These are my top choices to succeed @Jubo as Helsinki Titans GM. I selected based on member standing as well as connection to Helsinki and which members I think will have the most success and fit seamlessly into a locker room that is ready to compete for a cup.
@PatrikLaine
Not a secret but my first choice based on his leadership within the locker room and his activity throughout the league. Easy member to get along with and very welcoming to new teammates. Has been a fixture in Helsinki for a while now. Basically all my insights here are first hand and if I was choosing the GM position Patrik Laine would get the job ahead of others. The recent connection to Helsinki as well as his various roles as Assistant GM, mostly recently AGM to Jubo. I feel like the strong relationship with Jubo will allow Patrik Laine to learn on the job and have a mentor to help guide him along. This transition would probably be the smoothest.
@rjfryman
Obviously his contributions around the VHL can't be understated. Updating player pages, work on the portal and running the pre and post draft TPE rankings. More importantly his time GMing the Houston Bulls of the VHLM. From what I have seen in my time in the Titans Discord is that Freeman is very well liked by current and past Titans alike. His player was almost traded to Helsinki in a controversial trade last off-season with Toronto. So I expect if he is named GM he will trade for his player at some point.
@Acydburn
His experience being a VHLM GM and Commissioner should speak for themselves. A respected member around the VHL, who should have no issues dealing with other GM's. If he's hired I would be interested to see if he continues being VHLM Commissioner as that will be a lot to take on.
Honorable Mentions:
@MattyIce
@MexicanCow123
@Rayzor_7
@Advantage
These FOUR @Domg5 edit, have just as many qualifications as any choices above. I would also be happy with any of these members.
Clearly there are a lot of good candidates. So choose wisely @Beketov @Quik
Today I have the great pleasure to introduce the leadership group that will lead Asia as we hope to replicate our success from season 76!
These individuals were voted by their peers, GM, and AGM to wear the C and As for Asia.
Without further ado, the S77 captain and assistant captains for Team Asia!
Good Afternoon Everyone! It is the end of Season 77 and with that makes the moment I can start to max earn again!
The Marlins had a great season in S77 and a remarkable moment during the playoffs. We as a team were not projected to go far in the season and ended up exceeding many people’s expectations. That includes my own. As the AGM of the San Diego Marlins, I could not be happier with the team and the success we had this season! Going from last place last season to sixth this season was amazing!
As we move forward into the off-season and the draft, there are many reasons to get excited. The draft is expected to be rather small in comparison to past draft seasons. But even though the draft class is small, new stars will shine! What’s not to get excited about that?
You can expect the Marlins to grab a couple gems this draft for sure! We may be a young management team here in San Diego, but we will make our mark here in the VHLM. I strive to be the best AGM I can be and to make Aldwin Craig the best that he can be.
I want to give a final thank you to our team for a great season!
Thank you @thadthrasherfor the easy talks and a big thank you to both @Erik and @Minermonkey for being a part of the team. You're both going to a strong SDM team in the future and I wish you both the best of luck.
As for @Jericho, welcome to the team that's run by a weeb! The perfect fit for an anime protagonist.
Hello everyone, and welcome back to VSN Scouting's latest presentation!
A little while back, I posted an article about interviewing players/members that are eligible for the S78 draft, and these people gladly signed up to be interviewed. It's been quite a treat getting to meet the draftees and even more so sharing it with you, the readers.
I gave the draftees the option to be interviewed as a member or as a player, so now you have the chance to learn alot about the players or members. Players were asked a little about themselves and their performance, their thoughts on their draft ranking, if they look up to a certain VHL star and/or want to emulate them (or develop their own playstyle), and if they're gunning for Cups or Awards. Some sure are pretty ambitious! As for the people that wanted to be interviewed as a member, you'll learn about their time in the league, what their first impressions of the league are, and what hardware they value more. It's been only as of late that some members from the VHL's past are making their returns, so we'll be catching up with them as well, reading about their thoughts on how the league has evolved through time and how quickly they've adapted.
Let's not waste more time and words, onto the good stuff!
TYNAN SYLVESTER @diamond_ace
Here's what came out of the sit-down with Tynan:
I feel like playing defense is my favorite. I didn't do a whole lot last season, but I was on a stacked Mississauga team and kind of expected it, so while you'd think I would not be satisfied with 13 points, I definitely am. I'm not going to try and emulate players; I'm not the next Tyler Walker or Condor Adrienne, but I'm the first Tynan Sylvester! As far as the draft goes, I'll probably go mid to late 1st round, just because some team will want a guarantee (or ill go higher because they won't want to fill their cap with a player coming straight up). I think I should actually go early 2nd round, but I'll probably be gone by then. Honestly, I don't care so much about which team picks me; I have a few teams I'm not super thrilled about, but for the most part I'm fine wherever. I'm more for a good team environment with a team full of guys I can talk to in the discord really. I rarely ever even look at my stats in the sim, but if it has to be either cups or awards, definitely cups. A Hall of Fame career would be nice, but I'm already in as a builder so I really don't care that much if I get in or not.
NATHAN POWERS @JB123
We were able to catch up with Powers' agent for this interview:
Powers is from Mississauga, Ontario. He played in the Hockey Dynasty Junior League for the Portland Evergreens before making the jump to the VHLM. I became interested in Powers because, for some reason, I have great respect for puck-moving, two-way defenseman. I like what he's done this season, yet I think he has a lot more to prove. He definitely looks up to the Yukon Rush management and their players in Kristof Welch and Scotty Kaberle. Both are solid defensemen, which is what he wants to become. That being said, Powers wants to integrate his own style as well. To be completely honest about his draft ranking, I don't think Powers is thinking too much about his draft position. He'll embrace any opportunity, no matter where he's picked. However, he's working very hard to try to be a 1st rounder. Continental cups is what he's after, for sure. He would much rather get low ice time and win a cup with a team than be a star, win awards and be on a losing franchise. I think, eventually, the Hall of Fame would be cool, but certainly not his number one priority.
HARD MARKINSON @STZ
A meet-the-member interview with VHL Builder STZ!
I started in the VHL in S29 with my first player Ethan Osborne. He was a player that was a lot of fun, made me fall in love with this community. After Osborne, I created Jake Wylde who was my "GM Player" as I took over as General Manager of the Helsinki Titans. After Wylde, I created Unassisted, a player who I planned to try cup-chasing with. He ended up being my most successful player having an incredible point total at the end of his career. While Unassisted was still active, the VHL implemented the 2nd Player Program, which allowed members to create a second player, as our numbers league-wide were down. I won a lotto which allowed me to enter into the program in the first wave, and I created my first goalie Rhett DeGrath. Those were my first four players, and they all went into the Hall of Fame. After that, I had two players; Ike Arkander who I used as my GM Player when I was the GM of New York Americans, but I actually had him backing up DeGrath, as I was planning on doing a goalie cycle, where I would always have a goalie of mine in their prime. I then created Bryce Zhields before I took my break from the VHL and I went inactive with that player. My latest player was Benny Graves for the DC Dragons, and I had a lot of fun playing as him for the full eight seasons. Sorry if that was long winded, just hard to summarize so many years of being a part of this community. As for my time in the VHL, I've held a number of different jobs. I've been a long-time VHLM and VHL GM. I held the position of VHL Magazine Editor for over 200 Editions. I've always tried to be an active and positive force in the league, and be a valuable member to whichever team I was on. When I first started I really focused my energy on individual awards. I maxed my players attributes as fast as I could so that I could gain a competitive advantage. Obviously you want your team to win, and championships are the end goal, but I remember always comparing my current players to past players to see what more they needed to do to get into the record books. More recently I've really been looking to win cups. Benny didn't get anything, and it was frustrating as I really thought DC had earned success. With Markinson, he always has a Founder's Cup and is now in the finals for another cup with Mississauga. Winning championships is definitely more of a focus for me, and if I was able to win a Continental Cup with Markinson, I would consider that a successful career.
MATTI TAKALA @MOOSE_
Here's a detailed interview about Matti, possible draft steal?
I chose to play as a winger to make an impact. Being a primarily goal-scoring forward, I like making the difference in games and getting the points on the board for my team. It's always suited my personality and how I want to play the game. I grew up idolizing goal-scorers like Teemu Selanne and Alex Ovechkin, with the former being a massive inspiration. As for my performance, I think I could've been better, but it's a good start to my VHLM career and I expect to improve in upcoming seasons. I'd like to set my own precedent and be recognized as my own player, but it's hard to not want to emulate a player like Podrick Cast. The man is tied third in a single-regular season goal total and has incredible hardware. More than anything though, I hope to be a player that people think of as an original, somebody who is electric and individual. I want to think that, by the end of my career, people will not think of me as 'the second x-player', rather as ' the first Matti Takala'. With the training I missed due to personal ongoings, It wouldn't surprise me if I get drafted in the mid-20s to early-20s. I think that I could make the first round with lots of increased effort and will strive for such. I think I'd fit best on a team with pass-first minded players to suit my goal-scoring mindset, so perhaps a team like Warsaw or Los Angeles would be a good fit for me. I'm willing to push my game to fit onto whatever team takes their chances on me, anything to help success flourish. The Continental Cup is the ultimate goal for me. As much as I'd love the individual recognition and hardware, like I mentioned with the Cast comparison, I'd love nothing more than to lift the cup with a team that I love playing for. It's something I've dreamed of for so long now that I'm trying my hardest to grasp at the opportunities that'll bring me closer to raising the cup above my head. If I pick up awards along the way, that's an incredible bonus. The Hall of Fame is also something that I would love nothing more than to be included in. To be honest though, I don't think I'll even consider the Hall until I raise a cup. The cup means that much to me.
DAMIEN SALDUCCI @Deee.Geee
A new member shares with us his first impressions and experience in the VHL so far:
I remember coming across a post on Reddit, I think it was in the r/EA_NHL subreddit, that gave some background to the VHL and that they were trying to attract newcomers to join. I was hooked pretty much immediately as it took me back to 20 years ago when I was participating (and then running) my own virtual wrestling league. I am pretty sure I signed up in the first 24 hours of visiting. The league has so far been a blast. I may not always participate in the Discord channel but I certainly check it out daily, and I am in the forums daily, catching up on new posts. Learning about TPE and figuring out what kind of TPE I enjoyed earning the most was probably the biggest learning curve to integrating myself, but like anything else in life it's about applying yourself, making mistakes, learning from them, and asking questions! In hindsight the beginning wasn't really that bad. I remember being a bit lost about TPE and earning it, but the folks on Discord and paying attention to the guides in the forum were a big help. The community is here to help guide newbies, I can never forget that. I can see myself applying for league/management jobs down the road, but I want to immerse myself into the player experience first before taking on more responsibility. I enjoy doing graphics and written media with a slight edge towards written work. I think I just naturally enjoy that more.
Everyone will have slightly different metrics for success, or even end up changing them throughout their career. That said, I personally prefer cups to define a great career. That's why we do this, to win.
ANZE MIKLAVZ @McKelvie
A member that was around at the beginning makes his return:
I was one of the first members back when this started in 2007. The former commissioners had another league going that I was in which folded before they made the VHL. I kept tabs on in now and again over the years but decided to come back for nostalgia. My first player (J.McKelvie) was on the S1 Vasteras IK winning team, more of a playmaker type and I think one season he led the league in assists. After that, the player bounced around the league with Avangard, Hamilton and I believe Toronto before retiring. My second player was McLovin (not the one that’s been here recently), a defenseman that was the assistant captain on an Avangard winning team (can’t remember what season). I think after that I stopped caring about my player and stayed active on the site just for the community... I think I went inactive in 2011. Getting a GM position would be cool but I barely have enough time for a player. I’m definitely more of a graphics guy, but don’t mind putting out an article if I have to. It hasn't been that challenging (getting re-acclimated to the league); the TPE system is a lot different than when I was originally here but if anything it’s a bit easier. The main part is just getting to know everyone because obviously there’s a lot of turnover after 12 years.
TUI SOVA @v.2
A returning member shares with us some details about his past VHL experience:
I'm a returning member after like 14 years lol. Joined the league during the start and went inactive around S12 I think. This past season has been about trying to regain my bearings. The league has come a very long way, lots of sweet changes and a ton of new members. It's been a pretty smooth return I think, the portal is fairly straight forward and after a week or so I was used to the new way of updating my player. I'm driven when it comes to TPE earning and like to stay up on current league events which I think helped me navigate through the new functions. I was a GM in like seasons 2-4 so I’d be willing to dip my feet into management again. I applied to GM team world at this years WJC but did not get the job (fair since I’ve only been back for about 2 months lol), and I'm definitely a graphics guy. My first player was a goalie, Jesus Christ, who played for the Hamilton Canucks from seasons 1-5. He isn't very decorated, having only won an Aiden Shaw Trophy. My second player is Hall of Famer Josh Vestiquan, his career ran from S6-S13. Drafted 1st overall by the Avangard Havoc, he jumped around the league to a few teams and managed to play in the playoffs every year and won the Continental Cup 3 times. Despite his success, his only personal award was a Francis Trophy. I think a nice mix of both Cups and Awards are important; however, some players just end up doomed on bad teams their whole careers, so if they are able to DOMINATE awards in nearly all their seasons, then a case definitely has to be made towards their individual success as a talent in the league.
DAVID TAVAU @Ahma
Here's a bio on David Tavau, as well as Ahma's 'why Davos' devotion:
As a kid, I was like every other kid and wanted to score goals. So, I was a winger at the beginning of my career, but while growing up, my junior coach realized that my talents are better spent on defense, so he put on defense and I was great at it and most of all, enjoyed it. My father used to be a defenseman too and he started giving me tips and tricks. And here we are. I'm extra happy with my performance as an individual, but I can't be satisfied, because I couldn't help Saskatoon further in playoffs. All season, we had our eyes on the finals and the cup. A little disappointed, that's all. I grew up in Davos, watching my favorite team play every chance I got. I dream of playing for Davos. My grandfather was a hardcore Dynamo fan, for 60 years he went to see every home game live. Before he passed away, I promised to make him proud one day. I'm sure he's watching over me with a smile. I'm on my way to becoming a Dynamo. I didn't feel ready to make the step to VHL before, but now with a lot of experience and tough battles behind me, I'm ready as I'll ever be
I joined VHL over 6 ago years now. As a first gen, I was at the height of my activity and one of the most active members at the time, but that was before my inactivity. I GM'd Davos (S47?) for one season and left the league. When I came back after a few seasons, I wasn't and haven't been as active as I was for my first seasons. Simon Valmount, my first player, had an odd and short career. He managed to break a hits record, pretty cool, but the record was broken again. After my leave, every one one of my players have been a Jokinen, a playmaking defenseman and played for Davos. I've been a loyal and proud member of Davos for a long time and grown to love it more over time. In fact, I've spent over 20 seasons in Davos. I'd say, my devotion for Davos has been a big factor for my loyalty. When people think of me, I want them to think of Davos and the meaning of loyalty. A few odd seasons ago, I promised myself that I'm going to win a championship for Davos. So, currently I'm driving towards that goal.
BASTIAN GREISS @ThatsGreissy
This interview produced his bio with some player thoughts about himself:
Bastian grew up watching hockey and from a young age he was absolutely star struck by Dominik Hasek and his outrageous playing style. Hasek had this incredible acrobatic-like play style and Bastian wanted to grow up and try to be the next “Dominator” from that point on, he was put into hockey as a goalie and hasn’t looked back. I’m beyond satisfied with Bastian’s season with Mexico. He came into the league on a team that wasn’t really gaining traction and he turned them around to the point where they could actually pull off a win. Bastian may have entered late, but he made his way to the top of the leaderboard in half the time.
I want to emulate Dominik Hasek, I wanna do my own thing. I don’t want people to say “Wow, Bastian's playing just like___, I want people to look back at my career and say I was one of a kind, unmatchable.
Honestly I don’t know where I’ll get drafted; a lot of teams have reached out to me in the last two weeks expressing interest, I’m just glad so many teams want me on their roster. I’ve put in a lot of hard work and it’s been paying off so I’d really like to think I’ll go within the first 2 rounds. As for a fit, I can fit just about anywhere. I have a lot of passion and I think I could fit pretty much anywhere. I’m a team-first guy. I’d rather us all have a ring on our finger over a trophy on my mantle any day. Individual awards are nothing more than a bonus. And of course, the hall of fame is definitely on my bucket list, and you’ll see me there one day, don’t you worry.
JANNIK NYLEN @DreMin15
Here's your chance to learn about Jannik's career so far, and his expectations:
I guess I started on defense because I wasn’t good with the puck when I was younger. I was good at being in the right place, though. Thankfully over the years the puck skills have gotten better, but I’m still a mostly defensive guy. We had a good season in Vegas, but I know I could have done better. Minus 7 isn’t exactly ideal. I just need to be better when the season starts back up again. I didn't actually think of myself as playing like a star VHL player growing up, developing how I play. I think I can't really describe myself as like any player because I want to be my own player, unlike any other. I've heard a lot of people saying I'll go in the second round of the draft, which I won't complain about. Obviously every guy thinks they should go first overall, but I'm thinking in the mid-twenties. I don't really know which team I'd be a good fit for, but I'd work to fit on any team that takes me. I know that players like myself very rarely ever go into the hall or get awards. It's usually the guys with high point totals, and that's not something I think I'll ever be. So if I could be a part of a team that could win the Continental Cup, then I'd be more than happy with it.
ALEX JOHNSTON @Alex_J32
This up and coming first-generation player talks about his VHL experience:
Growing up playing hockey I was always a left shot forward who played on my off-wing. So, I choose to play on the wing to replicate myself growing up. I am thrilled with my players production this past season, although it would have been great to see what I could have done if I played a full season I think 24 goals and 50 points in 52 games is pretty good for someone whose just starting out. With that being said I had the pleasure to have some incredibly talented line mates like Jaromir Lemiuex and Nathan Powers who both certainly helped me reach the totals I did. I like to think I'm mostly learning from my peers as I go, as I haven't really dove into specific VHL builds yet. With that being said, @Juice and @fromtheinside have both been an incredible help especially early on in my time here and provided the perfect answer to every question that I asked whether it was about earning TPE, how the league works as a whole, to questions regarding the draft. In all honesty I have no idea what position I'll get drafted in, when I first joined the league and for the entirety of the season I knew I likely wasn't going to get drafted in the first round and was thinking I'd likely get selected in the late-second-third round. Since then a lot has changed for me; I have improved greatly to be one of the top 16 ranked players in my draft class, and I have become a leader both on and off the ice during my time with the Yukon Rush. As a result of all of this my expectations are all over the board as I could maybe crack the first round, or end up in the late-second, I don't really know. I am also indifferent to where I get drafted as I believe the team that does draft me will believe in me enough to give me a decent chance when I reach the VHL. I do think I would be a good fit on some of the lower scoring teams like Davos, Riga, and Malmo as initially I should be able to provide a consistent source of depth scoring. There is nothing I want more than to win a Continental Cup in my career, I have always been a big team first guy and will do what ever it takes to help my team succeed. Being in the VHL hall of fame is something kids only dream of, it would be incredible to make it there and I could certainly see it being a goal of mine near the tail end of my career.
SHANE LAZESKI @Shane Laz
A late-round gem to be had? Here's what Shane had to share with us:
I love being on the offensive side of the game and there is no better feeling than scoring or setting up a goal. I'm happy with my performance overall, I feel as though I had good production for my first season in the VHLM but there is always room for improvement and I look forward to doing so. I always want to be unique and that's the end goal. However, I want to model my game similar to that of Andrew Su of Vancouver. Playmaking has always been my style and he did it the best this past season and I'd love to have the same success. When it comes to the draft, I think the 4th round is where I'll go based on previous draft rankings. I don't really care at what point I get drafted, all I care about is getting the chance to be a part of one of these great teams. I feel I can fit with any team and none of them stand out as one that would be the best option for me, they're all good options. Continental Cups are always the goal, It's about winning it all. Hockey is a team sport and the team awards are more important. If any individual awards come than that's just an added bonus. I would say the HOF is a goal, again Continental Cups are more important but It would very cool to be in the Hall of Fame.
SVEN REIKKONEN @Devise
One of our resident simmers talks about Sven and his VHL goals:
Sven is the younger cousin of famed VHL Hall of Famer Tukka Reikkinen, and build wise is my last shot at attempting to do some sort of "Meta" player. I decided to play defense given I hadn't really given the position a full attempt since we've diversified the award category. As for individual performance this season, yeah I'm pretty satisfied. Wasn't as consistent as you hoped but there are a lot of players and the trade for Shaggy obviously meant sharing some of the points around. I'm looking at somewhat emulating Condor Adrienne but I'm also looking to work into my own playstyle. A shot-first PP specialist defender that also happens to be a SB/PK machine. The other big catch is that discipline is going to be a stat I focus on, as someone who is a special teams ice logger should be avoiding the box in my estimation. It's a pretty deep draft and teams that may not need a defender could wind up picking somewhere down the draft sheet for positional need, especially as we exit that top 3. I think I'm probably for sure a top 6 pick in the draft regardless though, as at some point someone who is looking for a D could snatch me up. As for what team I think I'd be the best fit on, probably London? They hit all the right barriers that would be required for getting me; an aging D core with no key prospect in sight, a pick right around the range I'm at on the draft sheet, they also have a good enough forward core for a few seasons to come that I'd be a good player to help transition them into a new era. Just looking at the rosters of the most likely teams to try to land me, it seems like the best fit.
If you were to ask me to choose between Cups or awards, it'd be individual awards. I've been a role player and occasionally a pivotal piece on enough cup teams through my tenure that seeing Sven simply consistently be an offensive d award force would be welcome, even if it costs Cups. But you want to win it all don't you? Especially since, to answer the second question absolutely HoF is a goal for Sven.
@RedSus and myself will claim 2 weeks job pay for this piece
Now that the VHL Entry Draft has been announced for Thursday evening at 8:00 pm Eastern US, it seems a good time for me to reflect on where Luc Tessier, Centre for the San Diego Marlins, might be playing next season as it is virtually certain that he will exceed the 250 VHLM cap prior to opening day. He is at 248 TPE now with 10 capped TPE yet to claim for the week. I am not really the type of user to let 9 TPE slide (not to mention any uncapped that may present themselves) just to have my player in the juniors one more year – even though I LOVED my time in San Diego and I wish @thadthrasher @Eldredman and my teammates much success in S78.
I am only going to consider the first 6 draft slots. It is very possible that Tessier will fall lower than 6, but this number is being chosen for two reasons. 1) That is the number of rounds that are governed by the draft lottery which means if one of these teams actually does select Tessier, they have in some way “won” the right to do so. 2) Perhaps a more fun reason, is that my previous player, Guy Lesieur, went number 6 and so there is a kind of “doesn’t matter at all, but isn’t that a fun little connection” vibe going on.
So, let’s get to it!
Number 1 – Calgary Wranglers
I would be absolutely over-the-moon thrilled to be drafted here by the Wranglers! I mean, who wouldn’t love to go 1OA? I’ve played in six different leagues (PBE, VHL, SHL, GOMHL, ISFL, and EFL) for the past 2 plus real life years and I’ve never gone 1OA. I’ve had a 3rd, a 4th, and a 6th, but never a 1st. We all know it doesn’t really matter. Your career isn’t going to be affected at all by where you were drafted. But hey, we’re still human and 1st is 1st after all.
Calgary is also very attractive to me, as from my end, @Ricer13 and I have had great scouting conversations, and it looks like a good fit for where Calgary and Tessier are both at in terms of development. Also in terms of how Tessier might fit in as a centreman long term. And who doesn’t want to play for a western Canadian team, eh?
But …. Tallinder, the Calgary AGM, is in this draft and it seems very unlikely the Wranglers will pass on the opportunity to get such a top flight player and their AGM.
Number 2 and 3 – Moscow Menace
Again, a thrill to go this high if it were to happen. And I had an opportunity to briefly fill the AGM role in Moscow before events in the PBE made me realize I wanted to save my management time and energy for that league – at least for the foreseeable future. It might be that an opportunity to return to the ranks of minors GMs doesn’t materialize for many seasons and that would make me reconsider VHL management.
Anyway, my time in the Moscow LR showed me two things. 1) @Spartan is an excellent GM that is just great to be around and it would be a real honor to be able to play for him. 2) There is a fabulous group of potential teammates in that LR and anyone would have a great time hanging out with these guys.
However, taking a look at the current roster, there seems to be a very strong core of elite users at the centre position. Most are already double Tessier’s TPE and there is no sign of anything but top flight earning from here on out. This may mean Moscow looks elsewhere to fill other positional needs.
Number 4 – London United
My first player, Lesieur, was drafted by Riga, but quickly traded to DC moments later during the draft. I loved the thought of going to an expansion team at the time. The management team making that trade? @Enorama and @McWolf. Yep, McWolf was AGM then and now GM in London with an opportunity to draft my second player. Actually, it would be the second time I was drafted by London as McWolf picked up Lesieur in the expansion draft that formed United and about 30 games later I was traded back to DC. Best move for both London and Lesieur. Jury is out for DC. Lol
Having played for McWolf in both DC and London, I can say without hesitation that I would consider this a premier landing spot. Excellent GM, great guy to hang with in the LR. I’d play for or alongside his player any time. And being drafted #4 still beats Lesieur’s mark by 2 slots! Lol
But again, looking at the current roster, I’m not sure this is the best fit based on positional needs. London looks much stronger on the forward side than on the blueline so … But hey, playing in jolly old England where most of my ancestors immigrated from would be lovely if it did happen.
Number 5 – HC Davos Dynamo
Another exciting prospect. I had some good scouting conversations with @GustavMattias and it feels like we’d get along famously. Plus I recognize some great potential teammates.
This seems like one of the better organizational fits as well. Davos is not super top heavy at centre and I could probably earn my way into a first or second line role as soon as I could anywhere else and that is certainly a goal of mine. In general, the team seems to be on the young side and in a rebuild and it’s a great feeling to be able to grow with the team and get better at the same time that the rest of the team around you is developing. Been there done that with DC and it was a blast!
Davos will have a lot of options at pick 5, but there seems to be a real possibility for Davos to be the team Tessier hits the ice with as S78 opens in the next week or so.
Number 6 – Calgary Wranglers
Ah, it all begins and ends with Calgary. Not much more to be said here except the increased likelihood of going to Calgary at number 6 instead of number 1. Tallinder will likely be off the board and that opens up options for Calgary on their second pick in the first round. If not chosen by Davos, Calgary seems another likely landing spot for Tessier.
Conclusion
First thought – this all could be a load of hooey! Tessier could easily fall to 7, 16 or the second round.
Second thought – there really is no bad place for Tessier to be drafted among the top 6 picks.
Third thought – there is really no possible way to know ahead of time what will happen. Every GM has their own thought process for how best to build their team
I’ll just have to be patient and tune in on Thursday night to see what will be.
It is my honor to be the GM of such a great team and country, although the past hasn't been kind to us it is my ultimate goal to get the best out of Team USA this year and give us a shot at GOLD.
@thadthrasher and myself are proud to announce the Team USA squad for this season WJC!
Without further ado, your S77 USA WJC squad!!!
Everyone please join the WJC discord with this link: https://discord.gg/YVKrmYAU
Please DM me or tag me once you join so I can assign your roles to Team USA and we can talk about all the fun details!
@v.2 Put a few hours into this and really like the overall graphic. The first and second versions I like more than the third because of the text style. Hope you one it!
What's good, VHL! I'm here with an article that I'm really excited to write...which I'll probably follow up with a much longer sequel eventually...because this week is my exam week and I'd rather earn my points and get the hell out than spend hours on end writing up a few thousand words for all of you (as much as I'd like to).
For those of you who don't know, I'm currently an engineering student. While I don't claim to be a scientific expert, I at least have exposure to some interesting concepts that can be applied to the sport of hockey if I think about them hard enough. And sitting here simultaneously thinking about something I can easily write about and stressing out over exams led me to wonder--why haven't I made that an article yet? That's what I'm going to do here, where I talk about stick design in a way that also allows me to boil down some key concepts that would be useful for me to know in the coming week.
Before we begin, some key terms:
Elastic Deformation: a material changing its shape in a way which can be easily reversed (like stretching a rubber band, it just pops right back to where it was).
Plastic Deformation: a material changing its shape in a way which cannot be easily reversed (like bending a fork--it doesn't bend back when you let go of it and even if you try to bend it back it won't be exactly where it was before).
That's all I'll mention for now for the sake of making this article digestible. There are some other words to talk about, but that's all we need to know for now.
Hockey sticks, as most here will know, originally started out as pieces of wood. Wood was the standard in many pieces of sporting equipment back in the day, from hockey sticks to golf clubs (as well as baseball bats, which are still wood today unless you're a cheater and you fill yours with cork). For quite some time, wooden sticks were what they were, and until Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita popularized curved blades, they were the most basic sticks imaginable. But then the '80s rolled around, and Wayne Gretzky brought about a new era of aluminum-shafted sticks. Fifteen years later, materials scientists had started making sticks out of composite materials (or, in other words, "throw tiny fibers of one thing inside another thing"--which can actually drastically improve the properties of the main material if done right). Composites continue to be used today, with different compositions being experimented with and improved upon constantly, most notably with modern carbon-fiber designs.
A criminally obsessed-with feature of modern sticks is their "flex"--i.e. the amount of force upon the stick necessary to make it bend a certain amount. Lower numbers mean less force (and more bendy), higher numbers mean more force (and less bendy). So why does this matter in the context of science?
This is what's known as a stress-strain curve. Simply put, stress is the amount of force on an object, and strain is how much that object's shape changes under a given stress. A hockey stick's stress-strain curve will probably look the most like the blue one here, line B. Line A is a very brittle material (like diamond), while line C is a very stretchy one (like rubber). The vertical dashed line at the end of each curve is the point where the material will break (so material A doesn't stretch a lot, material B stretches a bit, and material C will stretch out a ton before it breaks).
Remember those two terms I threw out there earlier? Only the part where the line is straight, not curved, is the part where elastic deformation is happening. When the line starts curving, that's when the object's shape starts changing permanently, and we don't want that in a hockey stick.
So, there's a trade-off to be made as the only real "usable" portion of the curve is the straight one. Do you want a stick that bends a lot and may give you a bit of an advantage with the speed of your shots? It may not tolerate as much stress before you break it. If you're a smaller forward who likes wrist shots, you want your stick's stress-strain curve to be somewhat between B and C here--you can build up some nice extra energy on your regular shots by having the stick bend a bit more, and less stress on your stick before it bends permanently or breaks isn't a major concern. But what if you're a big, powerful defenseman? You're taking a lot of slap shots and putting all your weight into them, so you don't want that stick breaking on you. You want your stick to be between A and B on this chart. It's not going to bend like that forward's stick. It's actually going to feel more fragile because of that. But it isn't--it's actually stronger because you can put more stress on it before it snaps, even if it doesn't bend much before it does.
See how line A reaches a higher point than B or C? It's going to be very hard to break something with that curve, but it's also going to be impossible to bend it because the material would rather break than bend. Same with line C--the material is actually so eager to bend that rearranging itself so it's able to bend actually takes away some of the stress on it. For the purpose of illustration here, think of line B as a nice happy medium (and the reason why I said that's your average hockey stick). It will bend a little, and it can stand up to a decent amount of force.
Hopefully this is a nice and understandable read, there are a few other interesting concepts I have in mind but there are also better things I could be doing this week. See you after exams.
1,001 words; guess I have next week off too but I won't complain about that.
1. I want to say Helsinki because that's who I picked to win. But Seattle is no joke and this series easily could go either way.
2. I have not watched it yet. Since I found out the league and always Sunny in Philadelphia are on Disney+ I haven't watched much of anything else haha.
3. I mean guy is a repeat offender. I think parros got the call right though. He's a guy that you hate but would love to have on your team.
4. I wish him lots of luck in his new role here as gm of team USA! But, it's Canada all the way baby!
5. I think any other answer that gritty is wrong. It's a mascot made purely from spite. Doesn't get much better than that!
6. I play beer league hockey all summer. Hopefully this year we'll play again but I'm not going to hold my breath.
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Mistxh J reacted to VHL Bot in MIS/YUK; S78
Mistxh J got a reaction from tinafrombobsburgers in S77 Team Asia Leadership
Mistxh J got a reaction from Frank in Frank's Top Picks for Helsinki GM
Mistxh J got a reaction from Tbeez99 in Team USA WJC Official Roster!!
