Ode to a Hedgehog

[Victor 10,947]

Ode to a Hedgehog

It's been one season since the retirement of the 2nd-longest serving GM in VHL history – one Benjamin Zeptenbergs, aka hedgehog, of the Riga Reign. It was a relatively quiet, anti-climactic exit as a 41-season tenure, nearly half of Riga's franchise history, came to an end. I think we could all see that Hedge was past his prime but given it was also, at least for now, the end of his VHL tenure, it's a bit of a shame there was no grand conclusion or even celebration of one of the greatest GM runs this league has seen. Yes he has his Builder article and many ex-players who speak highly of their time in Riga, but without cultivating a die-hard following and being quite reserved and never one to pump his own tires, Hedge has gone into the sunset without much fanfare at all. I'm here today to correct this wrong – the best achievements deserve recognition and Hedge's run as Riga Reign GM was exactly that. Here's an ode to a hedgehog.

 

The Lightning Quick Start

I actually missed the first few seasons of Hedge's GM career through inactivity but was pleased with what I saw when I came back. As a Riga native myself, the Reign have always held a special place in my heart ever since I was shocked to see them contesting the S9 Continental Cup finals on my first site to the VHL website in 2009. Although Riga went through several well-respected GMs over the years, from founder Dustin Funk to the controversial and outspoken but undeniably successful Mike Szatkowski, there was some poetic seeing one of our small but noticeable Latvian diaspora taking charge of the league's Latvian franchise. I don't know if Hedge applied for any non-Riga GM jobs but I like to think he wouldn't have and part of the reason for his longevity was that natural connection with his country's capital city.
 

Benjamin Zeptenbergs as a player had only come into the league as part of the S42 draft so he was only about 10 seasons in and on his second player when he took over from Steve Smeall in S53. Smeall had ended a decade of mediocrity with a cup in S51 and a finals appearance in S52 but drained Riga's resources in the process meaning there was a tough rebuilding task on his successor's hands. It seemed a tall order for a relative novice in the VHL – Zeptenbergs was definitely a success story as a player, having a solid career as a (back then) late selection at 14th overall, making it to the first two championships of Toronto's threepeat, but was not well-known as a person. A four-season stint in the VHLM with Bratislava was certainly a promising start, as Hedge led the Watchmen to their last Founder's Cup before their contraction, but probably got the Riga job through a combination of making up for that franchise's death, the lack of serious GM candidates at the time, and being one of about three promising members to join between S40 and S60. In other words, here's an emptied-out team in a sinking ship of a league, good luck.
 

But Hedge quashed any fears of drowning in the job. Statistically, the first eight seasons of his tenure were undoubtedly his most successful. The Reign were back in the playoffs by S54, took a brief break, and then won three straight Victory Cups from S56 to S58, adding a Continental Cup in both the latter two seasons. The lack of high-end or high-volume draft picks didn't matter – the cup-winning teams featured only two players drafted by Riga. Instead, Hedge wheeled and dealed his way to picking up his own player, Fredinamijs Krigars (and also his other own player, Guntis Petenis, although that one retired before the winning started), goalie Markus King, Krigars' famous linemate John Locke, and other stalwarts like Essian Ravenwing, Phil Shankly, and Lukas Muller. Krigars, Locke, King, and Muller all ended up in the Hall of Fame. The league couldn't handle the Reign.
 

Hedge didn't necessarily steal the assets he acquired, paying fair market value, but he was aggressive in the market at a time when you were better off going for guaranteed talent rather than hoping for patience through the shallow drafts. The just rewards came in the form of championships and two Top GM trophies – remarkably he would only win one more in his career – and the rookie became one of the game's veterans right as the VHL was entering its new golden age.

 

Record-Breaker

As someone who GMed in the “old” VHL – i.e. the era which Hedge's debut in the 50s falls into – and the modern VHL, my main takeaways are as follows. It's a bit easier now in that you don't need to nail every draft pick because, especially in deep drafts, there are plenty of opportunities to make up for mistakes. There are new challenges though, firstly in the fact there is double the amount of competition (although that wasn't yet the case in S60) and also in having to keep track of more people – your own players, other teams, and of course draftees and prospects. Most old school GMs who have tested the GM waters in this new age have coped well enough with the modern pressures, but there are very few I have seen as adept at it as prime Hedge was.
 

In Season 61, Hedge drafted my comeback player, Podrick Cast, to Riga. It was actually my first and to date only time with the Reign, but what a time it was to experience a master at work first hand. Whilst Cast himself had a record-breaking sophomore season, it was made all the more enjoyable by a boisterous locker room constantly overflowing with players ready to contend for the cup and ready-made prospects to keep the winning run going. Lots of the names Hedge scouted in the drafts have come and gone but some of the gems he unearthed include the likes of Ryuu Crimson, Shawn Glade, Rylan Peace, and Dan Baillie. Add in a sprinkling of star power – Cast, Hedge's own super goalie Kallis Kriketers, first-gen TPE machine Ryan Kastelic, Edwin Preencarnacion – and it was another S56-S58 team in the making.
 

The absolute success wasn't quite as forthcoming as the first time around but there was an early championship to quell fears of unrealised potential in Season 63, and then what would become a record-setting (and still-standing) 13-season playoff streak from S62 to S74. By constantly shifting out older players, bringing through lower-ranked prospects, and sticking to a reliable core with a sprinkling of veteran talent (but not selling the farm to acquire it), Hedge continuously kept Riga among the cup favourites and made more and more history with each passing season. Lincoln Tate, Apollo Hackett, Guy Sasakamoose, and Patrik Tallinder were some of the homegrown players to come through while the Reign were competing on the fly, complemented by acquisitions like Rauno Palo, Joseph McWolf, Phil Marleau, and Greg Eagles.
 

The only real regret in this time period was the relatively poor returns in the playoffs – after S63 there was just one more championship in S72, with a finals loss in S69 in between. This often led to exasperation on Hedge's behalf at the sim but he kept going and retooling on the fly with every player in equal measure important and expendable depending on the team's needs. It's a run which newer members might link to successful recent eras in Seattle, Moscow, and Vancouver where the GM has almost been the bigger star than the team. But Hedge did it first and his playoff streak still reigns supreme – with four Continental Cups to his name in 20 seasons, he could have easily retired in S74 already confirmed as one of the all-time greats.

 

Season 75

Sometimes history provides very obvious turning points to those studying it. The point at which war was inevitable, the moment the revolution was inevitable, the year the empire started to crumble. For Hedge and Riga, it's clear now that the beginning of the end was in Season 75 but it looked anything but at the time. If anything, this was to be his crowning glory, the icing on the cake, the final feather in his cap. Just as his long-time rival in Seattle had created a dynasty with four cups in six seasons, thus more or less making the two equals in terms of both tenure and achievements, Hedge looked like he was about to drop his greatest hit. Not unlike the Seattle/Vancouver/Moscow trio I mentioned above, Riga had just hit a perfect opportunity to briefly stop retooling and instead hit reset and come back even stronger. Hedge sold his best players to stack up on the hottest currency on the market – S75 draft picks. Within days the Reign held five first-round picks and four second-round picks in the deepest draft in VHL history.
 

So what happened? A bit of bad luck of course – after sneaking into the playoffs in S76, Riga missed out by a point in S77, two goals in S78, and five points in S80. Their two forays into the playoffs in the seven seasons after S75 were short and unsuccessful. Despite drafting a goalie in S75 (his own player, Sirkants Klamasteris), Hedge traded himself away to Toronto after a season, thus ensuring the Reign didn't have a franchise goalie in this time period. But the core was still there to do better. Not all the draft picks were hits, but enough TPE to do better was earned by the likes of Justin Lose, Linus Zetterstrom, Cabe McJake, Matt Thunder, and Jan Hlozek to perform better. Something didn't click for this Riga squad and to their credit (or foolishness) they weren't one of the meta-exploiting teams of the era which almost certainly worked against them. It was a setback and despite cobbling together a contender again in S82-S84, Hedge was visibly drained and for the first time, genuinely running out of steam.

 

The End

There was no last hurrah which a tenure like this truly deserved. Despite another straight five playoff appearances from S87 to S91, with the likes of The Frenchman, Skor McFleury and future D.C. playoff hero Henry Tucker Jr, Riga's last conference final appearances under Hedge came in S82 and S83. That was the furthest the Reign advanced in the playoffs in the nearly 20 seasons from the 13-season playoff streak ending in S74 to Hedge stepping down at the end of S93.

 

In S81, Hedge drafted a first-gen Alexandre Leduc 13th overall, the man who would end up replacing him in S94, the injection of new blood and energy immediately driving Riga to their best playoff performance in decades, with hope of more to come. Hedge definitely knew when it was time to go and perhaps regretted not doing it sooner but despite fortune turning away from him, his methods and approach remained as strong as ever. As late as S87 he was nominated for and won his last Top GM award. He continued to steadfastly back new talent in the league, and understood how to build an engaging and competitive team, and when to pull the plug and go for a rebuild. It was a quiet exit from the stage for one of the most reserved people to take on one of the league's most underappreciated roles. Never to bang his own drum, so I'm here to bang it for him. Benjamin Zeptenbergs was one of the greatest GMs the VHL has ever seen, for 20 seasons backed it with some of the best results we have witnessed, and for another 20 made sure even more members experienced a well-run franchise. See you soon @hedgehog337

 

 

Tagging everyone mentioned in the article so you can all come in and pay your respects too

@Kendrick @Will @solas @der meister @Phil @ShawnGlade @SlapshotWrangler @MubbleFubbles @Peace @wcats @Enorama @Renomitsu @Tate @Cxsquared @Patrik Tallinder @jRuutu @McWolf @Greg_Di @youloser1337 @Ledge @Red @Matt thunder @Bojovnik @OrbitingDeath  @Alex @NSG @Lemorse7 and of course @Banackock

[Phil 5,119]

Great article. @hedgehog337 is so deserving of this recognition. Such a wonderful GM and member.  

[Tate 450]

I still remember the shock I felt when I went first overall to Riga, all thanks to @hedgehog337 and @Nykonax. I was standing in my kitchen, watching my laptop when I went absolutely red-faced. Thank you for the great career! It was a blast being a member of the Reign

 

 

[Banackock 8,057]

@hedgehog337 I miss you

[der meister 3,197]

Proud to say Hedge was one of my draftees over in the SHL. He did a hell of a job and I was thrilled to have success when the tables were turned and he managed Ravenwing. 

[Lemorse7 1,016]

My GOAT 

 

Small step for human, huge step for Hedgehog  

[Nykonax 1,564]

41 minutes ago, Tate said:

I still remember the shock I felt when I went first overall to Riga, all thanks to @hedgehog337 and @Nykonax. I was standing in my kitchen, watching my laptop when I went absolutely red-faced. Thank you for the great career! It was a blast being a member of the Reign

 

 

still cant believe Quik or who was running the draft thought I was trolling when I told him to pick you when hedge was sleeping for draft, and then you had a HOF career.



hedge my goat though o7

 

[Enorama 2,038]

1 hour ago, Victor said:

first-gen TPE machine Ryan Kastelic

 

Do you recall the Kastelic-Ironside trade that never was?

[Kendrick 4,741]

Also proud to say I had a HOF player because of Hedgehog!

[Victor 10,947]

47 minutes ago, Enorama said:

 

Do you recall the Kastelic-Ironside trade that never was?

I do not. We already had a Dollar player, why would we want another one??

[Victor 10,947]

53 minutes ago, Enorama said:

 

Do you recall the Kastelic-Ironside trade that never was?

Oh wait but I do now. Why did that get rejected? I remember being in uproar about it even though it was probably like for like in the end (and Ironside ended up in the HOF).

 

Ohhhhh I see he wouldn't have ended up in the HOF...

https://vhlforum.com/topic/54049-torrig-void/

GM player rules were always great fun

[SlapshotWrangler 864]

@hedgehog337was my first VHL gm. Really welcomed me into the league and dealt with the ever-mid Ryuu Crimson after the championship run. That first championship has always stuck with me and I remember Hedge always kept it fun. He's definitely one of those members that kept me in the league in the long run.

 

Thanks for everything, Hedge, and enjoy GM retirement!

[Advantage 2,891]

Had very little faith he would work out as a great GM but he proved me wrong (and even passed me in overall wins to shut me up).  A beast and definitely one of the best GMs in league history.

[Banackock 8,057]

6 minutes ago, Advantage said:

Had very little faith he would work out as a great GM but he proved me wrong (and even passed me in overall wins to shut me up).  A beast and definitely one of the best GMs in league history.

[youloser1337 1,111]

@hedgehog337 was my first VHL GM. He was an amazing GM and was going through a rebuild when I arrived. It was a rough time there but the rants about sims were legendary. SIMON really hated my player on Riga for some reason. No matter where I was put, I'd do horrible! I still feel bad that I walked away from the team, but I think it worked out for both of us. Sucks we didn't win anything with that core.

[ShawnGlade 1,010]

@hedgehog337

 

Hedgehog was my first VHL GM in Riga back in S62. I remember not really knowing where I was gonna go on draft day because I was a projected 2nd rounder (back when there were 8 teams, not that bad) and there was another dman who had a similar build and activity level to myself. Every mock draft had him above me but when it came down to it, hedgehog picked me first and immediately stuck me on the team (pre-VHLE so I was lowkey forced onto Riga anyways). I got PP, PK, and top line time as a rookie even when there were dmen ahead of my on the depth chart, and I balled out that first season. Me and @Enorama formed a crazy rookie d pairing and I was able to win a cup my first season in the VHL. Hedge believed in me and took a flyer on me during the draft, and I'd say it worked out perfectly for both parties. My time in Riga never had any drama, no bad decisions, and hedge always did right by his players, and for that I'm forever grateful. Who knows, if things had gone differently that first season, I may not be here today on the site

[Victor 10,947]

7 hours ago, SlapshotWrangler said:

ever-mid Ryuu Crimson

ever-mid playoff MVP *

[OrbitingDeath 3,198]

Well played Hedge  

[Victor 10,947]

Week 2 of 4

[McWolf 3,115]

Loved my time in Riga

[twists 409]

2 hours ago, McWolf said:

Loved my time in Riga

 

Hi can you be active again? Ok thanks

[McWolf 3,115]

On 7/30/2024 at 1:42 PM, twists said:

 

Hi can you be active again? Ok thanks

Is welfare considered active?

[twists 409]

21 minutes ago, McWolf said:

Is welfare considered active?

 

not really

[Victor 10,947]

16 hours ago, twists said:

 

not really

 

16 hours ago, twists said:

Welfare/Pension was the best invention this league has ever made

 

[twists 409]

1 hour ago, Victor said:

 

 

 

Its just facts though.