Owen Taylor

VHL's Third League
 
Hello @Members!
 
For awhile now the @BOG have been teasing a more robust option to deal with the roster room issue we have been experiencing lately. Many of you have been assuming this means more expansion, despite us continuing to refute those claims. Well... the expansion claims and us saying they are wrong were both correct in a sense. Today the VHL is announcing that the VHL and VHLM will no longer be the only leagues contained within our Community, we are adding a third, the Victory Hockey League: Europe.
 
Be design the VHLE will fit between the VHLM and VHL so that players are not stuck at the VHLM level passed when they should be there, making the M as a true developmental league, but also not getting pushed to the VHL before they are ready for it. This will open up the rosters of the VHL teams as they will only contain the higher TPE players. Specifically the caps for the individual leagues will be:
 
VHLM: 30-199 TPE*
VHLE: 200-399 TPE*
VHL: 350+ TPE
 
*Of note these limits operate in the same way as the VHLM does now. So you can claim past the TPE limit but you cannot apply past it.
 
Obviously there's a bit of weirdness at the bottom there as the VHL starts at 350 while the VHLE doesn't end until 399. This is intentional to allow players above 350 TPE to enter the VHL if they so choose but they are not forced to do so until the 400 TPE mark. This does mean that some players can, or will be forced to, skip the VHLE completely; know that this is not necessarily a guaranteed step in your progression. If you are above 350 TPE by your VHL draft and want to skip the VHLE completely you may do so.
 
VHLE Leadership
 
Obviously the @Commissioner and @VHLM Commissioner  teams are already quite busy with the VHL and VHLM respectfully so running a whole third league will not fall on them, a new Commissioner team will be added to cover the VHLE. @Acydburn and @Victor have graciously offered to head up this new leadership group. This will of course involve Acyd giving up his current Green team role (which we will be hiring for) to head this new league into the future including hiring the GM's for the new roles, which leads me nicely into the next topic.
 
VHLE Teams and Mentality
 
In effect the VHLE is not a developmental league like the VHLM. Its purpose is not to recruit and retain members and it's GM's will not be bound to that mantra like the @VHLM GM's are. The job of an VHLE GM is to be competitive within their bracket. It will still have the fast turnarounds of the VHLM given it's small TPE window but teams may use their assets as they please to get the most out of their teams and win.
 
Notice I did say VHLE GM's. TheVHLE teams will not be controlled by @VHL GM's or VHLM GM's but rather be new GM opportunities in their own right. But for what teams? Well that's up to you all to decide.
 
Seeing that the league has many amazing old European teams that have been left to the sands of time, we will use those teams to make up the VHLE with the league voting on which 6 they want to see. This means that the Vasteras Iron Eagles, for example, could return; and / or the Cologne Express, Stockholm Vikings, and many others. We have the teams, we have the logos, and we see no reason to not use them so they will make up the pool of teams you all can decide on. The poll for this will be going up soon.
 
Layout wise with the league being only 6 teams at the moment will be simple: 1 conference with the 4 top teams making the playoffs per season. In addition the VHLE will not be affiliated in any way with the VHL or VHLM so it will be simulated as an entirely separate league, the same way the two are now. Think the KHL rather than the AHL.
 
Contract wise the league will be similar to the VHLM with more or less a "free for all" mentality. If a player has been drafted to the VHL they will receive their VHL contract but otherwise all players are signed to $1.5M contracts with no bonuses or salary cap to speak of. This could change in the future if we feel a cap and formal contract structure would improve the VHLE but we want to see if that's necessary first.
 
 Draft Structure, Career Length, and Depreciation
 
Adding a third league will obviously affect how drafts and career lengths operate within the VHL. With the VHLE placed where it is in a player's career, and the expectation that they will spend at least one season there, it would obviously create problems for the career clock if we didn't address it. For that reason player careers will be formally extended to 9 seasons, with draft seasons being set the same as they always have. This means you will be eligible for both the VHL and VHLE draft in the same season; potentially all three if you time it right. If, at the draft, you are at or above 350 TPE and would like to go straight to the VHL you still get the 9 season VHL career, adding a year onto the total you can have now. If you spend a season in the E league, as most will, you don't lose out on a VHL season and still retain the 8 that is currently available.
 
So, for example, let's take a player that creates at the S79 deadline. We follow the same rules as now so his VHL draft is S81. In his season and a bit in the VHLM this player earns 200 TPE. This player is drafted to both the VHLE and the VHL. He does not have the minimum TPE to play in the VHL so goes to the VHLE for S81, finishing with 350 TPE or the minimum to play in the VHL. At this point he can choose to either go up to the VHL and play 8 seasons from S82 or he may chose to stay down for a season and would enter the VHL in S83. In either case he retires at the end of S89, having played 7 or 8 seasons.
 
An alternative example is a super heavy earning player. Let's assume he creates at the same time and has the same draft date but has a bunch of carryover and gets a very large amount of TPE in the VHLM. He enters the drafts at 350 TPE, the minimum to play in the VHL. He may choose to skip the VHLE completely and go straight to the VHL in S81. He will then play for 9 seasons and retire at the same time in S89.
 
Nine seasons does add one caveat however; depreciation. As it stands right now depreciation only hits for 3 seasons, season 6-8 of your career. This holds two problems, one exists currently and one is new. The more obvious one is that having 9 seasons means we need to add a depreciation level. For this the same percentage (7%) from year 8 will be used but we will not be adding an additional depreciation fighter to the store that can be used for this season. That means only the Jagr purchase can help you fight 9th season depreciation, you must take the full 7% hit.
 
The second problem, which exists now, is that players can spend extra time in the minor leagues and be hit with depreciation in their "6th" season but that could be, in fact, their 4th VHL season. This does not seem fair to hit lower earners with so quickly, even being percentage based, so we are changing depreciation slightly. Depreciation seasons are now based on VHL seasons played, not seasons since your draft. That means a player who skips the VHLE and plays 9 VHL seasons will be depreciated 4 times. A player that plays 1 VHLE season will be depreciated 3 times, and so on. So if a player takes his time to get to the VHL and only plays 5 VHL seasons he will not face depreciation by the time he is forced into retirement.
 
Call-Ups, Send-Downs, and Graduation Bonus
 
As all VHLE players will be owned by VHL teams as well the issue of call-ups and send downs must be addressed. Like the cap situation this may change later but to start we will only be allowing call-ups and send-downs during the off-season and, obviously, only if the player in question meets the TPE bracket for the league they are being sent to.
 
This means that at no point mid-season can a player be plucked away from their VHLE team to join their VHL team, similarly no player will be pulled from the VHLM to join the VHLE. Whatever league you start the season in is the league you finish the season in.
 
In addition the graduation bonus will remain in place where it is, exiting the VHLM. With the VHLM remaining as a "training ground" of sorts it makes the most sense to reward players for graduating from there. The VHLM to the VHL or VHLE is what we are looking at as the "upwards" movement while the VHLE to VHL is more of a lateral move in your career.
 
 Introduction Timeframe
 
Obviously a change this large can't be implemented immediately and start next season. We would not want players who have already created but are undrafted to be left suddenly being told there's an extra league before the VHL that they were unaware of. There's also a matter of dealing with the players who currently sit on VHL rosters that are under 350 TPE and wouldn't be allowed under these rules.
 
Therefore, the VHLE first season will be S80 meaning players that retire at this deadline will be the VHLE's first draft class. Players currently on VHL rosters who are under 350 TPE at the start of S80 may remain on the roster if they so choose or they may be placed into the VHLE draft, remaining as prospects for the VHL teams that drafted them. Likewise any players currently drafted who are still in the VHLM will be given the option of going to the VHL or the VHLE at 200 TPE. Their career clock remains unchanged however; only players starting in the S80 draft will be given the 9 season career and new depreciation rules.
 

Hi, my name is Beketov, and if you have any questions, please try to direct them here:
 

What is up VHL, we are back with the first edition of Under 250 in a while. We'll be looking at all the happenings of our very own junior league. Make sure to check out some other featured VSN content.
 
Game 7 Stories S61 | BoG Update | VHLM Power Rankings #2 | Talents Behind the Trophies: Jake Wylde Trophy
 

 
Standings Overview
 

Western Conference Standings
 
As per normal, we have a very good idea of what the standings will look like come playoff time based on what they look like now. After a brief stint where they had a fight for 1st place with Houston at the beginning of the season, the Saskatoon Wild have taken over the West. It seems they have a perfectly built team based off of past champions and, well, their resounding success so far. They just came off a 5 game winning streak, and their dynamic trio of Duncan Montana, Griff Mackenzie, and David Tavau are all over the league leaderboards.. The Houston Bulls started off very strong, but their apparent lack of players in general eventually caught up with them as they trailed into second place. As is with their up and down success pattern, they are definitely suffering a ‘down’ season this epoch. The Las Vegas Aces, forever competitive, boast a decent squad that should crack the playoffs. They have a talented mix of both experienced returnees and fresh rookies. The San Diego Marlins completely rebuilt their team after a crazy S74, which saw them deal away a huge number of futures, and they are still feeling the repercussions. They also have a truckload of waiver signings. The Yukon Rush spent their picks and prospects in hopes of a championship the last few seasons, and now their pipeline runs dry. New management hopes to bring a plentiful S78 after stocking up at the recent draft. The Mexico City Kings are reeling from two consecutive Founders’ Cup finals where they sacrificed the vast majority of their future to achieve greatness. They have struggled mightily with a small pool of players, most of whom came from the minors not long ago. They also do not have a cupboard full of draft picks.


Eastern Conference Standings

 
The East, from a first glance, looks to be significantly stronger than the West in terms of points and wins. The Mississauga Hounds lead the way, with only 4 losses in the entire season and just coming off an insane 11 game winning streak. Their management, although youthful in the league, have proved to be quite adept. The Miami Marauders follow, with a picture perfect team and a new yet veteran general manager. They saved up assets for this season, and now is their time to contend. The Minnesota Storm once again exhibit a high amount of players and draft picks, setting them up for years of playoff time. Their uber-experienced management group has excelled after a few seasons of basement dwelling. The Halifax 21st possess a startling amount of players, alas mostly freshmen and not showing any capabilities of topping the rankings. The Ottawa Lynx, for what seems to have become a norm, own a measly 6 players and not a single defenceman. Finally, we have the Philadelphia Reapers, who have been weighed down by loss of assets by trading them away at past deadlines. They have, however, kept some key pieces and collected numerous draft selections so we should expect a better showing next season.
 
Feature Story
 
The Mississauga Hounds’ Revival


 
Since their inception into the VHLM in S66, the Mississauga Hounds have not won a single Founder’s Cup. Not even a Prime Minister’s Cup. However, in only brand new general manager Zetterberg’s second season at the helm of the Hounds, they are atop of the league, and a championship could be just on the horizon. In this feature story, I’ll be looking at how Zetterberg and his loyal assistant tcookie built the juggernaut that is the S77 Mississauga Hounds.
 
S76
 
The Hounds had a horrid S76, finishing last in the Eastern conference and 2nd last overall. They had spent a lot of valuable assets in pursuit of the S74 cup, and suffered from that lack of fresh blood for the next few seasons, as they floated listlessly in mediocrity. However, as we know from the cases of the Reapers and the Marauders before them, in the VHLM, success comes after mediocrity. They were able to sell off some players during the S76 season and gather loads of draft selections to set them up for this season’s run. Going into the draft, they had forwards Owen Taylor, Guy Lambert, Miks Sunish, and Miles Johnson as well as defenseman Kirby Pandora (who they traded for after losing in the S77 draft by Ottawa), Chris P Bacon, and Elvis Michael, and then goaltender Luke Spinelli. This was the main core that rode with them into the middle of the standings.
 
S77 Dispersal Draft
 
With a good portion of their core secured, Z and tcookie went to work drawing fresh blood at the draft. They made their presence known, taking Gustislav Nasherov, Hard Markinson, and Joe Madison at 3rd, 4th, and 5th overall. It was clear from the start that they had a defensive core to rival some VHL teams. In the second round, they nabbed Tynan Sylvester, JaredN Jr., and Innunguaq Kiak, and opposing squads watched as the Hounds grew stronger as every round passed. Skip to the fourth round and Jlloyoid Blloyoiderson, and then Brighton Grisby in the fifth joined the roster, which was full to the brim with talented players. They went quiet in the final two rounds, meme picking Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr. as he was already headed up to Calgary. 
 
S77
 
The season arrived. Anxious to see how their team would do, the Hounds management watched as they won eleven games straight to start the campaign. Before the draft, they had swapped Kman and a 6th rounder in exchange for Davey Jones Jr., and sent Ashton Hauff in a separate deal for Lorgo Pompronkimishkonov (whom they would later trade for Jonny Pacheco). The only deals they made at the draft were trading up for Markinson and swapping late round picks. After they recognized how much of a powerhouse they had built, Pacheco as well as Gaspar Zakrevsky from Yukon and Kirby Pandora from Ottawa were acquired. Grisby, Kiak, and picks went the other way. 
Although the leaderboards are dominated by mostly other teams, they depth-rich Hounds don’t need to play the same players 30 minutes a game, so they have a reason for being concealed. However, their scoring is spread out nicely. Guy Lambert leads the way with 74 points, and Nasherov and Michael are both defenders over a point per game. They have seven players with over 50 points, which is incredible. By contrast, Ottawa has zero and Halifax has only one. 
As the season went on, Joakim Lund, a VHLM journeyman, signed as a free agent in Halifax, and backup goalie Tobias Reinhart was added to the team as a waiver signing. 

 
The Mississauga Hounds could not be a more complete team. There is hardly anything they could possibly do to further improve at this point. All they can do is hope that the erratic engine that is Simon T will nod their way when it matters most.

 
That will be all, thank you for reading and stay tuned for more VSN coverage of everything VHL and VHLM.
 
Player mentions:
 
 

Great job @MattyIce! Love the write-up! I might just use those last two lines in my sig!

1. I'm feeling great, we're only getting better with all of our upcoming picks
2. Crushin brews back in Sasky.
3. 69, because nice. hah.
4. I felt that Left Wing needed more players, and therefore, i did such
5. Probably Druss, he has a ton of VHL experience
6. not really, I'm saying Mexico will eke it out

Great write-up, @Owen Taylor! Glad to have you on the Hounds!

Owen Taylor has always been perseverant in his quest to reach the VHL. Growing up in rural Saskatchewan, Owen had nowhere to go and nothing to do besides play hockey.
 
When he was 14, he got cut from his AAA team, so he joined the U15 AA North West Sask. Stars. In this season, he thrived in the gritty hitting and heavy slapshot style of HC John Weston, registering 36 Goals, 22 Assists, 392 Hits and 247 PIM in 62 Games. He led the league in Hits and PIM, and he was invited to join a AAA Team for his next year of hockey.
 
In this next year in hockey, earmarked by The Hockey News as a player to watch in the Saskatchewan AAA Circuit, Taylor joined the Battlefords Stars U16 AAA Hockey Team. When playing, Taylor realized he needed to possess better skating and more finesse to succeed in this league. With Battlefords, Owen faced severe regression in all stats besides PIM. He was suspended for 18 games due to fighting a referee after a game misconduct for KOing an opposing player from Saskatoon who called him a "Dirty Hick". In his 42 games, Taylor skated mainly with the bottom 6, and put up 8 Goals, 13 Assists, 284 Hits and 429 PIM, facing an average over 10 minutes spent in the box per game. 
 
Taylor's fortunes changed vastly however, when in the playoff run, Battlefords, a 6th seed, best out the heavily favoured Estevan Bears in the first round, with Taylor carrying the team on his back through the upset. in 6 games, Taylor had 10 goals and 11 assists. In the next round, the Stars faced the Warman Wildcats, and Taylor continued on his torrid pace. He scored another 7 Goals and 4 Assists in a 5 game Rout of the Wildcats. With his newfound first line wing role, Taylor and the Stars faced the Saskatoon Contacts in the final. Lining up against the player who caused his suspension earlier in the season, in the 7 game series, Taylor registered 9 fighting majors, 2 game misconducts, 7 instigation penalties and a whopping 87 PIM. While Taylor was in the box for a great portion of the game, the competition shook when lining up against him. He potted 19 Goals on the Contacts, with 4 assists to his name as well. He was named the SMAAAHL U16 Playoff MVP, with the Stars winning the competition in a cinderella run.
 
On the back of his monstrous playoff, Taylor was scouted to join the historic Flin Flon Bombers SJHL Franchise. With the Bombers, Taylor instantly made an impact, both on the scoresheet and against any player to have the misfortune to get in the way of his stone hands. He instantly drew comparison to Former Bomber Great Bobby Clarke. In this season, while the Bombers performed unremarkably, Taylor excelled. In 84 Games, Taylor potted 78 Goals and 64 Assists, while drawing 345 PIM. 
 
In this great campaign, Taylor finished his high school 2 years before schedule, being no slouch in the classroom, and taking his SAT. He was recruited to Providence College, and eagerly awaited his flight to Providence.
 
When he finally joined the Friars, Taylor made his much-awaited NCAA Debut at 17 years old. In his first game vs. Merrimack College, he registered 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 7 PIM. The Friars had continued success throughout the year, behind Taylor. Taylor led the Friars to a National Championship Game after Leading the NCAA and Hockey East with 29 Goals and 31 Assists in 34 games. In the Final Game, Taylor potted a hat trick, 2 assists and 2 fights in a 7-4 rout of the Boston University Terriers. After this season, Taylor declared for the VHLM Draft, and the rest is history.

1) I think they'll bring some much needed scoring punch to the hounds
2) I just keep up with the hounds
3) I think that the boys have been clicking, and we're making a hard push. i'm interested in keeping upgrading to keep the boys in a good place.
4) Has to be Moreau. he's been an absolute tank on the blue line for us
5) I'm looking to improve on the defensive side of the puck, as well as bringing elite offensive upside
6) Zookeeper, I love animals

1. Kris Rice for sure, can add a killer touch to the team, go get em ricer
2. Great to me in training camp. all around great dude, would love to grab a beer with him
3. hopefully get called up to moscow by the start of this season
4. Rookie cuts, we all been there
5. the snow baby. being a canadian, you love to see it
6. for my favourite in the VHLM, don't sleep on my missisauga hounds, i'm looking at a 90 goal year, no big deal

nuts man. absolutely nuts. good work