Cowboy

The problem is its cowboy and I hate me a defosse

Happy for a 3-day weekend
 
Sad/Mad Kyle went inactive October 16, 2014

Good job
 
I made you a sig, if you want it until someone makes you a good one
 

Brampton Pulls the Trigger
 
After a 7-2-1 start to the season with some troubling results, the Brampton Blades decided to make a major change to the roster after only ten games. With Bratislava in full-on sale mode, Brampton managed to pick up two important pieces to their playoff push. In a late night deal Fong managed to pick up S42 center Sam Teibert (6G, 7A, 13P) and S40 defenseman Danny Schneider (4G, 9A, 13P) for an S44 1st, 3rd, and S42 backup goaltender Ivars Klejums.

Teibert should fit in nicely with one of the top two offensive units, though his arrival will probably push Yannik Zug (2G, 11A, 13P) or Mikko Koskinen (4G, 5A, 9P) down to a rotation on the 3rd or 4th offensive unit. While Teibert can play in Brampton for a further season, Schneider is strictly a rental since his eligibility is up at the culmination of the current season. Schneider's likely destination in the lineup is on the second defensive pairing alongside Jack Harkness, while Franklin Romanowski and Gunzerker Salvador populate the first pairing. Fowll and Voss will see a major hit to their icetime, but with the massive ability gap between them and Schneider there's not many other options.

The arrival of Teibert will probably help maximize the potential of rookie center Bronson Faux who has been a steady performer thus far.
"We're expecting big things from Bronson, he has all the skills and definitely the determination to break out of the pack later this season. Adding another highly-skilled player to the second unit should only help boost production there. The line of Valentini, Faux, and Teibert could be a top line on almost any other team in the VHLM this season so we're really looking forward to what the rest of the season brings," commented Brampton Assistant General Manager Benoit Devereux.

Fuck ya mother fuckers

VHLM By the Numbers
 


 
*denotes eventual Founder's Cup Champions
Strikeout denotes skew data
 
What exactly am I presenting to you here you might be wondering? In a very basic way, this is what it takes to be a "legitimate" playoff team through the past three VHLM seasons. Due to extreme roster turnovers from season to season, the use of the conference system in the VHLM, and the "tank it for later" mentality of most VHLM general managers, there is a lot of skew data represented in the VHLM.  Inclusion of skew data would cause a general bias and cause the standard deviation to skyrocket based on the huge increase in variance. By neglecting the use of the data taken from illegitimate playoff teams (i.e. the entire European Conference in S39) the data becomes less bias, with less error in consideration of our goal. The goal or aim of this data is to help determine and thereby project what it takes to be a playoff team in the VHLM; in a static world.
 
Drastic changes to the entire league can have a profound effect on the data however. Consider in example if there was a sudden influx of good goaltenders to the VHLM with only a handful of scoring forwards. You would expect that across the league all of the values displayed above would decrease. In consideration of a phenomenon such as that, you have to adhere to the fact that this is HIGHLY theoretical. As we all know, anything can happen when riding the roller coaster known as the VHLM.
 
 
By these numbers a legitimate playoff team in the VHLM will have a Goals For value ranging from 307-393, a Goals Allowed value of 164-260, a Differential value of 95-181, and a Total Points For value of 852-1076.  
 
Now, if I'm going to be brash as hell and use this information determine who is going to make the playoffs this year in the VHLM (which I'm going to do eventually), I need to do some more figuring. To aid in calculations a correlation coefficient (r) between Goals For and Total Points For has been calculated at 0.9906 with a coefficient of determination or r-squared = 0.9906 or 99% (P-Value of <0.00001 at significance level of 0.05). While the data isn't exactly linear, this gives us a good idea that the Goals For variable and Total Points For variable are very well correlated with one another (I can draw this conclusion since r ranges from -1 to 1 with a value of 0 meaning no correlation and values tending closer to 1 indicating a high correlation). That only makes sense since in hockey for every goal scored there is the possibility that three points will be awarded. However, in some instances someone might score a lone goal or a secondary assist may not be awarded. In theory, in a static world, the quantitative relation between Goals For and Total Points For should be 1:3, though I know that isn't the case in the real world or within the VHLM. Since I know there is a high correlation between the two variables I can go ahead and calculate the quantitative or ratio relation between them (should be somewhere near 3). The result is a mean value of 2.75 with a standard deviation of +/-0.0385. So for every goal scored by a legitimate playoff team over the past three seasons in the VHLM 2.75 +/- 0.038 points were awarded. Now that I know this, it will make the backwards calculations much easier once I start doing some predictions.
 

 
Probably the hardest statistic to predict will be Goals Against, since it is so erratic. The skill of the goaltender has a lot to do with it though the collective defensive ability of the other five players on the ice can be just as important. The only way I can figure would be to determine how many shots a goalie would face in a season. There are equally as many variables in determining Total Points For since hockey isn't an individual sport. Since I'm only taking into account the performance of legitimate playoff teams, I may have to go back to the stats and determine the average amount of shots a goaltender on a legitimate playoff team would face, thereby neglecting blocked shots and all that fancy defensive stuff. In consideration there's probably the same margin of error in determining the future Goals Against of a team as there is determining the Total Points For. Therefore, there's never going to be a way to concretely determine any of what follows, though I can still make an educated guess. Consider that statement my disclaimer.
 

I'm looking forward to watching Thomas Duddy's career evolve this season in Ottawa
 
Just by scanning the Shots Against stats over the past three seasons for what I have judged to be legitimate playoff teams, the observed average is somewhere under 2000 Shots Against. However, the actual mean is 1979 +/- 313 Shots Against. That's pretty hard to determine what number we're going to use to do the calculation. So, by removing the outliers that cause significant variance we come up with a much more manageable number. By removing the S39 Wild (2362 SHA), S40 Gladiators (2243 SHA), and S41 Outlaws (2582 SHA) we can trim the Shots Against variable down to 1823 +/- 172. Not by coincidence, these teams finished the lowest in the regular season for their respective years when considering legitimate playoff teams. With that in mind I don't feel bad about discounting those values since eight samples is still fairly significant for this near-impossible task.
 
 
The formula for determining Total Points For and thereby Goals For is far more pedestrian; no median and no standard deviation will be involved here. I will go through the "finalized" rosters of the VHLM teams and figure out this value by analyzing the players on the team and their respective past performances. The hardest part will be compensating for activity, change in team/line skill, line combinations, and for any of the VHLM rookies with no previous data. One thing I've learned from STHS in the past is that although hockey itself isn't an independent game, STHS can make it out to be at times. I've witnessed good players stranded on a poor team relatively keep up with their career pace in scoring time and time again. There are obviously always exceptions, but I personally believe this to be true. I will account a deviation of 10% both for and against based on skill changes within line combinations. Defense has effectively been taken care of with the Shots Against variable, though I have a standard deviation of +/- 172 to play with. With that in mind I will also try to factor in that deviation in the same manor as mentioned above for defensive pairings. CPU players will also have to be taken into account. This portion of the task will be the most monumental but may yield some interesting results.
 
In order to do this I've gone through the rosters of each team as they would appear at this very moment, barring future trades, player improvement, and waiver acquisitions - the following are my predictions for S42.
 

 
NORTH AMERICAN CONFERENCE
 
BRAMPTON BLADES

Season 42 should be the year for the Blades to come into their own in a very weakened North American Conference. With Mikko Koskinen (69G, 70A, 139P), Yannik Zug (25G, 80A, 105P), Valentin Taneyev (36G, 37A, 73P), Jack Harkness (21G, 75A, 96P), and Ivars Klajums (39W, 0.890%, 4.15GAA) all returning one could say that not a lot has changed in Brampton. That would be a very naive statement to make however. While they haven't stepped back in any one particular area, they have managed to improve mightily on both sides of the puck. With the acquisitions of Vincenzo Valentini (21G,12A, 33P), Travis Willcox (43G, 59A, 102P), E'Twaun Delicious (23G, 32A, 55P), and Bronson Faux up front it is rumored that Mikko Koskinen may be on his way out. The only place the Blades didn't manage to improve is between the pipes, though with Gunzerker Salvador patrolling the blueline it should take some of the pressure off of Klajums. I went with a reserved value of 930 points for the Blades this season since I didn't want to look to foolish and biased if they don't achieve what I think they can. That said, I think the true number should be somewhere around 1020 points. The Blades should take the North American Conference easily and contend for the Founder's Cup unless Fong goes crazy.
 
Prediction:
930P//338GF//220GA//118DIFF

OTTAWA LYNX
 
If I had said that the Ottawa Lynx were going to make the playoffs in Season 42 during their 3-win season last year people probably would have laughed at me...maybe they are right now? I don't know. Returning only Carl Sledgehammer (40G, 38A, 78P) and adding a whopping 12 new faces through various means, the Lynx are literally a whole new team. Newcomers like Thomas Duddy, Kewl Running, Pablo Escabar, and enforcer Doug Glatt give the Lynx a lot to look forward to. Duddy looks like a complete stud and should perform admirably on a roster with free agent acquisition Hunter Backenbauer (77G, 62A, 139P) and Legion prospect Benjamin Zeptenbergs (50G, 57A, 107P). Morgan and Escabar give them a defensive pairing, though Holy the Goalie is a big question mark. Whether he can supplant OTT G before the beginning of the season remains to be seen. I figured on a factor of 646 base points for this team but I'm expecting big things out of some of these young players by the end of the season.
 
Prediction:
726P//264GF//253 GA//11DIFF
 
Aside from the Lynx and Blades, the remainder of the North American Conference is looking pretty poor. Minot will probably snatch the final playoff spot on the merits of Jeltz and Wingate alone. Saskatoon and the Rush are going to have rough seasons.


EUROPEAN CONFERENCE
 
BRATISLAVA WATCHMEN
 
With their two biggest names in AIM-11 and Mario De Rossi gone, along with their combined 360 points, the landscape looks a little different in Bratislava heading into Season 42. Lord Karnage has also graduated to the big club and Jax Barnstormer appears to have moved on as well. Returning players to the Watchmen roster include Sam Teibert (59G, 79A, 138P), Kyle Kingma (66G, 55A, 121P), Superbman (21G, 57A, 78P), Sepp Reiter (2G, 22A, 24P), and Raphael Pettyfer (24G, 65A, 89P). I'm not going to lie, that's a far cry from the team they put on the ice last year. With a big hole in net, the loss of their top-two forwards, and best defenseman, Bratislava is going to have to bring in more than Paul Ready and Soren Douffet. Kingma, Pettyfer, and Teibert are more than serviceable as a top offensive unit in the VHLM and should continue to serve the Watchmen well into Season 42. Perhaps the biggest hole remains in net with Soren Douffet, who didn't play at all last season. When he did play in Season 40 he was extremely porous. A shadow of their former selves, though still dangerous, the Watchmen take a stumble but should emerge victorious in the European Conference.
 
Prediction:
934P//339GF//220GA//119DIFF
 
OSLO STORM
 
The Storm are returning Til Baumann (31G, 83A, 114P), Emidas Blair (59G, 55A, 114P), and Aleksander Petrov (30g, 58A, 88P) from their 22-win team in S41. With the loss of some of their top players like Splorg Hansburger and Alex Vaklav come some new faces who are destined to have some very positive effects. Defenseman Patrick Demko, the 4th overall selection in the S42 VHL Entry Draft, along with starting goaltender Coca Cola should shake things up in Oslo following a couple off season trades. While their offensive herd has been thinned, it should allow guys like Mairis Ziedins, Til Baumann, and Emidas Blair to take more of the load and step up. I personally don't see Heffley repeating the 111 point season he just had, but that might turn out to bite me. Demko will be a most-welcomed addition to an almost non-existent back end, while Cola doesn't have very big shoes to fill. OSL G cost the Storm a lot of games in S41 and Cola was brought in to give the team a chance.
 
Prediction:
760P//276GF//225GA//51DIFF
 

Jack Merica should be fun to watch in S42 as well
 
BERN ROYALS
 
The second worst team in the VHLM last season with only 7 wins, the Royals are looking to start turning things around in Season 42. With Atticus Finch (16G, 27A, 43P) and Severin Von Karma (17G, 36A, 53P) returning amongst a sea of fresh faces, things are looking brighter in Bern perhaps. With Ken Anderson, and Golden Jedtsson now added to the back end things should tighten up a little. Without a legitimate goaltender however, I doubt the Royals can make much of a splash. Newly-acquired forwards Josh Merica and Matej Nemecek are expected to takeover the offense moving forward. Merica seems like he has what it takes to make things happen at this level and I'm expecting Bern to win some games this season off of his stick. Bern and Moscow are likely to battle for the final playoff spot in the European Conference but I give Bern the upper hand.
 
Prediction:
630 points//229GF//287GA//-58 DIFF
 
The Outlaws are going to be near the bottom and Moscow could very well beat out Bern to make the playoffs and "surprise" me.
 
 

 

Jokes on you Canadian TPE is worth less than American TPE and English TPE is worthless.

I feel like these look better in PS, before I upload them >.>

He's been a member of the VHL for a few days over 2 months and since the day he joined, we feel it's safe to say he's come a long way. It's not easy to be a new member within a league such as the VHL, however, with the help of numerous generous and helpful he has slowly become a solid player within the league for his age. With extreme dedication and commitment and effort to better himself, along with missing only one opportunity to train, he has become a fairly well balanced goaltender who has the potential to see great success within the VHL. He was drafted 8th overall by the Stockholm Vikings which by our standards is excellent considering he was much later at entering the league than his fellow rival draftees. The future is bright for this young goalie so as long as he can maintain his fairly high level of performance and training but only time will really tell  if he has what it takes to truly be an elite goalie.
 
Blake Campbell:
 
Although the VHL draft was very successful for the young goalie, the VHLm dispersal draft was kind of the opposite. Campbell was not on the list and therefor had not been taken by any team during the draft. After talks with the league representatives, it was decided that Campbell were to become a Free Agent and was allowed to choose the team which he would like to play for during his final season within the VHLm. Within the last hour, Campbell had put light to the situation and let the teams, league and fans know what his decision was. This is what he had to say:
 

 
Blake Campbell:
 

 
Afterwards, Campbell's Agent made a brief statement following his players words stating that although they don't want to release any info regarding who has contacted himself regarding his client, he wants the organizations to know that each and everyone of them are up for equal consideration and that a decision will be made in a timely manner. Although unconfirmed, sources that know Blake Campbell are saying he is swaying towards a certain team.
 
Blake's friend:
 
ANNOUNCEMENT WILL LIKELY BE MADE MONDAY. Thanks
 
699 words - 3 pics - Thanks
 

Player Name: Valentin Taneyev
VHL Team: Stockholm Vikings
Cash you have: $4,000,000
Purchase Name: Point Task Upgrade & VHL.com/Radio Upgrade
Cost of Purchase: $4,000,000 (2M each)
Cash Left: $0

In this trade we have Olso picking up recent Helsinki acquisition and 4th overall pick in the S42 VHL Entry Draft, Patrick Demko (18G, 29A, 47P). This trade leaves a big hole defensively for the rush moving forward leaving Stockholm prospect Ken Anderson tending the blue line. Based on the shape of Yukon's roster at the moment and the fact that they are trading for future picks makes it fairly obvious that they are entering a re-tooling phase. Jeltz and Patton should be solid for them however. On the flip side of the coin here the Oslo Storm have no first or second round picks in what is expected to be a loaded S42 VHLM Dispersal Draft. Add in the fact that they sacrificed a first and third for the next draft and it seems obvious that the Storm are making a play for the post-season. Adding a high-talent defenseman like Demko definitely increases the hope for success in such an endeavor. Having just picked up a decent VHLM starting goalie in Coca Cola and some offensive muscle with the addition of Maris Ziedins, the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together for the Storm.
 

In this deal Moscow picks up the 4th overall pick in the quickly approaching S42 VHLM Dispersal Draft at a fairly steep price. Trading away their starting goaltender and top offensive player, Moscow looks to be transitioning. Oslo picks up two key pieces to their imminent playoff run with Stockholm prospect Coca Cola (29-36-2, .877%, 5.17 GAA) who started 68 games for the Red Wolves in S41, and Maris Ziedins (62G, 85A, 147P). The Red Wolves now have two first rounders heading into the draft.
 

Looking to build purely off of the S42 draft (I'm assuming), Moscow picks up two stop gaps in this deal that send off their first and second in S43 for Gunnar Skovsgard (59-11-2, .913%, 2.14GAA) and VHLM veteran Kayl Kuzie (11G, 7A, 18P). It appears that neither player attends practice anymore, though Skovsgard should be an improvement over Coca Cola. Paying a steeper price than they received from Oslo for arguably their best two players, the Red Wolves fill some holes and improve in net. Hopefully they can add the needed elements in the draft. Saskatoon gets some potentially highly profitably picks provided the Red Wolves' plans don't pan out in S42.
 

If it wasn't obvious with the last trade, Saskatoon leaves no doubt with this one; they are in full-on tank mode. Looking to build off of the S43 draft (for which they don't have their own first) they send off VHLM veteran offensive defenseman Gunzerker Salvador (42G, 57A, 99P) and the Titans' S42 second round pick Travis Willcox (43G, 59A, 102P) for the first and fourth round picks of an almost guaranteed playoff team. Nothing like putting all your eggs in one basket. Lets hope for Saskatoon's sake that the S43 draft is as loaded as the S42 crop. With the additions of Willcox and Salvador, coupled with the additions of Taneyev and Nemeck at the deadline, Brampton is in full-on attack mode heading for S42. Brampton manages to bolster their roster while still retaining three first rounders and a second rounder heading into the draft.
 

Ottawa, being in more need of quantity than quality opts to trade the first overall pick in exchange for two of Brampton's three first rounders. Brampton adds the ability to draft the best available player, further bolstering their playoff push - while also maintaining another first round pick. Ottawa now has two first rounders and three second rounders heading into the draft as the Lynx look to fill the dressing room back up.

In this trade we have Olso picking up recent Helsinki acquisition and 4th overall pick in the S42 VHL Entry Draft, Patrick Demko (18G, 29A, 47P). This trade leaves a big hole defensively for the rush moving forward leaving Stockholm prospect Ken Anderson tending the blue line. Based on the shape of Yukon's roster at the moment and the fact that they are trading for future picks makes it fairly obvious that they are entering a re-tooling phase. Jeltz and Patton should be solid for them however. On the flip side of the coin here the Oslo Storm have no first or second round picks in what is expected to be a loaded S42 VHLM Dispersal Draft. Add in the fact that they sacrificed a first and third for the next draft and it seems obvious that the Storm are making a play for the post-season. Adding a high-talent defenseman like Demko definitely increases the hope for success in such an endeavor. Having just picked up a decent VHLM starting goalie in Coca Cola and some offensive muscle with the addition of Maris Ziedins, the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together for the Storm.
 

In this deal Moscow picks up the 4th overall pick in the quickly approaching S42 VHLM Dispersal Draft at a fairly steep price. Trading away their starting goaltender and top offensive player, Moscow looks to be transitioning. Oslo picks up two key pieces to their imminent playoff run with Stockholm prospect Coca Cola (29-36-2, .877%, 5.17 GAA) who started 68 games for the Red Wolves in S41, and Maris Ziedins (62G, 85A, 147P). The Red Wolves now have two first rounders heading into the draft.
 

Looking to build purely off of the S42 draft (I'm assuming), Moscow picks up two stop gaps in this deal that send off their first and second in S43 for Gunnar Skovsgard (59-11-2, .913%, 2.14GAA) and VHLM veteran Kayl Kuzie (11G, 7A, 18P). It appears that neither player attends practice anymore, though Skovsgard should be an improvement over Coca Cola. Paying a steeper price than they received from Oslo for arguably their best two players, the Red Wolves fill some holes and improve in net. Hopefully they can add the needed elements in the draft. Saskatoon gets some potentially highly profitably picks provided the Red Wolves' plans don't pan out in S42.
 

If it wasn't obvious with the last trade, Saskatoon leaves no doubt with this one; they are in full-on tank mode. Looking to build off of the S43 draft (for which they don't have their own first) they send off VHLM veteran offensive defenseman Gunzerker Salvador (42G, 57A, 99P) and the Titans' S42 second round pick Travis Willcox (43G, 59A, 102P) for the first and fourth round picks of an almost guaranteed playoff team. Nothing like putting all your eggs in one basket. Lets hope for Saskatoon's sake that the S43 draft is as loaded as the S42 crop. With the additions of Willcox and Salvador, coupled with the additions of Taneyev and Nemeck at the deadline, Brampton is in full-on attack mode heading for S42. Brampton manages to bolster their roster while still retaining three first rounders and a second rounder heading into the draft.
 

Ottawa, being in more need of quantity than quality opts to trade the first overall pick in exchange for two of Brampton's three first rounders. Brampton adds the ability to draft the best available player, further bolstering their playoff push - while also maintaining another first round pick. Ottawa now has two first rounders and three second rounders heading into the draft as the Lynx look to fill the dressing room back up.

Little-Known Taneyev Looking Forward to S42
Dean Arbuckle for VHL.com
 
With the S41 off season well underway, everyone is focused on getting ready for S42. General managers are busier than possibly any other time throughout the season. Scouts are making their final evaluations heading into the draft and contract talks start up once again. For some players their only focus is on staying in shape and preparing for training camp. Brampton Blades winger Valentin Taneyev is one of those players.

"My contract is zipped up for the next year or more, I know where I'll be playing next season... Unless I'm traded again (laughs). This off season should be pretty simple," he told VHL.com analyst Dean Arbuckle during a phone interview.

Taneyev, who was drafted by the Turku Outlaws and subsequently dealt to Brampton around the deadline is looking forward to S42. Making a massive improvement over his development year in the VHLM, finishing with 73 points (36G, 37A), he thinks the future in Brampton looks bright.

"We've got a lot of returning players, as far as I know, and we had a good all-around team last year. Goaltending was a consistent issue but I'm confident that the management team and coaching staff can get that sorted out. I'm hoping to be able to contribute more consistently myself next year and plan to work with Tyler (Vassell) throughout the off season. Probably the biggest thing I'm looking forward to as we head towards next season is the opportunity to be at camp in Stockholm. I feel like I can learn a great deal from some of the players there and judge where I'm at developmentally moving forward."

For those that don't know, Taneyev was drafted in the third round of the S41 VHL Entry Draft by the Stockholm Vikings at 27th overall.

The Blades held onto the 3rd spot in the North American Conference last season, beating out the Minot Gladiators by the slimmest of margins; 1 point! Finishing the season with 37 wins and a playoff berth was a high point for the team who has been on the bubble all season. However, most hopes were dashed after they were swept in 4 games by the superior Wild.

Tightening the Loose Ends


With only 20 games left to play in the VHLM regular season it appears as though the Minot Gladiators will return to the playoffs. Sporting a 31-19-2 record with 64 points and a 17 point margin over the third-place Yukon Rush, it's safe to say that Minot will host some playoff hockey in Season 40. The real question is whether or not the Gladiators will be able to do anything with the Wild in the post season. So far in the regular season the the two teams have met ten times with the Wild coming out on top in six of those games. In order to make the eventual series interesting and anything other than a potential route, there are some things that the Gladiators need to get working.



One of the biggest problems with the Gladiators offense has to be the production of their third line. Anchored by underachieving first-string center Rift Pajodcast (52GP, 15G, 36A, 51P) and filled in with Edgar Balthazar (18GP 1G, 6A, 7P), and Valentin Taneyev (34GP, 4G, 2A, 6P), the trio hasn't managed any sort of reliable production. Eating up around 30% of ice-time for the Gladiators and only accounting for 20 goals (that's counting Rift's work on the top offensive unit as well) this unit is in sorry shape. It would make sense if this line was used as a shutdown or checking line but that just isn't the case.


I spoke with Valentin Taneyev's agent Tyler Vassell about the situation and what he can determine. As the son of former VHL hall-of-fame member Maxim Desny, Taneyev certainly isn't living up to his pedigree.



"There's no doubt Valentin has been off to a slow start this season. We always hear about the troubles of foreign, especially European, players to translate their game to the dump-and-chase style predominantly played in North America. Even though the VHL is based in both North America and Europe, the North American product tends to dominate. Being on the third unit doesn't offer Valentin a lot of ability to play his style of hockey. He's having a rough go at the moment but is still optimistic that he'll be able to adapt and thrive in time for the draft," explained player-agent Tyler Vassell.


With only 20 games left in the regular season players like Taneyev, who are relied upon to get things done even with restricted ice-time, need to find their stride and offer a boost to the Gladiators. At this point it's not only the plight of the Gladiators in the balance but also his draft stock.


"I am a team player and want to see the Gladiators succeed in the playoffs but it has been my dream to follow in my father's footsteps and play in the VHL. If given better opportunities in this league I'm certain that I could be a valuable, productive member of the Gladiators' organization. In my current capacity I'm working to be as productive as possible, despite the limitations," claims Valentin Taneyev.


A big positive for the Gladiators moving forward is the addition of VHLM rookie goaltender David Blind twenty-three games ago. Since his arrival the team has gone 15-7-1, allowing only 90 goals through his short tenure thus far. Former starter Jose Canseco had done a fairly formidable job up until Blind's arrival, going 16-12-1, though the team has seemingly rallied around Blind.



Whether or not the Gladiators can get the loose ends tightened up in time for the playoffs will ultimately determine their future success.

Not much is known about the Russian-born junior player Valentin Taneyev who declared for the VHLM this week. Through research and contact with Taneyev, VHLM scouts have discovered that the 6'3" Russian winger may have HOF pedigree. Taneyev's mother, a Moscow-based escort, has claimed that Valentin is the child of Russian hero and VHL HOFer Maxim Desny. According to his mother, her encounter with Desny occurred somewhere between the S19 off season and early S20 - making Desny ~38 at the time.
 
We have been unable to contact the S2 and S5 Tretiak Trophy recipient for comment on the matter. A paternity test is being performed currently with some hairs found in an old jock that Desny left behind in Helsinki. Desny was quite possibly the best goalie the VHL witnessed in it's first era. Despite never being able to drink from the Victory Cup, Desny was a member of the Titans who reached the finals twice, won two Tretiak's, a Howe Trophy, a Sam Pollock Trophy, made three all-star appearances, and earned a silver medal with team Scandinavia in the World Cup. Desny had quite possibly the best name in the league as well. 
 
It'll take two weeks for the results of the paternity test results to come back.

Not much is known about the Russian-born junior player Valentin Taneyev who declared for the VHLM this week. Through research and contact with Taneyev, VHLM scouts have discovered that the 6'3" Russian winger may have HOF pedigree. Taneyev's mother, a Moscow-based escort, has claimed that Valentin is the child of Russian hero and VHL HOFer Maxim Desny. According to his mother, her encounter with Desny occurred somewhere between the S19 off season and early S20 - making Desny ~38 at the time.
 
We have been unable to contact the S2 and S5 Tretiak Trophy recipient for comment on the matter. A paternity test is being performed currently with some hairs found in an old jock that Desny left behind in Helsinki. Desny was quite possibly the best goalie the VHL witnessed in it's first era. Despite never being able to drink from the Victory Cup, Desny was a member of the Titans who reached the finals twice, won two Tretiak's, a Howe Trophy, a Sam Pollock Trophy, made three all-star appearances, and earned a silver medal with team Scandinavia in the World Cup. Desny had quite possibly the best name in the league as well. 
 
It'll take two weeks for the results of the paternity test results to come back.