Pifferfish

Player Information
Username: Hockeyboy
Player Name: Boston Flamburough
Recruited From: YouTube
Age: 17
Position: RW
Height: 71 in.
Weight: 198 lbs.
Birthplace: Canada

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Today I'm going to be evaluating 5 of the 10 VHLM teams' drafts including picks and trades and coming to a final grade based on a multitude of factors. Let begin with last year's Founder's Cup Champions.

Philadelphia Reapers 
Grade C+
Picks: 43 Jason Lajeunesse Jr, 53 Shane Wardell, 63 Randy Bobandy, 69 Daddy Durkin. 
The Philadelphia Reapers only made their first selection at 43rd overall. That player and the three they selected after all had to immediately be cut for inactivity. While its possible they could have found someone to stick around, it definitely feels like @Lemorse7knew that the priority for this team would be in keeping momentum with returning players and adding via waivers. The team did make a splash by trading for a blue line stalwart in Elias Lampi but the price could be considered an overpay. This team managed their run last season with just Rex Wolffe Gregor and a waiver addition with only 4 games left in the regular season so they definitely have shown one star back there can get it done. Overall that trade was a good one for a franchise in win now mode. 

Houston Bulls 
Grade C-
Picks: 36 Grunkle Stan-dingyouup, 40 Chase Mclaughlin.
The Bulls and GM @AJW went into draft weekend with four picks including a 1st and 2nd but opted to trade those selections (which became Greg Hickman and Admir Bala) for three future 3rds and a 4th in S86. Grunkle has been a decent earner, showing a willingness to do more than just welfare since creation. Right now the build could be worrisome as it has holes, but I think the premier asset of this class was Chase. Rumor has it that Miami likes the kid and would love to add him to their roster. At present it seems like this could be another rough season for Houston hockey fans. Realistically with the moves made this wasn't intended to be a premier class for the franchise. Next season this grade should go way up. 

Las Vegas Aces 
Grade B+
Picks: 8 Reese McFeury, 22 Thor Odinson, 24 Tyler Swift, 50 Frank Forsberg, 52 Joshua Yun, 60 Josh Leblanc, 70 Snipe Show.
For our former reigning champs, this was their first draft since @Shindigsstepped down as General Manager. I must say that with limited capital new manager @Blazzerdid a wonderful job. The McFleury's are the most prolific hockey clan in the VHLM right now so grabbing one early, especially as a Defenseman was a clutch move. The trade made for that selection to be possible only cost Las Vegas a 2nd (became Jose Silva) and future 4th if I remember correctly. In the 3rd round, the Aces made two of the best picks in the draft. Thor has some play style issues but with proper coaching from this experienced staff he can be molded into a major contributor with his welfare plus earning. You know what came at a premium in this class? Defensemen! Blazzer added one of the sleepers of the draft with Tyler Swift. Reports say they interviewed poorly but the work ethic and earning for this player is big for building a winner. Based on their debut date and earning rate, they also may be a player in town for multiple seasons. Former coach, Woody Dickerson, had this to say on Swift: "Tyler is a quiet man, they mostly enjoy just listening to their cousin, Taylor's, music pregame instead of getting hype with the team. The guys know they are getting 100% effort on the ice even if that effort isn't shining through in the locker room the same way. Every player is different, and they are an important contributor. I wish them the best." If Blazzer can get some earning on Frank most specifically, that could become the sleeper pick of the draft. The only issue in sight is the volume if they can't get those later players to continue to contribute.

Mississauga Hounds
Grade A+
Picks: 11 Logan Foley, 18 Hannibal Barca, 21 Big B, 38 Steve Lattimer, 41 Austin Goulet, 51 Rich Richards, 61 Thomas Matthews, 68 Skor McFleury.
Wow, @a_Ferktook over a team in a downward spiral last season. After an 0-72 campaign they needed a culture shift in this locker room. The priority here was strong personalities off the ice more than on it. Don't get me wrong, a lot of these players will make a huge impact. Look at Hannibal Barca for an example. He possesses natural leadership abilities that can help get any waiver additions in line mid-season. In the Junior Showcase Tournament, he was very solid in limited action for the silver medal Brigade team alongside Austin Goulet. Austin wasn't able to make the same impact on the ice as he was unfortunately placed out of position on defense. Still he showed flashes in similarly limited action. Big B and Lattimer will be solid pieces as they should consistently earn.  The gem of this class will 100% be @WildfireMicro. Earning is great, great personality in the locker room per sources from the Pickles' in the Junior Showcase. Maybe the build could use some slight tweaking. Overall, this is a team captain type of player even with a leader as prolific as Barca there. Amazing work all without their own first which was owned by Ottawa!

Miami Marauders 
Grade B
Picks: 20 Jose Silva, 23 Swinsola, 48 Maxime, 58 Xiaoping Benguin Dinghao Aland.
This class has concerns which definitely reduced the grade. @nurxmay have over paid on their blockbuster trade of the draft. But at the end of the day the thing that matters is my opinion and I like this draft with such limited resources. For the trade, Nurx brought in a player who is an amazing locker room presence along with a late 2nd in this class. The price for that was a 1st (which became Reese McFleury), a S86 3rd (which became Tim Riggins), a future 3rd, and a future 4th. @Bobo Darius Marimoto II is a morale and leadership piece. According to a quote from the Miami GM, "[Darius] is probably the most active M locker room player in the league. And if not he is very close." This addition almost made me want to give the draft weekend for them an B+ or A-. I do have to be honest though. Swinsola is not the best earner. Maxime is new and we don't have a huge earning profile or activity log to really know what we will see there. Silva has been MIA (pun intended) for a few weeks of this offseason. Aland, I'm told, will become active again but the chance that he loses interest exists. With so few picks and so many risks, its a challenging grade to give. I'm putting faith in this General Manager to steer the ship and make the most of these selections this year. I'm a Believer in Nurx. 

1,150 words
week ending 11/13
week ending 11/20

@nurx

Today I'm going to be evaluating 5 of the 10 VHLM teams' drafts including picks and trades and coming to a final grade based on a multitude of factors. Let begin with last year's Founder's Cup Champions.

Philadelphia Reapers 
Grade C+
Picks: 43 Jason Lajeunesse Jr, 53 Shane Wardell, 63 Randy Bobandy, 69 Daddy Durkin. 
The Philadelphia Reapers only made their first selection at 43rd overall. That player and the three they selected after all had to immediately be cut for inactivity. While its possible they could have found someone to stick around, it definitely feels like @Lemorse7knew that the priority for this team would be in keeping momentum with returning players and adding via waivers. The team did make a splash by trading for a blue line stalwart in Elias Lampi but the price could be considered an overpay. This team managed their run last season with just Rex Wolffe Gregor and a waiver addition with only 4 games left in the regular season so they definitely have shown one star back there can get it done. Overall that trade was a good one for a franchise in win now mode. 

Houston Bulls 
Grade C-
Picks: 36 Grunkle Stan-dingyouup, 40 Chase Mclaughlin.
The Bulls and GM @AJW went into draft weekend with four picks including a 1st and 2nd but opted to trade those selections (which became Greg Hickman and Admir Bala) for three future 3rds and a 4th in S86. Grunkle has been a decent earner, showing a willingness to do more than just welfare since creation. Right now the build could be worrisome as it has holes, but I think the premier asset of this class was Chase. Rumor has it that Miami likes the kid and would love to add him to their roster. At present it seems like this could be another rough season for Houston hockey fans. Realistically with the moves made this wasn't intended to be a premier class for the franchise. Next season this grade should go way up. 

Las Vegas Aces 
Grade B+
Picks: 8 Reese McFeury, 22 Thor Odinson, 24 Tyler Swift, 50 Frank Forsberg, 52 Joshua Yun, 60 Josh Leblanc, 70 Snipe Show.
For our former reigning champs, this was their first draft since @Shindigsstepped down as General Manager. I must say that with limited capital new manager @Blazzerdid a wonderful job. The McFleury's are the most prolific hockey clan in the VHLM right now so grabbing one early, especially as a Defenseman was a clutch move. The trade made for that selection to be possible only cost Las Vegas a 2nd (became Jose Silva) and future 4th if I remember correctly. In the 3rd round, the Aces made two of the best picks in the draft. Thor has some play style issues but with proper coaching from this experienced staff he can be molded into a major contributor with his welfare plus earning. You know what came at a premium in this class? Defensemen! Blazzer added one of the sleepers of the draft with Tyler Swift. Reports say they interviewed poorly but the work ethic and earning for this player is big for building a winner. Based on their debut date and earning rate, they also may be a player in town for multiple seasons. Former coach, Woody Dickerson, had this to say on Swift: "Tyler is a quiet man, they mostly enjoy just listening to their cousin, Taylor's, music pregame instead of getting hype with the team. The guys know they are getting 100% effort on the ice even if that effort isn't shining through in the locker room the same way. Every player is different, and they are an important contributor. I wish them the best." If Blazzer can get some earning on Frank most specifically, that could become the sleeper pick of the draft. The only issue in sight is the volume if they can't get those later players to continue to contribute.

Mississauga Hounds
Grade A+
Picks: 11 Logan Foley, 18 Hannibal Barca, 21 Big B, 38 Steve Lattimer, 41 Austin Goulet, 51 Rich Richards, 61 Thomas Matthews, 68 Skor McFleury.
Wow, @a_Ferktook over a team in a downward spiral last season. After an 0-72 campaign they needed a culture shift in this locker room. The priority here was strong personalities off the ice more than on it. Don't get me wrong, a lot of these players will make a huge impact. Look at Hannibal Barca for an example. He possesses natural leadership abilities that can help get any waiver additions in line mid-season. In the Junior Showcase Tournament, he was very solid in limited action for the silver medal Brigade team alongside Austin Goulet. Austin wasn't able to make the same impact on the ice as he was unfortunately placed out of position on defense. Still he showed flashes in similarly limited action. Big B and Lattimer will be solid pieces as they should consistently earn.  The gem of this class will 100% be @WildfireMicro. Earning is great, great personality in the locker room per sources from the Pickles' in the Junior Showcase. Maybe the build could use some slight tweaking. Overall, this is a team captain type of player even with a leader as prolific as Barca there. Amazing work all without their own first which was owned by Ottawa!

Miami Marauders 
Grade B
Picks: 20 Jose Silva, 23 Swinsola, 48 Maxime, 58 Xiaoping Benguin Dinghao Aland.
This class has concerns which definitely reduced the grade. @nurxmay have over paid on their blockbuster trade of the draft. But at the end of the day the thing that matters is my opinion and I like this draft with such limited resources. For the trade, Nurx brought in a player who is an amazing locker room presence along with a late 2nd in this class. The price for that was a 1st (which became Reese McFleury), a S86 3rd (which became Tim Riggins), a future 3rd, and a future 4th. @Bobo Darius Marimoto II is a morale and leadership piece. According to a quote from the Miami GM, "[Darius] is probably the most active M locker room player in the league. And if not he is very close." This addition almost made me want to give the draft weekend for them an B+ or A-. I do have to be honest though. Swinsola is not the best earner. Maxime is new and we don't have a huge earning profile or activity log to really know what we will see there. Silva has been MIA (pun intended) for a few weeks of this offseason. Aland, I'm told, will become active again but the chance that he loses interest exists. With so few picks and so many risks, its a challenging grade to give. I'm putting faith in this General Manager to steer the ship and make the most of these selections this year. I'm a Believer in Nurx. 

1,150 words
week ending 11/13
week ending 11/20

Welcome to the VHL! @Yort101

Sounds good! Welcome glad to have you. Feel free to @ me here or hit my message inbox if you need any help to get going.

Player Information
Username: Zechariah
Player Name: Zechariah LeFevre
Recruited From: YouTube
Age: 16
Position: C
Height: 72 in.
Weight: 210 lbs.
Birthplace: United States of America

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Here we have it folks. VSN is not only doing a mock draft, but they are also now reviewing the draft afterwards. Just a reminder, these are not objective rankings, and this is a sim league so truly anyone could earn well or retire tomorrow. Congratulations to all of the players drafted, best of luck to all the teams and lets discuss how they all did at the draft!

For reference: C is the neutral score here. If you got exactly what was expected, you'd get a C. This doesn't really take into account the number or value of the picks, but relative value to each pick that the teams did have.

Calgary Wranglers  
B
 
The Wranglers drafted Vincent Laroche-Gagnier, Adam Rage, Darius Marimoto II, Quinn Saint-Willes and Tristan Gorlim. 3 welfare plus forwards, and a bit of a project pick with Saint-Willes. Calgary needed support players for their current core, and they went out and did that. If they continue to earn and make the show, these will look like great picks. One might argue they lost a bit of value on the board, but got some users they really liked in the process.
 
Chicago Phoenix
C
 
Well, the Phoenix didn’t pick this draft, so I would say they got the exact amount of value anyone would expect of them.
 
D.C. Dragons  
C+
 
The D.C Dragons did not pick until 47th overall to be fair, but the reigning champions took some risks at the draft. Aky has updated recently, although hasn’t updated consistently since September. Lucas Grey may back claim a few months worth of TPE, which would obviously change everything here, but I won’t bet on it until it happens. Telker Jr is an ode to a user lost to history (for now). Grey could be a steal, gaining months of Auto 12 but I still don’t feel great about it.
 
HC Davos Dynamo
A
 
Alex continues to bring value into Davos at the draft, and once again does not disappoint. Once again targeting some very promising first generation players in Summers and Richards, 2 of 3 members of the infamous “trio”, and probably at a pick lower than both could have gone. Their 3rd and 4th rounder are both active players, under the fine tutelage of nurx in Miami. There is a decent chance both get going and start to catch up to their peers.
 
Helsinki Titans  
B-
 
Bonus points definitely awarded here for righting the wrongs of London and reuniting Dixon and Grimes. In the end they got 2 top forwards and are beginning to right the ship after a tumultuous past few months. They found their goaltender of the future and loaded up on some top forward talent and a few supporting players. I do think they left some value on the table, but overall a very respectable draft by the Titans. We shall see how all of the trades play out later.
 
London United
A-
 
London had a sneaky good draft. They got in and immediately grabbed what they wanted the most, a defenseman who has a shot at replacing Jerome Reinhart. They then took advantage of the Grimes and Dixon narrative and played villain to get some more assets. They then grabbed Triller and Odinson, 2 very exciting first generation players, who could both make their roster in the coming seasons. Probably didn’t make many friends this draft, but came out of it with everything they wanted.
 
Los Angeles Stars  
B+
 
Los Angeles was very much coming into this draft looking to add as much value in any position as possible. They didn’t appear to be drafting for any particular need, so ended up grabbing some players that others were passing on due to positional need. I don’t think they got any major franchise changing players, but got a lot of players who could easily play on their roster as supporting pieces. All of the picks made sense, and were generally just the Best Player Available.
 
Malmo Nighthawks
D+
 
This grade is very much rooted in what Sjin decides to do. At a glance that picks seems very much expected, but there is a lot of question as to whether Sjin will ever leave the VHLM. He has said he at least won’t until he wins a cup with San Diego, which is nowhere near a guarantee. Seeing as other forwards picked afterwards did not have this condition, perhaps there were safer options. Justin Lion looks promising, but will need to continue to be consistent to make the Nighthawks roster one day. They did have the last pick of the draft, and as expected, should see no value come out of it any time soon.
 
Moscow Menace
C+
 
Moscow took one quick look at the draft and decided to trade out of it. Although there were players on the table, they wanted to take the bet on next season’s class instead. If nothing else, the pick should be a higher pick, so one could expect more value. Only time will tell.
 
New York Americans
C-
 
With only 3rd and 4th round picks one didn’t expect much from New York this draft. I would say the major miss on Oli McGee couldn’t be offset by Marc Gorman and Winston Dixon Jr. Quinn McWells has updated in the last few weeks so perhaps there is at least a trade chip there. Overall nothing catastrophic, although it could have been much better.
 
Prague Phantoms
C
 
Prague’s only pick this draft was a welfare forward, who has in their defence been rather consistent. Not a lot of upside, not a lot of downside either. Prague has already assembled its pieces for the present and future, so nobody should be worried about the lack of activity surrounding this team at the draft.
 
Riga Reign  
A+
 
I don’t think Riga could have done any better at the draft. They grabbed The Frenchman, who was the obvious top player in the draft. They grabbed Sadie St-Louis, a rising star and future top player. They grabbed Grizz Tazzo, who has been secretly gaining momentum behind the scenes with Mexico City. Riga needed to get themselves going again, much like Helsinki, and they pulled in some monster talent.
 
Seattle Bears
B
 
I think this draft looks a lot better if you’re inside the Bears Locker Room right now. They grabbed a lot of people they liked and they were almost always one of the top 3 players left in their position. But I can’t help but think that they could have brought in a lot more with the amount of draft capital they had. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll be fine. I think they got stuck in a position where they didn’t want to contend for Grimes and Dixon and  therefore their picks in between looked a bit off. We are also talking about a GM who has worked with MANY people over the years and has some of those users he just wants to bring back into the fold.
 
Toronto Legion
A
 
I believe Moon was running this draft, but regardless, whoever did was very familiar with the class. Every single pick made me go “Ooo nice pick!” over and over again. Considering the turmoil of the last like 48 hours, Toronto looks to be heading in a good direction, and made some very shrewd picks in order to do so. Joel Castle will make a great replacement for Lindbergh, and they could yet get some good value from their picks all the way through the 4th round. Toronto took this draft very seriously.
 
Vancouver Wolves
B+
 
Frank made some very smart picks here with limited resources, and addressed some positional needs. They will soon need a new centerman and a new defenseman, and Wann Kerr and Jens Lekman look as ready as anyone to fill those shoes. Both Shindigs prodigies, and both off to Rome this season, the duo hope to carry their VHLM success, and strong earning habits through to Vancouver sooner rather than later. Nick Trash has updated recently and had a strong campaign last season in Saskatoon.
 
Warsaw Predators
D
 
I really wanted to give Warsaw an F, just to mess with dlamb a bit, but Ben Dover could be a decent pickup at the end of the 2nd round. There were certainly stronger players available, and with much better builds (note: do not look at Ben Dover’s build), but I don’t think Warsaw minds too much. Their reign of terror is likely coming to a close and having some assets to begin the new era isn’t a bad thing at all. I know the Bedirhan pick was a meme, but I still wanted better from them.

If you want to yell at anyone, yell at @jacobcarson877 for writing these 1400+ words.

Player Information
Username: Brunsy38
Player Name: Martin Brunet
Recruited From: YouTube
Age: 18
Position: C
Height: 72 in.
Weight: 200 lbs.
Birthplace: Canada

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Hey all,
 
I never thought I’d be here… I never thought I’d make a month, 3 months, a year.. like I did.. I knew I could.. but I would have bet on me failing.  It was a super good feeling to go through this and see all of my words and all of the updates over the last while! I’m so proud I made it to another cool milestone.. thanks for being part of the journey. The words in here have of course helped too!  

Player Information
Username: squigmeister717
Player Name: Barry Johnson
Recruited From: YouTube
Age: 18
Position: LW
Height: 73 in.
Weight: 200 lbs.
Birthplace: United States of America

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: BigBacon16097
Player Name: Big Bacon
Recruited From: YouTube
Age: 16
Position: RW
Height: 72 in.
Weight: 155 lbs.
Birthplace: United States of America

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: Bertle21
Player Name: Eric Bartel
Recruited From: YouTube
Age: 16
Position: C
Height: 72 in.
Weight: 165 lbs.
Birthplace: Canada

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Welcome to the VHL!

Player Information
Username: Jonni Alicea
Player Name: Frederic Shwaykis
Recruited From: YouTube
Age: 26
Position: D
Height: 70 in.
Weight: 198 lbs.
Birthplace: Antarctica

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: Raph98
Player Name: Jeff Beukeboom jr
Recruited From: YouTube
Age: 18
Position: LW
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 220 lbs.
Birthplace: Canada

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: Bosshop
Player Name: Johnn Wapkins
Recruited From: YouTube
Age: 21
Position: D
Height: 72 in.
Weight: 205 lbs.
Birthplace: Denmark

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: MIchael6383
Player Name: Michael brooks
Recruited From: YouTube
Age: 16
Position: G
Height: 73 in.
Weight: 190 lbs.
Birthplace: United States of America

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: Artur Szczepanski
Player Name: Artur Szczepanski
Recruited From: Other (accidentaly)
Age: 16
Position: D
Height: 72 in.
Weight: 189 lbs.
Birthplace: Poland

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: IGP392039
Player Name: Ian Paton
Recruited From: YouTube
Age: 21
Position: D
Height: 70 in.
Weight: 185 lbs.
Birthplace: United States of America

Player Page
@VHLM GM