scoop

On 8/12/2024 at 12:28 AM, Advantage said:

 PRESS CONFERENCE

Week of: August 18th, 2024

Answer these six questions for 2 TPE

 

1. We are having an up-and-down season thus far.  Despite it being so early in the season, what are we not doing well enough, that we must, if we are to climb the standings?

 

2. Who do you think will lead the Malmo Nighthawks in points this season?

 

3. If you could create a new team in any league, what would the team name be and in what league would it be in?

 

4. The Olympics just ended....if your player could compete in any Summer Olympics event, which one would it be?

 

5. We have a lot of great players and people on our team. Give a shoutout to someone on the team who you either feel doesn't get enough credit or attention, or has really impacted your time on Malmo in a positive way!

 

6. Zombie apocalypse has taken over the world and you are being forced out of your house, what three items would you grab before heading out on your own?

1. I don't have the stats to back this up, but it feels like in several of our losses, we've blown leads that we had in the third period. And our record in overtime games is not good. We need to be better in these clutch situations.

2. I believe that everyone on the team could do well, but above all else I believe in myself. I think that I could lead the VHL in points.

3. The obvious answer is to bring back the Yukon Rush, though I would say put them in the VHL rather than let the VHLM have them again. Beyond the low-hanging fruit, I'd make the Anchorage Owls in the VHLM. When I originally made the Yukon Rush, this was actually my other top option.

4. Well, I suppose playing field hockey makes enough sense.

5. I feel like it's really most of the team. After a few people above me said Tzesar, I probably need to go with someone else, and after last season he has definitely gotten people to take notice. I'm going to say RJ. He's been a consistent contributor the last few seasons. He's actually third on the team in points, since his rookie season.

6. My cat, my car, and my phone.

Something that did with my current player, and plan to do with my future players, is make a "Draft Collection" where I make a graphic for my player for every VHL team leading up to being drafted.

13 hours ago, Alex said:

4th - Malmo Nighthawks

Record - 3-2-1

Current Place in Standings - 5th

Projected Finish - 3rd

Forward Rank - 1st

Defense Rank - 10th

Goaltending Rank - 8th

Overall - 6th

Standout Player - Karl Herzlich @LastGoon007

 

To be blunt Malmo is a very interesting team this season, for many seasons they were a top defensive team which helped everyone find more success throughout the lineup and minimized scoring chances against. While they do still have a top defenseman, there is considerable concern as their shots against have skyrocketed compared to previous seasons. We will likely see a trade to improve the blue line in short order.

Our shots against have actually decreased.

S92: 32.14

S93: 32.56

S94: 32.33

S95: 31.63

To be fair, though, that's only because we've played Helsinki in 3 of our 8 games thus far. They are the only team we've held below that average. We are also ranked 6th in shots against compared to 2nd in each of the past three seasons, so relatively speaking, we are doing worse in that regard.

Eight games into the season, the Malmo Nighthawks have been struggling to score. Their 2.5 goals per game has them ranked 13th in the league, which is not a great look for a championship hopeful. It has actually been worse than it looks, as seven of their 20 goals came in just one game against the Helsinki Titans, and outside of that lone outburst they have averaged fewer than two goals per game. Despite this, they have a 4-3-1 record at this point, largely due to the fact that they have allowed the second fewest goals. The scoring leader for the team thus far has been newcomer Martin Kemp, with five goals. On the flip side, last season's team leader Savaisk Tzesar has been particularly quiet. After scoring 44 goals in Season 94, he has just one through the first eight contests.

All hope is not lost for the season, however. Not only is eight games a small sample size, but also the Nighthawks have the third most shots on goal with 46 per game. As a team, they have a shot percentage of 5.43%, which is easily the worst in the league. Tzesar has been a standout in this category, as his single goal comes despite having 53 shots on net. I could simply say that I expect the shot percentage to rise closer to the league average of 8.07%, I do recognize as well that the eight-game sample size also pertains to the shot attempts that teams have taken. Maybe Malmo will not remain third in that regard, but the roster is definitely good enough to do so.

16 minutes ago, Advantage said:

  PRESS CONFERENCE

Week of: August 11th, 2024

Answer these six questions for 2 TPE

 

1. After the retirement of Ash Sparks, how do you see our duo of Lovstrom and Herzlich doing this season?

2. What team are you worried about the most going into next season of the VHL?

3. The team is looking likely to run just three defensemen going into the upcoming season.  What does the rest of the team need to do in order to overcome this challenge?

4. What is your go-to drink when you hit up the bar?

5. What is your player's pregame ritual? 

6. What's your favourite anime?

1. I certainly don't think they'll hold us back. While I'm not going to predict either is going to be the best goalie in the league, the overall quality of goalies went down significantly from last season. There really are not many elite goalies out there at the moment.

2. Let's see, in the last four years, we've been knocked out of the playoffs by Helsinki, London, Moscow, and Riga. Prague won't be making the playoffs, so I guess this season it'll be Davos or Warsaw.

3. It's probably going to be more important that we stay out of the penalty box, particularly for the defenders. When 1 of 5 skaters out there is a CPU, it shouldn't be too bad. When it's 1 of 4 and down a skater, it'll be more difficult.

4. The first thing I look for anywhere I go is if they have any sour beer. If they do, that's my go-to.

5. I don't know, man, I guess like let's say he does a crossword puzzle before every game.

6. Yu Yu Hakusho

$1M Player Store Cash

5 TPE Uncapped

Doubles Week

15 hours ago, Subject056 said:

Questions:

1. Do you want to consistently be drafted to the same teams you had before when playing a new player?

2. Which team logo in any of the leagues are your favorite and why?

3. What is your go to beverage?

1. I wouldn't say that it's necessarily something I want, but I certainly did not mind coming back to Malmo with my current player after having been drafted by them previously. Over 75% of my 4656 career VHL games have been with just four teams. There was definitely a time where I would have liked to go to New York with every player of mine. I don't really feel the same connection to New York that I used to, but I also do not have the same connection to Malmo that I previously had with New York, even after playing 1.5 careers with the Nighthawks. So these days, I would say no, I don't want to consistently be drafted to the same teams, but I'm not opposed to it. Actually, to be honest, going back to New York does really appeal to me. I want to see them winning again.

2. Not biased at all, I'm going to have to go with the Nighthawks.

3. With most meals, milk. Sometimes orange juice. Throughout the day, water.

1. What has been your favorite team that you have played for?

2. Who is a player not on your team that you would like to play with?

3. Do you have any vacations planned for the near future?

The team record for most losses in a single season was set by the Toronto Legion back in Season 11. They lost 69 of 72 games, a mark that has not been matched since then. This record is not untouchable, as the last couple of season have shown us. In Season 93, the Los Angeles stars lost 67 games. Last season, the Prague Phantoms were the first team to lose 68 games since the Seattle Bears in Season 46.

Prague won four games last season, and none of them came by more than a goal. While only one of them went to overtime, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the Phantoms were close to a winless season. You would think with 16 teams in the league, there would be at least one or two other bad teams for even the worst team to get some wins off of, but for the Phantoms, three of their wins actually came against playoff teams, which is quite remarkable. Let's take a look back at each of Prague's wins from what was nearly a record-setting season.

Game 68: 2-1 vs Helsinki

Their first win came relatively early in the season, as they had only lost eight games at this point. Goaltender Amir Redzic was the star of the show, as the Phantoms won 2-1 despite being outshot 18-48. Helsinki was not a great team either, but they were considerably better. If Redzic doesn't stand on his head in this one, Prague could have easily lost it.

Game 72: 3-2 vs Warsaw

Riding the high of their first win, Prague's second win actually came in the very next game. The Predators did start their backup goalie Pipo Popa in this game, but for them to only score two was the bigger issue. Popa actually had the majority of the starts for Warsaw against Prague, and this was the only game in which they allowed more than one goal. Redzic had to play well again, saving 36 of 38 shots, and LeBen Aky scored twice for the Phantoms to earn them their second win.

Game 155: 3-2 vs Riga

The trend continues in that it took an incredible performance from the Prague goalie for them to win, as the Reign put 42 shots on net compared to the Phantoms' 17. Red Panda had a poor game, allowing three goals, while it was actually B-PRG G2 who made all 40 saves that were needed to get the win. Braeden Panarella, who had eight goals in 40 games for the Phantoms, scored twice in the game. They were 3-15-2 after this win, which is not actually all that bad considering where they ended up.

Game 299: 4-3 (SO) vs Malmo

Prague lost 17 straight after the Riga win before claiming their fourth victory. Redzic had another good game, saving 44 of 47 shots, but it was Aky who earned the first star of the game. Aky, who had been the second star in all three of Prague's previous wins, scored all three of Prague's goals against Malmo.

hmmm I do not like this

USA

On 2/13/2024 at 8:35 PM, UghSike said:

Currently rereading "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy.

If you don't know about this book, check it out. Even by today's standards, It's still pretty rough/raw.

 

Last book I read was "Lullaby" by Chuck Palahniuk.

I would say Lullaby is my favorite book, honestly. I don't read much, but I do like several of Chuck Palahniuk's books.

I am trying to start reading more, though, particularly as something to do rather than looking at screens before sleeping. Right now, I'm reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I've read it before and I liked it a lot, so I figured I'd start with something I know that I will enjoy.

Also on my list of books to read are Rant by Chuck Palahniuk (another re-read), The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and A Thousand Splendid Suns but Khaled Hosseini.

With this VHL.com article and the rest of my pending updates for the week, I will reach 1787 TPE with Jacob Stone. This will put him 25th on the All-Time TPE Leaderboard, passing Hard Markinson. With two seasons left in Stone's career, I expect to climb up several more ranks. How high could I go? My current projects have me finishing somewhere between 2050 and 2100 TPE, which would be good for fifth. However, Mac Atlas and Skor McFleury are still going, and I anticipate they will reach marks that I will not be able to beat. That being said, I'd guess that I'm seventh at the time of my retirement, but I wouldn't be surprised to be knocked out of the top ten by the time the S94 draft class finishes their careers.

When Markinson falls off of the top 25, it will leave just two players left from before the VHLE era, which gives players an extra season of earning TPE. Although I will certain pass him in TPE, it's still more impressive that Ryan Kastelic (S63) reached 2000 TPE at the time that he did. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (S66), who had 1828 TPE, is the only other pre-80 on the list. I expect more and more players to start eclipsing 2000 TPE, but considering how long Kastelic was on top, and the fact that no one was particularly close, I'm not sure we'll see someone dominate their era like he did any time soon. I'm speaking strictly in terms of TPE here; Kastelic's playing career wasn't particularly outstanding.

3 hours ago, Mr Bohannan said:

QUESTIONS!

1. What grapes does your player likes more? Green or Red?

2. What apples does your player likes more? Green or Red?

3. What is the right way to eat a kiwi - by skinning it and eating the inside or eating it with the skin?

1. Green grapes for sure.

2. Red apples, specifically honeycrisp.

3. Eat the whole thing. It's the easiest way.

1. What expectations do you have for your player next season?

2. Who, in your opinion, is the best player in the VHL right now?

3. What is your favorite movie?

10 minutes ago, v.2 said:

Yeahh, as soon as I post career highs I get hit with max depreciation and enter my final year lol.  With no individual awards to show.  I feel like 9 seasons makes more sense for a goalie and defender as the chance to win as a max earner is less competitive when going for personal awards or record breaking, but now im toying with the idea of just retiring at the start of the seasons and letting my player ride into the sunset.

I don't have it figured out, but I think winning awards and putting up crazy stats is going to be more about the team around you than having 200 more TPA than the next guy. There's really not much of a difference between a 1000 TPA player and a 1200 TPA player, because the update scale gets to the point where it takes like 40 TPA to improve two attributes by 1 point and what does that really matter. If you're trying to make a career of personal accolades, you just need to figure out the right environment that you need to play in.

28 minutes ago, jacobcarson877 said:

Feels a little dumb to retire immediately after a season of being 1000+ TPA, or being able to just throw 1400TPA into a build because you know you'll have to retire anyways.

Yeah, I've always found it strange that for the elite TPE earners, typically you'll be at your peak in your final season, because you don't need to bank anything. Even playing nine seasons, my peak TPA will be at the end of my career. While I don't necessarily think that will be the norm for nine-year players, we don't see many people going for nine-year careers because having one extra season as a sub-500 TPA player doesn't really add much to a career unless you get lucky, and it heavily punishes you on the back end compared to your draft classmates. But I have maintained an 1168 TPA build and I've never not had enough TPE banked to immediately counter my depreciation.

I've been a long-time supporter of removing the season limits and instead having the forced retirement be when you are depreciated under a certain amount of TPA (400 makes sense).

The Round Robin index is now going to the medal rounds. Is it possible for that to be fixed so we can still see the stats from the round robin or is it gone forever now?

59 minutes ago, tcookie said:

 

what the heck is that

 

I wonder how @Spartan  was doing at the first intermission lol

That's the best defense in action

Playing the majority of the period 4v5 is not easy

16 minutes ago, Alex said:

There was a lengthy BOG discussion on it, Rask would have won regardless, was extended to include Constanzov since both goalies hit the minimum games started requirement and Seattle had the least goals against in the league.

Okay so the award isn't for the lowest GAA, it's for all goalies who hit the minimum games started requirement on the team with the fewest goals allowed.

1 hour ago, Alex said:

Greg Clegane Trophy (Best GAA)

For the first time in league history, the awarding of the Greg Clegane trophy has varied. The Seattle Bears who had the least goals against had both goalies reach the minimum games played requirement. As a result, the winners of the Greg Clegane Trophy are, both Fuukka Rask @Jubis, and Giorgiy Constanzov @Mongoose87!

This can't be real, right? Why would they share it? Basically saying this is a team award.

On 7/19/2024 at 11:26 AM, ethanjaeda said:

1. Taking some time away from hockey to clear his head after another disappointing ending. Spending time relaxing and enjoying life with his wife.

2. I was rooting for Cologne and Halifax, because they are who I predicted. Cologne won at least, so I'm happy with that.

3. Jacob Stone comes from a hockey family. Benjamin Glover (grandpa) and Diana Maxwell (aunt) are both VHL Hall of Famers.

4. Anything with mushrooms

5. I suppose I'd say Asian Kung-Fu Generation, though I don't listen to any non-English artists enough that I would really call them my favorite. They just have a few songs that have been used as anime openings that I have come to like, though I don't listen to them beyond those few songs.

6. No, I mean sure I had my career high in goals, but I took a step back everywhere else and made it really hard for me to end up with a point-per-game career.

One of the questions coming into Malmo's off-season has been answered, as they team now has six forwards on the roster after the signing of Martin Kemp. The Nighthawks traded a third round pick to Vancouver in exchange for Kemp, an upcoming free agent, with the hopes of signing him before he hit the open market. Within 24-hours of making the trade, Kemp signed a three-year extension. Just prior to the signing, Randy Bobandy also picked up his player option to return to the Nighthawks for his final season.

Kemp will replace Gregger McKeggegger on the roster, with the other five forwards from Season 94 returning. Kemp had career highs of 32 goals and 79 points last season. Entering his fourth season with his third team, perhaps Kemp can find some stability with the Nighthawks as they will rely on him for the next few seasons. With Bobandy having just one season left, bringing Kemp in on a long-term deal will be particularly valuable.

As for Bobandy, there was little doubt in Malmo that he would return, but it is now a certainty. Last season was his first with the Nighthawks, and he scored a career high 91 points. He has had some ups and downs in his career, but he has over a point-per-game through eight seasons. He scored at least 30 goals in four of those seasons.

happy birthday vhl