CowboyinAmerica

550 TPE before playing a game? Believe it Helsinki, Finland -- Fairly often, there are rookies that come in with high TPE totals. In the S80 Draft, there were a few - in particular, forwards Matty Ice and Vinny Detroit, and goalie Xavier Booberry topped the TPE charts at the time of the draft. But while Ice and Detroit went and played for their respective VHL squads, as top picks had done for 80 seasons before then, Booberry took a different path: playing a season in the VHLE and winning a title with the Vasteras Iron Eagles. The result is that Booberry had another (sanctioned) way to gain TPE before ever seeing the VHL ice time. And given the constant rate of TPE earning over the past season, Booberry is about to top 550 TPE before his first VHL game. Thanks to the VHLE, that is, Booberry might be the highest-TPE VHL rookie ever, since previous top rookies had been forced to jump to the league after completing the VHLM in their draft year. "I'm well-seasoned, that's for sure," Booberry joked with reporters. "Been left in the oven a tiny bit longer than other VHL rookies, but that just means I'll taste better, right?" Indeed, even with that TPE, Booberry's Rookie of the Year candidacy is no sure bet. He'll be joined by a whole host of VHLE graduates who also had another year of growth before making the leap, including former Vasteras teammate and S80 draft classmate Saku Kotkakoivu, not far behind in TPE himself. But either way, the likely very temporary VHL record is something Booberry's having fun with. "It's a bit weird, having so much practice time before actually playing in the VHL. But I've enjoyed my journey thus far, and excited to continue it here!"

1) Well, everyone's favorite AGM is sick. Would you rather be bedridden for a day and then be fine, or be kinda sick for a full week? As someone who literally came up COVID-positive last week, being sick for the whole week isn't great. Just get it overwith by me. 2) What is your go-to comfort food and/or activity while you are sick? I did a whole lot of mindless video games, especially sports video games. Something where I don't really have to concentrate on anything is great. 3) What is your least favorite symptom to have while sick? I didn't have it last week, but nausea sucks. Just feeling unsettled constantly like that is the worst. 4) Are you a board game person? What's your favorite? Love board games, have a bunch of them. We've been on a Ticket to Ride kick with friends recently, including other maps like the Europe one. 5) Looking forward to the draft, Helsinki is looking pretty stacked at picks. What do you think the priorities should be? Glad that we have them! Offense has to be the priority, especially at the top of the draft. We've built from the back out, but need more people to put the puck in the net. 6) Now that there is another league (VHLE), do you think the VHL draft has more or less meaning? Don't think it's changed much, honestly. If anything, I hope that it ultimately helps by keeping people in that middle zone more active for when they eventually hit the VHL.

20829291364074255 5 Uncapped TPE Doubles Week $1 Million For Season 81

Review: 10/10 It's exciting to see you back on the ice, even as an opposing goaltender in the WJC. That European team is indeed stacked, and I'd call you guys the favorites going in. The article itself flowed well from beginning to end, and I didn't notice any grammar issues on my end. The presentation was excellent with the headline, bios and photos (though one of the photos does show up as a broken link to me). I could nitpick here for improvements, but if I'm being honest there isn't really anything else to improve. Great stuff all around, and best of luck in the tourney!

Review: 10/10 An excellent send off for an excellent player. The presentation obviously is excellent here, not only with the final graphic and the video, but the ways the stats are nicely colored and arranged up top. The blurb itself was heartfelt as well, and read cleanly on my end. My only nitpick of it is that I wanted even more, but that's just a testament to the quality overall. Great stuff here, and indeed Lamb will be missed among Warsaw players and fans.

Helsinki following up last year's draft with picks 1, 2, 8, 18 and 19. Not bad, not bad at all.

Iron Eagles Return the Renaissance Cup to Sweden Vasteras, Sweden -- For the uninitiated, Vasteras, Sweden, is far from the largest city represented in the VHLE. With a metro area just north of 150,000 people, organizers were certainly expecting fans for the team's return and subsequent victory parade after winning the VHLE's Renaissance Cup, but not necessarily a massive undertaking. What they got, however, was one of the biggest parties Vasteras has ever seen. An estimated crowd of 250,000 flooded the streets of Vasteras for the victory parade, with fans coming from as far as Rome and the Americas to take part in what was a long-awaited celebration for Iron Eagles fans. There was a sizeable contingent from Helsinki, where goaltender Xavier Booberry already has a burgeoning fanbase, as well as from Norway who will be receiving its own team in Oslo soon. But most importantly, there were the Vasteras natives - a lot of them. Some older members of the crowd remembered the team's much-lauded S26 VHL title, but even they said this parade may have approached that hype, or perhaps even exceeded it. "That VHL title was cool because it was a long time coming. But there's something different about having your team taken away, then returned," said local fan Lars Samuelsson, watching the procession from the sidewalk. "Our team is back, and they're champs!" The parade itself was an orderly affair for as many people attended, with the procession moving through without a hitch, followed by a massive rally downtown. For Booberry, even though he'll only be spending one season in Vasteras, it was a sight he won't forget. "The fans here are passionate, among the most passionate I've seen," he explained. "The 'us against the world' stuff resonates with me so well. And I couldn't be happier to give them the title they deserve."

1) Who do you think is the best hockey player in the world? Right now? Well I just watched Connor McDavid go through like 15 players and score a goal the other day, that's a nice start. 2) Will anyone ever be better than Gretzky? Not by raw stats, because it'll be tough to get that sort of separation. But the skill level as a whole only continues to rise, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a player as fundamentally talented. 3) What is the worst thing a teammate can do? Probably murder another teammate. I mean, that's generally my answer for a lot of "worst" things, I think it's tough to top. 4) How do you feel about the future of the VHL? I think it's as strong right now as it's been in a long while, which is a great testament to VHL leadership and what they've put together here. 5) Guess how many players you will have when your time in the VHL is over? 6, maybe? I'm on number 5 right now, and I think it'd be fun to have a player around for Season 100. But that'll probably be it for me. 6) What is your favorite number? Always been partial to 8 - I was a big Dale Jr. fan growing up, and it was also my best friend's number when he was racing as well.

Whoops, think I saw "LV" in the rankings and my mind went to Vegas. My bad.

2000+ words, because who wants to do a PT over Thanksgiving? Claiming for the weeks ending: 11/14 11/21 11/28 12/5

CIA's S81 VHL Mock Draft Mock drafts are fun, but we haven’t seen any yet for the VHL’s Season 81 Draft. I’m assuming that VSN will come up with a well-researched draft here shortly, but where are the ones that are solely decided by gut, that just feel like the author doesn’t know what he’s talking about, that are written even before the lottery is actually decided? Reader, I’m here to give you one of those poor mock drafts. There’s a good chance that none of this is right come draft day, but that’s half the fun, right? Here’s one person’s take on the first round as it stands, based solely off team needs, the VHCS pre-draft rankings, and good old fashioned speculation. Did I miss something? Probably! But if you disagree, feel free to sound off in the comments. Or better yet, write your own mock draft, because the more of these, the better by me. 1. Helsinki Titans (from Toronto): LW Nico Pearce, Minnesota Storm, @Spartan Last draft, the Titans began their rebuild in earnest by building from the back: goaltender Xavier Booberry went first overall, then the team went defensemen with their next three picks in Alessandro Nano, Flynn Remy and Dookie Headtop. That means that there’s a heavy need for young first round forward talent. Seems like a good time to have two of the first three picks, with three forwards atop the draft board, huh? Pearce is outpacing Mulds and Colors as it stands, and while I’m sure his agency would like to usher him to Moscow, it’d be tough for the Menace to trade up high enough without selling a key piece of this year’s finals team. Slotting in alongside Ori on a burgeoning team’s front line of the future is a good consolation. 2. Helsinki Titans: C Harkat Mulds, Yukon Rush, @hylands Assuming that the Titans are indeed going double forwards with these two high firsts, they have an interesting conundrum. Another scoring winger like Zaza Colors would seemingly be a cleaner fit alongside a passing-oriented center like Ori, presenting a formidable one-two scoring punch with Pearce in the future. But with zero inside knowledge, I think Harkat Mulds could be the selection here for two reasons. First, Gustislav Nasherov figures to be in the Titans’ long-term plans as well and could be tough to displace on the first line winger spot, making the centerpiece of the second line a strong pick. And second, taking a second GM-affiliated player could be risky, especially since Colors has much more of an argument to force himself to London’s similarly high pick. 3. Seattle Bears: RW Maximus Decimus Meridius, Yukon Rush, @Beaviss This is where I could see things getting interesting. The pick by raw TPE here is Colors. But at least pre-lottery, London is sitting there with the fourth overall pick. If there’s a GM that could bluff a Colors selection and force London to trade up, I think Seattle’s Bana could be. I also see a scenario where that’s not a bluff. But I’m going to guess another player ends up on Seattle either way. Hulk Hogan 2 makes a lot of sense given Hulk Hogan 1’s Seattle history, but maybe less with Erlantz Jokinen and Sven Eightnine waiting in the wings. Seattle needs young forward talent, and knows Meridius’s management well from their time GMing competing teams. Assuming Meridius stays active, him being the most productive player in this draft wouldn't be a shock. 4. London United: RW Zaza Colors, Yukon Rush, @McWolf I don’t think any team is going to be sweating the draft lottery more than London. If the United moves up even one spot, then the team would stand a good shot at bringing their GM’s player to London. But if things stay static – or God forbid, a move down – then that gets thrown into jeopardy. I have Seattle playing nice here, and if Colors is on the board, it’s a no brainer. If Colors is off the board, though, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a defensive player like Hulk Hogan 2 here, given that London picked wingers in Godlander and Ablar early in last year’s draft. 5. New York Americans: D Hulk Hogan 2, Yukon Rush, @Hogan The New York Americans have had enough bad sim and user luck recently that it’s giving me Lance Flowers PTSD. And the result is that it’s put the Americans in a tough spot: They probably could go for it another season, maybe two if they wanted. But are they really going to pass the Vancouvers and Calgarys of the world, and when’s the right time to start the rebuild? Regardless, New York needs young talent across the board, and Hogan provides a high-upside defenseman that can both be a centerpiece in a rebuild as well as provide some immediate benefit in place of Kramerev or Cloudera if the Americans continue to try and stretch out their competitive window. 6. Riga Reign: C Sirdsvaldis Miglaskems, Las Vegas Aces, @FrostBeard The Reign may have underachieved their goals this year, but they’ve got a sneaky nice reload going, following up defenseman Hari Singh Nalwa with three firsts in this draft. Offense has to be the name of the game here, with only Anze Miklavz and Donny Carter the only forwards active and younger than S75. Nezuko would certainly make sense here, but I’m going out of TPE order and saying Miglaskems is the pick. A playmaking-oriented center is increasingly a rarity in the VHL, Riga knows his management from past GM dealings, and of course, you have to send the Latvian player to Riga, right? 7. Toronto Legion (from Davos): D Wattson Power, Mexico City Kings, @Tape-to-Tape The Legion would sure like to have their own first back this season, but they’ll make due with two firsts from Davos and Malmo. With the first of those, Nezuko is still sitting on the board, and he wouldn’t surprise me here. But man, the Legion need some defense. They only have one active defenseman on their roster in Rusty Knale, and just Sting Chameleon in their prospect pool after the retirements of both Tony Adams and Link Zhang. Both Wattson Power and Biggie Cheese are offensive-oriented defensemen that would make sense here; I’ll say it’s Power on a pure hunch. 8. Helsinki Titans (from Calgary): LW Nezuko, Minnesota Storm, @tfong Especially if the Titans go forward with their first two picks, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go defenseman here for diversity, putting someone like Biggie Cheese or Cadmael Ixazaluoh into play. But if Nezuko slips to pick eight, I have to think they’d be running up to the podium. Nezuko would reunite with Minnesota teammate Pearce in this scenario, and give the Titans another long-term super scoring forward to pair with Ori. Worry about the fit later and take the talent while it’s available. Plus, it's in the rules that he has to go to a European team somewhere, right? 9. Riga Reign (from Prague): D Biggie Cheese, Houston Bulls, @a_Ferk If the Reign go forward with their first pick, it opens up the options across the board for first rounders two and three. I certainly think they’d look at Daniel Janser here, but since there will be more forwards available with the D.C. first, going defense here would seem to be the stronger move. The Reign already have a young, offensively-oriented defenseman in Hari Singh Nalwa, but Biggie Cheese would allow them to double down with a blue line that can really snipe. 112 points with 78 assists in Houston this past season shows that he’s no slouch getting teammates in on the action either. 10. Warsaw Predators: D Cadmael Ixazaluoh, Philadelphia Reapers, @Vice (I gave Warsaw the tiebreaker with L.A. on goal differential, no idea what it actually is.) Warsaw has two late firsts, and I think they could be seeing the draft board very similarly to Riga before them: more likely to have the forward they want than the defenseman they want with the second pick. Pair that with defense being their top priority with S80 forwards Zach Kisslinger II and Brendan Marner waiting in the wings, and grabbing a player like Ixazaluoh makes a lot of sense. A passing and defense-oriented blue liner provides space for pure scorers like Trunov and Kisslinger to complement one another on the first line of Warsaw’s future. 11. Los Angeles Stars: LW Daniel Janser, Philadelphia Reapers, @Daniel Janser Rory enters the Stars GM role in an interesting conundrum – it’s a team built to win right now, but wasn’t able to top a younger team in Vancouver last season. I wouldn’t be shocked to see this pick moved for more veteran help, but if they keep it, grabbing the best offensive talent to pair with AJ Williams and Florida Man in the future seems like a good way to go. By raw TPE, this is a slide for Janser, a good indication of how much he’s been able to show out as a first gen with consistent earning since joining in August. Janser could easily go higher than this, and I think his ultimate floor is 11 or 12. 12. Seattle Bears (from Chicago): RW Alexandre Leduc, Yukon Rush, @Alexandre Another first generation player who’s been rising up draft boards since August, Leduc showed what he can do offensively this season with 90 points, and another 24 in the playoffs, on a crowded Yukon team. In Seattle he’d be going to one of the best situations for a young player to learn the ropes, and Seattle would get another offensively-oriented winger to balance all of the mashing that’s happening on Vinny Detroit’s side of the ice. It may be a season or two before Leduc’s up to the VHL, but that timeline’s perfect as Seattle will be looking to replace an aging Stormsson or Foley. 13. Riga Reign (from D.C.): RW Yun Chiang, Miami Marauders, @FireballSalad If the Reign wanted their choice of forwards with their pick, they’ll get it: There’s a group of three forwards with similar scoring-oriented builds in Sergey Preobrazhensky, Robert Wilk and Yun Chiang to choose from, along with more passing-oriented winger Mason Jones. I’ll say it’s Chiang that’s the pick, partially through process of elimination: the earlier pick of a center eliminates Preobrazhensky, Miglaskems being passing-oriented eliminates Jones, and Wilk has his eye on Warsaw. Chiang would provide a nice scoring counterpart to Miglaskems on the first line of Riga’s future, and he showed he can light up the goal with 60 goals (in 68 games!) in Miami. 14. Toronto Legion (from Malmo): D George Sanderson, Philadelphia Reapers, @SpicyGecko Do the Legion want to rebuild their defensive core strongly enough to slightly reach for one in terms of TPE? I say yes – but it might not even be a reach given the way Sanderson has been earning since joining in late September. More of a throwback defensive bruiser, Sanderson provides a different dimension on the blue line than earlier mocked pick Wattson Power or passing-oriented Sting Chameleon. There might even be some pressure to rush Sanderson up to the Legion early given the lack of depth on the main roster, but letting him develop in the VHLE for a season or two could yield an excellent first line defensemen in the future. 15. Moscow Menace: C Sergey Preobrazhensky, San Diego Marlins, @Bulduray_1 The Menace may not be getting Nico Pearce in this scenario, but they’re picking up a productive scorer nonetheless in Preobrazhensky. An early season pick up for the Marlins, Preobrazhensky totaled 89 points in 64 games, and more relevant to the draft, did so with constant updating ever since joining in late September. It might be two seasons in the VHLE before he’s up for Moscow, but I think Spartan’s OK with that, given that a cap crunch is rapidly approaching as their S77 and S78 stars approach their TPA apex. And when he hits, it could be an easy slot to replace a retiring or regressing Glass or Stein. 16. Warsaw Predators (from Vancouver): RW Robert Wilk, San Diego Marlins, @Tomat0 Part of me thinks I’m being too nice with these selections, giving Colors to London, Miglaskems to his native Latvia, and now Wilk to his native Poland. But what can I say, I like to see people happy. Especially if Warsaw goes defense with their first selection this draft, an offensive dynamo is what they’ll be looking for with this pick. Who’s better than the guy who lit up the scoreboard with 133 points in 72 games in San Diego? Wilk’s management may not have as much of a VHL pedigree, but its work in affiliated leagues gives it an advantage here as well. Also on the Cusp: LW Mason Jones, LW William Groves, D Cameron Elsby, G Tadhg Byrne, G Juha Jarvinen

I'm in and can manage

I argued for Vasteras to exist for so long. This is really cool.

Review: 10/10 I know the VHLE season probably hasn't been what you've expected, but it's been a lot of fun having you on the team either way. And here's to hoping we all get sent off with a title! The article itself was very well-written, as to be expected with your writing. A quick and easy read, and I didn't notice anything off grammar-wise on a first runthrough. The presentation with the photos, headline and dateline is solid, plus I always love the bio at the end. Excellent stuff here, and best of luck in Toronto next season!

Review: 9/10 Thought it was a fun one, or at least more fun than Marner's had recently. Always like the storylines that tie into what we see on the ice, and could definitely see you continuing this one into future seasons. Here's to hoping you avoid punishment! The article itself read well, and easily flowed from beginning to end. A few grammar errors in there like "Its is" and some weird quotation mark stuff, which is the reason for the small knock. But it wasn't too distracting, all in all a great article.

LET'S GOOOOOO

The Finals Await Vasteras, Sweden -- Entering the playoffs, most observers didn't have high hopes for the Vasteras Iron Eagles. The team was backing into the playoffs, losing four of their last five and finishing just one point ahead of the Cologne Express for the final playoff spot. Their opposition in the Stockholm Vikings, meanwhile, had run away from the VHLE field in the final weeks to earn the one seed. Inside the locker room, though, there was always a belief that the Iron Eagles could move on. And tonight, they did exactly that, winning 4-3 against the Vikings to advance to the finals. While the Iron Eagles did win some blowouts in this series, one by 8-0 and another by 6-0, this one was a nailbiter that required three Vasteras goals in the third period. That, says goalie Xavier Booberry, shows the team's resilience. "It's clear this was a team effort. Without everybody playing their part, there's no way we win one, let alone this crazy comeback," Booberry said. "With that at our back, we really feel like this team can do anything." It won't be easy though, with a second-seeded Rome Gladiators team that swept the first round in their way. For his part, Booberry's looking forward to facing off against Rome's Tobias Reinhart, the likely VHLE Goalie of the Year. "He got me in the regular season, but anything can happen in the playoffs," Booberry said. "It's time to show everybody what we're made of."

1. Which teammate controls the pre and post game playlist? What kind of music do they play? Saku Kotkakoivu just kind of took it and started playing Scandinavian death metal. We're all a little afraid of him so we just let it happen. 2. If your player was magically transported into a non-sports video game, which game would they be best in? I think I'd be the best Pokemon Master. Having cute little friends that I manage and go on a journey? Sounds right up my alley. 3. Who is your teammate of the season? What did they do to earn it? Oskar Lindbergh and I have a good goalie room going. He's been a big boon for me in games that I've started, and I hope I'm the same for him in games that he starts. Questions: What would be your player's Halloween costume? What's the least favorite stadium your player's ever played in? Anybody you're rooting for this VHL/VHLE/VHLM playoffs outside of your own team?

This makes me very, very happy

Just tackling this one, it's a good idea to pay for logos for a couple reasons: 1. You can be assured it's the property of the league, rather than the property of the creator, if it's commissioned by the league. It might be doubtful that a logo creator (or a real team, if you're using a real logo) would want to go after someone for copyright issues given the scale of these leagues. But the possibility exists, and if you have the ability to nip that in the bud, it's better to do so. 2. Paying people for specialized work is generally a good idea, no matter the discipline. Legit graphic designers can make bank on the open market. Even if they would do it for free for the love of the league, I think it's ethical to provide somebody with providing that sort of long-lasting impact on your league something to make it worth their time. (I've actually argued for compensating simmers for time spent too, but that's a whole different rabbit hole.) 3. It may have zero effect for you, but you're not the target audience there. If somebody's coming in from Reddit or somewhere else wholly unfamiliar with sim leagues, a good logo makes it seem like a higher-class operation. Even as someone who's been in sim leagues a long time, it's not a make-or-break proposition, but I've definitely pre-judged a new league based on how snazzy their presentation looked.

Melted by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, a tragedy. Took 2000 years + 80 seasons to build it back nice enough for a team.

Totally blanked the first round with work sucking. Can I still PM champion before we move on?

Review: 10/10 Agree with the above, really do like the idea behind this series. You clearly did your research into VHL history, and I can't really argue with the list as you've put it together. The presentation here was extremely smooth, both in the stat boxes as you've put them together as well as they way you've formatted the player names and team logos. If I tried to nitpick it might be comparing the players to one another a bit more (aka why Digital's more impressive than Malenko), but honestly that's me scraping the bottom of the barrel for something to say. Excellently done, really enjoyed the walk through the past.

Review: 9/10 Aw man, I hope Vasteras is more competitive than 5 games and out! Seriously though, enjoyed the predictions and your rationale behind them, and appreciate not just picking the #1 seed as the champion. The article was clear and to the point, and it read cleanly from beginning to end. I also appreciate the colors in the team names as well, thought it was a nice presentation touch to help the article stand out. A minor nitpick would just be another readthrough for errors before posting, some minor grammar stuff like a lower case "i" and "seaosn" in there. But all in all a solid piece (even if I hope your predictions are wrong).

Top 10 but in a group with first overall. About my luck recently.