Gudnason

Oh whoops was paying attention to the minors last little while. Didn't Stockholm beat New York in the STHS Finals?

Shutout vs Vikings

Why is @Ahma scoring on even strength?!

Would have been nice if Holik put in such a performance a few finals back eh?

Only 1 assist but 9 shots blocked I'm satisfied @Beketov

MT Power 0-8 this year, should have saved him for Cologne

2nd goal of the season and now 3-for-3 in shootouts, what more could you ask for?

@Beketov you shutout Cologne!!

@Ahma @Smarch @BOOM ACES REPRESENT

.947 for V2A! Shootout wins over Cologne... Trust the process.

Hol1k

Same I PM'ed him early and forgot to answer. Well that's 1 TPE off the season leaderboard.

Well in the VHLM they were set so I couldn't even set them like that. Not the case here it seems...?

Takes an attribute hit

Pretty sure the S54 recruitment drive is over

Pavel Komar... Lyle Smallwood!!

Love the mention!

Rudi Ying shocked quite a few people after he only signed a one-year contract with the Riga Reign this past offseason despite being drafted fourth overall in the S55 VHL Entry Draft. This means he will be a restricted free agent after the season, and while Riga still has the opportunity, and final say, in whether they want to keep him or not, other teams will be open to handing the Chinese forward offer sheets for Riga to match. Rumours have been swirling that Ying hasn't totally committed to the Riga franchise yet, but that does not mean he won't be in the Riga organization beyond this season. It may be just a case of Ying keeping all his options open, and taking things on a year-to-year basis, rather than committing to the franchise for three years right off the bat as almost all rookies do. Although Ying has connections with the Cologne organization, it is understood that it would not be legal for him to sign with the Express as a free agent this offseason due to complicated league rules. Other teams do interest Ying, such as the upstart Toronto Legion, the almost-always-contending New York Americans, and their hated rivals, the Quebec City Meute, to name a few. Ying's performances so far in general have been very lackluster to say the least. A disappointing VHLM season with the Las Vegas Aces last year, a pointless showing at the World Cup this past offseason, and a horrendous start to the VHLM campaign right now with his two shootout goals being the only statistics of note have only been salvaged by his strong playoff performance last season as he got carried to the Founders Cup by his Aces' teammates. There are also concerns about how long Ying can share a locker room with Markus King, as it is understood that these two players are not particularly fond of each other, as they have both made snark comments at each other in the media. It doesn't help that these two player agencies have had a long-lasting feud in the past, so the latest controversies between these two parties have only stood to add fuel to the fire. Ying doesn't want to let his team down, especially as the Reign drafted him quite high at fourth overall, but at the scouting combine team psychologists have understood that Ying, while not necessarily selfish, would never sacrifice his personal interests for the sake of others. That would mean that if there were greener pastures available elsewhere, Ying would do his due diligence to pursue those opportunities, and let the organizations battle within the rulebook to obtain his rights, possibly through compensating the Reign franchise to do so. 452 words, for Ying

*for Stolzschweiger

Jakab Holik has a single shutout to show for eight games into this young season. He has allowed single goals against the Calgary Wranglers, Toronto Legion, and Riga Reign (twice). That means with a bit better concentration and mental toughness, Holik could have easily had five shutouts by now and be second all-time on the shutouts list. The only shutout he has managed this season is at home against the HC Dynamo, when he stopped all twelve shots heading his way. Holik and his Americans will be playing the Cologne Express twice in the next few games, so that represents a good opportunity, if he gets it. Since backup MT Power has yet to play a game this season, it is not known when he will be scheduled to play those eight games. Of note, New York has also yet to play the Seattle Bears, so Holik could easily get back on track for more shutouts if the opportunities arise, and he takes advantage of them. *for Ying

With the S54 World Cup having come and now gone, we can officially start talking about the S56 World Cup. Today, we will specifically talk about some of the S47 and S48 players that will not be eligible to play in the next edition, and see who are their potential replacements down the line. Felipe Rodriguez - Fredinamijs Krigars The veteran Quebec City Meute scored some clutch goals for Team World this past tournament, but the free-shooting second-year Latvian Fredinamijs Krigars should fill that role just fine in two years' time. Originally named to the tournament before being dropped for fellow youngster Rudi Ying, neither player managed a point in the entire tournament, but look for that to change as these two future superstars will shine a long time both for Riga and Team World. Jakab Holik - Astrid Moon The veteran Czech netminder will be hanging up his skates (and pads) after this season, and despite failing to lead his team to a third straight medal, Holik will get one more chance to go out with a bang as he ends his career with the New York Americans. Team World has a lot of depth in net behind Holik, and as it stands right now, Astrid Moon will be the next in line with his amazing form as of late. Timely heroics in the playoffs last season carried over to a strong showing at the World Cup, and the goaltender from Shanghai is currently atop most leaderboards in the young season. Moon will lead the charge for an emerging hockey powerhouse in China as his fellow comrades Fook Yu, Ho Lee Fook, and the aforementioned Ying will all be gunning for spots in two years' time. Unassisted - Shawn Gretzky/Marc-Alexandre Leblanc/Xander Finn With superstar Unassisted playing his final season in the Big Apple, he leaves one of many big holes for Canada to fill. Thankfully, Canada has a wide pool to choose from, and Shawn Gretzky, Marc-Alexandre Leblanc, and Xander Finn are all deserving choices at this moment. It all comes down to their development in the next two seasons, as any could make a case to be the top-line center, but all could easily fall off the radar almost completely. Sir William Covington III/Travis Gowecny - Boeser/Quill/Scheel/Shephard A similar situation arises for their southern neighbours, as the centermen duo of Sir William Covington III and Travis Gowecny have both played their final games for the country. The extremely young quartet of Bo Boeser, Peter Quill, Jake Scheel, and Jack Shephard will have a dogfight on their hands, as any two of the four could theoretically make the team in any given year. These four should be the spine of Team USA for at least the next three, and possibly four, tournaments. Tom Lincoln - Pierre Gaudette Another veteran on the Canadian forward line retires, but Pierre Gaudette should be an able replacement. Younger but only slightly less talented, the Meute winger had a breakout season last year as his team went all the way to the Continental Cup Finals. Black Velvet - Lee King Snatch/Felix Savard Although Black Velvet will be lining up as center for his final season to fulfill his longtime childhood dream, Lee King Snatch should be able to step up and be the top defenseman for Team Canada for one tournament before rookie Felix Savard eventually takes over the role four years from now. Snatch, already a contender for the Sterling Labatte trophy, will have a different dynamic from Velvet, but nonetheless Team Canada will always find a way to reload and compete through the tough times.

Hard to compete if you can't even beat the second-worst team

You're right about the Cologne Express! Nice rankings I have to agree with you for almost all of it.

0.968 V2A! Lyle Smallwood 4G, 1A Kendrick Cole 0G, 4A Fook Yu! There's no I in team! TEAM GOALS FIRST!