Hello SHL!

I’m Rancidbudgie, author of some investigative SHL media pieces that have asked the big questions like:
“Who were the greatest GM’s in SHL history?” (https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=107079 ),
“Why did Czechia suck so much at the IIHF tournament?” (https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=107162 ),
“What’s the playoff structure going to look like when the SHL expands to 18 teams?” (https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=107299 )
“Why haven’t they expanded the IIHF yet? Oh, that’s why”. (https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=107162 , and https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=107299 )

And most recently, my three-part article on "Why the hell does no one want to GM anymore?" ( https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=124327 ),
( https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=124328 ), and ( https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=124329 )


For my next article, I’m hoping to answer the question "Where have all the Gunslingers gone?"

The adoption of FHM opened up a wide variety of roles to build for, with more attributes and tactical roles available. Users have praised the new sim specifically on it's tactical variety and role-playing potential. However, a distinct trend has appeared with the adoption of FHM8, where an unintended side effect seems to have restricted some of the build variety that SHL users enjoy.

...There simply aren't any goons. While a (now significantly reduced) number of users have built physical players with a fighting edge, the sim engine simply isn't generating fights, and hits have taken a massive nosedive in recent seasons. I personally fear that an entire section of roles and attributes that SHL users can invest in have become entirely irrelevant. Some previous physical builds are not only being less optimal competitively (which is fine), but simply not generating the type of play they are supposed to, which involved accumulating defensive or aggressive stats like PIM, hits, and especially fights. Across the index from seasons past, the numbers generated for these categories have precipitously plummeted to unnoticeable amounts, which takes a lot of the fun out of building skaters that do anything but generate points.

For the purpose of this article I am looking to reach out for some opinions and/or quotes from you, SHL users (so that it's not just me rambling with what might not even be a problem). If you are a user who previously built a goon/scrapper/enforcer/physical role player, or considered creating one but ultimately decided against it, I'd love to hear from you on the subject. If you have done none of these things, but still have opinions on the subject I would still love to hear from you!

Is the role of the goon/enforcer extinct in the SHL? And is that okay? If not, is there anything we can do to address it? Feel free to discuss below if you just want to give your two cents or discuss with others, and if you’d like to talk with me directly, please message me on the forum or on discord (My ID is Rancidbudgie#5743 ), and I can hopefully send along some questions as well as just have a chat!

I would love to use people's quotes for the article, but if you would prefer I do not quote you directly from a potential discord chat (or use your quotes at all, and would prefer me just to generalize your points), just let me know, and I am more than happy to respect those wishes. I'm hoping to post the article relatively soon, before season 70 is too far underway.

Thank you in advance, and hail Satan,

Rancidbudgie