LucyXpher

This is a fantastic article! I'm bookmarking this to read again later. Thanks!

Today, I received the incredible news that I would be the next GM of the Halifax 21st and one of my first reactions was, "Amazing, I can't wait! . . . What is 21st?" Well, today I learned that the moniker '21st' refers to Pier 21 in the Halifax Harbour which was a terminal for ocean liners and was the point of entry to Canada for many new immigrants-- nearly 1 million new immigrants-- between 1928 and 1971. Thank you to @samx and @Beketov for pointing me in the right direction, else I might still be lost at sea trying to figure out why the 21st have a boat on their logo. Something Bek said in our brief exchange really stood out to me, "I’ve always viewed it as the perfect name for a VHLM team given that the M is the first point of contact for the VHL". And it's true, like Pier 21 in the Halifax Harbour was the point of entry for many new immigrants who landed in Canada after a long voyage across the Atlantic, the VHLM is the league of entry to the VHL that welcomes new players into the community from all over the world. Being the point of entry is well and good, but without a welcoming committee, it's easy to get lost-- Canada is huge country, after all, and the VHL forums can absolutely be intimidating for new members left to fend for themselves. Recently being new to VHL myself, I had a fantastic experience with the Houston Bulls in the VHLM which has shaped my outlook on, and appreciation for, the VHLM-- but especially for GMs who really embrace their role to welcome and prepare players for the VHLE and the VHL. My GM last season, @AJW, was incredibly helpful and always seemed to have the time for us as players, whether it was answering repetitive questions about TPE and trivia answers, or just chatting and enjoying the company of the locker room. Look, I've been banging this drum all season, but I'll hit it one more time-- it's great to add more players to the league, but without incredible GMs like AJ who really understand their role and what it means to players entering the VHL, I don't know where the league would be. Just the simple things like being available to chat or answer a question goes a long way for new players who are enticed by the idea of joining a league where they can build a player, sign a contract, join a team, and work their way up to the big leagues. I think what many new players-- and even some veteran players-- don't realize is that you join for the opportunity to create something for yourself, but it's often the community of the league that really keeps people around, continuing to earn TPE and building their player. I know I've only been here a relatively short time compared to some, but the experience of being new is still fresh. Like Pier 21 for many immigrants to Canada, the VHLM needs great GMs who can welcome new players to the community and give them a reason to stay. Each player will have different motivations for joining and what appeals to some won't appeal to all, but that's also the beauty of a community-- like Canada-- like the VHL. All good people should be welcome and made to feel like they have a place here. Sure, this may come off as overly sentimental as, at the end of the day, it is a sim league with fake teams, fake leagues, and an evil overlord called Simon who holds the hopes and dreams of every fake player in the palm of his hand. What isn't fake or made-up, however, is the people. If we wanted to play sim hockey against AI, there are manager sims for that and NHL24 is a thing. We're here, presumably, because there's something different-- dare I say-- better about doing the sim hockey with humans. And unlike AI, humans are complex, creative, compassionate, and at times unpredictable. It's what really makes it all worthwhile, despite the fact that working with humans is far more challenging than manipulating an AI. I myself am American-- from Houston-- but I did live in Calgary, Alberta for about a year and a half. While I was in Canada, I had the chance to make it out east and see the city of Halifax as we traveled around the maritime provinces, and I really enjoyed seeing that part of Canada, the natural beauty, and the distinct maritime culture. And though I knew that the east coast was the point of entry for many European immigrants across the Atlantic, I guess I never realized how many actually came through Halifax. By last census, Halifax has a population of 431, 479, which is still a far cry from the million that would have entered via Pier 21. Many of those immigrants would have made their way inland, some even crossing the country over time and settling out west. Every player wants to make it to the VHL (unless you're doing some funky experiment) and the only way to get there is through the M. I'm honored to be selected as the next GM of the Halifax 21st and I'm thrilled to be in a position to welcome new players to the VHL. In my one season of experience, it has been a fantastic community and a fun pastime, and I'm excited to share that enjoyment with those that are next to land on the 21st. GM Lexie Leitner - Halifax 21st Claimed 03/10/24

Well, you see, I don't write articles per se-- at least not yet, but I'm still in college studying literature so it's not exactly off the table lol. Do academic papers count? (stupid question, they do not). Poetry is actually kinda my thing, though I'm still working out how "roses are red" keeps the lights on. Thanks again for your kind words and review!

Wow, that's awesome! I'm super excited for this opportunity and to be able to contribute to the league this way! I can't wait to get started in Halifax and congrats to the others who were hired as well, all super deserving from what I've seen!

With Season 92 in the books, trophies awarded, and playoffs complete, the focus of VHL and VHLE general managers shifts to the upcoming S93 Draft which, while not a top-heavy draft in terms of players who are VHL-ready, will feature one of the deeper draft classes in recent memory with gems to be found across the draft board. At the beginning of S92, I highlighted Lucy Leitner as a player to watch in her first VHLM season. An undrafted player in the VHLM, Leitner signed a contract with the Houston Bulls as a free agent less than a week before the start of the campaign. With the benefit of hindsight, we can now revisit our scouting report and look at how Leitner faired in her first VHLM season. When I first scouted Leitner, her standout attribute was her skating ability and it comes as little surprise that her skating proved to be elite relative to her VHLM peers. At the conclusion of S92, Leitner ranks among the league's best skaters and has proved that her speed and edgework are top tier. Leitner only seemed to improve as the season went on, getting faster and more agile, while also working with coaches to improve her strength and control while handling the puck. With a smaller build at 5'8" and 155 pounds, it was thought that her size might be an issue as the level of competition increased from juniors, however her skating and improved strength seem to have mitigated this concern. It was rare that Leitner would be caught flat-footed and her agility proved to be a challenge for opponents attempting to land a hit. The combination of her skating and puck handling will certainly continue to work in her favor as she progresses into the VHLE and the VHL if she continues to refine her stride and stickwork. In terms of offensive production, Leitner had a solid year on an ever improving Bulls roster. Starting the year as the Bulls top defender, she got off to a flying start. As the season progressed and the Bulls continued adding to their roster, she saw a natural reduction in ice time and puck touches, though remained productive and continued to make the most of her opportunities. She was particularly effective on the powerplay, notching 12 powerplay goals-- tied for second in the league among defenders. Leitner also finished the season with 60 assists in 72 games, which was the 5th highest total league-wide. Perhaps where Leitner showed the most promise was in her off-ice training as she continued to make gains every week, growing almost daily into a better player and teammate. When asked about her motivation as a player, Leitner had this to say: "I want to be the best I can be so that I can help my team win. It's funny, I've been interviewed by a few teams for this upcoming draft and this is always something they seem to ask, like, I'm not aiming to have the most points or the most individual accolades, I want to help my team win, whatever team that ends up being. If the points and recognition come, great, but I love being part of a team and the community around the team. It's a fun environment and it's what truly makes sport amazing. Individual achievements can be impressive and deserve recognition, but nothing beats being part of a winning culture with teammates who build each other up and can celebrate a victory together, so ultimately, that's what I want." Leitner, like many other draft hopefuls, will be tuning in on Saturday March 9th to find out which team calls her name. It is sure to be a special and exciting moment in these players' careers as they find out where their next home will be. ──•~❉᯽❉~•── Lauren Lambert for VHL.com Claimed 03/10/24

1. With the VHL entry draft coming up on the 9th how excited are you to be joining a new team? Is there anybody who you would KILL to have on your team? I'm super excited to see where I end up in both the VHL and VHLE drafts! It'll be fun to join a new team's locker room and get to know some new players, and especially to have a team I can settle into for the long term. I would love to be able to play on a team with all of my teammates here in Houston, but I really don't want to have to choose one, so I'm going to go with Annie Oaks @Noodle Enjoyer, who I think is going to be a fantastic player in the VHLE and VHL very soon. I think any team with the opportunity to draft Oaks next weekend would do very well to pick them up and I would love to be teammates someday. I guess we'll see how it all shakes out! 2. We have new team pets with our kitty Litten, our dog Rocky, and out Puppy Growlithe how are you going to spoil them? Also don't worry you will be allowed to come back to the facility to hang with them. Litten is going to get all the cuddles from me. Rocky is sweet too, and Growlithe, but I'll definitely be coming back mostly to see our little Houston Hell Kitty. Okay, maybe I'm picking favorites, but Rocky and Growlithe can be somebody else's favorites . 3. Once you get your big boy pay after being drafted to the show how will you spend tour newly earned money? I'm gonna reinvest in my training so I can make the most of my opportunity and eventually get to a higher level. It's gonna be great to finally make it to the VHL and obviously it'll be nice to get an increase in pay eventually, but I'm aiming to be the best I can be and helping a team win it all, and in order to do that I think it'll be best to put my money into increasing my training and supporting my player development. 4. Your favourite AGM has been kidnapped by criminals and you have to fill his role what are you doing first? I'm holding a press conference in your honor. I know you're kidnapped, not dead, but we all know this team can't afford to pay the ransom, as much as we'd really like to get you back, so I'd like to offer a moment of silence for the Great AGM of Season 92, @Nathan_8. We could build you a statue, but we've kinda already blown the earnings from the "charity" fundraiser on @AJW's collosus, so... 5. Are there any teammates who you will keep in touch, and hang out with after the gang is split up? Hopefully I can keep in touch with as many as possible! We've had a great group this season and I'd love to be able to continue to chat with all of them, honestly. Realistically, it will always happen that people end up elsewhere with new groups and you lose touch, but I'd especially like to keep in touch with people like Nathan, Ondra, and Benjamin who have have been very big parts of the Houston locker room, good teammates, and great friends. 6. Your AGM is doing the press conference this week do you like the change or would you rather @AJW continue doing it? As much as I like AJ's press conferences, this one is kinda fire! I think this is a great role for the AGM to be taking on weekly, getting involved and getting to know the players, and also being able to do so creatively with fun questions. This was a great press conference and I'm sure I'll be back to do another one just for fun at some point!

Houston Hell Kitty!

Omg, imagine getting rick rolled every time the Bulls score, this has to be a thing! And I need Houston Hell Kitty for the love of all things fire and brimstone! I'm definitely gonna pass on the hockey puck dental care tho...

Vencko is always cooking! Just don't ask about the secret sauce... or do, up to you really.

I agree with AJ's article, though I do want it to be known that none of us get as far as we did without AJ being an incredible GM. If not for him being so welcoming and supportive early on, building up the locker room, giving us tips, tpe earning advice, encouragement to keep going, etc... I don't know if we would have all made it past the learning phase which can be a bit intimidating. So yeah... more ads in the future for sure, but we need good VHLM GMs like AJ (not saying the others aren't good, just don't know them as well). Thanks for everything this past season, AJ!

I'm excited to come up to the VHLE and VHL in the same rookie class as you and look forward to seeing how your player develops! I'm also looking forward to getting settled with a new team for this next season. The offseason is interesting, but kinda weird because the VHLM is done but I don't have a main club so everything is kinda temporary right now. Who knows, maybe we'll end up in the same place, that'd be awesome!

I’d like to apply and I’m open to either Mexico or Halifax

Look at all those Bulls! What a team! Fantastic article! It was really well written and researched, and I loved how you gave accurate scouting reports without breaking the fourth wall. That's the kind of writing I enjoy the most on here, I think all the sths talk is better done behind the scenes. Should be a super fun draft and I can't wait to see where we all land!

USA all the way! Awesome graphics too, thanks for doing that!

Thanks! Can't wait to see where we all land! Gonna be fun coming up with such a great group!

1. What a run! A second round exit is nothing to be disappointed about, top 4 in the league! After the loss, what were the emotions/thoughts going through your player's head? 2. End of the season is actually a beautiful time to finally get that extra sleep you've been craving, or maybe pick up a skill you've been wanting to try with your new free time. What will you do with your free time to start your off-season? 3. We had a lot of new friendly faces enter the locker room this season. So many bright and fun people put on the Bulls jersey! What was your favorite part about being a Bull this season? 4. Houston Texas, home of the Houston Bulls of the VHLM: RIOTS STRIKE!! Gang leader of the "Vencko's Sobriety Test" gang (VST for short) got his crew to riot through the streets of Houston after our loss to Philadelphia. Did you join in on the riots? Houston GM AJW was seen throwing a flaming pitchfork at a picture of Philly GM @Lemorse7. 5. Let's talk about that draft! VHL and VHLE drafts are coming up, have any GMs started reaching out to interview you? Which team(s) are your favorite as of this week? 6. It's been a really fun season but you can't hold onto the past, I'm already thinking of the next VHLM draft! Do you have any plans/goals for your player next season? Are you trying to earn that extra TPE per week? Maybe you want to hit a 30 goal milestone?

One can hope

In Pamplona, Spain, there's a long-standing tradition of running bulls through the streets of the city. Originally serving the practical purpose of moving the animals in from the country side to the city for sale, the tradition-- which began around the 13th century-- eventually evolved into a festival where members of the general public would run through the streets ahead of the bulls. While the running no longer serves any practical purpose, it continues annually and still attracts people from around the world, especially the thrill seeking types. Sadly, for those who tempt fate, the bulls claim lives every year and the festival has drawn criticism for being barbaric and dangerous. I'm not here to moralize for or against the practice which has endured in Spain for generations, but I do want to draw a comparison. There's an old adage, "When you mess with the bull, you get the horns." There are natural consequences for certain risks. Anyone choosing to willingly run through the streets with bulls should at least consider the potential for being seriously injured or even killed. It's a harsh reality, but what else could you expect from a frenzied herd of horned beasts? @Pifferfish Jorgen Lovstrom (above) This brings me to the title of this article, my last article on the Season 92 Houston Bulls-- tempting fate. This season's Bulls team lived up to the ferocity of the animal on their crest. This was a physical team that loved to throw the body and punish their opposition physically. During the playoffs alone, the Bulls led the league in hits with 294 in 12 games. This style of play comes with its upside in that it can force an opponent to play tentatively, constantly looking over their shoulders to see where the next charging bull is coming from. The Bulls also led the league in penalty minutes with 159, and herein lies the drawback and inherent risk of a high level of physical play, especially if it becomes reckless and undisciplined. This season's Bulls were constantly straddling that line. Sometimes their physical play was a dominant feature of their team game and it created space for their more skilled players to create offense. In other cases, the physicality got away from them and produced some unwanted consequences and unfortunate results. Game 6 of the Founder's Cup Semi-Final against the Philadelphia Reapers was an example of just that. Despite being out-hit, 30-25, the Bulls took 10 penalties. In a game of fine margins that the Bulls were in until the end, all it took was the Reapers converting on 1 of those 10 powerplay attempts to seal the game and the series, punching their ticket to the finals. It's an unfortunate outcome for a Houston team that has grown so much over the span of the 72 game season. The disappointment in the Houston locker room after the loss was more than apparent as the team had full buy-in and belief in the process that they had committed to from day one. A loss like this can certainly shake belief and cause a team to become demoralized after leaving everything on the ice, and that in itself is a tempting fate. Fate is a cruel mistress and a cunning temptress. It's all too easy to become overly fixated on what went wrong and why things didn't work out on the ice. Sometimes that negative mindset is even appealing. It can feel good to vent, or complain, or blame, or cry, or feel like the whole world is conspiring against you to see your demise. I think it's healthy to allow oneself to experience such emotions after suffering a loss-- but not to allow them to linger indefinitely. The Houston Bulls have so much to be proud of and this season can only be called a success, despite their failure to cap it off with a Founder's Cup. Going from a team with only 4 players on the roster after the VHLM dispersal draft, to the team with the most contributing roster players and the consensus top team on paper is nothing short of remarkable. The Bulls' general manager, @AJW deserves a tremendous amount of credit for his role in building the team and the culture around the locker room. He should undoubtedly be in consideration for GM of the Year for his efforts and results, though he'd humbly credit the players for their hard work and determination. What cannot be disputed is the effort of this group as a whole, from their GM AJ, AGM @Nathan_8, and every one of their players who contributed to the positivity of the team, both on and off the ice. This kind of positivity is what will help propel many of these players to long and successful VHL careers as they move on from the Bulls next season-- it's the good habits and friendships that combat the temptation of thinking all is lost. For many of these Bulls players, this is only the beginning of their career, and despite a crushing defeat, they have so much further to climb and work towards. A Founder's Cup, while a fantastic achievement, is not the pinnacle of the sport and only represents a goal along the path toward the top. Sure, every player in the VHLM wants to win it, but how many players would truly be satisfied playing in the VHLM, forever chasing that goal? The M is a transitional league to help develop the skills of players coming from junior divisions, to prepare them for the rigors and competition of the higher pro ranks. While it's a great goal to win at every level, in the grand scheme, the goal of VHLM players is to start their career out on the right foot, and the Houston Bulls as a collective have really embodied that competitive spirit of practice and growth. There are so many players on this roster who began the season with little to no experience. Through hard work, collaboration, and dedication, so many of them have developed into top prospects in the upcoming VHL and VHLE drafts. It's truly a testament to the success of the the Bulls management group and developmental support system which has enabled their players to grow in leaps and bounds. So while it's a disappointing end to a thrilling playoff run, the Bulls had already won-- sure, maybe not on the scoresheet, but some things are bigger than a scoresheet. (Lauren Lambert has come unstuck in time) Look, maybe this is just me writing my way though a heartbreaking loss, trying to come to terms with what comes next. I'm a melodramatic artist and I'm coping, okay?! Oh, you thought I was an unbiased journalist who just reported the facts? That's funny... I guess I don't value professionalism enough to leave my allegiances at the door when I start writing an article. Well, now you know... When you mess with the bull, you get the horns... but there's another saying, "Grab the bull by the horns". When facing adversity or risk, sometimes the best strategy is to attack the problem, to face it head on, to get up close and personal with danger and conquer it. While this offseason may have come sooner than Houston would have hoped, they have an opportunity to put this time to good use, for players to continue developing, and to use this loss as motivation for future goals. There is a lot to be excited for with the VHL Draft coming up this offseason, the Victory ProAm, the Junior Showcase Tournament, and the World Junior Championships right around the corner. There are plenty of reasons for this Bulls squad to bounce back and get refocused-- re-motivated-- to continue working towards their ultimate goal of playing at the highest level. I, for one, will be following these players closely, though it's with a heavy heart that I move on from regular coverage of the Houston Bulls. It's been a fantastic run with the Bulls this season, full of drama and excitement on and off the ice. Wherever I end up next, I know I will always look back fondly on this past season as it was remarkable and gratifying in so many ways. Thanks to all who have been reading me faithfully and I look forward to bringing you more VHL/E/M articles in the near future. Until then, keep running! .·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·. Lauren Lambert for VHL.com claiming intoxication until next season...

Absolutely incredible work! Wish I had those skills

Great preview! Respectfully, I'm going to go the other way and pick Philadelphia to win (For whatever that's worth... I was totally wrong about the last round lol). Obviously, Lovstrom @Pifferfish will be a huge factor in this series, but maybe we've been overlooking the rest of this Reapers roster. I have a hard time seeing Philly losing to any team over a 7 game series right now with the way they've got their whole team going. On paper, maybe they're still not the most impressive, but they've been proving us wrong for a while now and maybe there is just something seriously right about the way this team is built. I'd guess Philly in 7, but I can'tsay I'd be surprised to see Vegas take it either. Should be a close and entertaining series either way! Also, best of luck to you @Noodle Enjoyer and your player Annie Oaks! One of my favorite players to follow all season and very deserving of being in the finals with a chance to win the Founder's Cup!

Great article! People better not be sleeping on Ecker!

I appreciate the feedback btw! And I updated the article, "At defense, the Rush selected WWumbo as their top player and added two of the VHLM's most physical players in Cody Toland and Billy Joel." I think it's definitely worth mentioning that the Rush got both of you! Gonna be a scary D pair if they put you together!

Sure, Billy Joel also finished the season with fewer hits and pims than Toland. Anyway, they're both among the most physical, but Toland had the most pims in the league and was 3rd in total hits which is why I shouted him out.