RSHL.blog

It’s been an incredible four weeks of preseason, and now the moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here: MSHL S9 Regular Season starts today!

After 22 preseason games spread out over the past month, the foundation for this season of MSHL has been laid—and let me tell you, it’s a foundation stronger than anyone expected. We’ve seen impressive participation levels from both new and returning players, and despite some initial doubts about whether we’d even be able to pull together a proper season with the rules intended to enforce newbie participation, we’ve exceeded expectations across the board.

At the start of preseason, some people (myself included) thought we might struggle to get even 6 teams together for the regular season. Well, here we are— 9 teams strong —even after one team ( Dinosaurs 4 Hire ) folded mid-preseason. That’s a huge success considering that MSHL was designed to be more of a developmental league focused on getting new players involved. The level of engagement we’ve seen so far shows that the league is doing exactly what it was intended to do.

Since MSHL S9 preseason began, we’ve had over  25 complete beginners join Hockey Zone and become officially rostered onto MSHL teams. That’s 25 brand new players —players who had never played in HZ before—now actively participating in the league.

Here are some interesting stats:

Nearly 20% of icetime is going to newbies (REALLY impressed with this!)

Newbies have 1,925 minutes in preseason, the most I’ve ever seen since I’ve been back!

On top of that, we’ve seen the return of 10 former HZ players who didn’t play last season, bringing our total pool of new and returning talent to 35 players . That’s a significant influx of fresh faces—and it’s exactly why MSHL was created.

Shoutout to the rookies who have already made a name for themselves during preseason.

Early favorites for Rookie of the Year include:

• inFamous – Showing elite-level positioning already and goal-scoring.
• Minister – Strong all-around jav and a natural fit for league competition.
• aiti – Consistent in both offense and defense, playing well beyond his experience level.
• 100 – Quick learner and already contributing in critical game situations to his team.
• Remark – Great assist/playmaker and all around contributor for his team.

The Regular Season

With 9 teams forming, MSHL S9 is shaping up to be a very competitive season this year.
The VP system in place ensures that no team can stack too much talent, but we’ve already seen that certain teams are coming in stronger than others:

• Some teams have opted for star veterans and are looking to ride their experience to a title.
• Others have gone for a more balanced approach, spreading out their VP to give new players more playtime.
• A few teams are practically rookies-only—looking to develop new talent for the future.

The diversity of team construction means that every matchup is going to present a different challenge. There’s no single blueprint for success in MSHL, which means teams will have to adjust, adapt, and evolve throughout the season.

The regular season format is simple:

• There are two conferences: NA conference, EU conference
• NA teams play each other twice (2×5) and EU teams once (3 games) = 13 games total
• EU teams play each other three times (3×2) and NA teams once (6 games) = 12 games total
• The top EU team and the top 2 NA team will make the playoffs.
• The winner from the play-in game between the second place euro team vs third place NA team will make the final 4th spot to playoffs.

The first round of games kicks off later today, and if preseason was any indication, we’re in for a season full of clutch goals, breakout performances, and probably some salty post-game arguments. That’s what makes Hockey Zone great.

P.S: Please make sure that you are happy with your current spot on your team, as the suspensions for team hopping is now in effect as we step into regular season. The default suspension is 3 games. Please don’t team hop! (Thanks)

Awards

One thing that I’ve been asked to do after the season ends is to give out awards for the players and teams. I think this is a fantastic idea!

The thing that was missing about Beer League was a more formal and professional level of recognition, and I feel like giving out some awards is going to do exactly that.

I will be working with the MSHL panel to create awards for specific roles and performance-based contributions.

This could include things like:

• Best Offensive Player
• Best Defensive Player
• Rookie of the Year
• Best Goalie
• MVP
• Most Improved Player

But it won’t stop at performance-based awards. We also plan to recognize league-based contributions —like captains who have contributed the most to growing the league, recruited the most new players, or shown the most dedication to improving the overall quality of play.

I’ll announce the full list of awards and the selection process about halfway through the season, once the panel and I have had time to agree on the details. Stay tuned—this is going to be big!

Shoutouts and Thank Yous

None of this would’ve been possible without the help of some key contributors behind the scenes. I want to take a moment to give them the credit they deserve.

Shoutout to the following Ambassadors who worked their asses off to make this season of MSHL great:

• Werewolf – Used his influence from EG to get several clusters of newbies into HZ.
• Big E – Leveraged his connections with staff from multiple zones to create events that exposed multiple newbies to Hockey Zone.
• OldShiat – Ensured newbie players found a home on various teams—not just his own.
• Artos – Recruited newbies early in preseason and quickly guided them to teams who could use them.
• RaCka – Helped bring in several newbies to the zone at the start of preseason.

I also want to personally thank the following staff for helping me as LC:

• Big E – My go-to for everything league-related. Big E has been the most helpful guide I could ask for, always helping me whenever I have questions about settings, rosters, or site adjustments. He’s also given me valuable advice on managing captains and making sure teams are staying organized throughout the season. But aside from that, he’s also worked his ass off with scheduling games, assisting captains and teams, and making sure newbies are being taken care of. I honestly don’t think MSHL would exist without him.
• Whitmer – The unsung hero of Hockey Zone. Whitmer handles the administrative side of things with incredible efficiency. An absolute trooper with handling all the requests I send him via direct message. Sure, sometimes he takes a few days to get back to me, but who cares about that if he actually gets the request done in the end? I’m really happy with the work he does and it seems like he really genuinely cares about the league, which is great. I bet I’m not the only one pestering him with DMs, either, so kudos to him for putting up with us all.
• gato – Someone I’ve had nothing but positive interactions with. gato has shared his experience from past RSHL seasons and has been a valuable sounding board for me.  I’ve had nothing but pleasant conversations with him in private and he seems to be someone who will work with you as long as you don’t just go off the rails or something. He’s also given me advice on what past LCs have done and how to work together to be a cohesive unit. I appreciate that.

MSHL isn’t perfect—it’s still growing, still adjusting—but it’s already proving to be exactly what Hockey Zone needed. The influx of new players and the balance between competitive and developmental play is exactly why MSHL was created.

So, to everyone who’s been part of the journey so far—whether you’re a veteran, a rookie, or just someone who’s been following from the sidelines— thank you . MSHL is only going to get better from here. Let’s get this season started.

See you on the ice!