scoop

ahh dang

The Moscow Menace have put together a 12-game win streak, matching the Los Angeles Stars earlier run for the longest of the season. With the Bears next on their schedule, it is likely that that Menace will be able to keep it going for at least one more game. The result of the run has been a climb back up in the standings, though they still have a bit further to go if they are going to retake first place. The streak began after a tough stretch for Moscow in which they went 4-8-1, falling from first to fifth in the European Conference. Even still, they were not in a terrible position. Only four points separated them from second place, and they were only ten points behind the first-place Nighthawks. Courtesy of 12 straight victories, the Menace are now in second place, with a nine-point lead over third place. For the first time in the season, Moscow is really starting to put some distance between themselves and the other competitors. Unfortunately for them, Malmo isn't letting up. The Nighthawks are on quite a streak of their own. While they haven't had a double-digit win streak in the season, they are currently on a 15-game point streak, going 14-0-1 in that span, meaning Moscow has only gained one point on the Nighthawks during their undefeated run.

wtf is this shit

Important note regarding any time that I refer to the standings at a certain point in the season, I am referring to after each team has played the same number of games. Obviously that's not exactly how the schedule works, but that is how my research was done. I just wanted to make that clear. As we pass the halfway point in the season, the Malmo Nighthawks find themselves with a ten-point lead in the European Conference. They are in the midst of a seven-game winning streak, part of a 17-2-1 stretch from games 19 to 38. This came after starting the season with a respectable 10-6-2 record, which did have them in third place. They spent some time a bit lower in the standings earlier in the season, but they've found themselves in that top three for a while now and have a solid grasp of first place for the time being. This trajectory is somewhat similar to last season. In S91, the Nighthawks were 5-6-1 in their first 12 games, which had them out of the playoff picture in sixth place. While it was early in the season, the conference had six legitimate contenders. Some seasons, it will be pretty clear who will end up making the playoffs, and even if one of those locks is in the bottom three early on, there are no worries. This was not the case last season. But Malmo found their groove pretty quickly after the less-than-ideal start. In games 13 through 40 of their season, they went 24-3-1. Compare that to the 17-2-1 run that they are currently on this season. The Nighthawks fans have to hope this is where the trajectory stops mimicking, last year, however, as they finished Season 91 going 16-13-3 in the final 32 games. There is one key distinction between last season and this season: the Season 92 Nighthawks have had sole possession of first place in Europe since 23 games into the season; the Season 91 Nighthawks never held sole possession of first place in the conference. After 43 games in the season, they were tied with Riga at 65 points. There were three other teams within nine points. This was the last time Malmo was atop the European Conference, and they ended up sliding down all the way to fourth. When we compare the standings at the exact same point (38 games into the season for each team), the conference leader a season ago was Riga with 57 points. This season, first place Malmo has that same 57. Riga, however, was closely followed by teams with 56, 55, 54, and 48 points. There were four teams closer than this year's second place. Malmo is actually a point behind where they were a season ago, but given the look of the standings as a whole, they are in a relatively better position. I wouldn't say that I am particularly confident that Malmo will finish this season on top of the conference, but I certainly do not expect a similar downfall to the one we had a season ago. Also, as we found out in last year's playoffs, regular season success does not necessarily equate to post-season success. Europe is once again going to produce five playoff teams which will have very similar odds of making it to the finals.

Before the season began, the VSN S92 preview predicted Prague to win the European Conference, with Malmo and Moscow at fourth and fifth, respectively. After one week of play, Malmo was first in points with Moscow in third. Prague, meanwhile, was down at fifth. Despite the early records, VSN doubled down in their Week 2 predictions, picking Prague to be in jump all the way up to first. It was also predicted that London would move up to second, ahead of Malmo, and Helsinki (who had been in second) would drop to fourth, but stay ahead of Moscow. They really couldn't have gotten things much more wrong. At the conclusion of the second week, we have Malmo still in first and Moscow has moved up to second. Prague, rather than moving up at all, barely even managed to stay in a playoff position. There is still a lot of season left to be played, and the teams are all still relatively close. Prague is just seven points behind first place. If they have a good streak, they could easily jump up in the standings. Malmo and Moscow could definitely still fall. For now, though, it's clear that the analysts at VSN are getting it wrong; Malmo and Moscow are being undersold, while Prague is being overhyped.

Actually, yeah good point. Looking back to my time in Malmo with Taylor Mourning, we won the Cup in S79 when Moscow missed the playoffs. Then Moscow knocked us out of the playoffs three straight years. You guys can go ahead and start losing.

You can be back all the way to the conference finals. Let's fire up those Malmo/Moscow matchups again.

I do wonder how many people might take an extra season or two off before recreating (or maybe recreating early) to be part of the S100 draft. I've thought about it myself, if not just to give myself a bit of a break after going all out with Stone.

When the Toronto Legion won the finals last season, it marked the ninth unique champion in nine seasons. This is the longest stretch of unique champions in VHL history, and I would love to see it continue to extend (or be snapped by Malmo winning year after year). Of course, the longer it goes on, the more unlikely it is to last. Season 92 has just begun, but considering what we know about the teams right now, what do the chance look like for it to reach a 10th unique champion? First, let's take a look at the North American Conference. Which teams have won a championship during this streak? Seattle, D.C.,Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto. We don't want any of them to win this season. Luckily, both Seattle and Vancouver are almost assuredly non-playoff teams. The other three will likely make it in along with Los Angeles and New York, though Chicago has started the season winning a lot of games against these expected playoff teams. Perhaps Chicago could keep one of D.C. or Toronto out of the playoffs to increase our odds. For now, though, I expect we will be relying on Los Angeles and New York, which doesn't sound that bad. Los Angeles has been the best team in the VHL thus far, and New York is look. Over in Europe, there are four teams we won't want to see succeed: Warsaw, London, Davos, and Prague. Again, two of these teams (Warsaw and Davos) are likely to miss the playoffs. London and Prague are both probably playoff teams, though the Phantoms missed out on the playoffs after having high expectations last season. For now, though, let's assume they will make it. So too will Malmo, Helsinki, and Moscow, if the predictions hold true. Any of those three teams winning the championship would keep the streak alive, and those are the top three in the conference standings at the moment. As things stand, the expected playoffs will have five teams who have won within the last nine seasons, and five who have not. I do think overall, the teams without recent championships are better, with London being the prime candidate to upset the streak. Honestly, I give it about a 50/50 chance of the streak continuing. For those who want to see it extend further and further, Los Angeles winning would probably be the best possible outcome, because unlike some of the other teams, this is probably their last chance at a Cup for a while.

week ending 1/28 claim

week ending 1/21 claim

With predictions now closed, I've decided to take a look at who the league collectively believes will win each award. There were 60 total submissions that are actually filled out, of which there are three that are exact copies of another set (not that I'm discounting the exact copies in any way). With that, here's a rundown of the favorites Continental Cup: London United (16) Other Notables: Calgary Wranglers (9), Los Angeles Stars (9), Helsinki Titans (8) London is the people's favorite to win the Continental Cup, and if you look at their roster, it's not hard to see why. Their low scoring output thus far could be a bit concerning for some, but looking at their forwards, it's hard to believe they won't figure it out. In total, there were ten teams that were predicted to win the Continental Cup, which each of those teams being picked by at least two people. Interestingly, those ten teams were the ten teams the VSN had making the playoffs in their season preview. After London, the next highest were Calgary and Los Angeles with nine predictions each. Europe is favored by a 34-26 margin to produce the champion. Victory Cup: Calgary Wranglers (14) Other Notables: Los Angeles Stars (13), London United (8), Helsinki Titans (7), Prague Phantoms (7) Personally, I think the Wranglers are a bit overhyped. VSN had them ranked first in the North American Conference, and the predictions reflect that as well. Skor McFleury is a great addition, but I don't think it will be enough to solve their biggest issue from a season ago: goal scoring. While European teams are collectively favored to win the Continental Cup, people are more confident that the regular season will belong to the North American Conference. Just behind the Wranglers at 13 predictions were the Stars, while Toronto, D.C., New York, and Vancouver add another seven believers. Europe's favorites are the trio of London (8), Helsinki (7), and Prague (7). Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy: Los Angeles Stars (19) Other Notables: Calgary Wranglers (15), D.C. Dragons (10), Toronto Legion (10) While the Wranglers have the slight edge in regular season predictions, the Stars are believed to be the better playoff team. Perhaps it is the more experienced roster that gives them the edge. Calgary remains a favorite with a quarter of the total predictions, but people do seem to have more confidence in the remainder of the North American field when it comes to just beating out their conference foes. The other teams combine for 43.3% of the predictions to make the finals. Terence Fong Trophy: Helsinki Titans (18) Other Notables: London United (16), Prague Phantoms (14) Although London was the clear favorite to win the Continental Cup, more people actually picked Helsinki to win the European Conference Championship. Maybe the distrust in them to beat North America if they can come out on top of Europe once again has to do with their performance in the finals from a season ago. London is not far behind at 16 predictions, and Prague is up there at 14 as well. This trio of teams are clearly thought to be together in the top tier of Europe, with Moscow and Malmo being a sizable step behind. Scotty Campbell Trophy: John Jameson (9) Other Notables: Molly the Cat (8) Arguably the best player in the VHL, it shouldn't come as a surprise that John Jameson is atop the list for MVP predictions. He won the award back in Season 89, and although he dipped below 100 points last season, he looks to lead the Phantoms back into the playoffs this season. Molly the Cat is Jameson's closest competition at eight predictions. In total, there were 18 players different players who were picked by at least one person to take home the coveted Scotty Campbell Trophy. Brett Slobodzian Trophy: John Jameson (12) Other Notables: Molly the Cat (8) Again, we have John Jameson on top, with Molly the Cat following in second. With 20 different players being predicted to win this award, it had the third highest number of unique picks among all awards. Somewhat peculiar to me is the fact that more people predicted Art Vandelay (4) than Jesse Teno (3), when Teno is clearly seen as the better goalie (foreshadowing for later on). I also feel like the growing sentiment that goalies do not get enough credit for this award may have been a good reason for more people to predict Teno. Daisuke Kanou Trophy: Jesse Teno (12) Other Notables: John Jameson (7) It's no surprise that with London being the most picked to win the Continental Cup, their elite goaltender Jesse Teno would be the most picked to win playoff MVP. If Teno can win it, they would be the first player to win multiple Kanou Trophies since Rayz Funk, who won the last of four in Season 73. It's also no surprise to see this award receive a vast number of unique predictions. There are 26 different names, of which nine are goalies. Rookie Olober Syko is the only starting goalie for one of the ten teams predicted (by at least one person) to win the Continental Cup who was not predicted by anyone to win playoff MVP. Mike Szatkowski Trophy: Molly the Cat (18) Other notables: John Jameson (8), FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist (7) Kevin Brooks Trophy: Molly the Cat (13) Other notables: FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist (9), Jimi Jaks (8) It's Jameson's superior two-way play that makes him a favorite over Molly the Cat for the MVP and most outstanding, but Molly the Cat is favored when it comes to the scoring awards. Analfist is garnering a lot of attention here as well to break into the upper echelon of forwards. This is the first time his name has appeared on here, but it is certainly not the last. Alexander Beketov Trophy: Leonard Triller (14) Bobby Bob (7), Kronchy Kardashian (7), FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist (6) Leonard Triller is one of those rare breeds among the elite forwards who deliberately operates more as a playmaker than a goal scorer, so it makes sense that they would be the most predicted to lead the league in assists, as they did a season ago. Aside from Triller, there is a lot of love for the defensemen when it comes to leading in assists. Sterling Labatte Trophy: Skor McFleury (19) Other Notables: Jacob Stone (10), Kronchy Kardashian (10), Bobby Bob (7) Jake Wylde Trophy: David Jokinen (10), Liv Slater (10) Other Notables: Skor McFleury (9), Jacob Stone (8), Pierre Emile Bouchard (6) Alexander Valiq Trophy: Skor McFleury (21) Other Notables: Jacob Stone (10), Bobby Bob (8), Kronchy Kardashian (8) Looking at the defender awards, it's clear to see that Skor McFleury is seen as the best in the league, with Jacob Stone, Kronchy Kardashian, and Bobby Bob up there as well. Among the awards that skaters are eligible to win, the Alexander Valiq Trophy is the least unique with only ten different players predicted to win it, led by McFleury, whose 21 picks to win it ranks as the fourth most common prediction overall. As for the top defensive defender, we see a couple of players from weaker teams who will more often be in positions to make defensive plays, but McFleury and Stone are too good to be ignored here as well. Aidan Shaw Trophy: Jesse Teno (32) Other Notables: Art Vandelay (9) Greg Clegane Trophy: Jesse Teno (29) Other Notables: Art Vandelay (10), Merome Dilson (7) As a whole, the one thing the league seems to agree on the most is that Jesse Teno is the best goalie. The Aidan Shaw Trophy is the only award that had a majority of the predictions select one player, and the Greg Clegane Trophy nearly met that mark as well. There are of course fewer options to select from, but it's still remarkable nonetheless. Art Vandelay playing in his ninth season and still being one of the best goalies in the league is quite impressive as well. Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy: Leif Reingaard (19) Other Notables: Grimgor Ironhide (11), Olober Syko (9), Callum Gary Yannick Janser (7) Moscow's Leif Reingaard is the top pick for rookie of the year, and I think it is a very smart pick. Playing for Moscow, Reingaard will have the opportunity to shine. That's not to say Moscow is bad, but the roster is very balanced. Reingaard will not be stuck behind elite players or stuck playing with low-level players. I also expect a good number of hits and shots blocked from him. There is a very strong class of rookies at all positions, though, so I do expect it to be a battle, and one that may be difficult to judge in the end. Scott Boulet Trophy: John Jameson (26) Other Notables: Larry Abass Jr (10) The predictions for the Scott Boulet Trophy are interesting, to me. John Jameson as the heavy favorite is not a shocker. He may not be the most physical player in the league, but he is definitely the most complete package. Larry Abass Jr has had three straight seasons of 300+ hits, but last season was the only time in his career that he reached over 40 goals or 80 points. Clearly some people think he can repeat that offensive success, and that will be the question with him. After Jameson and Abass, though, there are 16 other players who received a prediction. Among those other 16 are 12 that were picked just once, which includes last season's winner AK92 Wit da Hoodie, who I thought for sure would be right up there with Abass. David Knight Trophy: New York Americans (15) Other Notables: Calgary Wranglers (10), Moscow Menace (7), London United (6), Los Angeles Stars (6) Returning to the GM scene for the first time since Season 60 (when he won this award with the New York Americans), STZ is the favorite to win the David Knight Trophy. The Americans look like a team that will be much improved from a season ago, and the acquisition of FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist could look like a masterful trade if the team can make some noise in the playoffs (especially when you consider they also received the pick that became Wayne Gretzky in that deal). There seems to be a pattern among the top predictions for the Top GM in that a lot of these are for teams that were not great last season, but look to be improved this year. The Wranglers were one of the worst playoff teams last season, and this year, many expect them to win it all. The Menace should make the jump from being one of the worst teams to potentially making the playoffs. Then we also have the teams that were good and are still good in London and Los Angeles. As two teams that are highly expected to make it to the finals at the very least, their GM's would at least be expected to be in the discussion for the award. Dustin Funk Trophy: FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist (9) Other Notables: David Jokinen (6) The Dustin Funk Trophy is a very difficult award to predict, and that is reflected by the 28 unique players that were predicted. The leader among them is Analfist, who I actually see as a longshot. They had 41 goals and 79 points last season, so to win most improved, I think they would have to have an MVP caliber season. I won't say that it's not possible, but I did not give him much consideration in my prediction. David Jokinen has potential, but I am not sure the offensive improvement will be there, as he probably isn't good enough to carry this Davos offense, as he will need to do. Personally, I was one of four who predicted Raimo Tuominen, who had just eight goals and 33 points last season. 1976 words; claiming for weeks ending 1/14, 1/21, 1/28

I'm going to be making a goalie anyway so maxing TPE will be less necessary

With my current pending updates and the two I will add for this article, I will be up to 1254 with Jacob Stone. This will put Stone just ahead of my most recent player, Taylor Mourning, for second among my players. With five seasons left to go in Stone's career, he will no doubt be my highest at the end of it all. Actually, he should be my highest by the end of next week. Right now, my highest TPE is Benjamin Glover, who had briefly held the all-time record from S30 to S34, topping out at 1269. Just quickly taking a look at the TPE I expect to earn through the rest of my career, I will definitely pass the 2000 TPE mark. My estimate is 819 more TPE, which would put me at 2073. I was fairly conservative with my estimation of my fantasy zone and prediction TPE, so I could easily earn more as long as I continue to earn the max each week. I'm also not factoring in any potential giveaways. I am roughly 100 TPE ahead of my original career plan through my first four seasons, so my 2073 estimate is likely on the low end. I definitely think I can pass 2100, which, by the time I retire, will likely be good for just 9th or 10th of all time. I don't think it's entirely out of the realm of possibility that I reach Nico Pearce's 2206, but it would likely require purchasing more than a couple 20 uncapped TPE packages, and I need to save that money for my depreciation fighters. One thing is for sure, though. I have no intention of getting anywhere near the TPE record with my next player.

I know recruitment has been a hot button issue lately, and looking at the upcoming drafts, it's understandable why. We are lacking for new players, and while it's possible that the career lengths being extended by a season has a bit to do with that, I don't think the answer is going to be to shorten careers back to where they were. I'm not someone who is good with recruitment ideas, but I can speak on a recent experience for myself. Earlier this year, I created a player in the SBA. My original intent was to make a player in the SBA and in the EFL just so I could earn 2 TPE each month in the VHL from the Affiliate Check. Because I don't actually care enough to write things for the SBA (and I never created in the EFL), I haven't actually utilized that to earn more than I think 1 TPE in the VHL since I created my SBA player in May. Even though I haven't followed through with my original intent of utilizing the SBA to earn a tiny bit more TPE in the VHL, I have continued to update my player. Sure, I don't care about the SBA nearly as much as the VHL. I pop into my team's Discord channel from time to time, and I check out the sims to see how things are going. But for the most part, I'm just a body for a team, because it takes next to no effort. I am doing the tasks anyway, so why not just apply them to a player in another league. I'm not trying to be a star over there, so I don't care about the extra effort. I suppose what I'm trying to get at here is, could we do more to get members from affiliate leagues to create and update players in a similar way to how I handle my SBA player? I genuinely have no idea. Maybe we have a ton of affiliate players, and that's how we are surviving with 16 teams at all. Do we allow enough things to be claimed from affiliate leagues to make it worth it? In the SBA, I can reach my weekly cap just by doing a VHL point task and VHL.com article. Do we need to look at what affiliate tasks we allow people from other leagues to claim over here? Or are we trying to avoid having too many players who are almost capping out while providing no content to the VHL? Also why are we not affiliated with the PBE? I don't know, just some thoughts. If the affiliate program isn't being looked at, maybe it could be. Get some data on how many affiliate members we have, how many members are active in other leagues that don't have a player over here. Obviously not all of them will care to create a player over here, but if they are in another sim league, obviously there is something about sim leagues that they enjoy. We should still try to find ways to bring new people into the sim league community, but is there more we can also gain by working more with other existing leagues?

@UnkemptCL4PTP

Transaction ID: 11E58374JF712581L 5 Uncapped Doubles Week 1M Player Store S92 donation

Hmm, I either never knew or forgot that I had the TPE record for a bit.

12

yoyo

yukon

yeaaah buddy

ye

Day 7