and 167 blocked shots.
 

@ROOKIE745
Central Scouting Rank: 7 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 9
Toby Kadachi is a big forward with some fire to his game. You'd like to see a little more focus to his game - Kadachi really his no weaknesses, but no particularly standout strength - perhaps an above average shot is his calling card. What you do have in Kadachi is a big body that isn't afraid to play the game on the edge. If he does continue to develop his skills, Kadachi is a high-upside player who has some qualities that are a little more rare at the VHL level than just your stereotypical two-way scoring forward.
 

@Velevra
Central Scouting Rank: 8 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 8
Schwarzer was lighting up the VHLM with Houston (25 points in 16 games) before the rebuilding Bulls sent him packing to a contender in Saskatoon. While Schwarzer's production declined a little bit after the trade, he benefitted overall from playing with better teammates and more structure in his game, and still fired off 378 shots while putting up 73 points, becoming a key player on a strong playoff team. Schwarzer is a shoot-first guy who has good hockey IQ and defensive ability, though skating and puck handling are areas that he will need to develop in moving up the VHL ladder.
 

@InstantRockstar
Central Scouting Rank: 9 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 11
The Halifax 21st were not a particularly strong team this year, but that was through no fault of Theo Allard's. A lot was asked of Allard, and he delivered, breaking the 100-point barrier while firing 420 shots on net. Allard is a little light for his 6'3 frame but you wouldn't know it watching him protect the puck as he's very difficult to separate from it. He has also become one of the VHLM's premier face-off guys. Allard will need to develop a little more defensively and is notably a bit of a poor distributor of the puck for a #1 centre, but in general, he has a lot of great tools and should be a mid-first round pick.
 

 
@Baozi
Central Scouting Rank: 10 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 12
Mina is a phenomenal skater and perhaps the most offensively-gifted defender in the draft class; a small but absolutely electric player who was asked to do a lot with relatively minimal help for the Kings this year. Piling up 10 goals and 63 points on a team that didn't do nearly as much scoring as the VHLM's powerhouse teams (Mexico scored just 151 goals), Mina will be a high pick just based on that offensive dynamism, but ultimately will need to get stronger and better defensively in order to make a huge impact at the VHL level.
 

 
@Masu Chan
Central Scouting Rank: 11 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 10
Lionel Collberg's offensive numbers are outstanding - 25 goals and 92 points is a remarkable season for anyone at the VHLM level, not just for a defender. Collberg also tallied 239 shots, 160 hits, and 194 blocked shots while playing over 31 minutes a game for the Miami Marauders. Collberg doesn't jump into the play like Mina does which looks a little less flashy but is more conducive to being available to defend if the play goes back the other way. Collberg's game is actually quite reminiscent of fellow Greenlander, and fellow S91 d-man prospect, Leif Reingaard. 
 

@Spartan
Central Scouting Rank: 12 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 7
Syko led the VHLM in wins, goals-against-average, save percentage, and shutouts - a remarkable feat of excellent netminding. The Marlins did a good job keeping Syko's shot totals low, but nevertheless, you have to make the saves and Syko did a phenomenal job of that. Syko actually plays a little smaller in net than a lot of the S91 goalie prospects and that is something that coaches will try to adjust as he transitions to the VHL level down the road, but Syko is disciplined in his style with excellent reflexes and rebound control and the results are self-evident.
 

@Lemorse7
Central Scouting Rank: 13 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 13
The Hounds and Marlins duked it out for first place throughout the VHLM season, and their goaltending situations rhymed as well, with Red Panda coming up slightly behind Syko in most stats but still putting together a clearly dominant campaign between the pipes. Their styles do have some contract to them, as Panda's biggest weakness is rebound control, which may be Syko's biggest strength. Panda does, however, play bigger and more aggressively in net with excellent reflexes, and might be better at making the initial save.
 

@KaleebtheMighty
Central Scouting Rank: 14 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 14
There are a trio of pretty similarly-ranked goaltending prospects in the S91 draft and Vidarsson, the third of the three, comes in as a something of a hybrid of Syko and Panda. Vidarsson's a bit more well-rounded with no glaring weaknesses, yet comes in a touch below Syko in rebound control and a touch below Panda in raw athleticism. Yet another Greenland-born player pushing for a first round selection, this 6'7 222 pound goalie covers a ton of net and had a strong VHLM campaign in his own right with 44 wins and a .907 SV%.
 

@Rin
Central Scouting Rank: 15 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 17
Generally when you see a defender of Kagamine's stature (5'5, 140) you're looking at an offensive dynamo along the lines of #10-ranked prospect Mina. That is absolutely not the case with Kagamine, who plays a very steady and conservative game but is an excellent defensive player. Kagamine uses a good stick and gap control to keep plays to the outside and is surprisingly strong, but will still need to prove that there won't be an issue handling bigger-bodied VHL forwards when they get going in the offensive zone in order to smoothly transition to the next level.
 

 
@Berocka
Central Scouting Rank: 16 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 15
Mattias is an interesting prospect: he's a straight-up sniper and, at this point in time, doesn't have much else of a toolkit surrounding that shot - hence being limited to just 10 goals and 19 points in the VHLM this year on a strong San Diego team. Mattias is not particularly good defensively, nor a good skater or puck-handler. Shooting, though? That he can do. Mattias might even have the best shot in the draft class. This is a player who works hard, though, and there is reason to believe the rest of the game might come around. If it does - especially with the premium placed on goal scoring at the VHL level - you have a darn good player here.
 

@UnknownMinion
Central Scouting Rank: 17 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 18
A number of highly-ranked S91 prospects congreated on the same few contending teams in the VHLM this year. Minion, on the other hand, was more of a big fish in a small pond for the Philadelphia Reapers. He took on every role he could handle and thrived, scoring 49 goals, 103 points, and even posting a +19 rating with 186 shots and 72 blocked shots - numbers that will even make Minion a candidate to get some votes for the VHLM's Best Defensive Forward award this off-season. Minion has undeniable vision and scoring touch, but may need to develop his puck handling to consistently beat defenders at higher levels.
 

@ShawnGlade
Central Scouting Rank: 18 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 19
Tending the nets for the Miami Marauders this year, Slezak may find himself in a bit of an awkward position given the number of highly-ranked goaltenders in this year's draft, but no doubt there is a VHL-calibre goaltending prospect in here. Another of the more balanced netminder types, Slezak posted a .906 SV% and leads Miami into the post-season with some expectation of a playoff run ahead of them.
 

@tcookie
Central Scouting Rank: 19 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 16
Rave is a big-bodied scorer that stepped into a second-line role on the contending Marlins and put up a surprisingly consistent season playing a variety of different roles. He became a reliable face-off man and penalty killer while maintaining a PPG pace right from the season's first game, finishing up with 74 points and 344 shots. Rave has come a long way in his one VHL season to be knocking on the edge of the first round, and if he continues to improve, he could be a sneaky good pick in this range.
 

@SirRupertBarnes
Central Scouting Rank: 20 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 20
With 36 points and a -44 rating, Woodworth's VHLM campaign maybe didn't go quite as smoothly as he or the Kings would have liked, but there is a talented offensive player here with good skating and a good shot that he isn't afraid to use. Woodworth's main weakness is that he has some defensive deficiencies in his game that will need to be addressed if he is to one day earn VHL playing time, but for a projected second-round pick, he's definitely got talent.
 
---
 
2300 words + stats, will use this for 4 weeks

Jk confirm

No

So a while ago, I stepped back from the VHL. Going into reasons why would be a media spot-length article all on its own, so I really just want to touch on one of them that I felt most passionate about.
 
I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. We moved when I was in elementary school to the hockey-less Houston area when I was young, but I never really identified as being from Houston, if that makes sense. There are sports teams here to cheer for, but being a fan of any of them would feel more forced than anything. Instead, I cheered for Chicago teams throughout my life, since that's where my parents and extended family are originally from. I got into the White Sox, the Bears, and above all- the Blackhawks.
 
I'd always dreamed about getting a "hometown" sports team in Las Vegas one day, but I'd resigned myself to the fact that it would likely never happen. When an announcement was made that an expansion team in the desert was being considered, however, I was immediately on board. I followed the process religiously until the Golden Knights were officially revealed, and immediately prepared myself to fully back this new roster. Since their first ever game happened to be a reasonable drive away in Dallas TX, we got tickets behind the bench and attended in person. If you look up highlights of the James Neal goal that made it a 2-1 game, you can see me behind the bench in a Knights jersey.
 
The entire situation felt like a Monkey's Paw scenario, though, because ever since I started cheering for Vegas I'd been blatantly disrespected by every other hockey fan online. Even though I grew up watching the Blackhawks religiously, I apparently now knew nothing about the sport. Neither I nor my team were good enough to participate in the watching or playing of hockey just because it's a desert. Everyone clamored that it would never work, and Vegas would never get a true home-ice advantage. And then when the Knights started winning, those opinions turned into unbridled vitriol whenever the discussion turned to hockey in northern-heavy settings. I could go on an entire rant or tangent about how genuinely awful the greater hockey fandom has been towards Vegas, I could go on and talk about how much the community NEEDED this team after the events of October 1 (which impacted some of our friends in LV directly), I could cite just how much the game has grown in the area (there's a casino being torn down near the practice facility to make way for MORE ICE RINKS), but I've gone on a billion rants like that before that have fallen on deaf ears. It really felt like nobody respected Vegas- fans and players alike.
 
But not even a week after I got laid off, the Knights would be playing in the Stanley Cup Final. We already had plans to try and go, and now that I didn't have to negotiate time off of work...it was a lock.
 
Everything fell into place. Game 5 was fucking unbelievable. One or two Panthers fans were drowned out by the loudest building I will ever be inside of. After six years (and more considering how long we didn't have a team) of everyone going on tirades about how I didn't deserve to be happy about my team, right after the indisputable low point of my post-college life...the Knights fucking lifted the cup with me in the building.
 
And with that win, I was reminded just how much I honest to god love this game.
 
Fuck you, Vegas is a hockey town.
 

The defending S89 Founder’s Cup Champion Marlins are back and ready to defend their title. Another talented squad has been put together and it is my honor to announce our captains circle for this upcoming season. 
 
[C] Eric White Jr
 
For the first time in what feels like an eternity, the Marlins must select a captain! One of the defending champion Marlins is returning for more glory. The Marlins were thrilled to get Eric White Jr@Mysterious_Fish back in the draft, not just talent wise but for his leadership role. White has easily been one of the biggest voices in the locker room and has a big input on the direction of the team. It has clearly been very valued by management, and White was a no brainer to rep the C for the fish in S90

[A] Leif Reingaard
 
A huge draft day surprise for the Marlins was that Reinhard @Zetterbergdropped down to them in the late first round. Not only did the Marlins land one of the best players in the draft, they got one hell of a personality with it. Z has been an incredible addition to the Marlins locker room and recruitment front. It’s only the off-season and Reingaard has already been an incredible asset in San Diego, I can only imagine what value he will bring on the ice as well.
 
[A] Olober Syko
 
I usually do not select goaltenders to wear the letter due to the rules in most leagues in regards to it. But how do you not pick a guy like @Spartan ? We know we are getting the most healthy earner of this era of the VHL, but we are also getting one of the biggest locker room atmosphere players as well. Syko knows how to get a conversation going but stop the puck at the same time. We are thrilled to have him. 

The Miami Marlins, fresh off a Founder's Cup Championship in S89 have been looking to stock the cupboards with some young, fresh talent as the team gears up to push for back-to-back championships, which would make them the first team since the S83-84 Las Vegas Aces to accomplish that feat. With the season just around the corner, Marlins GM @Arce hopes to have found his two missing pieces in a massively talented, off the radar family.
 
First, The Marlins picked up RW Dietrich Reingaard from the undrafted market. The hulking 6' 7" is a force to be reckoned with on any line. His up and down punishing style of play will have you feeling it both on the ice, and on the scoresheet. The 16 year old phenom signed with the Marlins earlier this week and put the Marlins right back into the Cup conversation, with Reingaard expected to have a huge season. However, the Marlins pulled off a move that put the entire VHLM on notice.
 
You see, the Reingaards have a long history of hockey lineage. Deitrich is just the youngest of FOUR Reingaard brothers who are all involved in hockey.

Third in line is Lief Reingaard, a stout two-way defenseman who also plays on the Marlins, and helped lure Deitrich to North America. He's the smallest of the Reingaard brothers by a large margin, standing only 5' 9" and weighing 165 pounds, but hits like a wrecking ball and isn't afraid to use his body to both punish his opponents and block shots. His slapshot is one of the deadliest in the VHLM and he's projecting as a 1st round talent in the S91 VHL Draft.

Second in line is Thor Reingaard, probably the most notable of the four brothers. Thor combines size and scoring into one deadly package. He's known for his tenacity down low in corners and can bruise through the middle on the rush. He wins faceoffs with ease and can easily beat you with his slapshot and wrist shot. He is easily in the conversation to go 1st overall in the S91 VHL Draft, and has already made the jump to the VHLE in hopes of competing with the Vasteras Iron Eagles.

We all known about these three, but aren't we forgetting one? The old of the Reingaard brothers is an interesting proposition
 
The oldest of the Reingaard brothers is Aanarsi Reingaard. This hulking 6' 5" RW is the newest San Diego Marlin. He was a phenom growing up alongside his brothers, as the four together ripped through every Greenland hockey league and even some Major Junior leagues in Europe. Aanarsi's combination of size, strength, speed, and scoring is unlike any other prospect coming out of Greenland. He has an incredible one-timed release, frequently fed on the power play by his brothers. His 6' 5" frame and immense strength allow him to go into the corners and grind for loose pucks. When he's not fighting for pucks, he's looking for open space on the ice or backchecking like crazy. He loves to get in shooting lanes and can retrieve the puck and thrive on the rush with his speed and hands. If you give him even a split second of space by himself in the offensive zone with his brothers on the ice, odds are the puck will end up in the back of your net.
 
San Diego has undeniably become a Founder's Cup Favourite with this signing. The reunification of the Aanarsi and Deitrich on a line together and Lief running the blue line will be a force that's hard to stop with the chemistry between those three. Not to mention the rest of the roster already rounding into peak form. We'll have to wait and see, but San Diego looks poised for a shot at the elusive back-to-back.

(636 words)

@Zetterberg @N0HBDY @JigglyGumballs

It's been a while, VHL. I didn't exactly live up to the promises I set for myself last time, so why don't we sit down and have a little chat.

For those who don't know me, I joined back in May 2020 and was extremely active throughout the COVID period. (I was one of those described COVID players lol) I bounced around as an AGM and WJC GM before finally landing a gig with the Minnesota (now Oslo) Storm, where I came ever so close to a championship.....twice. As life transition from COVID, I ended up getting more busy with school and other things life threw at me. I eventually went completely inactive for a few months, attempted a comeback last summer, which failed miserably.

So what did I do during that time? It's been pretty rough sledding to be honest. The last year has been full of adversity for me. I was out of sorts and fought many mental battles at the end of last year and limped towards the start of college in January. College itself was an uphill battle but i studied and ended up with a 97% average across the semester. I continued to work on my mental health and got better as the semester went on. I've been working a summer job, and have been making some money as I prepare to transfer schools, as I'm looking for more of a challenge. I got accepted into a major university and I start in 3 weeks! I've had to fight through a lot of adversity but it really did help build me over the last year and help me become a better person.

I notice how much change there has been in the league and on the portal. Lots of new members have joined since I last set foot here, and the portal has gone through as many updates as I have homework assignments (THANK YOU FOR AUTOMATED TRIVIA). It's an exciting thing to be back and see all the new features, and I can't wait to take advantage of them.

Now, what are my plans for the VHL. Well, it should be said NONE of this is guaranteed. I have recreated and joined the league with some persuasion from @Zetterberg and will start much like @JigglyGumballs, just taking baby steps towards more activity. I hope to be a max earner by some point but with university right around the corner there are no guarantees. I will be active in the LRs and I honestly do miss that special vibe that the VHL community gives off, and I look forward to being part of it once again. I also plan to eventually get back into management, maybe starting as an AGM for now but nothing of substance until I have some stability under me.

For now, that's all from me. Oh, and don't worry. I won't trade the picks....unlike SOMEBODY......WHO ALSO CAME BACK.....AND TOTALLY DIDNT WRITE A SUPER SIMILAR ARTICLE.....

Man, it feels good to be back.

(501 words)

fuck i thought i killed hi- i mean FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY

Player Information
Username: Laine
Player Name: Aanarsi Reingaard
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 21
Position: LW
Height: 77 in.
Weight: 245 lbs.
Birthplace: Greenland

Player Page
@VHLM GM

fuck i thought i killed hi- i mean FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY

My name is JigglyGumballs, otherwise known as Jiggs. And I am the one who traded the picks and trusted the process. I joined all the way back in June 2020 and for the past year or so, I have been inactive. But now I'm back. A lot has changed since I was last here, a lot of familiar faces, a lot of new ones. A lot has changed with the league itself. Like wtf I can't believe that trivia is on the portal. Anyways, as a sorta older member coming back to the league, I feel like I should introduce (or reintroduce) myself. And no it's not cuz of le good ol' TPE grind but so I can try and adjust to all the new stuff okay.
 
So. Over my time in the VHL, I was pretty active when I first joined and subsequently throughout the career of my first player. Who was creatively named Jiggly Gumballs, who would've thought lol. I prided myself in trying to max out my TPE earning every week and amassing 1002 TPE over my first player's career. I also had an active presence on my team LR's. Eventually, I had become the AGM of the Las Vegas Aces of the VHLM, back when @Spartan was GM of the team. I then took over as GM when Spraytan departed, and sorta coined the term TRADE THE PICKS, TRUST THE PROCESS. The reasoning behind that was the mentality we had in the M at the time. To keep an active LR and team, and thus to help recruitment at the time, the goal was to contend as much as possible. Thus the trade the picks, trust the process mentality began. I memed the living shit out of it, along with trading for 6th rounders which was counter-intuitive towards that mentality, and somehow was okay at being a GM in the M. After that period of time, I gradually got busy with life and stepped down. Taking some time off the league before creating my second player, Gruffud Theofylaktos. At this time, I tried becoming active again and milked the loving shit of my return (like I am now lol) when I did come back. I was apparently AGM of Davos for a period of time before I became inactive yet again. Idk why I don't remember that but apparently I was. This time though, I stayed inactive for a whole year.
 
That leaves us with today. So what's the plan now? What's the goal? So the goal right now is to keep things chill and get myself back into the VHL community. I don't think I'll have the time or motivation to make articles the same way I did prior, so I'll try my best to at least be a welfare player, and occasional full TPE earner. I'm also gonna try and apply for positions again once I get back into the thick of it. It won't be for a while though. I rushed back into the TPE and VHL grind with my second player and subsequently burnt myself out. So instead of doing that, I want to adjust slowly and just get back to talking to y'all. When I feel like I'm ready, I'll apply for open positions again.
 
So that's that. Me back. Me want to VHL. Thanks to @Zetterberg for convincing me to come back.
 
With that in mind, there will come a time again where I will trade the picks. And you better be ready to trust the process...
 
(587 words, using for PT week Aug 14-20)

My name is JigglyGumballs, otherwise known as Jiggs. And I am the one who traded the picks and trusted the process. I joined all the way back in June 2020 and for the past year or so, I have been inactive. But now I'm back. A lot has changed since I was last here, a lot of familiar faces, a lot of new ones. A lot has changed with the league itself. Like wtf I can't believe that trivia is on the portal. Anyways, as a sorta older member coming back to the league, I feel like I should introduce (or reintroduce) myself. And no it's not cuz of le good ol' TPE grind but so I can try and adjust to all the new stuff okay.
 
So. Over my time in the VHL, I was pretty active when I first joined and subsequently throughout the career of my first player. Who was creatively named Jiggly Gumballs, who would've thought lol. I prided myself in trying to max out my TPE earning every week and amassing 1002 TPE over my first player's career. I also had an active presence on my team LR's. Eventually, I had become the AGM of the Las Vegas Aces of the VHLM, back when @Spartan was GM of the team. I then took over as GM when Spraytan departed, and sorta coined the term TRADE THE PICKS, TRUST THE PROCESS. The reasoning behind that was the mentality we had in the M at the time. To keep an active LR and team, and thus to help recruitment at the time, the goal was to contend as much as possible. Thus the trade the picks, trust the process mentality began. I memed the living shit out of it, along with trading for 6th rounders which was counter-intuitive towards that mentality, and somehow was okay at being a GM in the M. After that period of time, I gradually got busy with life and stepped down. Taking some time off the league before creating my second player, Gruffud Theofylaktos. At this time, I tried becoming active again and milked the loving shit of my return (like I am now lol) when I did come back. I was apparently AGM of Davos for a period of time before I became inactive yet again. Idk why I don't remember that but apparently I was. This time though, I stayed inactive for a whole year.
 
That leaves us with today. So what's the plan now? What's the goal? So the goal right now is to keep things chill and get myself back into the VHL community. I don't think I'll have the time or motivation to make articles the same way I did prior, so I'll try my best to at least be a welfare player, and occasional full TPE earner. I'm also gonna try and apply for positions again once I get back into the thick of it. It won't be for a while though. I rushed back into the TPE and VHL grind with my second player and subsequently burnt myself out. So instead of doing that, I want to adjust slowly and just get back to talking to y'all. When I feel like I'm ready, I'll apply for open positions again.
 
So that's that. Me back. Me want to VHL. Thanks to @Zetterberg for convincing me to come back.
 
With that in mind, there will come a time again where I will trade the picks. And you better be ready to trust the process...
 
(587 words, using for PT week Aug 14-20)

I've missed this place! It's been probably two years now since I've been able to be around much at all. Life just got real busy all of a sudden towards the end of my first player's career. When I made my second player I was kind of figuring it would be tough to be around much but I wanted to give it a try. Fortunately things have kinda settled down now and I think I can reasonably commit to being active again.
 
It's cool to see so many familiar names still around and I appreciate the warm welcome I've already received when I just created my new player a couple of hours ago. Hope you've all been well - this is a great community and I'm definitely looking forward to getting back into it. Right at the start of a new season is kind of a fun time to join and I'm hoping to find my new team soon. Time for my new player to channel his inner Addison McLaren and help bring someone a VHLM championship 

My name is JigglyGumballs, otherwise known as Jiggs. And I am the one who traded the picks and trusted the process. I joined all the way back in June 2020 and for the past year or so, I have been inactive. But now I'm back. A lot has changed since I was last here, a lot of familiar faces, a lot of new ones. A lot has changed with the league itself. Like wtf I can't believe that trivia is on the portal. Anyways, as a sorta older member coming back to the league, I feel like I should introduce (or reintroduce) myself. And no it's not cuz of le good ol' TPE grind but so I can try and adjust to all the new stuff okay.
 
So. Over my time in the VHL, I was pretty active when I first joined and subsequently throughout the career of my first player. Who was creatively named Jiggly Gumballs, who would've thought lol. I prided myself in trying to max out my TPE earning every week and amassing 1002 TPE over my first player's career. I also had an active presence on my team LR's. Eventually, I had become the AGM of the Las Vegas Aces of the VHLM, back when @Spartan was GM of the team. I then took over as GM when Spraytan departed, and sorta coined the term TRADE THE PICKS, TRUST THE PROCESS. The reasoning behind that was the mentality we had in the M at the time. To keep an active LR and team, and thus to help recruitment at the time, the goal was to contend as much as possible. Thus the trade the picks, trust the process mentality began. I memed the living shit out of it, along with trading for 6th rounders which was counter-intuitive towards that mentality, and somehow was okay at being a GM in the M. After that period of time, I gradually got busy with life and stepped down. Taking some time off the league before creating my second player, Gruffud Theofylaktos. At this time, I tried becoming active again and milked the loving shit of my return (like I am now lol) when I did come back. I was apparently AGM of Davos for a period of time before I became inactive yet again. Idk why I don't remember that but apparently I was. This time though, I stayed inactive for a whole year.
 
That leaves us with today. So what's the plan now? What's the goal? So the goal right now is to keep things chill and get myself back into the VHL community. I don't think I'll have the time or motivation to make articles the same way I did prior, so I'll try my best to at least be a welfare player, and occasional full TPE earner. I'm also gonna try and apply for positions again once I get back into the thick of it. It won't be for a while though. I rushed back into the TPE and VHL grind with my second player and subsequently burnt myself out. So instead of doing that, I want to adjust slowly and just get back to talking to y'all. When I feel like I'm ready, I'll apply for open positions again.
 
So that's that. Me back. Me want to VHL. Thanks to @Zetterberg for convincing me to come back.
 
With that in mind, there will come a time again where I will trade the picks. And you better be ready to trust the process...
 
(587 words, using for PT week Aug 14-20)