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caltroit_red_flames · 01-14-2020, 02:22 PM

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Double Draft Media

Welcome to the SHL!

You've probably heard that from a lot of people. Some you might never talk to again, some that you'll end up talking with daily, some that you might end up hating with an undying passion. That's the beauty of this place. You come in here expecting just a hockey sim, meet some new, hang out on the forum/discord every so often and if you stick around it becomes a lot more than that. This is one of those things where the more you put into it the more you'll get out of it.

I wanted to offer all of you some help as you work through the start to your career in the SHL. It's a difficult time. You're figuring out the forum, learning about what TPE is, earning money without any context for how much you really need, battling with other draftees for a higher draft position, etc. But it's also probably my favorite thing. I remember when I first found this place. Those first two seasons are magic. You create a player with pie in the sky hopes and expectations. Being taken 1st overall in the junior draft, winning a Four Starts Cup in juniors, getting drafted 1st overall in the pro draft, winning a Challenge Cup, winning a Stevens trophy, maybe an MVP award. All this stuff that you and everyone else in your draft class is hoping to achieve, and it all comes from this one player page that you created as your first post here.

There's a ways to go before all of that happens though. Here's some advice on getting there.

1.) HAVE FUN. Seriously, some people come in and do a ton of stuff. Every point task, dozens of articles and graphics, they get a job updating. SHL becomes their job. And look I'm an updater, I'm a co-head in the IIHF, I help out as much as I can with scouting for my SHL team. But I didn't start doing all of that until I had my bearings. SHL isn't your job, don't let it become one. Of course if you want to have a max earning player you'll need to write some stuff, maybe learn to make graphics (shoot me a PM if you need photoshop), look at some of the less demanding jobs. But for gods sake don't burn yourself out!. HAVE FUN. If you get anything out of this let it be that this place is FOR FUN.

2.) In the same vein, don't compare yourself to everyone else all the time. You don't need to earn every little bit of TPE to be a great player in this league. If you want to make a legend like Gretzky then sure you'll need to earn a lot, and I'll never say don't earn everything you can. But don't get discouraged if you get busy for a week or you just happen to forget to do an activity check or you run out of money for training. I'd rather have someone on my team who earns TPE a little slower but sticks with their player than someone who goes extremely hard for 5 seasons then peeters out and retires. Longevity is where it's at.

3.) Your draft position doesn't matter. You've probably already heard this before. But seriously in the junior draft your position is only a reflection of a couple days of scouting. Members who have created a 2nd player after retiring their 1st one will likely be taken higher than you because they're a known commodity. The goal should really be to be drafted high in the pro draft after your first season. That's the true reflection of the work that you've put in to your player. For now just enjoy the amateur draft. If you care about your position in it make sure to do all of the PTs you can right now and earn some money in your bank to show the junior GMs that they can depend on you earning at least to the junior cap.

4.) Have people telling you to change your build? Screw em honestly. Yes helping your team is nice, but this isn't just about winning, there's a role playing element to it for your player. This leads back into HAVING FUN. Some people want to make grinders, some people want to score goals. Both are fine, build your player the way you want to. We're likely moving on to a new simming engine in the next offseason so you'll get even better options for customizing your player then. So really flesh out who you want to be. Ovechkin? Reaves? Datsyuk? Whoever you want, make your player your own.

5.) Hang out with people in discord. Discord has been my favorite part of the SHL since I joined. In my SHL team's discord at least once a week we play video games together. We shoot the shit about the stuffing going on in our lives. Support each other when someone's dealing with shitty stuff in their life, send each other cookies on our birthdays. It's great. That's the hidden gem of SHL, it starts as a hockey sim but it can become a lot more than that. If that sounds like too much for you then that's no problem. This place is all about HAVING FUN and if you can't commit the time to being actively involved with your team that's okay. Not everyone is around 24/7. Not everyone even wants that in the first place, and that's fine.

Finally make sure to ask people questions. My DMs are always open, but you'll have rookie mentors, GMs, and teammates that are happy to help out as well.

I hope you all have great careers and enjoy yourself here. You're in for a wild ride, I promise. Those friends of yours in the rookie discord are going to turn into your rivals come playoff time. Just try not to burn too many bridges in the playoff threads, you might end up on the same team as a rival after the pro draft.

Good luck in the draft, I'll see some of you soon around the St. Louis discord! Scarecrows