VattghernCZ

1. I got my main attributes to the balance I want to keep them in, so not really. Other than slowly working on faceoffs - Kerr Isa natural center after all.
 
2. In a vacuum, both. But in real world, I think with a goalie like Fuhr, the impact of the difference between good defense and elite defense is smaller than between good offense and elite offense.
 
3. Definitely some breweries! I'm not saying Kerr is a drunk, but he likes beer a lot.
 
4. It's my first gen rookie season, ask me this question later.
 
5. I would *like* to be assigned to Slytherin, because they value traits I'd like to build - ambition, cunning, leadership and resourcefulness. Realistically, I'd be a Hufflepuff tho.
 
6. They use sticks? 

Themes, Times and Randomness


 
Every week when I come across the press conference question, I try to keep them to a theme or some creation in my wee little brain of mine but this week I am rather drawing a blank so expect more random questions as I am also finding rather hard to keep pumping the tires or oiling the wheel that is turning smoothly so far!! Either way we are back with another press conference, so answer three questions for one TPE or all six for two TPE. As always have fun!!


 
1. Player builds are always fun to look at and play around with so I guess the first question this week is: Are there any skills that you would like to learn this year or through your career that might help you become a better player?


 
2. Staying with the same topic: What do you think helps the team more Defense or Offense?


 
3. In light of some players announcing sponsorship deals with airline companies, what sponsorship contracts would you like to see your player sign or do you think they are a bit distracting?


 
4. What was your welcome to the VHL moment and what season did you really think Yes, I have made it?


 
5. In light of a new game that I am following close in Hogwarts Legacy if we were to place the Sorting Hat on your head what would he say about your character and what house would you be assigned to? Why?


 
6. Since no one guess that Goalies have the nice apartments last week as they have the biggest pads, I am going to give you all a chance to redeem yourselves with another riddle:

What do hockey players and magicians have in common?
 


 

There it is. After few months of grinding and waiting, the highly anticipated moment is here! My first player is playing VHL games! With getting to the VHL sooner or later being the point, with the most attention being paid to the VHL and with the most avtivity being in the VHL, I will now be able to experience this league in full! So what changed?
 
To be perfectly honest...not much.
 
I don't necessarily mean it on a bad way. I sure was super excited to join the reigning Cup champions and the team management really made me feel welcome, but the graduation somehow felt...mundane? I think that's as close to the word I'm looking for as I'm gonna get. I was expecting a sense of accomplishment that just hasn't arrived (...yet. Hopefully). Many members bash the E, but looking back, the graduation from the M to the E felt more...more. I don't know. On one hand, it makes sense, it was the first time I've experienced my player moving up. On the other hand, going from the E to the top league is a bigger step.
 
Okay, I admit I've had a pretty tough schedule in my offline life lately, unfortunately coinciding with the start of my player's rookie season. That definitely has a big part of me being underwhelmed. And especially this week has been so exhausting that it lead me to just put my feelings in words rather than to think about a PT or an article that would make sense.
 
To anyone is still reading this, I have a question: did you feel similarly? Or is it just me being overall mentally drained? I guess asking this was the point of this post more than anything else. Thanks.

There it is. After few months of grinding and waiting, the highly anticipated moment is here! My first player is playing VHL games! With getting to the VHL sooner or later being the point, with the most attention being paid to the VHL and with the most avtivity being in the VHL, I will now be able to experience this league in full! So what changed?
 
To be perfectly honest...not much.
 
I don't necessarily mean it on a bad way. I sure was super excited to join the reigning Cup champions and the team management really made me feel welcome, but the graduation somehow felt...mundane? I think that's as close to the word I'm looking for as I'm gonna get. I was expecting a sense of accomplishment that just hasn't arrived (...yet. Hopefully). Many members bash the E, but looking back, the graduation from the M to the E felt more...more. I don't know. On one hand, it makes sense, it was the first time I've experienced my player moving up. On the other hand, going from the E to the top league is a bigger step.
 
Okay, I admit I've had a pretty tough schedule in my offline life lately, unfortunately coinciding with the start of my player's rookie season. That definitely has a big part of me being underwhelmed. And especially this week has been so exhausting that it lead me to just put my feelings in words rather than to think about a PT or an article that would make sense.
 
To anyone is still reading this, I have a question: did you feel similarly? Or is it just me being overall mentally drained? I guess asking this was the point of this post more than anything else. Thanks.

Even good rookie seasons are tough, but watching yourself grow and start to hit your stride is eventually a really fun feeling. Until the VHL, being a good earner is enough to get yourself into a good position to be a key player for your team, but in the VHL being a good earner, over a period of time, is what gets you to be a key player. A real change of pace, but reaching something you're proud of makes up for it. Keep up the good work!

A lot of what you said is true there really isn't any grand gesture when you get called up to the bigs. Most members have to find their own motivation and self fulfillment. Kerr is also playing behind a deep forward group so it will be difficult to contend for ROTY honours. Hopefully team success and me doing my job as GM can keep you around long enough since the individual accolades might ve a while yet. Kerr also had a very strong season in the E so it might be a bit tough going from over a point per gane to half that Hopefully that motivates you though, you have a ton of potential as a player and member.

There it is. After few months of grinding and waiting, the highly anticipated moment is here! My first player is playing VHL games! With getting to the VHL sooner or later being the point, with the most attention being paid to the VHL and with the most avtivity being in the VHL, I will now be able to experience this league in full! So what changed?
 
To be perfectly honest...not much.
 
I don't necessarily mean it on a bad way. I sure was super excited to join the reigning Cup champions and the team management really made me feel welcome, but the graduation somehow felt...mundane? I think that's as close to the word I'm looking for as I'm gonna get. I was expecting a sense of accomplishment that just hasn't arrived (...yet. Hopefully). Many members bash the E, but looking back, the graduation from the M to the E felt more...more. I don't know. On one hand, it makes sense, it was the first time I've experienced my player moving up. On the other hand, going from the E to the top league is a bigger step.
 
Okay, I admit I've had a pretty tough schedule in my offline life lately, unfortunately coinciding with the start of my player's rookie season. That definitely has a big part of me being underwhelmed. And especially this week has been so exhausting that it lead me to just put my feelings in words rather than to think about a PT or an article that would make sense.
 
To anyone is still reading this, I have a question: did you feel similarly? Or is it just me being overall mentally drained? I guess asking this was the point of this post more than anything else. Thanks.

A suggestion I can give you is to try getting into the team management jobs if you didn’t yet. There is plenty if AGMs jobs available each seasons, in my opinion, the feeling of accomplishment or challenge as a player can indeed be disappointing at times and it feels like there is nothing you can do but hope for luck to go your way. But those managing jobs are more interactive and are really fun. Give it a try if you are not agm yet

There it is. After few months of grinding and waiting, the highly anticipated moment is here! My first player is playing VHL games! With getting to the VHL sooner or later being the point, with the most attention being paid to the VHL and with the most avtivity being in the VHL, I will now be able to experience this league in full! So what changed?
 
To be perfectly honest...not much.
 
I don't necessarily mean it on a bad way. I sure was super excited to join the reigning Cup champions and the team management really made me feel welcome, but the graduation somehow felt...mundane? I think that's as close to the word I'm looking for as I'm gonna get. I was expecting a sense of accomplishment that just hasn't arrived (...yet. Hopefully). Many members bash the E, but looking back, the graduation from the M to the E felt more...more. I don't know. On one hand, it makes sense, it was the first time I've experienced my player moving up. On the other hand, going from the E to the top league is a bigger step.
 
Okay, I admit I've had a pretty tough schedule in my offline life lately, unfortunately coinciding with the start of my player's rookie season. That definitely has a big part of me being underwhelmed. And especially this week has been so exhausting that it lead me to just put my feelings in words rather than to think about a PT or an article that would make sense.
 
To anyone is still reading this, I have a question: did you feel similarly? Or is it just me being overall mentally drained? I guess asking this was the point of this post more than anything else. Thanks.

For me it was similar, but this was more about me moving the goal post. So I had always felt that I have not accomplished what I wanted to. And this is still going on, as I have yet to win the Continental Cup. I think once I achieved that final goal, the feeling of accomplishment will finally settle in (which is hopefully by the end of this season)

Will we ever lose? (jinx)
 
 
Can the start of the regular season actually be any better for the Vancouver Wolves? Not missing a beat after winning the cup the team has simply put up a modest 12-0-1 having everyone else around the league wondering when will Vancouver lose in regulation? What has gone right for the team and is there anything that the team could improve? Either way we are back with another press conference, so answer three questions for one TPE or all six for two TPE. As always have fun!!
 
1. Not to sound silly here but did anyone expect us to start the season 12-0-1? What has been the biggest surprise been so far in the new season? Why?
 
 
 
 
 
2. Nezuko @Baozi steps straight into the team and leads the wolves in points; was this expected when Nezuko @Baozi first signed in Vancouver or did you expect them to take time building chemistry with their new line mates?
 
 
 
 
 
3. Is there any question around who our current MVP has been this season? Who do you think it is and why?
 
 
 
4. Our two rookies, Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ and Jens Lekman @Bobcat have now played a dozen games in the VHL; How would you rate them in the first dozen games?
(Scale 1-10)
 
 
 
5. What has been the most impress aspect of the current team record and is there anything you think could be improved?
 
 
 
6. Riddle: In Hockey, which players have the best apartments?
 
 
 
What a start to the season but remember it is a long season and
we are still miles away from the Goal!!


 
 

1. Not in my wildest dreams. The biggest surprise for me was Nezuko. I knew they're an amazing player with two 40-goals season already, but actually playing with such a player is something else.
 
2. I've already spoken about Nezuko in my first answer. I really wasn't expecting such a rocket start from them. And they don't look like slowing down.
 
3. You see what Brandt Fuhr does back in the net? Yeah...
 
4. I'm...whelmed...by my player. About what I expected. Not a liability, and chipping in with a point here and there. I'd still like to hit 20 goals tho. Jens is looking really good, especially with their physicality in defensive zone. I can't wait to see Jeremy start some games.
 
5. We're top 3 in both the most shots for and the least shots against. That's just dominant. If I were to nitpick, I'd say we could use some improvement on penalty kill, we're "only" about average.
 
6. It's gonna be a pun, isn't it? I have no idea.

Sitting at the top of the standings with 7-0-1 record, the Wolves are not messing around. GM @Frank's offseason activity already looks like savvy moves and certainly is paying off.
 
Leading the team in goals (6) and points (14) is Nezuko @Baozi, an offseason free agent addition who was brought to try to replace Alexandre Leduc's @Lemorse7 production. Sergey Preobrazhensky @Bulduray_1, acquired last season from Moscow, and Svatopluk Puk @Otaznik, a 3rd-season Wolves forward, are tied for 2nd with 11 points. Dogwood Maple @dogwoodmaple (10 points) and Henry Eagles @Greg_Di (7 points) are both on track to set new career high in points. Rookie Wann Kerr is off to a solid, though not spectacular start, scoring a goal in his debut game and currently sitting on 2 goals and 4 points 
 
On blue line, the loss of Biggie Cheese @a_Ferk was always going to be huge. But Pierre Emile Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito, the team's newly appointed captain, is having a special season with 10 points already, pushing the game forward like Biggie Cheese used to. Jimmy MacElroy @Xflexz is building on the confidence their rookie season gave them with a fantastic start. Jens Lekman @Bobcat, a rookie defender, already has a 2-goal game under their belt. Jens has been a prolific triggerman on every level so far, and it looks like the trend continues.
 
In the net, oh boy, what a season Brandt Fuhr @Tate is having. Save percentage north of .94 and sub 1.75 goals against average are inhuman numbers. The Wolves certainly need their goaltending to be atrong after losing Biggie Cheese, and so far Fuhr has more than delivered. We're yet to see rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman @Agito starting a game. Even rhough everyone would like to see their newest face in the net, it's hard to justify sitting Fuhr right now.

Sitting at the top of the standings with 7-0-1 record, the Wolves are not messing around. GM @Frank's offseason activity already looks like savvy moves and certainly is paying off.
 
Leading the team in goals (6) and points (14) is Nezuko @Baozi, an offseason free agent addition who was brought to try to replace Alexandre Leduc's @Lemorse7 production. Sergey Preobrazhensky @Bulduray_1, acquired last season from Moscow, and Svatopluk Puk @Otaznik, a 3rd-season Wolves forward, are tied for 2nd with 11 points. Dogwood Maple @dogwoodmaple (10 points) and Henry Eagles @Greg_Di (7 points) are both on track to set new career high in points. Rookie Wann Kerr is off to a solid, though not spectacular start, scoring a goal in his debut game and currently sitting on 2 goals and 4 points 
 
On blue line, the loss of Biggie Cheese @a_Ferk was always going to be huge. But Pierre Emile Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito, the team's newly appointed captain, is having a special season with 10 points already, pushing the game forward like Biggie Cheese used to. Jimmy MacElroy @Xflexz is building on the confidence their rookie season gave them with a fantastic start. Jens Lekman @Bobcat, a rookie defender, already has a 2-goal game under their belt. Jens has been a prolific triggerman on every level so far, and it looks like the trend continues.
 
In the net, oh boy, what a season Brandt Fuhr @Tate is having. Save percentage north of .94 and sub 1.75 goals against average are inhuman numbers. The Wolves certainly need their goaltending to be atrong after losing Biggie Cheese, and so far Fuhr has more than delivered. We're yet to see rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman @Agito starting a game. Even rhough everyone would like to see their newest face in the net, it's hard to justify sitting Fuhr right now.

Sitting at the top of the standings with 7-0-1 record, the Wolves are not messing around. GM @Frank's offseason activity already looks like savvy moves and certainly is paying off.
 
Leading the team in goals (6) and points (14) is Nezuko @Baozi, an offseason free agent addition who was brought to try to replace Alexandre Leduc's @Lemorse7 production. Sergey Preobrazhensky @Bulduray_1, acquired last season from Moscow, and Svatopluk Puk @Otaznik, a 3rd-season Wolves forward, are tied for 2nd with 11 points. Dogwood Maple @dogwoodmaple (10 points) and Henry Eagles @Greg_Di (7 points) are both on track to set new career high in points. Rookie Wann Kerr is off to a solid, though not spectacular start, scoring a goal in his debut game and currently sitting on 2 goals and 4 points 
 
On blue line, the loss of Biggie Cheese @a_Ferk was always going to be huge. But Pierre Emile Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito, the team's newly appointed captain, is having a special season with 10 points already, pushing the game forward like Biggie Cheese used to. Jimmy MacElroy @Xflexz is building on the confidence their rookie season gave them with a fantastic start. Jens Lekman @Bobcat, a rookie defender, already has a 2-goal game under their belt. Jens has been a prolific triggerman on every level so far, and it looks like the trend continues.
 
In the net, oh boy, what a season Brandt Fuhr @Tate is having. Save percentage north of .94 and sub 1.75 goals against average are inhuman numbers. The Wolves certainly need their goaltending to be atrong after losing Biggie Cheese, and so far Fuhr has more than delivered. We're yet to see rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman @Agito starting a game. Even rhough everyone would like to see their newest face in the net, it's hard to justify sitting Fuhr right now.

Sitting at the top of the standings with 7-0-1 record, the Wolves are not messing around. GM @Frank's offseason activity already looks like savvy moves and certainly is paying off.
 
Leading the team in goals (6) and points (14) is Nezuko @Baozi, an offseason free agent addition who was brought to try to replace Alexandre Leduc's @Lemorse7 production. Sergey Preobrazhensky @Bulduray_1, acquired last season from Moscow, and Svatopluk Puk @Otaznik, a 3rd-season Wolves forward, are tied for 2nd with 11 points. Dogwood Maple @dogwoodmaple (10 points) and Henry Eagles @Greg_Di (7 points) are both on track to set new career high in points. Rookie Wann Kerr is off to a solid, though not spectacular start, scoring a goal in his debut game and currently sitting on 2 goals and 4 points 
 
On blue line, the loss of Biggie Cheese @a_Ferk was always going to be huge. But Pierre Emile Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito, the team's newly appointed captain, is having a special season with 10 points already, pushing the game forward like Biggie Cheese used to. Jimmy MacElroy @Xflexz is building on the confidence their rookie season gave them with a fantastic start. Jens Lekman @Bobcat, a rookie defender, already has a 2-goal game under their belt. Jens has been a prolific triggerman on every level so far, and it looks like the trend continues.
 
In the net, oh boy, what a season Brandt Fuhr @Tate is having. Save percentage north of .94 and sub 1.75 goals against average are inhuman numbers. The Wolves certainly need their goaltending to be atrong after losing Biggie Cheese, and so far Fuhr has more than delivered. We're yet to see rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman @Agito starting a game. Even rhough everyone would like to see their newest face in the net, it's hard to justify sitting Fuhr right now.

The irony of that being that they are literally the same thing. If you treat your players like human beings and go the extra mile to help them. Not only will they naturally be more successful, they will specifically *want* to be successful to repay you for what you've done for them. They will want to play for your team, because it's your team. Having the mindset that what's best for your players vs. what's best for your team are two different things is just so short sighted. Since sustained success requires your players to grow and thrive. Not to mention sharing the LR with people you know and respect is a hell of a lot more fun than a bunch of people you don't know, but who certainly have a lot of TPE.
 
That's what I built Vegas on, I traded away all my 1st round picks to get 2nd/3rd/4th round picks letting me reach out to people who had all the potential in the world, but hadn't learned how the league works yet. What's the point in drafting as many 200 TPE recreates as you can? You won't teach them anything, they won't get better as time goes along, and you won't be able to significantly change their league experience. Whereas if you instead focus your resources on first gens that you actually can make a difference for (or lower earning recreates that may have had a similar experience to what's outlined in this thread) you can actually do something.
 
My starting point for all my players on Vegas was always to explain how Welfare+ works, what the career trajectory is compared to max earning and pure welfare, while doing welfare+, and just let them make an informed decision on how much effort they "need" to put in to reach their goals for their player. For some players they end up only doing welfare+ one or two weeks. Then realize that they just don't want to put in any extra effort at all. For quite a lot of players they do decide that some version of Welfare+, be it 8 per week or 10 per week, is what they are comfortable doing. And some get hooked on earning and go full max earning.
 
 
The most demoralizing thing for me when I was a VHLM GM, and still to some degree is, is that I kept seeing the same pattern repeating itself. With the slam dunk 100% players being the exception, so many of the players who I either worked my ass off to keep from going IA and stay doing Welfare. Or who I got invested enough to do Welfare+/Max earning would instantly fall off a cliff once they left the Vegas and went on to their VHLE teams. One of the primary ones being Town's player. He's literally one of the most prominent members in the SBA, but since all the jobs he holds over there to max earn don't actually give him any affiliate claims in the VHL he doesn't do point tasks here. He just does Welfare, but if you tell him about Theme Weeks/uncapped opportunities/Fantasy Zone/Predictions and the like that take 0 effort. He will do them, as long as you remind him to get his Welfare+PF in for the week, he does it. And as long as you give him build advice, he's more than happy to apply TPE that way. But he knows enough about sim leagues to not blindly want to apply TPE himself. Since that is a good way to completely ruin your player for their entire career as a Welfare earner.
 
What this lead to after he left Vegas was him sitting in the VHLE for almost a whole season at 200 TPA with like 260ish TPE until he finally just stopped doing welfare at all. I was too busy dealing with my own players to keep close tabs on my alumni, there's only so much time and energy I have. So I have to focus it where I "should" be focusing it and trusting that his VHL/E GMs actually do their damn jobs and continue developing him. Well, they didn't. After I noticed what was going on I just reached out to him in DMs and asked if he wanted build help to apply all his banked TPE, and he was more than happy to. Was literally just waiting to have either of his actual GMs talk to him about it at all. (He'd also been traded without being told by the GM who traded him and only getting a welcome message from the new GM, who he though was his VHLE GM. He had to ask me about the specifics of the trade) After the new build and me slightly getting his focus back on the VHL he did go back to doing Welfare again and went on to having a 100+ point season int he VHLE the following season, and from what I can tell on Cologne he actually did get sufficient GM help to stay on top of things. Well, sort of, he was never told to claim the Christmas TPE or the Theme Week. But at least he's doing the weekly earning.
 
Now on the flip side of that stuff, I do somewhat get it. Unless you've actually been a GM you probably haven't had the absolutely soul crushing experience of having a player completely ignore (or give 1 syllable answers) to any and all attempt to help them, no matter how heartfelt. Or players who will either a) completely ghost you or b) do what you told them in PMs/DMs but won't even show you the common decency of responding to said messages. You can only get your spirit crushed by so many people shitting on your best attempt to help them before you just shut down to protect your own sanity. At some point the likely outcome of dealing with a long-shot Welfare earner and putting your heart into helping them just becomes such a source of stress that you simply stop trying. I was approaching the point where that would be me, it was one of many reasons I stepped down as Vegas GM. Because if you *do* reach that point, you shouldn't be a GM anymore. You're no longer fit for duty in my opinion.
 
We also kind of have an issue among at least some VHL GMs where they consider their VHLE prospects to be "not their problem" if you will. Part of that is not wanting to step on the toes of the VHLE GMs that by all accounts *should* be guiding them, which I can respect. But part of it is also the mindset that as a VHL GM all you do is compete, you don't develop. That's someone elses job and it's not what you took the position for (Not like you could use your AGM for it or anything). So that's certainly something I'd consider a pretty glaring culture issue in the VHL as well. To go back to the Town example, when I was guiding him on his build. I was asking him what his VHL GMs plans were for his player moving forward, to give more informed feedback on how he might want to build his player to actually be VHL ready (and able to fill the spot he's needed in) once he hits 300-400 TPE. Which was when I found out that neither of his VHL GMs had even talked to him about anything of the sorts at all, ever. That's a problem which would be so easy to solve. I get not having the time/energy to micro manage every single one of your prospects, but not even having a quick chat on how they could go about making your roster? Really? That's not a good look. Do we not see the value in a player that would effectively be a Welfare (with some uncapped) GM player for all intents and purposes, since you'd have complete build control, and he won't actively pursue FA? Isn't that pretty much exactly what you want when the cap is this tight?
 
Seriously, a huge part of being a GM in a player league is that you're actually dealing with people. So if you don't want to do that, do you even want to be a GM?

I fully understand you are joking but in all reality he started a conversation with a player he signed and learned a lot about the players experience. As a community we should be ashamed. This shouldn't be a joking matter.  As a London United player I got to see the entire dialogue, what was included above is just a tiny piece of a much larger conversation.  What really should be expressed is a thanks to @Diland @Gustav  for spending time with this player to start the conversation.  I don't expect that the conversation is over but it is at least occurring. 
 
As a first Gen I luckily got the other side of the experience.  Now fully admit that was because my AGM on my first team was my son and there were and still are many times I corner him in his room, or on discord and ask him a series of questions.  (For example about 10 minutes ago I asked how I could find the season 87 award predictions) Sometimes for the second and third time.  Anyone who thinks that you can throw the encyclopedia of information about this league to someone once and that they will catch it all is delusional. And if you think answering every question with check the Forum, its all there, is valid you are still delusional.  There is no way that anyone unfamiliar with the league is going to find anything they are looking for on the Forum without guidance.
 
Consider this some input from a First Gen player who luckily got the opposite experience.