Leaderboard

We're 28 games into the VHLM season and there has been some noticeable separation in the standing and on the scoring charts. So who's hot and who's not? Who is pushing for a championship and who is pushing for a lottery pick? Teams on top: Ottawa Lynx: Ottawa has charged out of the gate with an impressive 9-2-1 start. With their high-flying offense led by defensemen Ho Lee Fook (5g-21a-26p) and Jon Snow (10g-14a-24p), this team can generate goals at will from the back end. In fact, their 4 top scorers are all defensemen, if we had to pick an area this team could improve in they would like to get more production out of their top forwards (relative to their defensemen). Still, there isn't much to not like about this team which leads the VHLM in point % (0.792), goals scored (51), and goal differential (+16) Las Vegas Aces: Nipping at the heals of the Lynx on the top of the standing are the Aces. After S55's Cinderella run to the finals, Las Vegas has picked up right where they left off with a 7-2-1 start. They are 4 points back of the Ottawa Lynx, but have two games in hand. Top centre Sergei Komarov is leading the attack with 12g-10a-22p through his first 10 games, good enough to be the highest scoring forward in the VHLM so far this year. Las Vagas' stingy defense, led by Casey Jones, is helping them win games too. They have been the hardest team to score against so far, surrendering just 32 goals. The Middlemen: Saskatoon Wild: A hair under .500 this season with a 5-6-1 record, the wild are off to a bit sluggish off the start, but have plenty of time to catch up. Right winger The Process and defenseman Keaton Louth have been doing the heaving lifting and managed to keep the Wild's goal differential in positive territory (+2), but they are going to need more than that to move up in the standings. A good place to start would be fixing their home record: At 1-4-0 they are worst in the VHLM in front of their own fans, that will need to improve if the Wild hope to challenge the top two teams. Oslo Storm: After a terrible start, Oslo is starting to get back on track (5-6-0), but the seem to be a half step behind the Wild. Though they are now getting points, they have scored fewer goals and surrendered more than Saskatoon, they do however, have a game in hand. Defenseman Nicodemus Raven has arguably been their best player, (you could make a case for steady defender Boner) leading the team in scoring and managing a +4 on a team with a net - differential. Centres Spicey and Launchpad McQuack are their top point-fetching forwards, but combine for an atrocious -16. Oslo needs to string a couple of wins together and have their forwards take car of business in their own end to get back into the race to the top. The Basement Dweller: Yukon Rush: In a word: Yukon sucks so far this year. They have had a dumpster-fire of a start to the year and don't look to be turning it around anytime soon. With a staggaring -25 goal differential through just 11 games and a league worst 2 wins, things don't look good for the rush but there are a couple bright spots. Enter, Chase Keller: Chase is far and away leading the Rush (pun intended) putting more than 2 points per game and holding a respectable -1 differential. With Keller and defenseman Mats Johnsson now back with the team, there is a chance they make a come-back, but they have dug themselves a huge hole. PS: I'm thinking of doing this a few times each season to keep tabs on the minors, what do you guys think? Would you like a synopsis like this posted 3 or so times per season?

Cote an offensive force, who wouldve thought?? I'm glad tho

Charles Cote Las Vegas Aces Defenseman S57 Draftee 18 years old 6'1", 210lbs Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Overview Charles Cote is a defensive defenseman who played for the Quebec Remparts in the juniors. In his last year in the QMJHL, he won the Kevin-Lowe Trophy, presented to the best defensive defenseman, as well as the Emile-Bouchard Trophy, awarded to the defenseman of the year. He is a great team player who always wants to get each and every member of his team involved in the play and loves to spread around the puck. While not being a goal-scoring defenseman, he excels on the defensive side and is always willing to block a shot, taking one for his team. Charles will almost always stay at the blue line while being in the offensive zone, he will very rarely go further up the ice, the only scenario being when he's 100% sure that his movement won't get his team in trouble in the events of a turnover. He was top 3 in takeaways last year, with an impressive 71 takeaways in 68 games played. Also, he was without a doubt the best defenseman in "2 on 1" scenarios, while not allowing a goal in more than 15 occasions, in which the goaltender only made 6 saves. He recently signed a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Aces, whose management team is definitely looking forward to seeing those defensive prowesses on their ice. Pros Vision and knowledge Cote's first and most remarquable quality is his vision and hockey knowledge. He is able to read the play very well, sometimes looking like he can practically read his opponents' minds. He seems to know where every enemy offense is going, and doesn't hesitate to communicate to his teammates. With that skill in his arsenal, Charles is almost never caught flat-footed, always being at the right place at the right time. Over the course of a hockey game, Cote analyzes the opponents and their habits, which gives him a lot of power in predicting what their next move will be. Intelligence and discipline Another of Charles' top skill is his intelligence on the ice. Hardly ever will you see him making any dumb mistakes, if not never. He's not looking for attention by trying flashy stuff, his goal being to do his defensive role and to not get his team in trouble by his fault. He is as smart as they come physically, but also mentally. He doesn't let opponents play in his head, and makes sure not to take any dumb penalties. He's a master at the art of keeping his cool, but doesn't hesitate to protect his teammates, when the time is right. Sometimes will you see him laying a big clean hit to make a statement. Speed and skating Cote possesses above-average speed for a defenseman, especially amongst other defensive dmen. Charles can usually keep up with the elite forwards of his league, which explains his 2 trophies at the Golden Puck Awards Gala last year. He uses this speed to reposition quickly when the opposing team takes control of the puck, and makes sure he has time to think and analyze instead of getting caught in an emergency situation. His speed is a key asset of his play and helps him cause a lot of turnovers. It has definitely played a major role in his recent success in the takeaways category, as well as in odd man rushes. Cons Too passive What the scouts want to see the most in Cote is offensive production. Some criticizes that he takes his role as a defensive defenseman too seriously, and sometimes forget he can go help out his offense too. He doesn't like going far up the ice, but in some occasions he should, as it could put his name on the scoresheet. He's not aggressive enough with the puck and prefers to stay save, sometimes frustrating some of his teammates. Not for a long amount of time, of course. Physical aspect Charles doesn't use his body as much as he should, considering his 6'1, 210 lbs. He doesn't like getting physically involved, at the exception of protecting his teammates. This is another aspect of his game that the scouts want to see, as it could turn Cote into an even bigger defensive threat than he already is. Goal-scoring ability and puck handling While not having a bad shot, Cote lacks that ''fire'' that you can see in a pure goal-scorer. He's able to get the puck from point A to point B, but doesn't do too well when it comes to deeking around someone or orchestrating a big play. The scouts, as well as the fans, would like to see Charles spending more time puck handling, instead of always passing it around. He usually always stays at the same spot on the blue line in the offensive zone, passing the puck as soon as he touches it. They would also like seeing Cote taking more shots, as it could drastically improve his offensive contribution. Conclusion Overall, Charles Cote is a very strong defensive defenseman who everyone is looking forward to seeing perform on the ice. While lacking offensive talent, his defensive side is pretty much flawless and drags a lot of attention around him off the ice. The scouts don't have a final projection for him yet, but he could very well be a late first round pick in the draft. Everyone should keep a close eye on him, as he gives everyone another reason to watch the Las Vegas Aces this year.

It's not that I'm no longer having fun with the backup concept (because I certainly am) but right now he's third priority behind my Las Vegas GM duties and Ky and I'd prefer to focus on those two for the foreseeable future. Here's hoping I can lock down that All-Time best save percentage by the end of this season!

A good way to get fired is to give a highly active player no minutes, just to fuck with him.

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If I go top 5 I'd nut

You are taking this joke far too seriously. I'm not doing this for any serious recognition from anyone, all I was after was a spot on top of a spreadsheet, because that's funny to me. I couldn't care less if people didn't recognize it as the "actual" record.

But that is why all of this is so poetic and completely in line with the show. Up until now what has been the standard rule of thumb? The show gives you characters to invest in, who are engaged in plot points for a season or so. Then, the smartest most manipulating characters shock everyone and make many of those heavily invested characters either die or there plot points irrelevant. See Ned, Rob, Oberyn, Joffre, Stannnis, Renly, the list goes on. Yet all the while it was the cunning consistently surviving, winning if you will. Then completely disconnected from that we had several sub plots about magic, dragons, faceless assassin's, ice zombies, resurrected warriors. Now what are we seeing that the high fantasy hit it's peak build? All the characters the show invested in for seasons upon seasons I referenced winning earlier, dying or their plots becoming irrelevant. The only difference is it's the magic making them irrelevant but it's still just as poetic and ultimately if you have seriously been paying attention that is at the heart of everything this show has been about. The poetic thing plays into the title of the books too A Song of Ice and Fire. Furthermore your silly if you think Dany is being presented as the saviour character. The marketing of the show made people think it's all about the Throne. But only the first book was subtitled that. Danys plot is about her fighting herself and trying not to be like her father the mad king. She tries to carry herself as better yet whenever things don't go her way what happens? Inferno. She won't survive the show. She'll probably go out in some typical poetic fashion. Jon is the saviour. He embodies the entire essence of the shows lore. Remember A Song of Ice and Fire? Let's see her a man born a Stark and a Targareyen, aka cold North and. Dragon house, who served on the icy wall and was resurrected by the Lord of Light and fire to boot? Yeah I'm pretty sure he's the saviour. Also, he won't rule anyway. The Throne isn't important in the end. Once Jon learns of his heritage and claim to Danys he will completely renounce it and talk about how Westeros needs leaders not rulers. Besides who in their right mind would want to inherit that useless chair anymore anyways? Only power hungry monarchs. Westeros has been at war for years the rulers in Kings Landing have been ruling by fear for ages now, they are in severe debt, and Dany just burned most of their food supply for long winter. If anything screams internal civil war King's Landing does. Add to that a soon to be proven undead army marching on the masses. Good keeping people from just fleeing where Dany came from all those seasons ago or to Dorne or basically off this doomed war ridden continent.

While I didn't get to play I am definitely glad I chose to sign with Ottawa

Hello VHL. As you may know our very own magazine is set to return soon. As such, so is my feature the Devise Device. Which means I need questions and talking points sent to my inbox again. If your are not familiar with the article it is me grabbing a talking point from our very own VHL community as well as answering questions of any type and variety from our members. I usually draw 3 questions out of my pool per week and cover one talking point. Don't worry if I don't use yours in a given week as I'll save them and get to everyone. So what I need from you all is to PM my inbox with questions and any talking points you have.

Last season New York entered a rebuild, they selected Sergei Komarov, and Igor Mjers to help with the forming of this core. Ike Arkander a goalie from Sweden declared he would only play in New York and would not leave Sweden without proof he will only play there. He now plays in the VHLM preparing to be New Yorks next best goalie. However thats is not what we are here to talk about, its the next wave the S57 draft class that brings in more players to build this franchise core. We will play a few scenarios and tell us who and why we feel they will be selected. First scenario is New York drafting first overall. Chase Keller This is a no brainer, barring him stating he does not wish to play here. He is the concensus number 1 pick. He is the total package a franchise player in the same elk, as Gabriel Mcallister last season. He has already shown himself to be an elite player on a bad team. Leading the VHLM with 11 goals in 5 games. Tying him with Sergei whose scored similar in 9. This would make for a leathal one two punch for the Americans for many seasons to come. Second scenario New York drafts 2nd. Boner Its possible he can fall, both Casey Jones and Mat Johnson are close on his heels. With Gow, Louth not too far behind them. However as it stands he is the net best prospect. A hard hitting defender who can anchor the blueline for a long time. Boner brings great pedigree just like Ay Ay Ron he will be a highly coveted defender in the draft. If he continues his pace he should likely be the 2nd overall choice this season. Now thats the Americans pick, onto Riga this pick could fall anywhere from 5-10 depending on how deep they go. Making it impossible to predict so early. So we will select a few names that could see themselves selected. Mats Johnson Hes unlikely to fall, i suspect out of the top 5 without a big push from others behind him. Alot of this is due to his position and the fact that 2 big names ahead of him are goalies. Which effects their stock. If he falls and others picked before him he seems like a legit man ready to be a top 2 man for years to come. Casey Jones Again like Mats it will play out depending on need and, preferance. Jones plays with Komarov and the two of them have great chemistry. It doesnt hurt that he is a top 2 defender with a HOF agent behind him either. Jeff Gow Will he bust or wont he? The Gow family has seen serious success in the VHL, however a few wonder if he is burnt out. If he can have the success his family has enjoyed. Things have worked out really well so far, and he could compliment Sergei or Keller if picked. Keaton Louth New face turning heads, him and Gow are the guys who have the most likely chance to fall to the Americans. That is not a knock on them. Last year they would be competing for top 3 and top 5. Just that strong a top end draft. Louth should slide in nicely to a top 4 role in the near future. The Americans should land 2 quality players, who can help build the core this team hopes to carry it too many cups in the near future.

What's The Record? So talking about my last player, Tony Stark, earlier it got me thinking a little. I remember coming back and seeing that I had been traded like a hundred times, okay it wasn't a hundred, and every new GM had sent me a PM to reach out and get me to come back, or at least do a training camp, or sign an extension. In eight seasons I was traded four times. Twice in the same season once. I'm sure that's not the Record for most trades in a career, but it could possibly be at the top. Who knows, maybe it's not even close. In Season 34 Stark was drafted to the Dynamo fourth overall. Season 35 rolled around and Victor said "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" Ala *SPOILER, Joffrey to Ned*SPOILER. sending me packing from Davos to Germany where Kendrick and the Express awaited me. Nothing was doing there, so later that same season he sent me off like a little bitch across the pond and to the open arms of Chris and the New York Americans. They tried to keep me around. They shouldn't have. I was just a disappointment back then in this league. Off I went in Season 39! Calgary is fucking cold. Like my heart. I'm not one hundred percent sure, but maybe Jason was the GM of this team still back then? Oh well, doesn't matter, I wasn't around much, if at all anyways. See ya Calgary! In Season 41 they had seen enough of me. Wait, that's wrong. They hadn't seen me at all. No one had. For like a year at this point. Good bye Calgary, hello trade number four and Quebec. I dont even know who the GM was when I went there. I don't even remember being contacted once this trade happened. They were probably like fuck it. I'm regressing like a mother fucker at this point and I'm just dead weight, just a body on the bench. Can't say I was sad. I wasn't. So a trip down memory lane for myself is over and I'm back at my original question...what's the Record for most trades in a career? Who knows, I'm too lazy to look at all that and the player pages I randomly selected don't have player movements filled out. I'll just pretend that Record belongs To me and live out my days happy that I did something worthwhile with that bum Tony Stark. And if someone wants to come and tell me I'm not the Record holder, I'm not going to stop you, but that doesn't mean I'll listen.

Hamza Ahmed was drafted with the 21st overall pick in the Season 18 VHL Entry Draft. This pick originally belonged to the Madrid Thunder but the Thunder traded the pick with Ryan Wells and a Season 18 Madrid 2nd Round Pick (Greinke) for Carl Jacobs. Toronto then traded to pick to Davos with Ondrej Skokan Jr, Blade Hunter, Ryan Wells, Cameron Stephens, a Season 18 Toronto 1st Round Pick (David Vidal) for a Season 18 Davos 1st Round Pick (Cedric Pollack), a Season 18 Seattle 1st Round Pick (Peyton Nydroj) and a Season 19 Davos 1st Round Pick (Jaroslav Oslig). Season 18 - Bern Royals Season 18 Regular Season S18 - VHLM - BER - 72 GP | 21 G | 29 A | 50 P | +3 | 4 PIM | 49 H | 167 SH | 19 SB | 0 GWG Season 18 Playoffs N/A After being drafted, Hamza was sent down to the Bern Royals of the VHLM. Hamza scored 21 goals and assisted on 29 goals for 50 points on the season. Bern was not a very good team in Season 18, Bern finished with 52 points which was 19 points out of a playoff spot in the European Conference. Hamza was the third leading point scorer on the Royals for Season 18, that alone should tell you how poor they were as a team. Season 19 - Minot Gladiators Season 19 Regular Season S19 - VHLM - MIN - 72 GP | 109 G | 85 A | 194 P | +64 | 54 PIM | 120 H | 725 SH | 18 SB | 14 GWG Season 19 Playoffs S19 - VHLM - MIN - 12 GP | 9 G | 11 A | 20 P | +2 | 17 PIM | 21 H | 91 SH | 5 SB | 2 GWG In the off-season, Davos decided it was time to move on from Hamza and traded him with a Season 20 Davos 2nd Round Pick (Sarmad Khan) and a Season 21 Davos 2nd Round Pick (S.J Stafford) for Marek Schultz and a Season 20 Calgary 2nd Round Pick (Jake Woods). Calgary sent Hamza to the Minot Gladiators who were slated to have a very good season in the VHLM. Hamza exploded for 109 goals and 85 assists for 194 points. Minot finished with 102 points which led the North American Conference by 19 points. In the playoffs, Minot won a hard fought playoff battle with the Saskatoon Wild in 7 games. In the Euro, Vaseras IK J-20 were upset by the Kolari Panthers so a final between Minot and Kolari were about to happen. In the final, Minot was just too much for Kolari and won the series in 5 games. Hamza scored 9 goals and assisted on 11 goals for 20 points. Season 20 - Calgary Wranglers Season 20 Regular Season S20 - VHL - CAL - 72 GP | 33 G | 50 A | 83 P | -29 | 18 PIM | 57 H | 284 SH | 24 SB | 1 GWG Season 20 Playoffs N/A Hamza was called up for Season 20 and showed he was ready for the prime time with a nice rookie season. Hamza scored 33 goals and assisted on 50 goals for 83 points. It was a very fine season for Hamza but Calgary ended up missing the playoffs with just 37 points. This was 44 points behind the final playoff spot held by the Seattle Bears. After Season 20 though, Hamza retired from the game of hockey and returned to his homeland never to be seen again. Career Career Regular Season S18 - VHLM - BER - 72 GP | 21 G | 29 A | 50 P | +3 | 4 PIM | 49 H | 167 SH | 19 SB | 0 GWG S19 - VHLM - MIN - 72 GP | 109 G | 85 A | 194 P | +64 | 54 PIM | 120 H | 725 SH | 18 SB | 14 GWG S20 - VHL - CAL - 72 GP | 33 G | 50 A | 83 P | -29 | 18 PIM | 57 H | 284 SH | 24 SB | 1 GWG CAREER VHLM: 144 GP | 130 G | 114 A | 244 P | +67 | 58 PIM | 169 H | 892 SH | 37 SB | 14 GWG CAREER VHL: 72 GP | 33 G | 50 A | 83 P | -29 | 18 PIM | 57 H | 284 SH | 24 SB | 1 GWG Career Playoffs S19 - VHLM - MIN - 12 GP | 9 G | 11 A | 20 P | +2 | 17 PIM | 21 H | 91 SH | 5 SB | 2 GWG CAREER VHLM: 12 GP | 9 G | 11 A | 20 P | +2 | 17 PIM | 21 H | 91 SH | 5 SB | 2 GWG

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Shawn Brodeur needs to cut down on the night life.

Was pretty amusing to find all that the one time I decide to read a retirement thread

Close game, @Zark with his 3rd straight 2 point game!

You've probably read the thread over already, but I was never comtemplating trading you for a goalie, never mind a retiring one. We have a goalie.

More Questions from @Tagger <3 edition ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www83.zippyshare.com/v/Nx779mtj/file.html Intro - Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast Outro - Gregzeye - Nightmares ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Edited August 7 by der meister

Only just got round to this, good job! And you can tag me anytime, I won't judge you!

Seattle - We're only 14 games into the current VHL season, but it's safe to say that the biggest surprise in the league thus far might just be the Seattle Bears. Certainly, nobody expected the upstarts to take games from teams like Quebec, and really nobody expected the team to be sitting in playoff position ahead of Calgary this far into the season. It's been a hot, unexpected start. And few people have had a hotter start on the team than its number one draft pick. A common pick for Rookie of the Year, left winger Gabriel McAllister has lived up to the moniker, tallying 11 goals and 8 assists through 14 games. Those 11 goals places him first among Bears players and in a tie for sixth league-wide, and his 19 points are already fourth among left wingers. Among rookies alone, those points and goal totals are 5 more than his next closest competitors in each category. "I wasn't joking when I told y'all I'm here to play," McAllister told reporters after a recent win against Cologne. "I wanted to come in with a bang, and I've certainly done that. We'll see where I go from here, but it's absolutely a promising start."

Yukon offers $2,000,000 to come play with us

He's now LW

Fuck trading you i'm just gonna bench your ass for the remainder of your contract

S57 could end up being one of the best Draft Classes in over 20 seasons.. Great mix of vets and first-gens..

He's playing in the VHL and VHLM due to error in the index. Should be fixed up by next sim, I'm assuming. great write-up! this S57 Draft is deeeeep

I liked this for the intended pun.

@Zark *For Keller's PT

Def the best I've seen you do. Awesome to see the improvement

Scoring inconsistency, future hopes http://www106.zippyshare.com/v/ZAtSIt5O/file.html

You have more to lose in that situation. I'd waste 3 years, you'd waste your GM job by getting fired. You aren't doing yourself any favours around the league lately.

Great job, man!

Welp, trying to do graphics never pans out very well for me, but I'm going to try to stick to it and really learn to do it. GIMP is a mysterious creature and using it is like going through a maze, but I tried to do a fun little signature since I'm joining Calgary. @eaglesfan036

@Rabidsponge21 *For King's PT

Should you be outing a GM who was "semi-contemplating" moving a player? Don't like that decision..

At least I was knocking the bastards off their feet. 11 hits! wowie

still no points... at least I have a +/- of 2

should really be looking out for S58 though

What? In the PM, I said, "Haha, I don't think so." Then mentioned riding out Ironside. Daring Do's name never came up at all. I never even contemplated it.

The books will have more elements of other stuff but it's not like the show runners made it more fantasy than its supposed to be. Martin was building to the fantasy elements from the get go. Hell the books have far more fantasy elements that the show runners ignored or didn't include. I'm not saying people don't have a right to not enjoy the fantasy. Be my guest. But don't claim it's some surprise shift. As I said it's all about the poetic irony it always has been and Martin with both the books and the show had been laying the obvious ground work for what we are getting now for a while. It was absolutely obvious once long winter came and magic was full gear that it would completely alter the rules to the typical politics and tactics we are witnessing. The show runners shouldn't get all the flack when the actual reason a lot of connecting scenes are now inferred because the business reality is HBO has seriously huge costs if this show. Last I checked it was in the range of 10+ million per episode. The show runners didn't cut this season to 7 and next to 6, HBO did. And that isn't a shocker either the network has a history of high production cost shows being cut it out right cancelled. Ultimately the show runners are doing the best they can to hit all the beats to connect to the ending that Martin has told them about. I get that people like the slower scenes and character building, I do too. However we had seasons upon seasons of that build, so I'm okay with them using that build to carry us into the super hero team up levels of set pieces we are at now.

Thank you all for your interest. Charles Cote is accepting the Las Vegas Aces' offer of $1 Million for the season !

Review: Well written with pictures and great formatting all the extra details you included like GPA etc are great touches 10/10 would read again!

Great start, man!

REVIEW: Toronto has definitely improved over the past couple of seasons through smart drafting, trades, and free agency. The North American Conference has a large number of teams rebuilding/retooling that are on the cusp of becoming true contenders. It'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out over the next couple of seasons.

Hindsight is 20/20