Renomitsu

Secret Agent Malmö trying to secure the standings for us. Much appreciated, our feathered European friends!

Not going to do anything news article-like for this one - and I'll probably formulate my thoughts a little more clearly in a media spot if I manage to post one this week. Expansion was always going to happen; nobody (except for the admins, BoG, and VHL GMs) had information on it - but it was a question of when rather than if. The league has increased membership far too quickly to keep the state of the league the same as it has been for even the last few seasons, and that's provided Malmo and Moscow were expansion teams of their own. In many ways, expansion of the league is an awesome boon - it means newer members will realistically see ice time, and the tensions from stockpiling draft picks with few real roster spots (4th line minutes with no PP/PK doesn't count in most members' eyes) are relieved to an extent. As absurd as it sounds, I think the VHL will stay at 12 teams for a while. The sizes of the draft class have stabilized, and the admins no doubt have statistics on member retention % and duration. It's not as if we have wildly-fluctuating 60-150 player entry drafts - they tend to hover around 90-100, and the last several members tend to drop off before the draft even happens anyways. The next big topic of discussion (for my next article at least) will be who's going to be taken in the expansion draft.

1. The trade deadline recently passed, if you could add any player in the league to Riga via trade, who would it be and why? I like our team right now. With the recent position switches, I think it's important to establish some stability in our lineup, so I wouldn't recommend adding any players. 2. What is the best team logo in the VHL/VHLM? Other than our own, definitely Davos and Malmo. 3. What team logo should be re-branded, and why? I would've said Halifax, but now I don't think any of them need re-branding. The "R" in the Rush logo might be one of the ones I like least, but it's recognizable and effective. 4. Ryan Kastelic recently changed from defense to center, if you had to change your position- what would you choose and why? I feel like I could effectively stay as a defenseman but become an entirely different player just by pumping scoring to 90. I'm a defensive fanatic, so either offensive defenseman or grinder-style forward would be my position 'changes'. I don't think there's much of a place for the latter in the VHL, though. 5. As of today, who is your MVP of Riga? Kriketers is the obvious choice, but the whole dynamic and win trajectory of our team changed after Kastelic switched to Center, so let's say him. 6. What team is the ideal first round opponent against Riga in the playoffs? Anyone but Davos. I'd take Toronto before Davos. I think the curse is real. 7. What player in the league has surprised you the most this season? Definitely @Phil Marleau. He's a rookie, was asked to take on big minutes on an expansion team, and has filled Malmo's need for defensive depth beautifully. He's the league leader in hits, even. 8. What user can you see being the next VHL GM? (Tag them) @BladeMaiden, of course. I don't think that's surprising to anyone. Sustained success as a VHLM GM, well-liked, has a great locker room, runs an LR podcast. I think it's a no-brainer. 9. You'll be attending Hogwarts in the fall but instead of choosing an animal as your pet you have to pick a Pokemon instead, which Pokemon do you choose and why? Espeon: it's the best eeveelution, has a sleek and intuitive visual design, and psychic was one of the most overpowered types in 1st generation. 10. What House does the Sorting Hat assign to you and your Pokemon? Ravenclaw. I've been sorted into Ravenclaw every time I've tried the test, and Espeon is a great pick for my house too.

hah, no - I like the points and hits more than slightly fewer penalties. I've had my fair share of 4 PIM games too!

Another day, another European shootout that goes the distance Sure feels like the #1 seed is going to be a toss up.

Another good game for Davos, especially Davis. Hopefully they can steal some wins from Moscow/Helsinki too!

Pretty lopsided PIMs here - we have to make sure we're actually giving Kriketers a chance before he gets ousted, huh? We'll get them next time.

Great to see even strength and a shorthanded goal for us in this one. Means we're keeping up toe to toe across the roster!

? How much insight can we really gain from a game like this, anyways? Malmo will really hit its stride in a couple of seasons.

I mean, as much as I want an upset from Davos, there's a reason it would be an upset vs. a regular ol' win. You'll just have to get 'em next time, secret agent Dynamo.

Points for everyone! @Velevra reminding everyone he's an absurdly high TPE player in a big way, geez

Funk playing like a champ in this one. Thanks for the standings help Seattle ?

@BladeMaiden what did we do to invoke your wrath? ?

Really close game. I think we can still work on evening out that shot count, but I'm very happy with this result.

we're inching ever closer to Helsinki... Nice work secret agent Davos

@Patpou22 can I get some of those cookies though

it's okay Gustav, we can sit in defenseman mediocrity together #fixthelottery

A win's a win - and I'll always take it over the alternative - but 2 razor-thin wins against a team with a 478-TPE player as their highest isn't ideal. Gotta aim high

Wtf is going on with our team ?_? I don't like these past 2 games

Fine, I'll take the win. But I don't like relying completely on powerplay to keep it close - we should be doing better.

Calgary 4-2

291 Vancouver Wolves @ Calgary Wranglers 292 Riga Reign @ Toronto Legion 293 Malmo Nighthawks @ HC Davos Dynamo 294 Helsinki Titans @ Moscow Menace

RIP, this was about as Vancouver could expect to get with a really young goalie I think.

My guy @nethi99 squeezing two points in 19 minutes! Americans did a pretty good job against Helsinki, all things considered. Score looks ugly, but they held their own for sure.

@Rayzor_7 clutching out another win for Seattle in spite of a 10 shot differential. WP to both teams.