scoop

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

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

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

The Season 91 finals matchup is set, and it will feature the Toronto Legion and the Helsinki Titans, two teams whose last Cup dates back to the mid-60's. For the Legion, the playoffs have been a bit of a cakewalk thus far. They have an 8-1 record, going through the Chicago Phoenix and the Los Angeles Stars. Helsinki, meanwhile, have had some closer calls. For the Titans, it actually started with their last regular season game being a must-win game, as they barely sneaked into the playoffs as the fifth seed in the competitive European Conference. Their first series went the distance and it took overtime, but the subsequent matches have gotten progressively shorter at six and five games. The big storyline of the finals this season is the cup droughts that Toronto (25 seasons) and Helsinki (24 seasons), which are the second and third longest active droughts.
 
The Legion won back-to-back Continental Cups back in Season 64 and 65. Their opponent in both of those series? The Helsinki Titans. Until now, Toronto hadn't made a finals appearance since they were last on top. After losing those back-to-back finals to Toronto, the Titans returned to the finals in Season 66 and came out on top this time. They would make a fourth consecutive appearance (another loss) in the next season. They have lost in three other finals series since then. Including Season 91, they have made it to a league-leading 25 finals.

If you look at the eight most recent Continental Cup champions, you will see no repeat teams. This has been a nice change of pace for fans of parity, as we had seen just seven unique winners in the 16 seasons prior, with two teams each winning five times. The unique champion streak is still very much in play this season, as five of the remaining playoff teams have not won in the past eight seasons. If you want to see the streak reach nine, here are the teams for whom you should be rooting.
 
North America
Only one team remaining in the North American Conference has won a championship during the past eight seasons, and that is the D.C. Dragons. If the number one seed Stars can knock them out, then we are guaranteed at least one team in the finals who could extend the streak. The Stars are seeking their first championship after making it to the finals for the first time a season ago. In the other matchup, we see the Phoenix and the Legion. Chicago last won in Season 76 when they made the only finals appearance in franchise history. Toronto, having not won since Season 65, currently has the second longest Cup drought in the VHL.
 
Europe
Over in Europe, you need to be slightly more selective about who you root for, as the remaining contenders includes two of the past three championship teams. In the first matchup, we have Davos, who ended a 27-season Cup drought in Season 89, and Helsinki, who are currently on a 24-season Cup drought. Despite these extended droughts, these two teams are tied for second in VHL history with 11 championships. The other matchup is London and Riga. London won their first championship in Season 88, and Riga has not won since Season 72.
 
 
The current eight season stretch of unique champions is a tie for the longest in VHL history. It has happened once before from Season 26 to Season 33, back where there were only ten teams in the league.

If you look at the eight most recent Continental Cup champions, you will see no repeat teams. This has been a nice change of pace for fans of parity, as we had seen just seven unique winners in the 16 seasons prior, with two teams each winning five times. The unique champion streak is still very much in play this season, as five of the remaining playoff teams have not won in the past eight seasons. If you want to see the streak reach nine, here are the teams for whom you should be rooting.
 
North America
Only one team remaining in the North American Conference has won a championship during the past eight seasons, and that is the D.C. Dragons. If the number one seed Stars can knock them out, then we are guaranteed at least one team in the finals who could extend the streak. The Stars are seeking their first championship after making it to the finals for the first time a season ago. In the other matchup, we see the Phoenix and the Legion. Chicago last won in Season 76 when they made the only finals appearance in franchise history. Toronto, having not won since Season 65, currently has the second longest Cup drought in the VHL.
 
Europe
Over in Europe, you need to be slightly more selective about who you root for, as the remaining contenders includes two of the past three championship teams. In the first matchup, we have Davos, who ended a 27-season Cup drought in Season 89, and Helsinki, who are currently on a 24-season Cup drought. Despite these extended droughts, these two teams are tied for second in VHL history with 11 championships. The other matchup is London and Riga. London won their first championship in Season 88, and Riga has not won since Season 72.
 
 
The current eight season stretch of unique champions is a tie for the longest in VHL history. It has happened once before from Season 26 to Season 33, back where there were only ten teams in the league.

If you look at the eight most recent Continental Cup champions, you will see no repeat teams. This has been a nice change of pace for fans of parity, as we had seen just seven unique winners in the 16 seasons prior, with two teams each winning five times. The unique champion streak is still very much in play this season, as five of the remaining playoff teams have not won in the past eight seasons. If you want to see the streak reach nine, here are the teams for whom you should be rooting.
 
North America
Only one team remaining in the North American Conference has won a championship during the past eight seasons, and that is the D.C. Dragons. If the number one seed Stars can knock them out, then we are guaranteed at least one team in the finals who could extend the streak. The Stars are seeking their first championship after making it to the finals for the first time a season ago. In the other matchup, we see the Phoenix and the Legion. Chicago last won in Season 76 when they made the only finals appearance in franchise history. Toronto, having not won since Season 65, currently has the second longest Cup drought in the VHL.
 
Europe
Over in Europe, you need to be slightly more selective about who you root for, as the remaining contenders includes two of the past three championship teams. In the first matchup, we have Davos, who ended a 27-season Cup drought in Season 89, and Helsinki, who are currently on a 24-season Cup drought. Despite these extended droughts, these two teams are tied for second in VHL history with 11 championships. The other matchup is London and Riga. London won their first championship in Season 88, and Riga has not won since Season 72.
 
 
The current eight season stretch of unique champions is a tie for the longest in VHL history. It has happened once before from Season 26 to Season 33, back where there were only ten teams in the league.

If you look at the eight most recent Continental Cup champions, you will see no repeat teams. This has been a nice change of pace for fans of parity, as we had seen just seven unique winners in the 16 seasons prior, with two teams each winning five times. The unique champion streak is still very much in play this season, as five of the remaining playoff teams have not won in the past eight seasons. If you want to see the streak reach nine, here are the teams for whom you should be rooting.
 
North America
Only one team remaining in the North American Conference has won a championship during the past eight seasons, and that is the D.C. Dragons. If the number one seed Stars can knock them out, then we are guaranteed at least one team in the finals who could extend the streak. The Stars are seeking their first championship after making it to the finals for the first time a season ago. In the other matchup, we see the Phoenix and the Legion. Chicago last won in Season 76 when they made the only finals appearance in franchise history. Toronto, having not won since Season 65, currently has the second longest Cup drought in the VHL.
 
Europe
Over in Europe, you need to be slightly more selective about who you root for, as the remaining contenders includes two of the past three championship teams. In the first matchup, we have Davos, who ended a 27-season Cup drought in Season 89, and Helsinki, who are currently on a 24-season Cup drought. Despite these extended droughts, these two teams are tied for second in VHL history with 11 championships. The other matchup is London and Riga. London won their first championship in Season 88, and Riga has not won since Season 72.
 
 
The current eight season stretch of unique champions is a tie for the longest in VHL history. It has happened once before from Season 26 to Season 33, back where there were only ten teams in the league.

If you look at the eight most recent Continental Cup champions, you will see no repeat teams. This has been a nice change of pace for fans of parity, as we had seen just seven unique winners in the 16 seasons prior, with two teams each winning five times. The unique champion streak is still very much in play this season, as five of the remaining playoff teams have not won in the past eight seasons. If you want to see the streak reach nine, here are the teams for whom you should be rooting.
 
North America
Only one team remaining in the North American Conference has won a championship during the past eight seasons, and that is the D.C. Dragons. If the number one seed Stars can knock them out, then we are guaranteed at least one team in the finals who could extend the streak. The Stars are seeking their first championship after making it to the finals for the first time a season ago. In the other matchup, we see the Phoenix and the Legion. Chicago last won in Season 76 when they made the only finals appearance in franchise history. Toronto, having not won since Season 65, currently has the second longest Cup drought in the VHL.
 
Europe
Over in Europe, you need to be slightly more selective about who you root for, as the remaining contenders includes two of the past three championship teams. In the first matchup, we have Davos, who ended a 27-season Cup drought in Season 89, and Helsinki, who are currently on a 24-season Cup drought. Despite these extended droughts, these two teams are tied for second in VHL history with 11 championships. The other matchup is London and Riga. London won their first championship in Season 88, and Riga has not won since Season 72.
 
 
The current eight season stretch of unique champions is a tie for the longest in VHL history. It has happened once before from Season 26 to Season 33, back where there were only ten teams in the league.

In Season 87, the Malmo Nighthawks were one win away from a trip to the Continental Cup Finals, but they lost a Game 7 to the HC Davos Dynamo in the Conference Finals. That season's success was a bit of a standalone performance, as they had missed the playoffs in three of the prior four seasons and missed the playoffs in the three seasons following. This was the first time in franchise history that they missed the post-season in three consecutive years, but they have ended that streak in Season 91.
 
The Nighthawks have been one of the best teams this season. At 44-18-5, they have the third best record in all of the VHL. The additions they made this season have paid dividends, and the team showed particular improvement in goal scoring. This was an area they did surprisingly poor in last season, as they scored just 2.3 goals per game, which is up a full goal to 3.3 this season.
 
The only player who was on the team the last time they made the playoffs is Yaroslav Trunov. He was a rookie in Season 87, so his impact on the team was far less at the time than it is now. He rebounded from a 39 point season a year ago and is up over a point-per-game for the first time in his career.

In Season 87, the Malmo Nighthawks were one win away from a trip to the Continental Cup Finals, but they lost a Game 7 to the HC Davos Dynamo in the Conference Finals. That season's success was a bit of a standalone performance, as they had missed the playoffs in three of the prior four seasons and missed the playoffs in the three seasons following. This was the first time in franchise history that they missed the post-season in three consecutive years, but they have ended that streak in Season 91.
 
The Nighthawks have been one of the best teams this season. At 44-18-5, they have the third best record in all of the VHL. The additions they made this season have paid dividends, and the team showed particular improvement in goal scoring. This was an area they did surprisingly poor in last season, as they scored just 2.3 goals per game, which is up a full goal to 3.3 this season.
 
The only player who was on the team the last time they made the playoffs is Yaroslav Trunov. He was a rookie in Season 87, so his impact on the team was far less at the time than it is now. He rebounded from a 39 point season a year ago and is up over a point-per-game for the first time in his career.

@scoop

In Season 87, the Malmo Nighthawks were one win away from a trip to the Continental Cup Finals, but they lost a Game 7 to the HC Davos Dynamo in the Conference Finals. That season's success was a bit of a standalone performance, as they had missed the playoffs in three of the prior four seasons and missed the playoffs in the three seasons following. This was the first time in franchise history that they missed the post-season in three consecutive years, but they have ended that streak in Season 91.
 
The Nighthawks have been one of the best teams this season. At 44-18-5, they have the third best record in all of the VHL. The additions they made this season have paid dividends, and the team showed particular improvement in goal scoring. This was an area they did surprisingly poor in last season, as they scored just 2.3 goals per game, which is up a full goal to 3.3 this season.
 
The only player who was on the team the last time they made the playoffs is Yaroslav Trunov. He was a rookie in Season 87, so his impact on the team was far less at the time than it is now. He rebounded from a 39 point season a year ago and is up over a point-per-game for the first time in his career.

With roughly 20 games to go for most teams, Europe's top four are within six points. While Riga has spent the majority of the season on top, any of these four could very reasonably finish with the number one seed. Riga's lead is currently at four points with the slumping Malmo (4-4-2 in their last ten) still hanging on to second place. London and Davos round out the top four tied at 73 points each, just six behind Riga and two behind Malmo.
 
Looking at the remaining schedules, you will notice that these teams have a lot of games left against the North American Conference. London leads the way, with 17/20 games against North American teams, while the count is only slightly lower for both Riga and Davos at 15. Meanwhile, Malmo has just six games left against the lesser conference.
 
The Nighthawks will be rooting particularly for Chicago, D.C., and Toronto as the season winds down. Riga, London, and Davos each have 2-4 games remaining against each of those teams. Where Malmo's schedule majorly differs from the rest of Europe's top four is in their remaining games against Moscow and Helsinki. The Nighthawk's place the Menace four times and the Titans thrice, while the others are done with their games against those two. Malmo also has the most games remaining against the other top four teams, as they play Riga three times, and London and Davos once each.

With roughly 20 games to go for most teams, Europe's top four are within six points. While Riga has spent the majority of the season on top, any of these four could very reasonably finish with the number one seed. Riga's lead is currently at four points with the slumping Malmo (4-4-2 in their last ten) still hanging on to second place. London and Davos round out the top four tied at 73 points each, just six behind Riga and two behind Malmo.
 
Looking at the remaining schedules, you will notice that these teams have a lot of games left against the North American Conference. London leads the way, with 17/20 games against North American teams, while the count is only slightly lower for both Riga and Davos at 15. Meanwhile, Malmo has just six games left against the lesser conference.
 
The Nighthawks will be rooting particularly for Chicago, D.C., and Toronto as the season winds down. Riga, London, and Davos each have 2-4 games remaining against each of those teams. Where Malmo's schedule majorly differs from the rest of Europe's top four is in their remaining games against Moscow and Helsinki. The Nighthawk's place the Menace four times and the Titans thrice, while the others are done with their games against those two. Malmo also has the most games remaining against the other top four teams, as they play Riga three times, and London and Davos once each.

The Malmo Nighthawks are having a much more successful season than last, and that reflects on the stat leaderboards. A season ago, Mo Probert did lead the league in hits for Malmo, but outside of the penalty minute leaders, no other Nighthawk skater was in the top ten in any statistical category. This season, that has drastically changed as the Nighthawks as a team are currently leading the league in goals for and goal differential. Here's a rundown of most of the top ten spots held by Malmo members.
 
With 24 goals each, Yaroslav Bogatyrev and Henry Eagles are tied for the seventh in goals. They are just behind a quartet of players who have 25, with the tied leaders up at 28. Eagles is rapidly approaching the 28 that he had with the Nighthawks all of last season, while Bogatyrev waited no time to start finding success with his new team. Both veterans are on pace to set new career bests, but their relatively low assists totals do keep them outside of the top ten in points for now.
 
On the subject of assists, a pair of Malmo defensemen are in the top ten. Newcomer Skor McFleury has 33 assists, which is good for fifth in the league. Jacob Stone has overcome a poor start to the season and has climbed into tenth with 30 assists. These two also rank third and fourth in scoring among defenders with 41 and 40 points, and Reese McFleury's 32 points has him tied for eighth as well.
 
Malmo has a trio of rookies who have all contributed to the team's success this season, but among them, just one is in the top ten in first year scoring. With a recent surge in points, Ronald Johnson MacWallace III, the seventh overall pick in the S89 draft, is up to 24. That is good for sixth on the rookie leaderboard.
 
In addition to being one of the better offensive defensemen around the league, Stone is also among the leaders in shots blocked with 90. This is tied for fourth most in the league. Bogatyrev has also demonstrated two-way prowess with his 119 hits. While he hasn't quite replaced the physicality that Probert had brought, this does put him at eighth in the league. The trio of Eagles (+23), S. McFleury (+22), and Viktor Jensen (+20) fifth, sixth, and ninth in plus-minus rating.

Henry has slowed down over the last week in terms of points and goals but has still been producing at a good pace.

While he has fallen out of the top 10 in all stat categories in the VHL, he is still playing significantly better then last season. After 36 games, Henry, sits at 50 points. Last season he only achieved 58 points the whole season. He is on pace to have probably a top 3 career finish in points.
 
"Things have been going great, team is playing well and we are in a good spot heading into the trade deadline" Henry said "If we continue playing like we are then we should have no problems getting into the playoffs and showing everyone what we can do. We are finally playing like the team we should be"

Henry currently leads Malmo in points and he needs to continue to produce during each and every game if Malmo is to succeed. Having missed the playoffs last season, Malmo is taking this season as a revenge season and trying to prove everyone wrong.
 

The Malmo Nighthawks are having a much more successful season than last, and that reflects on the stat leaderboards. A season ago, Mo Probert did lead the league in hits for Malmo, but outside of the penalty minute leaders, no other Nighthawk skater was in the top ten in any statistical category. This season, that has drastically changed as the Nighthawks as a team are currently leading the league in goals for and goal differential. Here's a rundown of most of the top ten spots held by Malmo members.
 
With 24 goals each, Yaroslav Bogatyrev and Henry Eagles are tied for the seventh in goals. They are just behind a quartet of players who have 25, with the tied leaders up at 28. Eagles is rapidly approaching the 28 that he had with the Nighthawks all of last season, while Bogatyrev waited no time to start finding success with his new team. Both veterans are on pace to set new career bests, but their relatively low assists totals do keep them outside of the top ten in points for now.
 
On the subject of assists, a pair of Malmo defensemen are in the top ten. Newcomer Skor McFleury has 33 assists, which is good for fifth in the league. Jacob Stone has overcome a poor start to the season and has climbed into tenth with 30 assists. These two also rank third and fourth in scoring among defenders with 41 and 40 points, and Reese McFleury's 32 points has him tied for eighth as well.
 
Malmo has a trio of rookies who have all contributed to the team's success this season, but among them, just one is in the top ten in first year scoring. With a recent surge in points, Ronald Johnson MacWallace III, the seventh overall pick in the S89 draft, is up to 24. That is good for sixth on the rookie leaderboard.
 
In addition to being one of the better offensive defensemen around the league, Stone is also among the leaders in shots blocked with 90. This is tied for fourth most in the league. Bogatyrev has also demonstrated two-way prowess with his 119 hits. While he hasn't quite replaced the physicality that Probert had brought, this does put him at eighth in the league. The trio of Eagles (+23), S. McFleury (+22), and Viktor Jensen (+20) fifth, sixth, and ninth in plus-minus rating.