VHLM's Most Physical Players
VHL.com // J.S. Augusta
When you're talking about statistics to keep an eye on in juniors, hits aren't usually the one to come to anyone's mind. With so many young, smooth skating players, the attention is inevitably placed on skill -- skilled offense in particular. That being said, the VHLM is no stranger to physical play, even if it isn't what the league is known for. The most physical player this year has been Augustus Gloop, clocking 127 hits on the season. The hard-hitting displays from Gloop have been a bit of a highlight in an otherwise dismal Yukon season. Rask Rowe sits at number two for Las Vegas, playing the valuable role of power forward for the team, adding a mix of offense and physicality that will prove useful to the team as it attempts to repeat its championship success, despite a weaker line-up than last season.
Jon Snow sits at number three with 103 hits, playing as one of Ottawa's better stay-at-home defenders. Playing the lowest minutes per game of any player in the top five for hits, Snow could definitely be higher up if he was given a bit more icetime. At number four is Daring Do, who has managed to mediate an otherwise slow season by being a physical force on Saskatoon's top line: complimenting Scheel's defensive playmaking and McAllister's offensive brilliance with much-needed grit. At number five is Nicomedus Raven, who is having an oustanding season overall with 52 points. At 99 hits, along with 39 shots blocked and a staggering +38 rating, there's no doubt that Raven has been a key for Oslo's extreme success this season. Although her physical play is more of a cherry on top of extremely solid two-way hockey, it's one more element that separates her from the pack of VHLM defenders.
Even if the league itself focuses on skilled play, these types of gritty players can be invaluable to a team's success. In fact, the skilled nature of the league almost guarantees the value of checking players, as they're able to throw a wrench into the otherwise fluid play of top offensive players. You can't dangle around a defender if you're knocked flat on your back, and if a winger comes down and smashes you into the boards -- you might be just a little more prone to let the other team control the boards around your own net.
Last year, the Saskatoon Wild came closer than anyone could have predicted to defeating the Las Vegas Aces, winning two games against them in the VHLM finals. This season, the Aces have had a rather average start to the year, and look to have lost what set them apart last season. While nobody should count the Aces out, it is the Oslo Storm that has taken up the spot they previously held, appearing as a nearly unbeatable super-team, with all of the media attention and discussion to match. With an 18-2-1 start, they sit in first place by a very healthy margin, trailed by the Wild 13 points down with a 11-6-2 record. Things aren't quite as drastic as they were last season when the Aces were still in the midst of a record winning streak, but the league isn't exactly what you could call balanced. While last season the five teams below Las Vegas were all fairly even, this season the Yukon Rush are suffering with a 2-16-1 record, and the third place team is still 8 points down from Saskatoon (21 points from from Oslo).
This could mean a couple things. First and foremost, the league desperately needs its current crop of players to outgrow it so that some sense of parity can be restored. However, with distance being made between the number two and number three slots in the standings, the Saskatoon Wild may well have distinguished themselves as a more powerful team than they had last year, breaking away from the pack (a pack that, in itself, is far less equal than before). Where last season they failed to defeat the dominant Aces, the greater skill, experience, and depth of their line-up may well mean that this season, the Wild really can play the role of giant-slayer.
Without a solid starting goaltender, the battle will be an uphill one, but the Wild do boast the kind of players that can get it done. While Oslo has had more all-star performances by the likes of Quill, Laflamme, Forsberg and Raven, the Wild possess the league's leading goal-scorer, and the playoff MVP (on a losing team!) in Gabriel McAllister, along with a healthy supporting cast including Charles Murphy, Ay Ay Ron, Jake Scheel, Daring Do, and Emil Martinov to name a few. That being said, the Oslo Storm have been crushing them in the season series, with the Wild holding just a single win over the other team. But during the playoffs, that sort of thing can change dramatically.
Nobody in Saskatoon is deluded enough to think that making it to the finals again will be easy -- to even have a shot and claiming an underdog win over Oslo, the team has to contend with other highly capable teams, all of which have something to prove themselves and could easily look to Saskatoon as a perfect opportunity to show why they deserve to be looked at as the league's best chance to defeat this year's super-team. Making it to Oslo will be the first challenge: after that, the Wild have to actually show that they can make good where they failed last season, and really bear down come the playoffs to exploit the few weaknesses that Oslo has.
It won't be easy, and the playoffs are a long way away -- perhaps the first step Saskatoon needs to take is to shore up its own weaknesses, namely by acquiring a goaltender if any become available, and aim to play hard in the regular season to close the gap between themselves and Oslo.
With the season well underway, plenty of stories can be written about the solid play of the Saskatoon Wild -- whether it's the scoring of Gabriel McAllister, the solid two-way play of Charles Murphy, or even the surprising physicality of Daring Do. However, one question is lingering in the minds of some fans -- what happened to the chemistry between Jake Scheel and Daring Do? Last season, the tandem made for a rather devastating duo when paired alongside each-other, acting as desperately needed depth for a Saskatoon team led by Bo Boeser. Now, with more playing time on the top line of the team, that touch seems to have largely vanished.
Certainly, the tandem aren't playing terribly, as their line has been one of the best for Saskatoon (largely thanks to McAllister), but they certainly aren't on pace to match their production per game last season. Scheel sits just a single point over a point per game, while Do has seven goals and seven assists, slipping a fair few points back. Although she's tied for third in the team, she isn't showcasing the sniping prowess that she certainly possesses. Likewise, Scheel hasn't showed the improvements in play-making many thought he would.
The season is still young -- this might have to do with team strategies, different directions, locker room troubles, or even a simple case of sophomores slumping in the teamwork department. Sitting at second in the league, the Wild aren't exactly struggling as a whole, so the slight dip in scoring from two individuals isn't enough to sound alarm bells -- but for Scheel and Do, some extra work is needed to help remind the league just what they're capable of.
Last year, the Saskatoon Wild came closer than anyone could have predicted to defeating the Las Vegas Aces, winning two games against them in the VHLM finals. This season, the Aces have had a rather average start to the year, and look to have lost what set them apart last season. While nobody should count the Aces out, it is the Oslo Storm that has taken up the spot they previously held, appearing as a nearly unbeatable super-team, with all of the media attention and discussion to match. With an 18-2-1 start, they sit in first place by a very healthy margin, trailed by the Wild 13 points down with a 11-6-2 record. Things aren't quite as drastic as they were last season when the Aces were still in the midst of a record winning streak, but the league isn't exactly what you could call balanced. While last season the five teams below Las Vegas were all fairly even, this season the Yukon Rush are suffering with a 2-16-1 record, and the third place team is still 8 points down from Saskatoon (21 points from from Oslo).
This could mean a couple things. First and foremost, the league desperately needs its current crop of players to outgrow it so that some sense of parity can be restored. However, with distance being made between the number two and number three slots in the standings, the Saskatoon Wild may well have distinguished themselves as a more powerful team than they had last year, breaking away from the pack (a pack that, in itself, is far less equal than before). Where last season they failed to defeat the dominant Aces, the greater skill, experience, and depth of their line-up may well mean that this season, the Wild really can play the role of giant-slayer.
Without a solid starting goaltender, the battle will be an uphill one, but the Wild do boast the kind of players that can get it done. While Oslo has had more all-star performances by the likes of Quill, Laflamme, Forsberg and Raven, the Wild possess the league's leading goal-scorer, and the playoff MVP (on a losing team!) in Gabriel McAllister, along with a healthy supporting cast including Charles Murphy, Ay Ay Ron, Jake Scheel, Daring Do, and Emil Martinov to name a few. That being said, the Oslo Storm have been crushing them in the season series, with the Wild holding just a single win over the other team. But during the playoffs, that sort of thing can change dramatically.
Nobody in Saskatoon is deluded enough to think that making it to the finals again will be easy -- to even have a shot and claiming an underdog win over Oslo, the team has to contend with other highly capable teams, all of which have something to prove themselves and could easily look to Saskatoon as a perfect opportunity to show why they deserve to be looked at as the league's best chance to defeat this year's super-team. Making it to Oslo will be the first challenge: after that, the Wild have to actually show that they can make good where they failed last season, and really bear down come the playoffs to exploit the few weaknesses that Oslo has.
It won't be easy, and the playoffs are a long way away -- perhaps the first step Saskatoon needs to take is to shore up its own weaknesses, namely by acquiring a goaltender if any become available, and aim to play hard in the regular season to close the gap between themselves and Oslo.
With the season well underway, plenty of stories can be written about the solid play of the Saskatoon Wild -- whether it's the scoring of Gabriel McAllister, the solid two-way play of Charles Murphy, or even the surprising physicality of Daring Do. However, one question is lingering in the minds of some fans -- what happened to the chemistry between Jake Scheel and Daring Do? Last season, the tandem made for a rather devastating duo when paired alongside each-other, acting as desperately needed depth for a Saskatoon team led by Bo Boeser. Now, with more playing time on the top line of the team, that touch seems to have largely vanished.
Certainly, the tandem aren't playing terribly, as their line has been one of the best for Saskatoon (largely thanks to McAllister), but they certainly aren't on pace to match their production per game last season. Scheel sits just a single point over a point per game, while Do has seven goals and seven assists, slipping a fair few points back. Although she's tied for third in the team, she isn't showcasing the sniping prowess that she certainly possesses. Likewise, Scheel hasn't showed the improvements in play-making many thought he would.
The season is still young -- this might have to do with team strategies, different directions, locker room troubles, or even a simple case of sophomores slumping in the teamwork department. Sitting at second in the league, the Wild aren't exactly struggling as a whole, so the slight dip in scoring from two individuals isn't enough to sound alarm bells -- but for Scheel and Do, some extra work is needed to help remind the league just what they're capable of.
With the season well underway, plenty of stories can be written about the solid play of the Saskatoon Wild -- whether it's the scoring of Gabriel McAllister, the solid two-way play of Charles Murphy, or even the surprising physicality of Daring Do. However, one question is lingering in the minds of some fans -- what happened to the chemistry between Jake Scheel and Daring Do? Last season, the tandem made for a rather devastating duo when paired alongside each-other, acting as desperately needed depth for a Saskatoon team led by Bo Boeser. Now, with more playing time on the top line of the team, that touch seems to have largely vanished.
Certainly, the tandem aren't playing terribly, as their line has been one of the best for Saskatoon (largely thanks to McAllister), but they certainly aren't on pace to match their production per game last season. Scheel sits just a single point over a point per game, while Do has seven goals and seven assists, slipping a fair few points back. Although she's tied for third in the team, she isn't showcasing the sniping prowess that she certainly possesses. Likewise, Scheel hasn't showed the improvements in play-making many thought he would.
The season is still young -- this might have to do with team strategies, different directions, locker room troubles, or even a simple case of sophomores slumping in the teamwork department. Sitting at second in the league, the Wild aren't exactly struggling as a whole, so the slight dip in scoring from two individuals isn't enough to sound alarm bells -- but for Scheel and Do, some extra work is needed to help remind the league just what they're capable of.
Also guys, keep up with the good work; Bushito and the Oslo storm think they're hot shit, but we have a very good chance of beating them this season. Keep updating everyone!
Triple Threat of McAllister/Scheel/Do Proving to be Lethal for Saskatoon
The Saskatoon Wild currently sit 4 points back of first place Oslo with a game in hand, and a big part of their success this season has been the lethal triple threat that is Gabriel McAllister, Jake Scheel, and Daring Do. These three forwards make up the team's first line, and have 17 of Saskatoon's 30 goals between them. Their performance has not gone unnoticed, especially since McAllister's explosive performance leads the league in goals, and the chemistry between them has really been what allows them to put up such big numbers night in and night out. What especially makes this line so lethal is that the trio is an extreme triple threat - between McAllister's laser shot leading the team in goals, Scheel's quick hands and puck moving ability leading the team in assists, and Do's physical presence leading the team in hits, the three have proven they can handle any challenge that comes their way. As long as these three keep on clicking all the way into the playoffs, this team is going to be extremely lethal in the postseason and have a strong chance to contend for the cup this year.
Think that's a good idea, as long as you don't keep them even. A 10-15 point spread is perfect, but get scoring closer, and your player tends to do neither as well. Scoring up to 65 or so might be perfect (since any TPE above 175 is banked while in the minors anyway).
Yeah it's funny to see the difference in general vibe when it comes to that stuff in the leagues that have it. Members seem to generally be pretty stingy with their likes here, in the SBA it's the completely the opposite.
All of the countries in the world that have VHL and/or VHLM representation
In this day and age, the VHL has truly become a global league, with players from over 30 different countries having players either in the VHL or VHLM. We have players from the farthest reaches of the globe, such as the wild Australian Outback, or the jungles of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. I have compiled statistics from every player in the VHL and VHLM (including inactive free agents), and have come up with the following ranking based on three components: # of registered players from that country, the average TPE of players from that country, and total TPE earned by players from that country. This gave me three separate rankings of which I assigned point totals to and added them together to get the final product, so without further adieu, these are your Official VHL IIHF S55 Rankings.
1. Canada
64 Points Overall (# of Players: 57 (1st) / Average TPE: 175 (12th) / Total TPE: 9,987 (1st))
Is this any surprise to anyone? Canada is the worldwide leader in hockey, and they are rightfully represented at 1st place in this ranking. Canada will always have a huge supply of not only players, but superstars as well, such as their current stars Unassisted and Black Velvet. Those two are getting old fast though, so younger up-and-coming stars like Xander Finn and Hudson Abbott will look to take on bigger roles with the team during international tournaments. Despite only having 3 goalies available internationally at the moment, Team Canada fans can rest easy knowing that 2 of that 3 are Rhett DeGrath and Markus King; one already one of the best goaltenders in the world and the other well on his way down the same path.
2. Germany
63 Points Overall (# of Players: 8 (6th) / Average TPE: 312 (6th) / Total TPE: 2,541 (3rd))
The expansion of the VHL to Cologne in the early S30s has done wonders for German enrollment in the VHL. The international team lost out to Canada for 1st place by a hair, and some pundits will say that this ranking is a bit unfair, due to the team not having any superstars other than Right-Winger Tyson Kohler. The Germans will most certainly fall a few slots in next years ranking due to the retirement of Kohler, but they definitely have some very strong young talent in players like Lukas Müller and Bastian Stolzschweiger. They may not reach the level of superstardom that Kohler did, but they will most certainly develop into effective players for Germany on the international level.
3. Sweden
59 Points Overall (# of Players: 12 (4th) / Average TPE: 204 (10th) / Total TPE: 2,451 (5th))
Fresh off Bronze Medal finish for Team Scandinavia in which a large majority of the team was Swedish, the Swedes rank in the top 5 globally, as expected. Sweden has always seemed to have a presence in the VHL, whether it be in the form of a team (the Vasteras Iron Eagles/Stockholm Vikings) or in the form of Hall of Fame players Niklas Lindberg, Alexander Valiq, and Anton Brekker. Those players are retired and gone though, and now Sweden relies mostly on their youth; Bruising winger Theo Axelsson brings some much-needed grit to their lineup, but Sweden's biggest strength is their youngsters; they have three young players who are nearly guaranteed to become stars in the VHL. The reigns in the crease have been handed over to Torstein Ironside from Joanna Akerfeldt for good now, and it looks like Ironside will be keeping the net to himself until the end of his career. Alongside Ironside is his new VHL teammate, the ageless wonder, Verner Reinholdt. Reinholdt and the third member of the Swedish youth trio, Mattias Forsberg, should be be striking fear into opposing international teams defenses for a long time.
t4. Russia
58 Points Overall (# of Players: 15 (3rd) / Average TPE: 169 (13th) / Total TPE: 2,531 (4th))
The Russians, despite ranking 4th, are a team that appears to be longing for glory days of old. Gone are the times of Hall-of-Famers, Maxim Desny, Pavel Koradek, and Alexander Beketov; gone are the days of Team USSR as well, a former VHL World Cup team that has since dissolved. Russia's biggest problem is that they lack superstar, or more specifically, a playeer who can lead the country and team back to the prominence it used to have. Right now, the team has many solid depth players, like Maksym Barnyashev, Misha Tobolsk, and Grigory Kopralkov, but they lack a superstar level player (i.e. Kohler/Unassisted/Maximoff) that would propel them higher in these rankings. The team has two promising young defenders in Roman Solokov and Aleksei Federov, but not much outside of that. Journeyman goaltender Ilya Kopralkov isn't any younger either, and with no young goaltenders in the pipeline, the Russians may find themselves dropping a few spots in the next few years.
t4. United Kingdom
58 Points Overall (# of Players: 4 (t-9th) / Average TPE: 399 (5th) / Total TPE: 1,596 (6th))
Here we find perhaps our first big surprise of these rankings: the United Kingdom. While their nations may not produce a large quantity of VHL talent, they certainly make up for it in the quality of the talent they DO produce. The country already has two bonafide stars in New York American (lol ironic) teammates Essian Ravenwing and Phil Shankly, as well as another future star and possible Rookie-of-the-Year candidate in the HC Davos-bound Rusty Trombone. Bringing up the rear is a very young goaltender, Brienne O'Tarth, who may not be very impressive at the moment, but could possibly develop into a serviceable goaltender. If she can become half the player that her idol, Scottish HOFer Adrian McCreath was, she'll be set. The team's oldest member is Ravenwing, and even at that, he still has more than a few decent years left in him, which means that the only thing really needed for Team UK to advance higher in these rankings is for O'Tarth to trend upwards on the development track.
5. USA
57 Points Overall (# of Players: 53 (2nd) / Average TPE: 147 (17th) / Total TPE: 7,812 (2nd))
If you told me before these rankings were made that the United States would be ranked 5th overall, I wouldn't believe you. How could a team with such talented stars like Diana Maxwell, Apollo Skye, and Travis Gowecny be ranked only 5th? Well, the answer to that question is pretty simple; the US has it's stars of course, but after examining their overall roster it appears that for every big-name VHL player, there are 2 or 3 nobodies who never even got close to sniffing the VHL. for every Shayne Gow/John Locke/M.T. Power, there are about three Buddy Nielsens. Despite this leading to low placement in these mathematical rankings, the States still usually do very well in international play, with their recent S54 World Cup Silver Medal as evidence of this. The team doesn't need to worry about the future either, with generational talents Gabriel McAllister and Jack Shephard in the pipeline. The cupboards are well stocked to support those two, with players like Jake Scheel, Pablo, Dexter Lane, and Bo Boeser waiting for their opportunity to prove their worth to the land of the free and home of the brave.
6. Czech Republic
54 Points Overall (# of Players: 6 (8th) / Average TPE: 220 (9th) / Total TPE: 1,317 (7th))
Up next are the Czechs, who are similar to Germany in that the biggest reason for their high ranking is a single superstar player (New York Americans goaltender Jakab Holik). Holik is a household name in the Czech Republic, and for good reason; talent-wise he's the best goaltender in the world right now. Unfortunately for the Czechs though, Holik is extremely close to hanging up the pads for good, and when that happens, they're in trouble. Unlike the Germans though, the Czechs don't have the depth behind Holik to hold their spot in the rankings after he retires. Once Holik is gone, the reigns will be passed to...Robert Jelen? Jelen is the only other Czech to have played in the VHL, and even at that, he is a depth player at most. Once Holik skates off into the sunset, the Czech's average and total TPE counts will surely drop well past 20th overall. The country needs help, and fast.
7. Ukraine
53 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (t-11th) / Average TPE: 453 (3rd) / Total TPE: 906 (11th))
At 7th overall, and like the United Kingdom, they benefit from having a talent pool that prides more on quality than quantity. Their player pool is extremely small, consisting only of two defensemen, New York Americans Captain Bobby Digital and S56 Draft prospect Aackckqz Ky. Digital is already known for being one of the best defenders in the world right now, and many Ukranians hope that Digital can serve as a mentor to Ky, and help him to achieve the same level of worldwide acclaim that his countryman did. Ky is still very raw at this stage of his career and development, and his future isn't exactly clear; will he be known for his pure offensive prowess like Daniel Braxton, will he turn into a purely defensive shutdown blueliner like James Lefevre, or will he settle in as somewhere in between, equally adept in both ends of the rink like Shayne Gow? No one can be sure yet, however one thing is for sure; Ky is a wildcard who many are interested in seeing develop as a VHL player.
t8. China
52 Points Overall (# of Players: 4 (t-9th) / Average TPE: 265 (8th) / Total TPE: 1,059 (9th))
The Chinese are a team on the rise, all of their players are still young and have a huge amount of potential as a group. The group is headlined by recent S54 Playoff MVP Astrid Moon, who had a turnaround season for the ages in S54, improving by large margins in all major categories, as well as rising to the occasion when it mattered most in the playoffs, en route to the young netminder's first Continental Cup. The rest of the roster is nothing to sneer at though, as there are certainly Continental Cups in the possible future for centers Fook Yu and Rudy Ying. Bringing up the rear is defenseman Ho Lee Fuk, who is still pretty rough around the edges, but is signed to a player agency who has yet to produce a non-superstar player yet, so there are no worries there. All of these players are young and have a huge amount of potential; look for China to rise quite a decent amount in these rankings in the coming seasons.
t8. Romania
52 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 728 (1st) / Total TPE: 728 (13th))
Romania is an army of 1 in terms of VHL talent. Pietro Maximoff is all the former Soviet Bloc country has, but what they lack in numbers they make up for in talent level. The Stockholm Viking has more talent in one leg than some entire countries lower on this list. Maximoff's star power is bright, but stars don't shine forever, and it won't be long before this Romanian's supernova turns into a white dwarf. Until then the Romanians are riding Maximoff for all he's worth, as he is arguably the best Romanian-born player in VHL history.
9. Mongolia
51 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (t-11th) / Average TPE: 421 (4th) / Total TPE: 842 (12th))
For me this was the biggest surprise of the Top 10. I wouldn't even think of Mongolia as having ONE VHLM player, let alone two established VHL players. Both Conrad Jenkins and Franchise Cornerstone have already been to the VHL Finals, with the latter being successful at winning the VHL's ultimate prize. Despite being less skilled than his countryman, Jenkins has had some decent seasons as a mainstay on the Stockholm Vikings' 2nd line. Cornerstone meanwhile, is the heart and soul of the Helsinki Titans, and only appears to be getting better season by season. Despite their low enrollment, Mongolia should look to continue to rise in the rankings alongside their Chinese neighbors.
10. Latvia
49 Points Overall (# of Players: 7 (7th) / Average TPE: 168 (t-14th) / Total TPE: 1,174 (8th))
Ahh, who could forget the Latvians. These lovable Baltic guys always manage to find a way to squeeze into contention, but ultimately, they lack the starpower needed to make a serious statement as an emerging power in the international hockey landscape. You would think that the country would be more well-represented in the VHL community, given the popularity and success of the Riga Reign. Their best player right now is Guntis Petenis, who did actually manage to stun many VHL experts by winning not only the Sterling Labatte Trophy in S54 as the leagues best defenseman, but the Scotty Campbell Trophy for being the leagues Most Valuable Player as well. Petenis can't do this forever though, and many think that his production is certainly going to drop in the coming seasons given his trade to the Quebec City Meute, where he goes from being the #1D to #2/#3 and less minutes. The offensive future of Latvia lies in the hands of Fredinamijs Krigars, a young player from the same agency as Petenis. Many Latvians are banking on Krigars becoming their own Maximoff or Kohler, and while the potential for that to happen is there, it doesn't look likely. If anything, Krigars is more likely to follow a similar career to Petenis.
11. Dominican Republic
48 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 550 (2nd) / Total TPE: 550 (16th))
Following in the footsteps of Romania is the Dominican Republic, a country certainly not known for their prowess in developing hockey talent. But despite all odds, Edwin Threencarnacion has found a way to make it to the VHL after spending his childhood in the favelas and jungles of the DR. The struggles don't appear to be over for Threencarnacion yet though, as he has been stuck as a skilled backup VHL goalie behind even more skilled VHL starters, mainly Apollo Skye. Despite joining a new team in this past offseason, the HC Davos Dynamo, Threencarnacion still looks to be in a platoon role at best, given that Davos management has given indication that they would like to stick with mist4ke. Even if he never reaches full stardom levels due to being stuck behind better goalies, Threencarnacion is still by far the best hockey player the Dominican Republic has produced, and the inspiration he has provided to children in his homeland is enough to be proud of.
12. Finland
43 Points Overall (# of Players: 9 (5th) / Average TPE: 117 (20th) / Total TPE: 1,057 (10th))
You really wouldn't expect the Finns to be ranked so low on a list of International Hockey talent, but alas, here they are. The country still sent a handful of players to the S54 World Cup to represent Team Scandinavia, and those players (Fabio Jokinen, Apollo Aho, and Diego Jokinen) came home with bronze medals for their efforts. The Jokinen brothers are really the only players that the Finnish can be proud of right now, as the rest of their representatives are VHL fodder. Combine that fact with how Finland lacks a goalie prospect as well, and you can see why we think that Finland will stick around this spot in the rankings next time around.
13. Denmark
42 Points Overall (# of Players: 3 (t-10th) / Average TPE: 184 (11th) / Total TPE: 553 (15th))
The Danes come next in the rankings, with nothing too impressive about them but nothing too embarassing either. They are a lesser version of higher-ranked quality over quantity countries like the United Kingdom and China. Their roster consists of the Syndergaard brothers on the blueline and netminder mist4ke. Aksel and Tomas Syndergaard started out with a lot of promise early on in their VHL careers but their careers quickly derailed, leaving many supporters wondering only what could have been. Denmark has had it's share of VHL talent, with Hall-of-Famers Aksel Thomassen, Zach Arce, and Lars Berger, any many Danes hoped that the Syndergaards could become a fraction of what those players were. There still is hope for mist4ke though, as he hopes to become the first Danish goaltender to make the Hall of Fame; it's certainly possible, he's still young and his agency has produced a Hall of Fame goalie before. Only time will tell.
14. Singapore
41 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 271 (7th) / Total TPE: 271 (18th))
Following in the footsteps of Romania AND the Dominican Republic is Singapore, the tiny nation on the coast of Indonesia. Takashi Fujimoto is perhaps the only VHL player to come from the country, and he is certainly the only player from there playing in the league now. Fujimoto is just one of the latest in what appears to be an influx of Asian players into the VHL, with countries such as China and Mongolia seeing huge booms (pun) in their hockey enrollment. Fujimoto will certainly bring attention to the sport in his country as a budding young superstar for the HC Davos Dynamo.
15. Switzerland
40 Points Overall (# of Players: 4 (t-9th) / Average TPE: 166 (15th) / Total TPE: 662 (14th))
In terms of producing hockey talent, the Swiss appear to be a very hot or cold country in the VHL's history. Despite being a relatively small country, Switzerland has produced the 2nd most Hall of Fame players in VHL history, those players being: Matthew Pogge, Scotty Campbell, Petr Shirokov, Scott Boulet, Tomas Jenskovic, Leander Kaelin, Branden Snelheid, Matt Bailey, and Alexander Sauve. That list is certainly nothing to joke about, considering how it contains arguably the best player in VHL history, Scotty Campbell. The team arguably lacks any future Hall-of-Famers right now, but 3 of the 4 current players have a decent amount of promise. Rudolph Schmeckeldorf recently won a cup with the Helsinki Titans despite a disastrous statistical rookie season, defenseman Luca Volkov won a Four Star Cup with the Las Vegas Aces in the VHLM last season, and goaltender Key Perought had his first taste of international action as Team Europe's starting goaltender in the S54 World Cup. Youngster Nino Gisler appears to be playing in the VHL this season, but he doesn't look to have the talent level that the other three have, so don't expect to see him in the big leagues for long. Next year the Swiss should see their spot rise on this list due to the development of the aforementioned three players.
16. Australia
36 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (t-11th) / Average TPE: 168 (t-14th) / Total TPE: 336 (17th))
The Australians have 2 registered players, although the lesser of the two, Kaylan Noffke is more or less the afterthought of a once-proud player agency. Their other player can do no wrong though; Alexander Thrower is the pride and joy of the land down under. Thrower is the best hope for Australian hockey, especially after his Rookie of the Year performance in S53. The pressure appears to be getting in the head of Thrower though, as he has not been showing up to his usual off-season training facility. Whether he improves or not is unimportant, the Australians are just happy to call him one of their own.
17. Serbia
29 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 149 (16th) / Total TPE: 149 (21st))
Here is where this list really begins to thin out, as many countries have less than two or three players. Serbia only has one, Niko Bogdanovic, a defender for the Ottawa Lynx who was recently drafted by the Riga Reign. Bogdanovic looks to be on track to make the VHL, and although he may not have the pedigree to become a one-hit wonder like Pietro Maximoff or Takashi Fujimoto he definitely looks to be a steady all-around defender in the future.
18. Italy
27 Points Overall (# of Players: 3 (t-10th) / Average TPE: 89 (22nd) / Total TPE: 266 (19th))
The Italians stroll into the rankings at 18th, and they couldn't care less, as soccer will always be #1 in their eyes. Despite this, they still have managed to produce three players, one of whom (Luigi De Rossi) is about to play his first season in the VHL. He is the younger brother of former VHLer Mario De Rossi, a steady depth player in his time. Italy also has Mario Falconi and Luigi Linguini on their roster, and while the latter did appear to have a slim chance at making a VHL roster some day, that hope has faded by now.
t19. Belarus
26 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (t-11th) / Average TPE: 112 (21st) / Total TPE: 223 (20th))
Slava Aleksei is hoping to become a one-hit wonder like his fellow neighbors Pietro Maximoff and Niko Bogdanovic, and we wish him the best of luck. At his current rate of development, it doesn't look likely, but hey, anything could happen. Whatever happens, Aleksei has the weight of his entire country on his shoulders after VHLM vet Pavel Varushkin hangs up the skates after a dissapointing career.
t19. Iceland
26 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 141 (18th) / Total TPE: 141 (22nd))
Perhaps the only person in the country with a last name that doesn't end in "sson" Jack Kraken recently got his little taste of Icelandic glory when he was named to the S54 Team Scandinavia World Cup roster, although he only registered one point at the tournament, the Icelandic people were jubilant to see their nation represented. The country is notable for having produced Hall of Famer Grimm Jonsson, although beside from that there isn't much to them in terms of hockey.
20. Palestine
24 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 123 (19th) / Total TPE: 123 (23rd))
This is one of the most peculiar countries on this list. Palestine has more things to worry about than producing hockey talent but they're just saying fuck it and doing it anyway! Our Lady of Perpetual Motion was a key piece during last season for the VHLM's Oslo Storm, although sadly it appears that he development has stalled. Perhaps she enlisted in the military at home?
21. Greece
19 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 86 (23rd) / Total TPE: 86 (24th))
After the failure of the latest model, Aeschylus Jigglejawns CXXXVIII is Greece's latest attempt in producing a hockey-playing robot. Their last attempt, Aeschylus Jigglejawns CXXXVII was nearly a success, although he couldn't make it out of the VHLM due to problems with his circuits freezing up during games. Thankfully now the Greeks have fixed this problem and Jigglejawns CXXXVIII definitely appears to be headed to the VHL if he sticks to his developmental track.
22. Brazil
17 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 85 (24th) / Total TPE: 85 (25th))
Is Daring Do a real player? Or is Daring Do actually a Amazonian Tribesman? Is Do actually both of those things? I'm not sure, but whatever Do is, they're doing a pretty good job for the Saskatoon Wild. Could Do be the first Brazilian to make the VHL? It's very possible.
23. Bulgaria
14 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 61 (25th) / Total TPE: 61 (27th))
Emil Martinov actually looks like a pretty promising prospect for the Bulgarians. His development track is definitely trending upwards right now, especially after being given increased minutes from Saskatoon management. Could he turn out like geographical neighbor Bobby Digital? The Bulgarian Hockey Federation certainly hopes so.
t24. Morocco
12 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: / Total TPE: 60 (28th))
Sterling Archer is merely here on a mission. There's nothing else to see here. Morocco will have a decent player the day I stop over-valuing 3rd and 4th round picks.
t24. South Africa
12 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (t-11th) / Average TPE: 41 (29th)/ Total TPE: 81 (26th))
I'm pretty sure there has been a handful of South African players in the VHL before, it was definitely a trivia question or something. Logan Xylon and Shaka aren't going anywhere though. South Africa enjoys sitting just comfortably above the basement.
25. Estonia
10 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 56 (27th) / Total TPE: 56 (29th))
Kristjan Härmä could possibly become a VHL caliber player. Is it likely? No, but I like his name and that's gotta be worth something. It would certainly help Estonia compete with their neighbor Latvia for Baltic hockey dominance.
26. New Zealand
8 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 45 (28th) / Total TPE: 45 (30th))
What happened to the other half of the Took twins. Darryl is lost without Carryl, and Carryl is lost without Darryl. I'm serious, I know for a fact they both created players together, somebody help. Until then the Kiwis in New Zealand are going to be overshadowed by Australia's Alexander Thrower.
27. Iraq
5 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 36 (30th) / Total TPE: 36 (31st))
The Iraqis are very happy that John Syeschel practiced hockey in their country for six hours and then left, that way they don't have to be tied for last place with the countries below.
t28. Japan
3 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 30 (t-31st) / Total TPE: 30 (t-32nd))
Emiya Shirou joined the VHL with a VERY controversial username and then left? Coward.
t28. Argentina
3 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 30 (t-31st) / Total TPE: (t-32nd))
Ciro Pertuzzi definitely sounds more Italian than Argentinian.
t28. India
3 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 30 (t-31st) / Total TPE: (t-32nd))
Pradeep Padmanabhan HAD to have actually been from India. No way any non-Indian could come up with something so Indian by themselves.
t28. The Philippines
3 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (t-12th) / Average TPE: 30 (t-31st) / Total TPE: (t-32nd))
CarloC does NOT look like he will turn out to be a Thrilla in the Manilla.
Lol, was just looking at the Store and I'm technically eligible for The First Generation because I went three seasons between Wingate and McAllister. Probably gonna be some unhappy people about that. EDIT: Ah never mind, missed the no carryover clause. Will honestly probably hoard all my cash for career end and lowering depreciation hits.
For @MD9 though, PT or VHL.com upgrades are usually good ideas because they're cheap and give a max of 8 TPE if you do them right and aren't hitting the weekly cap with a job. That's a greater return then you're probably getting with prediction doublers or anything.
Jake Scheel Working on Face-Offs
VHL.com // J.S. Augusta
With the possibility of playing on the first line looming overhead, Jake Scheel has begun to focus on an entirely different part of his game in training camp: face-offs. Although it was publicized before that Scheel was redoubling his efforts in passing, skating, and all around athletics as the playoffs went less than ideal in terms of his individual play, the need for a team to have a reliable player to take the draw has pushed him in that direction. His face-off rate was fairly good last season, but he’ll need to be even better come the beginning of this year, matching up against even better players, and taking the draws in important moments in the game.
As important as face-offs are, many neglect to account for them when discussing the overall play of a center. While it’s true that a center plays an important, and unique role on the team in terms of his individual spacing and, in Scheel’s case, ability to feed to either wing and effectively ‘lead’ the play, with the amount of goals scored right off of face-offs, and the amount of important face-offs that come particularly late in a game when teams start icing the puck, the ability to reliably win one can not just have a positive impact on the game -- but can in fact save a game from going south at the last moment.
Whether or not these efforts will yield results remains to be seen: with bigger, stronger centers throughout the league, there remains a very real possibility that Scheel could be bullied on the dot and find himself overmatched. However, even if he doesn’t find himself winning a high percentage of draws this season, one thing is sure: it won’t be for a lack of trying.
Saskatoon -- When Gabriel McAllister made the decision to sign with the Saskatoon Wild around the trade deadline last year, he hoped for maybe a little playoff success and a foundation to build for the future. What he got, though, was beyond his wildest dreams. Even facing arguably the two toughest goalies in the VHLM in Our Lady of Perpetual Motion and Vernon von Axelberry, McAllister went off in his 11 playoff games to the tune of 12 goals and 9 assists. With that, he led all players in playoff goals, and he tied teammate Bo Boeser in total points.
And at the recent VHLM Awards Ceremony, the league's GMs and commissioners decided to reward him. McAllister won the league's Skylar Rift Trophy, awarded to the minor's playoff MVP, with two-thirds of the total first place votes. The award was perhaps an unexpected one for the winger, particularly given that he won't even be eligible for the VHL draft until after this season. But he also thinks it could be a harbinger of good fortune to come.
"While I didn't necessarily expect the award, I got to say that I certainly worked hard enough for it," McAllister said on stage at the awards ceremony. "I have to thank everyone who voted for me for this award; it's truly an honor. And believe me when I say: You'll see me up here again next season, this time with an MVP and a championship trophy in my hands."
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MD9 got a reaction from Gudnason in VHLM's Most Physical Players
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