scoop

@Beketov S1 Robert Sharpe 188 S6 Alexander Beketov 593 S14 Alex Young 481 S21 Niklas Kristensen 217 S25 Jason White 506 S32 Evgeni Chekhov 675 S39 Jackson Miller 825 S48 Jakab Holik 1017 S53 Roman Sokolov 860 S61 Matt Thompson 1571 S70 Mikko Lahtinen 1491 S79 Papa Emeritus 1544 S88 Mark Calaway 327 Total 10295

scientifically calculated odds of who will be drafted first overall FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist 48% @STZ You have to go back to Season 78 to find a draft in which a defenseman went first overall, so the best non-defenseman in the draft is the favorite to go first overall. STZ is known to make elite players, and Analfist will likely be no exception. Even though the needs of most lottery teams would dictate drafting a defenseman first, he is viewed as a cant-miss prospect. Mark Calaway 28% @Beketov Calaway may not be the best defenseman available, but he is still very much a sure thing. Beketov's last three players were first first, second, and first overall, so you have to think that whoever is drafting first overall will consider making this pick. If someone wants a defenseman, and they want to take the player they can be most certain will become a star, Calaway will be that guy. Bobby Bob 13% @Baby Boomer Baby Bob was an outstanding player, exceeding expectations and proving to be a steal at 9th overall in the S79 draft. With the possibility of being selected first overall, Bobby likely won't become a steal, simply because GM's have a better idea what they can get out of him. Merome Dilson 9% @MexicanCow123 Dilson's chance of going first overall relies on New York or DC winning the lottery, and even if one of them does, it's still not the most likely selection. They both have a few more seasons with their current starters, but neither this draft nor the next look to offer another elite goaltender. Francesco Mancini 1% @GioSivo If for some reason a team wants a forward, but they don't want Analfist, Mancini may be the next best option, given BjorkaBjorn Bjornabjorkson's intended career path. Another reason a team might select Mancini first overall would be if they favor drafting a first gen player. It's not the most likely, but certainly more likely than the next guy. Jacob Stone <1% The best player in the draft, Stone may seem like he should be higher up the list, but you just have to take a look at my last player for the justification here. Taylor Mourning had entered the S79 draft with the third most TPE, and fell to 10th overall. He wound up 7th in TPE among his draft class, well below four members who have players in the S88 draft. Someone else <1% Anything could happen, so I need to leave a little bit of room for someone wanting Jasper Davis or Bjornabjorkson for some reason.

Never a doubt that we would win game 6. I'm scared for game 7 though

MALMO

Excuse me Oslo stop delaying the inevitable

Our scoring is nothing if not consistent, but I don't think we can win a championship scoring exactly 2 goals every game

1. I'm thinking 6 games. Oslo is definitely a good team, but we've matched up pretty well against them, especially down the stretch. Still, should be a pretty close series, but I don't think we'll have to sweat out a Game 7. 2. Cologne in four. I might have given Geneva a game if it weren't now 3-0, but the Express are the best team in the VHLE. It may have been interesting if Vasteras could have advanced to this round, though. Cologne actually had a losing record against them in the regular season. 3. Three games in now and we've failed to score more than 2 goals in a game. Against Oslo in the regular season, we scored 2.2 per game, and against Cologne it was just 1.75. Travis Clark is going to be key to our success in the rest of the playoffs, but we do still need to score more goals. 4. It really depends. I've done a lot of graphics, media spots, and podcasts in my time here. Sometimes I'm feeling in a mood to make graphics, sometimes I'm not. I do think I prefer to make a bunch of graphics when I have the time and desire, so that I don't end up missing my point task for a week. I think in general though, I prefer writing, because I'm not great at making graphics, but I do get the most satisfaction out of somehow making a graphic that I really like. 5. It's going to be the VHL for me. It's been my desire for a while to play nine seasons in the VHL with Jacob Stone. 6. Pop punk/pop rock/punk rock. Favorite bands are Motion City Soundtrack, Alkaline Trio, and Billy Talent.

Can't lose if the other team doesn't score any goals

Going into the final sim of the VHLE season, the Stockholm Vikings were in second place, leading Geneva by two points and Oslo by four. This was an artificial lead, considering the remaining schedules for each of the three teams. Stockholm had just one game, while Geneva and Oslo each had three, including some against the trash teams of the VHLE. Geneva and Oslo each had a game left against Bratislava, while Oslo also had a game against Rome. Assuming those are all wins, the standings effectively looked like this 2: Geneva Rush - 98 points; 2 games remaining (IST, STO) 3: Oslo Storm - 98 points; 1 game remaining (VAS) 4: Stockholm Vikings - 98 points; 1 game remaining (GEN) Tiebreaker: OSL > GEN > STO Things weren't looking fantastic for Stockholm. While they did have a game against Geneva, giving them a little bit more control over how their competition fares, they needed some help. Istanbul came through, winning their game against Geneva, giving Stockholm the chance to secure a top three finish. The game between the Vikings and the Rush would determine who finishes in the top three. (An overtime game could have meant that both of them did, but spoiler alert: that didn't happen.) The Vikings won the game by a score of 4-2, with contributions all around. Four different players scored a goal, and nine different players had at least one point. In a match-up of the two favorites for Top Goalie, Stockholm's Travis Clark looked much better. The Vikings outshot the Rush, slightly, despite a six-to-two penalty kill difference. Stockholm's PK unit has been one of the best in the league, and far too tested, but it paid off in this game. In taking down Geneva, Stockholm clinched at least third, and they were waiting on the results of Oslo's last game to see if they would finish second. Oslo took down Vasteras quite easily, tying Stockholm's 100 points and jumping back into second place, where they were for most of the season, courtesy of the tiebreaker. That means the Storm will have home ice advantage against Stockholm in the semi-finals of the playoffs. With Geneva being bumped down to fourth, they would now have to play in the first round. At this point, their opponent was not yet settled, due to the results two of the previously mentioned games. While those three teams were fighting for seeding, Istanbul and Vasteras were fighting to get into the playoffs. Vasteras had a four point lead coming into the final day, but Istanbul had two games left and would own the tiebreaker if it came down to that. Istanbul took down Geneva not for Stockholm (though it did help them), but for their own sake. They needed that win, and they got it. Oslo beating Vasteras then meant that Istanbul would just need a win their final game of the season in order to make the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Red Wolves, their final game was against Cologne. While the Express did not face any of the two through four teams to affect that playoff race, they did knock Istanbul out of the running. Apart from Oslo, Istanbul was actually the team that gave Cologne the most trouble during the season, so that game was far from a foregone conclusion. That's far more words than I needed to type so I'm done there. Thanks Istanbul. Sorry you couldn't get yourselves into the playoffs.

5 teams make the playoffs I'm pretty sure. Round 1 is 4v5 You actually secured their spot by beating Istanbul

oh whoops I posted three times

no

i can link to this thread to get my tpe yeah?

Ahh that loss to Vasty hurts. Frickin Evan Bihler, 60 shots and just 2 goals

1. We're on a really good run of form at the minute and are currently in second place in the standings, where do you think we will ultimately finish in the standings at the end of the season? The wins over Oslo were crucial for us finishing any higher than fourth, especially with how Geneva has been playing. I do think we need to win out to finish better than fourth, though. If we just assume that any games for the 2-4 teams against Bratislava and Rome are wins, the rest of the remaining schedules look like this: Stockholm: 97 points; VAS (1), GEN (1) Geneva: 96 points; VAS (1), IST (2), STO (1) Oslo: 98 points; VAS (1) Geneva and Oslo have both fared better against Vasteras than we have this season, so ultimately I do think that we are most likely to end up fourth if we drop even 1 point the rest of the way. With Oslo's remaining schedule, I think they can get to 100 points, and if we lose to Geneva, it's very unlikely we stay ahead of them with the games that they have in hand. Nah, actually I think we win out and take second or third. It'll depend on whether or not Geneva can win all of their Vasteras and Istanbul games. 2. Our final game of the season could wind up being hugely important for who we play in the playoffs as we go up against third-placed Geneva who can overtake us into second place with the spare games they have available. How do you think the game will play out? I do think we are the better team, so I think we win. In regulation, because if it goes to OT, they have the edge. 3. Who or what do you believe to have been the key reason for this recent run of good form we've been on? So we've won five in a row. Really, it's the Oslo games that we need to look at, because Rome and Bratislava are gimmes. Travis Clark has played fantastically in the three wins against Oslo. The team played well enough to outshoot them in two of the games, but the 4-3 win that we had, Travis worked hard to keep us in that game. He has a 0.952 save percentage in those games. 4. We've had quite a few OT losses this season which has accounted for 11 of our 93 points. What are your thoughts on OTLs being rewarded points in the VHL and hockey in general? I think it's fine. That's just the way it has been (I know there was a time when ties existed, but I don't remember it well). Thinking about it though, if any other sports league adopted that policy, it would seem strange to me. Personally I think 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an OT/SO win, and 1 point for OT/SO loss makes more sense in my head. Make every game worth 3 points total. That just seems more sensible to me, but I don't really have an issue with the way it is. 5.Simon Tremblay the schedule maker granted us 12 games against Cologne this season while every other team only played them 10 times. What crime do you think Stockholm Vikings must have committed to deserve this? I mean, other teams can actually beat Cologne (even Bratislava has beat them more than we have), so can we really play Simon? 6. Are you in any of the VHL's affiliate leagues (EFL, SBA, etc.) and if so, which ones and how much do you enjoy them? I have been in EFL and PBE (I assume this one is an affiliate). I enjoyed them well enough when I had the time, though I didn't actually stay active throughout a player's full career. The Offensive Rookie of the Year Award is named after my player in the EFL, so that's cool.

I mean think about why I might want to see specifically Riga and Davos miss the playoffs (could be Riga or Davos but both of you would increase the odds) hint: for any team that I'm rooting against this season, it's for the same reason

think about it

I hope Davos and Riga miss the playoffs

Player Perspective: Jacob Stone's thoughts on playing in the VHLE After spending just a fraction of a season in the VHLM, I knew that I wanted to play in the VHLE this season. My plan has always been to be in the VHL as soon as possible. I thought spending this season playing against a higher level of competition would better prepare me for a Season 88 VHL debut, and it would also be a better test to see if that is a realistic goal. Even though I was dead set on this, I was not positive the season was going to go well for me. For my development, I thought it was important to find the right team. I ended up joining the Stockholm Vikings. They looked like a good fit. I'd have the chance to play a lot of minutes for a competing team. Considering the way things have gone, I think this was the perfect choice. To talk about my expectations coming into the season, I think it's important to first go over my expectations for the Vikings. No doubt, we were one of the more complete rosters. Oslo and Cologne were the favorites, for sure, but we were in that next tier of teams. Stockholm's biggest need in the off-season was defensemen, which was a huge factor in my deciding to join the team. I knew they would have minutes for me. We added a couple other defensemen, and suddenly it was a strong spot on the team. I was still set to get good ice time, but the defense wouldn't be relying on me. That was precisely the situation I was looking for, and it fit well with my expectations for myself. I did not think that I could come into the VHLE, against the toughest competition I have ever played, and lead a team that looked to compete. My expectations were simply that I would not be a weak spot on the team that our team that the opposition could take advantage of. I wanted to play steady defense but focus on improving my offensive capabilities. If I were playing for a team that relied on me, I feel like I would have been more inclined to have to play to my strengths. Instead, and I think this is for the best for my VHL career, I have been able to work on my weaknesses. I have well exceeded my expectations. I have always been good on the defensive side of the ice, and while I did expect that I'd be able to keep up with the more skilled VHLE players, there was some uncertainty going into the season. Really I think I had just been in my own head, thinking these guys were going to be better than they are. Almost all of the other top players in my draft class opted to stay in the VHLM, so I thought maybe I was missing something that they all saw. But no, I was definitely more ready for the VHLE than I even realized. I've been able to make strides on improving on the offensive side of the ice, which was my goal. In no world did I have any expectations of setting a record, but, well, it looks like that's where things are at. Regarding my intention of playing in the VHL next season, I'm feeling more confident than ever that I'll be ready. At least, I'll be ready enough that I won't embarrass myself on the ice when I take that next step. The jump from the VHLE to the VHL will definitely be tougher than going from the VHLM to the VHLE, but I feel good. It won't be long before I'm saying goodbye to the VHLE, but for now, I've got the upcoming playoffs to focus on.

1. The league is making a big effort for recruitment this season since there are going to be less recreates than usual, what advice would you offer for bringing in new members (E.g. places to advertise)? Advertise on GameFAQs message boards. All of the best sim league community member was recruited from there. But for real, I have no clue on this. 2. The VHLE Trade Deadline was very quiet with no trades taking place this week, would you have liked to have seen Stockholm trade for the players that were available (mostly 200-250 TPE inactives) or do you think we were better off not doing business at the deadline? I don't really see that level of player making much of a difference for us. If we're looking at utilizing inactives to improve, I think giving John Richards more minutes is the way to go. 3. We're currently tied with our shoot-out nemesis Geneva on 70 points, do you think we'll be able to beat them into third place by end of season? Well, we're still tied with them now at 82 points, but they have a game in hand. Given that they have the tiebreaker if we end at the same point total, I do think I give them the edge. They have an easier schedule remaining. While we do have more games against Rome, they have more against Bratislava. Sure, the Bratislava games aren't quite gimmes like the Rome games, but they likely win all of those. Meanwhile, we have more against Oslo (likely losses), while they have more against Istanbul (likely wins). 4. Our player Jacob Stone is comfortably ahead of the rest of his Season 88 VHL Draft Class in TPE, do you think they will wind up going first overall? I don't think so, to be honest. The TPE lead isn't really as big as it looks, as I've already gotten the VHLM graduation bonus. It's a 26 TPE lead, which is more like a 16 TPE lead, and that's isn't a lead that is going to grow. I think STZ is a bigger name in the league. I don't really have any connections with most of the teams that will be in the lottery, with the exception of New York and DC, both of whom Mourning played with in his career, but I wasn't exactly thrilled with management in either of those situations. I'm likely playing nine seasons for whoever drafts me, though, so if that's what the team picking first values, then I very well might go first, especially if STZ plans on not being as steadfastly loyal as he was with Markinson. 5. If you could grab a European NHL player to help our Vikings, who would you pick and why? Kirill Kaprizov, because I'm a Minnesota Wild fan so obviously I'm going with Kirill. 6. How many layers of clothing do you wear on the coldest days of the year? It's never going to be more than two layers if I'm inside. I'm never going to be outside for an extended period of time on the coldest days, but I guess if I were, I'd probably go three layers.

can't even beat istanbul LOL LOL

With ten games left to play, Jacob Stone of the Stockholm Vikings is on the verge of setting the new VHLE record in points for players prior to their VHL/E draft. Given that the VHLE is still a very young league, and it's just a short list of players who even played in the VHLE before being drafted, it's not particularly impressive at this point in time. The current record was set by Skor McFleury just last season, with 74 points. Stone sits at 70 points following a four-assist outing in his most recent game. With the Vikings playing three more games against the league-worst Rome Gladiators, it seems we are past the point of questioning if he can pass McFleury and are now just watching to see how high he sets the next bar. While Stone has been finding individual success this season, the same cannot be said for his fellow S88 draftee who made the jump to the VHLE this season. BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson has just 22 points for the Cologne Express. This is in large part due to the undeniable fact that Jacob Stone is far superior to BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson. Needless to say, BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson seems to have made a mistake when followed Stone to the VHLE, as brave of a decision as it was.