JigglyGumballs

Player Information
Username: JigglyGumballs
Player Name: Dietrich Reingaard
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 16
Position: RW
Height: 79 in.
Weight: 220 lbs.
Birthplace: Greenland

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: JigglyGumballs
Player Name: Dietrich Reingaard
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 16
Position: RW
Height: 79 in.
Weight: 220 lbs.
Birthplace: Greenland

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: JigglyGumballs
Player Name: Dietrich Reingaard
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 16
Position: RW
Height: 79 in.
Weight: 220 lbs.
Birthplace: Greenland

Player Page
@VHLM GM

I mean how you've been buddy?

Fuck he's still alive

Fuck he's still alive

Fuck he's still alive

I mean how you've been buddy?

Fuck he's still alive

It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for taking so long to get back, but life has been an absolute rollercoaster ride over the last few months. However, it is about time I say hello once again VHL. I'm not going to make any promises about staying active and anything of the sort, considering how my last promise went....I'm starting to look like the streaky scorer Laine in terms of activity! Anyway, my bad jokes aside, what has old Laine been up to?
 
Well, for starters, I am officially legal. I celebrated my 18th birthday back in May with my friends, girlfriend, and family. I even got a chance to have my first beer! I can't say it was a taste I was used to, it's still taking some time but it was rather cool! I got my beginner's license for driving a few weeks earlier as well, and continued to work hard through high school.
 
School has been pretty wild. I got nominated to my school division's senior honour band and got to take part in a two-day workshop! IT WAS A BLAST! The road to graduation was a long one, but it is complete. I am officially a high school graduate! I hate to brag but since I'm talking about this, I might as well brag. I ended up graduating with a 94.0% average, as well as winning a second semester bursary ($300, and 4 bursaries + 1600 total in the last 2 years), honours in Band/Jazz Band, as well as honour roll, and won a host of awards (one for a mix of citizenship, academics, and athletics, a book award, and I believe one other I can't remember) We got to have an in-person graduation as well! I got to walk across the stage to grab my diploma, with many good friends (looking at you @JigglyGumballs), my girlfriend, and family all there to celebrate!

Speaking of relationships, my relationship with my girlfriend is still going very strong. It was her birthday today and I treated her to a really nice gift and some quality time! It was amazing! We'll officially hit 8 months on Friday, which is promising considering this is my first relationship. She helped me a lot during school, and I did the same for her. She really does make me feel like the happiest guy in existence every day.

Speaking more about school, I also have made my choice in regards to a post-secondary institution. I have received a lot of advice and skills from my teachers, peers, and friends (even a VHL member helped me the most, you know who you are)  👀. I'll be taking some certification(s) in the fall before heading off to college in January, and I owe it to a lot of people as for why I got to this point in my life with success.
 
In an off-topic, the summer has been interesting. I've begun working out again and taking care of my body, while also getting involved in getting my WSI for Lifeguarding and becoming a Swim Instructor. I've also gotten into twitch streaming if anyone wants to watch me, it is linked in my discord.

It's been a while, but I'm glad I could finally share what I've been up to with you all. It does suck that I've been active so long, and I want to try and be active again, but life is moving so fast that I unfortunately can't make any promises. Even if I am not active in the league, if anyone wants to just chat, about anything, my DMs will always be open!

Much love VHL!

- Laine

P.S - Hi @Spaz, I miss you buddy ❤️

HC Davos Dynamo Press Conference

Week Ending 24/7
 
1. It's the VHL's 15th birthday! With that in mind, what is something that you remember when you were around 15??
 
2. We're currently 6 points behind Riga and 10th in the league overall, heading into the 2nd half of the season, what do you think needs to improve?
 
3. Circling back to the VHL and it's 15th birthday, what are some of the key contributors to the sim league's longevity? What makes it so special??
 
4. With NHL free agency underway, what are some of the more surprising signings this season? (Johnny Gaudreau excluded, we all were surprised with that).
 
5. What's your favorite summer time activity??
 
6. Is water moist??
 
 

Hello, today I will be ranking all current VHL GM's based off of their skill as a GM. To calculate their skill level, I have come up with a BRAND NEW, STATE OF THE ART formula.
Through this formula, we will be able to judge who is the best, and who is the worst, VHL GM. This formula and metric is simple. This morning I asked all 16 current VHL GM's if I could have a hug. Based off of their replies I will be judging their skills.
 
Here are the results:
 
@Spartan: Spartan was the first to respond to my question, potentially hinting at an underlying and constant need for love. His response to my question?:

At this point, any other, normal, person would move on and give Spartan a bad assessment. Me, I can see through his disguise. Through Spartan's reply I can see that he in fact wanted and desired a hug from me. To keep up his appearance he blasted off that response, but I know he felt pain with every fibre of his being. A+
 
@Alex: Alex was the second to respond to me. Instead of words, he chose to respond to me via art:

This gif is one I use very commonly. The average person would see that gif and assume Alex is weirder out and has no way of replying. Me on the other hand, see that by using one of my favourite gifs Alex is displaying his deep desire to give me a hug. A+
 
@Acydburn: Acydburn, my loving VHLE commissioner fellow Canucks nerds. His reply was the first to display his love for me openly:

Acyd went a step further to ask how I was doing, displaying his DEEP and PROFOUND love for me. A+
 
@hedgehog337: The sleepy boy himself didn't sleep on my message. He responded within 60 seconds with: 

Being so open with his love for me, he gives me a hug. I feel the passion, and I feel the love. A+
 
@Rayzor_7: Rayzor's response was a tricky one to unravel.

I know Rayzor holds great feelings for me in his heart but is apprehensive due to needing to keep up the image that comes with his tough appearance. Through all of that, I can still see his burning desire to hold me in his arms. A+
 
@Doomsday: One of the hugs I had been looking forward to the most, was Dooms.

Dooms started off with a visual representation of our glorious hug, and continued on by making a beautiful statement regarding the greatest team to every exist across any VHL league, Vasteras. I don't have to look any further, I don't have to infer, I just know. A+
 
@Nykonax: Nyko's response was short, but sweet.

He asked no questions, he didn't make me ponder his response, he just gave me a hug. A+
 
@JeffD: Yet another one of the GM's who is unable to show their affection for me right off the bat.

Jeff makes a sly, slightly funny comment, in order to draw my attention away from the truth; he too wants to give me a hug. Jeff and I have been the best of pals since the dawn of time. A+
 
@Ricer13: Ricer, the love of my life. In true ricer fashion, he got straight to it:

This hug represented that no matter how far we are, his hugs can travel across space and time to get to me. A+
 
@McWolf : I awaited McWolf's reply more than any other GM. McWolf is a world-renowned hug giver.

I asked my mom. She agreed, his hug was spectacular. A+
 
@Banackock: Oh Bana. The greatest source of joy in my life.

 
Oh Bana. Oh.... A+
 
@MexicanCow123: Cow, my soulmate. His response honestly confused me I have no idea what the fuck he's on about.

So uh yeah idk. F-
 
@Dom : Is gone somewhere so I don't want to wait for him. A+
@Enorama: I didn't even need to ask eno, I know his love for me runs deep. I can imagine he is sitting back at his desk, waiting to find out how he can reply to my request in a way that can meet his high expectations for himself in displaying his love and affection towards me. A+
@InstantRockstar: Also didn't want to wait for him, I already know how much he loves me. So much in fact, that he photo shops me into his family Christmas card every year instead of his wife. A+
 
I also asked @Josh:

fuck you
 
 
 
 
 
 

@JigglyGumballs no anime tiddies this time
 
 
honestly kinda just made a graphic for an excuse to pimp out this song which somehow has only 4k views on YT
 

Well, I guess it’s that time again, to ping a bunch of people and farm reputation. But I’ll try to make it as meaningful as possible to really EARN those hearts and beers.
 
@nurx You may be my second AGM, but you’re the first I ever hired and I’m extremely grateful you decided to stick it out in Miami. Our first seasons together were pretty rough, but you kept the players and I enthusiastic and passionate with your commitment to the team. I talk to you more than I talk to some of my relatives, and you’re probably the person I’ve gotten closest to in the league. Thanks for the great times, and it’ll be bittersweet the day when you finally get your own team. 
 
@Spartan and @JigglyGumballs you two were my first mentors of the league, and helped foster my interest and passion for it. My time with the Aces was super fun, and sometimes I wish I could join the VHL and go through it all again. Spart, you’re the guy I do and always will go to if I have any concerns, and I’m grateful for all you’ve done over the seasons. Jiggs, you were the very first person I talked to for lengths in the league, and I’m so glad you’ve found the time to come back to the league.
 
@hedgehog337 we haven’t really chatted recently but we spent a *lot* of time together in our years in Riga, and my home will always be with the Reign. It’s a shame we didn’t get that last championship with Zetterstrom but hopefully a bunch of my former teammates can capture the title this season.
 
@Dom @lidz @Gustav @Shindigs @Ben My dear players and alumni, you’ve made my first few years as GM a thrill. Even though we haven’t had championship teams, your players have torn it up and we’ve had a great time in the locker room, and I hope to manage or be a teammate to each one of you after this season.
 
@JB123 @ctots you two have been fantastic management in my first season with Burns. Our roster was a bit barren, but the few of us that remained had a memorable experience in Oslo. Ctots, I have hardly seen a first gen take to the league faster and adapt so efficiently. I have zero doubt you’ll have a GM job of your own one day if that’s what you’re gunning for. JB, you did a fine job keeping it light despite our sometimes unfortunate performance in the sim. 
 
@Dil get pinged nerd
 
@McWolf You’re a great commish and put up with all the shit that the M GMs and I pull all the time. Cheers and rig the sim in favour of Miami, will you? I pinged you in an appreciation article after all

 
All in all, a lot of good stuff has happened since I’ve joined. It’s been a blast, and I really hope it can continue to be a blast for a while longer. 

So uhh... Hey. It's been a while hasn't it?
 
A lot has changed since I left the VHL. A lot of new faces, but still a lot of familiar older ones. Now before I start going off and reintroducing myself, I wanna clarify that I've been gone for only a few months. Though I'm making it sound like I'm an ancient relic of the past. With that in mind, uhh hey! If you don't know me, I'm JigglyGumballs. Most people simply refer to me as Jiggs. I've been a member of the VHL since June 2020 so technically I'm heading towards year two now. So that's nice. In terms of contributions in the VHL, I've been an AGM and eventually the GM of Las Vegas in the M for a period of time.  Sorta did some weird draft picks and made some dumb trades. Also spammed the term "TRADE THE PICKS TRUST THE PROCESS" when I could. Anyways, I guess this is my shameless attempt to milk TPE out of a sort of catch up post on what I've been doing since I left so if you don't really give a shit. Then uh, how's it going chief?
 
To start things off, why come back now? Well, I did say in my last post that when I feel comfortable of earning the max amount of TPE per week again, I'd return to the VHL. So here I am attempting to fulfill that promise. Along with that the introduction of a new stats system that overhauls the previous meta. I thought that it might be a good time to come back and learn all the new stuff. In terms of my player, I honestly kinda want to dick around with my build. It's leaning towards another defensive defenseman like how I did my last player, but I'm really hoping for a more goon build that only makes slapshots. If this becomes a viable build as part of the new meta, then you're welcome for ruining the new attributes.
 
In terms of irl stuff. Uh to those interested, I've applied for a college now. Yay... I'm also struggling to find a job because I didn't consider getting any sort of work experience or volunteer hours earlier in highschool. Double yay... And guess what, I got COVID and extended my spring break by two weeks LET'S GOOOOO. Depressing shit aside, I'm doing really well now. After an honestly disappointing experience with COVID, I'm at the back half of highschool. I've spent a lot more time with my friends and just been enjoying life on a day by day basis. In terms of what I want to achieve in my second coming in the VHL, I hope to some day go back to the GMing/AGMing scene though I'm not quite ready for that now. I also hope that I can be just as active as I was before. With all the new changes and new faces, I really want to re-experience the VHL in a new light. So excuse me in advance for being a dumbass and not knowing new things. So yeah. I'm back, and I hope I don't die and become inactive anytime soon.
 
 

533 words.

Review: It's not always you see a jersey concept but I like to see what people come up with. I like the idea of Las Vegas using the sin city name and I think the crest logo on the front is pretty solid. One thing I'd like to see is a bit more white incorporated into the jersey to match with the border of the logo. Not sure exactly where it could go but I'm thinking on the arm as a small trim around the green. 8/10

I wanted to start by saying “thank you” to everyone who contributed to the survey. As of right now we have 52 responses, some answering all of the questions, others not. I wanted to take some time to offer some of the bigger insights that I gained through this survey. Please note that when I offer my insight I am doing so based on what this data shows, so some assumptions will not consider the whole picture. My hope for this survey was that it would offer some clue as to how the community felt things were going, get a better understanding of how people got here, what’s kept them around, and why they’ve possibly considered leaving.
 
All of the responses will remain anonymous, and the only people who can see them are the recruitment team. Of course, if you are reading this and have not responded to the survey you are still more than welcome to do that here.
 
I read through every response and tried to categorize them as best as I could. I’ll elaborate and clarify any questions that you may have. After reading through this please consider sharing your thoughts, offering suggestions, and putting out ideas.
 
How did you find out about the VHL?
YouTube – 21
Reddit – 7
Affiliate League/Un-Affiliated League – 7
Friend/Personal Referral – 7
Search Engine – 4
Other (other website with a forum style) – 2
Don’t Remember – 1
Twitter – 1
 
It is immediately clear that YouTube is our best recruiting tool, there really isn’t much doubt about that. What was brought out in this survey, with people sharing which channels brought them in and through the area where we asked for input, is that YouTube channels that focus solely on EA NHL video games are simply not doing it. They’ve brought it a few people who have stuck around, including myself, but the best channel seems to have been RobTalksHockey. Your suggestions have stated that we look for channels that focus more on roleplay, the statistic side of hockey, and things like that. We are looking into this and would love some suggestions here!
 
The next biggest recruitment tool we have is Reddit and referrals from other leagues. Historically, we have not done well with Reddit due to mods not liking us. What we’ve encouraged users to do in the past has been against Reddit Terms of Service, and we frankly don’t have a good reputation in on Reddit. Ricer is currently trying to mend some fences, and we are going to work hard to make Reddit a viable recruiting area. As far as other sim leagues go, we’d encourage you to be a positive presence in those communities and point people back to the VHL when appropriate.
 
What was the main reason you joined?
Seemed Fun/Enjoyable/Interesting – 18
Enjoy Hockey – 11
Bored – 7
A Friend – 6
Being a part of a hockey community – 4
Uniqueness of league – 3
Player Management – 2
Lack of Hockey (COVID) – 3
Creativity – 2
People here are in another league – 2
Enjoy Hockey Stats – 1
Learning about a new sport – 1
Wanting to be a GM – 1
End of another league – 1
 
People who have joined this league, largely, have been curious about what we do. They have found it to be intriguing, and a possible way to have fun and curb some of the boredom in their lives. Many of them enjoy hockey and found themselves joining because they needed something to do or because a friend referred them. We see a few points here and there about personal aspirations. No matter what, this is incredibly subjective and doesn’t really aim us in any particular direction. While no one said that it was the advertising that made them join, the advertising does spark interest and curiosity. Also, what brings people in and what keeps them here will change over time. If we run ads during a pandemic where most people are home for long hours their reasoning for staying will look much different than those who join in the middle of the fall post-COVID restrictions.
 
Main reason you stayed?
Community/Other People – 31
Enjoy the league all together – 7
Watching my player do better/advance – 5
Stability/Routine of Earning – 4
Team/LR/Help from Others – 3
League Job – 4
Organization of League – 3
Other people I like are here – 3
Forum content – 2
Break from real life – 2
Daily sims – 2
I didn’t – 1
I’m obsessive – 1
Affiliate Earning – 1
 
This overwhelming response really didn’t surprise me too much. Many of the people that I talk to regularly here in this league have mentioned liking the community aspect of what we do. Understand, many of the responses simply said, “the community” here and there is a lot that goes into that word. It means people choose to spend their time here because they enjoy the people, they feel a sense of connection to others, this is a group of people they are willing to attach themselves to, despite how dysfunctional we may be. So, while many join the league because it looks like fun and they like hockey, they seem to stick around for a sense of community, of belonging. In a world where everyone is over connected with one another, we have some of the loneliest feeling people there ever have been. No wonder people long for a sense of belonging! I think it’s safe to say that the VHL of today, according to what we see here, is less about building an amazing player and winning cups (though that is a plus) and more about having a group of people that others want to be around.
 
Have you wanted to quit? If so, why?
No – 18
Yes – 16
Burnout (either league job related or TPE earning) - 9
Player Progression Daunting/Too Much Time to Max Earn – 8
Community Immaturity/Overreaction and correction/Drama – 7
Real Life Stuff – 6
Socio-Political Stances in League – 5
Loss of Interest/Motivation – 4
Dead Chat/LR/Absent Management – 3              
Poor Team Performance/Lack of Icetime - 3
Previous issues that have now been resolved – 2
TPE Carryover/Pension/Recreates Have Priority over New Players – 2
New Hybrid System – 1
TPE Ban – 1
 
I’m not going to lie, at first this shocked me a little bit. I thought for sure the number of people who had wanted to quit before would have been higher than those who did not. Anyways, the highest reason that people have thought about quitting is not surprising, burnout. Adding the responsibilities of league jobs on top of real-life priorities and constant critique and beratement from other members seems to be what causes people to want to step away. Essentially, “I don’t get paid enough for this crap” sort of stuff. Some who mentioned burnout were more focused on the actual process of earning TPE, which bleeds into the next highest reason. Many expressed that max earning takes too much time, and if you don’t max earn you don’t do nearly as well as players who do. I imagine this mindset will spark some interesting conversation.
The next largest reason people have wanted to leave, “Community Immaturity/Overreaction and correction/Drama” was also not very surprising. Essentially, there were two directions that these responses went, and I’m paraphrasing here when I say them. 1) Feelings of over moderation in the league, 2) There is too much drama. I won’t go much into this here because, frankly, it’s been hashed out enough in the past with previous articles. Check out @Gustav's.
 
Naturally people’s lives outside of the VHL pull them away. Personally, since joining the VHL, I’ve moved, started a new job, had a child, and am about to graduate from school. Real life really can pull you away from this. It makes sense that real life issues/things pull people from the league and make them want to step away.
“Socio-Political Stances in League” was a category that I used to try and reign in some pretty strong opinions. Essentially, and again paraphrasing, those whose answers contained things for this category expressed strong feelings of socio-political stances bearing too much weight in the league. There were concerns that some want to come here to escape the rest of the world, not have it follow them in here. Another response to this pointed to feelings of hypocrisy from leadership and moderation. On top of that a line that seemed to capture some of what some people said was, “the exclusive inclusivity of only one way of thinking that actually pushes people of different viewpoints away and makes sure that the league is only inclusive to people who go with the narrative.”
 
My Thoughts
Again, I’d like to thank everyone who responded to this survey. It really has been helpful. Also, please note that this is an incredibly small sample size of the VHL. The opinions of 50 people do NOT speak for everyone, and that must be understood. If you find that this data misrepresents how you feel, or you want to add to it, please go back and complete the survey.
 
Anyways, my biggest takeaways from all of this is that we need to continue advertising through YouTube, but switch up the channels we advertise with. On top of that, building good relationships with Reddit moderators will help us in the hopefully near future. These are two areas that we really should focus on. I’ve heard from a few others who have been in Recruitment that it can be taxing to keep posting things every day, or nearly every day, and have little return, so I’m not too worried about gaining a massive Twitter/Instagram following.
Next, no matter what we can’t deny that people like being a part of this community. It could be the connection, the establishment of friendships, or even just a community where you can feel able to “be yourself.” Whatever it is, this is important. This is a part of retention that falls on all of us. Some of the responses talked about the way people in leadership do or do not interact with people. When I first arrive in the VHL I loved when commissioners, managers, and even mods talked to me. I felt, as a new and small guy on the VHL food chain, that when they took time to see how I was doing or just engage in conversation that they were actually glad that I was here. Others expressed a similar feeling. This isn’t a call to arms saying that blues need to step it up, they have plenty to do as it is. However, sometimes being more intentional on who you check in with would be helpful, I imagine. With that, all of us, especially those of us who are in leadership positions, need to be more aware with how we interact with one another and members who aren’t in these positions. No matter who it is they watch what you do and say, and that helps them determine if they want to stick around for the long haul.
 
There have been whispers even outside of this survey that TPE earning can be too arduous for some. As someone who has max earned every week (except for maybe 2 or 3) I understand that this can be cumbersome. However, I don’t think there needs to be a major overhaul of our TPE earning ways. The concern that non-max earning players don’t get as much priority as max earners is, in my opinion, not a legitimate concern. Here’s why. Those who max earn, for the most part, are doing a substantial amount of work to do so. Their work is then compensated with points that allow their players to perform better in the simulation, at least in theory. I do think it’s fair that those who put in the time deserve more important roles on their respective teams. This isn’t to say I don’t value people who don’t max earn, but please do not be surprised that you aren’t always a 1st or even 2nd liner.
 
That about sums up some things that stuck out to me and stuck out in my head. Please remember that these are my thoughts and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts of others on the recruitment team.
 
Again, I ask that you share any ideas that you have, ask for clarification, or talk about what you have read here!
---
@Ricer13 @Moon @Frank @rjfryman

As it is Sunday evening and I have yet to do my main point task for the week yet, I figured now could be as good a time as any to kind of ramble and voice my thoughts. I'd like for this to be an open discussion also and hear other user's thoughts. Currently, I am on my second player in the VHL. My first run was on Scotty Kaberle, and the experience was a fun one for the most part. There were some low spots for sure, but overall I thought it was a pretty solid run and I would say I look back at Kaberle's career fondly. I broke into the community as a chipper first-gen who wanted to get in on anything and everything. For a few seasons I did VSN, and while that was a fun experience, eventually I became too busy with real-life responsibilities to keep providing VHL-related content at that pace. 
 
Then at some point in the ladder-half of Kaberle's career, the VHLE was announced. I originally thought it was a good idea as it could be a place for all the inactives to congregate, and that would leave the VHL to be where the top TPE-earners would compete at the highest level. However, that's not really how the league was envisioned by its founders, and for better or worse, we now have three leagues in our ecosystem. It was a real game changer. After watching how the E played out in its first couple of seasons, I decided that personally I wanted to forgo my player having to play in the E. So around Christmas time, I decided to retire my first-gen a season early to get some extra uncapped TPE opportunities around Christmas time that would inevitably put me over the top when it came to getting to the VHL TPE cap floor and also exceeding the VHLE cap ceiling. 
 
So Scotty Sundin was born, and I spent a season and a bit in the VHLM once again. I got to play under @JB123 which was cool because he first came up under me in Yukon (rip Yukon  ) We had a pretty good playoff run but it was for naught. I was lucky enough to go first overall in the VHLM dispersal draft after I was drafted by @Moon in Houston. The full season in Houston was a blast, we had a a pretty loaded team. We dominated the regular season, but lost the finals in game 7 in what was a crazy series. Overall though, it was good times playing with Boom and Rhynex, and then also getting to meet new guys like Eagle. The VHL draft rolled around and I was once again taken first, this time by Chicago. I was (and still am ) thrilled to get taken by Chicago. I've gotten to know @JeffD a little bit through gaming with him and Beav over the winter,  and I am really happy to play under him on the Phoenix. I am even more excited about the core we have in place there. I think we could have a special team in a couple of seasons down the road.
 
But for whatever reason, I can't help but find myself growing more and more disinterested with the league these days. And it kinda feels like it's not just a me thing. Granted, my social circle in the community these days has been smaller, it feels like a lot of people are sort of checked out. It might be different for everyone, I'm not sure. I thought with the new hybrid attributes, things would feel a bit more fresh this season. But that freshness of that wore off for me after about a week. Personally for me, being on the BoG has been a pretty dejecting experience and the whole system feels kind of pointless. At the end of the day the commishes of the three leagues just do whatever they wanna do for better or for worse. Bringing up valid criticism on a number of things just falls on deaf ears so it kinda makes you wanna give up on trying to improve the league at all. 
 
Aside from the BOG specific stuff though, the VHL (as in the mother league) seems like such a barren wasteland these days. It feels like there's way less people actually making it to the VHL as an active member anymore. As a GM or AGM,. finding enough active bodies is such a challenge, nevermind keeping an active locker room. In Chicago, we are lucky enough to have a fantastic LR, but I know that isn't the case everywhere. Then there's VHL gen-chat which is a whole other can of worms. More and more I realize that isn't a place for me. Whether it's the onslaught of annoying users, or the over-policed feel of the whole place, it just ain't for me anymore. Once in awhile there's  a few cool peeps in there worth chatting with but more often then not, I avoid that place lol. 
 
Anyways, this is just a rambling mess but hopefully it will be therapeutic for me  to get it all off my chest. Although I mentioned I feel like I'm becoming disinterested in the VHL, I don't plan on going inactive during this player's career. Getting picked in the first round is a sign that a GM put some faith in you to come through for them, so I feel like I have a duty to make good on that for Chicago. I also urge anyone else who is in a similar situation to do the same. We need more actives, not less. Maybe this is the "burn-out" I've been warned about by so many people throughout the seasons I've been here. I don't feel burned out, though I am finding it challenging to find things to write about for point tasks. For now, the grind continues. I'd love to hear what other people think, even if it isn't similar to how I am feeling. I could use some insight for sure. Until next week, cheers VHL. 

claiming for two weeks

Las Vegas, Nevada - Las Vegas Aces defender, Gruffud Theofylaktos, has seen solid production during the start of the VHLM's 83rd season. The lactose intolerant Greek has done well in a dominant Vegas team. Tallying a respectable 16 points in 22 games. The majority of these points coming from assists. Along with solid offensive production, Gruff has also seen solid defensive stats with 32 Hits and 20 shots block recorded so far, along with a +14 rating. While these stats are nothing in comparison to the more experience and gifted members of the team, it's the contribution that counts. According to the defenseman at least.
 
" I know that I still have lot's to prove." Gruff has stated in an interview following practice. " We have a really good team. That means that you don't exactly get as many opportunities as you'd like. So for me, it's just taking every opportunity that I can get." When asked about what part of his game needs to be fixed, taking penalties was the first priority mentioned. As the Greek Menace is currently 9th in the league in penalty minutes. Nevertheless, the season is still early, and the only way to go is up for Gruffud.
 
200 Words.

Well it's Sunday and I haven't done a point task this week. I didn't stockpile enough graphics to last until now, and I don't have time this afternoon to make one, so I guess doing this will hypothetically take less time. I'm probably just going to talk about the Marauders and Burns for a while. Here goes.
 
     The Marauders are in an interesting situation. I have big plans for this team, but it will take a few seasons to get into that routine, and when I got the team I was set back at least 2 seasons by the previous GM absolutely fucking me over and leaving zero picks in the first 3 rounds. So that was fun. My plan was to, one of these seasons where we're a fringe contender, do a hard sell and build up lots of draft picks over the next few seasons. Then I would just not trade any picks, and have a contending team every single season after that, rather than having a super team one season and a dumpster fire team the next. It's worked okay, since last season we lost in the first round in 6 games, which is adequate. I'd like to make it father, have a better team, without spending picks. In a way I am still experimenting with how to build a good team. As could be predicted, my team this year is top heavy. I didn't trade any of my top picks, so I have a few very good players, like Vandelay, Blue, and Mann. Smith is probably going inactive, which is disappointing, as he wanted to go to the VHLE, but didn't make it over 200 in time. So I will likely sell some of the guys I mentioned above, depending on if we keep losing in the sim, at the deadline, and hopefully somehow still make the playoffs, although it's not the end of the world if we don't. 
 
     Onto Burns. I knew coming into this season, as a comparatively low-TPA player, he wouldn't be leading any categories. He isn't but I think 15 points in 22 games is pretty impressive, surpassing at least my own expectations. The build is funny though. Not that it's bad, but I've seen different players try different things. I saw one player in my draft class who I won't name who put all their TPE into two or three attributes, which I think is trying to create a new meta and defeats the whole purpose of the new system. I had a spread it out attitude, and I found a player to model Burns after, Duncan Idaho, who is doing just fine this season. If I had to guess, I'd say I'm on the right track. Doing something good for the league, and having a bit of fun testing out these new builds. The satisfying thing is the player who tried to meta their build has less points than Burns (maybe that's because Burns is getting loads of ice time on a sparse Oslo Storm, but hey, it's more points. I'm not complaining). I will say that I am frustrated by how far ahead some of my fellow S82 draft class folks are in terms of TPE. And I've looked, it's mostly from donations. Which pisses me off, because I don't have an online money thing where I can give 5 bucks for some TPE. If I could, I would. But I can't, so I might not even go in the top five of my draft. Which pisses me off, because I'm max earning.
 
   Well, that brings me to about 600 words. Good day to you, and happy Mother's Day? I guess X AE A-12's birthday is on Wednesday, that thing will turn one year old. So that's that