MWHazard

Jóhannes Vilhjálmsson Forward Points Faceoff Wins

Wranglers 3-2

Wild 5-3

Wild Oslo Wild Oslo

SBA Article +6

Jó Smash

Oslo 4-3

3-2 Calgary

Just out here grinding.

Yikes. Better not blow it in the playoffs if we're going to play like this heading in.

My goodness, that defense.

WILD FLYING HIGH AFTER PERILOUS START by Maurice Westbrook It seems like a long time ago now, but for those of you paying attention to the VHL minors circuit this season, the Saskatoon Wild nearly got their coach fired. In a season where many expected Saskatoon to be a title contender, if not the favorite, it baffled many why the Wild started so slowly. Saskatoon won just four times in its opening twelve contests, and after dropping four games in a row, punctuated by a 3-5 road loss to Ottawa, many figured that at least one of three things was about to happen. When teams struggle that aren't "supposed" to struggle, management can (listed in order of defeatism) make a trade to try to turn it around, fire the coach, or sell assets and give up on the season. Despite the Wild going 3-1-1 in their next five, the Wild chose to go for that first option. Saskatoon sent multiple draft picks to the Yukon Rush for an upgrade at goaltender in the form of Tristan Iseult. And while the Wild did two of three after the trade, their record since then has been astounding. Since a 4-2 home loss to Oslo that also seems like ages ago, Saskatoon has played thirty-four games. They have dropped exactly three of those contests, one such loss coming in overtime. No, that isn't a misprint. Thirty-one wins, and three losses. As you might expect, they've taken first place. Prior to the run they've been on, the Wild were 8-10-2. Their mark is now 39-12-3, and they hold a ten point margin on the second place Oslo Storm, with three games in hand. Their goal differential, which is somehow seventy goals better than the second-ranked squad by that metric, is +71. Leading in both goals for and goals against, it's hard to see them dropping their stranglehold atop the league standings. There are success stories up and down the roster. This group was always expected to achieve this season, giving how many of them are players with VHL futures, but some of the stat lines are eye-popping. Right winger Bryce Zhields has 102 points in 54 games, neatly split between 50 assists and an absolutely unreal 52 goals. The next closest player has 39, an extremely respectable total. Zhields' assist tally is second in the league. He's a lock for MVP honors. Other than Zhields, though, only two other Wild players are even in the top 20 in points! Centers Josh Stronk and Jóhannes Vilhjálmsson have put up strong seasons, to be sure. Stronk is second in the league in points, with a "distant" 79. Vilhjálmsson is eleventh, with 57 points, driven largely by his 44 assists. Make no mistake, though, Zhields is the sniper extraordinaire on this squad. His 331 shots pace the league, and to shoot 15.71% on that volume of looks is nothing short of stupendous. It's really the depth of this squad, however, that shows when you examine the plus/minus category. While many disagree about the virtues of that stat in evaluating player performance, there's no arguing that a team that holds the top nine spots in the league in the stat is a team that has been exceedingly difficult to conquer at even strength. And in a league that doesn't often see the strongest goaltender play, Tristan Iseult has been as advertised, leading the league in both save percentage (.903, the only goaltender to hold a mark of .900 or better) and goals against average (2.23, a full half a goal per game better than second place). That trade looks brilliant at this point, but the adjustments made to the Wild players' approach to the game is showing through. The question that remains is less "will the Wild finish first?" but rather "will that end up mattering?" Last season, the Yukon Rush stormed through the regular season, and while they indeed captured the league championship, they very nearly lost in seven games to a seemingly inferior Las Vegas Aces squad. Saskatoon will do well to keep the foot on the gas through the postseason, lest they end up as the greatest VHLM team not to win the title when all is said and done. For the meantime, enjoy the fireworks, Wild fans.

2-1 NYA

This

Saskatoon 4-3

This

SBA Article +6 TPE

There we go! Sick third period.

Jó coming alive a bit lately

Dank.

Winnipeg Whydidwechangetheteamname