Matt_O

1. I think in our last twelve games we can go 9-3 2. It looks like we will play Toronto, but I think the Bears would definitely be our biggest challenge in getting to the finals. 3. Mikko Lahtinen for the Funk is basically a lock at this point. 4. We are a young team, we will probably lose a good player but we still have a ton of talent and will be able to contend for a few seasons. 5. Maybe a forward, since that is most likely the player we will be losing. 6. Yeah, but I don't really mind the logo that much. I know a lot of other people hate it though.

Welcome to the second edition of Ringless. In this series we look at the best teams throughout VHL history to never win the cup. Make sure to check out other series VSN has to offer, such as our weekly reviews, award trackers, podcasts, and scouting reports VSN Radio | Weekly Review | Future Watch | Under 250 | Talents Behind the Trophies There are many teams in VHL history that were elite but never won a cup. Sometimes it’s because a different team is just plain better, or a lot of bad luck. The Seattle Bears of the S20s are one of the greatest teams to never win a cup, with three hall of famers on the team during their period of contention, which was brief. How did this Bears team never even win a playoff series? The early VHL wasn’t known for having elite drafts, but S18 was one of the most well-known draft classes in history. This draft class setup many teams for success in the early S20s. Davos drafted Daisuke Kanou first overall, giving them an elite franchise goalie. Toronto drafted Aidan Shaw in the second round, who challenged Kanou for the title of top goaltender throughout their careers. New York would select Jukka Hakkinan third overall, and while they wouldn’t find much success, Hakkinan did have a hall of fame career. The Bears selected goalie Joey Clarence in the third round, who would go on to have a really solid career, one that could be argued as hall of fame worthy. Seattle also selected future hall of famer Anton Brekker, but he would be traded away to Davos pretty quickly. Where did the Bears get all their talent from? It all came from the S17 draft class, which was a much quieter class. They selected Markus Strauss 2nd overall, and Cam Fowler 9th. These two would be the core for the Bears during their contention, and this draft class set the Bears up for success. They also selected Phil Gerrard 3rd overall in the S19 draft, who would be another core player and future hall of famer. These three would help bring the Bears to elite status during the early S20s. Markus Strauss was the face of the Bears, and it was clear from the beginning of his career he would be a superstar S20 wasn’t the best year for the Bears, as they were still young and developing. They had 38 wins and 81 points, but that was more than enough to make the playoffs in the North American conference since the Wranglers and Americans were in the midst of a rebuild. Markus Strauss led the team with 139 points, a mark that was sixth-best in the league. Cam Fowler had 108 points, building on his S19 season where he had 100 points. Rookie Phil Gerrard had 85 points, and veterans Dante Terragini and Rhett Gouldhawke had 92 and 93 points respectively. Dante Terragini is a name that likely doesn’t ring a bell, but he is an interesting player. When looking through his stats, you could make an argument for him possible entering the hall of fame. It wouldn’t be a strong argument, but it is there. During Terragini’s four seasons on record, he averaged 1.07 points per game, which is better than most modern defenseman, and nearly as good as hall of fame defenseman James Bencharski, who scored 1.1 points per game and played in the same era. That raises the total of this Bears team to two possible hall of famers and three future hall of famers, albeit one of the two possible hall of famers has a very weak case. Unfortunately for the Bears, they ran into a team that was just plain better and at the beginning of their contention period, the Toronto Legion. The Legion swept the Bears with ease, and Seattle had to make moves during the offseason to keep pace. Seattle’s needs were clear; they needed help on defence. Joey Clarence had a poor year in net, and their defence is what hurt them the most. During the offseason, Bears management completely overhauled the defence in an attempt to completely leapfrog Toronto as the best team in the conference. Davos, the defending champions, traded the MVP Patrick Bergqvist, Jordan Berglund, and Geno Esposito to the Bears for a handful of picks. All three of those players are defensemen, and the Bears went from a mediocre defensive core to the most deadly in the blink of an eye. They also traded for forward Alex Stoyanovich from Riga towards the end of the season to further boost the offence. The S21 Seattle Bears were a force to be reckoned with. Markus Strauss led the team in points with 133, while Cam Fowler had 108 yet again. The trade deadline acquisition Stoyanovich had 96 points, while recently acquired Patrick Bergvist and Geno Esposito had 94 points each. Phil Gerrard had 88 points and continued to build upon his rookie year, and Joey Clarence’s improved play helped the Bears win 48 games, a ten-game improvement from the year prior. Unfortunately for them, Toronto was a train that was not going to stop for anyone. They won 58 games and comfortably finished in the first place of the North American Conference. A first-round matchup between the two was inevitable, it was truly going to be a clash of the titans. Cam Fowler was the epitome of consistency; he had five consecutive 100 point seasons from S19 to S23 Game one was close, but Toronto’s two third period goals were enough to put them on top and win game one 4-2. Game two was a huge bounce-back game for the Bears, as Markus Strauss’ two goals and Joey Clarence's big day helped tie up the series with a 3-1 win. With that being said, this game was a bit controversial. The Bears had 13 power plays during that game, and all three of their goals were on the powerplay. Rumours of fixed games in order to guarantee a long series began to swirl around the VHL. However, Toronto put those rumours to bed with a 2-0 win in game three, and both of their goals were on the powerplay. Aidan Shaws 28 save shutout was the highlight of game three, and the Legion had a 2-1 series lead. Game four was a huge game for both squads, especially the Bears. If they wanted any chance to upset the Legion, they needed to win this game. They did, and their 3-1 win helped tie the series at 2. Markus Strauss had a hat trick, and Clarence yet again had a big day. Unfortunately, there was more controversy. The Bears had eight power plays in that game, double the amount Toronto had. More rumours began to spread amongst the VHL about the possibility of fixed matchups. Nonetheless, both teams prepared for a huge game five. Heading back to Toronto, the Legion were favoured to take a 3-2 series lead. However, Joey Clarence’s 22 save shutout was enough to hold off Toronto, and the Bears came out of Toronto with a stunning 2-0 win. However, there was still controversy. The Bears had 11 power plays, nearly double what Toronto had for the third time this series. Toronto players were fed up with the unfair officiating, and fans called for new officials to ref the remaining games of the series. The league didn’t listen, and the Bears would head back to Seattle with a chance to head to the continental cup finals. The refs were heavily criticized heading into game seven by both teams, and rumors spread that the VHL was fixing games for maximum revenue This series was heavily scrutinized by fans and players alike for the seemingly unfair officiating in favour of the Bears. As Seattle suited up for a potential series-deciding game six, they needed to put that behind them and play some good hockey. Unfortunately for the Bears, they had a hard time blocking out the critics, and they were very unfocused in a sloppy 3-1 loss. Toronto had over double the number of shots as Seattle, and Joey Clarence was the only one who came to play, with 41 saves in a losing effort. This game caused even more controversy, as the Legion had nine power plays to the Bears three. Rather than Legion players and fans becoming vocal, Bears players began voicing their displeasures as well. Many people began to wonder if it was fixed in order to make sure it goes seven games for maximum revenue. Perhaps they were right, we will never know. We were headed for game seven. Game seven in Toronto and the winner will face the Dynamo in the continental cup finals. Both teams had battled all series long to get to this point, and they weren’t going to let critics get to their head in this one. The puck dropped, and game seven began. Late in the first, Markus Strauss scored his seventh goal of the postseason to give the Bears a 1-0 lead after the first period. It was a powerplay goal, to the dismay of Legion fans who firmly believed the league was fixing the games. After a scoreless second period, the Bears were only twenty minutes away from a continental cup finals birth, as long as they could hold their lead. Early into the third period, the Legion got a power play, and unlikely hero Biggie Shakur scored to tie the game for the Legion. As the clock continued to go down with the score still tied, the nervous energy in the building began to rise. With nine minutes to go, Biggie Shakur received another pass and scored again, to give Toronto the lead. The Bears were getting outplayed during the third period, and it was the worst time it could have happened. With a few minutes to go, Max Kroenenburg iced it for the Legion, and the Legion would win 3-1. They would go on to win the continental cup, and the Bears would head into another offseason wondering what to do. This loss was the crushing blow for the Bears. They would trade Cam Fowler to the Titans, Joey Clarence to the Wranglers, and Phil Gerrard to the Legion. Markus Strauss would stay, but his 131 points in S22 wasn’t enough to help the Bears, who only had 22 wins and finished last in the North American Conference. Eventually, Strauss would be traded to the Dynamo to finish his career, and the elite core of the Bears from S21 was gone. The second consecutive playoff loss to Toronto seemed to prove to Bears management that they could never beat Toronto. They completely tore it all down, despite having a pretty young core. The problem for the Bears was their timing, and their best chance at a cup also happened to be during the Legions many years of contention. But now, imagine if the result was different. What if Seattle holds onto the 1-0 lead and wins? Since Toronto handily won the S21 finals, we can assume the Bears would do the same. If the Bears won the cup, do they immediately rebuild after? Or do the Legion have to make some moves? The Legion and the Dynamo were the two premier teams of the early S20s, but if the Bears took down Toronto in S21, perhaps it would be Seattle and Davos, not Toronto and Davos. The early S20s Seattle Bears are one of the greatest teams to never win a cup. @gregreg @CoachReilly @Phil @.sniffuM

So someone has to say it...basically until we have a non GM simming the playoffs these games will have seriously negative stigma. How this has been allowed for a second straight season is irredeemably nonsensical. Throw yet another asterisk on the winning team of the Victory Cup which is supposed to be the top award of a player and GM's career. But boy does this cast a dark cloud. Hate to say it. The inside knowledge of how the sim operates and its applied seasonal settings is incredibly valuable.

I would agree with this but we barely miss sims so it isn't necessary imo

In my first article back at VSN, I covered the S50s Stockholm Vikings, and how they never won a cup. It seemed to make many VHL old heads sad, which was the goal. It's step one to bringing down the ol boys club. Anyways, from my research, it's clear that this team was probably the best team, or at least one of the best, to not win a cup. Perhaps not roster wise, but strictly by record they were. In Victors old article about the best teams to not win a cup, which is definitely coming in handy, that Stockholm team didn't even make the list, which surprised me. They won 66 games during the regular season in S54, and 50 or more in S53 and S55 and only won one playoff series. They definitely are one of the best teams to never win the cup, and easy to pick for the first edition of 'Ringless'. In our next edition, we will head to the Emerald City to look into the best Seattle Bears team to never win a cup, the early S20s team featuring Markus Strauss. Also Hogan, because I know he looks for his name with the search tool.

Week 2 claim

1. It is important, but I don't know how much home ice affects the sim. But it's still important because I'd rather face the 4 seed than the 3 seed. 2. Any contract extension is good and will help keep us competitive for longer. 3. Maybe something about draft busts/steals. 4. It was about time. I predicted him for the Funk, and it looks like that's going to be an easy one TPE for me unless something crazy happens. 5. I feel like Zod has been really solid for a rookie, scoring about as many points I would have expected. Next year I will have defense and skating in the 90s and I hope to be even better. 6. Probably S62 since that year had a crazy scoring outburst. 7. It's difficult, but I think pancakes edge out waffles because pancakes are more diverse, you can get more creative with them and put more things on them.

Welcome to the first edition of Ringless. In this series we look at the best teams throughout VHL history to never win the cup. Make sure to check out other series VSN has to offer, such as our weekly reviews, award trackers, podcasts, and upcoming WJC coverage VSN Radio | Weekly Review | Future Watch | Under 250 | Talents Behind the Trophies There are many teams in VHL history that were elite but never won a cup. Sometimes it’s because a different team is just plain better, or a lot of bad luck. The Stockholm Vikings in the middle of the S50s are one of the greatest teams to never win a cup. They had three years of contention, but S54 was their best roster. How did the Vikings, who had an average of 58 wins per season from S53 to S55, only win one playoff series? We need a deep rewind. The Stockholm Vikings were the newest version of the Vasteras/Madrid teams. As a collective franchise, it was embarrassing. Vasteras won two cups, while Madrid and Stockholm both won none. The curse of Sweden seemed to be very real, but Stockholm wanted to change that. They started building for the future in the S50 draft, where they selected future hall of famer, Diana Maxwell, first overall. They also selected Essian Ravenwing third overall, who would be a reliable player for his entire career. The only problem is that neither of these players stuck with Stockholm. In fact, Stockholm traded Maxwell, Ravenwing, and two other first-round prospects to the New York Americans for two first-rounders, and three second-rounders. This trade is one of the factors that led the Stockholm Vikings to the top. After a year of struggle in S51, it all paid off in the S52 draft. They selected Rhett DeGrath with the second overall pick. He would go on to become a hall of fame goaltender and considered one of the best of all time. They also took Lee King Snatch with the fifth pick, which is one of the picks they got from New York. Snatch became one of the top defensemen for the Vikings, with an 84 point season in S54. They also selected winger Conrad Jenkins 10th overall, who would also be great for Stockholm. He had 68 points in S54 and was a consistent scorer. They added Tyson Kohler during the offseason before S53, and they were expected to do well. They also added Shawn Muller for his final year through free agency and traded for Travis Gowecny and Tobias Klingberg, both of whom would have successful seasons with Stockholm. They were poised to finally make it back to the playoffs. The Vikings big offseason moves made them a formidable team in S53 In S53, they would go on to win 51 games and have the first seed in the European Conference. Tyson Kohler led the way with 114 points, while Muller had 95 and Gowecny had 88. Tobias Klingberg, a defenseman, had 76 points. Klingberg would be a mainstay for the Vikings during their success. The only thing holding them back, ironically, was Rhett DeGrath, as his .908 save percentage was one of the worst years of his career. However, their offseason pickups did more than enough to make up for it. In the semi-finals, they had the Helsinki Titans, a young up and coming team. Unfortunately for the Titans, they weren’t ready to take the leap forward yet, and the Vikings were going to play in the finals. Despite putting up incredible offensive numbers, they fell in game seven to the Americans. The Vikings had seven players finish with double-digit points in that postseason, in just thirteen games played. However, their trade with the Americans from seasons prior would bite them. Diana Maxwell and Essian Ravenwing, who were traded from Stockholm, would power the Americans over the Vikings, as both of them scored over 20 points in the postseason. Rhett DeGrath’s .896 save percentage and 2.75 GAA hurt the Vikings, and if he had performed better, perhaps the Vikings would have won the cup that year. After S53, they lost many key pieces. Travis Gowecny left for the Wranglers, while Shawn Mullen retired. However, they replaced the lost pieces with ease. They picked up Pietro Maximoff, who was a future hall of famer. They also acquired Sven Wolf, a long time Seattle Bear. With the addition of two elite forwards, Rhett DeGraths elite play in net, and the improvement of young players such as Lee King Snatch, and Tobias Klingberg led to the S54 Stockholm Vikings winning a jaw-dropping 66 games, with 134 points that season. They finished the year on a 27 game winning streak. Everything was setting up for Stockholm to take home their first cup. Their semi-finals opponent were the Helsinki Titans, who had 49 wins, 17 less than the Vikings. The Vikings won the first two games and cruised to a 2-0 series lead. At that point, they had won 29 games in a row, and why would anyone expect anything to change? However, they dropped game three 2-1, as Astrid Moon, the Titans goaltender, stole the game with 30 saves. The Titans also won game four 5-1 to tie the series up. The Vikings offence had averaged nearly four goals a game during the regular season but were held to only one goal in the past two games. But surely everything was okay, they were heading back to Stockholm for game five. In Stockholm, they had gone 34-1-1 during the regular season. However, everything was not okay. After one period it was 2-0 Helsinki, and when the final buzzer sounded, the Titans had won 4-1. The Vikings only mustered 18 shots on net, and the Titans dominated. It was just Stockholms second regulation loss at home the entire year, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time. With the writing seemingly on the wall, the Titans came out in game six and won the series with an astounding 3-0 win. Astrid Moon stopped all 39 shots, and the Titans had just upset the Vikings, one of the greatest regular-season teams ever. The Vikings only scored three goals in their final four games. After winning 29 games in a row, they found a way to lose four in a row. Who is to blame for a loss like this? It partially is on the players for not scoring, especially Tyson Kohler, who only had four points in six games. But Rhett DeGrath’s poor performance hurt perhaps the most, as his .879 save percentage and 3.11 GAA was perhaps the biggest reason for the Vikings failure. It comes just one season after DeGrath’s poor finals performance against New York seemingly cost them a shot at the cup. In S55, it was do or die for the Vikings. They didn’t lose much during the offseason, and they came back with a similar roster to last season's team, except a year older. They weren’t nearly as explosive but still had great team scoring, with four 90 point scorers. However, the best player that year was Rhett DeGrath. His .940 save percentage and 1.25 GAA were enough to earn him the MVP honours. The Vikings finished with 57 wins, second in the European Conference only behind the Titans by one point. They were seen as heavy favourite going into their first-round matchup against Davos, who had 15 fewer wins than the Vikings. Rhett DeGrath's unbelievable season was the driving force behind Stockholm's 57 win season The Vikings would jump out to a quick 2-0 series lead again, with a 5-0 win in game one setting the tone for the series. Davos would bounce back with a 5-3 win in game three, but the Vikings took a 3-1 series lead with a 5-1 win over Davos in game four. Game five was in Stockholm with a chance for the Vikings to head to the semi-finals and attempt to get their revenge on the Titans. However, Davos had other plans. With the game tied at two in overtime, Asher Donovan scored to win the game for Davos and head the series to a game six. Asher Donovan is particularly interesting. Donovan won nearly every VHLM offensive award in S49, as well as top two way forward. However, his VHL career was underwhelming, finishing between 30 and 60 points every year. Except for one year in S53, where he out of nowhere dropped 95 points. He would never come close to that amount again, finishing below 60 points every season after that. Regardless of his strange career, he just scored the goal that sent Davos back home for a game six. In game six, Davos scored only 24 seconds in and held on for a 2-0 win to head the series to a deciding game seven. Rhett DeGrath had played well all series, yet the Vikings still were in trouble. Game seven in Stockholm was filled with tension. This was likely the Vikings last real shot at a cup before having to rebuild, and they were on the verge of getting upset again. Davos scored the opening goal four minutes in, and then scored again a few minutes later to take a quick two-goal lead. Tobias Klingberg would cut that lead in half in the second, and we headed into the third with a one-goal game. Despite the Vikings best efforts, Davos shut them down in the third and stunned the Vikings in game seven. Stockholm had just blown a 3-1 lead to a team far worse than them in what was their final year of contention. It was the second year in a row they were heavy favourites and lost in humiliating fashion. After this, everything went downhill. Everyone was gone after that year. In S56, there was not a single returning player to the Vikings roster. Their best player was Jack Kraken, who had only 36 points that year. They only won 11 games and finished dead last in the European Conference. In S57, it only got worse. They won a pathetic four games that year and had only five players on the roster. In S54, they had four regulation losses. Now they had just four wins. How does a team go from so great to so horrible in only three seasons? The next season, the Stockholm Vikings fell victim to contraction, and never played another game. The playoff loss to Helsinki was heartbreaking, but it seems like the loss to Davos was the final blow. It destroyed the organization, much like what happened to Ottawa after their conference finals run in 2017. The team won a combined 15 games over two seasons after that loss to Davos and eventually folded. The Vikings rode the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. They made the cup finals in S53, won 66 games in S54 and 57 games in S55. Unfortunately, none of those great seasons translated into playoff success, and all they came away with was two heartbreaking upsets, and eventually the folding of their franchise. The curse of Sweden may be real, and this team would be clear evidence as to why. The Stockholm Vikings from S53 to S55 are perhaps the greatest team to never win a championship. @STZ @Kendrick @OrbitingDeath @eaglesfan0366 @TheLastOlympian07 @Dangles13

After a few months off, I decided to re-join with VSN. I joined them in February or so of 2019, and I decided to write historical articles mostly because I couldn't think of anything else. I wasn't even around for most of the things I talked about so I still have no idea why I decided to pick that. But, after nearly nine months of working with VSN, writing historical articles became my thing. I liked learning about the past, and telling interesting stories that most people never would of known about, or bringing back memories to all the old members. In my long time at VSN, three different people became the head of VSN. For a long time, specifically over the summer, VSN became pretty much my own writing platform because I was the only one doing anything for a while. Then, everything changed, and Bana and Frostbeard took over. Around this time my activity started to decline, and I stopped being a VHLM GM. Eventually I had to leave VSN because of that and take a break as a whole, but now I'm back and wanted to get back with VSN. When they announced they had five spots opening, I was pretty confident I would get re-hired and it's good to be back.

Week 2 claim

1. Yes, it's a great start for us. 2. Lafontaine's .940 save percentage is incredible. I have to say his is most impressive. 3. While Davos made tons of moves this offseason, I don't think anyone expected them to be near the top of the league. I think they will fall back down to earth 4. Of course it has to be General Zod. 5. DC will bounce back. The beginning of the season is nothing to worry about. 6. The biggest jug of water I can find, a massive box of granola bars and the biggest puzzle I can find. Have to be occupied somehow. The sad part is this isn't even that much of a hypothetical, I live in New York and have left my house three times in the past two months.

At the end of the week the answers are posted and it tells you how much TPE you get, and then you can claim.

Raymond Bernard- G

@Quik @Anthony Matthews you can make your pick whenever

D- Lance Flowers F- Chad Magnum @Anthony Matthews

This is probably the first time in over a month I've had to sit down and actually write a media spot, since I have been able to claim my S20 articles for a very long time. I didn't forget about the part 3, I just started to get busy and never got around to it, and it probably never is going to happen at this point. Anyways, let's get into the story of the Las Vegas Aces. At the VHLM draft this year, the Aces snagged up General Zod at 15th overall. Zod fell in the draft, and was a first round talent that fell out of round one. However, it all worked out, because Las Vegas is where he wanted to go anyways. The S71 Aces had a ton of talent, especially on offense. SS Hornet and Joe Proto headlined the offense, and Randy Marsh and General Zod had the back end. However, they missed out on one crucial position: a goalie. After the draft when I realized we didn't have a goalie, I immediately made the comparison between the S71 team and the S68 team. They signed a free agent, but in the end it wasn't enough for them to play to the best of their abilities, and they finished fifth in the league, and were quickly knocked out by the Rush in round two. This is remarkably similar to the S68 Aces, who had an elite roster, but due to a lack of a strong goalie, failed to maximize their potential. Lets compare. The S68 roster had one of the best duos in recent VHLM history, and they were the beginning of the increased scoring trend that has gotten crazy in the VHL. Jeff Tates, who signed as a free agent, had 149 points and 71 goals, while Benny Graves had 143 points. The S68 draft was extremely good for Las Vegas, and I'm not even trying to pat myself on the back. I was looking back at the draft, and besides a few mistakes, most notably me drafting a retired player, and the Bruce Grimaldi situation which we will get to in a little, it was a really good draft for the Aces. Cinnamon Block, Black Velvet (rip), Tony Bolonee and Mike Van Stronk headlined an elite top four defenseman, while George Washington, Killy Foilen, Benny Graves, Jeff Tates, and David Wallace headlined the offense. On paper, this was probably the best roster in the VHLM that season. However, their goalie did not pan out. Bruce Grimaldi was taken in the third round as a bit of a risk. I knew there was a chance of him playing in Prague, but I didn't have a goalie and I thought the risk was worth taking. If he stayed down, the Aces could have been incredible. But he didn't, and we were left with a 30 TPE computer goaltender for quite a while, until @Walter Fizz decided to make a goalie for me. He was our goalie, but he didn't have enough TPE to keep up with the good teams when we played them. They struggled to put away the seventh seeded Marlins in round one, and quickly got dispatched in round two. It was a disappointing playoff run. Now lets look at S71 and compare. The S71 Aces also had a great draft, but missed out on a goalie. Ultimately lacking a goalie would be one of their biggest downfalls, as the free agent goalie we picked up didn't have enough TPE to keep up with elite teams, similar to the S68 team. They also had a roster that was better than their seeding, but the goaltending was the issue. While they didn't have anyone on the levels of Graves and Tate, Hornet, Proto, and Pengu all put in great contributions on offense, and General Zod surprisingly put up 74 points, despite being defense first. Another thing that hurt the Aces in S71 was the competitiveness of the VHLM that year. In S68, it was pretty competitive. In S71, it was insanely competitive. The Aces could have finished first or second in many other seasons with the roster they had, but instead finished fifth. This was another reason for their downfall. In S68, the competitiveness definitely was a factor, but not as much as it was for the Aces in S71. Another similarity between the two was the huge gap in goal scoring and goals against. By huge gap, I mean ability to play both ends, not having a huge plus minus. In S71, the Aces scored 316 goals, which was second in the league. In S68, they scored 283 goals, which was far and away the best in the league. Both teams had the ability to score whenever they wanted, but their defense is what held them back. In S71, they allowed 266 goals. That was the worst out of the top six teams in the league, and ultimately was a huge reason why they finished in fifth, rather than higher in the standings. In S68, they allowed 190 goals, which was the most of the top four teams in the league. That may not seem that big, but those 190 goals was at least 20 more than the other four top teams in the league. Despite scoring 60 more goals than first place Houston, both teams plus minus was right around 90. The Las Vegas defense and goaltending was their kryptonite in both S68 and S71. However, they still had very good defensemen on the roster, but they still relatively struggled to keep the puck out of the net. The S71 and S68 Las Vegas Aces were very similar for a couple reasons. Firstly, they both had really good rosters, but didn't have a goalie to back them up. This led to their defensive struggles, even though both teams had really good defensemen on the roster. Both teams underperformed, whether it was in the playoffs with the S68 Aces, or the regular season with the S71 Aces. 1,002 words

D- Lincoln Tate F-Jerry Garcia @Anthony Matthews

I posted this in the wrong section

The VHL provides more challenges than the VHLM, and General Zod knows this. He hasn't played hockey in a while, as the Aces were sent home in round two. The most action he has gotten since then is the Top Prospects game, where he had an astounding one point in three games, and keep in mind this was played in a version of STHS where both teams regularly score double digit goals, sometimes 20 or more. On the bright side, Zod beat up VHLM leading scorer Richard Pennison, if that is his name. Unfortunately he got beat up by Zyrok12 in the same game. Zod's performance in the Top Prospects game wasn't too encouraging, but he expects his physicality and defensive style of play will translate well in the VHL. It's not like he can't make plays either, as he had 65 assists in the VHLM last year. Zod is hoping for a good rookie year with Calgary, and hopes to compete for a championship. 160ish words

Ill apply. I was with VSN for almost an entire year before leaving because I was going to go inactive. I want to take a spot again as a writer, and obviously I would like the history stuff but I really don’t care what I write, I would be open to anything if you re-hire me.

F- Jet Jaguar @Anthony Matthews

1. I hope it is a warm welcome, although I wouldn't be surprised if my teammates were too afraid to haze the General. 2. It's excellent, a great team won't go far without a great goalie behind them. 3. I'm not sure, but we will be better. Maybe somewhere between 45-48 wins would be good. 4. The goals for might stay around the same, but probably improve a little, and our defense is definitely improved from our draft selections. We won't be allowing more than 200 goals this year. 5. If we made it to the Conference Finals I would still consider it a success because we are a young that will only get better. But our goal is to win the cup. 6. Good ol' USA. I play some games on PC, some on xbox. I'm 15 (fun fact: Me and hulk hogan share the same birthday but he is 10 hours older sadly), and my favorite food is probably some kind of steak, maybe a porterhouse steak.

1. Where do you see yourself going in the draft? -Definitely first round for sure, possibly top five. I am one of the top three defensemen in the draft and not much separates us, but I think I can be a top five pick. 2. What do you think is your biggest selling point to VHL teams? -My two way game, which definitely was a surprise to me. I expected to be all defense, but Zod can make plays. 3. How do you feel you add to a lockerroom? -I haven't been super active in my locker rooms but during my first career, I was extremely active. When I get drafted I expect to be more active and be a strong locker room presence. 4. Who will be the first person not in the room with you that you will call once you get drafted? -Not in the room with me? Probably my grandparents. 5. Out of all the players in the VHL, who do you model your game after? -I have three guys in mind, but they are pretty different. I was looking at Jerry Garcia and Hulk Hogan as my models, but a guy like Smitty Werbenjagermanjenson, who can get it done on both ends of the ice, is also one of my idols. 6. What do you want your legacy to be in the VHL? I want to make it to the Hall of Fame, but winning cups is most important to me.

General Zod is one of the top prospects of the S72 draft that will happen this saturday. Zod is very excited to see where he will land, but has some complaints about the process. "Nothing is wrong with the draft process, but it could be better. It's two days before the draft and I've only received one message from a GM? I was hoping for a bit more, but perhaps its more of a VHLM thing to do. Also, I was hoping for more draft hype from VSN and such. I know that sometimes VSN does a huge mock draft though, so that's not really an issue because I know that takes some time. But I expected some more hype to be honest, I haven't seen much about the S72 draft class in general.. I was hoping for some more excitement. I give @Patrik Tallinder credits for his articles on the S72 draft class though, they were very good. I wish there was more stuff like that. If you looked through the forums you would barely even know a draft with some high profile recreates was coming up, but maybe this is always how it is and I'm just disappointed because now I'm the one getting drafted. So who knows. Maybe there's nothing wrong and I'm just an old man yelling at a cloud." General Zod get's serious with the media for the first time in his young career. Are his complaints valid? Maybe he just isn't looking hard enough for the articles

Week 4 claim