The first rule of VHL is that you don't talk about VHLM GM's

[Elmebeck 378]

If you listen long enough through the grapevine you'll hear, "I miss my time in VHLM", guaranteed.

The charter for VHLM is pretty clear: PLAYER RETENTION

And the VHLM GM's have done it beautifully. 

I am a pretty new player, graciously allowed to become AGM of Saskatoon, but looking through the league and my first impression when signing up in Houston, I have not interacted with even one bad GM or even AGM here. That is not saying or implying that VHL has worse GM's, but it seems like if some people long back to the VHLM days then VHLM is working as intended, and possibly even better than VHL.... (not saying that is so , but eh, observing...)

Just by pure luck I found myself in the Houston locker room my first season (sadly not the season that Houston won), after that I had the good luck and opportunity to work beside Peace in Saskatoon; and you two (@FrostBeard , @Peace )immediately set a level on the behavior and expectations here.

Rule 1: Activity rules.
This is not of course just a rule in lonesome, it's the base on what the league rests on. a 32 TPE active is to be prioritized over a 192 TPE four months inactive. But that's not even my point here, what my GM's have done and the VHLM GM's I watch do is to make it fun to actually be involved. It's part being a leader, and part being a cheerleader.

Rule 2: If you can go up to the VHL, you should go up to the VHL. Fly my boy!
This is important I think and nice when you hear that from your GM: "We'd really need to keep you for one more season to be honest, but I'd really like you to go and make the best of your eight seasons so please don't stay down." 

Yeah, VHLM is for retention, making people feel good and apply themselves even (or often) on a shitty team and go have their successful VHL career.

Rule 3: Have fun!
Maybe this is rule one? But the whole point is to have fun right, not just grind. And an active locker room, and active GM/AGM-pair and some pro-active players can make all the difference in the world. So not just tying these active people to you and the team, the VHLM GM also needs to awaken that in people for it to even appear.... and then insist they leave.

Final thought: Retention is not the correct word. VHLM is the first thing you see from the league, your first impression. It's so much more than just retention, and the good VHLM GM's deserve to be credited for their work. I have spoken to a bunch of other VHLM GM's (and perhaps some future ones too) and none have disappointed me this far, so this "Unsung Heroes" is for the bread and butter GM's (and AGM's, why not ) of the VHL(M).


 

I would add to this that VHLM and VHL doesn't exist in a vacuum, you have this great support organization in the background too - maybe I'll write more about that next season. But for this season the VHLM GM's are my unsung heroes.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Elmebeck

[Banackock 7,689]

Ye

[Steve 1,727]

Your point is spot on. I agree 100 percent with your article. The difference in actual fun factor is night and day. On the flip side,  it depends on the team that drafts you or trades you. Great stuff from another future leader.