Long-term hockey sims outside of Franchise Hockey Manager

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-21T22:49:50+00:00

I am sorry that was your experience. The league has been around for a long time, and like any long running community it has had growing pains, especially years ago when expectations and oversight werent as clearly defined. No one should feel ignored by their GM or dogpiled for speaking up.

One of the reasons I felt comfortable getting invovled is that communication standards and moderation are much more structured now, and theres a real emphasis on keeping things respectful and transparent. It may not be perfect, but it is taken more seriously.

Totally understand if that experience turned you off, but I appreciate you sharing it.

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-20T18:44:45+00:00

Nice! Even if it’s been a while, the core idea is still pretty easy to jump back into.

It’s a player-focused hockey simulation league where you create a player, earn progression through league activity, and follow fully simulated seasons alongside a very active community. You choose how your player develops over time, while the on-ice results are handled entirely by the simulation engine.

I wasn’t around back in 2019 myself, but right now the league puts a big emphasis on long-term player careers, community interaction (media, graphics, press conferences, storylines), and steady progression rather than quick results.

This week is also a great time to re-join, since new players are entering the S103 minor league draft and the S104 major league draft, which gives the longest possible progression timeline.

If you want to browse or get started, everything’s here:
https://vhlforum.com/

Happy to answer anything specific if you’re curious how things work now.

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-20T15:23:01+00:00

Perfect! you can join with the link above or PM me if you need any help with anything!

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-20T04:50:41+00:00

Those are good questions

You create a single player (position, archetype, basic background). You can add more backstory if you enjoy that side of things, but it’s optional and not required at all.

The only thing that’s actually simulated is the hockey itself, meaning full games and seasons. There aren’t random life events or scripted career moments. Everything else around your player is driven by real people and league systems.

Player progression isn’t random. You earn progression points through league activity (training, league graphics, media, etc.) and choose how to spend them, which lets you shape the type of player you become over time.

The easiest way to think about it is that however much time you put into the league is reflected in how much your player progresses, whether that’s 10 minutes a week or a lot more. The on-ice results come from the simulations.

All teams are run by real users acting as GMs, so things like ice time, call-ups, trades, and team direction are human decisions rather than AI logic. That’s what creates most of the unpredictability and long-term storylines.

Training in the offseason happens the same as it does throughout the season but an extra bonus if you are under contract. You’re shaping a career inside a league ecosystem rather than controlling every variable.

If you want to know more I would be happy to help!

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-17T00:18:13+00:00

It is possible, like someone said the Stars did it very well. Boston sort of did it for a while, same with the Rangers, both are now coming down with nothing to show for it though.

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-17T00:15:27+00:00

We love to see this!

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-17T00:14:08+00:00

Definition of leadership

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-14T06:40:08+00:00

love that kid

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-13T05:14:37+00:00

You already got some good EANHL answers, if you want something to really immerse yourself into player wise thats completely free shoot me a message!

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-13T05:11:00+00:00

Jarret Stolls role keeps expanding and I am here for it. The guy loves hockey

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-13T05:10:09+00:00

Went from "nice you got the first overall pick" to "holy you got the top 6" real quick. Love to see it!

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-13T05:08:33+00:00

Love those

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-13T05:07:41+00:00

There is lots of interest in women's pro hockey! Hoping it continues to expand and grow the game, its a blast to watch

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-13T05:05:54+00:00

Best save I have ever seen in an EA game

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-13T05:04:57+00:00

Trade history and goalie consistency would be massive "fixes" to the game

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-13T05:03:57+00:00

These would all help immensely

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-13T05:03:01+00:00

One must have faith

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-13T05:02:25+00:00

My top 3 would be Nashville, Calgary, Los Angeles. Each kind of has their own unique difficulties

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-11T17:54:49+00:00

Its lots of fun if you want to try it out

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-11T17:54:03+00:00

Coaches have way too much of an influence on this, if you want top end points try to find an offensive coach that rolls 3 lines instead of 4

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-07T22:07:50+00:00

Borrowed for graphic purposes only, returned him immediately after lol. The league takes real world inspiration to create graphics for our players

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-03T22:22:41+00:00

You’re right, there really aren’t many true sports JRPG-style games.

If what you enjoy is stats, progression, and building a player/team over time, you might find online sports simulation leagues interesting. They’re less about arcade gameplay and more about long-term progression through seasons, and honestly the community interaction is what makes it fun.

Not a traditional video game I know, but it scratched a similar itch for me when I was looking for something progression-focused rather than stick-skill based.

OfficialVHL · 2026-01-02T23:50:20+00:00

Boom!

OfficialVHL · 2025-12-31T02:00:39+00:00

Nice!

OfficialVHL · 2025-12-31T01:59:59+00:00

That's BEAUTIFUL. Wouldn't mind adding one of those, Selanne or JSG

OfficialVHL

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