diamond_ace

There's an abundance of riches in the upcoming VHLM draft, which certainly makes Ottawa Lynx fans happy, with double picks in each of the first three rounds. As the GM, I don't want to offer too much insight of course, with my fellow GMs scanning through every word I write for a hint of an idea of who I'm planning to take at what spots, but I can speak in vague terms on a few topics. There are enough players in this draft that if every player got drafted, even the inactives, it would fill every team's roster to capacity and then some. Fortunately, there are a lot of guys who made their creation post and then were never seen again, or they signed up midseason last year, chatted a bit, and have already left, so it shouldn't be an issue at all. I will make one point though, and I'll reiterate this as a public service announcement after the draft: if you are a new guy, you're active around the forums at all, and you somehow slip through and don't get drafted, say something. Even if it's just a post in the discussion forum, or a PM to our VHLM commissioners @Beaviss and @Toast, or for that matter, a PM to any VHLM GM who can then pass it forward. On that particular topic, any active guy who does somehow slip through the cracks, with 6 GMs building lists over the past few days up to tomorrow, it's likely because you haven't done really much at all. That is absolutely fine, of course - maybe you signed up then went on vacation, or got sick, or who knows what - but it's of course going to leave us GMs with no real way to distinguish you from the guys who left and don't intend to return. However, this might actually work out in your favor (and odds are, with this large draft class, unprecedented in league history except maybe season 1, 2-3 will manage to avoid detection). You'll become a free agent, able to sign with the team of your choice, out of those who make you offers. Some teams might be in a better position to make an offer than others; Ottawa, for example, is going to be spending all season at or near the roster limit because of our early draft picks and might not be able to offer on too many guys until we have some of our draftees go inactive. As for the draft itself, there is one particular player I'm targeting and I would really like to be able to acquire. Even in a draft this deep, with this many different players, there's one guy who I think will be a massive difference maker for whichever team drafts him over the teams that don't get the opportunity to. The safe move might actually be to try to trade up, make absolutely sure this guy is a Lynx 17 hours from now. It may come back to haunt me but I'm not going to do that, because the draft is deep enough that he might fall, and I think to an extent he'll be masked by other players, and one team in front of me I don't see taking him anyway. Given the last few sentences, it goes without saying that if this guy is around at 4, I'm taking him without a moment's hesitation. Otherwise, there have been a few guys who I've talked to here and there who I'd like to pick, plus two guys who've specifically come to me expressing interest (these two guys I have a specific draft position in mind for, and will take them at that point if they are available). I will say that I have 67 guys on my draft board currently, guys that even at the very bottom of the board, I'd take them rather than pass (obviously other teams will have opportunities for these players as well). That's probably about all the more I can go into without giving anything away. Good luck to all the draftees, especially my new Lynx tonight.

This sounds like a Lynx to me.

Also, you have this guy and you also have Jonas Brandstatter. Currently only GMs can have two guys, so once you figure which one you want, @Beketov can make the player page for that one and not the other one.

Exists, just way too tiny to host a team. Remember 701 was from there

Yeah but you'd be doing it just to troll me, so it's not as bad as the people who genuinely spell it that way.

Which is fine, as long as they don't move to a place that doesn't exist.

Remember the guy who wanted to do play by play announcing, of a sim that doesn't really show individual plays?

It appears as though many people in this league don't have a basic understanding of European geography, because they don't know fairly well known capital cities. Oslo, the capital of Norway and the location of VHLM franchise the Oslo Storm, is spelled O-S-L-O. This fits with its pronunciation, Awes-Low. It seems as though people in this league want to put the Storm in Olso, which would be impossible because OLSO DOESN'T EXIST. Might as well put them in Narnia for that matter. Narnia Lions? Kashyyyk Wookiees? Middle-Earth Eagles? Additionally, and a far more minor of a problem, Oslo is the only European city in the VHLM, which is weird in context of the history of the league where there have been half European teams and half North American teams. Even the VHL has gone away from half and half, with 5 NA and 3 EU, but that's close enough that it still contributes to the bicontinental feel of the league. In the VHLM, there's one European city and 5 NA cities, with an even weirder split of 4 from Canada and 1 from USA. I don't really care about the weird split, it's just that the "Olso" thing didn't get me enough words. I care more than I should about the other part, but I know it's just me, so let's not get too up in arms about me calling people out...

The rounds keep getting added as the draft goes on, if teams are still picking.

Upon seeing this press report, the Ottawa Lynx of the VHLM have sent a scout to the airport of whichever city is hosting the draft, just to keep tabs on this kid. Anyone willing to write a bio on a plane so GMs know him better, has a work ethic and is worth a spot on a VHLM team. (I can't guarantee you who will draft you, I'm a VHLM GM myself but I'm sure everyone else is doing their homework on this draft as well. I can assure you that you will absolutely be drafted, the only guys that won't be drafted are guys who have long since gone inactive. Any predraft activity by a potential draftee is a good sign.)

same

You might, in a few days, you'll just have to draft him

Yes. This expansion draft was @ShawnGlade taking one piece from each VHLM team, other than the 1st and the two pieces that were protected. This includes any picks later than 1st, and anyone who had been drafted by a team or traded to them after being drafted elsewhere (someone where the team has their rights). Anyone who signed as waiver in the middle of the season is in the next VHLM draft, unless they're already above the VHLM cap and ineligible. I expect you'll be a very early pick since you're not far from the cap, but under.

Your VHL rights are with Quebec, that's not changing. Based on TPE, you have another season you can be down (provided Quebec doesn't call you up, but with Achievement Tracker it's generally been standard practice that if people can be down, they're down). You signed with me partway through the season to finish out the season, so you'd be entered into this season's VHLM draft, and as of the end of the season that just happened, your VHLM rights were no longer owned by Ottawa (you're simply a pending draftee). As Ottawa does not own your rights, you're not a piece of ours eligible to be selected. I mean don't get me wrong, if it's approved that @ShawnGlade can take guys who aren't technically owned by teams, and I get out of this losing nothing, I'm perfectly on board with that...

@Beaviss

Was a waiver guy, not a draftee, Ottawa has no rights on him and he's back in the draft. Ineligible to be selected

I wouldn't know, not a GTA guy, but Carl Johnson sounds like a Lynx to me

This. I could find a place for Niko Volume 2 in Ottawa

I thought HilarityEnsues was Wastlund, tbh

No I get that, I wouldn't expect you to delete them, just kind of noting it so I don't grab them with my two 1sts

Davis and Montgomery will almost guaranteed get too high to be down

Mine's final. Since Oslo upset Yukon that means I protect Yukon 2nd along with my 2nd, leaving Oslo 2nd and all my draftees from last year exposed. Would have been harder if Davis/Baxter/Moltke had been draftees rather than waivers

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Given the times I work, I'll usually be the top one on the list on Thursday mornings, Saturday mornings, and half of Sunday mornings, provided it refreshes at midnight. 7-7:30 overnight shifts will do that...