TacticalHammer

We'll miss ya, Roll. Thanks for always giving us your very best and setting the standard in Prague! 

A Farewell to the Fizz
 
Roll Fizzlebeef's retirement took place this week, the overall mood was good and there was party in Calgary to celebrate his career. Various faces showed up to the party from former coaches and GMs to former team mates from both his time in Calgary and in Prague. There was many beers had but still the moment still wasn't just right as Fizz's Phantom's Teammate, Seabass Perrin explains:
 
"The party was a blast but it wasn't perfect, ya know? It would've been way better if we could've gotten Fizz a championship during his tenure here in Prague or at the very least let him compete for it during his last season. But, we failed him as teammates by missing the playoffs and he deserved to compete for the damn trophy with how he played this year. He gave it his all and played his ass off for us out there, it's a shame we just couldn't do better for him. "
 
While Fizzlebeef hasn't won anything of note he still put up a good career for himself over the years. He spent his first 5 season playing for the Calgary Wranglers after first breaking into the league as a rookie in S65 with a 41 point season.  Team's quickly took notice of his intensity and physical play when he first broke into the league as he had an average of 200 hits a season in his first couple years. After having a little growing pains offensively after his rookie season, Fizz had his breakout season in S68 posting 66 points for the Wranglers, the first of his four straight 50+ point seasons. 
 
After two straight 30 goal campaigns Calgary traded Fizzlebeef to the Prague Phantoms in exchange for a first and a third rounder and Fizzlebeef quickly took over the Phantoms offense, leading the team in scoring two of the 3 seasons he spent there. His final season with the Phantoms was the best year of his career as he got a career high 76 points that year but it wasn't enough as the Phantoms still managed to miss the playoffs. 
 
In the end Fizzlebeef put up quite a respectable VHL career, he played 500 VHL games and scoring almost 200 goals and over 400 points. He could even be considered one if not the best forward the Phantoms have had so far in their short history.  Congratulations Fizzlebeef @TacticalHammer on your retirement!
 

Believe it or not this past season marked the 5th year anniversary of the Phantoms/Dragons expansion draft of Season 68.  Time really flies here in the VHL and now we're here going through yet another expansion but with double the amount of teams being introduced.  During the last five years the Phantoms organisation seemed to have been able to build a solid team culture and enjoyable locker room environment. Not only that, the Phantoms truly gained an identity. Since their inaugural season the Phantoms have always iced a team that would play on the edge of the line and would play a heavy, physical brand of hockey and just try to intimidate their opponent throughout the game. Every year you can guarantee that the Phantoms would end the year being one of the VHL leaders in Penalty Minutes. In order to celebrate the 5 year milestone of Phantoms hockey, I'll be reviewing the Phantom's top individual seasons to date in my opinion. 
 
Season 68, D, Wolf Stansson Jr. @Cornholio
 
WSJ has been the prime example of consistency over his tenure with the Phantoms. Every season he's played he's been among the Phantoms top scorers, and currently has 5x 45+ point seasons under his belt despite being a defense man. He also leads in three all time phantom catagories as he leads the team in total games played (tied with Pearson + Perrin @ 360 Games) , assists (197) and points (269). Season 68 wasn't WSJ's best season per say but it was the most impressive one to date. Season 68 was Prague's first season and they iced a team where 75% of it's players were rookies in the VHL. They only had one veteran player on the squad in Mountain Thunderfist but lets face it he was never considered great at his peak, let alone on the last leg of his career. The team stunk hard as they finished near the bottom of the standings that season and was able to score the 1st overall pick of the next draft (Cinnamon Block). WSJ however turned heads that year as he finished his rookie year with an incredible 58 points. He ended up leading all Phantoms players in ice time that year playing almost a whopping 30 minutes a game! Sadly due to how poor the team was right out of the gate and just how often he was on the ice, he ended the season -35 in plus/minus and forever tarnishing his career plus/minus totals just from that one season. Considering this was an expansion season I would still deem this season to be one of the best ever in a Phantoms jersey. 
 
Season 69, F, Alex Pearson @Jayrad28
 
Alex Pearson is a four time 50 point getter for the team and was versatile enough to be used either at center at wing throughout his Phantom's career. This year is rumoured to be Pearson's last season as years of rough Phantoms brand hockey and partying has finally started catching up to him so it's only fitting that I feature him on this list. Pearson wasn't always the old fuck you know today as for a while Pearson was one of the Phantoms top offensive players, there's a reason why he's 2nd on the Phantom's all time scoring list. For me his season in S69 stuck out to me as being one of the best season ever had by a Phantom. Season 69 was the darkest time in the Phantoms short history as they finished near the bottom of the VHL standings and out of the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row.  However one bright spot on that terrible year was Alex Pearson. He didn't end up leading the team in scoring either after finishing 2nd after Erik Draven. However he was the only member on the whole squad that year that ended the year above even for plus/minus. 
 
Season 70, F, Roll Fizzlebeef @TacticalHammer
 
Fizzlebeef was acquired from the Calgary Wranglers after Season 69 in return for a 1st round pick (General Zod) and a third rounder (KSI) and his impact was immediate. He was the team's primary offensive weapon for a couple seasons when the team was just starving for offense and were mainly just playing boring shutdown hockey reminiscent of the NHL's New Jersey Devils of the early 2000s.  Fizzlebeef ended up leading the Phantoms in scoring in two out of his three seasons here including Season 70. In S70, he managed to lead the team in scoring by 18 points as he ended the year being the only player on the team to reach the 50 and 60 point marks by hitting 66 points for the year. He also added quite a bit of energy to his team with his team leading 214 hits that year further solidifying Prague's reputation of a team everyone dreaded to play against. 
 
Season 71, D, Cinnamon Block @omgitshim
 
After being selected 1st overall in the S69 VHL Draft, Block was beyond ready for the VHL when she was drafted as she finished her last year in the minors with over 80 points and being an insane +82 playing for the Los Vegas Aces. Since her rookie season she's been the main piece of the Phantoms big three on the blue line consisting of Block, WSJ and Perrin. Her year in season 71 was her breakout year, it's the season she truly became elite. She dominated at both ends of the ice while maintaining the Phantoms rough style of play. She lead the team in scoring that year with 69 points and plus/mins (19) and this still stands as the best season ever by a Phantom's defense man. 
 
Season 71, G, Brick Wahl @BladeMaiden
 
Wow has it already been a year since Wahl's retirement? It felt like it was just yesterday that we witnessed Wahl absolutely clean up at the S71 VHL Awards Show after winning 5 awards. He won the Dustin Funk Trophy for most improved player, the Brett Slobodzian Trophy for most outstanding player, the Greg Clegane Trophy for the lowest GAA, the Aidan Shaw Trophy for top goaltender and the Scotty Campbell Trophy for league MVP. So it's easy to say that the year Wahl had is by far the best season ever had by any member of the Phantoms to date. The only thing that was lacking to make that it the perfect season is a Continental Cup Win to add to that long list of awards. But, their playoff inexperience caused them to crash and burn in the first round of the playoffs. Still, what a way to bow out of the VHL.
 
Season 72, F, Thomas Landry II @Doomsday
 
Season 71 was a good year for the Prague's long time offensive woes. It featured 5 different 60 point players and the team's very first 30 goal scorer! Landry was drafted in the first round in S70 and had his breakout season this year and became the team's first player to hit to 30 goal mark with 34 goals as he's looking like he's set to be one of the VHL's next premier goal scorers for a long time. Not only did Landry set a new career high but so did both of his line mates, Ondrej Ohradka and Roll Fizzlebeef.  
 
Season 72, F, Roll Fizzlebeef
 
Like I mentioned earlier on in this media spot, Fizzlebeef lead the team in scoring twice during his three year tenure as a Phantoms. One of them was featured earlier on in my media spot the other was in Season 71 playing with two goal scorers in Landry and Ohradka. Old man Fizzlebeef  who was on his last season of his career like the rest of his line mates had a career year. He finished the season 9 points ahead of WSJ for the team lead with 76 points which is the most points scored by a Phantom in a season. This is also the first ever point per game season ever had by a Phantom! The retiring Phantoms always have  funny a way to leave the VHL with a lasting impression. 
 
 
Originally I was only going to list 5 in this article to represent the 5 seasons of Phantoms hockey but I just couldn't make my mind up on just 5.  
 

Final Update: Some greate players in this draft class. 
Roll Fizzlebeef + 5 Orion Slade + 31 Anthony Matthews + 7  
@TacticalHammer @BluObieZ @Anthony Matthews

Another exciting regular season has come to a close. That means we can dole out some regular season awards! Welcome everyone to the 7th Annual Unofficial VHL Regular Season Awards honoring S72! Thank you to everyone that reads this. I’m always looking for new award ideas. Please keep the award suggestions coming!
 
These awards have been created by me. There is no voting process and they are not officially recognized by the VHL Board of Governors. I wrote descriptions for most of these award names in the original award post. Let’s get things underway!
 
 
The Pylon Award (worst +/- rating) – Jack Feriancek @Jackie4967 
 
Malmo claimed the bottom 6 spots for this award, with Jack leading the way with a -59.
 
Previous Pylon Award Winners:
Season
Player
+ / -
S71
John Madden
-43
S70
Bert Meyers
-45
S69
Basaraba Moose
-57
S68
Sven Hitz
-58
S67
Piotr Jerwa and Nethila Dissanayake
-34
S66
Bryce Zhields
-49
 
 
The Gandhi Award (least penalty minutes, min 1,000 minutes played) – Jared Spaz @Spaz 
 
Spaz just met the 1,000 MP requirement for this award. But he did and claims it with 2 PIM in 1,106 minutes played. Special recognition to Patrik Tallinder @Patrik Tallinder  (4 PIM, 2,150 MP) and Dean Clarke @Kyle  (4 PIM, 2,166 MP)
 
Previous Gandhi Award Winners:
Season
Player
PIM
Minutes Played
S71
Soren Jensen
4
2016
S70
Denver Wolfe
2
1988
S69
Hugh Chan
4
2050
S68
Jack Lynch
0
1473
S67
Diljodh Starload
0
2091
S66
Beau Buefordsson
0
1939
 
 
Oh what’s this?! A new award, snuck right into the middle of the presentation?! It can’t be… Yes it is! A new award!
 
A lot of people can accumulate penalty minutes, but it takes a special person to get major penalties. The Major2 Award aims to award this special player we can now call the major of majors. The award is given to the player who has the most major penalties.
 
The Major2 Award (most major penalties) - Mikko Lahtinen @Beketov 
 
Mikko topped the league with 9 major penalties this season. Congratulations on winning the 1st ever Major­2 award!
 
 
 
The Timex Award (received most hits) – Anthony Matthews @Anthony Matthews 
 
Matthews led the league by getting hit 274 times. The same number of times last season’s winner, HHH, was hit.
 
Previous Timex Award Winners:
Season
Player
Hits Taken
S71
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
274
S70
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
282
S69
John Madden
357
S68
Mikko Aaltonen
297
S67
Rauno Palo
302
S66
Beau Louth
300
 
 
The John Wayne Award (most shots on goal) - Jet Jaguar @gorlab 
 
Jet launched an impressive 425 shots on goal this season.
 
Previous John Wayne Award Winners:
Season
Player
Shots Taken
S71
Scott Greene
402
S70
Juilius Freeman
453
S69
Juilius Freeman
452
S68
Rylan Peace
466
S67
Matt Thompson
495
S66
Shane Mars
533
 
 
The “Hit the Broadside of the Barn” Award (most own shots blocked) - Henrik Zoiderberg @HenrikZoiderberg 
 
Zoiderberg gets the award with 122 of his shots being blocked. This won over 2nd place finisher and last season’s winner, Guy LeGrande (120 OSB).
 
Previous HtBotB Award Winners:
Season
Player
Own Shots Blocked
S71
Guy LeGrande
122
S70
Shawnomir Jagr
129
S69
Julian Borwinn
136
S68
Rylan Peace
144
S67
Beau Louth
153
S66
Oyorra Arroyo
142
 
 
The “Can’t Hit the Broadside of the Barn” Award (most own shots missed) – RJ Jubis @Jubis 
 
Jubis matched the winning total from last season, 299 missed shots. Really?! You couldn’t have missed just one more to make it an even 300?
 
Previous CHtBotB Award Winners:
Player
Season
Shots Missed
S71
Guy LeGrande
299
S70
Juilius Freeman
343
S69
Elias Dahlberg
320
S68
Rylan Peace
351
S67
Beau Louth
364
S66
Roctrion King
372
 
 
The New Shin Pads Award (most blocked shots) – Condor Adrienne @OrbitingDeath 
 
Condor had this award on lockdown since the very start of the season. He blocked 188 shots, 33 more than the next best player. Simply amazing!
 
Previous New Shin Pads Award Winners:
Season
Player
Shots Blocked
S71
Aron Nielsen
153
S70
Guillaume Fontenette
145
S69
Guillaume Fontenette
166
S68
Seabass Perrin
207
S67
Piotr Jerwa
170
S66
Lando Baxter
189
 
The Tired Legs Award (most minutes played) - Condor Adrienne @OrbitingDeath  and Zyrok12 @Zyrok 
 
These two teammates tied for this award, both playing exactly 2,227 minutes. Oddly enough STHS figured this to mean that Condor played 30.93 minutes per game while Zyrock12 played 30.94 minutes per game. Not sure how that works out, but nice job guys!
 
Previous Tired Legs Award Winners:
Season
Player
Minutes Played
S71
Juilius Freeman
2189
S70
Juilius Freeman
2164
S69
John Madden
2259
S68
Mikko Aaltonen
2290
S67
Shawn Glade
2226
S66
Robert Malenko
2324
 
 
The Snap! Award (most power play minutes) - Micheal Gary Scott @Motzaburger 
 
In a fitting celebration, Micheal Gary Scott organized the entire office to film a music video to “The Power.” He nabbed this award with 340 minutes on the power play.
 
Previous Snap! Award Winners:
Season
Player
PP Minutes
S71
Juilius Freeman
364
S70
Juilius Freeman
372
S69
Elias Dahlberg
368
S68
Joseph McWolf
351
S67
Beau Louth
437
S66
Jake Davis
412
 
 
The 1 vs. 100 Award (most time on penalty kill) - Cody Smith @cody73 
 
Prague must take a lot of pride in winning this award. They dominated this category, taking the top 7 spots. Cody took home the award with 356 minutes killing penalties.
               
Previous 1 vs. 100 Award Winners:
Season
Player
PK Minutes
S71
Jacob Perry
344
S70
Jacob Perry
380
S69
Wolf Stansson Jr
328
S68
Jack Lynch
353
S67
Aron Nielsen
374
S66
Lew Bronstein
352
 
 
The Sean Archer Award (highest face-off win %) - Hunter Hearst Helmsley @Beaviss 
 
After being unseated by Jet Jaguar last season, HHH worked hard on his face-off game and reclaimed the title by winning 62.35% of his 3,086 faceoffs.
               
Previous Sean Archer Award Winners:
Season
Player
Face Off Pct
S71
Jet Jaguar
61.84%
S70
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
60.78%
S69
Rauno Palo
59.45%
S68
Podrick Cast
62.56%
S67
Beau Louth
63.09%
S66
Rauno Palo
63.10%
 
 
The Castor Troy Award (lowest face-off win %, min 1,000 faceoffs) - Richard Penisson @bluesfan55 
 
With Zeno retiring, this award was open for anyone to nab. Richard Penisson rose to the occasion. He only won 38.13% of his face-offs. Maybe blood was flowing to the wrong head during face-offs?
               
Previous Castor Troy Award Winners:
Season
Player
Face Off Pct
S71
Zeno Miniti
42.07%
S70
Zeno Miniti
42.07%
S69
Zeno Miniti
32.27%
S68
Gritty
36.31%
S67
Gucci Garrop
35.07%
S66
Bryce Zhields
30%
 
 
The Triple Deke Award (most penalty shot goals) - Sigard Gunnar @Big Mac 
 
6 must be a magic number for this category and for Gunnar. He wins this award in consecutive seasons with 6 penalty shot goals. Micheal Gary Scott @Motzaburger  also scored 6 penalty shot goals, but needed 14 attempts, giving Gunnar the award.
 
               
Previous Triple Deke Award Winners:
Season
Player
Penalty Shot Goals
S71
Sigard Gunnar
6
S70
Owen Nolan
6
S69
Owen Nolan
6
S68
Jorgon Weyed
6
S67
Veran Dragomir
8
S66
Leph Twinger
5
 
 
The Rocky Award (most fights won) – Kristopher McDagg @Viperxhawks19 
 
What a mess this category is. 10 players tied for the league lead with 2 fights won. Ok, so let’s eliminate anyone who lost a fight. Down to 5 players. Now what’s more important? Winning a higher percentage of fights, or having more fights without losing?
3 players went 2-0-0. (Sigard Gunnar @Big Mac, Boris the Forest @chillzone, and Charles Drumm @frescoelmo). Is that better or worse than McDagg’s record of 2-0-4. I’m saying McDagg is more impressive, so he gets the award on the tiebreaker over everyone else, including Jack Feriancek @Jackie4967 (2-0-3).
               
Previous Rocky Award Winners:
Season
Player
Fights Won
S71
Owen Nolan
3
S70
RJ Jubis and Ambrose Stark
2
S69
Edward Vigneault
4
S68
Tyler Barabash Jr
2
S67
ACL TEAR
6
S66
Ryuu Crimson
4
 
 
The Glass Joe Award (most fights lost) – Roll Fizzlebeef @TacticalHammer 
Roll claims the award with a dismal 0-3-1 fight record, losing the tiebreaker to Pengu @Pengu  who had more draws going 0-3-4.
               
Previous Glass Joe Award Winners:
Season
Player
Fights Lost
S71
Benny Graves and John Madden
3
S70
Walter Clements
3
S69
Rusty Shackleford
5
S68
Podrick Cast and Jordan Tonn
2
S67
Kronos Bailey and Hunter Hearst Helmsley
4
S66
Rauno Palo
3
 
 
The Stars Award (most stars won) – Julius Freeman @rjfryman 
 
Julius received 25 total stars this season. Sigard Gunnar @Big Mac tied with Julius with 10 1st stars.
               
Previous Stars Award Winners:
Season
Player
Total Stars
S71
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
28
S70
Randoms
25
S69
Julian Borwinn
27
S68
Matt Thompson
32
S67
Rauno Palo
25
S66
Matt Thompson
28
 
 
The “Always a Bridesmaid” Award (most stars without winning 1st star) – Lewis Dawson @Kendrick 
 
Leiws won 13 stars this season without ever winning the 1st star. Impressively, 10 of those were 2nd starts. So close Lewis!
               
Previous Bridesmaid Award Winners:
Season
Player
Stars
S71
Condor Adrienne
12
S70
Luciano Valentino
6
S69
Tzuyu
12
S68
Zeno Miniti
9
S67
Dan Baillie
13
S66
Mikka Pajari
7
 
The Biggest Backpack Award (player with the largest difference in points from the rest of their team) - Benny Graves @STZ 
 
Benny scored 13 more points than anyone else on D.C. The smallest difference in the history of this award.
           
Previous Backpack Award Winners:
Season
Player
Point Difference from nearest teammate
S71
Roque Davis
20
S70
Julian Borwinn
22
S69
John Madden
28
S68
Mikko Aaltonen
28
S67
Podrick Cast
23
 
 
 
 
The Anniversary Award
 
This award goes to the player whose total points rank matches the season number. This season was season 72. That means this award goes to the player who finished 72nd in total points. The winner of this year’s Anniversary Award is…
 
Ondrej Ohradka @animal74 
Somehow, as we keep moving down the rankings, the points keep going up. Great depth we got going on here! Ondrej scored 51 points this season, landing him in the 72nd spot in the rankings.
 
Previous Anniversary Award Winners:
Season
Player
Points
S71
Elasmobranch Fish
46
S70
Orion Slade
44
 
 
 
 
The Egghshell Award (goalie with most overtime losses) - Michael Johnson @fonziGG 
 
In his final season, Michael Johnson set a career worst 9 overtime losses. That’s enough to win the Eggshell award.
 
Previous Eggshell Award Winners:
Season
Player
Overtime Games Lost
S71
Jaxx Hextall
11
 
 
 
The <Insert best slasher movie of all time title> Award (most PIM by a Goalie) - A Red Guy @.sniffuM 
 
I’m still looking for suggestions for this award’s title. Share your favorite slasher film title with me. A Red Guy sliced and diced his way through the competition to win with 12 PIM.
 
Previous <slasher> Award Winners:
Season
Player
PIM
S71
Greg Eagles
10
 
 
 
The Poke Check Award (highest % of penalty shots stopped, min 10 penalty shots against) - Virgil Ligriv @MMFLEX 
 
Vitrgil stopped 83.3% of the 24 penalty shots taken against him.
 
Previous Poke Check Award Winners:
Season
Player
Penalty Shots Stopped
S71
Greg Eagles
79.30%
 
 
 
Phew that is a lot of hardware! That concludes our ceremony. Thank you for reading. Congratulations and/or condolences to all the winners! Have a good night!
 
 
 

@TacticalHammer

Roll Fizzlebeef + 17 Gritty + 34 Brian Strong + 6 Orion Slade + 1 Anthony Matthews + 19  
@TacticalHammer @ContinentalCup036 @Wheaties @BluObieZ @Anthony Matthews

Don't come at Gary like that ?

Before the mid-season trade last season that saw Ondrej Ohradka go from Calgary to Prague, the Slovakian winger had barely seen any ice-time on special teams. He was a young developing player at the time and the Wranglers were deep at forward with more established veterans manning the power play and penalty kill units.
 
Once in Prague, however, the Phantoms immediately played Ohradka in both special teams units and while he struggled initially, he eventually became more comfortable on both units and this year even more so.  Firmly entrenched on the Phantoms' primary power play and penalty killing units, he has thrived on both ends of the ice and is currently third on the team with six power play goals and tied for third with 16 power play points. Also, Ohradka has taken the fourth-most faceoffs on the team while playing the center spot on the PK in spite of being a winger. He and PK partner Kefka Palazzo lead Prague forwards in shorthanded ice time.
 
"Being on the power play has been a blast," OO7 says with a grin. "It's fun and I love having the extra space to create plays. Being on the ice with a guy like Roll (Fizzlebeef) makes it even better as he has been passing the puck with so much poise this year and rarely makes the wrong play." Indeed, the duo along with Thomas Landry II have helped the Phantoms to an above average power play that has been lethal all year with nine players having 10 or more power play points.
 
Seeing so much time against the opposition's power play has been more challenging but Ohradka has enjoyed the additional responsibility and tries to prove every shift that he can handle the job. Having been known as a capable two-way forward thus far in his career, it’s a challenge he handles with enthusiasm and aplomb.
 
"I've always prided myself on my defensive game and being on the PK allows me to develop that side of my game even more. The most challenging part has been taking faceoffs but I'm happy to learn a new skill and add it to my skill set."
 
Ohradka has been seen after practice working on faceoffs with coaches and centers Fizzlebeef and Alex Pearson to improve his timing and technique. He realizes the importance of being quicker on the draw.
 
“Faceoffs are a skill that need to be fine-tuned and you have to find the stance and grip that works best for you so you can train your hand-eye coordination to be at its peak. It’s taken me awhile to get the hang of winning draws as it’s not something I thought I would need to do much but I’m getting better all the time. Some players just seem to have that knack for it though. Possession is so important when killing penalties that it’s not something I can ignore.”
 
While he may never lead the league in faceoff percentage, it seems like Ondrej Ohradka is doing everything he can to make Prague’s power play and penalty kill… special.
 
Mentioned: @Jayrad28 @TacticalHammer @Doomsday @diamond_ace

Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen + 20 Roll Fizzlebeef + 24 Brian Strong + 13
 
@flyersfan1453 @TacticalHammer @Wheaties

Phamily Pheud: What's Wrong in Prague?
 
The Prague Phantoms are currently clinging to the last playoff spot in the European Conference with a two-point gap over the Moscow Menace, who has a game in hand on the Phantoms. With these two rivals clashing the next two games (making it three in a row), the playoff picture could be altered greatly.
 
So what’s going on with the Phantoms, a team that seemed like they were ready to take a step forward after almost capturing the top seed in the European Conference last season? There has been a lot going on, so we’ll look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
 
 

 
The Good:
 
The first 14 games of the season were encouraging as the Phantoms went 6-5-3 scoring 45 goals over that stretch which led the league. The strong offensive start was sparked by veteran center Roll Fizzlebeef, grinding winger Ben McGirr and the “Big 3” on defense Seabass Perrin, Cinnamon Block, and Wolf Stansson Jr. They were receiving solid goaltending from now departed Solomon Crawford, too.
 
The young core continues to improve and gel as a team and the recent trade to bring in journeyman netminder Virgil Ligriv may give Prague a bit more consistency between the pipes. Their power play has been one of the top units all season and they continue to be one of the most physical teams in the league as they currently lead the VHL with 520 hits. They are willing to sacrifice their bodies for the team, leading the league in shots blocked but that might be more a product of giving up the second-most shots in the league which leads us to…
 
 

 
The Bad:
 
For having such a strong blueline and a commitment to defense and taking the body, something within the Phantoms defensive scheme has not been jiving. They are last in the league in goals against and as mentioned, have been near the bottom of shots against all season. While the goaltending has been good, getting peppered with over 35 shots a game is not a successful strategy. Over the last 14 games the Phantoms have gone 4-7-3 while scoring seven less goal then the previous 14 games but allowing the same amount (46). The penalty kill has been middle of the pack at 80% which is not good enough when they allow the second-most power plays in the league.  A couple of moves were made early in the season to add some depth and now they need more scoring from that depth.   
 
 

 
The Ugly:
 
While some of the previously stated numbers look ugly, as a whole, it’s not terrible as a lot of the good is trying to balance the shortcomings of this young team. A couple of things though stand out as ugly for Prague and one of those things is not their fault.
 
The inability to lure top free agents has hurt them as they continue to look for respect as a team on the rise. The superb culture of the Phantoms has never been in question but the up and coming core players are close to clearing the first-round playoff hurdle but many outside the locker room don’t believe they are a contender yet. This will hopefully change over time, but how much time?
 
The main reason they lost the first seed last year was the team’s abhorrent record in overtime and shootouts and this season is no different. The Phantoms are 0-6 in overtime and shootouts with one overtime loss and five shootout losses. So far the Phantoms have lost 14 points due to shootouts alone over the last 100 games. This season they have only scored 5 goals on 20 attempts with the usual top three, Thomas Landry II (2 for 5), Wolf Stansson Jr (1 for 5) and Ondrej Ohradka (0 for 4) not being clutch enough. The rest of the team has gone 2 for 6. They need to find ways to win in regulation or the playoffs may slip by them. And that would cause a feud.
 
S. Mack Tokker
Prague Sports Network

Shootouts Plague, Yet Propel Prague

 
PRAGUE - With a record of 7-6-5, you would expect to find the Prague Phantoms near the bottom of the standings. Despite only having one more win than the New York Americans and the same as the second-to-last D.C. Dragons, the Phantoms are currently tied with the HC Davos Dynamo for 5th in the VHL. Despite five losses in overtime or the shootout, the extra points are keeping Prague right in the thick of the hunt. 
 
"It's frustrating, because those are five more points we could have had," said Thomas Landry II after a team practice. "But at the same time, those are also five points that we very easily could have lost. It's easy to forget about that when you keep ending up on the wrong side of those games, but getting ourselves into that position so frequently is keeping us in a good position."
 

 
After the retirements of reigning MVP goalie Brick Wahl and Joel Ylonen, many predicted Prague to miss the playoffs after nearly taking the top seed in the European Conference last season. But behind Solomon Crawford in net and Roll Fizzlebeef making his final season among his best, the Phantoms are rolling right along. Their strong defensive core is keeping them in games and making Crawford's transition into being a starting goaltender easier, while their balanced group of forwards continue to take turns being the one to make plays. However, the pesky shootout keeps the Phantoms from getting ahead. 
 
"It's getting to the point that we might have to start investing more in penalty shots," chuckled Ondrej Ohradka. "It feels like a fluke, but it just keeps happening. What else can you do?"
 
Jethro Novacek is a writer for the MSFL Times, a worldwide leader in complicating the obvious. He enjoys crisp summer breezes, calling Jaxx Hextall a stud and the roar of American muscle cars.

After a disastrous start to S72 that saw Prague go 1-4-1 in the team’s first six games and allow a whopping 28 goals, the Phamily settled down and are now one of the hottest teams in the league going undefeated in regulation in the last six games (5-0-1) and having outscored opponents 20-12.
 
The rebound from the terrible start is attributed to a return to the team’s smothering defense from last year, offensive contributions from all over the team’s roster of veterans and emerging stars and the hot play of their starter in net, Solomon Crawford @AW13, who learned from watching last year’s MVP, Brick Wahl @BladeMaiden, and is now coming into his own. Crawford has been selected the 1st Star in each of Prague’s last three games.
 
Over the last six games, every skater has contributed at least two points. The offense has been led by defensemen Wolf Stansson Jr @Cornholio and Seabass Perrin @Seabass who have scored four and three goals respectively. Wily vet Roll Fizzlebeef @TacticalHammer has scored nine points in those six games leading the team in assists in that span with seven and power play points with four. Young forward Dagmar Havlova @diamond_ace has scored two game-winning goals while Ben McGirr @cartoes has assisted on three game-winning goals. With depth like this the Phantoms will be hard to stop going forward.
 
The Phantoms continue to punish teams with their grinding play as they are second in the VHL in penalty minutes and hits after 12 games. Ironically, they also lead the league in Goals For (40) and Goals Against (41) and they have the VHL's hottest power play running at a sublime 32.4%.

The Phantoms had quite the rough start as they were sitting at the bottom of the league's standings earlier this week after they started the season winning only 1 of their first 6 games. They've recently bounced up from the cellar of the league standings to the 9th position with their two recent wins against the Malmo Nighthawks. The Phantoms have been outshot in every one of their games so far, sometimes heavily but thanks to unbelievable play from Solomon Crawford and a high team shooting percentage the Phantoms have been able to steal a few wins. 
 
Crawford seems to be settling in well after a rough start in his Phantom's career and he seems to be the Phantoms saving grace right now as the team shouldn't even be winning games if you look at shot totals. He's playing well above .900 right now at .911 which is a first for Crawford. Not too shabby considering he's playing for a team who's currently letting the most shots against through to their goalie at 338 shots against which is almost 50 more then the next team. He took the starting role this year and he's just running with it. 
 
Even though the team is currently 3-6 the team has 3 players among the VHL's top 10 point getters with Roll FIzzlebeef, Ben McGirr and Seabass Perrin all tied for 8th in the league with 10 points. That's a first for the young Phantoms franchise but it all means nothing if the team can't find a way to limit shots against and come up with a winning record. Lets hope next week will turn out a little better for the Phantoms. 
 
players mentinoned: @AW13 @cartoes @TacticalHammer

S71 Prague Phantoms' Team Awards
 
Coming off of their first playoff appearance in only their third season in S70, the Prague Phantoms had served notice to the VHL that they were a team on the rise. After a surprise trade that brought in veteran center Joel Ylonen from Davos in the off-season, the Phantoms were ready to make some noise. And they did just that. Prague played a punishing brand of hockey that helped them stay near the top of the European Conference for most of the season.
 
Then with 17 games left, GM @diamond_ace decided that the roster needed tweaking so in two separate deals he shipped off life-long Phantoms Scotty BigShotty and Willie Dredge to Helsinki and Calgary for former Phantom Blake Laughton and young winger Ondrej Ohradka respectfully. The new players seemed to provide a spark for the Phantoms. They almost grabbed the top seed in the European Conference as they tied Moscow in points but had one less win when they lost by a shootout goal in the last game of the season. Prague made the playoffs for the second straight season but also lost in the first round for the second consecutive time as they fell to Riga in six games.
 
There were many bright spots for the Phantoms in S71 – from Brick Wahl’s career year to the emergence of Cinnamon Block and Seabass Perrin as one of the league’s premier defense pairings to Joel Ylonen’s 9-point series against Riga. The team has many reasons to feel positive about the future, including a fantastic comradery.
 
Shortly after the loss to Riga, the players and significant others dressed in their finest and joined together for the team’s Awards Ceremony at the Zlaty Strom nightclub in Prague.
 
And now, here are the S71 Prague Phantoms’ Team Awards as voted by the players...
 
 
Best Defenseman
Cinnamon Block
@omgitshim
 
“Cinna”, as her teammates call her, had a career year for the Phantoms while becoming one of the best two-way blueliners in the league. She led Prague in ice-time and posted career-highs in assists (57), points (69), and plus/minus (+19), all numbers which led the team, and also potted a career-high 12 goals. Those totals put her third in the league for assists, tied for third among all defensemen in points and tied for 8th in the league for plus/minus. She was also tied for fourth in the league in power play assists (18) and tied for 9th in power play points (23). Both of those marks also led the Phantoms.
 
Runner-up: Seabass Perrin @Seabass
 
Block’s defense partner also had a fantastic year leading Prague in shot blocks (122) and short-handed points (2) while posting career-best offensive numbers and ranking second on the team in many categories including ice time, assists, points, and power play goals.
 
 
Unsung Hero
Alex Pearson
@Jayrad28
 
On a team that lacked a true sniper and relied on a “scoring by committee” approach every night, it’s no surprise that all the players took turns as the unsung hero on a game-by-game basis as opportunities allowed. This was one of the most tightly contested awards as seven players each received at least one vote. Alex Pearson seemed to provide an offensive spark whenever he was on the ice as he led the team in shots (267) and led the forwards in assists (35) and points (54), both career highs. He also became the Phantoms leader in career goals during the season. But it was more the way he went about his business each night, while playing with heart and drive every shift, he was also very often unnoticed and with very little flair. On the most penalized team in the league, he had the fewest PIM and hits.
 
Runners-up: Roll Fizzlebeef, Thomas Landry II
 
Fizzlebeef provided veteran leadership and consistent scoring as he led the Phantoms in goals (24) and power play goals (10). The 10 PPG also tied career-high and put him among the top ten in the VHL. Landry II was a force as a rookie and led the team with six game-winning goals.
 
 
Most Energetic
Thomas Landry II
 
Already known for his hard-driving, tenacious, physical play during his junior days with the Calgary Hitmen and his time with Halifax and San Diego in the VHLM, American-born power forward Thomas Landry II lived up to his reputation in his rookie season. He led the Phantoms with 223 hits and was second with 140 PIM. His non-stop motor made him a dependable penalty-killer as well as he led Prague forwards with 23 shot blocks and scored one of the team’s two short-handed goals on the year. He was also a constant source of enthusiasm in the locker room and quickly became one of the more vocal leaders.
 
Runner-up: Seabass Perrin
 
Perrin’s never-say-die attitude fueled his team-leading 122 shot blocks and he inspired his teammates with constant encouragement on and off the ice.
 
 
Most Gentlemanly
Dagmar Havlova @diamond_ace
Ondrej Ohradka @animal74
 
This award may seem ironic for the team that led the league in hits and PIM in the regular season. Perhaps many of the players were considering “least ornery” when they voted as a total of nine players received votes for the Most Gentlemanly award. Two players each received two votes, though, so this will be the second award shared by the European forwards, Dagmar Havlova and Ondrej Ohradka, as they both won a Founder’s Cup with the Saskatoon Wild in S69. Havlova had less penalty minutes and hits then Ohradka, who was more considered a gentleman in the locker room.
 
Runners-up: Seven players
 
 
Rookie of the Year
Thomas Landry II
@Doomsday
 
Being the defacto winner as the Phantom’s only rookie on the roster shouldn’t diminish Landry II’s fantastic first season in the league. As noted earlier, he led the team in hits and game-winnings goals and was as important to the team on the ice with his physical dominance as he was off it with his growing influence in the locker room. His 39 points were 7th in rookie scoring and he enjoyed success on both the power play and penalty kill units.
 
 
Most Valuable Player
Brick Wahl
@BladeMaiden
 
Much has been said about Brick Wahl’s brilliant season. His MVP-caliber play will garner much reflection during the VHL Awards and deservedly so. But perhaps most importantly, his teammates voted him as the most valuable player to the Phantoms in S71. Wahl set team records and career highs. For a team that depended on defense and penalty-killing, he was the stoutest defender of them all. It’s fair to say that the Phantoms would not have made the playoffs without him. Prague will miss him between the pipes next season but he gave the team everything he had left before retiring.
 
Runner-up: Cinnamon Block
As one of the leaders on the Phantoms, Block’s career year led the team with her two-way play.
 
 
Phantom of the Year
Seabass Perrin
@Seabass
 
Although still a young franchise, the Prague Phantoms have grown a culture and developed an environment in which players want to play. The expansion label has been ripped off now with two straight playoff appearances and the players understand what it takes to win. The Phantom of the Year award honors a player who exemplifies the characteristics valued by the team: dedication, perseverance, leadership, mentorship, etc.
 
It was a close vote, but Seabass Perrin was the winner of the Phantom of the Year for S71. Perrin’s dedication to the Phantoms is unquestioned. An original member since being drafted by Prague 17th overall in S68, he is the franchise all-time leader in shot blocks and a great teammate on and off the ice. He never has anything bad to say and keeps the team loose with his positive, laid-back attitude. Veterans and young players alike look to Perrin for inspiration, advice, and a listening ear.
 
Runners-up: Thomas Landry II, Brick Wahl
 
Along with Perrin, Landry II and Wahl formed the core of the Phantom’s locker room. Using their distinct vocal styles, Landry’s enthusiastic encouragement and Wahl’s calm veteran mentorship helped to gel and unify the team.
 
 
3-Stars Award
 
At the end of each regular season game, the three players who performed the best get awarded the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Stars. The point totals associated with each “Star” are as follows: 30 – 1st Star, 20 – 2nd, 10 – 3rd. Those points were totaled at the end of the regular season and the Phantoms’ 3-Star Award was determined.
 
All 15 players on the roster garnered at least one selection with 12 earning at least one 1st Star during the course of the season. Five players each earned at least 11 total star awards, amassing 200 or more points. The 2nd – 5th point totals were close, but the winner was not a surprise.
 
The winner of the Prague Phantoms’ 3-Star Award for S71 led the team between the pipes and in the locker room. He’ll have to make space in his trophy case after a career year saw him end his career with four VHL awards and now two team awards.
 
Congratulations to…
Brick Wahl!
 
The full standings are below:
 

Player 1st 2nd 3rd Star Points Total Stars Brick Wahl 12 5 3 490 20 Cinnamon Block 4 7 3 290 14 Roll Fizzlebeef 5 4 2 250 11 Joel Ylonen 2 7 2 220 11 Thomas Landry II 4 1 6 200 11 Wolf Stansson Jr 2 3 3 150 8 Alex Pearson 2 1 6 140 9 Seabass Perrin 1 1 4 90 6 Ben McGirr 2 0 2 80 4 Ondrej Ohradka 0 3 1 70 4 Solomon Crawford 1 1 0 50 2 Dagmar Havlova 1 0 0 30 1 Gert B Forbe 1 0 0 30 1 Blake Laughton 0 1 0 20 1 Jacob Perry 0 1 0 20 1  
@omgitshim @Jayrad28 @Seabass @TacticalHammer @Esso2264 @Cornholio @Doomsday @cartoes @diamond_ace @Grape @NumberJ5 @Liberty_Cabbage @BladeMaiden @AW13

The Longest of Horns

Is this where I post a, "Woe is me," status about the sim abandoning us? Asking for a friend. 

First playoff victory in the history of the Prague Phantoms!! 

VS 
 
After losing the extra point in a shootout against Helsinki in their final game of S71, the Prague Phantoms find themselves tied with the Moscow Menace for first place in the European Conference with 82 points. Unfortunately for the Phantoms, Moscow wins the tie-break due to having one more win and so Prague slides to the 2nd seed in the European Conference which means a match-up with rivals the Riga Reign.
 
The Phantoms will have home ice advantage against the Reign in what should be a very close series between the 2nd and 3rd-lowest scoring playoff teams. The Phantoms only had two more wins and five more points than the Reign and while Riga scored 181 goals to Prague’s 177, Prague allowed 169 to Riga’s 175.
 
Riga held a slight edge in the regular season series with a 5-2-1 record in eight games versus Prague and outscored the Phantoms 16-12. Six of the games were decided by one goal with each team recording a 1-0 shutout, one game going to overtime (Prague won 2-1) and one decided by a shootout (Riga won 2-1).
 
Ironically, both teams were led in scoring by defensemen: Lincoln Tate @Tate led Riga with 67 points and Cinnamon Block @omgitshim topped Prague with 69 points. Riga has the edge in scoring depth as they had five 20-goal scorers and Prague only had two. Each team will rely heavily on their netminders who will need to be razor sharp as veterans Greg Eagles @Greg_Di and Brick Wahl @BladeMaiden will look to match each other save for save.

Welcome to the fourth edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 217-300).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 
 
Recap
 
We had several more trades this week as the trade deadline loomed. Hiroshi Okada made a splash with a hat-trick in one of his first games as a Titan and John Frostbeard announced his retirement just days after being traded to the Americans. Malmo appeared to be selling it all for the future and then immediately turned around and grabbed up Shawn Glade Jr and ACL TEAR. By the end of the week, it looks like the dust might finally be settling and it will just be a matter of time before we know how these trades will be remembered.
 
In the European Conference, acquisitions by Helsinki and Malmo added an extra level of excitement to their tight race for the final playoff spot. At the start of the week, it looked like the Titans might pull away with it, but the Nighthawks now wold a five-point lead. At the top of the conference, Moscow, Prague, and Riga all sit within two points, so the number one seed is open for anyone to grab. If their goaltending continues to hold, my current favourite to win the conference is the Phantoms, but the margins are extremely narrow.
 
In the North American Conference, the field has begun to pull away from their European counterparts as well as from the teams not currently in playoff spots. While it appears that we know who to expect in the playoffs out of North America, the seeding is way up in the air. Just three points separate first and forth and I can’t say I even have a  good guess who will win it. Vancouver has been the team I thought was a sleeper all season, but Calgary has maintained their lead throughout the week despite some adversity.
 
3-Stars
 
First Star
Brick Wahl (PRG) - .956 SV%, 1.64 GAA, 5 SO
Second Star
Scott Greene (SEA) - 10 G, 8 A
Third Star
Erik Summers (HSK) - 13 A, 28 SB
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Prague Phantoms - (+2) On the back of great goaltending, they made an outstanding surge this week.
Moscow Menace - (-1) I had told myself that I wouldn’t demote the reigning champs until they gave up first, but tied will have to do.
Riga Reign -  (-1) They captured some real magic for a while, but I’m not sure it is sustainable.
Malmo Nighthawks - (+1) Their trades seem to have paid off handsomely. They have a chance to look up a playoff spot
Helsinki Titans - (-1) It was a great start to the week and they got exactly what they wanted on the trade market, but will it be enough?
HC Davos Dynamo - They might be in last, but this team is becoming more and more respectable by the day.
 
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - They have fiercely defended first place all week. I just don’t know who is going to beat them.
Vancouver Wolves - Their goalie announced his retirement this week. This is the season for them to make a move.
Seattle Bears - One of the most well-rounded teams and even more so after this week’s trade.
D.C. Dragons - It feels wrong having this team in fourth, but the top four are just so close.
Toronto Legion - It is a shame that they don’t have much of a shot at the playoffs this season. They were very exciting to watch this week.
New York Americans - Their trade this week might help them this season, but is going to be rough in the long term.

User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - First in the European Conference, fifth in the league.
Riga Reign - (+4) Finally the recognition they deserve.
HC Davos Dynamo - Is this meme going to die?
Prague Phantoms/Helsinki Titans - (-1/0) I sure hope people aren’t still sleeping on Prague
Malmo Nighthawks - (-4) Roller coaster central over here.
 
North American Conference
Vancouver Wolves - (+5) I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Calgary Wranglers/Seattle Bears - (-1/+1) It is just so close here at the top.
D.C. Dragons - (-2) Exhibit A. How is a team this good in fourth in these rankings?
New York Americans - (-1) I’m interested to see if this will change at all this week.
Toronto Legion - (-1) At least it isn’t lonely down here.

Notable Games 

Game 263 Prague Phantoms vs. Moscow Menace
The Phantoms have been on a roll this week, especially on defence, and, at the end of the week, they are sitting tied for first place in the European Conference. The Cinnamon Block and Seabass Perrin combo on defence has been smothering and Brick Wahl has lived up to his name. This was put on full display in this shutout against Moscow. Despite giving up thirty-eight shots to possibly the best offence in the league, Prague held on and, with two goals from Roll Fizzlebeaf, ended it 2-0.
 
Game 286 - Riga Reign vs. Calgary Wranglers
Calgary finished the week on top of the standing again this week, and this game was a prime example of what they are capable of. It was actually the third in a series of games these two teams played this week and Calgary won them all. Since acquiring Greg Eagles, Acyd Burn, and Phil Marleau Riga has jumped up into the position of being a real contender. However, the North American Conference just looks significantly better at the moment. Calgary did an excellent job of wrangling in the star players of the Reign roster, with the only one of those big-name signings that appeared on the score-sheet being Greg Eagles.
 
Game 288 - Vancouver Wolves vs. Seattle Bears
The battle for first place in the North American Conference and, by extension, the league, was very tight all week. At the end of the season, we will look back on these rivalry games with extra importance as they will each be huge in determining playoff seeding. Scott Greene and Will Clark each had multi-point games, but the goaltending was the real story of this match as each goalie stopped thirty or more shots. In the end, Rayz Funk and Finn Davison combined for an SV% of .941.

Events of the Week 

Fights
 
Game 222 - BRAWL! Fights have been way down this season from last, but Helsinki and Davos set out to begin fixing that problem, though the Titan’s certain came out the worse for it. After Anthony Matthews scored just seconds into the third period, Kronos Bailey sought revenge with his fists. This sparked a line-brawl that included Erik Draven, Chico Smeb, Guillaume Fontenett, Derek Eriksson, and Cody Smith. Then, later that period Kronos Bailey started another fight, this time with Milos Slavik. The resulting ejection and powerplay would lead to the final nail in the Titan’s coffin this game. Game 270 - Brawl…? This was considered a line brawl, but somehow only two players received fighting majors. Kris Rice and Hunter Hearst Helmsley fought to a draw and were penalized the full five minutes while Mikko Lahtinen, Jeff Downey, and Sigard Gunnar only got minors for their involvement. Game 285 - Forest beats up Laughton Sometimes a fight can be used to kill an opponent’s momentum as much as it can be to fuel your own. That was the case when Boris the Forest laid a brutal beat-down on Blake Laughton late in the second period. Helsinki had just come within one goal and seemed to have a good deal of momentum. However, after the fight, D.C. regained control and closed out the game without another goal. Game 294 - BRAWL! Helsinki has been a very physical team this season and you will not find a fiercer rivalry in the VHL than Titans vs. Reign, so this was to be expected. A high-stick from Cody Smith started it all when Guy Sasakamoose took umbrage with it and started swinging. He would end up getting the additional instigation penalty as he beat up Ben Hafkey. Jim Bob won one for Helsinki as well in his fight against Patrick Tallinder and Erik Draven and Apollo Hackett fought to a draw. Guillaume Fontenette and Phil Marleau also got involved with some pushing and shoving but were only called for minors.  
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 241 - Brian Strong and Hiroshi Okada Helsinki showed everyone that they got exactly what they wanted in their trade for Hiroshi Okada. In his first week with the Titans, he has already nearly doubled his point total for the season. He was going criminally underutilized on Calgary’s third line, so I’m sure this is a breath of fresh air for the up and comer.

Another effect of having Okada on the team is that it has open up space on the ice for his teammates. Brian Strong was one of the main beneficiaries of that in this game with a hat-trick of his own. Erik Summers also had a career-best game with five assists in this 8-4 score-fest. Game 248 - Soren Jensen Soren Jensen, MGS, and Fredick Elembeck combined for a lightning-fast start. With three points apiece, Jensen did the majority of the scoring with his first hat-trick of the season. The Americans spent the rest of the game just holding off the Wolves so cling to a 4-3 victory. Game 251 - Ambrose Stark This has been a great season for individual efforts, and hat-tricks are way up from last season. Ambrose Stark spaced this one out, scoring his first goal to give the Bears a two-goal lead early in the first. We didn’t see him again until after Toronto had done some scoring of their own when he once again gave Seattle a two-goal lead at the start of the third. He then increased it to a three-goal lead to complete his first hat-trick of the season. Game 254 - Mikko Aaltonen This has to be the worst-feeling hat-trick of the season. Mikko Aaltonen carrier his team into overtime scoring all three of their goals. Then, after extra time went scoreless, it was the Wranglers who one as Aaltonen’s shootout shot sailed wide of the net. Game 280 - Pat Svoboda Back with his old team this season, Pat Svoboda has slowed down a bit in his final season, but he is still a great leader in Davos. Currently, he is the only player on the Dynamo roster with a positive +/-. He did everything he could to help them win this one, scoring once in each period, but it came up just short. Regardless, it is exciting to watch the veteran still put up highlight-reel performances. Game 284 - Mat Tocco The first period was action-packed with a final score of 3-2, and Moscow was deadly on the powerplay, scoring on both of their opportunities. But from there, it was all Mat Tocco. He scored again in the second and third periods to finish out his hat-trick. Game 289 - Zeno Miniti When the last-place team in the North American Conference faces the reigning champs, you don’t expect to get a great game. That expectation was smashed when Zeno Miniti led the Legion to an impressive victory with his first career hat-trick. Game 292 - Benny Graves Some people discount hat-tricks that include an empty-netter, but not here. This is especially true when no one could have deserved one more than Benny Graves did in this game. Graves’s first two goals kept the Dragons in this game while the rest of the team struggled. But, late in the second, his teammates turned it on to make the comeback and lead the game 5-4. That was what gave Benny the opportunity at the empty netter for his first hat-trick of the season. Game 295 - Jeff Downey Jeff Downey scored the opening goal and the one that would go on to be the game-winner in the first period for his initial two goals. After that, he waited until the third to finish his hat-trick and chase Seattle goalie Rayz Funk in the process. With an assist as well, he had himself a four-point game.  
Shutouts
  
Game 217 - Toronto vs. New York The battle to stay out of last place in the North American Conference got off to a big start this week. Shots were fairly even throughout with New York actually out-shooting Toronto in the second and third periods, but nothing could get past Jaxx Hextall. Despite being only his second shutout of the season, I would say he is playing pretty well considering the struggles Toronto has had so far. Game 230 - H.C. Davos vs. Vancouver One of the few predictions I’ve gotten right, I was on the Jimmy Spyro train very early and this kid continues to amaze. Davos actually managed to get off quite a few shots, but Spyro stoped all twenty-nine of them. He was especially brilliant in the third, facing thirteen shots as his opponents tried desperately to find a hole. Game 231 - Prague vs. Riga Sometimes experience beats the hottest new thing, and that’s what happened here. Brick Wahl has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season, but he still has a few lessons to teach the new guard. This game had extra meaning because it is extremely close at the top of the European Conference right now and any of these games could be the one that decides it. Game 250 - D.C. vs. Malmo The Dragons were a mess in this game. JB Rift had one of the worst games of his career, letting in two of the first six shots he face and getting pulled just over five minutes into the first period. Once they had the lead, Malmo did what Malmo does best, shut it down. After an amazing first period, Michael Johnson had a much easier time in the second and third, facing just eight shots in each to close out another great shutout. Game 252 - Prague vs. H.C. Davos For a team that has spent most of the season in a pretty distant last place, Davos still manages to look very competitive in short bursts. They absolutely dominated this game, outshooting the Phantoms 37-13 and handing Samuel Ross one of the calmer shutouts of his career. Game 253 - Prague vs. Vancouver Prague's goaltending has been on a streak of its own as well, besting both sides of the Davison/Eagles trade this week. Brick Wahl benefited from a team in front of him that control the momentum for much of the game, forcing Finn Davison to make thirty saves. Both goalies had an excellent night, but it was Wahl who walked away with the shutout. Game 255 - Malmo vs. Seattle Word to the wise, don’t let Malmo go up 2-0 on you in the first period. It will almost always end with a shutout. However, when Hulk Hogan is ejected for head-butting and Ambrose Stark is sitting for a fight, it is kinda hard to stop them. Seattle made a good effort with eleven shots in the third, but Michael Johnson held them off to climb back atop the shutout leaderboard. Game 262 - Toronto vs. D.C. D.C. had pretty good control for most of this game. There were a few moments in the first period where things could have gone the other way, but once they got to the second they really shut things down. JB Rift and Jaxx Hextall were each excellent this game, but it was Rift who sealed it off and earned his fourth shutout of the season. Game 263 - Moscow vs. Prague This is another major battle for dominance in the European Conference and Brick Wahl delivered again. Moscow maintained a high level of pressure throughout, forcing Wahl to make thirty-eight stops, but he kept them all out. This also moved Brick back into a tie for first for shutouts this season. Game 267 D.C. vs. New York What a game for A Red Guy! Thirty-nine saves against one of the best teams in the league right now. The rest of the Americans’ roster owes him a big one for this performance. Guy continues to be able to stand on his head to bail out his team when the occasion necessitates it. Game 277 - Seattle vs. D.C. D.C. had a bit of a slide in the middle of this week and this beatdown delivered by the bears capped it off. JB Rift topped himself from earlier in the week having the new worst game of his career, getting pulled after stopping just two of the first four shots against him. At the other end of the ice, Rayz Funk was flawless, securing the shutout with twenty-five saves. Game 281 - Riga vs. Calgary This was billed as one of the most exciting games of the week; two incredibly hot teams vying for position in their perspective conferences. But, for a game that could realistically be a preview of the cup final, this was incredibly one-sided. Calgary dominated with forty shots while Jacques Lafontaine only faced sixteen in this shutout. Game 287 - Malmo vs. Prague The battle for the top spot on the shutouts leader board has been very contentious and it came to a head in this game. Michael Johnson and Brick Wahl faced off for a chance to take the lead. Malmo had an absolutely smothering first period, giving up just two shots, but it looked like Prague might breakthrough in the second. Johnson was able to hold them off and Malmo regained control in the third, once again allowing almost no shots. With that, it was Michael Johnson who would claim the shutout title, for now at least. Game 290 - HC Davos vs. Vancouver You won’t find Samuel Ross on the many of the goalie leaderboards, but he just quietly earned his fourth shutout of the season while starting ten fewer games than most other starting goalies. Ross, and the entire Dynamo roster to some extent, have been very all or nothing this season and, unfortunately, it has been more nothing than all. However, the sparks of greatness like we saw in this game give a fair amount of hope for the future.
Rookie Spotlight
Roque Davis 

If the season ended today, I think Roque Davis would be the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year. Not only does he lead the league in scoring among rookies, but he has done it on an HC Davos squad that is the only team in the league to score under one hundred goals. That means that Davis has a point on nearly half of Dynamo goals this season. This is all from a defenseman who is also very noticeable at his own end of the ice with eighty-two shots blocked.
 
This should come as no surprise to anyone who followed Davis’ VHLM career. Joining Mississauga at the cutoff for his first season, buy the playoffs, he was already a central figure of that roster, scoring twelve points in fifteen playoff games. The following season he was drafted by San Diego where he scored over two points per game and had over a hundred shots blocked.
 
It is really going to take a major upheaval to shake Roque’s grip on rookie of the year, but there are a couple of candidates who could still accomplish it. We’ll look at one of those rookies next week.
 

 
 

@Big Mac

Frostbeard played for the Wranglers actually. 

Edit for the link : https://vhlportal.com/VHL/67/PlayerReport.php?Player=316 : you can check that here  

Another Phantoms Article
 
Season 71 is now underway and there seems to be a different feeling this time around in the Phantoms locker room. The team just seems to have a much more positive aura around it and everyone seems to be motivated and focused on the upcoming season. Even the media this time around have different expectations when it comes to this year's Phantoms.
 
The Phantoms have undergone some changes since their inaugural season but one steady presence on the team is their entire blueline as the Phantoms have just built and developed around a young defensive core of Wolf Stansson Jr. , Cinnamon Block, Seabass Perrin, Jacob Perry and Gert Frobe. After struggling  out of the gate during the Phantoms first few seasons their defence has now reached the point of maturity. Many hockey analysts seem to now think the Phantoms have the best defensive squad in the league, and the cherry on top for GM, John Glasser is that all of those players are drafted and have been developed in the Phantom's system. 
 
The media have said for a few seasons that the Phantoms will never succeed without any star power. That seems to no longer be the case as the 1st overall pick of the VHL's S69 Entry Draft, Cinnamon Block just keeps on getting better and is pushing her game to another level yet again this season. She currently leads all Phantoms in scoring right out of the gate with 12 points in 10 games. Block is also excelling in her own end and she's just been a dominant player all around. This is the year we see Block place herself among the VHL's elite defenders. 
 
On the offensive end of things the team has had quite a few additions over the last couple of seasons and with the departures of Don Draper and Blake Laughton the Phantoms were primed to make even more additions this offseason. In comes rookie sensation Thomas Landry II and VHL veteran,  Joel Ylonen to fill in those holes. Landry brings a lot of energy to the team on and off the ice and has been on fire since the season began. Landry just recently scored his first career goal and is currently tied with Toronto's McDagg for the VHL's rookie scoring lead. Joel Ylonen comes to the Phantoms with 7 full seasons under his belt and he announced earlier in the year that S71 will be his last as he'll retire at season's end. He hopes to be help push the Phantoms over the edge as they intend to contend for the Continental Cup this season, which would be Ylonen's 3rd after winning back to back cups with Seattle. Before S70 Ylonen had 6 straight 50+ point seasons and the Phantoms are banking that there's just one more left in the old man. Analysts also expect this to be career defining years for Alex Pearson and Willie Dredge who are both trying to take that next big leap in their respective careers by becoming elite goal scorers but until then the team will once again be leaning on Roll Fizzlebeef to be their go to scorer. After all, he lead all Phantoms in scoring last season with 66 points. 
 
What has the team so motivated though this year is that this is their starting goaltender's last season in the VHL  and every member of the team is rallying behind the possibility giving Brick Wahl a proper send off by winning him his very first Continental Cup. So far Wahl is being godlike for the Phantoms and his numbers (.935 Sv %, 1.57 GAA) are already starting to get guys thinking he'll contend for his very first Aiden Shaw Trophy as well. WIth Wahl stepping out after S71 the team's goaltending future lies with Solomon Crawford. He has yet to suit for any games but it's expected the team will give him his first start soon enough.
 
Currently the Phantoms sit 1st in the VHL Standings with a 7-2-1 start to the season are showing the other VHL teams that they are the real deal and they're here to contend this year. 
 
Keep it Up 
 
GO PHANTOMS! 
 
players mentioned: @BladeMaiden@omgitshim @TacticalHammer @Cornholio @Jayrad28@diamond_ace @AndrewWarren13 @Esso2264 @sjs88speed @Grape @Doomsday @Liberty_Cabbage @NumberJ5

Helsinki, FINLAND - With the entire world undergoing major changes, one former Commissioner of the VHL has been seemingly ahead of the curve. @Quik went underground for 6 months, taking the two players he represents, Kronos Bailey and ACL TEAR, with him. The two continued to play league sanctioned games, but would only show up for said games, skipping all practices and training exercises, with the given explanation being "Social Distancing". It is a bit baffling then, that, just as COVID-19 is reaching its peak, becoming a pandemic and causing countries to shut down all but the most essential services, that Quik would choose this time to re-emerge from his bunker and begin participating in practice, once again.
 
When asked, he responded by saying "Honestly, I ran out of toilet paper and figured I'd come out and get some (Vancouver) Wolves jerseys to tide me over, until stores restock."
 
Sources are unsure what his return means for the league. Will Quik return to the levels of activity he saw before going underground? Will he retire his players and create a new prospect? Will he actually use a Wolves jersey to wipe his ass? At this point, your guess is as good as anybody else's!

Holy shit, Dad????????

Great concept!