Renomitsu

Another big game for power play - well done by the Bulls.

Poor Sunny. What did they do to deserve this onslaught? ?

Much closer game than I expected, but yeah, another great game from Freeman!

Still Wet Behind the Ears - S66's Best 'First-Gens' Saskatoon, SK - Being the new kid on the block is never easy. Your new 'friends' don't quite understand you, and you've got a few precious days to adapt to a whole new environment. Some of the league's best prospects this season are in fact its newest members, thanks to the league's @Recruitment Crew . There were, in fact, so many that we couldn't even fit half of those above 100 TPE into this article. Since our last few articles were about finding 'value' and 'reach' picks in this year's deep draft class, we need to pay our dues and look at the best with this one. Without further ado - Reddit, SBA, EFL, other VHL members - show us your recruiting skills. This is the cream of the crop - new agent edition. C Maximilian Kirbsson @Kirby Houston Bulls | 6’0” | 195 lbs. S65 WJC (Team Europe Selection) TPE: 225 (+28 from week ending 3/17-week ending 3/31) The prospect on this list with the most raw talent, Maximilian Kirbsson is a Swedish center who got his start in the VHL/M with an agent who is most notable for managing gunslinging LSU QB Jake Luck and Syracuse Orange scorer JK Kirby. It’s easy to see, based on this breakthrough agent’s player activity, that he’s Kirbsson is quite likely to stick around for the long haul; the 18-year-old has even overtaken fellow Bull Kari Jurri in draft stock – which is hard enough to do provided there are only a select couple ahead of him now. He’s secured a $750,000 endorsement from Ferda Apparel alongside buddy Kari Jurri (covered below). In addition to being a breakout draftee, he’s a bit of a sweetheart, citing an adorable interaction with a new fan just a couple of weeks ago. The attention is well-deserved, as Kirbsson led the VHLM in points at the time. It’s hard to argue with stats and results – as the Houston squad presently sits third in the league with 68 points. Admittedly he’s not much of a hidden gem, as he was taken in the first round of the S65 VHLM Draft, but he’ll make any general manager who picks him in the first round rest easy. Projection: Top 4 LW Julius Freeman @rjfryman Halifax 21st | 6’3” | 210 lbs. S65 WJC (Team World Selection) TPE: 233 (+47) Our first American on the list, Julius Freeman has had just a few articles about his soaring draft stock; we won’t belabor the point here. Agent @rjfryman appears to be something of a newcomer to player management, but it hasn’t shown to be a detriment as of yet: Freeman is expected to be a clear-cut first round draft pick, and Halifax likely securing the top playoff seed is even more promising for this left winger. While his +/- (+25) and points per game (76) are impressive to begin with, Freeman’s also accrued 7 game-winning goals over the stretch, so he clearly has the intangibles to go with his high-quality offensive abilities. Projection: Top 6 RW Mikko Aaltonen (@GRZ) Las Vegas Aces | 6’3” | 200 lbs. S65 WJC (Team Europe Selection) TPE: 223 (+42) Aaltonen – whom you may have heard speak just earlier this week shouting out a few 'sleeper' picks in this year’s draft – is the shiny new toy and offensive standout for the high-rolling Aces. Formerly of the Philadelphia Reapers, this young Finnish forward has a stat line that is a result of his time on both the Reapers and Aces. He’s comfortably on pace for over one point a game (58 GP, 70 P) but sports a less-than-ideal -18 while on the ice. Recent success with the Aces has shored this +/- up a bit, and the Aces’ placement at 4th in the league puts them just a handful of points above the Rush and Lynx. Mikko is a traditional two-way forward, with a skill set that mirrors many other top forwards in the draft; he leans a bit more towards raw scorer but has shown flashes of excellence on defense this season that should have GMs chomping at the bit to draft him. If his own confidence is anything to go by, Aaltonen has a place in the league for seasons to come. Agent @GRZ has @hejta to thank for his introduction to the league, though the latter seems to have removed himself from agent duties in recent weeks. Projection: Top 6 Above: Owen May, not-so-shamelessly taken from his agent's signature G Owen May @FacebookFighter Houston Bulls | 6’2” | 180 lbs. S65 WJC (Team Europe Selection) TPE: 191 (+44) In my Hidden Gems review of the S66 draft, we passed over Owen May in favor of coverage of Rush goalie Clayton Park – but now May gets additional spotlight. Interestingly, Owen May has been projected in multiple mock drafts to overtake standout Wendy Kandee Cain, a reversal of most talking heads’ opinions on the matter from a few weeks prior. To push the point further – he’s actually been projected as early as the 5th overall pick to the Malmö Nighthawks for the S66 Entry Draft. Like defense, the goalie cohort in this draft is quite thin – and with agent @FacebookFighter brand new to the scene, May’s high draft stock is something to be admired. Like a few others on this list, May has the opportunity to play in the S65 World Juniors, which begin shortly; the Swiss netminder sits behind JB Rift, and will likely see a few games’ worth of time on the ice over the course of the tournament. Projection: 1st Round RW Arnor Sigurdsson @bluesfan55 Yukon Rush | 6’4” | 205 lbs. S65 WJC (Team Europe Selection) TPE: 202 (+43) Sigurdsson is a two-sport forward from Iceland, with experience here in hockey and formerly as a physical centre-forward for Valùr Reykjavik’s youth football team. Though Iceland is hardly a VHL staple, this draftee has shown close to point-per-game production (57 GP, 54 P) on a struggling Yukon Rush team. He has repeatedly shown a game resembling the prototypical power forward, with the build of a defenseman and some skills to match (67 CK, 70 ST, 66 PH) on top of excellent scoring potential. The Rush have a potent offensive attack in general – and Sigurdsson has had to share the limelight with Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Anthony Matthews, and John Frostbeard (whom we’ll discuss a bit later). With a rare skillset it’s rather difficult to predict where GMs will take the young forward; he’s certainly among rare company with an unusual defensive skillset. Will this increase his draft stock, or will GMs be a bit more conservative? My guess is, in spite of his (possible first-round) talent, some GMs may shy away a bit as they try to figure out exactly how a player like Sigurdsson works in the VHL. But if Sigurdsson slips into the second round as we suspect he may, he’d be one hell of a steal. There’s nothing better for a GM than a talented player with a chip on their shoulder. Projection: Late 1st/Early 2nd Round LW Kari Jurri @hockeyis66 Houston Bulls | 6’3” | 210 lbs. S65 WJC (Team Europe Selection) TPE: 209 (+14) Next on our list is Kirbsson’s teammate and Ferda Apparel winger Kari Jurri. Like Kirbsson, Jurri has a multi-sport agent – and he represents two-way Syracuse F Championship Defense. Though initially an Oslo signee, this young Dutch forward was also drafted by the Bulls just two picks after Kirbsson; frankly, the two forwards have been one of the most lethal combinations in the VHLM today. Jurri presently sits at 83 points on the season (36 G, 47 A) that slots him at about 1.5 P/gm and a respectable +25 while on the ice. Agent @hockeyis66 seems to have a penchant for two-way players, as he’s capable of defending, passing, scoring, and skillfully skating around opposing defenders. Provided his success so far, Jurri’s agent seems to have a winning formula. In spite of his prior clumsiness on the ice (in fact once being described as a freight train, the winger shows plenty of promise for the VHL. His draft stock is quite high – the vast majority of mock drafts have him going in the first round – but he likely does not carry the same clout as his fellow Bulls forward. At the very least, he hasn’t been as much of a media darling and is in fact relatively reserved with the press. Projection: Late 1st Round LW/C Bert Meyers @RunnerBert11 Minnesota Storm | 6’1” | 175 lbs. S65 WJC (Team Asia Selection) TPE: 197 (+50) The first on this list to be below the 200 TPE cap, Meyers embodies the phrase ‘jack of all trades, master of none.’ Capable of scoring, passing, winning a faceoff, blocking and handling pucks, and defending, there’s very little Bert can’t do. Even his points are split nearly evenly (19 G, 21 A) while playing for a Minnesota Storm team that has made every move possible to win a VHLM title this season. It’s worth noting that Meyers is certainly on the light side of the player base – at 175 lbs., some GMs may have concerns about his ability to stay on the puck if pressured by some of the league’s heavier defenders. A native Wisconsinite, Irish twin, and S65 VHLM draftee, he’s one of the more experienced prospects and has 58 games under his belt – and he’ll be utilizing that experience as he makes the transition from LW => per a recent press release. Agent @RunnerBert11 has taken on a number of responsibilities after seemingly coming to the VHL out of nowhere: among them is Assistant GM-ship for the Saskatoon Wild, and Bert is certain to benefit from his agent’s understanding of the game. Meyers’s agent’s actions may in fact boost the winger’s draft stock itself, as taking on any type of GM role signals a long-term investment in the league. Projection: Late 1st Round D Charlie Paddywagon @DMaximus Las Vegas Aces | 6’4” | 208 lbs. S65 WJC (Team USA Selection) TPE: 186 (+44) I've actually already written about breakout defenseman Charlie Paddywagon, but sometimes one shout-out isn’t enough. His agent @DMaximus, like the last few entries on this list, seemingly appeared out of nowhere – but that hasn’t stopped the Irishman from being labeled with star potential over the last few weeks. He’s attracted enough attention with his fashion sense to be interviewed and featured by Style Magazine, and is in fact the third of our draftees listed here to receive a Ferda Apparel endorsement. And if other brands were hoping to feature Paddywagon in the near future, that’s too bad – he’s locked in to his Ferda endorsement for the next three seasons. Advertising aside, Charlie’s defense has improved to VHL starter-comparable levels (90 DF, 70 ST); while his offensive repertoire still needs some work, it would see as though this 47th-overall S65 VHLM pick is set to prove the league a newbie defenseman can still make it big. Projection: Early 2nd Round D Jerry Garcia @GustavMattias Houston Bulls | 6’1” | 194 lbs. S65 WJC (Team USA Selection) TPE: 182 (+48) Like fellow defenseman Charlie Paddywagon, I’ve already written about Jerry Garcia – but he’s appeared in BOTH of my previous long-form articles. He’s recently declared his affinity for Helsinki, Seattle, and recently-announced expansion team Malmö as his preferred destinations. As one of the top few defensemen in this draft and as part of a seemingly star-studded Houston roster, GMs are sure to be listening. Let’s not beat a dead horse – Garcia knows what he’s doing, I just secretly wanted to ping @GustavMattias again. Projection: Early 2nd Round RW Nethilia Dissanayake @nethi99 Saskatoon Wild | 6’8” | 197 lbs. TPE: 164 (+32) The lone Asian player on this list, the exceedingly-tall and lanky Nethila Dissanayake hails from Colombo, Sri Lanka. He’s the last of our ‘agents-from-nowhere’ to appear here, and for good reason – he’s one of the better forwards on a rising (but recently-struggling) Saskatoon team, and the lone Wild player to appear on this list. Perhaps most significantly, he’s the first-ever Sri Lankan to play for the VHLM. He has a lengthy history with hockey, winning 3 cups with the Alabama State Hornets during his college days and had a burgeoning career with the Prince Albert Raiders in the CHL. Overall, Dissanayake has been one of the more productive members of the Wild, securing 69 (nice) points (28 G, 41 A) in just 58 games. He was the 32nd overall selection in last season’s Dispersal Draft, and appears to be on-pace to improve that stock tremendously for the Entry Draft. Projection: Late 2nd Round [>2,100 words; will claim as needed through June]

Haha yeah I know, I just don't know how to feel about this loss. I'm just bamboozled by the sheer unlikeliness of a game like this! I appreciate the help regardless.

How am I supposed to feel when all of our players are +0 to +2 and we lose by 4 goals? I'm so confused.

Well this is a pretty awful result, yeesh. A hat trick for Yukon and it wasn't even on HHH.

+4... Frostbeard and HHH are proving to be big for Yukon! Just more proof that this draft is gonna be absurdly deep.

Yeesh, Sam Sparrow with a bunch of points AND the enforcer role... 6 hits is a lot.

Storm proving to be exactly what they planned on. Wouldn't be surprised if they end up in the final.

Iffy game by HHH but Matthews really stepped it up!

the myth

Surprised the Lynx can still keep it close with Las Vegas after selling off everyone, but good for them. Saskatoon have our work cut out for us if we wanna make the playoffs, that's for sure.

Storm with a great performance on PP/PK. Don't see a win like this vs. Halifax very often, that's for sure

Great games for Juan and Edgar! Definitely needed this win going down the stretch.

Ugh, another rough match vs. Halifax. Have to get our stuff together

Wait a minute, I'm not allowed any hype. That's illegal! I'm not sure I'm worth a first round pick, but I appreciate the write up. Hopefully I can make this ridiculously deep draft class proud.

Absolutely I can - I'll see if I can find time this upcoming week. If so, I'll probably post it on Thursday/Friday!

Not so great on the PK ? Also didn't know you could get ejected, yikes

Posting for claim #3 (Week Ending 4/7)

266 New York Americans @ Moscow Menace 267 Seattle Bears @ Helsinki Titans 268 Riga Reign @ New York Americans 269 Vancouver Wolves @ Toronto Legion

double post, sorry

Seattle 4-2

Saskatoon, SK – Saskatoon’s upswing is happening a little slower than expected. “A couple of not-so-great losses recently,” commented Saskatoon D Apollo Hackett, “but it happens. The VHLM is a fast-paced league and there have to be stretches where we’re a little behind, and other times when we’re a few goals ahead.” A stretch with several quality points against the Yukon Rush and Ottawa Lynx initially proved highly encouraging for the Canadian squad, which had just signed and traded for a multitude of S65/66 draftees within the last season. Recently, however, several tough losses against Minnesota (35-15-4) and Halifax (36-15-3) has briefly unsettled some players. “We as defenders have to take some responsibility – you don’t get a 6-7 loss without allowing 7 goals,” Hackett remarked, referring to a recent loss to the Storm. “Juan [Jaundice, goalie] has to take on way more shots than he needs to, and that falls to us as a unit. We're a good VHLM squad -- now we just have to show it.” Since making a few trades early in the season, the Wild have struggled to make up significant deficits in W/L points. They presently sit seventh in the league, two points behind the Rush (26-24-4) and five points behind the Lynx (28-23-3) and Aces (27-22-5). The Lynx recently traded away Jack Lynch and D Codrick Past in a fire sale late last week – signaling a potential end to their playoff hopes. So long as they’re ahead of the Rush and Wild, however, their championship hopes stay alive. The Wild have their work cut out for them – as they have the 21st yet again in a rematch of yesterday’s game, followed by the Aces and Rush.

Oh man, could you imagine if Thunder Bay made a sim league return?