AJW

Review of the first three weeks I have been in the VHL. Three weeks have gone by since I first joined the VHL and it has been a pretty good time I must say. Everything has been rolling smoothly so I thought why not give a recap on my time here so far. A lot of people reading this are probably veterans to this forum so it might be nice to hear about a fresh start from a new player. Joining the League I joined the VHL after watching a YouTube ad and thought it looked interesting. It was also probably 3 in the morning and I was wide awake and bored. I created my player and made him 215 pounds at 5’10 thinking I made him 6’3, a great first start already. Then I added my TPE to attributes I thought would be helpful, not knowing that there are main attributes to target. I noticed I had a couple offers from GMs the next day I woke up. All of them said 3rd line minutes so it was basically just ‘pick which team looks cooler’. I picked Ottawa since I live the closest to there than any other teams and the logo looked nice. Later that day I signed with Ottawa and my career was off, starting in the VHLM at 54 base TPE and not knowing anything about the league. Week 1 - My Experience I’m pretty happy I chose the Ottawa Lynx as my starter team because I got an unreal GM in dlamb. He was really good at helping out and answering my questions. I found myself quickly learning what TPE was and every way possible to make it. Not knowing this right when I made my player, I clicked welfare thinking that the welfare and practice facility were my only options to upgrade my player. Also after learning that 250 TPE means you move onto the VHL, I did not feel too bad about clicking welfare because I figured I would just sit the VHLM forever and run the league. That thought changed quickly when I started to do articles, graphics, press conferences, etc. I gained an addiction to gaining TPE. In my first week I made 27 TPE from eight different tasks. Then I kind of put it through my brain that there’s more to life than the VHLM, upgrade and move onto the VHL. I was now determined to gain as much TPE as possible and my eyes were glued to the discord and forum for this whole first week. I even started prepping my Point Tasks for the next week in advance. Something I loved: I had something new and exciting that I liked and could keep me busy through Ontario’s shutdown order. Something I disliked: I had so much to learn. I wish I just knew everything already and could make a titan of a player. Week 1 - My Player’s Experience My player, AJ Williams, after signing to waivers with the Ottawa Lynx was thrown into his first game right away. My player was around 60 TPE and bottom of the team for skill. So the goal wasn’t to score a million goals in the first game. He got 4 points in 9 games which honestly isn’t that bad for basically a base player. By the end of the week he was an 81 TPE overall and starting to fit in more with the S79 recruiting class. Also, even though he had been on the team for like 3 days, the team picked him to be assistant captain which is pretty sweet. Week 2 - My Experience Week 2 was basically the same as Week 1 except I knew a little bit more on what to do. I had already typed up a Point Task on my first week in the VHLM from my player’s perspective. With 1000+ words I was set for the next two weeks for point tasks, no more welfare. I was still addicted to the grind and did a bunch of smaller tasks to max out my capped TPE as fast as possible. I even did some uncapped claims and bought a doubles week from the store with my contract money. At the end of the week I had reached 100 total TPE and got my first gen bonus, leaving week 2 with a whopping 31 TPE gained. I was pretty pumped that I got more than 30, and I was the leader for that week out of the whole league so I felt proud of myself for doing all those tasks. I was happy with where I was at and the potential my player had for growing. I was gaining upgrades really fast but I wanted more. I’m pretty sure I finished all my tasks by Tuesday that week and ended up searching for more ways to earn but nothing extra I could do. All in all it was a good week of hard work and learning. Something I loved: I was connecting with the community more, meeting new people and learning lots from them and my team. Felt very welcomed by everyone. Something I disliked: That capped TPE is a thing. Honestly I probably could have made 20 different Point Tasks, I was so determined. Now (week 4 of my career), I like that there is capped TPE because I would probably burn myself out quickly and not want to do any more tasks. Week 2 - My Player’s Experience After all of the upgrades I felt as if my player was fitting in more nicely. Getting up to triple digits for TPE was a relief, I did not think my player was bottom tier anymore. I do not know exactly how many points my player got but it was more than 0.5 points/game which was surprising to me. I was expecting to get 0.5 ppg all year. I guess my work on my tasks and upgrades to my players paid off. Week 3 - My Experience Boooooooring. I felt like I had nothing to do. I had a week of Point Task carryover, I did a vhl.com graphic for the Ottawa Lynx captains, and I had trivia TPE, ALL done from the week before… 10/12 capped claims done and the week just started. I then clicked on practice training, did two reviews on people’s graphics, and then was stumped. It was Monday and I had no idea what I should do for the rest of the week. Once Fantasy came out in the VHLM and VHL I did those, and Trivia came out so I did that. I’m now absolutely lost, I did not know what to do with my time. The VHL was supposed to keep me busy through this shutdown so I wouldn’t be bored 24/7. But then I thought maybe this is a good thing, maybe a week off of an addiction is a good thing. Wrong, it’s Wednesday of Week 3 at the time I’m writing this paragraph and I’m already doing this point task for next week… which will probably have carryover for another week after that. Funny how this system works. I will say though, the break took me away from the VHL and I went outside more since I was bored which is probably for the better. Something that I loved: Nothing, this week sucked, but the Jets won so that’s something. Something that I disliked: Everything, I was bored out of my mind not knowing what to do with myself. Week 3 - My Player’s Experience Although my VHL experience through week 3 was not good, my player’s were. First of all, after two weeks he had already climbed into the top twelve of the S79 VHL recruitment class rankings. I thought it would take longer but maybe my player’s just ‘built different’. The weekly TPE gained was at an all time low - 14. This is no shock, all the uncapped and career tasks had been done already. But it would be nice to see it in the twenties every week, do not know if that is possible though. Conclusion The first three weeks had it’s glory moments but also tough times. I am really happy to be part of this community and hope to stay for a while. Thanks for reading if you did, hopefully you enjoyed it. #DRAFTHYPE (1395 words, Using PT for weeks June 20, June 27)

I have recruited @Xalen11 and @PistolP , both have passed 100 TPE Please quote to confirm

1. Has this season gone as you would've hoped for your player? This season has been pretty decent for my player. I didn’t have high expectations coming into the season so I think it’s alright. 2. For Season 79 draftees, have you received any interviews yet from VHL teams? For drafted players, what do you hope to accomplish in the VHL with your team, and when do you think you'll go up? I have received one interview so far, pretty cool and exciting stuff. 3. What's been the best part of the VHL (game overall) for you so far? Looking at the stats after a sim and seeing points beside your player’s name is amazing. 4. Who do you want to win the Stanley Cup of the remaining teams (Golden Knights, Canadiens, Islanders, Lightning)? Being Canadian it would be nice to see the Habs win. 5. What do you enjoy doing now that summer is almost officially here? Working, I’m at school all year and summer time is when I get to work. Love my job. 6. Favorite music band? No favourite band, but Morgan Wallen is one of my favourite artists.

Ah you're probably right, guess my second player will be the one lol

My thoughts on the VHLE as a S79 first generation player As a new member to the VHL community, I think it would be nice for older players to see what a first generation player thinks of the new league, the VHLE. I have not been around for long and do not know everything about the system, so I am writing this pretty open minded to the concept of the new league. First off, I love the concept of a new middle class type of league. I think this brings more competition to the entire community. I also really like how it is based in Europe. Canadian teams and leagues are all I know so it will be cool for my player to be able to play in a league that is unknown to me, kind of like the KHL (I think that is the European league). Living in Ontario the VHLE to me seems like the AHL, this new league can have room for players that are not competitive enough for the big leagues yet, but ready to move on from the juniors. This also brings into play a better league for welfare players. I know that if I was living off welfare for my whole career I would never be the best in the VHL. In the VHLE though, there’s a chance that I can be the best even when depreciation comes since I would probably have banked TPE waiting. I have friends who only do welfare and sometimes trivia and press conferences, but since they never do point tasks their player will never be the best. In the VHLE though with a 400 TPE cap, it is very much possible they can be at the top of their class while still in a competitive league since there will only be six teams. At the moment my player is in his first season of the VHLM around 130 TPE. It is exciting for me to know that when the VHLE is ready to happen, my player will also be ready to graduate from the VHLM and move on to a different league that does not have players with 700+ TPE who are way better than my player. It is also really exciting with all the buzz around the community. Everyone is talking about concepts, teams, logos and more for the VHLE that I will get to be one of the first people to be a part of. It seems that most people like the idea and are all for it, but some do not and that is obviously like most things in life, you can not make everyone happy. I really hope that the VHLE gets the same amount of hype as the VHLM and VHL. Being the middle league I do not want it to be like the middle child in the family if that makes sense. The VHLM is so exciting with new players every week, not knowing who will be the next Crosby and shine through their career or who will be the next Yakupov and screw a team over. The excitement of young players will always be there. The VHL is obviously the most hype since it is the big leagues, everyone watches it since it is the best of the best battling every night. Then there’s the VHLE, the AHL league. I do not know anyone who watches AHL hockey to be fair. So I just pray that the VHLE does not get shadowed by the other two leagues. There’s a few of my thoughts, nothing crazy. I am very excited for this new league and I hope most people are too. (609 words)

This reminds me a bit of the Sarnia Sting in the OHL. Good name, sounds natural. The graphic is good too I like the three players jersey swaps and the effects. 9/10

I really like the logo on the chest and the shoulders that say iron. The effects, text, VHLE logo all look really good this graphic is awesome. Berlin Iron would be a cool team in my opinion. 9/10

1. Theme week is upon us, and this season's theme is the VHLE. What do you plan on doing, either an article or graphic, etc.? This is a great opportunity to get 6 capped TPE as well as 6 uncapped for 1 point task! I plan to do an article. Was thinking of making one from my player’s POV most likely. 2. We have lost our playoff spot to Mexico City -- for now. Do you think we could make an unexpected run this year if we secure a spot down the stretch? I think we can make it, everyone’s grinding the tpe and getting better every week. 3. This week is also trade deadline week. Any suggestions (general) on what you might like to see happen? Any needs, etc.? I’d say we’re good where we are, maybe getting first round picks for players could be good but I’m not sure. 4. For undrafted players, what is your dream team to go to in the VHL? For drafted players, how much are you looking forward to playing in the VHL, with the franchise that drafted you? I don’t have a dream team, I’ll be happy with any team that drafts me. 5. What's the ideal build of your player? In other words, where do you hope you'll get to eventually, either attribute-wise, or the type of player you want to be overall? Maxed defence and scoring is the dream. 6. What is your favorite movie of all time, or your favorite movie genre? Night at the Roxbury, I’ve seen it so many times

1. Just yesterday, we sent two very good players, defender Kirby Pandora and center Jlloyoid Blloyoiderson to Halifax for a 1st, 2nd, and 4th round pick. Thoughts on this trade? It’s definitely sad to see teammates get traded away, but it’s all apart of the business. This year especially we aren’t a founder’s cup team so I think getting those draft picks was a good move for the future. 2. We lost to Philly today, 3-1, but did beat Mexico City, 5-3. Some games our offensive game shines, while others our defense prevails. What aspect, offense or defense, has been better overall this season, in your opinion? What part of our game can improve? I’ve found we’ve had a lot of games where we score 1 or 2 goals. We need to get our offence clicking because our goalies can stand on their heads every game but us getting 1 goal doesn’t help them. 3. What do you think of your development as a player? Would more detailed TPE instruction help anyone out at all? I think my player is coming along nicely. I’ve been figuring out all the ways to get the most TPE every week and putting it towards meaningful attributes on my player. 4. Currently we sit at 4th in the East, 6 and 7 points ahead of Miami and Mississauga, respectively. Do you think we can hold onto that last playoff spot? I think we can hold, I believe we’re better than those two teams. Just have to lose less games than them. 5. Have you ever visited another country? If so, where, and how was it? If not, where do you hope to travel to someday? I’ve never travelled, been a home body forever. When I finish school I plan to do some travelling though. I’ve always thought places like Sri Lanka and New Zealand would be sweet to visit. 6. What did you think of the Leafs surrendering a 3-1 series lead to Montreal? Reminds me, be sure to fill out your predictions for Round 2, Winnipeg vs Montreal (if you haven't): Don’t care about Toronto or Montreal. Winnipeg will run either team through the ground.

Happy pride month! I never really put much thought into pride month until my sister came out a couple years ago. Didn’t realize what she goes through and how hard it can be to express herself without people criticizing her for who she is. Ever since society started opening up to the LGBTQ community she has been able to be her true self and finally have a community she can connect with. I’m so proud of her and I hope everyone feels loved and appreciated always.

This Graphic is perfect just because you used the Jets. But the Titans colours fit well with it so that's good. I like the fuzzy affect you used over it too. I don't see anything wrong with this graphic I like it. 10/10

Little late but here they are.

Dang Q this is nice! The editing is good you would think this is from a real life draft. Even got your real draft round and number in there too which is good. Kept the Graphic super HD and sharp looking and I love it. 10/10

Claiming 2/2 (June 6)

I love this, super unique to what I’ve seen from other graphics. I don’t know how a black and white graphic pops so much with the few other colours but it does. Great job! 10/10

Great graphic. Really like the blending and how flashy this looks to me. Feels like your player pops right at me which I like. 9/10

+ 10 AJ Williams

I'm sorry for your loss, we're all here for you whenever you need it.

Come to Ottawa

1. How do you feel we've been doing lately? We are currently in a playoff position, but with a 4-9 record. What do you think we could improve upon? Going into the season I don’t think we thought we were going to be the best team in the league. I’m happy that we’re in a playoff position and not last place. I believe we can move up the standings even more. 2. Are you happy with your player's recent performance? My first season expectations was to get an average of a point every two games, and that’s what I’m achieving right now. I feel like I’m helping the team out the most I can as a player with less than 100 TPE. 3. What do you all think about the announcement of a third league, the VHLE (Europe)? Is it something you'd be interested in in the future? I’m excited for it. Don’t know if it’ll be good or bad. I love hearing everyone chat about it and hear their opinions. If I play in the VHLE I wouldn’t be mad about it at all. 4. Any goal song suggestions for the Lynx? Sunday Best by Surfaces 5. Who do you think will win Lord Stanley's Cup? How far can your team go? If you don't follow the NHL, what are you watching that you enjoy this time of year? Colorado has been a strong team all season and I love Playoff Nate. I hope they win the cup. I love the jets and I think they’ll beat the oilers first round but won’t go too far after that. 6. Have you played any online sim games like the VHL? This is my first online sim game.

Great review, I’ll definitely put some time into formatting for my next article. Thank you!

AJ Williams’ First Week in the VHLM The first week of my VHLM career has been an absolute blast fuelled by the great teammates, coaches, and community of the VHL/M. It’s crazy to think of how much I have learned, how many relationships I have built, and all of the new people I have met in such a short time. I plan on playing in this league for a long time after the great first impression I have gotten. My career started off on a random Tuesday morning when I decided I should join the VHLM in hopes of pursuing my professional hockey career. I was so thrilled when I made the call to join the league and instantly get an offer to play for the Ottawa Lynx. I had just missed the draft so I was a free agent, up for any team who wanted me. I had been told by friends and coaches that accepting the first offer is not the best idea, waiting to see what your options are is the smart move, but I did not care. Overcome with excitement I accepted the offer from the Lynx and the next thing you know I was chatting one on one with the GM. He was a very welcoming guy and I instantly knew I picked the right place to be. I then signed my first entry level contract and was now part of the VHLM. After the signing, I headed to the locker room to meet all of my new teammates. I did not know any of them right away but after a couple of days I had chatted with all of them at least once. They are a good group of guys and I am very excited to spend the season with them. After that I did a lot of talking with the GM. He said to come to him anytime I needed to, for anything, and that I did. I probably asked him a million questions; “how can I improve my game?”, “what are and where is everything I need to know?”, “who’s who?”... I felt like I was bombarding and overwhelming him with questions but he had all the answers to everything which helped me get on my feet fast. I did as much training and researching as I could the first day in order to figure out how to succeed in this league to eventually take on the big show, the VHL. But this is only my first week and I've got plenty of time until then. After an insanely busy first day, I was already lacing up my skates for our first game and home opener against the Miami Marauders. I did not know what to expect, I have only been in the league for one day and do not know how good all the teams are, so I went into the game free minded just hoping for the best. I was pretty nervous though, I can not lie, and I think the stat line showed those feelings because I put up a big goose egg in the point category in a 3-2 loss. I guess I can not expect to show up big every game, and this was my first one, so I did not let it get to me. The second and third game went a lot more smoothly as I got an assist in both games. We won one game and lost the other. It was a lot more comforting to know I got my first points but also that the team got their first win of the season. Now game 4 is a game I will never forget, we played the Mississauga Hounds and were up 4-3 in the third period. With 11 minutes left to play in the game we get a power play and my coach puts me in. I do not even remember how it happened, it is all a blur already because my adrenaline shot through the roof the second I saw the puck leave my stick and hit the back of the net. It was the best feeling ever. I am sure the crowd was going crazy and the goal horn was loud but I could not even hear it over my screams of excitement. We won that game 5-4 and my first ever VHLM goal was the game winner. I did not think my time in the league could get any better than what it was at that moment. The next morning I woke up to an announcement posted from our Ottawa Lynx GM about this season’s captains for the team. To my surprise my name was listed, I was the new assistant captain for the Lynx. I felt as if I was too new to the team and the other players who had been there longer deserved the honour, but I was not going to turn the leadership role down. I guess my impact on the team has already been shown and I have the trust from my management and teammates which made me feel well appreciated. I was going to make sure I was dedicated to the team and my game now that I have people looking up to me at all times to be a leader in this great organization. With all of these highs in my career already, the lows were sure to come. And they did come. The next five games all resulted in losses for the Lynx squad. Halifax slapped us around in a 7-1 embarrassment, Philadelphia had their fun with us leaving our arena with a 5-1 win in their pockets, Minnesota showed us who’s boss in a back to back matchup winning 6-4 and 6-2. Then we faced Mississauga who we beat earlier in the season, but this time they got the best of us in a 5-4 victory. I left all 5 games with nothing to show for, no points, and a -6 plus/minus stat. A hard couple games for sure, but with my leadership role as an assistant captain I did not let it affect me and team morale in the locker room. There is a long season ahead and I made sure my teammates know that a couple bumps in the road does not determine the final result. The Ottawa Lynx may not be the best team in the VHLM at the moment, but I am positive we will turn people’s heads when we make it to the playoffs. It is a lot of confidence coming from a new player to the league, but I have faith in the men I sit beside in the locker room everyday. So there it is, my first week in the VHLM. It went by so quickly in my books with all of the fun I have had so far. Even with the tough times the team and I experienced in the last half of my first week, I am fully determined to keep pushing ahead and not dwell on the past. There’s a long road ahead for me and I am extremely excited as to what it will bring me. (1171 Words, using PT for weeks May 30, June 6)

Are VHLM players able to do this or just VHL?

Great review, great name, amazing smile lmao