CowboyinAmerica

Davos -- Through the first third of the season, not much attention has been paid to Davos' Antonia Bucatini. And that's for very good reasons: the emergence of Johnny Tsunami and Mina have been spectacular, with the former leading the VHL in points and goals and the latter leading the VHL in assists. The second line in Davos has performed extremely well. But that doesn't mean Bucatini has been a slouch. Bolstered by a hot start to the season, Bucatini sits at 39 points through 27 games, good for seventh in the entire VHL. Her 15 goals and 24 assists are largely in line with her recent averages, and overall, she's happy about her play so far. "I'm fine with the spotlight off me, I'll just be over here contributing," Bucatini said. "Consistency equals winning, and winning is the main thing I want for Davos. So I'm good." There is one personal goal that Bucatini has identified however: 100 points. It's a milestone that she reached for the first time last season and would like to top again. At her current pace, Bucatini would finish the season at 104 points - meaning she'll need to maintain this scoring pace for the rest of the season. Bucatini doesn't see that as a problem, however. And a big part of the reason is the talent around her: "We need to get Gianfranco [Del Rocco] going, get Felicia [Hardy] going. And I think that's going to happen sooner rather than later," Bucatini added. "When they do, watch out. I think we'll be unstoppable."

1. As we are still off to a strong start, what is the key to Davos’ success in S98? We're all just riding the Tsunami wave, and it's a great ride brah. Seriously though, our offense would be spectacular. 2. Which team do you predict will be our biggest rival this season? I know Riga is up there in the standings with us, but I'm still saying Moscow. That's who we have to get through to win the title IMO. 3. Yesterday, we were almost graced by a goalie fight between Jeremy Swayman and Darcy Kuemper— should there be goalie fights implemented in the VHL? If there are, I'm recreating as goalie and putting all of my points into Fighting. Don't tempt me. 5. When scouting prospects, especially first-gens, what is the most important attribute to look for? Consistency. I've seen way to many players seem really active and engaged, but fall off in season two or three. Someone consistently earning 12, even while quiet, means a lot more to me than holding 37 league jobs that will burn them out. 6. If your player was an animal, what would they be? A lynx: cute, lithe, but still absolutely a predator if you get too close. 8. Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, or Tekken? Off the board: Soul Calibur. That's the fighting game I always played growing up, it was recently on sale for about $10 on Xbox recently and I had fun revisiting.

Love it! Thank you, that's awesome.

Davos -- Entering the season, many pundits had big expectations for a certain center in Davos. There might have been some ideas about MVP bandied about, or at least a high point total and an all-VHL team. Especially for a strong Davos team, many anticipated there would be a breakout star. Of course, many of those pundits were looking at Antonia Bucatini. But they may have had the wrong Davos center. Through the first quarter of the season, fourth-year forward Johnny Tsunami has exploded onto the scene. Through 18 games, Tsunami leads the entire VHL with 35 points (3 clear of linemate Mina) and 18 goals (2 clear of former linemate Forum Content). Add in his 6 power play goals and 3 game winners, and Tsunami is major reason Davos has started out 13-2-2 and sits in second in Europe. So how does Bucatini feel about Tsunami's rise? She couldn't feel more proud. "You have to understand, I remember when this kid came in a rookie, talking about 'Let's do this hockey, brah,'" Bucatini said. "Seeing him now lead the league in scoring? Not gonna lie, I feel like a proud mama a bit." Bucatini isn't a slouch either, sitting tied for fifth in the VHL with 28 points. Between the two, Bucatini feels big things are ahead for Davos. "There are some teams out there with only one powerful scoring line and not much else. That's clearly not us," Bucatini added. "You can't hide, you're going to have to face either me or Johnny at all times. And that's a powerful thing to have as we want to make some playoff noise this season."

1. I’m currently reporting to everyone from Las Vegas, Nevada, where I’ll be vacationing until tomorrow! This begs the question, out of all VHL/M cities, which one would you most like to visit IRL? Aww, is this excluding Rome from the VHLE? It's probably something in Europe - I've heard good things about Prague honestly, and never been to Eastern Europe so I'm picking that. (I realized a bit ago that I've been to every North American VHL city if you count my layover in Calgary, so that's pretty sweet.) 2. We’re off to a rocketing 9-0-1 start as of Monday, March 17th! Did this dominance come as a pleasant surprise? Not particularly. Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked with a 10-0 start, because that Warsaw game was dumb. I think we've got the team to succeed here. 3. Between the NA and EU, which conference do you expect to be stronger this season? NA will have more playoff-ready teams, and I think most will say that. But I do think the top of Europe will be stronger, particularly Davos and Moscow. 4. What is your favorite active player name in the VHL currently, if you have one? I was reading The First Law series about the same time I recreated, so Logen Ninefingers made me very happy. 6. What do you think the Utah Hockey Club’s mascot will be? C'mon Yeti. You don't need that trademark, there would be no confusion there with random mugs. There's even a brand deal in it! Just go for it. 7. As it is St. Patrick’s Day, are you wearing green? If you are answering after Monday, did you wear green that day? I'm not today, but I spent Saturday drinking alcoholic shamrock shakes at a local bar so that's my contribution to St. Paddy's Day this year. \

I've had players in the VHL for 45 seasons including this one. Which has equaled 24 seasons on Seattle and Davos alone... and 21 for everybody else combined (Cologne, Calgary, Riga, Toronto, New York, D.C., Helsinki). So I've got one NA and one EU team to be connected to, which is nice.

1. There has been some discourse on certain VHL awards. Do you think the Slobodzian (Most Outstanding Player) and the Campbell (Most Valuable Player) trophies should overlap? I like having both, I think it's interesting seeing the differences between the BOG and the public voting. As somebody who has felt FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY (edit: goddammit) for awards in the past, I still felt the argument was kind of dumb honestly. Of course "valuable" is subjective, that's part of what makes the voting interesting and fun. 2. What is your main goal as a player or member for S98? It's all about the title. I think Davos has the team to win it all this year, and after getting so close so many times, I really want this to be the year we get over the hump. 3. Did you sign up for VHFL? I did. Only four picks in, but I got Bucatini on my team so of course I'm going to win it all. (I hope.) 4. Getting to 100 seasons in a sim league is a tremendous feat. What do you think has been the most important factor to the VHL’s longevity? Good vibes. I'm serious, actually. In the early years a lot of leagues would have torn themselves apart through in-fighting, but the VHL never fell to that. Then, being a fun atmosphere helps bring in a constant stream of new people, which is helpful over the years. 7. If you watch F1, who do you think will win the Australian Grand Prix? If it's rigged, it's Hamilton in his first race at Ferrari. If it's slightly less rigged, it's Piastri at home. And either way... I could see those two being favorites which would be fun. 8. Do you prefer rainy weather or sunny weather? Sunny all the way. In fact, I'd much rather it be sunny and below freezing than like 50 degrees F and raining. I can always bundle up, just let me outside and not be wet.

No new member looking for awards in the future is going to assume they should look at predictions payouts instead of the post literally titled "VHL Awards". It's really not that hard to edit it in after the fact.

Claim 4

Davos, Switzerland -- Take a tour of the HC Davos Dynamo facilities this offseason, and you might feel a different vibe. The last couple of seasons, the Dynamo were a young team on the rise, with some freewheeling sensibilities and an air of youthfulness around them. They were building something, they knew it, and were aware it would take time to get to the mountaintop. But this offseason, the message is clear: They're at the mountaintop. The time to start winning is now. "Yeah, I think we've started to feel like we not only can compete, but we should actively be considered among the favorites," said center Antonia Bucatini. "We're not the cute upstarts anymore. We're one of the big bads now." That pressure is particularly astute for Bucatini, who is moving into her fifth season - and thus, the back half of what is expected to be an eight season VHL career. Bucatini has been to the playoffs three times, and the finals once, but knows that this season is when the clock truly starts to tick towards retirement. "I'm very much in my prime, and I'm feeling some pressure to perform," Bucatini added. "We all are, really. But it's like they say, pressure can either break you or make diamonds. And it's my expectation to have a very sparkly ring on my hand at the end of the season."

And that's why you get a NTC kids I'LL NEVER DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE

1. Thoughts on Davos’ first round picks: Gingy and Sidney Sheppard? Amazing. Think we absolutely destroyed the draft, and I'm really excited for the future of this franchise. 2. What are you most looking forward to at the start of the season? The past few seasons I thought we were one of the contenders, but did always see teams better than us. This season - I'm not sure if that's true. I think we should be EU favorites. It'll be exciting to see if that comes true. 3. What is your one bold prediction for S98? Whoeever finishes first in the EU will have double the regular season points of their first playoff opponent (the 4/5 wild card winner). 4. Predict how many recreates we’ll get for the big S100! I'm guessing a decent amount. Was a bit surprised to see S100 firsts get traded this offseason, because I think they're going to be an extremely hot commodity. 5. Do you prefer VHFL or Super Coach? I think VHFL is more interesting, but I probably prefer Super Coach more because I like setting it and being done rather than consistently needing to check. 6. Are you in any other sim leagues that you may want to recommend? I feel like the SBA and VHL used to have more cross-over in the past than they do now. But I'm still enjoying my time over there, and affiliate PT access is a big boon.

Claim 3

My thoughts are less the team side and more the player side: I'm a bit worried about the chilling effect on max earners. It's already tough for some in the back half of their career to find a landing spot with the current cap, take the end of Merome Dilson's career for example. If this was applied to this season, take a look at Vancouver's roster and you're probably seeing someone like Wayne Gretzky ending up on a non-competitive team for the prime of their career for cap reasons, just because they're slightly older and slightly more expensive than other up-and-coming players. That isn't super fun. Adding a 1000 TPA player to like D.C. right now isn't magically going to make them a top team, and I think it's either going to lead to some disgruntled max players, or perhaps people dedicing being a max player isn't really worth it anyway (which would really be bad for the league and stifle overall activity).

I really appreciate you putting this together! Any help for new players coming in is certainly welcomed, really think this is great. My only thought at a glance is that while I tend to go a bit more min-max with my players anyway, I'd suggest doing that with Scoring and Passing in particular. The rule of thumb I've always heard is that you ideally want about 10 points or more difference between SC and PA in the sim, otherwise the sim locks up a bit in trying to determine which one to do. While that's tougher with a 200 TPA build where you're just trying to get attributes up, I think it'd be more achievable with a 400 TPA build, and some of those are real close in PA and SC. Without specific numbers on the hybrid attributes, I might actually suggest less OV and more either passing or scoring-centric attributes depending on build, especially for SC on the Offensive defenseman-shooter and the two power forward builds.

Davos, Switzerland -- Since being taken with the first pick of the Season 93 VHL Draft, Antonia Bucatini has bled purple for Davos. She was on the first line since seemingly day one for the rebuilding team, put up great numbers as the team progressively worked its way to the finals in Season 96, and seemed to be a centerpoint of the future for the squad as it builds towards its next generation. Now, what was assumed is now all but official: Antonia Bucatini is set to be a Davos lifer. The forward recently signed a three-year extension through Season 101, which would take her through the next four seasons until her assumed retirement. The deal also comes with a full no trade clause through the life of the deal, not that a trade would be expected anyway with Davos set to contend over the life of the contract. For Bucatini, the extension gives her a chance to do what she always wanted: be a club legend. "I've felt at home in Davos since day one, and I'm glad they feel the same," Bucatini said in a press conference announcing the deal. "My teammates, this club, these fans - this is where I belong." The deal also creates the opportunity for Bucatini to set some records. Notably, with 23 goals and 54 points in Davos' playoff games the past three seasons, Bucatini already sits top ten in team history in both categories. With a few more playoff runs, first in both goals (42) and points (109) wouldn't be inconceivable. But for now, she's simply focused on the Cup. "I'm in the prime of my career with some good runs ahead," she added. "It's great to have the contract stuff behind me, because now I can focus on giving my all on the ice."

2. Where would your player’s dream vacation destination be? Growing up in Italy, there aren't too many more beautiful destinations that I haven't seen already. But with that said - get me off the grid to somewhere in the south Pacific like Fiji. Everybody's gotta get away sometime. 3. Who is your player’s render for graphics, if you have one? Have been going with Taylor Heise of PWHL Minnesota (not sure how I feel about the name Frost yet). Which has worked out well, considering she's top ten in the league in points. 4. In your opinion, do you believe GMs should have rights to their own player (ex. Alex having the priority to be able to have his player, Deadpanda, on Davos)? I could go either way. It used to be tied that way, but I think some GMs didn't like it because they felt rather trapped in their experience. So ultimately I'd just prefer whatever makes GMs happy. 5. The ProAm teams this offseason are: the Flora Vista Foxes, Winnipeg Wheelbarrows, Baie-Comeau Beavers, Pompeii Sour Grapes, and the Hartford Whalers. Which team name do you like the best? Knowing absolutely nothing else, the Sour Grapes is legit. Add in the Italy connection with wine, and it obviously being a hot location, I'm all for it. 6. Did you watch the Four Nations finale? I did while on a plane! And it was fun when I noticed a bunch of other people watching the same... though less fun when the plane landed and the stream cut off with 5 minutes left in regulation. 7. Do you have any plans for this upcoming weekend? Not sure I've mentioned it much here, but I'm a season ticket holder for the local MLS team, Minnesota United. The home opener is on Saturday, and while it'll be cold for now, I'm excited to get some live soccer back in my life.

S98 Donation Transaction ID: 0PD69754JM568334M Doubles Week (Claiming week of 3/2) 5 uncapped TPE (Claiming week of 3/2) 1M Player Store

Lol I almost wrote up a whole long thing about how Prague is the much more interesting side to the trade IMO, but didn't want to contribute to the flame war. But yeah, that conundrum about what Malmo will do with Bek/whoever in two seasons, that's Prague with literally this trade and OD entering his third season. Prague could hold pat (but that takes a lot of trust that OD's fine with not competing until Season 100), selling again to really be swimming in assets to be an unquestioned contender further down the road (honestly what I might have done), or go mostly all in to try and compete (which they did). I'm not sure it's enough juice, but it'll be fascinating to watch.

Yeah this is actually my thoughts on the whole deal - I actually think this is a fantastic deal for Malmo in a vacuum. But that's not because I think that Bek/whoever can be a contributor, the windows of contention don't align. It's more because I think the true rebuild will need to start when Malmo has picks again, and Bek/whoeever will have much more value when flipped than two-seasons-from-retirement Leitner would, and it's a matter of committing to that rebuild in the meantime.

1. Thoughts on the Seattle Bears securing the Cup after beating Riga 4-1? I do think the two wild cards being in the finals is weird, but more power to them. Seattle has a real knack for popping up out of nowhere to win. 2. What is your favorite point task to do? The long-form articles do take some time, but I enjoy doing them. Pieces like that help the league feel more real and immersive to me. 3. What are your goals for S98? Winning the cup is always priority number one. But I do hope that I'm able to make a leap into top ten in points this season. I was close last season, and I think I should have the capability to do it. 4. The VHL is fast approaching S100, what should the league do to celebrate such a milestone? I love the historical content anyway, so I hope there's more of that on the way. The VHL's unique in that there's been a lot of members that have been here a long time, and I hope they're utilized to tell the story. 5. Did you sign up for the ProAm? I didn't. More power to those that want to take part, but I do genuinely enjoy having some time to check out from leagues for a bit. Helps me re-charge and stay fully active. 6. Which attribute do you think has the least impact on the sim engine besides LD? Not sure about least, but I am genuinely curious how much checking actually has an impact on the game itself and winning. I've always enjoyed creating bashy players, but I fully understand why some members are staying fully away from it for penalty purposes.

2000+ words, claiming in VHL and SBA for the weeks ending: 2/23 3/2 3/9 3/16

CIA’s Long, Probably Wrong S98 Mock Draft Yes, I know it’s been a long wait. But finally, we’re part of the season that everybody truly enjoys: Arguing about the wild card round and if fourth seeds have an unfair advantage! Oh, and the draft. That too. Indeed, the draft is one of my favorite times of the season because it’s a fount of positivity. Every player is going to be the savior of the franchise (until they go inactive half a season later), and every team has a grand plan for the future that will surely turn out well (until they have to enter another rebuild because a player asks out). It’s the season that rewards backseat driving that is completely devoid of facts, which is awesome for me because that’s what I’m based on. Taken as a whole, this draft should be interesting to me for a few reasons. One is obviously the glut of blues and simmers at the top, because those auto-12s are nice to have. But perhaps even more than that, I’m really interested in the position disparity. Perhaps owed to an emerging mid-TPE goalie meta, we have exactly 1 (one) goalie currently with a first round grade. But lost in the shuffle is that we also have fewer active defensive players than normal, with only three above 150 TPE as of this writing. The result is a lot of forwards early and often, which isn’t a bad thing. But the issue comes with multiple teams - Warsaw, Prague, Helsinki, New York, D.C. - holding multiple first round picks. The natural inclination is to diversify and not just take multiple forwards. With the positional breakdown, though, I’m not sure they’ll get the chance without reaching. So with all of that said, here’s my attempt at a mock draft that I’m sure some trade will blow to smithereens in two days anyway. The TPE totals here are accurate as of Sunday afternoon. And as always, if you don’t like where I’ve placed you in the draft, it’s because I have personally singled you out as a bad person who will be a locker room cancer. You’ve been warned. 1. Prague Phantoms (from Los Angeles): RW Cardinal Copia, San Diego Marlins - 301 TPE @Beketov At a glance, I can see how this would be considered a slam dunk pick. It’s Beketov - if he’s going inactive, the VHL probably has some bigger problems than this pick. And from the Prague standpoint, there is only one forward currently on the roster (Luc Moreau, graduating from Miami) who’s still in the first half of their career. If you want to build your forward corps to go along with your star-studded defense, this is a good way to go. But with that said: Remember what I said about there only being one fully active goalie? Ondrej Vencko has been hit or miss during their time in Prague, and a S93 player doesn’t fit with the current Prague timeline besides. I wouldn’t be at all shocked to see Toby Bob here, then Prague go with a forward at pick 7. 2. Warsaw Predators: G Toby Bob, Saskatoon Wild - 314 TPE @Baby Boomer Easiest pick in the draft in my opinion - Warsaw’s taking whoever’s left of Bob and Copia. If I had to bet, the only player currently on Warsaw’s roster that might still be there in three seasons’ time is Slava Kovalenko. The cupboard is bare, and they have four first round picks this season to help fill it. That’s why, even if they somehow had their choice of Bob and Copia, I think Bob would be the pick anyway. Get the goalie that can be the centerpiece of the rebuild, start to fill out the roster around them with the rest of your firsts, and take it from there with presumably another season at or near the bottom of the league. 3. London United: D Peter Venkman, Mississauga Hounds - 284 TPE @Josh You may not know it from last year’s standings, but I think London is sneakily close to making a big step forward. Last season’s first round duo of Cash Carti and Pelayo Bolivar are set to debut this season, adding to sophomore players D Alagsantere Groenvold, G Chazz Michael Michaels, and RW Drosmis Sarkanis to form the backbone of a real up and coming team. I think they’ve drafted real well. I could see an argument for any of Venkman, Ginky or Augustin Martinez here, but I’m going Venkman for two reasons. First is the fact that of their young players, Groenvold is the only defensive player, and you can set Venkman and not have to super worry about the spine of the defense for a while. Second, while London’s young players are growing nicely, it’s also a group without many league jobs or auto 12s. Having Josh on board provides a semblance of stability that is nice to have as a rebuilding team. 4. Helsinki Titans: C Ginky, Ottawa Lynx - 273 TPE @MexicanCow123 I’m so intrigued by Helsinki’s prospect list. There are a lot of players somewhere between 300-400 TPA, and a few of those - LW Elf Shoes, D Alex LeBlanc, G Draw Mac - are set to debut next season. Added particularly to last season’s third overall pick in D Hugh Neutron (who’s going for a nine season career), does that mean Helsinki’s ready to make a push? I could see it. With that in mind, similarly to what I said for London, certainty is what they’re looking for. Out of all of those prospects, only S95 clicker Danny Ross actually plays center. Getting Ginky on the roster would allow a base to put all of those forwards around, particularly with the cavalry coming in the form of multiple firsts and seconds both this season and next. 5. D.C. Dragons: RW Augustin Martinez, Mexico City Kings - 274 TPE @SleepyPlayz Going into the draft, I think Martinez is the single player I’m most interested to see where they fall in the draft. Different position, but just in terms of rise up draft boards for a first gen and hitting the ground running in collecting TPE, I see a lot of parallels to Lucy Leitner’s rise in the S93 Draft. That saw Leitner end up with the third overall pick in Riga, a pick the Reign would absolutely make again in a heartbeat. Similarly, I wouldn’t be totally shocked if even a London falls in love with Martinez’s potential and they go top 3. On the flip side, I’m also in the SBA where Martinez’s agency is very active, and they admittedly know a lot less about hockey than they do basketball. Could that cause a slide, similar to other SBA agencies who start out hot but the VHL is not their first love? Especially with more known quantities (particularly Zak Trokker) still on the board? For D.C., who would love high-level forward talent to pair with Brandon Petan Jr and Youre Not Fucking Retiring, it’s worth the risk. 6. New York Americans (from Chicago): D Tina Hughes, Miami Marauders - 237 TPE @tinafrombobsburgers This is where I get cute. The next two players on the board by raw TPE are two wingers in Zak Trokker and Alex Bridges IV. However, New York owns picks 6 and 8. Pick 7 is owned by Prague, and in this scenario, they’ve already selected a forward in Copia and may want to diversify even with a strong defensive corps. And New York is staring down S91 Callum Gary Yannick Janser being their only defensive player above 500 TPE. So unless they really love Trokker or Bridges, I see them opting for the positional fit above all else. Hughes’ agency did retire their last player early, but their ability to earn TPE has never been in doubt. With a seasoned GM like STZ at the helm, I think it’s a solid gamble to encourage them to stick around New York for shoot for a reload instead of a rebuild. 7. Prague Phantoms: LW Zak Trokker, San Diego Marlins - 254 TPE @Peace I’m curious what the general consensus is going to be around Trokker when the draft rolls around. It’s an agency that has created Hall of Fame players in the past, knows the VHL, and has a high upside when engaged. But that engagement wasn’t fully there during Kyle Peace’s career, and now nearly ten seasons after Peace retired, Trokker’s been collecting a lot of welfare-plus. I could see an argument where Trokker falls further than some neutral observers might expect. But all things being equal, I think Prague would be a good place for Trokker to land. There’s something to be said about having a consistent welfare-plus player, and especially after snagging Copia, Prague is looking for forward depth, not necessarily a star. This seems like a right fit of player and system to me. 8. New York Americans: RW Alex Bridges IV, Houston Bulls - 251 TPE @Oatex In some ways, Bridges IV is the anti-Trotter. The Oatex agency has had some fits and starts in the past, and while Bridges I and III have been the agency’s most successful players, both topped out in the 500-ish TPE range. But with that said, very casual observation has Bridges the Fourth more engaged than any of their progenitors, with constant activity, writing in various forms, and being able to fit in to a fairly strong Houston team. Especially for a New York squad that is looking for talent that’s ready sooner rather than later, I think this is would be a good landing spot. Dark horse: New York has been known to take big draft swings (see: Wayne Gretzky), and I’ll be very curious if first gen Ryan Mantzz can impress enough in pre-draft interviews to rise up to here. 9. HC Davos Dynamo: C Sidney Sheppard, Miami Marauders - 222 TPE @GoodLeftUndone I also see Davos as a potential landing spot for Mantzz if the team wants to take a swing. But if you look at Davos’ recent non-Ahma draft history, it tends to be a bit more conservative than you might think. There are a lot of players like David Pastanap and Alphonse Desjardins who not only have history with the franchise, but can be counted on as consistent earners, even if they’re not the high ceiling type of earners to be pushing 2000 TPE. That’s Sheppard to a T. You’re probably not prying GLU’s full attention away from the SBA any time soon, but at the same time, I don’t see the SBA auto-12s disappearing either as long as you can keep them engaged similar to Prague’s success with Moritz Stauffer. For a forward group that’s aging quicker than you might think (S91 Sunset Moth + three S93 forwards), a little youth could go a long way. 10. Warsaw Predators (from Calgary): RW Ryan Mantzz, Miami Marauders - 199 TPE @Rkhockey9 As I’ve noted a few times, I wouldn’t be totally shocked to see Mantzz go even as high as number 6 or 7 if a team likes what they find in interviews. But especially given the way the draft board shakes out, Warsaw’s two picks at 10 and 11 are Mantzz’s absolute floor. I think it’d be a good landing spot for Mantzz as well - on a rebuilding team, Mantzz would have some time to learn the ropes and play without pressure. And on the Warsaw side, a high-upside first gen is exactly the type of swing you want to make in hopes you get a future star. Good match for both sides here. 11. Warsaw Predators (from Vancouver): D Bazooka Joe, Philadelphia Reapers - 195 TPE @ScottyP Maybe it’s gotten a bit lost, but Rip Wheeler, the ScottyP agency’s only previous player, had a damn fine career. Ended up above 1000 TPE, won titles in both the VHL (S96 Vancouver) and VHLE, and topped 70 points in four straight seasons as a defensive player. So why did they fall to number 11 here? It’s partially a function of being a welfare-plus player, but also partially a function of some teams ahead (Prague, Davos) needing forwards much more than defense. Warsaw certainly won’t argue though, with this mock giving them one each of forward, defense and goalie to really kick start the rebuild. 12. D.C. Dragons (from Malmo): LW Jakub Kovar, Philadelphia Reapers - 155 TPE @MichkovSzn If you want a potential late riser that not many see coming yet, check out the Philadelphia Reapers’ Jakub Kovar. They started their career with some clicking, but the past month has shown very strong growth, separating themselves from a number of other first gens in the 100-ish TPE cluster. I think D.C.’s 12th and 13th picks may be the ceiling for how high Kovar might go in this draft, but for a D.C. team biding their time until the bottom falls out on the current North American contenders, they can afford the wait to take a swing. If the draft were to fall this way, Martinez and Kovar as a pair of first gen wingers could be a dangerous duo for D.C. to add. 13. D.C. Dragons (from Toronto): LW Lorenzo Mancini, Las Vegas Aces - 157 TPE @GioSivo Similar vibes to what I said about Bazooka Joe - GioSivo’s first player in Francesco Mancini had a damn good career! Topped 1100 TPE playing for New York and Chicago, had two seasons above 100 points, and even won a Most Improved Trophy in S91 while playing for the Americans. So why would Mancini fall to pick 13? It’s largely due to the late creation, where Mancini’s only had four weeks to earn, and one of those weeks was a miss for both PTs and Welfare. But there’s certainly upside here. And even if I’m skeptical that D.C. would want to go forward with all three of their firsts, sometimes you go where the value is. 14. Moscow Menace: LW MacGregor Walcott, Mississauga Hounds - 168 TPE @Spade18 This is where I say that you young bucks don’t know - a former Americans GM, Spade has had some real VHL success and won awards and championships. It’s just that most of those occurred in the 60s. Still, Tullemore Dew was somewhat of a return to form, where despite being a late second round pick, they put up a solid eight season career and topped 70 points on three separate occasions. Moscow tends to swing for high ceiling players, and while I’m not banking on it, you can talk yourself into a similar profile to Moscow’s own David Rashford - a previous high-earning player who returns to form on a winning Moscow team. 15. Helsinki Titans (from Riga): D Remain Six Meters Back From Me, Mississauga Hounds - 149 TPE @Gaming Ringleader I’m writing this before Games 3 and 4 of the Finals have been simmed, so if it looks like Riga’s going to win, yell at me later. That said: I don’t think there’s a better marriage of location and player than sending a player literally named Remain Six Meters Back From Me to Scandinavia. In all seriousness, Legacy Gaming had a solid career with six of their seven seasons in Chicago, and while there are a few recent earning stumbles, I wouldn’t be surprised with both similar earning and consistency here. Helsinki gets another defenseman for their absurd prospect pool. 16. Warsaw Predators (from Seattle): D Darko Alexander Malkovich SR, Halifax 21st - 132 TPE @AColdCanadian Warsaw has made out like bandits so far in this mock with one each of forward, defense and goalie, so they could really go any direction with their last first. And to me, best player available is Malkovich Sr. But to be honest, I have some questions: The agency’s last player was Darko Alexander Malkovich, period. So were they junior? Or is “SR” just part of the name and doesn’t actually mean Senior? So many questions, so little time.

Yeah, you might have wanted to do some pre-portal sluthing on this one. @Corco has the full list: TebowGow is my favorite for sentimental S44 Calgary reasons, but also an S-tier name.

1. Our season may be over but I am extremely proud of our squad. Any final thoughts on our performance throughout the entirety of S97? I would have wanted more, but I felt we acquitted ourselves well. Took a very strong Moscow team to the brink, and I think we'll be back next year. 2. Who do you predict will win the Continental Cup now that another round is over? If Moscow can beat us, then surely they can beat anybody! But seriously, I think they have to be the favorites now that Malmo and Vancouver got knocked out. 3. Were there any eliminations so far that surprised you this playoffs? I really thought Malmo was going to be able to overcome the Victory Cup curse given their experience and that strong defense. But Riga's a very strong team as well, and props to them for getting it done. 4. Is there anything about the VHL that you would like to change if you could? Honestly, any changes would just be at the margins, stuff like adjusting update scales or recruitment ideas. You don't have a league that's lasted this long if the fundamentals weren't sound. 6. Do you prefer the summer or winter Olympics? It's got to be summer for me. While I appreciate the hockey and it's fun to see some of the niche sports like luge/bobsled, the amount happening during the summer Olympics makes it such a big event. 7. Yesterday’s Super Bowl was probably one of the most snooze-worthy I’ve seen in a while. Did you watch the game? My extended family's originally from the Philly area, so even though I'm not an Eagles fan, I'm happy for all them. Philly fans often get a bad rap - they're passionate, but I don't think that's a bad thing.