Aimee

RETROVILLE, USA - In a bit of a stunning move today, the father of renowned boy genius Jimmy Neutron, Hugh Neutron, announced his intent to leave his quaint hometown of Retroville in order to declare for the S97 VHL Draft. The news came as of bit of a shock to family members Judy, Jimmy, and robot-dog Godard, with the latter reportedly sobbing in his backyard lab nonstop for six hours straight, our insiders report. VHL Scouts are unsure what to make of the lanky 6'1, 150 lb defenseman, with one quoted as saying "he's going to need to add some bulk to his frame for sure, but then again I'm not even sure that's going to be possible given that he is an animated character created by a bankrupt studio that no longer exists". The other elephant in the draft room is the status of Neutron's agent, Thomas Corcoran; Corcoran has not had a player in nearly four years, and has not been active for the full career of one of his players since the end of goaltender Eggly Bagelface's career in S40. Despite strong career starts from Rudolph Schmeckeldorf and Chad Magnum, both would eventually lose interest later in their careers.

So I spitballed this idea very briefly this past week, not even sure anyone noticed it, but on a player page next to the player's name or user's name there could be a flag denoting update activity.
 
Example:
 
Anyone who has updated within the past two weeks gets a green flag.
 
After two weeks, a yellow flag.
 
After three weeks, a red flag.
 
Finally, after the red flagged week, they get the black flag, becoming inactive.
 
Perhaps this little idea could incentivize people to stay active.  Perhaps also, the vhl bog or whoever could implement some kind of "welcome back" policy for black flagged players that return, giving them the ability to claim a one-time small tpe package.
 
Lmk what you folks think?

As I was think of something to write a quick few words to get the sweat tpe of this week; I started to think about goaltending and it current state in the VHL as I think we are starting to see a tend or a new meta appearing.
 
Yup, The new meta seems to be using a sub 1000TPE goaltender as they are or at least look to be better overall through the regular season than a 1000+ TPE goaltender. (shock)
 
While I haven`t collected all the data from the past four season including when the league adjusted the goaltenders but it seems either not enough was done or it has effected the high earning tenders more than the low earners. It will like be my full media spot next week once I finish data collects but here is a quick look at what I have seen so far:
 
S91 – Only two goaltender below 1000TPE in the top 10 of GAA in the league meaning the high earners dominated the league with 80% being in the top 10. Haven`t looked at wins or Sav% yet so I am not sure what this actually means.
 
S92 – Three goaltenders under 1000TPE meaning around 70% again were high earning tenders, but all three finished 1-2-3 in the GAA standings.  
 
S93 – Five goaltenders under 1000TPE; and if I remember correctly this might have been where the league adjusted goaltenders sliders; if that is the case the better revert them back since that is 50% of the league leaders being under 1000TPE; actually even worse when you consider the highest one of the five only had 650 TPE. These goaltenders also finished 1-2-3-4 in the GAA standings.
 
S94 – Again five goaltenders under 1000TPE reached the top 10 with two finish 1-2 in the GAA department. Again making it 50% and starting to show a trend maybe?
 
S95 – Worse season by far with 8 of the top 10 goaltenders in GAA being under 1000TPE with the second highest being at 676TPE as the Panda is close enough to almost count as a 1000TPE goaltender but that means having a low earning goaltender earning 3M or under is better than a goaltender earning more; at least in the regular season.
 
Like I have said while I have`t looked at all the data yet as I have only collected GAA as the current data point the trend doesn`t look promising and is pointing to the fact that goaltending in the regular season in the VHL simple doesn`t seem to matter!!
 
I hope I am proven wrong next week when I finish collecting the data but I have my doubts …….
 

 
P.S. Yes, I am aware that maybe using 1000TPE as the upper limit might have been a bad choice data collection wise when 50% of the starting goaltenders in the league are currently under 800TPE but it doesn`t change my observations that much as only Red Panda this season would come off the list if I used the 800TPE base line instead. Even if I took the league average 686TPE for a starter in the league it once again is only Red Panda coming off the list in two seasons S94 & S95 so the tend is still very real!!

@Gustav

Ahsoka Tano still hasn’t gotten the hat trick she’s been chasing but it seems that Simon decided to smite her instead for a bit. Essentially nerfing her for about 5-6 games, Tano even had a few where she made no contributions on the ice.
 
Well, it's looking like penance has been made because the last few games, Tano has managed to put up some good points. Over the last 4 games, Tano has managed to score 1 goal and 9 assists. So perhaps the hockey gods are just putting her back in her place as a defenseman. She is currently averaging 1.54 points per game and with 80 points total and 20 games left, there is a very good chance that she will hit 100 points this season and if not, at least very close to it. Tano is currently tied for 1st in points, is first in Assists (56), is the number 1 defenseman and is still first in Powerplay Goals (13).
 
163 words for week ending 9/8/2024

The Bratislava Watchmen won their last 2 games as they try to regain the number one position after leading the league in the standings for roughly half the season. After the last game, Dorji Khan took a few minutes to answer a few of our questions. 
 
Reporter: Dorji, first off I would like to congratulate you on an impressive first season in the VHLE. How do you feel about your performance so far?
 
Dorji Khan: Thank you for your kind words. I am truly humbled. This season has been a rollercoaster for myself. I’m happy with my stats and my efforts but there’s always that drive to do better. I was off to a slow start but as the season progressed so did I. The team has also been fantastic and we’ve really gelled this season. Everyone is contributing and we put on a team effort every time we step on the ice, no matter who our linemates are.
 
Reporter: With 32 goals and 47 assists you’re just one point behind the team and league points leader Ocean Codoller @FreshOceanCod . How does it feel to be so close to the top?
 
Dorji Khan: He is without a doubt a phenomenal player. Being just one point behind him is motivating me and it’s been great to have such a strong teammate. But I would also like to give a shoutout to Steve French @Seabass who is leading the league with 38 goals. The competition pushes me to perform better and I think it benefits the entire team. To even have my name mentioned in the race for being top of the league is an honor and something I will never forget
 
Reporter: The Bratislava Watchmen were in first place for most of the season but recently overtaken by the Cologne Express. How is the team handling this change in standings?
 
Dorji Khan: It’s definitely not easy. We were on top pretty much from the start until recent and seeing Cologne pass us was a wake up call. It’s definitely a challenge for us but we’re staying positive and focused. We know what we’re capable of and it’s just made us more determined to fight back and reclaim our spot... the top spot.
 
Reporter: As a player from Mongolia, how has your journey been, and what does it mean to represent your homeland in the VHLE?
 
Dorji Khan: It’s been an incredible journey. Coming from Mongolia especially from a small village where ice hockey isn’t as big or well known to currently playing in the VHLE is a dream come true, as it would be for all the young kids who love hockey. It’s been a unique journey and I’m proud to represent Mongolia. Hockey is growing back home and I hope my success can inspire more young mongols to take up the sport.
 
Reporter: Can you tell us a bit more about your life in Mongolia? What was it like growing up there?
 
Dorji Khan: Growing up in Mongolia was amazing for me. Coming from a small village of less than 300 people we didn’t have the facilities or opportunities for hockey but we made do with what we had. We made our own sticks and used ox patties on our frozen pond in winter. My family and community has always been supportive and they played a big role in getting me to where I am today.
 
Reporter: What are your goals for the rest of the season?
 
Dorji Khan: My main goal is to help the team win and secure the top spot again. Looking forward to clinching the playoffs and makiny a push for the cup! Personally I want to continue improving my game and contribute as much as I can. Every point counts and I’m focused on giving my best in every game.
 
Reporter: What do you do to stay motivated and focused especially during tough times?
 
Dorji Khan: I try to stay grounded and remember why I started playing hockey in the first place. It’s my passion, it flows through my veins. Meditation helps me stay focused and calm under pressure. I aslo spend a lot of time sitting on the bench alone when the arena is empty to visualize plays and situations to better prepare myself for every game.
 
Reporter: Lastly, what advice would you give to young aspiring hockey players, especially those from Mongolia?
 
Dorji Khan: Never give up on your dreams, no matter how big they seem. Work hard, stay dedicated and believe in yourself. Surround yourself with the right people and always keep pushing forward. If I can make it, so can you.
 
PT for week September 2 to 8
Words 769

Simon did the same thing to Slava. Maybe he’s just making sure everyone stays humble! 🤣

Elgar Trade Voided
It's quite rare to see a trade voided for reasons of competitive balance but this one does seem clear-cut enough. Admittedly I may not be best placed to comment as I didn't even know Elgar was a goalie when I saw the trade but upon further research it does seem to be pretty blatant tanking. Toronto are top of the conference despite having a slightly better, and younger, goalie than Elgar and Bobbly is outperforming Elgar in the sim as well, so there can be no claim of better build for Elgar. The only team which would have benefited here is London seeking to halve the quality of their goalie in the hopes of finishing below D.C. and Prague. Well voided.
 
New York Firesale
Something wasn't clicking for the Americans (story of the last 40 seasons), probably the fact that the team was unbalanced in favour of high earning defencemen rather than prolific forwards. Even with that in mind, you'd expect a bit more luck to go your way and that wasn't forthcoming, so the decision to sell seems the sensible one. Form has already picked up for New York despite losing most of their best forwards, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them sneak into the playoffs now – but expecting a deep run would have been foolish so pulling the plug was the right choice.

Ahsoka Tano still hasn’t gotten the hat trick she’s been chasing but it seems that Simon decided to smite her instead for a bit. Essentially nerfing her for about 5-6 games, Tano even had a few where she made no contributions on the ice.
 
Well, it's looking like penance has been made because the last few games, Tano has managed to put up some good points. Over the last 4 games, Tano has managed to score 1 goal and 9 assists. So perhaps the hockey gods are just putting her back in her place as a defenseman. She is currently averaging 1.54 points per game and with 80 points total and 20 games left, there is a very good chance that she will hit 100 points this season and if not, at least very close to it. Tano is currently tied for 1st in points, is first in Assists (56), is the number 1 defenseman and is still first in Powerplay Goals (13).
 
163 words for week ending 9/8/2024

What is key for defenders? Just looking at the various defenders in the E there seems to be different approaches with mixed success.
 
Ahsoka Tano style: High Skating and Puck Handling
Tano is a very popular returning user and has not only had a great M career but is also having a better E start to her career. Their approach is to make sure SK and ST is high and aligned and this has paid off greatly as it has enabled them to score and assist at a high rate.
 
Boris Bone-Breaker: High Checking and Defense
This is a build to punish the opposition and work on delivering strong hits to throw off the opposing scorer. They have constantly led the league in hits and has done well in shots blocked.
 
Ray Stanton: High Pass and Balanced Defense
This is a bit more balanced approach. Focused on passing on offense and a nice balance of checking and defense for the defensive ratings. This has allowed Stanton to lead the league in shots blocked as they are more focused on passing and going back to defense.
 
It'll be fun to see which of these styles will become more popular in the league.

There Can Only Be One
Rookies Who Achieved Point per Game in the Past Five Seasons
 
It's not easy being a rookie in today's VHL. Gone are the days where rookies could step into lineups and challenge for a scoring title. The growth of the VHL has made it ever so competitive and the result is that rookies aren't as productive or useful as they use to be. In fact, it also takes longer to get to the VHL now in addition to the struggle to produce in the first season. Given this context, an interesting trend has developed in the VHL over the past five seasons. In each of the last five seasons, S95 included, only one rookie per season has been at or over a point per game. Now, we acknowledge this is a crude assessment of productivity given defenseman are much less likely to reach this milestone, but it is the mark of every great player to have as many seasons as possible be at or over a point per game. 
 
Moscow Menace, fresh off winning the S94 Continental Cup, were able to support the loss of key players through trades and retirements with 1st overall selection Maverick Goncalves (and 2nd overall pick Jillian Woods @jacobcarson877 for good measure who is authoring a fantastic rookie season as well, but doesn't fit the criteria for this discussion). Naturally a lot of pressure comes with being the first overall pick in the draft, but they added pressure of having to produce right off the bat for a championship contender is something few first overall picks will ever have to handle. Goncalves has not shied away from the weight of expectations and is currently the only rookie to be on pace for a point per game this season. 
 
What's unusual about Goncalves' rookie season is that he arguably has the best group of talent surrounding him out of any of the other rookies mentioned who were able to achieve the point per game milestone. Grimgor Ironhide posted an impressive +31 with Helsinki and Antonia Bucatini scored a ridiculous 93 points last season (albeit following the rule changes which made scoring increase), but what Goncalves is doing is arguably more impressive. He's a stunning +44 in 51 games having spent most of his season on a line with Jarmo Rutuu @jRuutu and David Rashford, both of whom have seen a drastic increase in production. It should not be understated the effect that Goncalves has had on what is likely the best line in the league. Even though, rather strangely to some, General Manager and Coach @Spartan  has taken Goncalves off the first line, Maverick is still poised to be the only rookie who surpasses the threshold - doing so in a stunningly efficient manner.
 
There are a couple of challengers that could change this trend if they finish the season strongly. 20th overall pick Wally Lose @youloser1337 and 36th overall pick (in S89) Med @Med have 47 and 45 points respectively, but are also -20 and -29 respectively. While it's easier to produce on a team lacking strong players given the increase opportunity, Lose and Med have performed very well to date given their circumstances. Do they have the firepower to outpace Goncalves the rest of the season and finish above him in the rookie points race? Does Goncalves have the momentum to fend them off? The next 20ish games in the VHL should be interesting to see as it pertains to this race. And, ultimately, will the trend continue of only one rookie being at or over a point per game?
 
------------------------
 
(S90) Axle Gunner @Steve Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 91 (MOS) 72 32 41 73 -21 388 90 136 37 3 6 1  
(S91) Grimgor Ironhide @FrostBeard Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 92 (HSK) 72 37 45 82 31 302 108 192 16 9 8 0  
(S91) Theo Allard @InstantRockstar Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 93 (DCD) 72 28 50 78 -3 336 61 81 29 1 4 0  
(S93) Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 94 (DAV) 72 31 62 93 8 426 52 111 27 4 4 1  
(S94) Maverick Goncalves @leandrofg Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 95 (MOS) 51 27 26 53 44 276 70 190 9 6 3 2

Player Spotlight – Kyle Evans
@Kyle Evans
 
Twenty-five-year-old winger, Kyle Evans is enjoying his first full season and second go around currently with the Ottawa Lynx. Evans was part of the members that joined the league in late June, June 24th, 2024, to be exact. Evans was quickly picked up on waivers by the Ottawa Lynx, where he played in sixteen games for the Lynx. In those sixteen games, Evans put up two goals and two assists in his short stint in season ninety-four. At the conclusion of the season Evans was draft eligible in the season ninety-five VHLM Dispersal Draft, where he was selected twenty-fifth overall by the Ottawa Lynx. Evans has played in all fifty-two games this season after being brought back by the Lynx, where he has vastly improved from his sixteen games last season. In those fifty-two games Evans has put up nineteen goals and twenty-two assists, which is the third best on the Lynx roster.
Off the ice, Evans has managed to put in some quality practice, currently sitting at 101 TPE however, most of the TPE has come via welfare and the practice facility. While Evans has left about half his weekly earnable TPE on the board each week, he is consistently claiming TPE which will eventually get him to the VHL f he continues.  

After starting the first 51 games of the season, Roger, will take a slight break from starting duties and let the backup start some of the next few games.
 
"It's been a hectic start to the rookie season and I think its time for the backup to get some games in" Roger said " this will give me some time to recoup, rest my body and get back in there for the final few games of the season"
 
Roger has had a decent season for a rookie going 16-31-4 with a goals against average of 3.28 and a save percentage of .916 but has fallen out of the rookie race after an initial good start to the season. He has also recorded 1 shut-out so far.
 
"When the season started there was always a chance, I came into the VHL a season early so I knew it would be a tough task but a challenge I enjoyed " Roger said "My goal is to help the LA team back into the playoffs in the next few seasons so missing a rookie of the year trophy is not a big deal, its all about the team and helping us move forward"

@Ricer13
Welcome everyone,
 
A couple of days ago, we passed the 36 games mark in the regular season, so we are now officially in the second half of the season. In this article, we are going to look at each team and see where they are at right before the trade deadline. Are they buyers? Are they sellers?
 
#1 Bratislava Watchmen 
 
Offense rank: 1st (203 GF)
Defense rank: T-3rd (142 GA)
 
The incredible start to the season of the Bratislava Watchmen, with a record of 11-1-1 in their first 13 games, gave them the first place in the standings at the beginning of the season and they never lost that place. Even if the team is struggling a little bit defensively, the Watchmen are compensating offensively as they are without a doubt the best team in this category as they have six players with over a point per game and five are in the top ten of the league in scoring. Ocean Codoller (77p) @FreshOceanCod, Dorji Khan (70p) @Oddpurplefly, Steve French (70p) @Seabass, Filip Zinek (59p) @FiZi and Robin Sierra (59p) @ethanjaeda.
 
Situation: Buyer
Position to improve: Defense
 
 
#2 Cologne Express 
 
Offense rank: 6th (145 GF)
Defense rank: 1st (111 GA)
 
Just as we expected, the Cologne Express are once again doing really good and are currently second in the standings with a record of 32 wins, 14 losses and 2 losses in overtime for a total of 66 points in 48 games. It is only one point behind the Bratislava Watchmen. The Express are completly the opposite of the Watchmen as they are struggling offensively, but are the best team in the league defensively thanks to Joseph Dubois @Dubois, Scrungle Bungle @Novanod and all the other defensemen. Jon Webber III @Webberj is also doing an incredible job in the net as he leads the league in GAA with 1,81.
 
Situation: Buyer
Position to improve: Offense
 
 
#3 Oslo Storm 
 
Offense rank: 3rd (157 GF)
Defense rank: 2nd (140 GA)
 
Again, just like we predicted at the beginning of the season, the Oslo Storm are doing pretty good and currently sit third in the standings. The Storm are a little mix of the Watchmen and the Express as they are doing good offensively and good defensively. Indeed, four players are point per game and one is in the top ten of the league, Ashoka Tano (70p) @Aimee , who is also leading the defensemen in points. They can also count on Boris Bone-Breaker @RileyL and Toby Cook @KRZY who are both in the top ten of the league for the number of shots blocked and the number of hits. Finally, they also have a pretty good goalie with Spider Panda @Ricer13 who is leading the league with a save percentage of 0.948%
 
Situation: Buyer
Position to improve: Depth Forwards and Defensemen
 
 
#4 Stockholm Vikings 
 
Offense rank: 4th (156 GF)
Defense rank: T-3rd (142 GA)
 
The next two teams are pretty much at the same place right now and are going to fight for the last available playoffs spot. Indeed, the Stockholm Vikings currently have a record of 23 wins, 20 losses and 5 overtime losses for a total of 51 points in 58 games, which is only one more point than the Vasteras Iron Eagles. The situation of both teams will depend of the point of view of their respective GM as they could decide to sell and be competitive next season or to buy and hope to cause a surprise in the playoffs this season. For the Stockholm Vikings, they already have Samsayz I-Smell @CaptainSB and WWumbo @Fire Tortorella who are the leaders of the team in defense, so if they decide to make a push, they should try to improve their depth forward a little bit.
 
Situation: Buyer/Seller
Position to improve: Depth Forwards
 
 
#5 Vasteras Iron Eagles 
 
Offense rank: 2nd(158 GF)
Defense rank: 5th (151 GA)
 
For the Vasteras Iron Eagles, they don't have any problem scoring goals, thanks to Nikita Yolishev @Joel Main and Taylor Swift @lilchrist, but they could use some help in their own zone. Indeed, the team is the second worst team in terms of goals against with 151. So, if they decide to compete this year, they should try to improve their defense.
 
Situation: Buyer/Seller
Position to improve: Defense
 
 
#6 Rome Gladiators 
 
Offense rank: 5th (148 GF)
Defense rank: 6th (281 GA)
 
The Rome Gladiators are exactly where they were supposed be and it is pretty obvious that the team will try to sell at the trade deadline. However, we can see a lot of good things from this team. Indeed, both Ray Stanton @horoscope and French Fries @solyom are in the top ten of the league in scoring. I would also like to congratulate @jacobcarson877 who took the team mid-season and is trying to turn things around in Rome!
 
Situation: Seller
Position to improve: Offense/Defense/Goalie
 
That’s all for me, thanks everyone for reading, I wish you all a good end of the season and see you in another VSN article!

I'm struggling for ideas so I'll just go with this one, I'll go through the now-retired winners of the ROTY trophy and score their careers as a whole.
 
Season 88 - Lachlan Summers
9.5/10
Obvious Hall of Famer with three Goalie of the Year trophies, two MVPs and one Most Outstanding Player trophy along with a Continental Cup where they had a very good playoff series. If there is a knock against them, I'd say that their overall playoff numbers are maybe a little low for the era they occupied (the vast majority of their career took place in an era with the highest save percentages so .921 is not super great for that era) but their regular season performance was exceptional enough to offset that. 
 
Season 87 - Matt Murdock
8.5/10
Murdock was a very good goalie who put up some very good numbers across their career with Moscow and Prague but never quite good enough to win the regular season awards, with their first full season being the most unfortunate where they were in a three-way tie for the best save percentage in the league. They did however get a Playoff MVP trophy in their Continental Cup winning campaign of Season 90. Their overall save percentage playoff numbers are the same as Summers as, while they obviously had some very good playoffs, they also had some pretty rough ones, finishing below .9% in two playoff seasons. They also somehow managed to never play a game in the World Cup which, for a player of that standard, is insane.
 
Season 86 - John Jameson
9.5/10
While the numbers for Jameson in their rookie season look quite low with just 67 points, despite having spent a season in the VHLE, it's indicative of the struggles that rookie skaters had during the early hybrid era. However, Jameson was able to break through and go on to win many more trophies over the course of their career, including one MVP trophy and was on the same Prague team as Murdock when they lifted the Season 90 Continental Cup. The only reason that they aren't 10 is that I'm kinda viewing 10 as O'Malley/Campbell region, which they don't hit, but fully deserving of their HOF induction. 
 
Season 85 - Molly The Cat
7.5/10
While Molly The Cat was a tremendous TPE earner, sometimes that effort doesn't efficiently correlate in the sim as well as we would expect (The ultimate case study for this being Ryan Kastelic), and while they did have a very good penultimate season where they finished third in the league in points and a pretty strong sophomore season where they finished in the top 25 in points, there were just a few too many season where they were hovering around a point per game for a player who ended with over 1800 TPE. Their playoff numbers are actually very good though which is why I couldn't give them a flat 7 as they were a key contributor to London's playoff success under their son's management. 

 

Bana Blabs #103


Another Blab brought to you by Talk-to-Text, an easier way to do this. Thanks, Siri. Despite your many, often simple errors. I appreciate you. You have made this easier and I wish I would have given you a try all those seasons ago! 
Severus Targaryen Player Page (Bana's Player)
Seattle Bears Team Page
Bears Discord - General. Come join the fun! That's what the VHL is all about :)
 
Hey, hope every is doing good. Been a LONG time since I did one of these. I've been slacking on things like media spots, PC's for the team and these. Between real life challenges and happenings, recruitment and GM, it's just hard for me to find the drive to do so. A little catch up since the last time I did this I guess. Started a new job in July and got out of the place that made me absolutely miserable. $5/hour less but 5x the happiness, so that's all good. We're about to do a stretch of about 23-27 days straight which means good money, but it's certainly needed now. I bought a used beater car to do my long daily commute in October of 2023 from a Subaru dealership in Edmonton. 130,000 km on it. Clean bill of sale etc.. 30,000 KM later and brakes were toast and the transmission shit the bed... $3,400 just for the transmission. My baba is battling cancer and is losing which is VERY sad. We share the same birthday (sep 20) and it's going to be a really tough loss. My oldest Doberman has had a lump on her nose that we noticed in July. We're on our 2nd round of antibiotics but the last vet we seen thinks it could be a tumor... so again, very sad! Zara is one of the best friends and probably a top 3 love of my life lol..  anyway, that's a bit of a catch up - onto quick blabs.
 
@Victor signs an extension. Nice to get that done. We added a NTC to give them confidence that we won't move the rug from under their feet but also the trust in management that we'd be willing to work with them should they want a change of scenery. Not saying that would happen, but just in case. Always willing to work with the players if they are with you. Seattle had a hot start then a magical 6 game losing streak. Teams had some fun this season, though for some reason things are slightly quieter in the locker room. I guess it's following the theme of the league lately. TRADE! Seattle makes a trade and grabs a much needed d-man and an extra forward. I knew 3 d-men would work up until this point and if you can make it work, just means things will be cheaper in terms of finances with retention rules. The end

More than halfway into the season, I wanted to recap my player River Harrington’s regular season stats thus far in the VHLM. Selected 2nd overall by the Ottawa Lynx, they were working with a thin roster, but I believe River has put up some respectable numbers. They’re by no means award-winning ones, but decent enough.
 
Through 42 games, River has 12 goals and 43 assists for a total of 55 points. While I know these numbers should be spectacular for a defenseman, I had higher goals set since I was building him to be more offensively-minded. He also only has 12 goals this season, which ties the amount he had in only 19 games last season without a capped build, so that puzzled me. He also boasts 51 hits and 75 shots blocked.
 
Dumping more than 100 TPE by the next season’s start should be extremely satisfying and I do think I will up his PC and DC so he can keep possession of the puck more often, hence increasing his ability to score. Given that he’s a defenseman, I gotta return to those core attributes.
 
To cap this write up off when looking at the stat leaderboards: River is tied for 9th in points overall (55), tied for 3rd in assists (43), second in defenseman points (55), and tied for 9th in shots blocked (75). Overall, not too bad, I’d say.

As we head past the halfway point of S95, there is a three-headed monster atop the European Conference (and the whole of the VHL) that could make for some very exciting jockeying for position down the stretch.
 
Led by massive starts to the season from Shubham Anand (36 goals, 71 points) and Lucy Leitner (14 goals, 61 points) - plus great netminding from Red Panda (26 wins, 2.31 GAA, 0.923 SV%) - the Riga Reign currently find themselves in first place by a hair, with a 32-8-2 record for 66 points in 42 games.
 
Also with 66 points, but in 43 games, are the 32-9-2 Moscow Menace, who boast two of the league's top three scorers in Jarmo Ruutu and David Rashford, each working with 73 points in those 43 games. Between the pipes, Moscow has Olober Syko who's posted nearly identical numbers to Panda (26 wins, 2.31 GAA, 0.925 SV%) albeit over four more games. With 66 points, defenseman Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage is tied for the league lead in defenseman scoring, too.
 
Finally, one point back of the two leaders, we have the Malmo Nighthawks (30-8-5). Malmo actually has the league's best offense with 174 goals and a +69 goal differential, with veteran centre Randy Bobandy going out with an absolute bang. Bobandy's career best is 91 points, but so far he's on pace to break that in game 51 of this season, with a whopping 77 points through 43 games so far. Defenseman Jacob Stone is the guy tied with Bocage at 66 points, and the goaltending duo of Karl Herzlich and Jorgen Lovstrom has been very effective.
 
All three teams have remarkably similar records and star power at all three positions, so it will be fascinating to see how this battle plays out down the stretch, especially since the two that don't finish first will end up playing each other in the first round of the playoffs.

Last night Roger Eagles celebrated a milestone in his VHL career by getting his first shutout. It took 42 games for the rookie to get his first and it came in last nights game vs the DC Dragons.

DC put up 22 shots against the netminder but were unable to beat him.
 
" It was a great team effort all around, anytime your defense plays as well as our guys did and limits the shot on net it will be a good day" Roger said "It's exciting to finally get the first one after what seems like such a long time, I am hoping for one or two more before the season ends and hopefully I can make that happen. I also received the game puck and it will be framed and put up in my office"
 
Roger is looking to bounce back in the final half of the season after struggling with his play over the past few weeks. He is looking to get his stats back to more acceptable levels and more performances like the performance against DC will help him get back on track to achieve his personal goals.

After several weeks of speculation, Seattle's prize asset Gianfranco Del Rocco put pen to paper on a 1-season extension with the Bears through to the end of Season 96. Coming from an ambitious agency with Hall of Fame ambitions, the former second overall pick did not sign a long-term contract as soon as he was able to last off-season, but instead focused on his on-ice performance. After early struggles which put Del Rocco at a lower point-per-game pace than his rookie season, sources reported that he was considering his options and the rumour mill suggested that management put him on the trade block in the meantime. Fortunately for all parties involved and Bears fans, that speculation can be quelled for the remainder of the season.
 
“We definitely had some concerns in the first quarter of the season, but nothing that couldn't be resolved through productive dialogue,” Del Rocco's agent, former Davos and Moscow GM Victor Alfredsson told reporters. “There's a good working relationship with [GM] Blake [Campbell] and we came to an agreement which worked for all parties. Rumours are always just that, rumours.”
 
Del Rocco followed up the announcement of the new contract with a 2-goal and 1st star performance against LA, before notching his 40th point of the season in a 4-2 loss against Moscow. “There's certainly room for improvement,” he said after the game. “But I think things are clicking better already and I'm just happy to put any distractions behind us and focus on finishing the season strongly and going even further in the playoffs. Da Bears.”