Ledge

Due to the lack of a statement otherwise, member bashing WILL be tolerated in this thread.

(Graphic courtesy of @Ricer13)
 
Oh, boy! The VHL playoffs are finally done!
 
Congratulations to the newly crowned champions, the Warsaw Predators! 
 
Anyway, that is not what this article is about. You are here to read about the World Juniors. A tournament where the best prospects get called up and go head-to-head with each other.
 
There is always the same old question, would you rather win a title with your team or your country? This tournament is a purer answer to that question. What is, in fact, kids fighting for their respective countries, not for fame and money, but respect and gold.
 
Structure Changes
 
We had some change this season, with the exit of lasting commissioner @fonziGG. That gave commissioner @Ricer13 another job before starting the search for the General Managers. Finding a new co-commissioner.
 
The new co-commissioner came from a small pool of applicants, where the selected user was @Enorama. Ricer13 had this to say about the choice, “Enorama has a perfect skill set to support the World Junior Championship. He has an excellent history working with and developing new players in the league (…) so, it was a no-brainer to select him as the Co-Commissioner of the World Junior Championship".
 
After that decision, it was time to decide on more pressing matters. General Managers. Now… how do they choose? The commissioners “are always looking for new up-and-coming GMs, who are eager to learn and get into that side of the league. We fill out as many spots as we can with new Managers, and then fill in the remaining”.
 
The General Managers
 
This season, we have three new and two more experienced General Managers. Let's talk about the new ones!
 
@Trunkxolotl leads Team Canada, and the hire was made “because he looks like someone (…) ready to take the next step in their management development. He has been working (…) in the Junior Showcase Tournament and seems like (…) a good fit as a GM in the VHLM. Hopefully, a little more experience here in the WJC will go a long way in helping him take that next step”.
 
@Novanod, who leads Team USA, “is brand new to the management scene. He has little to no experience being a GM, but that is okay! (…) this is the place to get your start. We want to help guide these new members (…) so that they might find interest in becoming a GM down the road”.
 
@TMGSosa, who leads Team World, might be a familiar name for some. That's because “he has been around the league for a while now and has some (…) past GM experience. He has knowledge of the game and is already familiar with how to manage a team, but with a little extra experience from the World Juniors, he could take the next step in management”, should he choose to do so.
 
The two remaining GMs are familiar faces. @jacobcarson877 is part of the next wave of GMs taking the league by storm. After a stint as the AGM of the Marlins, he took over as GM when he had the chance. @Nykonax needs no introduction after his three Continental Cup wins with the Vancouver Wolves.
 
The teams
 
What about the teams? Is there a clear favorite? Could we see Team Europe continue their great efforts of the last two seasons? Could we see one of the more inexperienced GMs winning the championship?
 
As with life, some of these teams have better pools to select from than others. There is no way around it. Canada, Europe, and the USA are fortunate to have better conditions to create better players. And funnily enough, these are the last three winners of the WJC (USA in S81, Canada in S82, and Europe in S83).
 
Let us start with the defending champs, Team Europe 🇪🇺. This team has a few returning players from last season's championship-winning squad. From the presumably starting goaltender, Basileus Jute, to VHLE Stars, Fraser Wallace, and Velociraptor Greg. 4 of the 9 forwards are making their second appearance in the tournament. But this European team will most likely rely on their outstanding defensemen core to find success.
 
Team Canada 🇨🇦 will be as competitive as ever, no doubt about that. That said, they may be a step behind Team Europe. Maybe it's unfair to say it because there's a lot of quality in their squad, but there's the perception of a lack of quality depth. For this team to be successful, their 1st-line will have to do the heavy lifting, while the other will have to hold down the fort. Thankfully they can count on VHLE scoring leader Tyler Busser to guide them, but don't sleep on his line-mates, Cobalt Burns and Molly the Cat.
 
Team USA 🇺🇸 is in a similar situation to Team Canada. Perhaps they aren't as great, but they're also a step behind. Their 1st-line is excellent and isn't behind Team Europe or Canada, in any way, but they seem to have a more sizeable gap between the 1st-line and the others. And unlike Team Canada, the USA will have great goaltending, no matter who they choose to start. Freddy Freeze or Matt Murdock will have the opportunity to keep them afloat. While the Vasteras duo of Dogwood Maple and Justin Adolfsen leads the offense.
 
Team Asia 🌏 comes in with one of the most competitive rosters they've had in the past few seasons. Of course, this statement has to be taken with a grain of salt, but you must take into consideration who the General Manager is. Nykonax is the most experienced in the tournament, and that experience showed up in the team selection. Asia can select Asian players and unpicked players from around the World. In the end, Asia got 6 extra players poised to make a big difference! The ceiling's not as high for them, but these displayed selection tactics helped them have a better squad depth. Bratislava's Sock Monkey and Geneva Rush's Clueless Wallob will be the leaders of this team, which could give us a pleasant surprise this season.
 
Last but not least, Team World 🌍. Do you remember the part about TMGSosa's experience? Yes, just like Nykonax, he took advantage of the possibility to choose players left unpicked. And he did so in a big way, selecting an extra 7 players. Team World suffers from the same issues as Team Asia, with an extra one in goal, since none of the goaltenders is at the level of Clueless Wallob. Be that as it may, we could see a lot of action from this team. There's a lot of quality on the wings, with the likes of Blake MacTavish, Chikeli Cholo, Hockley Mann, and Ryan. But their leader will be Calix Pearce, who returns to the WJC after his last appearance with Team Europe in Season 82.
 
Now, hockey is unpredictable. Any of these teams can find their mojo and take over this tournament. Will it be our favorites, Team Europe? Or are we in for a surprise?
 
I leave you not with a prediction but a small ranking of who is running for the championship.
 
Favorites: Team Europe. 🇪🇺
Outsiders: Team Canada, Team USA. 🇨🇦🇺🇸
Underdogs: Team Asia, Team World. 🌏🌍
 
Let's not dwell too much on this, but damn is this exciting!
 
The tournament is slated to start later this week, on Wednesday.
 
Come back next week for our tournament recap!
 
 

Eh what the heck, I’ll apply. I think I’ve got what it takes. 

Thanks, you're probably the first to recognize it! That Komets series was for sure one for the ages, back to back OT in games 6 and 7 is pretty hard to top

I think that @dlamb is a swell dude!

I would also like to apply.

I’ll apply

I must have all the jobs apparently, so I shall apply

lil z - haters in the thread Prod by lil z (2:00)
 
Haters in the thread, started with two but ended in a circle, haters in the thread, didn't read nothing but ill add a note to my journal, haters in the thread, just being honest you kind of sound like steve urkel, haters in the thread, cant actually make music that's why I'm doing it all non verbal
 
Hello it's lil z and here we go again,
Blew up oh shit my finger pressed send,
Sorry for my behavior but it's how I'm feelin within,
Dodging all these negative emoticons all I hear is a sad violin,
That's why I'm always wildin acting like a child back when,
Wonder if any even answered my question I was askin,
Instead I sit here cold like an Alaskan,
Should have moved to Warsaw with my homies because their shooters are always blastin, (pew pew)
Looking at the replies now like how long is this lastin?
Blew up over night and I was even fastin,
Cant even claim this but I'm always dashin
New post, player page and don't forget about the status splashin,
Drip drop to the top I'm always flashin 
 
Haters in the thread, started with two but ended in a circle, haters in the thread, didn't read nothing but ill add a note to my journal, haters in the thread, just being honest you kind of sound like steve urkel, haters in the thread, cant actually make music that's why I'm doing it all verbal
 
Now back to the topic and content I provide,
No I'm not the best but some of us have that real soldier pride,
So we when see my reply I hope you didn't pick the other side,
Just remember I was a guide that always tried,
Applied and ultimately was denied (gavel sound)
Moving on and thinking about the future,
I'm going to keep releasing article music on my phone not computer,
Also shoutout to OutLoudSound my producer,
Sitting in an uber you can watch us maneuver,
See you all on the forum much love to every viewer,
Anyone that negatively reacts no worries that's one fewer,
Be the best you can be and a great user

Feel free to take this with a grain of salt, because I'm assuming I'm one of these "well-connected members" who supposedly get hired for everything. Honestly, beyond VHL GM/BoG, my resume doesn't look like much more than yours. I've applied to a lot of jobs that I didn't get--including fantasy, which you did get, and I've also been applying for every updater opening I've seen since before you were in the league and only just recently became one (it's also likely that that wouldn't have happened either if I were still GM or something else). I've been rejected for WJC GM, World Cup GM, World Cup/WJC Commish, VHL GM, Player Store Updater, recruitment, fantasy at least twice and at more than one level, and Updater probably 5 times at least. If there's some grand conspiracy to hire me for everything I apply for, I think I've missed it. And I've never once thought that I was passed over because of some personal vendetta I don't know about.
 
I like to think I've earned the roles I've gotten by consistently putting myself out there in the community and showing that I'm capable of doing work that contributes to the enjoyment of other members. I'm sure you'd say the same about the jobs you've had as well. Maybe you can blame it on being "well-connected", but I'd encourage you to think about what that means and why people who are seen by the rest of the community as solid members are in that boat. I actually do think it's fair to some extent to label certain hirings as popularity contests, but to some extent that actually makes sense. Think about the amount of trust that comes with your VHLM GM role--you have to be really good at making a positive first impression on new members, really active and able to provide help whenever it's needed, and a solid representative of the league who can be counted on to make new players also solid representatives of the league. By being hired, you've earned the trust of the "higher-ups" already because they think you can do all of those things. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been hired! So I think it's a bit short-sighted to blame your situation on others and make the claim that the league hates you. They (we?) don't. At peak activity, you're just as good as any other member IMO.
 
To address something else: if your goal is to get hired for things, then why make a thread accusing the people in charge of hiring you for things of hating you and then respond to someone with a personal shot? I can't imagine that it's going to do you any favors in the near future (though we should absolutely be able to forget this ever happened). There are certainly much more constructive ways to get your thoughts out there. Try doing what Spartan suggested and reach out to someone to ask what you could have done to get whatever job. Sometimes all it comes down to is a gut feeling, sometimes there's a hotshot rookie who hasn't had an opportunity yet, and sometimes there's an old vet with ten times the track record of you or me who's sitting there without a job. Ironically, the principle of spreading jobs around that you say you want might be holding you back--who's going to get hired into Fantasy Zone (for example), Active Member A who's running a team, or Active Member B who isn't? I've never had to make hires, but it's quite possible that someone's looked at you in a thread and said "well, they're already a GM, so let's hire someone without a job". I haven't kept track of the hirings you're talking about, but I wonder how many have gone to members without jobs--in those cases, the lack of a job is usually seen as a plus.
 
Feel free to reach out if you sincerely believe that active members of the community hold a grudge against you. I can assure you that I do not. In the meantime, keep putting yourself out there and good things will come eventually 😄

Welcome everyone to the Season 84 edition of the World Junior Championship. We are running slightly behind schedule but are eager to announce our newest batch of General Managers for this seasons tournament. With that being said I am going to keep this short and sweet by announcing our GM selections. Please join me in congratulating the following members as our new WJC GM's:

🇨🇦Team Canada🇨🇦
 
 
Team USA
 
 
🇪🇺Team Europe🇪🇺
 
 
🗺️Team World🗺️
 
 
🌏Team Asia🌏
 
 
 
Congratulations everyone! Lets get this ball rolling.

Thanks! I’ll def keep that in mind, just check out other players with similar “play styles”. Probably throw a bit more into scoring with the next TPE I get
 
Also love the profile pic! Hopefully this next season we can make a deeper playoff run. That series with Ft Wayne was real chippy! Army’s doing some good stuff.

After putting books down to focus on the kids and other things, I finally picked up reading again. Went out and bought myself a book, and what a great book it was!
 
If any of you are into Sci-Fi, I highly recommend Hyperion. Just a fantastic book that doesn’t really have many over the top “cheesy” moments. I think it does a great job on building up the characters involved in a really fantastic way.
 

Looks like you've done a fine job already, and I'm not much of a build expert myself, but Defense and Scoring are generally the two most important attributes, so it might be beneficial to keep that in mind as you spend your TPE
 
One thing I like doing is browsing the player list and finding a player with the stats that I want, and figuring out which attributes they prioritized and essentially trying to mimic their path. Of course, there's no shame in trying to concoct your own winning build, so just do a little research (like you're already doing) and have fun with it. 

This is tentatively what I have going on. Quick, finesse defender that has scoring ability. Would love any feedback!

♬"It's the most wonderful time of the year"♬
🇨🇦 TEAM CANADA ROSTER🇨🇦
 
 
🇨🇦GOALIES 🇨🇦
 
G - Shaun Young - @shaun1979
G - DJ Fire Dragon - @Firekiss
 
🇨🇦FORWARDS 🇨🇦
 
C - Tyler Busser - @lil z
C - Jack Hextall - @Jack Feriancek
C - Eldon Escobar - @TeeJay11
C - Budnik McDangle - @Budnik
LW - Cobalt Burns - @Ledge
LW - Cole Caufield Jr - @weekz
RW - Hayden Rain - @Rain
RW - Luca Accardi - @LRJA
RW - Molly the Cat - @JCarson
 
🇨🇦 DEFENSE MEN 🇨🇦
D - Doug Matchett - @jacobaa19
D - Jared Carter the 2st -  @jaredc7
D - Erik Finch - @Erikkef
D - Tater Tottingham - @Trunkxolotl
 
Welcome to the team and congratulations on your selections!
We would love to see you in the WJC discord, and in the Team Canada locker room, which you can find a link to here:
https://discord.gg/d94qqAnC8v
 
NOW LETS REMIND THE REST WHY THIS IS CALLED 'CANADA'S GAME'

this seems like an overly aggressive post. I get it though I really cared about the VHLM and really wanted a GM job. I worked hard as AGM and tried to have the unique project with VHLM Illustrated. I care a lot about the people that have gone through Miami, but I am kind of growing tired of putting in all the work and not really getting a lot of gratitude. Ledge thanked me for everything I did, but only one player ever thanked me. I tried to get new members involved in the league more with VHLM Illustrated, but not many people read or commented on it. I am not sure what my future in the league will hold, but I will see what I do. I am pretty sure I want to do VHLM Illustrated and I have worked fairly hard during my little off time to get the project in a decent shape again. It hurts to spend the hour of free time you have on a project and not have any appreciation for the things you. It does feel like a boys club in the league.

I've only ever wanted one job and ever since getting a M job and stepping down from fantasy nobody has hired me, I've applied for everything that has to do with prospects but nah, I don't get it when other people can have multiple jobs because they are friends with someone, even the little things like fantasy. It makes no sense, I'm super fair but never get it shown back, instead friends hire friends? Everybody seems to say I'm killing it?? It's been years I'm so confued xD Wish some of my old friends would show some love back, I ain't the one who started shit.. It just looks/feels like a big popularity contest now, I'd rather be the most hated tbh 

1. It's surreal, what an experience, it's what you dream of as a kid. 
2. Take it for a ride on a jetski and then bathe my dog in it
3. Selfishly, scoring the Renaissance Cup winning goal was pretty sweet
4. Murdock and Busser were both unbelievable, it'd be hard to choose
5. Busser takes that one, only player with triple digit points
6. Warsaw, Seattle wins too much, and it's dlamb's last hurrah
7. Absolutely, thank you for asking. It's been stress-free
8. Yes, I'll hopefully step into a big role with Helsinki and have a superb rookie season
9. I'd put on some of those nifty space sunglasses and go see the Sun, I want to really feel the size of the thing

PRESS CONFERENCE - Week of August 21st, 2022
(Just answer at least 6 of the questions for 2 TPE)
 
1). THE ISTANBUL RED WOLVES ARE YOUR S84 VHLE CHAMPIONS! How do you feel after winning it all?

2). What do you plan on doing with the cup on your day to spend with the cup?

3). What was your favorite moment in the playoffs?

4). Who would you nominate for the MVP of the playoffs?

5). Who would you nominate for the MVP of the season?

6). Seattle or Warsaw, who are you rooting for in the VHL?

7). Did you have a good summer?

8). Are you excited for how next season looks for your player?

9). Hypothetical: Space travel is a thing now! And you've won a ticket to go cruise somewhere in our solar system. What planet or object in our solar system would you want to see with your own eyes from the ship you'd be on?