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Answering three questions gets you 1 Capped TPE Answering six questions gets you 2 Capped TPE -- 1. A few games left on the season. What's your biggest takeaway so far? 2. Calgary's fighting for the playoffs, with a high probability of success. Still on the hunt for the 3rd position, but could be 6th. Where do you think the team will go? 3. Playoff hockey is always different. Can the team adapt? 4. Reports came out about management trying to bring in a more experienced goalie such as Merome Dilson or Karl Herzlich. How would that have impacted the team's season? 5. After a couple of seasons on the outside, Calgary, one of the most storied franchises in the VHL could have the chance to bring the Continental home. Any words for the fans? 6. Toilet paper; over or under? -- Player Ping

What's your favorite task as the VHL historian? What are your favorite pieces of information you've found? What's your favorite HoF sheet? Do you have any new (VHL Historian) projects in the works?

If you go to your image and copy the direct address, you can embed the image into the forum. You'll have something like this: https://i.imgur.com/u0hUbQ5.jpeg and it'll embed automatically.

The situation could always change for the second half of the season!

THIS IS NOT A PAYOUT THREAD. CLAIMING THIS WILL LEAD TO A PAYOUT REDUCTION. -- Groups (Direct Link) -- Group Detail (Direct Link) -- User Ranking (Direct Link)

Breaking into the VHL ranks can be challenging for any player, even more for a rookie, especially if you're part of a draft class already hailed as one of the best ever. The transition from VHLM or VHLE to the pros demands more than just skill. It needs physical and mental toughness, speed and intensity, and decision-making ability under pressure. For many rookies, the first season is as much about survival as it is about trying to make an impact. However, in a stacked draft class, standing out becomes even more difficult. Each player must find their way, showcase their talents, and prove that they can handle the grind of a full VHL season. While some rookies might make an immediate splash, others may take time to adjust, gradually finding their rhythm as the season progresses. As we track this season's rookies, the race for the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy is shaping up to be the start of many seasons of eager competition between this class. With so many talented players emerging from what could be a historic draft class, the leaderboard is constantly shifting, and the title of "Rookie of the Season" is up for grabs. -- 1. Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen 29 Games Played, 15 Wins, 0.919 SV%, 2.47 GAA, 1 SO. 2. Maverick Goncalves 37 Games Played, 19 Goals, 21 Assists, +42 Plus/Minus, 130 Hits, 7 Shots Blocked. Tied at the hip, Aleksanteri and Maverick are the current favorites for the Stolzschweiger. Playing in two different positions and different situations could make it difficult for the voting committee. Midway into the season, both have made their statement, with Maverick playing for the league-leading Menace and sliding into one of the best lines around the league, he's thriving. He leads the rookies in goals and assists and leads the league in plus/minus. He has shown that he is ready for the physical game in the VHL after a couple of seasons in the VHLE, and he is now part of the league's top 10 in hits. Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen isn't a name you'd expect to see on this list at the beginning of the season, but the Finnish has shown his worth. 3rd in Goals Allowed and 5th in GAA are key factors for this position, but he will need to keep that going if he wants to keep this spot. He's 10th in wins and save percentage. But with only 16 goalies around the league, those results won't keep Aleksanteri at the top of this list. -- 3. Lazlo Holmes 36 Games Played, 11 Goals, 21 Assists, -39 Plus/Minus, 36 Hits, 128 Shots Blocked. 4. Pombo 36 Games Played, 14 Goals, 15 Assists, -8 Plus/Minus, 70 Hits, 16 Shots Blocked. 5. Pierre Marc Bouchard 36 Games Played, 13 Goals, 16 Assists, +7 Plus/Minus, 8 Hits, 10 Shots Blocked. 6. Wally Lose 36 Games Played, 13 Goals, 20 Assists, -16 Plus/Minus, 35 Hits, 22 Shots Blocked. There's certainly a gap between the first two and this group. Apart from Bouchard, these players are with lower-rated teams and have been allowed every chance to succeed. Holmes is playing for the worst team in the league, but that hasn't stopped them from having an immediate impact. Pombo and Lose, both playing for the Stars, have had a similar impact on the team, but it seems like Pombo has become more comfortable and the stats show it. Unlike the others, Bouchard is playing for a contender and that creates some difficulties, but he's shown glimpses of his ability and no doubt will become increasingly more comfortable as the season progresses. These four players are just behind the top 2 and could easily jump to this tier above if they can start a small streak of great performances. -- 7. Alexandros Mograine 37 Games Played, 9 Goals, 20 Assists, -18 Plus/Minus, 74 Hits, 15 Shots Blocked. 8. Med 36 Games Played, 15 Goals, 17 Assists, -29 Plus/Minus, 77 Hits, 20 Shots Blocked. 9. Jillian Jacobs 37 Games Played, 8 Goals, 20 Assists, -5 Plus/Minus, 47 Hits, 83 Shots Blocked. 10. Erik Thorvaldsson 36 Games Played, 5 Goals, 22 Assists, -10 Plus/Minus, 77 Hits, 101 Shots Blocked. Another group of four playing in different situations, with two players from previous draft classes that have found their way into the league this season. Mograine and Med are playing in similar situations with both their teams rebuilding for the future. One can ask if they would be in this position if their teams were contending or whether they would have a place on a contending team. In any case, they've made their presence felt on two of the weakest teams in a weak European Conference. Jacobs, however, comes in as a highly-touted prospect, a possible number 1 draft selection in the S94 VHL Draft, but unlike Maverick, has not found their footing as quickly. Playing for the Moscow Menace, Jillian isn't part of that extraordinaire first line, instead leading the team's defensive efforts on her own. She deserves this spot and can easily jump over Mograine, and Med, and enter the tier above. In 10th, Erik Thorvaldsson, a respectable defenseman from the Los Angeles Stars, but it seems like he should be doing a bit more to help the team offensively, even if they are not that type of player. He's had plenty of opportunities and taken some of them, but without improvement, this 10th place could be Felicia Hardy's. -- Honorable Mentions: Felicia Hardy, Jorgen Lovstrom, Roger Eagles. Outside the top 10, we have these three players, but we should split them in two. Felicia Hardy deserves to be in the top 10. Playing in that situation in Davos and behaving as she is, entitles her to that. Lovstrom's situation is interesting because it should create moves in this list, depending on what happens in the future. Compared to Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen, Lovstrom would be number 1 and favorite for this award, but without playing time on his glove, there's not much the committee can do. Roger Eagles was the number 1 prospect on everybody's boards but ended up drafted 3rd into a situation where he could thrive and jump to the VHL immediately. So he did and how well the young Pole has played, matching Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen's performances. Eagles goes to show how close our number 1 rookie is to leaving the top 10 and how volatile this ranking can be. Users mentioned

Delightful read!

Hanshin Tigers with the number one stadium? They have a few games while I'm in Osaka, so pairing it with a small trip to Kobe would be nice! I don't want to bore my wife too much with baseball, but I want to catch a few games! I'm very excited about our trip to Japan, I hope I can enjoy it to the fullest while we're there! (I just noticed your location is "Japan" so I might be asking some questions )

Joined: August 5th, 2018 Inducted: S91 Class, December 27th, 2023 Positions Held: VHLE Commissioner, VHL GM, member of the BoG -- Two weeks ago, on August 5th, @Enorama celebrated his 6th VHL birthday. For as much this article is supposed to be about the newly inducted builder, it's also a way for the writer to leave their mark on our beautiful Hall of Fame. The last time I wrote a builder article, one of the first things I did was go to that inducted builder's forum profile and scroll through their activity around the league. There were 489 pages of activity then, but this time, I didn't want anything like that. After almost eight months, one would expect this article to have a more decisive opening, much like Eno's entry into the league. Through Ryan Kastelic, Enorama started building his legacy in the league, but you don't live only from your players in the VHL, even though Kastelic's career TPE total was, for a long time, at the top of the all-time leaderboard. And for good measure. Enorama's efforts with Kastelic were one of the best seen, not only in terms of earning but recruiting new users for the league. His pre-draft antics rewarded him with being drafted 1st overall by the Riga Reign, but most excitingly, he was the first first-gen drafted at that spot in thirty seasons! Although Kastelic wasn't inducted into the VHL's Hall of Fame, Eno's efforts turned them into the first (and only, before 9-season careers) player to earn 2,000 TPE. After Ryan Kastelic, Eno's has had a few more players: George Washington, Ryan Schwarz, Ryan Vidot, and today, Ryan Artyomov. By now, you think Enorama's a bit narcissistic and lacks creativity when naming his players, and guess what? You're right. Unfortunately, none of these players achieved the ultimate goal of reaching the Hall of Fame. However, a builder induction without a Hall of Famer further speaks about the extracurricular work Enorama has done. In eight seasons, Enorama went from first-gen extraordinary to founder of a VHL franchise, the D.C. Dragons. Not only that but Eno Rama was appointed the team's General Manager and held the position for almost twenty seasons. From season 68 to 87, Eno led the Dragons through thick and thin, being honored with the David Knight Trophy in season 70 and rewarded, after hard work, with the Continental Cup in season 85. During his time as the leader of the Dragons, the league was in a state of flux, with the "Meta Wolves" emerging as a significant presence. They became the subject of extensive discussion among the league members for their alleged exploit of the STHS game engine, which is still used to this day. Why? The VHL's Board of Governors worked behind the scenes to address the potential risk of multiple teams exploiting the same issues. Enorama played a pivotal role in creating a more balanced and leveled field by testing and refining the new hybrid attributes introduced in season 83. As this happened in September 2022, just four years after joining the league, Enorama was announced as the newest VHLE commissioner. A league more hotly contested than the Wolves was established during the global pandemic. After being introduced in September 2021, the league added Enorama to the ranks before season 86, who's now been at the helm for almost ten seasons. Actively involved in the league since joining, best all-time earner, team banners around the league, General Manager of a VHL franchise for almost twenty seasons, VHLE commissioner for half of that, and prominent roles in league-shifting moments - it's no surprise he's carved out such an impressive legacy. Six years may not seem like a long time, but Enorama has achieved so much in the league that it feels like he's been there much longer. And he's not finished yet.

I appreciate you just as much! We'll live and die by that max-earning sword and @Spartan will reap the rewards. Cheers!

As the title suggests, I'd like to maximize my opportunities in the next couple of weeks. In fairness, I'd like to get as much done as possible before I go on vacation to avoid thinking about the VHL too much. With Maverick's rookie experience completed and this being the last .com article written against the uncapped package, it's time to write that long overdue Hall of Fame story for @Enorama. I'm shamelessly pinging to increase the pressure. Will I avoid thinking about sim leagues? Who knows! I might even consider joining the Pro Baseball Experience, considering where I'm going. Should I join after I get excited about watching the Carps play live? Should I go somewhere else as well? If anyone reads this, have you ever gone to a game in the Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium? I want to go to the Kyocera and/or Tokyo Dome too! Worth it? What about a small trip to Yokohama? I digress, but yes - let's get that free week.

When you are born into a hockey family and develop into one of the most highly touted prospects ever, the expectations are enormous. Growing up in a household with a hockey tradition means you're groomed from a young age to find success. Your family name carries weight and, with it, the pressure to live up to the legacy. It can be a double-edged sword, for as many opportunities it gives you, the comparisons can bring you down. You benefit from insider knowledge, mentorship, and a vital support system, but fans and media tend to have high hopes. Maverick is proud to follow the family tradition and, at the same time, anxious to meet the expectations. His progress is followed keenly, and every game, goal, and even a single slip is followed more closely than it would have been for other players. A third into the season, Maverick is not only living up to expectations but exceeding them. It's unusual to find a first-round draft selection in a position to succeed early on in his career. Still, Maverick has found himself in a position to do so, and his background is, undoubtedly, helping him in that. While his aunt, Catia, leads the Calgary Wranglers, Maverick has been a solid contributor on a Moscow team that's favored to clinch the European conference. "Memento Mori." For Maverick, it serves as a reminder of life's briefness and the importance of making the most of every moment. It is a powerful motivational expression for someone with high standards, and it has urged Maverick to play with intention and fight to succeed under pressure. He's determined to leave a mark on the league, knowing his time in the spotlight is limited. By remembering he won't have forever to prove himself, he's worked even harder. Ultimately, it serves as a reminder to make his ice time count. Because of that, Maverick has set his sights on the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy, awarded to the player considered the best rookie in the VHL. Maverick demonstrates with each game that he is not only carrying on the family legacy but also starting one of his own. He is among the favorites for the award because of his outstanding performances. He has demonstrated that he is more than just a name - he is a player who will leave his mark on the league. It's another chapter within a story we anticipate to be much longer. Maverick is poised to take the Goncalves name further than it's ever been.

The Calgary Wranglers are one of the most storied franchises in the VHL. One of the original eight, the Albertan team found success early on and used its status to win ten Continental Cups to this day. Having a jersey retired with this franchise and being inducted into the team's Hall of Fame is a feat worthy of celebration. Today's induction is particularly special, not just because it honors a career marked by exceptional talent and leadership but also because it recognizes a legacy that has long deserved this moment in the spotlight. This induction is more than just a formality. It's recognition of the dedication, special moments, and influence that extends beyond any simulation. The individual player we honor today has exemplified excellence and embodied the values and passion that define the Calgary Wranglers. As we look back on the storied career of this remarkable person, we celebrate their accomplishments and the indelible mark they've left on the team. Our all-time regular-season leader in hits, shots blocked, and tied for all-time regular-season games played with Sterling Labatte. Please join me in retiring the number 92 and welcoming Phil Strasmore, @Phil, to the Calgary Wranglers Hall of Fame.