An editor's note
(written by @leandrofg)
As you can see by now, the VHLM Illustrated has changed a bit, but before diving into that, we have some people to thank.
To @Mr_Hatter, on behalf of @nurx and myself, I'd like to thank you for your commitment to the VSN and this project in particular. If it weren't for the initial support, this project wouldn't stand where it is, and I wouldn't be part of the VSN project.
To everyone involved in the first edition of this project, a big thank you as well.
To @Alex, we must thank you for your support regarding the second edition of the magazine. Not only did he support this movement, but he backed that support with full integration within the VSN umbrella.
This new structure has allowed us to do things a little differently. @nurx and I will now co-lead this project, editing intermittently between the two. The magazine will be posted directly on the forum on a regular two-week schedule and will start covering more subjects than the VHLM.
Today, we introduce the coverage of the VHLE. And with this new scope of opportunities, we continue to look for new talent to add to this project. Could that be you?
Lastly, I want to confirm that you read the title correctly. This is the last edition of the VHLM Illustrated, but it won't be the last time you see this team publishing.
Two weeks from today, on September 20th, @nurx will lead the crew in publishing the first edition of the rebranded VHLM Illustrated.
Road to the Draft, with the San Diego Marlins
(article written by @kirbithan)
Draft day is one of the most highly-anticipated events of any season in the VHLM. General Managers have their hands filled with tasks to check off and unique routines they follow daily in their journey to the VHLM Draft. Recently, we sat down with San Diego Marlins GM, Jacob, @jacobcarson877, and took a deep dive into the mindset of a VHLM General Manager throughout the entire draft process. At the same time, we met a rising star that has been through his system by the name of Sadie St-Louis.
This is the Road to the Draft: San Diego Marlins’ edition.
Jacob has been a staple of the VHL community since his arrival in July 2020. And is now about to wrap up his first complete season as GM for the Marlins. Since taking the reins in San Diego, he has made a splash in scoping out proven talents and diamonds in the rough alike.
The preparation for the draft starts at the beginning of the season. As new players join the community, Jacob prioritizes reaching out to them and offering his services as a mentor to anybody willing to take the opportunity. As a General Manager who never hesitates to take new players under his wing, Jacob begins to keep tabs on potentially valuable assets through a meticulously organized spreadsheet— the following quote further explains his scouting routine:
“I can watch people start out max-earning and fizzle out, or watch someone quietly plugging away earning their welfare and practice facility week in and week out. Average capped TPE earning per week is also one of my main ways of sorting players, especially over larger timespans. I also like to send out a feeler message to each of the active candidates and the inactive candidates who had impressive runs, just to see where they’re at and how they feel about joining my team going into the draft.”
Jacob’s jumpstart at acquiring valuable information about potential draftees is essential in his journey to drafting the next big superstar. Merely by reaching out to these players, he has been able to uncover information such as who is moving up to the VHLE, who is retiring their players, and those who have teammates they want to reunite with come draft time.
He’d also mentioned feeling sorrow after opposing GMs “steal all of the great players he’s scouted,” but pride in the fact that he built meaningful relationships with these players. He now watches them grow from afar and is looking forward to watching them thrive on their new teams.
A prime example of one of Jacob’s Season 84 recruits who has exploded through the TPE leaderboard throughout the last few weeks is Sadie St-Louis, @sadie. Sadie joined the VHL community at the end of July 2022 and has earned consistently throughout her short time in the league. She was a member of the San Diego Marlins squad that consisted primarily of waiver signings and is also one of few who have already made a big splash in the VHLM.
Like many other players, Sadie has a routine she follows to earn her share of TPE for the week and has taken the league by storm since playing under Jacob’s system. She was the first Season 84 Marlin recruit to hit 100 TPE as a consistent max-earner.
She typically works on her point tasks throughout the week so she can juggle her real-life responsibilities. She uploads her main point task and press conference on Sundays. Collects trivia and practice facility at the beginning of the week and then submits her supplemental task at the end. In our interview with Sadie, she further explained her vision of what GMs could expect if they were to select her in the draft:
“I’d like to think many GMs have noticed that I earn TPE pretty consistently… I try to be pretty helpful and friendly in locker rooms and servers, which some of them may have seen. I also have had good experiences in pre-draft interviews with them so far.”
At the time of this article’s publication, the VHLM draft has concluded. On behalf of the staff at VHLM Illustrated, I wish the San Diego Marlins, Jacob, and Sadie the best of luck in their future endeavors in the VHLM and beyond! (Word count: 723)
A look into the Junior Showcase Tournament
(article written by @Oli-La-Poutine)
The annual Junior Showcase Tournament is finally over, and this edition brought a lot of unexpected and exciting twists! Let’s not forget that this year's competition featured a late expansion due to an overflowing pool of available talents. Therefore each team had to submit a last-minute protections list and one GM to assemble a team out of the released players. That's how the Delhi Pickles was created.
But first, on behalf of all the VHLM Illustrated crew, I would like to congratulate this year's tournament champion Team Brigade. What a spectacular performance and I'll be waiting to see where those players will end up in the upcoming S85 VHLM entry draft!
Team Steel was led by rookie GM, @aimkin. They had an average performance during the tournament, finishing mid-pack in the standing. As the 4th seeded team, they entered the elimination round playing against the third-seeded Team Royals. They lost the series 4-1, which made them the first team to eat the dust.
According to GM Aimkin, she had a hard time designing her team with the pool of top talent she drafted on higher rounds. With such introspection, I got a strong feeling that Aimkin will find success and reach a higher step if she is to take the reign of Team Steel in next year's JST edition.
As mentioned previously, the Delhi Pickles faced a particular challenge being part of a last-minute expansion. The commissioners needed a veteran at the head of the process, so they awarded the franchise to GM, @Lemorse7.
The GM boasts a well-rounded curriculum vitae. He has been the active AGM of the Malmo Nighthawks since S82 and was Team Clue's GM for the past two editions. He also led the S81 WJ team world and made three ProAm management appearances.
As for this year's Junior Showcase Tournament, the Pickles finished second to last with the fifth position and lost to the Warriors in the first round in seven games. When asked if the expansion procedure did affect the team, GM Lemorse was irresolute. "WJC uses a similar process to fill the teams. But it was my first true expansion. It is as challenging as the regular entry draft".
Still, it was a surprise to see the Pickles defeated in that seventh game, but Lemorse explained, "We didn't play full 60 minutes games, and we didn't give 100%. That's how you lose by one goal. We just didn't fight hard enough."
Team Warriors featured another rookie GM in @Jason kranz. They had a shaky start and a hard time finding their groove in the qualifying games, thus finishing dead last in the standings. But the Warriors managed to surprisingly make a semi-final appearance after winning a fierce battle in seven against the Pickles.
The Warriors lost in four games against the S83 champion team Brigade in the second round. A team they had faced a lot in the tournament, finding little to no success. According to GM Jason, they fought hard, losing many of those matchups by one goal.
With consistent performances night after night, the Royals stayed above the .500 win-lose ratio and finished top three in the prequel. Just a couple of points shy from the bye week, the Royals had to face team Steel in the first round. They beat Aimkin's squad in five games, making them the first team to reach the ace's square. Having to face a rested team Clue, they put in a decent performance against the second-seeded team, but it wasn't good enough. Team Royals got stopped in six.
The Royals featured yet another rookie GM in @TopTiddee2. And, of the three newcomers, he had the best record and competition performance.
As discussed in the recap interview, Johnson approached his first management task by contacting an experienced GM. Seeking advice left and right, the Royals leader came fully prepared for the entry draft. However, Johnson did admit he had a hard time figuring out his line-up, which may have affected his team’s performance late in the tournament.
@Trunkxolotl, former JST AGM, put an exciting squad together. They challenged top-ranking teams throughout the first round and finished as the second seed. They disputed the semi-finals against team Royals, which they defeated in six games. Many believed they had the workforce to win. Unfortunately, team Clue started 0-3, and even with wins in games four and five, they couldn't secure another win to push the series to a seventh game.
Trunk confidently took Team Clue’s reign after Lemorse’s departure. With some added WJC experience, he headed to the entry draft with the first pick and a handful of other high-round opportunities. As stated by himself, this helped him to build the line-up he meticulously designed before the draft.
GM Trunk did his homework and it showed, as the chemistry was instantaneous. Team Clue was fantastic but shy of a first-pair defenseman to be able to defeat the Brigade.
At last, the cream of the crop. Winner of the S84 Junior Showcase Tournament first round and the ultimate champion of the tournament, Team Brigade.
I was assigned to follow Brigades player and hometown peer Oli McGee from Saint-Claude-de-la-Conception. And I had the chance to closely follow the squad throughout the competition... they were phenomenal!
I pretty much already covered team Brigade parkour through the article. But for a simple recap, this formation went in, took the lead on day one, and never looked back. They bypassed the first round, swept the Warriors, and defeated team Clue in six to grab the cup.
Although some say the JST is a minor event in the VHL universe, I came to believe how challenging it is to win as a manager. How hard can it be to build a competitive with little to no prior scouting? In my opinion, it is quite an achievement. San Diego Marlins GM @jacobcarson877 did it twice, and back to back nonetheless. He is S83 and S84 victor as Team Brigades acting GM.
Jacob has a pure youth development-focused philosophy. He was also very generous throughout our meeting. It would be a shame to slice through it for article format conforming purposes. So, teaser alert, I decided to hold on and publish the integral version of our interview in a future VHL.com article. The guy just deserves his TPE! Any aspiring GM out there, be on the lookout! You got to catch the knowledge.
I’d like to thank commissioners Alex and Shindigs for manning the S84 Junior Showcase Tournament! You did a formidable job and delivered an exciting off-season event!
Tim McKrank, VHLM Illustrated Writer at VSN
"Just remember the beauty of the VHL isn't the flashy goals you'll score or the dramatic saves, even the bone-crunching hits! The beauty of the VHL is truly the friends you made along the way. Find ways to stay connected. Watch for them on the scoresheets, and say hi when you see them around the league. We won't remember games, seasons, and even entire careers at the end of the day, but we will always remember our friends. It has been a pleasure to get to know you all, and I hope to see your names on the scoresheets for many seasons to come!"
Jacob Carson, San Diego Marlins, and S84 Team Brigade GM
(Word count: 1211)
Season Previews
(written by @leandrofg)
Well, that's a lie. This isn't so much a preview, but a start of the season Power Rankings. A surprise for none, but a sure clickbait once you see the list (not really).
VHLM
1. Mexico City Kings
2. Las Vegas Aces
3. Miami Marauders
4. Halifax 21st
5. Philadelphia Reapers
6. Houston Bulls
7. Ottawa Lynx
8. Saskatoon Wild
9. San Diego Marlins
10. Mississauga Hounds
Just like Drake, let's start from the bottom.
This is not a deep dive into these teams' chances to win the Founders Cup. Instead, we'll K.I.S.S. our way through the list. Yes, that's right. We're going to keep it simple, stupid.
Who's stupid? Maybe I am if these rankings don't make sense at the end of the season.
Anyway, we'll start at number 10! And number 9. 8 too. Well, 7 and 6 might as well be here. It's true. These five teams are sellers already. They may, of course, be hopeful that they can turn things around, but as of today, they aren't built for success this season. To their fans, better luck next season!
At number 5 and number 4, we have Philadelphia and Halifax! The offensive quality is there on both teams, although Philadelphia is a much deeper team. But, while there's a difference there, the resemblance continues elsewhere.
They both need defense, and they need to improve their goaltending status. The latter is easier to do because it's anticipated that current goalies improve. But they still need to go shopping, and an excellent option may be available, *cough* @Reno *cough*.
The question is, are these teams ready to spend assets this early in the season?
Number 3 is a team in limbo, the Marauders. Why in limbo, you ask? Well, Miami has a great squad to build on, but that's it - to build on. Goaltending isn't going to be a problem, but there's a lack of quality on offense and defense. But that lack of quality may be battled, and there's no better person to do it than the newly appointed General Manager, @nurx.
He has the responsibility to make it work. Motivate his troops and lead them forward. If he's able to do that and if they're able to improve, they'll be a menace when it matters the most, the end of the season.
Now for the contenders. At number 2, we have our back-to-back champions, the Aces. Who would have thought? Three straight seasons of contending... that could be unprecedented. Yes, like the Marauders, they need to improve, but they are much closer to the level of contention.
With strong starters all-around, all they have to do is build quality depth. Now, what makes them number 2 instead of number 1? Simply put, Mexico City is in a better place with the same circumstances.
The Kings' starters are better but still face the same challenges. Building quality depth will be paramount for these two teams. The Aces have done it for the past two seasons. Can the Kings do it too?
VHLE
(written by @leandrofg)
1. Oslo Storm
2. Bratislava Watchmen
3. Cologne Express
4. Geneva Rush
5. Vasteras Iron Eagles
6. Rome Gladiators
7. Stockholm Vikings
8. Istanbul Red Wolves
The differences in the VHLE seem somewhat thinner than in the VHLM. Well... apart from a couple of teams.
Istanbul comes to this season as the defending champions, but this is a much different roster than the one who dominated last season. With a new General Manager, @Daniel Janser, at the helm, they have been working hard to fill the holes left behind. They have average offense and goaltending, but their defense is non-existent - literally!
Stockholm is rocking that same boat but has a defense, so... 7! Skipping ahead!
Now, the differences get smaller. So small that it's too difficult to split the teams into categories. So instead, we'll see what needs to happen for these teams to hoist the cup.
In Rome, a team led by @blackmac and @motzaburger, we'll have to see a lot of improvement all-around to make it a true contender.
Vasteras will have Matt Murdock, @Acydburn, and Justin Adolfsen, @NJDevils24 as leaders. Both are incredible but far enough apart that the supporting core will have to improve. Luckily, they drafted Astro Singh, @8Ovechkin8, and Lloyd Braun, @Toast, who both seem up to play the part!
Geneva is exceptionally well built. Their starters are one of the best in the league, but their goaltending situation has to improve. Anyhow, depth is questionable, but if they improve, Geneva can easily be number 1.
Defensively, Cologne's situation may not be at Geneva's level, except for having one of the league's best goaltenders. But the depth is there, and the goalie tandem they have going is the best we've seen in the VHLE. Managing that depth and starting quality will be the key that could make Cologne a winner.
Bratislava starters are ready for the playoffs. That's it. If the rest of the team follows their lead, the Watchmen could be the team to beat. Although, goaltending should be improved. Yes, Orion, @Donno100, has just won another Top Goaltender award and is a Watchmen Hall of Famer, but Father Time is knocking on the door.
Oslo, Oslo, Oslo. Firepower is key. They have two offensive lines ready for the playoffs, but it could be time to start thinking defense. They're set in goal, but their defensemen must get to the team's level. Or we could see @JB123 do what @FrostBeard did. Trade for one of the best defensemen in the league.
A General Manager Chronicle
(by @jacobcarson877)
To win the Elmebeck is something I hadn’t even considered going into this season.
It was my first season as GM of the Marlins, and all I wanted to do was capitalize on the momentum we had coming out of S83’s finals run. I’ve had a long time to learn from the best, and I’ve watched a lot of members join and leave, but I’ve also watched a lot of members join and stay and become great friends.
I know how much the VHL has meant to me over the years, and I know if you can get past the learning curve, there is something for everyone here. I spent this season putting myself in the position to interact with the most brand-new members I could. I watched the Create a Player thread for days after recruitment set up ads for us, practically begging new members to join the Marlins. And boy, did they come. The energy these new players brought to me and the Marlins was electric; they fed off each other too.
Although we didn’t make the playoffs, we made amazing memories and friendships. Fast forward a couple of weeks to the Junior Showcase Tournament, where I got to put myself, once again, in front of a bunch of new members. Using strategies from the Marlins and the help of the best chat lurkers around, we built a championship team out of driven, passionate, and curious members.
The past few months have been surreal for me, and with new ads dropping, I can’t wait to do it all over again. Lots more left in the tank, and hopefully, an equally or more amazing season than the last!
Thank you to those who nominated and voted for me, your kindness is appreciated, and I hope to carry it with me for years to come.
--
And on that bombshell... it is time to end.
Good Night! And see you September 20th.
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Hello everyone! The Cologne Express is looking to add some new blood to the Locker Room in the form of an AGM. I'll be looking for some who, hopefully, will leave us in a couple of seasons as they pursue a GM position themselves! No experience is needed, just grit! Passion, engagement, and interest are all I can ask for. I'm not putting up specific responsibilities, because that's not the point of this posting. You're not actually getting "paid", so this will be more of an introduction to GM'ing for you, getting to know the tasks and the work behind running the team. Apply in the thread or DM on Discord or the forum! The interviews will be more of a chat than anything else.
