aimkin

A bit early in the off season but the leadership group is a lock:
Captain: Molly the Cat @JCarson
Assistant: Ivan Retoslav @eagle_3450
Assistant: Tynan Sylvester @diamond_ace
 
LETS GO UNITED!

Unless you've been living under the proverbial VHL rock, you've probably seen the announcement linked above. Pretty big, I know, and also pretty controversial for being one of the worst VHL(M) hirings ever. And yes, I am specifically referring to the hiring of @Gustav  as an M commissioner.
 
Jokes aside, it was pretty neat to not only be hired for the massive role, but to be hired alongside Gus who I've always respected and enjoyed discussing BoG topics with. We've already had some discussions about the job and things to potentially keep an eye on or change in the near future, so we're pretty enthused about the possibilities and making the M the best it can be. We're generally pretty happy with the current GM's and will work with them all to make sure they're comfortable in their roles and not feeling overwhelmed. That's one of our top priorities really, to make sure the people tasked with one of the most important jobs in the league feel supported and valued. So yeah, will be pretty interesting to see how things goes and I apologize for any future announcement, since neither Gus nor I are known for being concise.
 
On more personal news, since I don't talk about Nico ever, I've declined my Mutual Option with Helsinki in sort of a two-fold reasoning. First was that Helsinki has been a bit slow to move this offseason and I'm worried about the state of the team next season with so many UFA's that have yet to be signed. I've always been upfront that if the roster isn't competitive, I can't commit to staying on the team. With FA opening up tomorrow and discussions starting today, the proverbial "message" had to be sent with the declining of the option. The other reason is also just that I think there's going to be a lot of players (from a team sense) in free agency and I think it'd be nice to test the market and see where I can end up. So yeah, will be fun!

Hello, world! Welcome to another episode of Between the Periods with your host Bobbus Dingus featuring my friend Nikolas Kauppi of the Mexico City Kings! Nikolas, today was a very special day today wasn't it?
Yeah, today was honestly a roller coaster of emotions. Not that I know what those really are.

I have no doubts! Today, ladies and gentlemen, was the season 85 VHL draft which Nikolas was eligible for! How many teams did you talk with?
Several teams, actually. I don't remember the count. I just know that I wasn't expecting to be drafted by the Prague Phantoms. 17th pick overall, 2nd round. I'm not sure anyone really saw it coming.
 
You must have left an impression on the staff in charge of drafting because let's face it...you kinda fell off after your trade.
Bob, come on you're making me look bad here. Look, I--
You're the one that couldn't produce and I'M the one making you look bad? Just pointing out the facts here, bud!
Call me "bud" one more time and see if you leave here with that pretty face.
Nikolas keeps a smile on and stares at Bobbus, and Bobbus gestures to continue after a brief pause.
Look...I don't know what they saw in me either. Maybe it's my charming off-ice personality. Maybe I'm a good in interviews. All I know is that they saw something others probably didn't and I'm happy to keep working on getting better so that when I do finally play for Prague they'll see they didn't make a mistake. ...And you can stop giving me shit in these interviews.
 
Ahh, come on Nikolas! What's friendship without giving each other grief? How did your parents take the news? I'm sure they were excited either way!
My parents are still here in town for a couple days before going back home. We were all watching to see when my name would pop up except my dad was in the bathroom when my name popped up first in the 2nd round. He didn't bother trying to button up and buckle down his pants running back in the family room. His pants were basically around his ankles when he cheered. It's too bad none of this was on video because it was hilarious to watch this man slide across the floor with practically no pants on.
 
That sounds like a story to tell your kids and grandkids! Hey, do you think maybe I could join you guys next time on something like this?
Look, Bob... We're...friends, but we're not that close. Maybe you can buy dinner some time. Just you and me. None of this weird interview stuff.
 
Dinner with my friend Nikolas?  Well, ladies and gents, it looks like I've got a hot date--
Oh, god, it's not a date...please don't do this...
--with my friend here to go to. So, that's going to do it for today's episode of Between the Periods. Congratulations Nikolas Kauppi on being drafted by the Prague Phantoms and I wish you future success! Also, thanks for not walking out like last time.
Thanks, Bob. That means a lot coming from a fan who is also a...friend. Text me the details and I'll meet you there.
Nikolas stands up, takes the lapel microphone off, and drops it before walking off.

Will do! Wait...Wait! Nikolas! I don't have your number!

561 words, using for PT week ending August 28.
 
 

Jesse Teno has accepted a Signing Offer from London:

S85: $1,250,000

S86: $1,000,000

S87: $1,000,000

Welcome one welcome all to this season's VSN Scouting Mock Draft! This draft features lots of quality players and plenty of goaltenders. Through mixups and slight miscommunication we're proud to bring to you our predictions for this season's entry draft.
 
  1 Vancouver Wolves     John Jameson @Frank                         C   TPE: 311                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 84 - Regular Season  72 45 52 97 15 419 34 137 38                             Season 84 - Playoffs 5 2 0 2 -6 24 2 9 4                             With players now being able to be called up to the VHL at 300 TPE and Vancouver in need of one last forward to complete a full 6-4-1 roster this would be a perfect opportunity for the team's GM to draft their own player. John Jameson lit up the VHLM with over a point per game during his time in there for San Diego and Philidelphia and would make a perfect fit for the Vancouver Wolves.                                             2 Prague Phantoms     Henry Eagles @Greg_Di                         RW   TPE: 368                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 84 - Regular Season 72 11 14 25 0 175 41 100 10     Season 83 - Regular Season 16 17 17 34 14 143 2 18 24     Season 84 - Playoffs 6 1 4 5 3 10 17 10 0     Season 83 - Playoffs 4 3 2 5 4 16 2 1 2     With a lot of the Phantoms current forwards set to be retiring soon Prague will more than likely look to build up their forward group since they already have many notable defensive prospects ready to be called up. Henry Eagles will likely become a part of Prague's roster instantly if drafted by the Phantoms. Though having a small amout of points Henry Eagles has huge potential to become a star forward for the Phantoms in the future.                                             3 London United         Matt Murdock @Acydburn                         G   TPE: 368                                   Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     Season 84 - Regular Season 51 34 14 1 0.927 2.39 3 119 1640     Season 83 - Regular Season 14 7 5 2 0.919 2.69 1 38 470     Season 84 - Playoffs 12 8 4 0 0.927 2.7 1 33 454     Season 83 - Playoffs 4 0 3 1 0.914 3.81 0 16 185     With Cole Pearce recently departing from the United they're now left without a future star goaltender. Matt Murdock is a solid choice for the replacement of Pearce with an over .900sv% in both the VHLM and VHLE. Murdock will be coming off a championship run with the Istanbul Red Wolves and look to carry a little momentum and hope to the United franchise with their talents and hopefully become the franchise goaltender London has never had.                                             4 New York Americans     Daniel Weaver @ThePerfectNut                         LW   TPE: 377                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 84 - Regular Season 72 35 45 80 25 369 49 119 17     Season 83 - Regular Season 14 6 4 10 3 35 6 21 1     Season 84 - Playoffs 7 2 7 9 1 41 6 23 0     Season 83 - Playoffs 6 1 3 4 5 15 2 5 0     Coming in at fourth overall on the list is Daniel Weaver, a forward for the Houston Bulls in the VHLM. Daniel Weaver despite being the highest TPE player slides a bit on this list, just due to the fact that some of the teams before him have different needs, but regardless Weaver is the highest TPE player in the draft and will be very solid for the New York Americans. Weaver is a pure sniper, being the best offensive player in the draft and he will be able to join the NYA squad immediately and make an impact for them. The new GM for the Americans will have their hands full, but this should help them out a bit on the forward front for their future.                                             5 Calgary Wranglers     Phil Strasmore @Phil                         D   TPE: 308                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 84 - Regular Season 71 26 52 78 2 222 80 158 135     Season 83 - Regular Season 12 2 5 7 -3 12 8 13 8     Season 84 - Playoffs 7 4 8 12 1 19 6 18 7     Season 83 - Playoffs 5 1 5 6 5 9 2 4 6     The Calgary Wranglers recently traded up to 5th overall and with good reason, selecting Phil Strasmore in the Draft. Calgary is in desperate need for a solid fourth defenseman to be able to at minimum, slide into the lineup for them and add to their young core. Phil Strasmore had a great season in the M with the Houston Bulls and he'll be looking to continue his dominance in the VHL. With the addition of Strasmore to the team, this team should be able to contend for the playoffs again, and they're only going to be getting better with the core that they already have.                                             6 Malmo Nighthawks     Astro Singh @8Ovechkin8                         LW   TPE: 273                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 84 - Regular Season 72 38 34 72 -34 330 46 217 40                             Season 84 - Playoffs 6 3 5 8 -1 34 8 13 7                             Next up at sixth, the Malmo Nighthawks will select Astro Singh from the Saskatoon Wild in the VHLM. Singh had an extremely good season on a bottom tier M team that ended up taking two games off of the eventually champions in the first round. Singh won't be able to make an immediate impact for the Nighthawks, he'll be a solid addition to the team in the future and should be able to help spearhead the new Malmo Nighthawks lineup in a season. Singh can play both sides of the ice, being a great solid two-way forward and at the moment, Malmo can take anything they can get to help with their rebuild.                                              7 Toronto Legion     Tater Tottingham @Trunkxolotl                         D   TPE: 241                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 84 - Regular Season 72 27 62 89 29 218 38 104 106     Season 83 - Regular Season 16 0 0 0 4 3 8 8 2     Season 84 - Playoffs 10 1 7 8 3 18 14 23 15     Season 83 - Playoffs 11 0 1 1 2 9 14 19 5     Tater Tottingham had a very succesful season in the VHLM with 89 points for the Mexico City Kings. Though it'll be another season before Tottingham will possibly be called up to the VHL this falls perfectly into the timeline to possibly replace Sting Chameleon who will be a pending UFA when Tottingham will be eligible to be called up. This would give the Legion a younger defenseman with a consistent earning track and leave more cap room for other parts of the large Toronto roster.                                             8 Riga Reign     Jesse Teno @aimkin                         G   TPE: 286                                   Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     Season 84 - Regular Season 71 22 47 2 0.904 3.2 5 228 2386                             Season 84 - Playoffs 6 2 3 1 0.09 3.68 0 23 254                             The Riga Reign are going to be entering into a rebuild and with a deep goaltender pool Jesse Teno could be a good fit for the Reign. The first gen goaltender that has exploded into the VHL scene could be a gamble but if it were to pay off, the Reign could have themselves a solid franchise goaltender. Once Teno becomes eligible to be called up the current goaltender for Riga, Tobias Reinhart, will be retiring which will make the perfect opportunity for Teno to come up and replace T. Reinhart so that Riga may focus on building up the rest of their roster in future drafts.                                             9 Malmo Nighthawks     Henry Tucker Jr @NSG                         G   TPE: 298                                   Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     Season 84 - Regular Season 48 26 12 8 0.906 2.11 7 101 1072     Season 83 - Regular Season 8 7 1 0 0.908 1.61 1 13 141     Season 84 - Playoffs 10 5 4 1 0.93 2.26 0 24 342                             Malmo's needs are mainly on the back end with either defenseman or goaltenders. This pick may possibly be the best pick available at either position. Though the Nighthawks currently roster two goaltenders both have fallen to being weekly welfare collecters. After another season Malmo may choose to not pick up their team option with Thomas Price and instead call up Henry Tucker Jr to compete with Boris Tsezar as the starter for the Nighthawks.                                             10 Calgary Wranglers     Reid Johnson @TopTiddee2                         D   TPE: 232                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 84 - Regular Season 72 7 52 59 46 106 36 70 54                             Season 84 - Playoffs 15 3 12 15 10 45 15 15 12                             Calgary's roster currently lacks one thing, and that is a defenseman. The trouble for the team is that they don't have any prominent defenseman prospects that can come up to the team as soon as they may need them. Max earning defenseman Reid Johnson would make a good fit for the team. Calgary will likely need to rely on FA to fill the open defenseman spot for one season but after that will likely call up Johnson as soon as possible to solidify their roster.                                             11 Prague Phantoms     Alfred Champagne @Anthique                         RW   TPE: 229                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 84 - Regular Season 72 29 53 82 32 319 64 190 36                             Season 84 - Playoffs 5 2 2 4 -7 22 6 8 5                             Again trying to build up their forward group, Champagne likely still has another season before possibly joining the Phantoms. Alfred is a solid earning forward that for some time could be a 1st line forward for the Phantoms alongside Henry Eagles who similar to Eagles also has huge potential.                                             12 Helsinki Titans     Karl Pedersen @JeffD                         G   TPE: 278                                   Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     Season 84 - Regular Season 63 32 26 5 0.909 2.57 3 163 1797                             Season 84 - Playoffs 5 1 3 1 0.897 3.36 0 18 175                             Though Helsinki currently has star goaltender Xavier Booberry, time is limited and the Titans currently have no prospect goalies. With Chicago's rumored interest in Karl Pedersen it seems less realistic that Chicago move for Pedersen having added Cole Pearce to their roster. This leaves Pederson in the open and up for grabs by any team, with that Karl Pedersen may fit in to Helsinki's timeline just barely to fill in for Booberry once they retire and come into a possiblely competitive Titan's roster.                                             13 Malmo Nighthawks     Jani Karppinen @ShawnGlade                         D   TPE: 229                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 84 - Regular Season 72 18 61 79 42 204 54 123 106     Season 83 - Regular Season 19 2 3 5 4 14 18 32 12     Season 84 - Playoffs 7 3 8 11 -4 17 4 9 2     Season 83 - Playoffs 12 0 1 1 -4 4 12 24 13     Looking at their picks in this draft, Malmo has already selected a goalie in Henry Tucker Jr and a forward in Asttro Singh, so now it's time to select a defenseman, something their really need! Jani Karppinen will be the selection here at 13th, however he won't make an immediate impact on the roster. Karppinen played for the Houston Bulls in the VHLM with Phil Strasmore and was one of their best defenseman on the back end. A two-way styled defenseman is what the Malmo Nighthawks will be receiving and they'll just be adding more prospects to the never ending pool for the rebuild.                                             14 Moscow Menace     Jeremy Swayman @Agito                         G   TPE: 185                                   Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA     Season 84 - Regular Season 25 21 3 1 0.914 1.73 2 43 498                                                                             With Moscow's last goaltender pick Ilya Bryzgalov likely going to be a bust the need to fill the spot for the future goaltender of the franchise will be crucial for moscows future. Jeremy Swayman could be a perfect fit for that spot with the user having history with the franchise, a decent earning rate, and a good chance to come up to the VHL parallel to when Moscow will be in need of a goaltender. This could be a very good target for the Menace                                             15 Los Angeles Stars     Lloyd Braun @Toast                         D   TPE: 218                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 84 - Regular Season 71 14 40 54 13 105 44 146 105                             Season 84 - Playoffs 7 1 3 4 -2 12 10 11 4                             With the Los Angeles Stars now boasting a talented young core of players, led by standout second-year goaltender Art Vandelay, Zach Gagnon decides to add help for his stud goalie with... his childhood rival?? Lloyd Braun, formerly an advisor to David Dinkins, at the time the mayor of New York City, and an avid proponent of the restoration of the Alex Theatre, spent the past year in the VHLM with the San Diego Marlins and the Houston Bulls. It turns out that he's a quality two-way defenseman, capable of generating offense while still playing a strong, physical game in his own zone. His work ethic has really taken off in Season 84, and with the 15th pick, this is great value for the Stars.                                              16 London United         Womp Womp Womp Womp Womp Jr @AdamEss                         D   TPE: 157                                   Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB     Season 84 - Regular Season 38 4 5 9 8 16 47 66 22                             Season 84 - Playoffs 15 1 4 5 -1 12 35 32 25                             After solving their goaltending dilema London will likely move to fill it's defenseman prospect pool and who other than the best named player of the draft. Womp Womp Womp Womp Womp Jr is a solid earning defenseman that created a little late but might fit into London's timeline for when they could possibly come out of their rebuild and serve as a solid depth and even possibly top defenseman for the United depending on how their earning pans out in the future.                              
Special thanks to our writers for really churning this article out in the time crunch we found ourselves in @Doomsday@badcolethetitan. Thank you to our Editor in Chief @Alex . Finally and most importantly thank you to our readers we hope you enjoyed this article and will continue to follow all content from the Victory Sports Network.
 
 

Eligible bachelor and draftee Phil Strasmore walked into the Press Conference this afternoon and declared... well, not bankruptcy, but that he will be going straight to the VHL and skipping the VHLe. 
 
This screaming announcement was apparently made under apparently under the guidance of a shit-disturber, as there's no real protocol or procedure one has to go through if they do not want to spend a season in the European-only league.
 
"I like a lot of the teams in the league," Strasmore said in a post-press conference conference, "But I can't waste any more time. I wasted too much time in football before my injury, and now I want to spend as much time as I can in the VHL - it's the only way I see myself having an eight-season career". 
 
Truer words have not been spoken. Only one player in the history of the VHL has had more than eight seasons. For some reason, the league only limits players to eight. This is the only league in the world that does this - but it's worked for us for this long! 
 
Strasmore is looking to go in the top round, and we'll see where he ends up. Mock drafts have put him as high as 3rd overall and as low as 8th. Let's see what happens in just 5 hours!!
 
 

Change of scenery
 
Leduc was inform a couple of days ago that he was traded to the Vancouver Wolves. He is entering his prime of his career and is looking to make a big difference to the team. He was a sad day when Leduc had to say goodbye to his teammates to go on a plane to Vancouver. The Riga Reign are starting a rebuild and they had to sell some players to have more picks to have a more fast rebuild. Leduc was not alone in that trade to Vancouver with Teammates Biggie Cheese who was also implicated in the trade. When Leduc arrived in Vancouver he was happy to be back in Canada after 4 years in Europe if you count his year with Cologne. He is still looking to buy a house his house in Riga his already sold so he just need to find a house close to the arena if possible. The VHL draft is the tonight and he is going to be there to introduce the next big star for the Wolves who have the first overall pick.
 
185 words
 
 

🤣 Sorry to disappoint. Hopefully you at least enjoyed the read. 

Thrilled to get the position, pretty excited to work with the M GM's and try to make the M the best it can be!

Good news everyone!
 
As you might have seen here, @McWolf is stepping away from the green team. What you likely didn't know is that @diamond_ace  will also be stepping down this off-season after an incredible tenure. I don't think I could possibility summarize how much D_A has done for the league better than his Builder article, so I'll include that for you all to peruse. Please join me in saying, thank you @diamond_ace ! 
 
What this does mean is we have the unique privilege of adding 2 new VHLM Commissioners at the same time! After reviewing the list of candidates that had put themselves forward for the position, we have decided on hiring: @Spartan and @Gustav!
 
Congratulations to the both of you!
- @Commissioner

Having been named one of the GMs for the Junior Showcase Tournament only two weeks ago, it saddens me to see it coming to an end so soon. We are already in the first round of the playoffs and it’s now hitting me, as someone who only just finished their first season, just how quickly everything really moves in the VHL. I haven’t even been here three months and somehow I have almost come full circle with an entire season and off-season. Damn that was fast. But I thought I would take this media spot to talk about my short and soon to be over time with the JST. 
 
I missed out on it when I initially joined, having become a member only a week before the VHLM draft which means I probably missed the JST by just a week or so. Realizing this, it is a bit of a shame that I held off checking that Reddit post. I wish I had had a week or so in the JST to learn how sims worked and had gotten a chance to be forced to interact with other players. I was slow to really engage with anyone just due to the nerves of coming in new to something that felt so established; like the discord server. Not to say that I kept completely to myself but I think it would have given me that extra bump to be more social.
 
But this was about the experience that I did have with the JST so here it is: it’s been fun! As an intro for new players, a time killer for recreates, and a way for newer members like me to get some GM experience, it’s been great. I do wish I had a more social team though. Most of my team never joined the discord but I do really enjoy talking to the ones who did! Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if most of the new players on my team still haven’t logged in since joining the VHL. But that’s okay.
 
The one downside to it that I find is a personal one. I don’t know how to talk to players like a GM without sounding like an actual coach. We all know realistically that none of us has any control as to how a game turns out and the most all of us can really do is earn TPE and apply it as best as we think we should. Everything else is up to the sim program. So I think that if I were to ever become AGM or GM of a team, that’s one thing I want to work on; my communication with my players. I want and need to figure out how to engage them more than just a daily “atta boy” after the results come through. But that could also be my social anxieties preventing me from wanting to look stupid. Who knows. Point is, I know it’s something I should work on and I’m going to spend the rest of the JST playoffs doing what I can to improve that skill.
 
#BunsofSteel 
 
516 words for week ending 8/28/2022

Luc Tessier looks at his locker one last time before leaving for the offseason having been knocked out of the playoffs in a sweep by the DC Dragons 4-0. Not the way Luc wanted it to go obviously. Mostly because no player wants to get eliminated and no player, for sure, wants to be swept. But for Luc there is an added weight. His performance in the playoffs showed him he was maybe slowing down. Where had the jump gone? Where was the snap of the puck off the blade?
 
Every player has to face this moment. The moment when it’s clear that it is time to hang up the skates and “pursue other opportunities”. This feels like Luc’s moment. As much as he would like to play into his 50’s, he knows that isn’t possible.
 
But he can’t go out like this! Surely there is one more good year left in his legs. Surely the magic can be found again with his wrister.
 
Luc Tessier leaves dejected in the loss, but determined as well. “Old Father Time can have me,” he thinks, “but not before one last glorious year. Not before one last season at the top of my game ending with a Cup for my teammates and the fans in Calgary.”
 
213 words  

I'll be bookmarking this for when I recreate in a year or so 🤩

I'll be bookmarking this for when I recreate in a year or so 🤩

Hello VHLers! I have had a lot of thoughts over the last few weeks, some spurred on by reading other people’s wonderful thoughts and some I like to think are original. What I want to do here is compile some “theory” on player, line and roster building as a sort of intermediate-level document for those who have read through resources like Gustav’s Guide to Building and the TPE & Point Tasks Tutorial. Since those are already amazing, I will not be overlapping too much, so if you do not know how the STHS attributes work and do not know how to earn TPE please go read those they are great.
 
To start off then, I wanted to talk about player building. As a current VHLM GM this is an area that I think could use a lot of improvement right off the bat, and with the hybrid-attributes having been implemented for a couple seasons now, my view on building in the VHLM has changed a lot. Historically the idea was to get the Core-4 attributes (DF, SC, SK, PH) up to ~70 and then go from there.
 
Nowadays, with 1 TPE getting you much less than it used to, some concessions need to be made. Getting those stats up to ~50-60 is not much of an issue if you put your head to it. And for those earning well, this is probably still the way you’ll want to build. I do think one should try to prioritize pushing 1 of those Core-4 attributes at a time, starting with DF, so you always have the advantage at SOME aspect of the sim. The principle of min-maxing in sim leagues is still particularly important. Being great at 1 thing and okay at some others, is better than being good at everything.
 
This leads into my next, and most crucial point about building. This idea is pretty much a straight rip from Shindigs, but I want to compile it here as well. As much as this is important in the VHLM, it snowballs over time all the way up to the VHL. Building all of the Core-4 attributes to a point where you will be great at them is a luxury even the best earners are struggling to afford. What this means is that lower earning players (I will talk about my love for these players later), need to absolutely capitalize on being dominant in something. If they try to spread themselves as widely as the max earners, they will ALWAYS be at a disadvantage in the sim when it comes to every single comparison check. In order to not be blown out of the water in the VHL, all of those amazing depth players need to be competitive in some aspect as soon as 300 TPE with the new callup threshold.
 
But enough beating around the bush, what should those lower earning players be sacrificing in order to be dominant in something? The answer is Scoring. I’m not saying don’t invest in scoring unless you’re max earning, but what I do mean is that great DF will carry you much more offensively than mediocre DF and SC. Building a player that can literally have the puck and skate with it without losing it will lead to your player having more opportunities to do the things that get you offense, shooting or passing.
 
The VHL desperately needs players who can hold and carry the puck for their top stars. One of the leading theories is that only 2 forwards and 1 defender in a unit actually contribute to the offensive output, and the others largely don’t affect the results. Many teams have been riding high TPE duos with a rookie to remarkable success. Many of the top scoring units over the last few seasons have been exactly this. Not to dive into line and roster construction too much here, but as a lower earning player you have to give VHL teams every reason to want to play you in these gold mine roles. Learn to retrieve the puck and carry it, and let the stars drive you to offensive godhood.
 
My last point about player building is actually one I picked up in the SBA, and it has to do with final builds and order of operations. In your first few seasons, you will be tossed around to multiple teams in multiple leagues in multiple roles. For each team you will likely get that urge to completely change your final build to match the situation that you’re in. Your team needs more offense? Well, I will just plan for more offense in my build. That is not exactly a terrific way to handle it. Having a final build to work towards is essential to efficient and decisive building, and although it does not have to be set in stone, and can grow or shrink over time, it should remain stylistically consistent. That does not mean your player has to be stylistically consistent over their career, in fact I also discourage that. I am all for building around your team’s needs, but perspective matters a lot. You can, and absolutely should RUSH certain parts of your build in order to help your team out. In fact, you should always be rushing the next attribute that your team needs. Breaking your build into chunks helps you be able to adjust stylistically on the fly, while also working towards a significant enough milestone that the sim might actually give you appropriate reward. Working in 5-increase chunks should be the lowest you intentionally go for, but maybe early on when attributes are cheaper you work in 10-increase chunks.
 
That is it for player building! Remember to focus on DF and build one thing by a significant margin instead of slowly increasing everything to get that competitive advantage!
When it comes to line construction, I have had a lot of VHLM experience, and a little bit of VHLE-level experience with the WJC. But I have been around enough in the VHL to understand the schools of thought, and I have also found some interesting on other STHS forums about the engine.
 
First off, the non-VHL specific, objectively (although potentially not subjectively) correct way to build lines. GMs from leagues that use NHL players and such to simulate with use this method to enormous success. It is rather simple and makes a lot of sense. You want to have a skater (who is also generally the checker for the line), a playmaker and a scorer. It is ideal for the playmaker to be the C, with the skater and scorer playing the wings. With the overall lack of build variation in the VHL this is not necessarily possible, but there are still opportunities for this sort of line construction. This is something I want to encourage more at the VHLM level, as we work with new players to build for a specific playstyle. By offering build advice that separates our players into “classes” we can encourage build diversity in the VHL and work towards better strategic and build-focused roster construction.
I use forwards as an example, but this concept also works with D, having a higher SK D paired with a higher SC D.
 
The second way to construct lines, which is the more common way in the current VHL landscape is the dominant duo and competent filler strategy. This is what I mentioned earlier in the player construction section, and as much as I encourage the other line construction strategy moving forward, the “competent fillers” can easily be rebranded as the skater/checker on a line. But for now, having 4 high-TPE forwards and 2 high-TPE D is generally what this cap allows teams to afford. Some teams load their top unit and leave the other to the wind, but many teams have gotten a lot of success from splitting their talent evenly and filling the rest of their lineup with cheap prospect talent. I cannot really spill any theory for why this works, other than the difference in builds is not significant enough that “classes” can emerge, so players are simply branded as either “good” or “not good” and therefore a player who is good, is good at all the things and therefore fits all or any of the above roles.
 
Those are really the 2 schools of thought as far as I know for line construction, and both seem to have their success depending on the roster you have. As we know, most of what we do in the VHL is trying to break STHS in our favour instead of following its intentions, so theory and reality can be rather random, leading to the “Simon does what Simon does” phenomenon.
 
When it comes to roster construction, you have to commit to a set of values that your team is going to adhere to. Much like real NHL teams have “identities,” your team, regardless of the level, must have an identity. This often boils down to the players currently on your roster, but players come and go, and if you simply ride whatever players, you currently have, you will never build a pattern of long-term success. There are certain players that I pass over at the draft because they have not built in the style that I like, even at the VHLM level. Obviously ignoring players so new that they do not have the TPA to have gone in the wrong direction for me. Las Vegas under Shindigs has built an identity of dominant 2-Way forwards and rugged, tough defensemen. The Warsaw Predators under dlamb committed themselves to a high-flying offense, while sacrificing defense. This is how these teams were intentionally built, and although not everything was handed to them exactly how they wanted it, they committed to their identities and their line construction vision.
 
This is something I have really had to sit down and think about, watching my first attempt at a roster fail, then get traded off and now lost to the VHLM Draft and the VHLE. As much as I think all of my players have grown into talented players, and had a lot of success this season, I think I could have improved my advice to them over the course of my mentorship. I have perpetuated the meta, and although there is a need for meta-styled players in the league, not all of them will earn to the point where they will see the statistical success for which they might hope. My vision for the Marlins, and also for my player and the team I play on have changed. I hope to provide better tailored advice for my players and encourage players across the leagues to talk to their GM about their vision for the team. Every GM is going to have a different view than I will, so I will not spill too much about how I view building, to avoid misleading players according to their GMs plans.
 
There is room for a lot more build variation in this league, and STHS has the capacity to handle it effectively. We have abused this engine for so long, but I want this article to be a call for return to the ways that STHS has designed. Bring back line chemistry, interesting line/roster construction and strategic drafting selections. I bid adieu to the days of working in the BPA at the draft. To build a league free of the meta, we must commit to exploring a possibility that there are other things besides the meta. It starts in the VHLM, and with our top young talent in the VHL. Hockey is a bandwagon sport, so by demonstrating success, people emulate it. Let us show everyone that success can come from a variety of ways and philosophies. I am working to break my player from the mold of the meta that I fell into, and I hope to use my platform as a VHLM GM to build the next generation of builds from the new payers I am gifted with. It will take time to explore, and some commitment by everyone, but it is worth the risk for me.
 
Finally, I want to talk about player roles and really sit and be frank with everyone. Not everyone can be the star. And honestly, not everyone SHOULD be the star. We tried that, and then we broke STHS. But just because you are not the star (because if you are reading this it is more likely you are not the star than are), you have to accept that the best way to help your team is to embrace a role. What ties this article together is the fact that at a player building, line building and roster building level, we need to be ready to accept that role players are necessary and really the building blocks of every team. Get a few draft picks and you will get some star players. That is not really the question here anymore. Many teams have the stars they would need to compete, but they do not have the system around them to compete. Building a great prospect system full of a wide range of earners and build types is now necessary for long-term success. We need cheap talent to support holding stars. And honestly, the cheapest and most sustainable way to hold that window of winning open is through our lower earning players. I am not encouraging people to stop earning, but rather appreciate our welfare earners for the assets they are, enabling the top earners the security to stay with a team and a system that treats them well instead of being perpetual cap dumps in the offseason. Having a system of varied players, stylistically and earning-wise allows us to be able to replace talent as they retire and build a system of talent that follows our identity.
 
Look at real NHL teams like Tampa Bay. Whenever a player prices them out in contract negotiations, they always have someone in the minors eager to step into that role. They always have talent ready to shine, and always have a revolving door of talent ready to move out. Teams overpay for their cast-offs in free agency, and they laugh as they steal yet another project piece in the draft. This is how we have to look at our VHL franchises.
If build variety does not expand, then all we have to judge players on is TPA. Everyone who has ever talked to their GM builds pretty well. If TPA continues to be all that matters, then there is almost no reason to have attributes at all.
 
When it comes to prospects, there is also now an interesting dilemma about who to call up. Assuming people take my advice and lower earners build strong defensive players then it is almost a no-brainer to call up a lower earning forward of this mold and let the higher-earning talent develop and compete in the VHLE. This seems counter-intuitive, but the high-earning scorers only really provide that top-end value towards their peak, and at 300-500 TPE are probably worse off on a VHL roster than a 300TPE defensive forward. Much like the NHL, the young forwards who make a dent in the league are usually the high-energy puck retrievers, not the high-octane offensive guys. And generally, of those offensive guys, the ones that see the most success are on shallow rosters, where it would make sense in the VHL to call them up anyways.
 
As those role players grow into more expensive assets, they can be flipped to rebuilding teams looking to field a roster. There are more than enough roster spots in the league for those who are at the TPE for it. I order to continue to encourage players to reach that level, there has to continue to be opportunities to be useful pieces, and that boils down to how they build and how we approach roster construction. As someone who has been in that boat, although as a backup goaltender, my activity was directly tied to how much I was contributing to my team. If we treat our potential role players like the royalty they are, there will be more of them and better prepared for the VHL. How do we get more VHL-calibre talent? Allow for more than one route to being a successful player, and stop making our attribute system virtually worthless, by all building the same way.
 
I think that is probably enough to get some discussion going. Feel free to disagree, because well there is lots in here that could be wrong or be seen differently. But also, really try to understand what I mean, and do not take my frankness as an insult to your character. We are all out here trying to be better (or we should be at least). Please feel free to discuss below, I want to learn more, and I know some of you have some knowledge to dispense. This is well over 2000 words and I am sure I’ll probably only claim it once, but it was rewarding enough getting the thoughts out there.
 
Appreciate you all and best of luck!

Thanks to @Gustav, @Shindigs, @badcolethetitan, @Daniel Janser, @Spartan, @fromtheinside and @Ricer13 specifically for continuing to expand my perspective and teach me more and more about the different aspects of being a player, GM and member on the site! Most of these ideas stem from conversations we've had over the last couple years and have fundamentally shifted how I interact with the VHL.

2000+ Words, might claim at least once!

1. I think we need to remain calm and not let it get us down. We started off so strong, and then got goalie'd, and then OT didn't go our way. We're playing well, we just need to keep at it.
 
2. I've been asking people in the discord so I'm good for now!
 
3. Oh Henry Reese Peanut Butter chocolate bar.
 
4. Yee
 
5. Nope, I like animals just don't have the time.
 
6. Alexander Minion played out of his gourd, so I think he deserves it.

There is definitely favouritism to certain people being hired for certain jobs. It is completely a trust thing. I would hire someone I trust will do the job over an unknown with a sketchy history any day of the week.
 
    I have applied for a number of jobs in this league and have been denied a ton. I worked hard to get to be a VHL GM by really putting a lot of my own time into being a VHLM GM. I can’t even count the amount of hours I spent with new members explaining over and over how the league works, the time spent socializing and creating fun and active servers for members to be apart of and building that trust with members to work my way into other positions in this league.
 
    RJ and I built a relationship and I had to work and earn his trust in order to be a WJC Commish which I had been denied of during previous hirings. I got a recruitment job because I built trust with Moon who went to bat for me to to the Commissioner's in order for me to get the job: I am going to have to build trust with the commissioners and the members who run this league to become a Commissioner of any of the three leagues or be able to join the BoG. All of this is okay because I am willing to stay positive and work my way up into these positions. I don’t think they should be handed to just anyone but rather given to those who have proven they deserve it.
 
 

Thank you for the opportunity

As I'm sure you've all seen by now, @frescoelmo and @Dom have decided to focus on their mod duties instead of GMing which leaves us of course with the ever popular opening for a pair of VHL GM positions. The league would like to thank Dom for his time he devoted to GMing as well as fresco for stepping in for an interim basis.
 
If you are interested in the openings, please post in this thread stating so with reference to team preference if you have one. Please do not contact the Commissioners outside of this thread, we will reach out to the chosen candidates privately.
 
***Please refrain from making comments regarding any candidates and their "worthiness" of being hired for this job, positive or negative. Any comment that is not an application will be removed to maintain a clean list of actual candidates, and (I hate that this actually needs to be said, but...) any member bashing will not be tolerated.***

Agreed to the part of how to interact with players as a GM. Even when you GM you really are still just another community member, obviously. But you're also in a position of seniority, and it creates a bit of a dynamic naturally for the most part. Though a lot of the time you might prefer it didn't.
 
It reminds me a bit about how freshers week felt in University, I actually started Uni a few years late. So I was older than our "supervisors" during freshers, who were really just 2nd and 3rd year students. But because they were our supervisors they "felt" older than me, and they felt more like "staff members" than what they actually were, just other students like me that I'd later just become friends with. I think that same dynamic applies to how a lot of people see league staff and their first GM. It's easy to kind of label them that way, when really they are just like you. But with more experience.
 
That can make it a bit harder to drive "normal conversation" in a LR as a GM, so usually you do rely on enough chatterbox players/alumni/hangarounds that you can just be part of the conversation, rather than the driving force in the conversation. It's no small part in why we almost universally value players with high LR activity so much in the VHLM draft. As well as why an active AGM can be big, cause even though they are somewhat part of that same problem of feeling like a player's "supervisor". It's not as pronounced as with your GM usually.

Having been named one of the GMs for the Junior Showcase Tournament only two weeks ago, it saddens me to see it coming to an end so soon. We are already in the first round of the playoffs and it’s now hitting me, as someone who only just finished their first season, just how quickly everything really moves in the VHL. I haven’t even been here three months and somehow I have almost come full circle with an entire season and off-season. Damn that was fast. But I thought I would take this media spot to talk about my short and soon to be over time with the JST. 
 
I missed out on it when I initially joined, having become a member only a week before the VHLM draft which means I probably missed the JST by just a week or so. Realizing this, it is a bit of a shame that I held off checking that Reddit post. I wish I had had a week or so in the JST to learn how sims worked and had gotten a chance to be forced to interact with other players. I was slow to really engage with anyone just due to the nerves of coming in new to something that felt so established; like the discord server. Not to say that I kept completely to myself but I think it would have given me that extra bump to be more social.
 
But this was about the experience that I did have with the JST so here it is: it’s been fun! As an intro for new players, a time killer for recreates, and a way for newer members like me to get some GM experience, it’s been great. I do wish I had a more social team though. Most of my team never joined the discord but I do really enjoy talking to the ones who did! Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if most of the new players on my team still haven’t logged in since joining the VHL. But that’s okay.
 
The one downside to it that I find is a personal one. I don’t know how to talk to players like a GM without sounding like an actual coach. We all know realistically that none of us has any control as to how a game turns out and the most all of us can really do is earn TPE and apply it as best as we think we should. Everything else is up to the sim program. So I think that if I were to ever become AGM or GM of a team, that’s one thing I want to work on; my communication with my players. I want and need to figure out how to engage them more than just a daily “atta boy” after the results come through. But that could also be my social anxieties preventing me from wanting to look stupid. Who knows. Point is, I know it’s something I should work on and I’m going to spend the rest of the JST playoffs doing what I can to improve that skill.
 
#BunsofSteel 
 
516 words for week ending 8/28/2022

Having been named one of the GMs for the Junior Showcase Tournament only two weeks ago, it saddens me to see it coming to an end so soon. We are already in the first round of the playoffs and it’s now hitting me, as someone who only just finished their first season, just how quickly everything really moves in the VHL. I haven’t even been here three months and somehow I have almost come full circle with an entire season and off-season. Damn that was fast. But I thought I would take this media spot to talk about my short and soon to be over time with the JST. 
 
I missed out on it when I initially joined, having become a member only a week before the VHLM draft which means I probably missed the JST by just a week or so. Realizing this, it is a bit of a shame that I held off checking that Reddit post. I wish I had had a week or so in the JST to learn how sims worked and had gotten a chance to be forced to interact with other players. I was slow to really engage with anyone just due to the nerves of coming in new to something that felt so established; like the discord server. Not to say that I kept completely to myself but I think it would have given me that extra bump to be more social.
 
But this was about the experience that I did have with the JST so here it is: it’s been fun! As an intro for new players, a time killer for recreates, and a way for newer members like me to get some GM experience, it’s been great. I do wish I had a more social team though. Most of my team never joined the discord but I do really enjoy talking to the ones who did! Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if most of the new players on my team still haven’t logged in since joining the VHL. But that’s okay.
 
The one downside to it that I find is a personal one. I don’t know how to talk to players like a GM without sounding like an actual coach. We all know realistically that none of us has any control as to how a game turns out and the most all of us can really do is earn TPE and apply it as best as we think we should. Everything else is up to the sim program. So I think that if I were to ever become AGM or GM of a team, that’s one thing I want to work on; my communication with my players. I want and need to figure out how to engage them more than just a daily “atta boy” after the results come through. But that could also be my social anxieties preventing me from wanting to look stupid. Who knows. Point is, I know it’s something I should work on and I’m going to spend the rest of the JST playoffs doing what I can to improve that skill.
 
#BunsofSteel 
 
516 words for week ending 8/28/2022

Definitely something that I continue to work on actively! It really is crazy how fast time can move here, I mean i just wrote my "Veteran Presence" career task this week and it's felt like only a couple weeks since I was drafted to the VHLM. Glad you had a great time with the JST, and hope to work with you again soon!

Having been named one of the GMs for the Junior Showcase Tournament only two weeks ago, it saddens me to see it coming to an end so soon. We are already in the first round of the playoffs and it’s now hitting me, as someone who only just finished their first season, just how quickly everything really moves in the VHL. I haven’t even been here three months and somehow I have almost come full circle with an entire season and off-season. Damn that was fast. But I thought I would take this media spot to talk about my short and soon to be over time with the JST. 
 
I missed out on it when I initially joined, having become a member only a week before the VHLM draft which means I probably missed the JST by just a week or so. Realizing this, it is a bit of a shame that I held off checking that Reddit post. I wish I had had a week or so in the JST to learn how sims worked and had gotten a chance to be forced to interact with other players. I was slow to really engage with anyone just due to the nerves of coming in new to something that felt so established; like the discord server. Not to say that I kept completely to myself but I think it would have given me that extra bump to be more social.
 
But this was about the experience that I did have with the JST so here it is: it’s been fun! As an intro for new players, a time killer for recreates, and a way for newer members like me to get some GM experience, it’s been great. I do wish I had a more social team though. Most of my team never joined the discord but I do really enjoy talking to the ones who did! Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if most of the new players on my team still haven’t logged in since joining the VHL. But that’s okay.
 
The one downside to it that I find is a personal one. I don’t know how to talk to players like a GM without sounding like an actual coach. We all know realistically that none of us has any control as to how a game turns out and the most all of us can really do is earn TPE and apply it as best as we think we should. Everything else is up to the sim program. So I think that if I were to ever become AGM or GM of a team, that’s one thing I want to work on; my communication with my players. I want and need to figure out how to engage them more than just a daily “atta boy” after the results come through. But that could also be my social anxieties preventing me from wanting to look stupid. Who knows. Point is, I know it’s something I should work on and I’m going to spend the rest of the JST playoffs doing what I can to improve that skill.
 
#BunsofSteel 
 
516 words for week ending 8/28/2022

I'm actually quite surprised how many hits there are when you search for "Viva Las Vengeance" in the gif search. Panic! must have spent quite a bit of time making gifs for their album release as part of their marketing ploy. Or perhaps their fans just really like making Brendon gifs, both are very possible. But yeah I'm going to write this MS while listening through their new album.
 
For the first time in five seasons, Moscow didn't make the finals. Tough pill to swallow but it has a nice motivational factor. Losing in the finals is a dull motivator once you've done it four times in a row. At least now the goal is to get back to the finals and to claim the European Conference championship once again. The past couple teams have really tossed expectations out of the window and reached plateaus which I never quite envisioned the prior off-season, but I was always very excited to ride and wave and celebrate the small successes throughout each season. Users experiencing not only career highs, but sim-league history bests. Multiple players on the team hit point production, goal marks, career records that they've never reached even on their other players since joining the league. It's really nice see the enthusiasm and excitement people have when they're on the team, and that sort of helps the downs of losing - to know people just genuinely enjoyed the time spent together and watching their player and team perform well.
 
Looking forward though, there's still a lot of potential for the team. S84 1st round picks Fraser Wallace @Hoopydog and AK92 wit da Hoodie @hedgehog337 are joining the team to provide a welcome influx of young talent. Sergey Preobrazhensky @Bulduray_1 genuinely looks like one of the best centers in the league, and appears ready to take over the 1C role in Moscow. Most of the remaining roster will return, but there will still be some decisions to be made as stars Papa Emeritus @Beketov and Henri le Massif @Garsh are pending UFA's along with Jason Argos @Insypher who exceeded expectations as a rookie. As always, the offseason will cause me headaches and leave me scrambling in a mess of trades and roster moves. As I finish writing this, a couple hours later, Papa has been signed. Regardless, it is still enjoyable and one of my favorite parts of the season as a GM.
 
Lastly, the World Cup is starting up soon! I've been pretty uninvolved up until this point due to vacation, but I am still excited for Nico to play in the tournament for the first time, and to see the highest level of play in the VHL. Keep an eye out for roster posts going up over the next 24 hours!