Mistxh J

Greetings, VHL, and welcome back to VSN Under 250, where we cover everything VHLM. Today, we'll be looking at and analyzing the current standings of the VHLM, and then taking an in-depth glance at the intense rivalry between the San Diego Marlins and the Yukon Rush. Make sure to check out some other awesome VSN content
 
VHL Draft: All-Time Best #24-19 | Euro Conference Season Preview | VHLM Power Rankings #1 | Wayyy Too Early Mock Draft

 
Standings Overview
 

Western Conference Standings
 
          The West has been a slaughterhouse so far. The Yukon Rush, Saskatoon Wild, San Diego Marlins, and Houston Bulls all entered the season with playoff-caliber rosters and have been solid as the season progressed, while the Las Vegas Aces and Mexico City Kings have been dreadful due to lack of assets pouring over from last season and picks at the draft. 
The Rush especially have shined to begin the season. Their core of stars Gaspar Zakrevsky, Jaromir Lemiuex, and Nathan Powers was bolstered at the draft by young hotshots Papa Emeritus and Tyler Reinhart, as well as second round pick Otto Numminen. They have also been extremely successful at waiver signings, picking up Jerome Reinhart, Aina Mortas, and Erlantz Jokinen. This star-studded roster has certainly proved their worth, having only one loss in regulation this season. 
The Saskatoon Wild have also been phenomenal, although largely due to veteran VHLMers who stayed with the team from last season. Griff Mackenzie and Duncan Montana are back on the scoring leaderboards, Jordan Heavens and Craig Martin have established themselves as scoring threats, and Raphael Sonier has stepped up to the task of number 1 D and flourished. Leroy Johnson has been solid in net, and they have a respectable record. It’s the recipe for a playoff contending team.
General manager Thadthrasher was tasked, two seasons ago, to essentially build a team from scratch with a barren cupboard of draft picks. After a dismal S76 where the Marlins lounged in the basement of the league, they roared back with a decently successful S77 and are back in playoff contention in S78, led by the likes of Aldwin Craig, Nicholas Mariani, Damien Salducci, and The Loch Ness Monster, and with Morgan Karlsson performing well in nets, they’re once again looking for a lengthy cup run.
The S78 Houston Bulls are not entirely unlike the 2021 Edmonton Oilers, aside from a superstar stopper in Aike van Giersbergen. Anze Miklavz, Ryan Li, and Cody Lachance drive the offense from the front, and there is a dearth of scoring anywhere else on the team, due to lots of younger players. Milk Jugs and Drakon Zabastovka headline their 3-player defense core, forming a bit of a ‘gang of misfits’ team to go up against the juggernaut Rush and Wild. Their record may not pop off the page, but it’s good enough to practically guarantee them a spot in the postseason.
The Mexico City Kings are in a difficult situation. Coming off two straight nail-biter cup runs, they have a roster depleted of assets and made up almost entirely of waiver signings. Poor Bastian Greiss is peppered with an average of 41 shots per game, and Darth Kaprizov is their only veteran skater of more than twenty games. This season will not be very royal for the Kings.
The Las Vegas Aces are in even worse condition. While the Kings roll with Matty Live as their sole defender, the Aces draw a blank on any at all! Anime Protagonist has to deal with an average of 42 shots per game! The Aces have a few sharpshooters up front in Slick Dasher, Giles Sweeney, Mats Zucarelllo, and Chicken Nugget, but can’t seem to muster up much offense at all. To keep the dad jokes rolling, the Aces ain’t down to get lucky this roll.
 

Eastern Conference Standings
 
          The East has had more and less parity than the West at the same time. While the Halifax 21st hold the league points leader, the Miami Marauders are far down in the dumps. And there is a six point difference between the 4th playoff team and 5th place, on contrary to a whopping sixteen in the East.
The Halifax 21st have stormed out of the gate of S78, mopping up the competition. While the Rush could catch up if they win both games the 21st have on them, Halifax currently sits in the throne. Their top trio of Baldur Poulsen, Tyler Steel, and Kikko Moskinen have been a three-man wrecking crew, maintaining 1-2-3 in league scoring, and defenceman Roger Jone is tied for the lead in scoring from the back end. Longtime VHLMer Jonathan Bustard has been a rock between the pipes, making the 21st a handful, to say the least, for opponents.
The Minnesota Storm recently welcomed new GM PatrikLaine, and he inherited a perennial contender that has dizzying highs and devastating lows in a span of five seasons or less. This season is definitely a high. While they don’t boast any bona fide superstars, Henri le Massif, Gary Tarantino ll, and Miks Sunish up front as well as Ron World Peace lll and Jocke Jockesson in the back, and Dexter Vaughn guarding the net, the Storm don’t really have any weaknesses. 
The Philadelphia Reapers have also been very good this season, having taken S77 as an off season. The Reapers are extremely deep at forward, and their defense has some serious firepower. Alex Johnston and Genghis Khan are the only true stars up front, but freshly acquired Vasiliy Grigorev and assist machine Zeljko Ranogajec bolster the back end. Luke Spinelli and Tobias Reinhart form a beastly duo in the crease. 
The Ottawa Lynx have a not very great record, far below .500, but still manage to hold onto a playoff spot. Dlamb is the new GM, and had an entirely clean slate to build his roster. Bogdan Trunov and Kirby Pandora are the main pickups, but Jlloyiod Blloyoiderson, Shane Lazeski, and Julia Waffles have also impressed on the young squad.
The Mississauga Hounds are likely still suffering from a heart breaking sweep in the Founder’s Cup finals last season, and it’s being reflected in the standings this time around. Angel Wachiure, Nathaniel Minion, Jakub Brozik, and Russell Dixon are decent scoring options but then they have no one above 80 TPE and zero depth or quality defensemen or goalies. 
The Miami Marauders were the team that hoisted the Founder’s Cup in S77, and are currently paying the price as they flounder at the bottom of the standings. They recently dealt away Grigorev to the Reapers, proving their rebuild. They have a plethora of picks next season, however, including three first rounders. But for now, Mikey Markov, Poopy Peepants, and company absorb loss after loss.
 
Feature Story
 
Breaking Down the Rush-Marlins Rivalry


vs

 
It all started with a seemingly innocent game of connect 4 between San Diego and Yukon general managers Thad and Juice. But with Juice coming out victorious, and comments between the two becoming heated in game threads, we soon had a RIVALRY. It was a war, and no one had ever seen anything like it. It was truly a sight to be seen in the VHLM, and it worked magnificently in that it engaged the players from both sides like never before, crafting the nicknames ‘yuck-on’ and ‘tuna fish’, both to be used not very sparingly. The battle waged throughout S77, until when the final sim was posted, Yukon was behind San Diego, and Juice would have to face his own consequences: a pie to the face.

It was a humiliating moment for the Rush fanbase and likely a champagne-filled one for the Marlins crowd. After a relatively quiet playoffs and offseason neither team contributed much to the league, Juice returned to action with a new challenge, which involved the loser having to sing the karaoke song of the winner’s choice. This season’s bet looks to be a lot more exciting and narrow, with both teams icing competitive teams unlike the past season. Overall, I can predict an electrifying contest with an even better karaoke finale. And I hate to pick sides, but I would like to see Mr Sales being the one fulfilling his side of the wager this time around.
 
 
 
That will be all, thank you for reading and stay tuned for more VSN coverage of everything VHL and VHLM.
 
 
Players mentioned:
 

Welcome to the VHLM, a land of untapped potential and eager youth chomping at the bit to make an impact and move onto the VHL. It's obvious with this goal in mind that team success is front and center in these players minds. Good GMs look at good teams and good teams have good players. So let's take a look at the league's hottest teams:
 
In the lead overall and in the western conference, we have Halifax with a commanding lead with only 2 losses so far in the season. Looking at their roster, it is easy to see why. The 21st only have a single player on their roster with below 100 TPA. This squad's main puck burier is Baldur Poulsen who is on an astounding pace for over 2 points per game and is leading the league in points and goals so far. In net, their main man is Jonathan Bustard who has been stalwart so far with a solid 0.884 save percentage and 2.82 Goals Against Average which is outstanding considering that Halifax is scoring an Average of almost 5 goals per game. This team does not look like it is going anywhere so far and has high hopes for their season. The only question is if they can sustain this early success.
 
Next we have the Yukon Rush, our current western conference leader. This team is spearheaded by this years hot rookie; according to rjfryman's S79 draft rankings, Tyler Reinhart is this season's top draft pick and its easy to see why. In only 22 games, Reinhart is averaging over 2 points per game and is doing a solid job of staying on the ice consistently with only 14 penalty minutes so far which is often difficult for these young players. In net, S78's 4th overall pick in the VHLM draft and the number 2 prospect in the S79 rankings is Papa Emeritus. This tendie has been rock solid between the pipes for Yukon with a 0.886 save percentage and over thirteen hundred minutes played so far. Another notable prospect on this Yukon roster is Erlantz Jokinen. He is the second highest ranked defenseman of the class so far and although he has relatively low TPA for his position, he has averaged a full 12 capped TPE a week so far which will make him a steady consistent pick for the future.
 
Rounding out our top three we have the Minnesota Storm, a deadly team with a defense that isn't scared to bury the puck. The Storm have 3 defenseman with over 20 points and Jocke Jockesson, a young d-man that was drafted last season by the Los Angeles Stars, leads the team in assists and is 3rd in points, with 28 and 29 respectively. The main scoring threat for this team is Henri Le Massif whose averaging a little under a goal a game. Another note about this team: they are extremely deep. There are 5 players on this squad with double-digit goals which makes them a scary prospect on special teams. Finally, the Storm's netminder, Dexter Vaughn, is one of the top goalies in the league and it shows in his stat line. In 23 games, Dexter has a stunning 0.901 save percentage while averaging 30 saves a game while only allowing 2.75 goals against average.
 
 

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@Mistxh J and @Eldredman claiming week ending 6 June

John Baard is excited to get to a new start with the Houston Bulls. After his first game with the team he was quoted saying "I'm happy to just be here and have the opportunity to play some good hockey with a great group of guys. It was good to just get in there and start to find your sea legs; it's a little different each time settling into a new league. You just have to find your balance and settle into the new flow." This is after his first game against the Mississauga Hounds where Baard took a hooking penalty early on in the second period, while the Bulls were still only leading by a goal. This could have turned the tide for Mississauga if the Bulls stalwart penalty had not stopped them. This game leaves Houston 7th in the league and 4th in the western conference, with 29 points they are only two points behind the marlins and ready to make a playoff push.

Thoughts on Jarry's future for the Pens

Do u

I accept your offer
 

@gorlab and @jhatty8 made a couple collab sigs, one set with Gorlab creating the base and jhatty finishing the sig off, and the other set with the inverse. I will post both sets of bases and finished products in here, your job is to vote on which set you believe came together better. If you do not take this 100% seriously, I will find you, and I will kill you.
 
Okay now let's see the sigs!
 
1.
 
--->
 
2.
 
--->

#8SecondsToGlory
This is actually awesome because my last go around I played on the bulls and I still remember how great the group of guys was in the locker room. 

Quick post before I head out on vacation time!
 
THE BRATISLAVA WATCHMEN
 

@BostonBruinsFan1806

The Context
 
Ok, let’s just admit it. I love my Dynamos, but HC Davos is just not a good team – yet. Do they have some pieces? Yes. Are they in good hands with @GustavMattias? Yes. Is the future bright? Yes. But are they going anywhere this year, like for example the playoffs? No. Definitely not.
 
Let’s look at where we are now. Our record is 6-11-1 for a total of 13 points. This means we have lost twice as many games as we’ve won and over 72 games we would be projected to have a record of something like 24-47-1. Ouch! And we are dead last in the European Conference, though surprisingly only 3 points behind Helsinki who currently holds the final playoff spot. I don’t expect Helsinki to end the year like this, however. There IS a difference between a slow start and “just not there yet.”
 
We are not in last in the whole VHL though. There is a team at 3-13 (6 points). Poor Vancouver. Might should have started with a ping of the Wolves roster as this article might be a good read for them. But really I believe there are some good points for anyone who doesn’t find themselves playing for one of the powerhouse teams with a real chance at a Cup. And we’ll all find ourselves playing on that team at some point in our careers.
 
So how can a player on the Davos (or Vancouver or Moscow or Calgary or ….) have fun in the VHL?
 
Enjoy the Locker Room
 
For my money, this is the biggest key. If you are in the league only to win games and make personal highlight reels, you are missing at least half of the fun. Heck, just play solo FHM and watch the 2003 New Jersey Devils win the Cup over and over again. The VHL is really built on people and I don’t mean the players like my player, Luc Tessier. I mean the real people behind the fake players. Most of us are in the league to enjoy interacting with other hockey fans who share two common goals – winning games for their team and making the league better.
 
Hanging out in the LR and enjoying the banter about the sim, our players, the standings, but also about how our NHL teams are doing, what plans we have for the weekend, what’s happening at our jobs or schools, is the engine than makes the league work and what gives such enjoyment. Davos isn’t winning? Maybe, but look who just got a promotion at work! Look who just graduated from college!
 
Focus on League Story Lines
 
There is so much to follow here that almost no one has enough time to do it all. If that is you, pick the things that you get the most enjoyment from.
 
If you are not battling for a playoff spot, who is? How tight is that race? Is the lead for conference winner changing hands every other sim or is one team clinging to the lead? Are these top teams the expected ones or is someone surprising you? If so, investigate the roster and find out why. Maybe pick a favorite and be a fan of another team as well as your own. Then scan the box scores and look for their triumphs as much as you look for your own. Root them on … until they play you. When that time comes, play spoiler to their run. Take them down!!!
 
Or take a look at individual player races. Tessier is a rookie and is no where near the Top 5 boards in ANYTHING. But look for who is and follow the race. Just like the standings watch for teams, you can be a fan of individual players and cheer them on as they chase glory. Or look at it more analytically – is the lead changing hands or is one player running away with it. What is the difference in player builds between #1 and #5 in top goal scorers or best save percentage?
 
You can also watch the trade announcements. When a trade is on, take a look and see if you think one team totally won the deal or was it a more even affair. Think about why this trade was made. Was it to make each team better by filling a particular team need or what is a salary dump or was it a move to get a user on a particular team to make their experience more enjoyable or ….?
 
Then there is the opportunity to just browse and read the Media Spots. By the way, if you are still reading you have my very great thanks! I know when I read the Spots, I often learn something that makes my player better. Other times it’s just an interesting read about team analysis or the most recent draft and who “won”. Other times I just plain laugh out loud. We’ve got some really funny dudes and dudettes.
 
Focus on Team Improvement Over Place in Standings
 
Ok, so your team isn’t setting records for wins in a season. In that case, take a look at whether they are better than last year. Is the team moving forward? If so, that brings with it that most delicious aroma – hope. A struggling player or team can feast on hope until the time they can feast on on-ice success. Davos is projected for 24 wins at our current pace. We won 30 last season, so that could be considered a gut buster – a hope crusher. But not for me!
 
We’ve got some really young guys like Tessier on the squad and those guys are going to be exponentially better toward the end of the season than they are now. Going from 250 to 350 TPE makes more difference than going from 700 to 800, I’d propose. So now I get to watch my own little playoff race – not deciding whether Davos is in the post season, but to see whether the S78 Dynamos can chase down the S77 Dynamos. Go S78!
 
Also take a look at whether your team is losing by 4 goals or 1. Seeing those games get closer and closer until the scales tip in your favor can be very gratifying.
 
Focus on Player Build Goals
 
Every user should have interim goals for their player that they hit only to make loftier goals. Let’s say you have a goal of 85 in SC and DF and 75 in PH, SK, and PA. Watching your progress against those goals can be pretty satisfying. Sure the overall goal is to attain all 5 attribute increases, but celebrate each one. 85 SC – party time! 75 in SK with 70s in both PH and PA – party time! Once all these are attained – BIG PARTY TIME! And then new goals.
 
Focus on Player Highlights
 
This can come in two flavors. The first is firsts. (That was fun to say.) If you have a new player like my super green rookie, Luc Tessier, who was just over minors cap and jumped to the VHL, these come fast and furious at first. Luc’s first assist was on Reylynn Reinhart’s goal against Helsinki in game two. Way to get on the scoring board early, Luc! Luc’s first goal came at 11:30 of the first period against Prague in our 7th game and it put Davos up 1-0. It was a deflection off of Brian Moreaus’s blistering slapper and Luc has the puck sitting on the shelf over his bed as we speak. A moment he’ll never forget.
 
He’d like to forget the hooking penalty he took in his very first game in the VHL. Hopefully he can look back and laugh when he’s scoring 30+ goals and celebrating a Cup win with his HC Davos teammates.
 
Tessier is still chasing being named one of the three stars on the night and his first hattie. But it will be fun to look for!
 
The second kind of highlight is an individual performance. You want your team to win first and foremost, but even if it isn’t your first, a hat trick is pretty dang cool even in a loss. A career best for blocked shots in a game can help you leave the ice with your head held high even if your team lost 5-2.
 
Focus on Player On-Ice Improvement
 
There’s a lot more to enjoy even when your team isn’t performing as you would like, but I’ll end with this one. Just as you can focus on moving the needle as a team – going from 30 wins in one season to 40 in the next – you can focus on season to season improvement as a player. Tessier is only projected to score 16 goals this season. Actually, now that I think on it, I’m pretty happy with 16 goals in his rookie season. But more importantly, I can use that as a benchmark for next season. Especially early on in a player’s career, I like to keep a spreadsheet of player performance - # of goals, assists, points, shots, and blocked shots, and also shot and face off win percentages. Lots of fun watching season goals climb from 16 to 25 to 33 to maybe 40+? Great enjoyment watching that face off win rate climb from 40.8% (yikes!) to over 50% to … well, how high CAN it go?
 
A Final Thought
 
If you aren’t having fun because your team isn’t winning, are you doing all of this? And I get it, if you are starting to lose any interest, you might be less active in the LR. You might read fewer Media Spots if any. But that is the time to get more involved in the league, not less. I’m fairly convinced that the more you dive into the VHL and immerse yourself, the more fun you are going to have – and it’s mostly independent of how your team is doing in this one little brief moment of time.
 
1667 words - Claiming for weeks ending May 30, June 6, and June 13  

@DMaximus

Tweaked with a crown to give it that Reign vibe people suggested, I think it looks awesome!

THE RIGA REIGN (with a CROWN)
 

Okay this is dope asf

Game 79:
Miami Marauders vs. Mississauga Hounds

Game 80:
Las Vegas Aces vs. Halifax 21st

Game 81:
Philadelphia Reapers vs. Ottawa Lynx

Game 82:
Yukon Rush vs. Minnesota Storm

Game 83:
San Diego Marlins vs. Saskatoon Wild

Game 84:
Houston Bulls vs. Las Vegas Aces

Game 85:
Halifax 21st vs. Philadelphia Reapers

Game 86:
Saskatoon Wild vs. Mexico City Kings

Game 87:
Minnesota Storm vs. Mississauga Hounds

Game 88:
San Diego Marlins vs. Miami Marauders

Game 89:
Ottawa Lynx vs. Yukon Rush

Game 90:
Las Vegas Aces vs. Houston Bulls

Game 91:
Mississauga Hounds vs. Halifax 21st

Go to Standings

Day 6 is live as I struggle to figure out how to use the new go live tag thing on Discord Josh set up. I'm great at Discord!
 
 
 
Also......
 

Could have waited until next week, but it's memorial day weekend, I'm traveling to New York tomorrow for work, and then who knows where next week so I might as well dump it now while I'm at my computer. I think it's done, might mess with the text a little more, but I went in a direction and kept rolling with it. Didn't want to do lady liberty, that just get's too close to the Rangers alternate logo. Could have done the Liberty Bell, but I personally like this way more.

THE NEW YORK AMERICANS

 
     

The Houston Bulls have started the season well, with a 8-4-2 record, they are 6th in the 12 team league. They have lots of room for improvement, however that does not overshadow the play of their top players. Forward Cody Lachance is tied for the league lead in points, and is second in assists. He has lead their offense, with the help of Anze Miklavz's scoring talent to finish his passes. On the back end, their 8th overall pick in the draft, Milk Jugs, has been a star for the Bulls. He is 8th in the league in points by a defenseman, and is a stalwart on the back end. Another high scoring forward is Ryan Li, as he has 24 points in the 14 games played so far. Pretty even on assists and goals, Li is a guy that Houston can count on to support the team. With their goalie Aike van Giersbergen being solid in net, the Bulls have a chance to bring it to the next level this season and compete for the Founders Cup.
 
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