ace_five_

Can we implement a column in the standings on portal to show a teams record in the last ten games? This might make it a bit easier to see how certain changes to the team have affected things at a glance. I think it would be pretty helpful for people writing articles to do with standings and power rankings and things like that. You could even make it be the last 14 games so it covers a week of sims.

Big moves

Thank you for giving me a chance! I look forward to the opportunity

Sent a message but just wanted to say my hat is in the ring

1. We have rode a six game win streak to a position one point behind Ottawa. What will it take to finally surpass our rivals for the conference lead? "We just have to be consistent. You don't have to win every game of the season to be the champions. Ottawa may be ahead of us in the standings right now but the ultimate goal is the one at the end of the playoffs." 2. Our offence is the best overall unit in the VHLM. Who is the most underrated player in that regard? "Everyone plays a part in the offence on our team. It's important for everyone to get involved on every play, whether that be scoring, passing, hits, takeaways, or defence. If we're able to execute all of the aspects of the game consistently, we will continue to be the best offence. Across the board, I'd have to say Dustin Moore @Maxx is able to be consistent on both sides of the puck but isn't one of the more talked about players on the team so he is able to slip under most team's radar." 3. If you could rebrand and team you wanted, what team would you rebrand and why? "I would want a rebrand of the new PWHL teams. Give them some team names and branding so they can be more recognizable." 4. What player should we buy for the playoff push? "I would like to see us make a splash at the trade deadline. Hopefully adding some good depth players to our already deep team would give us the push we need to win the Cup." 5. Did you watch any of the eclipse today or were you indifferent to it? "Unfortunately I was driving for work at the time so I wasn't able to watch it. I did get a little FOMO seeing everyone outside with their glasses but it was still pretty interesting when it got dark because it felt like a different kind of darkness than what we're used to." 6. What is one locker room tradition your player have kept with since their earliest days? "Always putting my equipment on in the same order. I try not to be too superstitious but that became a habit that's been hard to break."

How do you get your colours so clean on the jersey?

I haven’t been in the league long, so I didn’t see all the changes it went through with covid/expansion etc.. Going solely off of these numbers it seems to makes sense to me to make the change. This also gives the chance for new players, like myself, to play and interact with more veterans of the league. If you are in the M and you end up with half a team of IA or minimum earners, you’re probably less likely to have success going forward because there isn’t as much encouragement and motivation as there would be with players who have spent 1-2 seasons max earning. On top of this, being on the same team for 2-3 seasons as you work toward the VHL as opposed to 2-3 teams before you get there can build more team chemistry and relationships within the community as well. I know you weren’t being 100% serious with this idea, but it’s a great jumping off point into the question on if the VHLE is completely necessary anymore.

For the rebrand theme this season I have decided to focus on the London United. I have a couple of ideas because “United” to me is kind of a boring name. One idea I have will probably be a little controversial, while the other is a safer choice, if not a little boring. 1. London Conquerers Is this a little insensitive? Yes. Is it unique to the league? Also yes. I wanted to think of something a little different than some colour changes or a bit of a different logo for this one. The Conquerers will definitely have people talking about them, and bad publicity is still publicity. Taking its name from its country’s history, the Conquerers look at intimidation as its core team value. Rebranding from the United to the Conquerers also shows the intent of the team moving forward, take over the league. While the team has been able to keep pace with the other top teams in the regular season in recent seasons, the coveted Continental Cup has eluded them for a while now. This rebrand looks to instil a sense of confidence into the team through manifestation. To make the full rebrand a reality, a completely fresh logo would have to be created, as well as a change of some team colours. As for the colours, they can mostly stay the same, keeping the red and blue from the iconic Union Jack. Maybe adding silver to the mix will make those colours pop a little more while also separating the team's light jerseys from the usual white. In order to not make the logo overcomplicated or too busy, my thoughts would be to stay away from something like a rearing horse or likenesses of historic figures. Perhaps something along the lines of a flag held by a gauntleted hand, or a crown sporting a Union Jack. Something that will portray the goal of intimidation but still be simple and easy to read. Overall, the goal of a rebrand like this would be to create a new team philosophy and also stir up some buzz surrounding the team. Hopefully, the kind of media this would attract would also attract stars to the team to bring it another championship. 2. London Royals Like I said earlier, this one is more of the safer pick. It still focuses on the city’s, and country’s, history with the monarchy. It builds on the same sort of confidence without some of the arrogance. This rebrand would completely overhaul the team's colours as well as the logo to shed its previous identity. The Royals’ primary colour would either be a royal blue or a deep purple. To not step on the toes of the other teams in the league that sport a similar colour, London would heavily feature their secondary colour as well, Gold. Gold stitching, outlines, and anything that will make their primary colour pop while also giving a sense of worth. The logo would have to feature a crown, most likely on its own (much like the LA Kings). While Moscow and Riga both have crowns in their logo, the Royals would make that the focal point to accentuate their implied status. The goal for a rebrand of this nature is to forget about the team’s past woes and focus on the future of the franchise, Royalty. This would help show the big names that this is the place to be if you want to be crowned Continental Cup Champions. (577 words)

@McLovin

Inspired by @AJW's visualizer, I made one for each active player's points in the VHLM. Stats include up to game 184. https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/17444707/

@mmrs617 at 100 TPE

@dogwoodmaple

ace_five_’s recruits: @mmrs617 at 100TPE

1. So how did you celebrate the Easter holiday yesterday? "I celebrated with my family at my parent's house. Did an egg hunt with the kids and had a nice lunch" 2. Today is indeed April's Fools Day. What is the greatest prank you fell for or pulled off? "I have never really been a prank person myself. My daughter decided to take some "brown Es" to school today to prank her class." 3. What is your response to the recent embezzlement scandal? "To be honest, it got me at first. I'm new and don't know a lot of the veterans on here so the joke kind of went over my head. I did decide to wait it out and see what it was about before reacting, luckily" 4. Which Western Conference is more of a threat to us, Vegas Aces or Houston Bulls? "I think both could be formidable, but so are we. We've had a bit of a tougher time holding onto our streaks early on so hopefully we can pull things together and show the league we're the threat." 5. Is Pombo already a lock for S93 VHLM MVP or will someone else(most likely Maple Dogwood) win this award? "I don't think anyone is a lock for MVP. We aren't even halfway through the season yet so it's too early to tell. Obviously, I hope someone on our team can win the award, but I think we all understand that isn't the end goal." 6. Alexandr Novotny @Patrik Tallinder has been racking up the assist. How important has his passing ability been to the team? "Alex is a huge part of the team both on and off the ice. Being a defensive force and still being able to distribute the puck as he has, has been an amazing asset to the team and a huge reason why we're in the position we are right now."

As for how you position yourself, I’d personally say just be yourself. Understand what you want to get out of the trade and push for that. Maybe you have to compromise a little in order to get the deal done, but if in the end you think you’ve improved your team, either immediately or for the future, it’s a success. All the GMs want the same thing in the end and some negotiations are going to be tougher than others because of that but I would think there’s a kind of mutual understanding that nobody’s trying to be a jerk. Unless it’s very obvious that they are, in which case I’m sure you wouldn’t be the only one thinking that.

Review: Excellent and in depth first look at the S94 draft class! I really like how you highlighted some of your picks and gave good reasoning as to why you put them there. The formatting made it very easy to follow and read, and the graphics brought it all together. The length also made it so my attention wasn't lost at all and I don't feel like I missed out on any information knowing that this will be a recurring article and more players will be highlighted. I look forward to reading what's to come and how your draft board changes over the weeks. 10/10

Thank you so much for the spotlight! Nice to see the hard work being noticed.

I began my journey in the VHL less than a month ago, coming from a YouTube video and throwing myself into a brand new experience. Since then, I've made over 100 TPE, had the most liked post, and got drafted in the first round of a draft I didn't even know existed the week before. I joined a great team with a ton of active players, both new and returning, and have had a lot of fun following the first week of real games in the VHLM. Something also happened last week that I expected least of all, I was named captain of the Halifax 21st! Now, being in the league for this amount of time really meant this announcement was a true test of what I could be capable in this league going forward. I was truly thrown into the deep end (off Pier 21) and asked to either sink or swim and I couldn't be happier. It was an honour to be named the captain of this silly, fun, fake hockey league full of real, talented people. I hope to help keep everyone as engaged as possible on the 21st so we can compete for a championship. I hope most of all to help everyone on the team keep coming back for more and keep having fun each week, because in the end that's what this is all about. Forget TPE earning and all the stats, we're here to make friends and meet new people and pretend to be super talented hockey players in the most competitive and diverse league in the world. Thanks everyone for making this experience so wonderful so far, it's what keeps me coming back.

1. Currently, we are tied for first in the Eastern Conference. What has been the highlights for you so far? "My highlights so far have been being a part of a team that can compete right off the bat. We are a very well-rounded team that's been able to shut down opponent's offence while generating some ourselves." 2. Maple Dogwood @dogwoodmaple has been the driving force so far with 15 points in 12 games. What driven him to this hit start? "Dogwood is a skilled offensive player who could put up those points no matter who's around him. Luckily, we have players like Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Alexandr Novotny who are able to feed him the puck and make a big shot when he gets it to them." 3. Who do you feel is going to be our biggest rivals this season? "Early on I would have to agree that Ottawa will be our biggest rival. They have a great team who we've played a few times already and it's been a battle. We have to remember about that strong western conference though, they have plenty of talent that we'll have to take on come playoff time." 4. What is your favorite non NHL team? "I'd have to say the Toronto Blue Jays. While I don't watch many of their games, I try to keep up with how they're doing." 5. What was the crazier sport event this month; NHL Trade Deadline, NHL Offseason Free Agency, or March Madness? "Honestly, I don't pay attention to any of those really. I check what the Leafs are doing at the deadline but I'm not that invested. I have seen that there are no more March Madness brackets that are perfect already, which is pretty crazy." 6. Where do you eat to celebrate something good or special? "I don't go anywhere in particular. A nice dinner out somewhere, being able to spend it with whoever else is celebrating, is really the perfect way to celebrate in my opinion."

My opinion would be to create at the TDL because that'll give you the best chance for the new player going forward. Unless you think the amount of TPE you'll earn before the end of the season will be significant to your team's playoff push and for the playoffs, create the new player as early as possible. I'm not sure how many weeks are between the TDL and the end of season, but it might be negligible to the current player's success anyway

It’s called prohibition

Trade graphic for Halifax 21st acquiring Dustin Moore @Maxx from the San Diego Marlins

I can't help but think this is a little bias haha. I guess you have the numbers to back it up though. Great start to the season!