IneffableLeafs

@TheWeekKnights 
 
I think viper is saying he just wants to see the play by play we already have in the game, but have it as another 'link' in the message inbox, to kind of feel like the game is happening at the present moment.

Maybe we could do some sort of TSN-like weekly power rankings update (based on that weeks results and such). Either you could just do them every week, or we could set up some sort of poll where people can post their own opinion and then we just take the average. Very interesting list and predictions (even though I don't see myself finishing 14th). Good luck this season guys!

As per Keskustankeisari's request, here are Game World Fishbowl's GHL Power Rankings for season 9.
 
I calculated the averages the exact same way that Erzac did in his post, so if you want the calculation rules, visit this thread: GHL s10 power rankings.
 
This is based on the lineups after the first preseason game, or early day 5.
 
A Couple of Notes:
Pinewood doesn't have 12 forwards, I assume they sign an 84 rated center/forward. I may have missed someones forum name, if I have, post below and I'll add it. All predictions are unbiased, no prediction I made or calculation is meant to favour any team, including mine. Simply my opinion. Any star (*) indicates a tie in position in terms of overall. The team rated higher in the power rankings had a stronger finish last season. Alright then, the teams are listed best to worst in terms of overall:
 
1. Larson Knights (GM: Kelvin)
      OFF: 89 DEF: 92 SG: 91 OVR: 89.8
Previous Finish: 1st, Eliminated first round 
 
2. Cedar Rapids Panthers (GM: Mauri Nieminen)
      OFF: 88 DEF: 87 SG: 88 OVR: 87.9
Previous Finish: 8th, Eliminated semi finals 
 
3. Horn Lake Hooligans (GM: Mike Grubb - Mickg34)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 88 SG: 96 OVR: 87.7
Previous Finish: 3rd, Eliminated semi finals 
 
4. *Hawkeye Revolution (GM: Marcel Proust - Haradrim)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 88 SG: 90 OVR: 87.5
Previous Finish: 4th, Lost Golden Cup finals 
 
5. *Cuba City Eagles (GM: Mare Maro)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 89 SG: 87 OVR: 87.5
Previous Finish: 2nd, Eliminated first round 
 
6. Jolly Rattlers (GM: Jaryn Barnes - JBizzle)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 86.4
Previous Finish: 7th, Golden Cup Winner
 
7. Sellwood Spirits (GM: Misco Grossi)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 87 SG: 89 OVR: 86.1
Previous Finish: 13th, Survived relegation playoff 
 
8. Montmorency Vortex (GM: Peter T. - IneffableLeafs)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.9
Previous Finish: 1st, SHL
 
9. Wynyard Wildfire (GM: Matthew Berntsen)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 87 SG: 86 OVR: 85.7
Previous Finish: 12th
 
10. Canuck Mighty Rhinos (Computer)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 85 SG: 84 OVR: 85.6
Previous Finish: 9th
 
11. Pinewood Lumberjacks (GM: Matthew Henke - MattLumberjacks)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 85 SG: 89 OVR: 85.4
Previous Finish: 2nd, SHL
 
12. *Wildwood Violent Rush (GM: Juho Kainulainen - Keskustankeisari )
      OFF: 84 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.3
Previous Finish: 5th, Eliminated first round 
 
13. *Blenheim Pirates (GM: Martin J.)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.3
Previous Finish: 6th, Eliminated first round 
 
14. Urbancrest Comets (GM: Noah High - Noah)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 85 SG: 87 OVR: 85.1
Previous Finish: 10th
 
15. Wolfe Wolves (GM: Marcel Cloutier)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 84 SG: 90 OVR: 84.9
Previous Finish: 11th
 
16. Merrick Thunder (GM: Matt Jaworski)
      OFF: 84 DEF: 85 SG: 86 OVR: 84.3
Previous Finish: 3rd, SHL, promoted via promotion playoff 
 
So there you go fishbowl GHL, use this information as you'd like.
 
8 Predictions for Season 9 in the GHL
 
1. Canuck Mighty Rhinos relegated - The only computer controlled team in the league, is likely to suffer the same fate as the computer teams in season 8, Red River Dragons and the South Township Spartans. Owning by far the worst starting goalie in the GHL, at only 84, they should have a dismal season as human managers pick off their stars.
 
2. It's the same old contenders - The talent gap after the Cuba City Eagles is immense. The contenders: Larson, Cedar Rapids, Horn Lake, Cuba City, and possible Jolly, should all clinch playoff spots due to the talent difference. Expect Larson to bounce back after winning three league titles in a row and being beat by Cedar Rapids, who will likely finish higher than 8th this season.
 
3. Tight battle for 7th and 8th - After playoff runs, Wildwood and Blenheim both regressed, due to old age, and expiring contracts. However, they will both be expected to finish 7th and 8th due to their experience. However, the emergence of the Sellwood Spirits should not be ignored, and the Montmorency Vortex and Wynyard Wildfire both look to make the playoffs as well, possibly the first for both managers in Fishbowl.
 
4. Emergence of new talents - At season 9, the stars that fist emerged in season 1, such as Ivar Lund, Eser Heinze, Dominik Svidran, and Nilo Strinberg, all are on the verge of declining, making room for new stars to step up to the plate, starting with season 4 and 5 draftees: Jeffrey Richardson, Joen Jacobsen, and Bo Welker.
 
5. Emergence of new playoff teams - After teams such as Hawkeye, Wildwood, and Canuck, who came out of lower leagues and established themselves in the GHL, with managers Matthew Henke, Matt Jaworski, and  Peter T. building formidable teams directly after promotion, and Sellwood also having a great offseason, expect new playoff teams. This will be the first taste of human competition to stay in the league for some established teams, and don't be surprised if a formidable team goes down instead of the recently promoted. Also, the Jolly Rattlers' offense is ageing, and will start to regress, and along with a poor defensive corps for a playoff team, even a 90 rated goalie may not save them from a mid table finish this season.
 
6. A decent draft - Analysis of major junior teams throughout the world shows that this draft will be pretty strong, and should have an above average top 10, with okay depth. Early in the season, no game-breakers have emerged yet, but in the USA, goaltender Chris McCready is surprising many scouts with his superb ability, notably his athleticism. He looks like a GHL star for sure.
 
7. Expect Batchawana back - The prime favourite for the SHL title, Batchawana should solidify the GHL as a completely human division next season, assuming Canuck is relegated, and their reputation as a 'battlin' team should pull them a long way, especially in hopes of landing them Chris McCready in the upcoming draft.
 
8. Team spirit will be important - Looking at the league, other than contenders, the rest of the standings will be anyone's guess. Many are expecting that winner instinct, teamwork, and most importantly confidence will greatly influence the table this season, with such even teams.
 
Hope you guys found this useful or interesting 

As per Keskustankeisari's request, here are Game World Fishbowl's GHL Power Rankings for season 9.
 
I calculated the averages the exact same way that Erzac did in his post, so if you want the calculation rules, visit this thread: GHL s10 power rankings.
 
This is based on the lineups after the first preseason game, or early day 5.
 
A Couple of Notes:
Pinewood doesn't have 12 forwards, I assume they sign an 84 rated center/forward. I may have missed someones forum name, if I have, post below and I'll add it. All predictions are unbiased, no prediction I made or calculation is meant to favour any team, including mine. Simply my opinion. Any star (*) indicates a tie in position in terms of overall. The team rated higher in the power rankings had a stronger finish last season. Alright then, the teams are listed best to worst in terms of overall:
 
1. Larson Knights (GM: Kelvin)
      OFF: 89 DEF: 92 SG: 91 OVR: 89.8
Previous Finish: 1st, Eliminated first round 
 
2. Cedar Rapids Panthers (GM: Mauri Nieminen)
      OFF: 88 DEF: 87 SG: 88 OVR: 87.9
Previous Finish: 8th, Eliminated semi finals 
 
3. Horn Lake Hooligans (GM: Mike Grubb - Mickg34)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 88 SG: 96 OVR: 87.7
Previous Finish: 3rd, Eliminated semi finals 
 
4. *Hawkeye Revolution (GM: Marcel Proust - Haradrim)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 88 SG: 90 OVR: 87.5
Previous Finish: 4th, Lost Golden Cup finals 
 
5. *Cuba City Eagles (GM: Mare Maro)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 89 SG: 87 OVR: 87.5
Previous Finish: 2nd, Eliminated first round 
 
6. Jolly Rattlers (GM: Jaryn Barnes - JBizzle)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 86.4
Previous Finish: 7th, Golden Cup Winner
 
7. Sellwood Spirits (GM: Misco Grossi)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 87 SG: 89 OVR: 86.1
Previous Finish: 13th, Survived relegation playoff 
 
8. Montmorency Vortex (GM: Peter T. - IneffableLeafs)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.9
Previous Finish: 1st, SHL
 
9. Wynyard Wildfire (GM: Matthew Berntsen)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 87 SG: 86 OVR: 85.7
Previous Finish: 12th
 
10. Canuck Mighty Rhinos (Computer)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 85 SG: 84 OVR: 85.6
Previous Finish: 9th
 
11. Pinewood Lumberjacks (GM: Matthew Henke - MattLumberjacks)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 85 SG: 89 OVR: 85.4
Previous Finish: 2nd, SHL
 
12. *Wildwood Violent Rush (GM: Juho Kainulainen - Keskustankeisari )
      OFF: 84 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.3
Previous Finish: 5th, Eliminated first round 
 
13. *Blenheim Pirates (GM: Martin J.)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.3
Previous Finish: 6th, Eliminated first round 
 
14. Urbancrest Comets (GM: Noah High - Noah)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 85 SG: 87 OVR: 85.1
Previous Finish: 10th
 
15. Wolfe Wolves (GM: Marcel Cloutier)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 84 SG: 90 OVR: 84.9
Previous Finish: 11th
 
16. Merrick Thunder (GM: Matt Jaworski)
      OFF: 84 DEF: 85 SG: 86 OVR: 84.3
Previous Finish: 3rd, SHL, promoted via promotion playoff 
 
So there you go fishbowl GHL, use this information as you'd like.
 
8 Predictions for Season 9 in the GHL
 
1. Canuck Mighty Rhinos relegated - The only computer controlled team in the league, is likely to suffer the same fate as the computer teams in season 8, Red River Dragons and the South Township Spartans. Owning by far the worst starting goalie in the GHL, at only 84, they should have a dismal season as human managers pick off their stars.
 
2. It's the same old contenders - The talent gap after the Cuba City Eagles is immense. The contenders: Larson, Cedar Rapids, Horn Lake, Cuba City, and possible Jolly, should all clinch playoff spots due to the talent difference. Expect Larson to bounce back after winning three league titles in a row and being beat by Cedar Rapids, who will likely finish higher than 8th this season.
 
3. Tight battle for 7th and 8th - After playoff runs, Wildwood and Blenheim both regressed, due to old age, and expiring contracts. However, they will both be expected to finish 7th and 8th due to their experience. However, the emergence of the Sellwood Spirits should not be ignored, and the Montmorency Vortex and Wynyard Wildfire both look to make the playoffs as well, possibly the first for both managers in Fishbowl.
 
4. Emergence of new talents - At season 9, the stars that fist emerged in season 1, such as Ivar Lund, Eser Heinze, Dominik Svidran, and Nilo Strinberg, all are on the verge of declining, making room for new stars to step up to the plate, starting with season 4 and 5 draftees: Jeffrey Richardson, Joen Jacobsen, and Bo Welker.
 
5. Emergence of new playoff teams - After teams such as Hawkeye, Wildwood, and Canuck, who came out of lower leagues and established themselves in the GHL, with managers Matthew Henke, Matt Jaworski, and  Peter T. building formidable teams directly after promotion, and Sellwood also having a great offseason, expect new playoff teams. This will be the first taste of human competition to stay in the league for some established teams, and don't be surprised if a formidable team goes down instead of the recently promoted. Also, the Jolly Rattlers' offense is ageing, and will start to regress, and along with a poor defensive corps for a playoff team, even a 90 rated goalie may not save them from a mid table finish this season.
 
6. A decent draft - Analysis of major junior teams throughout the world shows that this draft will be pretty strong, and should have an above average top 10, with okay depth. Early in the season, no game-breakers have emerged yet, but in the USA, goaltender Chris McCready is surprising many scouts with his superb ability, notably his athleticism. He looks like a GHL star for sure.
 
7. Expect Batchawana back - The prime favourite for the SHL title, Batchawana should solidify the GHL as a completely human division next season, assuming Canuck is relegated, and their reputation as a 'battlin' team should pull them a long way, especially in hopes of landing them Chris McCready in the upcoming draft.
 
8. Team spirit will be important - Looking at the league, other than contenders, the rest of the standings will be anyone's guess. Many are expecting that winner instinct, teamwork, and most importantly confidence will greatly influence the table this season, with such even teams.
 
Hope you guys found this useful or interesting 

As per Keskustankeisari's request, here are Game World Fishbowl's GHL Power Rankings for season 9.
 
I calculated the averages the exact same way that Erzac did in his post, so if you want the calculation rules, visit this thread: GHL s10 power rankings.
 
This is based on the lineups after the first preseason game, or early day 5.
 
A Couple of Notes:
Pinewood doesn't have 12 forwards, I assume they sign an 84 rated center/forward. I may have missed someones forum name, if I have, post below and I'll add it. All predictions are unbiased, no prediction I made or calculation is meant to favour any team, including mine. Simply my opinion. Any star (*) indicates a tie in position in terms of overall. The team rated higher in the power rankings had a stronger finish last season. Alright then, the teams are listed best to worst in terms of overall:
 
1. Larson Knights (GM: Kelvin)
      OFF: 89 DEF: 92 SG: 91 OVR: 89.8
Previous Finish: 1st, Eliminated first round 
 
2. Cedar Rapids Panthers (GM: Mauri Nieminen)
      OFF: 88 DEF: 87 SG: 88 OVR: 87.9
Previous Finish: 8th, Eliminated semi finals 
 
3. Horn Lake Hooligans (GM: Mike Grubb - Mickg34)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 88 SG: 96 OVR: 87.7
Previous Finish: 3rd, Eliminated semi finals 
 
4. *Hawkeye Revolution (GM: Marcel Proust - Haradrim)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 88 SG: 90 OVR: 87.5
Previous Finish: 4th, Lost Golden Cup finals 
 
5. *Cuba City Eagles (GM: Mare Maro)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 89 SG: 87 OVR: 87.5
Previous Finish: 2nd, Eliminated first round 
 
6. Jolly Rattlers (GM: Jaryn Barnes - JBizzle)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 86.4
Previous Finish: 7th, Golden Cup Winner
 
7. Sellwood Spirits (GM: Misco Grossi)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 87 SG: 89 OVR: 86.1
Previous Finish: 13th, Survived relegation playoff 
 
8. Montmorency Vortex (GM: Peter T. - IneffableLeafs)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.9
Previous Finish: 1st, SHL
 
9. Wynyard Wildfire (GM: Matthew Berntsen)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 87 SG: 86 OVR: 85.7
Previous Finish: 12th
 
10. Canuck Mighty Rhinos (Computer)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 85 SG: 84 OVR: 85.6
Previous Finish: 9th
 
11. Pinewood Lumberjacks (GM: Matthew Henke - MattLumberjacks)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 85 SG: 89 OVR: 85.4
Previous Finish: 2nd, SHL
 
12. *Wildwood Violent Rush (GM: Juho Kainulainen - Keskustankeisari )
      OFF: 84 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.3
Previous Finish: 5th, Eliminated first round 
 
13. *Blenheim Pirates (GM: Martin J.)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.3
Previous Finish: 6th, Eliminated first round 
 
14. Urbancrest Comets (GM: Noah High - Noah)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 85 SG: 87 OVR: 85.1
Previous Finish: 10th
 
15. Wolfe Wolves (GM: Marcel Cloutier)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 84 SG: 90 OVR: 84.9
Previous Finish: 11th
 
16. Merrick Thunder (GM: Matt Jaworski)
      OFF: 84 DEF: 85 SG: 86 OVR: 84.3
Previous Finish: 3rd, SHL, promoted via promotion playoff 
 
So there you go fishbowl GHL, use this information as you'd like.
 
8 Predictions for Season 9 in the GHL
 
1. Canuck Mighty Rhinos relegated - The only computer controlled team in the league, is likely to suffer the same fate as the computer teams in season 8, Red River Dragons and the South Township Spartans. Owning by far the worst starting goalie in the GHL, at only 84, they should have a dismal season as human managers pick off their stars.
 
2. It's the same old contenders - The talent gap after the Cuba City Eagles is immense. The contenders: Larson, Cedar Rapids, Horn Lake, Cuba City, and possible Jolly, should all clinch playoff spots due to the talent difference. Expect Larson to bounce back after winning three league titles in a row and being beat by Cedar Rapids, who will likely finish higher than 8th this season.
 
3. Tight battle for 7th and 8th - After playoff runs, Wildwood and Blenheim both regressed, due to old age, and expiring contracts. However, they will both be expected to finish 7th and 8th due to their experience. However, the emergence of the Sellwood Spirits should not be ignored, and the Montmorency Vortex and Wynyard Wildfire both look to make the playoffs as well, possibly the first for both managers in Fishbowl.
 
4. Emergence of new talents - At season 9, the stars that fist emerged in season 1, such as Ivar Lund, Eser Heinze, Dominik Svidran, and Nilo Strinberg, all are on the verge of declining, making room for new stars to step up to the plate, starting with season 4 and 5 draftees: Jeffrey Richardson, Joen Jacobsen, and Bo Welker.
 
5. Emergence of new playoff teams - After teams such as Hawkeye, Wildwood, and Canuck, who came out of lower leagues and established themselves in the GHL, with managers Matthew Henke, Matt Jaworski, and  Peter T. building formidable teams directly after promotion, and Sellwood also having a great offseason, expect new playoff teams. This will be the first taste of human competition to stay in the league for some established teams, and don't be surprised if a formidable team goes down instead of the recently promoted. Also, the Jolly Rattlers' offense is ageing, and will start to regress, and along with a poor defensive corps for a playoff team, even a 90 rated goalie may not save them from a mid table finish this season.
 
6. A decent draft - Analysis of major junior teams throughout the world shows that this draft will be pretty strong, and should have an above average top 10, with okay depth. Early in the season, no game-breakers have emerged yet, but in the USA, goaltender Chris McCready is surprising many scouts with his superb ability, notably his athleticism. He looks like a GHL star for sure.
 
7. Expect Batchawana back - The prime favourite for the SHL title, Batchawana should solidify the GHL as a completely human division next season, assuming Canuck is relegated, and their reputation as a 'battlin' team should pull them a long way, especially in hopes of landing them Chris McCready in the upcoming draft.
 
8. Team spirit will be important - Looking at the league, other than contenders, the rest of the standings will be anyone's guess. Many are expecting that winner instinct, teamwork, and most importantly confidence will greatly influence the table this season, with such even teams.
 
Hope you guys found this useful or interesting 

As per Keskustankeisari's request, here are Game World Fishbowl's GHL Power Rankings for season 9.
 
I calculated the averages the exact same way that Erzac did in his post, so if you want the calculation rules, visit this thread: GHL s10 power rankings.
 
This is based on the lineups after the first preseason game, or early day 5.
 
A Couple of Notes:
Pinewood doesn't have 12 forwards, I assume they sign an 84 rated center/forward. I may have missed someones forum name, if I have, post below and I'll add it. All predictions are unbiased, no prediction I made or calculation is meant to favour any team, including mine. Simply my opinion. Any star (*) indicates a tie in position in terms of overall. The team rated higher in the power rankings had a stronger finish last season. Alright then, the teams are listed best to worst in terms of overall:
 
1. Larson Knights (GM: Kelvin)
      OFF: 89 DEF: 92 SG: 91 OVR: 89.8
Previous Finish: 1st, Eliminated first round 
 
2. Cedar Rapids Panthers (GM: Mauri Nieminen)
      OFF: 88 DEF: 87 SG: 88 OVR: 87.9
Previous Finish: 8th, Eliminated semi finals 
 
3. Horn Lake Hooligans (GM: Mike Grubb - Mickg34)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 88 SG: 96 OVR: 87.7
Previous Finish: 3rd, Eliminated semi finals 
 
4. *Hawkeye Revolution (GM: Marcel Proust - Haradrim)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 88 SG: 90 OVR: 87.5
Previous Finish: 4th, Lost Golden Cup finals 
 
5. *Cuba City Eagles (GM: Mare Maro)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 89 SG: 87 OVR: 87.5
Previous Finish: 2nd, Eliminated first round 
 
6. Jolly Rattlers (GM: Jaryn Barnes - JBizzle)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 86.4
Previous Finish: 7th, Golden Cup Winner
 
7. Sellwood Spirits (GM: Misco Grossi)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 87 SG: 89 OVR: 86.1
Previous Finish: 13th, Survived relegation playoff 
 
8. Montmorency Vortex (GM: Peter T. - IneffableLeafs)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.9
Previous Finish: 1st, SHL
 
9. Wynyard Wildfire (GM: Matthew Berntsen)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 87 SG: 86 OVR: 85.7
Previous Finish: 12th
 
10. Canuck Mighty Rhinos (Computer)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 85 SG: 84 OVR: 85.6
Previous Finish: 9th
 
11. Pinewood Lumberjacks (GM: Matthew Henke - MattLumberjacks)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 85 SG: 89 OVR: 85.4
Previous Finish: 2nd, SHL
 
12. *Wildwood Violent Rush (GM: Juho Kainulainen - Keskustankeisari )
      OFF: 84 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.3
Previous Finish: 5th, Eliminated first round 
 
13. *Blenheim Pirates (GM: Martin J.)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.3
Previous Finish: 6th, Eliminated first round 
 
14. Urbancrest Comets (GM: Noah High - Noah)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 85 SG: 87 OVR: 85.1
Previous Finish: 10th
 
15. Wolfe Wolves (GM: Marcel Cloutier)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 84 SG: 90 OVR: 84.9
Previous Finish: 11th
 
16. Merrick Thunder (GM: Matt Jaworski)
      OFF: 84 DEF: 85 SG: 86 OVR: 84.3
Previous Finish: 3rd, SHL, promoted via promotion playoff 
 
So there you go fishbowl GHL, use this information as you'd like.
 
8 Predictions for Season 9 in the GHL
 
1. Canuck Mighty Rhinos relegated - The only computer controlled team in the league, is likely to suffer the same fate as the computer teams in season 8, Red River Dragons and the South Township Spartans. Owning by far the worst starting goalie in the GHL, at only 84, they should have a dismal season as human managers pick off their stars.
 
2. It's the same old contenders - The talent gap after the Cuba City Eagles is immense. The contenders: Larson, Cedar Rapids, Horn Lake, Cuba City, and possible Jolly, should all clinch playoff spots due to the talent difference. Expect Larson to bounce back after winning three league titles in a row and being beat by Cedar Rapids, who will likely finish higher than 8th this season.
 
3. Tight battle for 7th and 8th - After playoff runs, Wildwood and Blenheim both regressed, due to old age, and expiring contracts. However, they will both be expected to finish 7th and 8th due to their experience. However, the emergence of the Sellwood Spirits should not be ignored, and the Montmorency Vortex and Wynyard Wildfire both look to make the playoffs as well, possibly the first for both managers in Fishbowl.
 
4. Emergence of new talents - At season 9, the stars that fist emerged in season 1, such as Ivar Lund, Eser Heinze, Dominik Svidran, and Nilo Strinberg, all are on the verge of declining, making room for new stars to step up to the plate, starting with season 4 and 5 draftees: Jeffrey Richardson, Joen Jacobsen, and Bo Welker.
 
5. Emergence of new playoff teams - After teams such as Hawkeye, Wildwood, and Canuck, who came out of lower leagues and established themselves in the GHL, with managers Matthew Henke, Matt Jaworski, and  Peter T. building formidable teams directly after promotion, and Sellwood also having a great offseason, expect new playoff teams. This will be the first taste of human competition to stay in the league for some established teams, and don't be surprised if a formidable team goes down instead of the recently promoted. Also, the Jolly Rattlers' offense is ageing, and will start to regress, and along with a poor defensive corps for a playoff team, even a 90 rated goalie may not save them from a mid table finish this season.
 
6. A decent draft - Analysis of major junior teams throughout the world shows that this draft will be pretty strong, and should have an above average top 10, with okay depth. Early in the season, no game-breakers have emerged yet, but in the USA, goaltender Chris McCready is surprising many scouts with his superb ability, notably his athleticism. He looks like a GHL star for sure.
 
7. Expect Batchawana back - The prime favourite for the SHL title, Batchawana should solidify the GHL as a completely human division next season, assuming Canuck is relegated, and their reputation as a 'battlin' team should pull them a long way, especially in hopes of landing them Chris McCready in the upcoming draft.
 
8. Team spirit will be important - Looking at the league, other than contenders, the rest of the standings will be anyone's guess. Many are expecting that winner instinct, teamwork, and most importantly confidence will greatly influence the table this season, with such even teams.
 
Hope you guys found this useful or interesting 

I may be a bit late to the conversation but if I were to take a wild guess, Anders' vision wasn't to have GHL teams have an average rating of 90. It's common sense. I'm looking in fishbowl, the newest game world there is (in terms of what season it's on). There is no oversaturation of 90+ rated players. Every contending team in the GHL has maybe 3-7 90 rated players, and the rest are role players, which make or break a team's playoff hopes.
 
I'm on the same page as rainsilent. All worlds have the same treatment. They all get the same updates, so theoretically if biscuit or fishbowl was as fast as lumber, they would have the same issues. But no, lumber (and mitts) saw/see everything. If slow worlds were faster, it would be possible that some players rated 85's now would be 95's in 5 seasons. If you can't handle Anders testing player development and reduction, then I suggest dropping your faster world teams. From my experience, the ONLY time fishbowl was paused, was when lumber crashed a while ago and Anders had to pause all worlds. There are never ridiculous issues with slow worlds.
 
However, Lumber is crucial to the games development because it is the fast world where Anders (and lumber users) are able to see and report bugs, so that Anders can save the slower world's from the same fate.
 
Until Anders is able to create a perfect player progression/reduction system, this will happen. Players will unexpectedly lose ratings, players will develop extremely quickly, and everything in between.
 
Fangwall, I think that if Anders is able to create the perfect player development/regression system, where there are only 3 Crosby's in a world, instead of 3 per team, which I think he wants, I'll be one of the first to call for him to delete all the worlds and make new ones. Even though I've built some solid teams, it doesn't take that long to build a stellar team. All you need is shrewd trading skills, and good tactical knowledge of hockey in general.
 
Because honestly, I'd rather play a game where player overalls aren't so ridiculous, more along the lines where you have a few 90 rated forwards, a few 90 rated defenders, maybe a 90 rated goalie, and then as overalls go down, player quantity goes up. (i.e. more players will develop into 85 overalls compared to 88 overalls)
 
All I'm saying is, no matter how much integrity this game has, I'm willing to lose all my team's to help this games development, because I know it can be better. I've been around to see a few updates, and after affiliate teams are released, I don't even know where this game will go.

As per Keskustankeisari's request, here are Game World Fishbowl's GHL Power Rankings for season 9.
 
I calculated the averages the exact same way that Erzac did in his post, so if you want the calculation rules, visit this thread: GHL s10 power rankings.
 
This is based on the lineups after the first preseason game, or early day 5.
 
A Couple of Notes:
Pinewood doesn't have 12 forwards, I assume they sign an 84 rated center/forward. I may have missed someones forum name, if I have, post below and I'll add it. All predictions are unbiased, no prediction I made or calculation is meant to favour any team, including mine. Simply my opinion. Any star (*) indicates a tie in position in terms of overall. The team rated higher in the power rankings had a stronger finish last season. Alright then, the teams are listed best to worst in terms of overall:
 
1. Larson Knights (GM: Kelvin)
      OFF: 89 DEF: 92 SG: 91 OVR: 89.8
Previous Finish: 1st, Eliminated first round 
 
2. Cedar Rapids Panthers (GM: Mauri Nieminen)
      OFF: 88 DEF: 87 SG: 88 OVR: 87.9
Previous Finish: 8th, Eliminated semi finals 
 
3. Horn Lake Hooligans (GM: Mike Grubb - Mickg34)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 88 SG: 96 OVR: 87.7
Previous Finish: 3rd, Eliminated semi finals 
 
4. *Hawkeye Revolution (GM: Marcel Proust - Haradrim)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 88 SG: 90 OVR: 87.5
Previous Finish: 4th, Lost Golden Cup finals 
 
5. *Cuba City Eagles (GM: Mare Maro)
      OFF: 87 DEF: 89 SG: 87 OVR: 87.5
Previous Finish: 2nd, Eliminated first round 
 
6. Jolly Rattlers (GM: Jaryn Barnes - JBizzle)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 86.4
Previous Finish: 7th, Golden Cup Winner
 
7. Sellwood Spirits (GM: Misco Grossi)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 87 SG: 89 OVR: 86.1
Previous Finish: 13th, Survived relegation playoff 
 
8. Montmorency Vortex (GM: Peter T. - IneffableLeafs)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.9
Previous Finish: 1st, SHL
 
9. Wynyard Wildfire (GM: Matthew Berntsen)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 87 SG: 86 OVR: 85.7
Previous Finish: 12th
 
10. Canuck Mighty Rhinos (Computer)
      OFF: 86 DEF: 85 SG: 84 OVR: 85.6
Previous Finish: 9th
 
11. Pinewood Lumberjacks (GM: Matthew Henke - MattLumberjacks)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 85 SG: 89 OVR: 85.4
Previous Finish: 2nd, SHL
 
12. *Wildwood Violent Rush (GM: Juho Kainulainen - Keskustankeisari )
      OFF: 84 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.3
Previous Finish: 5th, Eliminated first round 
 
13. *Blenheim Pirates (GM: Martin J.)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 86 SG: 90 OVR: 85.3
Previous Finish: 6th, Eliminated first round 
 
14. Urbancrest Comets (GM: Noah High - Noah)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 85 SG: 87 OVR: 85.1
Previous Finish: 10th
 
15. Wolfe Wolves (GM: Marcel Cloutier)
      OFF: 85 DEF: 84 SG: 90 OVR: 84.9
Previous Finish: 11th
 
16. Merrick Thunder (GM: Matt Jaworski)
      OFF: 84 DEF: 85 SG: 86 OVR: 84.3
Previous Finish: 3rd, SHL, promoted via promotion playoff 
 
So there you go fishbowl GHL, use this information as you'd like.
 
8 Predictions for Season 9 in the GHL
 
1. Canuck Mighty Rhinos relegated - The only computer controlled team in the league, is likely to suffer the same fate as the computer teams in season 8, Red River Dragons and the South Township Spartans. Owning by far the worst starting goalie in the GHL, at only 84, they should have a dismal season as human managers pick off their stars.
 
2. It's the same old contenders - The talent gap after the Cuba City Eagles is immense. The contenders: Larson, Cedar Rapids, Horn Lake, Cuba City, and possible Jolly, should all clinch playoff spots due to the talent difference. Expect Larson to bounce back after winning three league titles in a row and being beat by Cedar Rapids, who will likely finish higher than 8th this season.
 
3. Tight battle for 7th and 8th - After playoff runs, Wildwood and Blenheim both regressed, due to old age, and expiring contracts. However, they will both be expected to finish 7th and 8th due to their experience. However, the emergence of the Sellwood Spirits should not be ignored, and the Montmorency Vortex and Wynyard Wildfire both look to make the playoffs as well, possibly the first for both managers in Fishbowl.
 
4. Emergence of new talents - At season 9, the stars that fist emerged in season 1, such as Ivar Lund, Eser Heinze, Dominik Svidran, and Nilo Strinberg, all are on the verge of declining, making room for new stars to step up to the plate, starting with season 4 and 5 draftees: Jeffrey Richardson, Joen Jacobsen, and Bo Welker.
 
5. Emergence of new playoff teams - After teams such as Hawkeye, Wildwood, and Canuck, who came out of lower leagues and established themselves in the GHL, with managers Matthew Henke, Matt Jaworski, and  Peter T. building formidable teams directly after promotion, and Sellwood also having a great offseason, expect new playoff teams. This will be the first taste of human competition to stay in the league for some established teams, and don't be surprised if a formidable team goes down instead of the recently promoted. Also, the Jolly Rattlers' offense is ageing, and will start to regress, and along with a poor defensive corps for a playoff team, even a 90 rated goalie may not save them from a mid table finish this season.
 
6. A decent draft - Analysis of major junior teams throughout the world shows that this draft will be pretty strong, and should have an above average top 10, with okay depth. Early in the season, no game-breakers have emerged yet, but in the USA, goaltender Chris McCready is surprising many scouts with his superb ability, notably his athleticism. He looks like a GHL star for sure.
 
7. Expect Batchawana back - The prime favourite for the SHL title, Batchawana should solidify the GHL as a completely human division next season, assuming Canuck is relegated, and their reputation as a 'battlin' team should pull them a long way, especially in hopes of landing them Chris McCready in the upcoming draft.
 
8. Team spirit will be important - Looking at the league, other than contenders, the rest of the standings will be anyone's guess. Many are expecting that winner instinct, teamwork, and most importantly confidence will greatly influence the table this season, with such even teams.
 
Hope you guys found this useful or interesting 

I may be a bit late to the conversation but if I were to take a wild guess, Anders' vision wasn't to have GHL teams have an average rating of 90. It's common sense. I'm looking in fishbowl, the newest game world there is (in terms of what season it's on). There is no oversaturation of 90+ rated players. Every contending team in the GHL has maybe 3-7 90 rated players, and the rest are role players, which make or break a team's playoff hopes.
 
I'm on the same page as rainsilent. All worlds have the same treatment. They all get the same updates, so theoretically if biscuit or fishbowl was as fast as lumber, they would have the same issues. But no, lumber (and mitts) saw/see everything. If slow worlds were faster, it would be possible that some players rated 85's now would be 95's in 5 seasons. If you can't handle Anders testing player development and reduction, then I suggest dropping your faster world teams. From my experience, the ONLY time fishbowl was paused, was when lumber crashed a while ago and Anders had to pause all worlds. There are never ridiculous issues with slow worlds.
 
However, Lumber is crucial to the games development because it is the fast world where Anders (and lumber users) are able to see and report bugs, so that Anders can save the slower world's from the same fate.
 
Until Anders is able to create a perfect player progression/reduction system, this will happen. Players will unexpectedly lose ratings, players will develop extremely quickly, and everything in between.
 
Fangwall, I think that if Anders is able to create the perfect player development/regression system, where there are only 3 Crosby's in a world, instead of 3 per team, which I think he wants, I'll be one of the first to call for him to delete all the worlds and make new ones. Even though I've built some solid teams, it doesn't take that long to build a stellar team. All you need is shrewd trading skills, and good tactical knowledge of hockey in general.
 
Because honestly, I'd rather play a game where player overalls aren't so ridiculous, more along the lines where you have a few 90 rated forwards, a few 90 rated defenders, maybe a 90 rated goalie, and then as overalls go down, player quantity goes up. (i.e. more players will develop into 85 overalls compared to 88 overalls)
 
All I'm saying is, no matter how much integrity this game has, I'm willing to lose all my team's to help this games development, because I know it can be better. I've been around to see a few updates, and after affiliate teams are released, I don't even know where this game will go.

I may be a bit late to the conversation but if I were to take a wild guess, Anders' vision wasn't to have GHL teams have an average rating of 90. It's common sense. I'm looking in fishbowl, the newest game world there is (in terms of what season it's on). There is no oversaturation of 90+ rated players. Every contending team in the GHL has maybe 3-7 90 rated players, and the rest are role players, which make or break a team's playoff hopes.
 
I'm on the same page as rainsilent. All worlds have the same treatment. They all get the same updates, so theoretically if biscuit or fishbowl was as fast as lumber, they would have the same issues. But no, lumber (and mitts) saw/see everything. If slow worlds were faster, it would be possible that some players rated 85's now would be 95's in 5 seasons. If you can't handle Anders testing player development and reduction, then I suggest dropping your faster world teams. From my experience, the ONLY time fishbowl was paused, was when lumber crashed a while ago and Anders had to pause all worlds. There are never ridiculous issues with slow worlds.
 
However, Lumber is crucial to the games development because it is the fast world where Anders (and lumber users) are able to see and report bugs, so that Anders can save the slower world's from the same fate.
 
Until Anders is able to create a perfect player progression/reduction system, this will happen. Players will unexpectedly lose ratings, players will develop extremely quickly, and everything in between.
 
Fangwall, I think that if Anders is able to create the perfect player development/regression system, where there are only 3 Crosby's in a world, instead of 3 per team, which I think he wants, I'll be one of the first to call for him to delete all the worlds and make new ones. Even though I've built some solid teams, it doesn't take that long to build a stellar team. All you need is shrewd trading skills, and good tactical knowledge of hockey in general.
 
Because honestly, I'd rather play a game where player overalls aren't so ridiculous, more along the lines where you have a few 90 rated forwards, a few 90 rated defenders, maybe a 90 rated goalie, and then as overalls go down, player quantity goes up. (i.e. more players will develop into 85 overalls compared to 88 overalls)
 
All I'm saying is, no matter how much integrity this game has, I'm willing to lose all my team's to help this games development, because I know it can be better. I've been around to see a few updates, and after affiliate teams are released, I don't even know where this game will go.

I can't believe how much this thread has taken off.  There's so much going on so quickly.  
 
I think we've all become a bit spoiled at this point, in terms of players.  I'm still a relatively new manager, and this will be my first season in the GHL (in Clapper), but there definitely seems to be a lot of really good players, at every level.  It feels like it's too easy to build a team from free agency that can compete at whatever level you're at because there's just so many capable players.  
 
I was certainly enjoying watching my young team improve like mad for the past few years, and I felt like the player progression adjustments were going to hurt my team a bit more than others in my world because I just had so many draft picks and young starters.  But if everyone is having the same problem, and the people with superstars are seeing their 90's degrade, then I think we're all in the same boat anyway.  I wouldn't mind seeing the average overalls be something like: 
 
LIHL - 65's
IHL   - 70's
BHL  - 75's
SHL  - 80's
GHL - 85's 
 
I do feel like right now there is a massive gap between GHL and SHL in Clapper, and based on what everyone is saying, that gap gets worse in the faster worlds.  There's just too many superstars, and it's hard to build a competitive team without signing a bunch of old guys that no one really wants once you get promoted.  I feel like the current adjustments will make it more fair for teams that are promoted and demoted, and it may reign in the top teams in the GHL as well and make the competition a little more stiff.  
 
As for the CPU trading, I have definitely made my fair share of "shrewd" trades with the AI, I'll admit it.  But it's definitely gotten harder to just "abuse" the CPU, and I like the updates in that case.  I still have more success than with human players, and you won't realistically get something without giving something in either case now, which is much more fun and rewarding than salary-dumping on a CPU team to get an elite prospect.  It's more realistic, and it challenges the player more.
 
Basically, this was my long-winded way of saying that the changes may be annoying now, but it looks like the game is getting better each day, and Anders definitely had a long-term goal in mind.  Just read the road map and that fact becomes evident.  
 
So, although it's in everyone's right to vent in the forums, it's also important to have a dialogue because that ultimately helps the game, too.  It's definitely gotten harder, but at the same time we're all getting better at it.  I like how it's constantly changing and challenging the players.  
 
And as always, thanks Anders! 
 
 
 
Side note: I do kind of like the idea for a premium world, at least from an economic sense.  I just don't know how feasible it is and how many people actually donate.  

I may be a bit late to the conversation but if I were to take a wild guess, Anders' vision wasn't to have GHL teams have an average rating of 90. It's common sense. I'm looking in fishbowl, the newest game world there is (in terms of what season it's on). There is no oversaturation of 90+ rated players. Every contending team in the GHL has maybe 3-7 90 rated players, and the rest are role players, which make or break a team's playoff hopes.
 
I'm on the same page as rainsilent. All worlds have the same treatment. They all get the same updates, so theoretically if biscuit or fishbowl was as fast as lumber, they would have the same issues. But no, lumber (and mitts) saw/see everything. If slow worlds were faster, it would be possible that some players rated 85's now would be 95's in 5 seasons. If you can't handle Anders testing player development and reduction, then I suggest dropping your faster world teams. From my experience, the ONLY time fishbowl was paused, was when lumber crashed a while ago and Anders had to pause all worlds. There are never ridiculous issues with slow worlds.
 
However, Lumber is crucial to the games development because it is the fast world where Anders (and lumber users) are able to see and report bugs, so that Anders can save the slower world's from the same fate.
 
Until Anders is able to create a perfect player progression/reduction system, this will happen. Players will unexpectedly lose ratings, players will develop extremely quickly, and everything in between.
 
Fangwall, I think that if Anders is able to create the perfect player development/regression system, where there are only 3 Crosby's in a world, instead of 3 per team, which I think he wants, I'll be one of the first to call for him to delete all the worlds and make new ones. Even though I've built some solid teams, it doesn't take that long to build a stellar team. All you need is shrewd trading skills, and good tactical knowledge of hockey in general.
 
Because honestly, I'd rather play a game where player overalls aren't so ridiculous, more along the lines where you have a few 90 rated forwards, a few 90 rated defenders, maybe a 90 rated goalie, and then as overalls go down, player quantity goes up. (i.e. more players will develop into 85 overalls compared to 88 overalls)
 
All I'm saying is, no matter how much integrity this game has, I'm willing to lose all my team's to help this games development, because I know it can be better. I've been around to see a few updates, and after affiliate teams are released, I don't even know where this game will go.

I may be a bit late to the conversation but if I were to take a wild guess, Anders' vision wasn't to have GHL teams have an average rating of 90. It's common sense. I'm looking in fishbowl, the newest game world there is (in terms of what season it's on). There is no oversaturation of 90+ rated players. Every contending team in the GHL has maybe 3-7 90 rated players, and the rest are role players, which make or break a team's playoff hopes.
 
I'm on the same page as rainsilent. All worlds have the same treatment. They all get the same updates, so theoretically if biscuit or fishbowl was as fast as lumber, they would have the same issues. But no, lumber (and mitts) saw/see everything. If slow worlds were faster, it would be possible that some players rated 85's now would be 95's in 5 seasons. If you can't handle Anders testing player development and reduction, then I suggest dropping your faster world teams. From my experience, the ONLY time fishbowl was paused, was when lumber crashed a while ago and Anders had to pause all worlds. There are never ridiculous issues with slow worlds.
 
However, Lumber is crucial to the games development because it is the fast world where Anders (and lumber users) are able to see and report bugs, so that Anders can save the slower world's from the same fate.
 
Until Anders is able to create a perfect player progression/reduction system, this will happen. Players will unexpectedly lose ratings, players will develop extremely quickly, and everything in between.
 
Fangwall, I think that if Anders is able to create the perfect player development/regression system, where there are only 3 Crosby's in a world, instead of 3 per team, which I think he wants, I'll be one of the first to call for him to delete all the worlds and make new ones. Even though I've built some solid teams, it doesn't take that long to build a stellar team. All you need is shrewd trading skills, and good tactical knowledge of hockey in general.
 
Because honestly, I'd rather play a game where player overalls aren't so ridiculous, more along the lines where you have a few 90 rated forwards, a few 90 rated defenders, maybe a 90 rated goalie, and then as overalls go down, player quantity goes up. (i.e. more players will develop into 85 overalls compared to 88 overalls)
 
All I'm saying is, no matter how much integrity this game has, I'm willing to lose all my team's to help this games development, because I know it can be better. I've been around to see a few updates, and after affiliate teams are released, I don't even know where this game will go.

First we can't actually see your team unless we are in the same game world thus linking it like that is a waste of time. If you want us to see your team screenshot it and post the screenshot.
 
Second I don't see the same issues that you are talking about in the game world I am in thus it makes me think one of two things. 1. Bizarre isolated incident. 2. Your over exaggerating the situation and/or not being forthcoming about horrific team management that you can't get yourself out of a la old players that you are stuck with.
 
If you are in the fastest league(s) there are somethings you need to realize.
 
1. There was a massive over build up of players 90+ overall leaving the world over saturated with extremely high overall players. Anders had to counter this immediately thus he made it very hard for players to keep "topped up" skills topped up. He also had to counter the excessive over growth of younger players that was creating an over saturation of extremely high overall players thus he slowed down the development pace of players. If one or both of these factors of player development needs to be adjusted in the future they most definitely will when they need to.
 
2. The fastest leagues were breaking the sim engine and while not near as big of an issue now they still give the sim engine a good working over. Also Anders is adding more sim detail into the sim engine. Both of these combined are going to cause the sim to go slower.
 
Finally it is hardly a wasted season if it is less than 20 games in. Learn some patience. Every team is going to go through tough stretches. Yes injuries can cause teams to miss the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Lightning is the most recent shining example of such. If you don't like that too bad. Sorry to be brutal about it but it is something we all have to deal with in due time. The better managers do a better job dealing with injuries via making sure that they have good players in reserve before they actually need such players. That doesn't mean that they are immune to injuries. It just lessens the impact that injuries have.
 
Finally in terms of trading with the CPU be reasonable with your offers and I don't doubt that they will actually go through.

This is neat, I might do this for Fishbowl and Howitzer sometime.

This is neat, I might do this for Fishbowl and Howitzer sometime.

To combat some Monday boredom, I went ahead and calculated some average overall stats from GHL teams. Overall doesn't of course paint the full picture of a player's capabilities, and thus is only a vague approximation of what a team can do, but it's the only easily available number for comparison.
 
Team overalls here are comprised of the average of a team's best 18 skaters (12 centers/forwards, 6 defenders) and the starting goalie. OFF/DEF come from the same players, but are simply rounded up/down to the closest full number for clarity. SG is simply the assumed starting goalie (best overall). Calculations made on day 5 of S10.
 
Here are the numbers - teams are in order starting from best OVR.
 
1.  West Chicago Protons (GM: Richard Feynman - bouncer)
OFF: 89 DEF: 91 SG: 95 OVR: 89,5
 
2.  Deadwood Vandals (GM: Kim Vandaele - koekefix)
OFF: 87 DEF: 89 SG: 96 OVR: 88,4
 
3.  Harrisonville Sabercats (GM: Hurja Herra)
OFF: 88 DEF: 89 SG: 88 OVR: 87,6
 
4.  Rome Trojans (GM: Yann Rock)
OFF: 87 DEF: 88 SG: 91 OVR: 87,5
 
5.  Cedar Rapids Minutemen (GM: Richard Armour)
OFF: 86 DEF: 88 SG: 93 OVR: 87,1
 
6.  Eldred Elite (GM: Steven Bennett)
OFF: 86 DEF: 89 SG: 93 OVR: 87,0
 
7.  Canmore Grizzlies (GM: Matt Muffett - themattinthehat)
OFF: 86 DEF: 87 SG: 91 OVR: 86,9
 
8.  Moapa Valley Gothic Knights (GM: David Chaw - FTW)
OFF: 87 DEF: 87 SG: 90 OVR: 86,9
 
9.  Richford Rebels (GM: Jusu Manager)
OFF: 86 DEF: 89 SG: 89 OVR: 86,9
 
10. St.Thomas Stray Cats (GM: Erzac Ray - Erzac)
OFF: 87 DEF: 87 SG: 90 OVR: 86,8
 
11. Portland Oilers (GM: Xavier Zhou - xZhou)
OFF: 86 DEF: 88 SG: 91 OVR: 86,6
 
12. York Wolf Pack (GM: Jiri Heikkala)
OFF: 85 DEF: 87 SG: 93 OVR: 86,2
 
13. Violet Volcano (GM: Soupy Salez)
OFF: 85 DEF: 88 SG: 92 OVR: 86,1
 
14. Thetford Mines Pegasus (GM: Anthony Grauwels - Pingu)
OFF: 85 DEF: 86 SG: 89 OVR: 85,5
 
15. Oshawa Dynasty Heroes (GM: Kris Zenatik - Euph)
OFF: 85 DEF: 85 SG: 86 OVR: 84,7
 
16. Collegeville Rhinos (BOT)
OFF: 85 DEF: 82 SG: 90 OVR: 84,4

I'm sure everyone will like that dose of 2003 in a few seasons time:
 

I'm sure everyone will like that dose of 2003 in a few seasons time:
 

Also think it should be tuned down some few steps. I see two problems if the upcoming draftclasses is gonna be this good. One shortterm and one longterm:

Shortterm we can look at people who in the last, say 3-4 seasons, had:
- a bad team but some early draftpicks that should have helped them gain some momentum
- Or has tried to rebuild, or develop prospects to build a team, either to get a better team in the long run, or just for the fun of it! (Many likes that way of play in managergames in my experience from a few, pc and online)

These one gets kind of "screwed" as in 1-2 draftclasses people can get 3-4 really GREAT players, and another 3-4 that within a season or so will be just as good as those that developed like 3-4 seasons. So looking shortterm it sort of makes things UNDONE for those that really had a plan for the long term for managing and building their squad.

I´ll definitely survive, so I ain´t complaining, but just to give an example. I have Jeremy Maxwell. He´s a D, a top draftpick at number 8 with nice mentals. I needed to rebuild an old D-core and it was hard to find solid D-men at the time. I did pay up to get him, but I thought it was worth it at the time:
 
Season 18, GHL, Traded from Oshawa Cougars to New Haven Whales for Libor Jágercík and Alessandro Luby plus a GHL level 1st round pick and a GHL level 2nd round pick. ​Should say Libor was a good solid midage forward, 2nd to 3rd line, with great mentals and still having a great development that should make him a top 6 forward. Is around 90 OA today in the game. Luby, nah...just a tradepiece but still with some potential. But then a 1st and a 2nd pick as well. It did cost me a bit but felt like an ok deal. I got my D
 
Maxwell was 81-82 OA at the time I think. Today AFTER 4 FULL SEASONS of development, and a nice such, he just ticked over to a 91 OA! Wooohoo...feels great!!

Well, if it wasn´t for the fact that I can go down to 9th place in the lumber draft today and find a 17 yo with +90 OA already, and to the 2nd round and find players +85 OA......

Lets just say that if I (instead of being a top GHL-team) was a strong SHL team trying to catch up, and have played it the way that you built and set yout hopes on some promising youths during the last seasons. Did a few trades the way I did. A somewhat normal, and a common approach, in many IRL-leagues anf in managergames if u wanna develop your team longterm. Well, let´s just say I would feel kind of frustraded right now seeing my strong 21-23 yo prospects I developed turned in to average youngsters in 2 draftclasses    
Now, this is my take, my way to look at this, and I may think about it the wrong way. Also this is the shortterm-problem and the game is still in beta, so I´m fine with it. Just a little doubtful this will work out the way intended.

Longterm I agree with what many already has said here. The game already have an abundance of toptalent, top quality and also a bunch of, what should be, real superstars. This will just add to that, and sure ...it may be fine because it may even things out and make it easier for promoted teams in the long run to take the step up and make it at a higher level, in a tougher league. Still, the topteams will get even better talents, and soon the GHL will be a league of +92 OA-players, all 4 lines. Sure, tactics will matter more then maybe. But still, no superstars because their is +5 players with +96 oa in each ghl-team, no big diff between 3rd and 1st lines and so on....Not sure that is what we want?

Still to me, I´m more thinking about how the abundance of talent kind of takes a bit of the fun out of the excitement of building your team, of finding, or drafting, and developing a few great prospects. It wasn´t that hard before. Now it´s a bit like throwing dart agains a barnwall and the bulls eye is those two big red Barndoors.   

 

I think the development update that came into play a few seasons ago is working its wonders. I agree, it might need to be dialed back a bit. Lumber's faster, so we're just seeing the effects much quicker.

Player of the Day #2 - Vincenc Janez       Player Link: http://www.gameplanhockey.com/player?gpid=23541

Top GHL centerman, currently the 4th highest reputed player in game world Fishbowl is none other than Slovenian Vincenc Janez.

Standing at 6'2", and 203lbs, the versatile right shooter is a built player.

He began his journey in season 1, at 81 overall, aged 26.

He was signed by the Butte City Bald Eagles in season 1 to a 2 year, $2.75 million per season contract.

In his first season, he racked up a decent 10 goals and 29 points in 39 games.

However, the tide turned, as in his second season, he scored 64 points in a full 60 game season.

He never again reached those heights with Butte City, and that led him to be shipped out of town (or should I say city) in season 5 after three 20 goal seasons, and scoring 244 points in 266 games, a very consistent total.

He was shipped out to Horn Lake 55 games into season 5, to help on Horn Lake's playoff run, scoring a combined 66 points for both teams.

There he only scored 4 points in 9 playoff games, but he and his team won the Golden Cup, making the deal work out for Horn Lake to this day. Butte City Bald Eagles went on a downwards spiral since, with the GM resigning, but a new one did come in and relocated the team, and they look to have a good future.

By then, Janez' rating hit 87 and was still trending upwards.

The superstar immediately signed a 2 year deal at $4.3 million aav.

The Horn Lake Hooligans got their money's as Janez scored a career high 61 assists to go along with 15 goals.

Sadly, the 30 year old then began to trend downward ever since in points, though his overall is strong at 90.

So far in his career, he has racked up 431 games, scoring 430 points, including 162 goals. His faceoff percent is 57.4%.

Astonishing.

Definitely should revisit the how the quality distribution is for players across all worlds. It should be so that majority of the players are 60 to 75-80 Ovr and then as we get to the top it should continue to thin. Like in real life, think about how many pro leagues there are in real life, USA has two semi pro leagues below the ECHL. Some European leagues have up to 6 tiers. There aren't many players that can play in the NHL, let alone be considered elite. With some GHL teams have 16 90ovr players I think there should be like 20-25 max in a game world.  Think like a pyramid with the most talented players at the top.

Ok guys, 30 games gone, and here's a look at what's happened:
 
In the GHL:
 
Larson leads the pack, as expected (by me at least)
 
Sellwood surprisingly is in 12th with the league's 2nd best offense.
 
There is a 10 point gap between 2nd (Hawkeye) and 8th (Cuba City).
 
After winning the cup last year, the Pirates find themselves in third.
 
Newly promoted CPU South Township has only managed 9 points through 30 games, and are a sure fire relegation candidate.
 
Cedar Rapids have rebounded after a disastrous finish last season and sit in 5th.
 
As for players, Larson leads the way with the top 3 scorers in the league. Leading the way is sniper Hubert Ferster, who has 25 goals and 40 points in 30 games.
 
SHL:
 
My team Montmorency Vortex sits in 1st, comfortably. We lead 2nd place Rocky Mountain House by 12 points.
 
Merrick, who have an excellent defense, Pinewood, and Portland, who sit 3rd-5th, are separated by 2 points.
 
6th place Tahsis sees a dropoff in points with 10 less than Portland, at 49, with a few teams close behind.
 
The relegation battle includes 4 teams. Mississauga, sitting with 14 points in last, needs a miracle, as they are 10 points behind 15th placed Ellisville. The difference between 12th and 13th is 10 points.
 
As for players, I have 5 of the top 25 scorers, with Pavlecka leading the way with 17 goals and 38 points in 30 games.
 
BHL:
 
Pierrefonds Predators have an astonishing 16 point lead in 1st place, and look like a sure fire promoted team, barring a major collapse.
 
As for the relegation battle, the 2 relegated teams are set in stone, with 21 and 11 points respectively. 15 place is 15 points behind 14th.
 
Louis-Vincent Banning, on the 6th place Alligators, leads the league in scoring with 18 goals and 44 points in 30 games.
 
IHL:
 
The title race at the top is fierce, with 1 point separating 1st and 2nd.
 
Palm Beach Shores have collected 0 points through 30 games, and are probably in the IHL. They need 35 points to get out the the relegation zone.
 
On 12th place Yucca, Maximus Angus can be found leading the league in scoring with 41 points in 30 games.
 
LIHL:
 
No highlights found.
 
Draft Status:
 
Looking good, Ulysses Stalker (lol that name) ranks 1st, with 47 goals in 21 games, along with 8 assists.
 
84 rated Swedish defender Ake Broman also is point per game, looking like an excellent pick.
 
87 rated Cornelius Chao ranks 7th somehow, but only has a .908 save percentage in the USJHL.
 
Overall roundup:
 
There hasn't been much trade activity this season, one GHL team has 3 first round picks.
 
No player has been extremely dominant in their league unless you include the junior leagues.
 
In almost every league, the promoted/relegated and GHL playoff teams are more or less set in stone.
 
Good luck in the second half all!

Ok guys, 30 games gone, and here's a look at what's happened:
 
In the GHL:
 
Larson leads the pack, as expected (by me at least)
 
Sellwood surprisingly is in 12th with the league's 2nd best offense.
 
There is a 10 point gap between 2nd (Hawkeye) and 8th (Cuba City).
 
After winning the cup last year, the Pirates find themselves in third.
 
Newly promoted CPU South Township has only managed 9 points through 30 games, and are a sure fire relegation candidate.
 
Cedar Rapids have rebounded after a disastrous finish last season and sit in 5th.
 
As for players, Larson leads the way with the top 3 scorers in the league. Leading the way is sniper Hubert Ferster, who has 25 goals and 40 points in 30 games.
 
SHL:
 
My team Montmorency Vortex sits in 1st, comfortably. We lead 2nd place Rocky Mountain House by 12 points.
 
Merrick, who have an excellent defense, Pinewood, and Portland, who sit 3rd-5th, are separated by 2 points.
 
6th place Tahsis sees a dropoff in points with 10 less than Portland, at 49, with a few teams close behind.
 
The relegation battle includes 4 teams. Mississauga, sitting with 14 points in last, needs a miracle, as they are 10 points behind 15th placed Ellisville. The difference between 12th and 13th is 10 points.
 
As for players, I have 5 of the top 25 scorers, with Pavlecka leading the way with 17 goals and 38 points in 30 games.
 
BHL:
 
Pierrefonds Predators have an astonishing 16 point lead in 1st place, and look like a sure fire promoted team, barring a major collapse.
 
As for the relegation battle, the 2 relegated teams are set in stone, with 21 and 11 points respectively. 15 place is 15 points behind 14th.
 
Louis-Vincent Banning, on the 6th place Alligators, leads the league in scoring with 18 goals and 44 points in 30 games.
 
IHL:
 
The title race at the top is fierce, with 1 point separating 1st and 2nd.
 
Palm Beach Shores have collected 0 points through 30 games, and are probably in the IHL. They need 35 points to get out the the relegation zone.
 
On 12th place Yucca, Maximus Angus can be found leading the league in scoring with 41 points in 30 games.
 
LIHL:
 
No highlights found.
 
Draft Status:
 
Looking good, Ulysses Stalker (lol that name) ranks 1st, with 47 goals in 21 games, along with 8 assists.
 
84 rated Swedish defender Ake Broman also is point per game, looking like an excellent pick.
 
87 rated Cornelius Chao ranks 7th somehow, but only has a .908 save percentage in the USJHL.
 
Overall roundup:
 
There hasn't been much trade activity this season, one GHL team has 3 first round picks.
 
No player has been extremely dominant in their league unless you include the junior leagues.
 
In almost every league, the promoted/relegated and GHL playoff teams are more or less set in stone.
 
Good luck in the second half all!