Why the VHLE is Good, Actually

[Grape 677]

Before the VHLE, both VHLM and VHL rosters were pretty stacked. When I first joined the league, I remember basically being buried on the 4th line of my VHLM team due to the sheer amount of players on the team and in the league in general, although much of that is due to the massive recruitment drive done that led me to join in the first place. Even after the usual fizzles, pretty much every team had at least six forwards, 4 defensemen, and a goalie, with many teams having even more. It was a time of expansion, with multiple teams popping up, both in the minors and the majors. It eventually got to the point where there was a need for a new league, and from that the VHLE was birthed.

 

The VHLE addressed two issues in the league:

1. Rosters being overly full, causing lower TPE players to being forced to remain in purely bottom six roles

2. TPE discrepancy on the rosters, where the higher TPE players were way better than lower TPE players, to the point of unfairness

 

Both these issues discouraged new players, and by remedying that, it made the VHLM a very beginner friendly league, allowing for new players to come in, learn the system, build their player, and make an easy jump up to the level when they’re ready. But while the VHLE fixed these problems, it revealed another that was somewhat hidden before the creation of the league.

 

The TPE range of 200-400 that the VHLE encompasses is a massive filter for new players. While choosing and staying somewhat dedicated to their original VHLM team and grinding it out, since at the start, that 200 TPE mark is very much attainable, going any further requires a lot more commitment than the average new user is going to put in. Most people have a feeling out period of 2 or so months, before they decide to either continue doing so or drop it and look for something else. Most players can get past 100 TPE within that time span and become a top player in the VHLM, but the average person doesn’t go any further than that really. That TPE range of 200-400 is where a lot of new players end up going inactive, not due to anyone’s fault, but simply because of a lack of interest. That’s why, pretty much ever since the VHLE came to be, they have had a problem with inactives. Before the VHLE, this dropout still occurred, but since those inactives were sandwiched between new players and recreates, we didn’t necessarily notice it occurring. 

 

This is why the VHLE is good and important. It has brought notice to this glaring problem that’s been around for years and years. The only way this league stays alive is by bringing in new members and retaining them. We know that players fizzle out after leaving the VHLM, having to endure a team shift and multiple offseasons. The question is, how do we resolve this? What do we need to change or do to keep players engaged after the initial honeymoon period? I guess it’s simply another thing Recruitment needs to put on their plate and do instead of posting poorly cropped photos on instagram.

(543 words)

[comrade cat 283]

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