Matt_O

After last years continental cup victory for the Wranglers, we can come into Season 24 with a different look. Toronto is facing stiff competition, New York is on the rise, and Vasteras is looking poised to fight for a spot in the European Division. To try to help their playoff chances, they made a blockbuster of a trade during the offseason. The Legion had their second disappointing playoff defeat in as many years, and they snapped. They shipped off Lars Berger and James Bencharski to Vasteras in exchange for the S22 first overall pick Clint Guite, veteran defenseman Jordan Berglund and Regie Johnson. This was a move that Toronto hoped would changed their fortunes in this upcoming season, and Vasteras wanted to make the playoffs for the first time in a while. The Legion also had a few minor trades, such as acquiring everyones favorite player Robin Big Snake. It was a culture change in Toronto, one that they believed was necessary for playoff success.
 
 
 
DRAFT
 
This draft was littered with the Bears all over it, and they had 12 draft picks. Riga took Mathieu VanCoughnett with their first overall pick, followed by Carlos Vasquez by Seattle. The most notable name was Daniel Braxton, who would go on to have an illustrious career with the Americans after being drafted third overall.
 
Generally, the team recap starts with the victory cup winners. This time, I needed to start with the Wranglers. They capped off a very bizarre season with a 20-47-5 record, just one year after winning it all. Basically they did what the Bears did after Season 21; they blew it up after a very successful year. They shipped off Mathias Chiounard for David Vidal and Davos' first, which put Davos in a position to seriously contend once again. They then traded away Jake Steen and Roman Andreev for two second round picks. After that, they still weren't done dealing, and they shipped off Joey Clarence and Dante Terragni for a second rounder and prospect Milos Langdon. This team was horrendous, by the way. The most notable thing about them was that one of their players was named CAL FUCK YEAH. He finished with 3 points and was -48. 
 
The Legion once again wrapped up another dominant season and were on top of the North American conference. Phil Gerrard and Peyton Nydroj were their superstars, both stacking up with 120 points. Clint Guite had a very solid sophomore season, and the legendary Robin Big Snake as well as Joe Nash were a fierce duo and would lay people out every game. Aidan Shaw, the ageless wonder, had one of his best seasons, with a 1.77 GAA and a .931 Save Percentage. The Legion looked good and were poised for a deep playoff run.
 

 
Right behind Toronto was HC Davos, who were led by Anton Brekker, the duo of young studs with Leeroy Jenkins and Pavel Koradek, Japinder Singh manning the blue line, and of course Daisuke Kanou. On top of an already solid squad, they added Mathias Chiounard from a Calgary team that had started to blow things up, who finished with the most points on the team. This team, despite finishing with fewer points than Toronto, was probably better than them on paper. 
 
Now, we can look at Helsinki, a thorn in Davos' side. While Davos was better than them, both teams were capable of beating each other in a seven game series. Led by Cam Fowler, who was playing in his final year, alongside Tarik Saeijs and Ignatius Feltersnatch, they were the big three of Helsinki. They were helped by their goaltender Jakob Kjeldson, who had another stellar year. The Titans were peaking but still would have to get through the Dynamo in round one.
 
A controversy in this season between the final spot in the playoffs took place. The Vasteras Iron Eagles had 93 points this season, compared to the Americans 76. However, since New York was in the North American Conference, they made it to the playoffs. It was an outrage, as the efforts of Lars Berger, James Bencharski, Andreas Bjorkman and Cam Merrill went without a reward, while New York had a below .500 season and still got in. Jukka Hakkinen finally made the playoffs after years of carrying the Americans, alongside Keon Anderson and Zach Gagnon. They also acquired Joey Clarence at the deadline. Rookie Daniel Braxton finished with 46 points in his first season with the Americans. Unfortunately for Vasteras they got screwed by the playoff system pretty badly.
 
If you remember back to Season 23, during the offseason, the Titans acquired Tarik Saeijs in a trade centered around prospect Mitch Higgins. Higgins was later traded from Riga to Seattle during this season, in an exchange of prospects. Higgins lead the Bears with 60 points in his rookie year, and fellow rookie goaltender Carlos Vasquez had a very respectable season as well. Those two could not save the Bears from sucking though, as they ended they year with a pathetic nine wins. The Reign managed to sign Evgeni Fydorov in free agency, but he was the lone bright spot on Riga. Their first overall pick did not play for them this season. They finished with 24 wins in yet another tank year for them.
 
 
As we have previously mentioned, there were various trade deadline deals this year, especially with Calgary. The only notable trade we did not talk about already was when the Reign acquired prospect Guy Finchley and a S35 Davos second rounder, for Sigmund Olofsson. This is only notable because of the strange draft pick, one that was eleven seasons from the current point in time. The player they picked would go inactive after 100 TPE.
 
PLAYOFFS
 
 
The matchups were set; A much hyped rematch of last year between the Titans and Dynamo, and then the not as exciting match between the Legion and the Americans. Lets go to North America first, where the Americans could prepared to be humbled by the Legion. In game one, the Americans actually controlled the tempo and the game in general, but Toronto won 2-0, as Aidan Shaw stopped 43 shots. Game two went New Yorks way, as Keon Henderson, Jukka Hakkinen and Zach Gagnon scored for New York in the 3-2 win. Game three was in New York, where the Americans once again outplayed Toronto, despite losing 3-0. They had 32 shots compared to the Legions 24, but Aidan Shaw was a brick wall in net once again. Game four was a similar story, as the Legion won 2-1 in game four as Shaw made 20 saves, and their two first period goals were to much for the Americans. With a 3-1 series lead, the Legion didn't look back, and they won game five 3-2. Joe Nash, a rookie on Toronto, scored two goals, his third and fourth of the postseason to send the Legion back to the finals.
 
 
Now, the more exciting series. The Titans and Dynamo were setting up for an intense rivalry series. Game one went the distance, after Davos erased the Titans 3-1 lead in the third period. Kanou had 29 saves, while Kjeldson had 39 saves. In overtime, Anton Brekker scored and Davos won game one. Game two was a different story, as the Dynamo outclassed Helsinki. Leeroy Jenkins scored his first playoff goal, and the Dynamo won 4-1. Game three in Helsinki was shockingly the exact same script; Kanou played his best hockey, making 23 saves and winning game three 3-1. Game four was now a must win for Helsinki, who were locked in a battle in this game. It went to overtime scoreless, before Kevyn Hesje scored to win the game for the Titans. Kanou had 26 saves, while Kjeldson had 31 saves. Game five is where the Titans run would end, as the Dynamo won 3-0 as Brekker scored two goals in the third period and Kanou made 28 saves in the win. The Dynamo were heading  back to the finals, while Cam Fowler would end his legendary career off with a bittersweet ending. 

 
 
The heavily hyped Continental Cup Finals between the Legion and the Dynamo was here. They met in back to back years in season 20 and 21, where Davos won in their first meeting and the Legion won the second meeting. Game one was in Toronto, where the Dynamo showed no fear. They won 2-1, and shut down the Legions offense. They only allowed 16 shots en route to the win in game one. Game two went back to Toronto, as they took a narrow 2-1 win in game two. Kanou had to make 41 saves in the loss for him. Game three, we headed to Europe, where the Dynamo would make no mistakes. They won 1-0 in game three off of Brekkers first period goal, and Kanou made 24 saves. Game four was another incredible defensive effort by Davos, who won 3-0 in game four. Kanou had 26 saves, and Mathias Chiounard had two goals in the win. Game five, with Toronto down 3-1, was a must win for them. They put up an incredible fight, allowing a mere 12 shots on goal. That being said, it was still a scoreless game after sixty minutes. We headed to overtime, where Phil Gerrard only needed a minute and a half to win the game for the Legion. Game six, back in HC Davos, would be seemingly a must win for both squads. If you're Toronto, you are down 3-2 in the series. If you're Davos, you don't want to go back to Toronto for game 7. Davos had a 2-0 lead early in the third, but David Walcott cut the lead in half. Just three minutes later, Adam Schultz would give Davos a two goal lead once again, and the Dynamo wouldn't look back. They allowed only 15 shots and had 43 shots on net, and the Dynamo won their fourth cup in franchise history. Daisuke Kanou was awarded as the playoff MVP, and rightfully so. He had a 0.98 GAA and a .962 save percentage in ten games.
 
Phil Gerrard of the Legion would go on to win MVP, with 122 points leading the Legion. Mathias Chiounard won the Mike Szatkowski trophy, with 124 points for Davos. Peyton Nydroj scored 58 goals for Helsinki, to win the Kevin Brooks trophy. Dante Terragini, acquired in a deadline deal, won the Sterling Labatte trophy for best defenseman. Aidan Shaw and Daisuke Kanou shared the Top Goaltender award, and Mitch Higgins and Benjamin Glover shared the Rookie of the Year award.
 
 
 
After the Dynamos continental cup win, are the Legion finally fading? Will the Americans take that next step forward in their rebuild? Will Vasteras finally make the playoffs? How will retirement and age affect the Titans? Can Davos repeat? Find out the answer to all these questions and much more next week in our review of Season 25.
 
 
END CREDITS
 
Peyton Nydroj- @Bushito
Daisuke Kanou: @tfong
Anton Brekker: @DGFX.
Phil Gerrard: @Phil
David Walcott: @Knight
Lars Berger: @Victor
Japinder Singh: @8Ovechkin8
Jukka Hakkinen: @James
Mitch Higgins: @Higgins
Tarik Saeijs: @frescoelmo
Cam Fowler: @CoachReilly
 

After last years continental cup victory for the Wranglers, we can come into Season 24 with a different look. Toronto is facing stiff competition, New York is on the rise, and Vasteras is looking poised to fight for a spot in the European Division. To try to help their playoff chances, they made a blockbuster of a trade during the offseason. The Legion had their second disappointing playoff defeat in as many years, and they snapped. They shipped off Lars Berger and James Bencharski to Vasteras in exchange for the S22 first overall pick Clint Guite, veteran defenseman Jordan Berglund and Regie Johnson. This was a move that Toronto hoped would changed their fortunes in this upcoming season, and Vasteras wanted to make the playoffs for the first time in a while. The Legion also had a few minor trades, such as acquiring everyones favorite player Robin Big Snake. It was a culture change in Toronto, one that they believed was necessary for playoff success.
 
 
 
DRAFT
 
This draft was littered with the Bears all over it, and they had 12 draft picks. Riga took Mathieu VanCoughnett with their first overall pick, followed by Carlos Vasquez by Seattle. The most notable name was Daniel Braxton, who would go on to have an illustrious career with the Americans after being drafted third overall.
 
Generally, the team recap starts with the victory cup winners. This time, I needed to start with the Wranglers. They capped off a very bizarre season with a 20-47-5 record, just one year after winning it all. Basically they did what the Bears did after Season 21; they blew it up after a very successful year. They shipped off Mathias Chiounard for David Vidal and Davos' first, which put Davos in a position to seriously contend once again. They then traded away Jake Steen and Roman Andreev for two second round picks. After that, they still weren't done dealing, and they shipped off Joey Clarence and Dante Terragni for a second rounder and prospect Milos Langdon. This team was horrendous, by the way. The most notable thing about them was that one of their players was named CAL FUCK YEAH. He finished with 3 points and was -48. 
 
The Legion once again wrapped up another dominant season and were on top of the North American conference. Phil Gerrard and Peyton Nydroj were their superstars, both stacking up with 120 points. Clint Guite had a very solid sophomore season, and the legendary Robin Big Snake as well as Joe Nash were a fierce duo and would lay people out every game. Aidan Shaw, the ageless wonder, had one of his best seasons, with a 1.77 GAA and a .931 Save Percentage. The Legion looked good and were poised for a deep playoff run.
 

 
Right behind Toronto was HC Davos, who were led by Anton Brekker, the duo of young studs with Leeroy Jenkins and Pavel Koradek, Japinder Singh manning the blue line, and of course Daisuke Kanou. On top of an already solid squad, they added Mathias Chiounard from a Calgary team that had started to blow things up, who finished with the most points on the team. This team, despite finishing with fewer points than Toronto, was probably better than them on paper. 
 
Now, we can look at Helsinki, a thorn in Davos' side. While Davos was better than them, both teams were capable of beating each other in a seven game series. Led by Cam Fowler, who was playing in his final year, alongside Tarik Saeijs and Ignatius Feltersnatch, they were the big three of Helsinki. They were helped by their goaltender Jakob Kjeldson, who had another stellar year. The Titans were peaking but still would have to get through the Dynamo in round one.
 
A controversy in this season between the final spot in the playoffs took place. The Vasteras Iron Eagles had 93 points this season, compared to the Americans 76. However, since New York was in the North American Conference, they made it to the playoffs. It was an outrage, as the efforts of Lars Berger, James Bencharski, Andreas Bjorkman and Cam Merrill went without a reward, while New York had a below .500 season and still got in. Jukka Hakkinen finally made the playoffs after years of carrying the Americans, alongside Keon Anderson and Zach Gagnon. They also acquired Joey Clarence at the deadline. Rookie Daniel Braxton finished with 46 points in his first season with the Americans. Unfortunately for Vasteras they got screwed by the playoff system pretty badly.
 
If you remember back to Season 23, during the offseason, the Titans acquired Tarik Saeijs in a trade centered around prospect Mitch Higgins. Higgins was later traded from Riga to Seattle during this season, in an exchange of prospects. Higgins lead the Bears with 60 points in his rookie year, and fellow rookie goaltender Carlos Vasquez had a very respectable season as well. Those two could not save the Bears from sucking though, as they ended they year with a pathetic nine wins. The Reign managed to sign Evgeni Fydorov in free agency, but he was the lone bright spot on Riga. Their first overall pick did not play for them this season. They finished with 24 wins in yet another tank year for them.
 
 
As we have previously mentioned, there were various trade deadline deals this year, especially with Calgary. The only notable trade we did not talk about already was when the Reign acquired prospect Guy Finchley and a S35 Davos second rounder, for Sigmund Olofsson. This is only notable because of the strange draft pick, one that was eleven seasons from the current point in time. The player they picked would go inactive after 100 TPE.
 
PLAYOFFS
 
 
The matchups were set; A much hyped rematch of last year between the Titans and Dynamo, and then the not as exciting match between the Legion and the Americans. Lets go to North America first, where the Americans could prepared to be humbled by the Legion. In game one, the Americans actually controlled the tempo and the game in general, but Toronto won 2-0, as Aidan Shaw stopped 43 shots. Game two went New Yorks way, as Keon Henderson, Jukka Hakkinen and Zach Gagnon scored for New York in the 3-2 win. Game three was in New York, where the Americans once again outplayed Toronto, despite losing 3-0. They had 32 shots compared to the Legions 24, but Aidan Shaw was a brick wall in net once again. Game four was a similar story, as the Legion won 2-1 in game four as Shaw made 20 saves, and their two first period goals were to much for the Americans. With a 3-1 series lead, the Legion didn't look back, and they won game five 3-2. Joe Nash, a rookie on Toronto, scored two goals, his third and fourth of the postseason to send the Legion back to the finals.
 
 
Now, the more exciting series. The Titans and Dynamo were setting up for an intense rivalry series. Game one went the distance, after Davos erased the Titans 3-1 lead in the third period. Kanou had 29 saves, while Kjeldson had 39 saves. In overtime, Anton Brekker scored and Davos won game one. Game two was a different story, as the Dynamo outclassed Helsinki. Leeroy Jenkins scored his first playoff goal, and the Dynamo won 4-1. Game three in Helsinki was shockingly the exact same script; Kanou played his best hockey, making 23 saves and winning game three 3-1. Game four was now a must win for Helsinki, who were locked in a battle in this game. It went to overtime scoreless, before Kevyn Hesje scored to win the game for the Titans. Kanou had 26 saves, while Kjeldson had 31 saves. Game five is where the Titans run would end, as the Dynamo won 3-0 as Brekker scored two goals in the third period and Kanou made 28 saves in the win. The Dynamo were heading  back to the finals, while Cam Fowler would end his legendary career off with a bittersweet ending. 

 
 
The heavily hyped Continental Cup Finals between the Legion and the Dynamo was here. They met in back to back years in season 20 and 21, where Davos won in their first meeting and the Legion won the second meeting. Game one was in Toronto, where the Dynamo showed no fear. They won 2-1, and shut down the Legions offense. They only allowed 16 shots en route to the win in game one. Game two went back to Toronto, as they took a narrow 2-1 win in game two. Kanou had to make 41 saves in the loss for him. Game three, we headed to Europe, where the Dynamo would make no mistakes. They won 1-0 in game three off of Brekkers first period goal, and Kanou made 24 saves. Game four was another incredible defensive effort by Davos, who won 3-0 in game four. Kanou had 26 saves, and Mathias Chiounard had two goals in the win. Game five, with Toronto down 3-1, was a must win for them. They put up an incredible fight, allowing a mere 12 shots on goal. That being said, it was still a scoreless game after sixty minutes. We headed to overtime, where Phil Gerrard only needed a minute and a half to win the game for the Legion. Game six, back in HC Davos, would be seemingly a must win for both squads. If you're Toronto, you are down 3-2 in the series. If you're Davos, you don't want to go back to Toronto for game 7. Davos had a 2-0 lead early in the third, but David Walcott cut the lead in half. Just three minutes later, Adam Schultz would give Davos a two goal lead once again, and the Dynamo wouldn't look back. They allowed only 15 shots and had 43 shots on net, and the Dynamo won their fourth cup in franchise history. Daisuke Kanou was awarded as the playoff MVP, and rightfully so. He had a 0.98 GAA and a .962 save percentage in ten games.
 
Phil Gerrard of the Legion would go on to win MVP, with 122 points leading the Legion. Mathias Chiounard won the Mike Szatkowski trophy, with 124 points for Davos. Peyton Nydroj scored 58 goals for Helsinki, to win the Kevin Brooks trophy. Dante Terragini, acquired in a deadline deal, won the Sterling Labatte trophy for best defenseman. Aidan Shaw and Daisuke Kanou shared the Top Goaltender award, and Mitch Higgins and Benjamin Glover shared the Rookie of the Year award.
 
 
 
After the Dynamos continental cup win, are the Legion finally fading? Will the Americans take that next step forward in their rebuild? Will Vasteras finally make the playoffs? How will retirement and age affect the Titans? Can Davos repeat? Find out the answer to all these questions and much more next week in our review of Season 25.
 
 
END CREDITS
 
Peyton Nydroj- @Bushito
Daisuke Kanou: @tfong
Anton Brekker: @DGFX.
Phil Gerrard: @Phil
David Walcott: @Knight
Lars Berger: @Victor
Japinder Singh: @8Ovechkin8
Jukka Hakkinen: @James
Mitch Higgins: @Higgins
Tarik Saeijs: @frescoelmo
Cam Fowler: @CoachReilly
 

I plan on burning all OverArmour products I find in stores. Who's with me?
 

Peyton Nydroj was Bushitos player in the S20s. The only thing that is stopping him from making it is that he had a shorter career

Nydroj should have got in

This is nearly three months old and I'm not even on the Americans anymore but I am deeply offended by my exclusion from this list.

Next up: is Charlie Paddywagon real in the first place?

Inside the Mind: The Malmo Nighthawks Expansion Draft
 
Hello everyone, and welcome to my article on why I took who I took in the Malmo Nighthawks Expansion Draft.  This article will breakdown all of my selections and why I took the players I did.  I won’t mention anyone else that was available just to not cause ruffles with that player and their General Manager, so don’t bother asking for the other options.
 
First, I will say that I was looking at the best combination of youth and talent that I could find, while mostly ignoring position.  I figured with how strong the upcoming draft Is, I could shore up positional needs there and just focus on getting as many young active players as possible. 
 
Calgary Wranglers – Brian Strong (W) – I know Wheaties pretty well.  I was a member of his team in the EFL and was one of the backbones of his franchise.  He’s a really good guy and while he’s a quiet member, I believe he is someone that I can communicate with a lot and help nurture his player’s talent so that he can become a very strong (haha) power forward for our team.  The options were pretty limited as well so this was not a difficult decision.
 
Davos Dynamo – Jack Lynch (W) – Yes, there were more developed players available.  With that being said, a S65 player with around 300 TPE…how can I pass that up? I was thrilled to find out he’d be available and was quik to snatch him up for sure.  I think he can be a really solid backbone to my team’s offense and be one of my leading offensive weapons going into the future.  This was probably one of the easiest picks I had to make.
 
Helsinki Titans – David Harrison (C) - I’m hoping he returns because he had made a really solid player before leaving the site on April 9.  There were really no other realistic options here with either upcoming Free Agents or even more inactive players being available.  Plus, Harrison can fill in as a second line center for the team in the meantime and hopefully he will return soon.
 
New York Americans – Matthew Materazo (W) – Very easy choice.  He’s pretty well-developed and quite young and I think he will emerge as a solid leader on our club after seeing him in the New York LR.  He has a real excitement for the team and I’m thrilled to have him on the Nighthawks.  Wouldn’t surprise me if he takes on a big role for the team.
 
Riga Reign – Teagan Glover (C) - The hardest decision…but not cause of Glover..but rather the interest of Moose on the Reign, who was a defender that was developing well as well.  Ultimately, I took Glover because I felt he had higher value which meant I could trade for Moose (which I successfully did) and I grabbed a future top center for my squad who is already around 300 TPE as a Season 65 Draftee.  I’m very excited to have him down the middle and to eventually add Nygren to make a great 1-2 punch.
 
Seattle Bears – Sergei Kovalev (W) – He was definitely the best player there and he’s a veteran talent who will be over 500 TPE to start the season so he should solidify around the rest of my young players, and help bring up their seasons hopefully.  Very familiar with the member and we even lived in the same city for seven years so a lot of comfort taking him there.
 
Toronto Legion – Johnny Havenk Carison (G) – There really was no other choice here.  500+ TPE goaltender who is in prime of his career..check.  Helped that there was no one else really available as well given Toronto’s pretty limited roster in overall players and prospects.  Carison is the best player on our team and will be a rock for us going forward.
 
Vancouver Wolves – Matthew Kai (W) – Of all the players I contacted regarding Expansion, he was one of the most excited ones by far.  A player who hadn’t updated for almost a month but had recently been doing Point Tasks again.  He wanted a fresh start and thought Malmo would be a perfect chance, and I took him up on that.
 

The Nighthawk Chronicles: The First Nighthawk
By Christopher Miller
 
Lucas Nygren will not be the first player to hit the ice as a Malmo Nighthawk.  The young nineteen-year-old from the Malmo region will however be the first to ever be signed by the team.  Today, the Malmo Nighthawks General Manager announced that the team has signed the young forward to an exclusive deal that will keep the center from being able to be drafted in Season Sixty-Seven and will instead just have him added immediately to the Nighthawks.  We have seen this kind of deal in the past with the likes of J.B. Rift and Kronos Bailey for their respective teams.
 
The General Manager released the following statement:  “Today, we announce that we have signed one of our future cornerstones to our team.  Lucas Nygren is a local talent that has become a media sensation over the years and will now be one of our top prospects going forward.  He will report to the Victory Hockey League Minors where he will report to the Saskatoon Wild who own his rights.  Lucas brings us Championship experience after winning the Founders Cup last season and brings a ton of skills to the table including tremendous speed, scoring ability and vision, that will match up well with our young wingers.”
 
When asked for a comment, Lucas could not stop talking about being a member of his local city’s new VHL team: “I’m so excited to be a Nighthawk.  The team is making a lot of waves in our city and I’m thrilled to eventually put on that jersey in the future.  Sweden has long had a rough history with the VHL and I’m excited to help change that so we can put Malmo on the map and showcase the talent that our squad has.  What do I bring to the table? Speed, a good shot, solid vision and I think I am pretty defensively responsible.  I have some muscle to put on of course, but I’m confident that I will have a good year in Saskatoon and will bring a lot of good things to the team there.”
 
This is of course the first announced player that will be a part of the franchise but with both an expansion draft and a VHL draft yet to come, look for more announcements soon on who else will join Nygren on the Malmo Nighthawks.  One has to expect that while Nygren will not be on the team this year, that there is a very likely chance that he will strut his stuff in black and green as soon as next season, which could be the start of a very dangerous offensive crop in Malmo.  We will leave you with a quote from one of their new season ticket holders:
 
“We are expecting great things from the Nighthawks and Lucas will be a tremendous add that we can look forward to.  He was an amazing young juniors player and really showcased the talent that you need to be an elite forward in the Victory Hockey League.”
 

The Nighthawk Chronicles: The Birth of a Franchise
By Christopher Miller
 
Located at the very Southern point of Sweden, Malmo is a well-populated city that has been searching for someone to believe in.  The Redhawks of the SHL have simply been a middling team that has frustrated local population and given the smaller scale of the Swedish Hockey League, fans had lost their passion and started to not populate their arena.  Enter the Malmo Nighthawks, the Victory Hockey League’s newest team and one that has been making a lot of waves already.
 
Born with an experienced General Manager that has managed the New York Americans for fourteen seasons, the Stockholm Vikings for seven seasons and the Cologne Express for one season, the Nighthawks have taken the build of their team very seriously.  Miller had this to say about the choice to own the team and also manage it: “I have always had an interest in owning a VHL franchise and to help develop a brand-new team in our great league.  I have had the opportunity to manage quite a few times to quite a bit of success and I definitely intend on using that experience to make Malmo a competitive threat.”
 
The locals in Malmo have shown quite a bit of excitement since the news broke with quite a few reactions hitting social media.  One local said, “This is the push that this city needed as we hope to finally see a successful team grace us.  I want to be able to cheer for a championship team and I feel Miller could bring that attitude to this team, given his experience.”  Others have shown interest by buying season tickets early, with Malmo easily reaching their ten-thousand season ticket goal that they set prior to the announcement being made.
 
There are many though that are concerned that the Swedish curse will continue and that the lack of success that Vasteras and Stockholm had, will continue on to Malmo.  Of course, this is despite both the Iron Eagles and Vikings being a part of a different franchise.  The Iron Eagles won just two Continental Cups over their team’s history, with one of them coming in the Inaugural campaign of the league.  The Vikings were successful in being a competitive playoff team that could win quite a few games but were unfortunately unable to ever capture a Continental Cup during their team’s history. 
 
“I am aware of that concern by some of our locals and I’ve heard it brought up in the media as well.  With that being said though, I don’t really understand why some get worried about it.  We are a different franchise with no association to them and we are going to have a very young and exciting team that will be able to compete with everyone else in the Victory Hockey League.  With that recipe for success I have the utmost confidence that we will be a definitive threat to the rest of the teams in our league.”
 
And what does Miller have to say to those concerned about his team’s future success? 
 
“Just sit back, support the team and watch us do our thing.  It may not be immediately, but we will be an absolute juggernaut in our league if I have anything to say about it.”
 

Malmo is already better than Moscow and Seattle

Malmo is already better than Moscow and Seattle

Malmo already better than Davos

After the Helsinki Titans pulled off one of the most incredible upset wins in VHL history over the Toronto Legion, we can start to look at Season 23. During the offseason, some of the wildest trades I have seen in a while took place. First, the Vasteras Iron Eagles struck up a deal with the Americans, where Vasteras sent their second overall pick, two second rounders and the next years first rounder for two prospects and New Yorks fourth overall pick. That was an unexpected trade, but what came in the next few days changed the shape of the VHL forever.
 
Markus Strauss, arguable the top player in the VHL at the time, was shipped off to Davos for a first, and two thirds. The Bears were on full rebuild now, and Davos was trying to capitalize on their final years with Daisuke Kanou. Later that day, Helsinki acquired Tarik Saeijs from Riga, where they traded seemingly their entire team, as well as recent draftee Mitch Higgins, who was the key to the deal. The Titans wanted to capitalize on their championship window that had just opened, while the Reign were just starting their rebuild.
 
DRAFT
 
The S23 draft was a big step up from last years horrendous draft, but it was still a little weak. With the first overall pick, Davos found themselves on the clock, despite making the playoffs. If you remember back to the Season 21 review, the Bears traded a handful of picks in exchange for Patrick Bergqvist, Jordan Berglund and Geno Esposito to try to win the cup. Well, that pick became the first overall selection, where Davos picked up future Hall of Famer Leeroy Jenkins. With the second pick, New York selected Dustin McKullen, and Vasteras took Lasse Milo with the fourth pick. The Titans took Mitch Higgins with the eighth pick, who they later traded to Riga. Overall it was still a pretty weak draft, but far better than last years draft.
 
 
 
The HC Davos Dynamo retook the throne at the top of the VHL for the first time since season 20, off the backs of Daisuke Kanou in net, and the duo of Anton Brekker and Markus Strauss. Strauss had his first year where he took a step back, and had less than 100 points for the first time since the index goes back to (season 20). They also had a one two punch of young studs, with Pavel Koradek and Leeroy Jenkins both having solid seasons.

 
The Helsinki Titans finished right behind them, in large part due to the resurgence of Tarik Saeijs scoring 126 points, and playoff MVP Cam Fowler dropping 116 points as well. Their goaltender Jakob Kjeldson had a stellar year, with a jaw dropping 1.77 GAA.  Even though they traded six players for Saeijs in the offseason, they had more than enough depth help, with guys like Ignatius Feltersnatch, Kevin Hesje and Michael Angelo dropping more than 80 points.
 

 
The Legion took a massive step back from their victory cup winning campaign, barely winning the North American division over Calgary. Peyton Nydroj and Lars Berger kept their elite level of play, both getting over 110 points. Unfortunately for the Legion the depth seemed to tail off, and the Legion heavily relied on the incredible play of Aidan Shaw, and their top two scorers Nydroj and Berger.
 
The Wranglers nearly dethroned the Legion a top the North American divison, with an intense end of season push that fell just short. Joey Clarence was arguably the main reason for this teams success, but the contributions of Evgeni Fydorov and Mathias Chouinard, as well as a well rounded team from top to bottom is what led this team to success.
 
Now with the non playoff teams; the Vasteras Iron Eagles took their first positive stride in a while, and finished with an above .500 record. Their goalie Andreas Bjorkman has started to solidify himself as a solid starter, with a very solid 2.43 GAA and a .918 Save Percentage. Cam Merrill led the team in points again, and Clint Guite had a very good sophomore season. Lasse Milo had a good rookie year as well, with 50 points.
 
The three utter tanks of the league belonged in New York, Riga and Seattle. New York was finally beginning to show some promise, with guys like Jukka Hakkinen, Jaroslav Oslig, Oliver Bergstrom all had over 90 points, and Fantastic McAwesome started to live up to his name, dropping 77 points. The Reign were very bad as well, with the only recognizable names being Ma'a Nonu and Oliver Scarlett. Scarlett, who once was a Sterling Labette winner, had dropped in production as his career began to hit its end, only scoring 61 points. Although the Reign were very trash, no one was close to being as bad as Seattle was. They had nine wins total, and their top guy didn't even hit 60 points. Sam Pouza, who had no notable seasons or awards through his career, finished on top of the team with 59 points. The best plus minus they had was a -34! They were awful, let me tell you.
 
TRADE DEADLINE
 
There were no notable trades at the deadline this year. The Wranglers traded for minor depth peices with Jake Steen and Biggie Shakur, but that is all for this years deadline.
 
PLAYOFFS
 
The Playoff came and we saw two very close series; the Legion vs Wranglers and the Dynamo vs Titans. In North America, the Wranglers headed to Toronto for game one, but the Legion came well prepared, easily taking game one 5-2. Lars Berger had a hat trick in the win. Game two headed back Calgary's way, as the Wranglers bounced back and won 4-1. Trade deadline acquisition Jake Steen dropped three points in game two. Both teams headed to Calgary, and the Wranglers delivered for the fans, winning 2-1 in overtime when Roman Andreev scored on the powerplay. The most notable thing was the fact that Toronto only had 19 shots; a pattern that would continue the next game. Toronto had a mere 16 shots and lost 3-1 to Calgary in game four. The Wranglers were all over the Legion, outscoring them 9-3 in the past three games. And in game five back in Toronto, the Wranglers trounced the Legion, winning 3-0. The Legion were held to 16 shots again in their loss. Jake Steen had three assists and the Wranglers were headed to the finals.
 
Now, we hit the most intense point of a rivalry between Helsinki and Davos that lasted for a few seasons. The two top squads in the VHL facing off for a spot in the finals. Game one was a nail biter, as it was tied 1-1 heading to the third. But HSK RW scored in the third to give the Titans the win in game one. Game two was another heart wrenching game to watch, as the Titans tied it with five minutes left, and Tarik Saeijs won the game in overtime, shocking Davos in both of their home games. Davos stormed back in game three, propelled off of Markus Strauss' hat trick and won 4-3. But the Titans would ultimately head out of Helsinki happy, as they won game four 3-1 and took a strong hold on the series. Davos wasn't done yet. Game five went Davos' way, after Markus Strauss scored his sixth of the playoffs early in the third to bring home the 2-1 win. The two teams headed back to Helsinki for game six. The Titans were up 3-1 heading to the third, but Chad Murphy's two third period goals for Davos gave them a headache. But Cam Fowler wouldn't let it slip away, as he scored with three minutes left to win the game and the series for the Titans.
 
Now we had our finals; Calgary vs Helsinki. The trend of the Wranglers allowing low shot totals continued, as the Titans only got off 19 shots in game one, and Calgary took a 2-1 win. Game two, however, was a complete disaster for Calgary, to say the least. They lost 5-1, and were outshot 42-18. They were embarassed, and Game three was a big one. Helsinki won off of Tarik Saeijs overtime winner to steal game three away from Calgary. The Wranglers bounced back, and returned to their great defensive style of play, winning 3-1 and tying the series up. Game five was back in Helsinki, where Helsinki was shut down once again. Luckily for them, the Wranglers struggled to produce offense as well. Tarik Saeijs goal in the dying moments of the second period would ultimately be the winner, as the Titans won 2-1 in game five. Now, game six was do or die for Calgary. They let up two goals in the first, but scored four unanswered in the second and third period. Jesse McGhann made them feel uneasy, scoring with ten minutes left, but in the end Calgary squeaked out with a 4-3 win and forced game 7.
 
Game 7 was in Helsinki, and the crowd was hoping to win back to back titles. The first period was scoreless until Jardy Bunclewirth scored with three minutes left to give the Wranglers the lead heading to the locker room. They carried the momentum to the second half, when Evgeni Fydorov scored just a minute in. He scored again later that period, and the Wranglers headed to the third with a 3-0 lead. Then, they went into a defensive lockdown, allowing just seven shots in the third period to lock down game 7. It was Calgary's sixth continental cup, and their first since their back to back cup runs of S18 and S19. The legendary Jardy Bunclewirth could end his career off on top, winning his third continental cup.

 
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
 
To no ones surprise, Tarik Saeijs won the MVP, as he led Helsinki to second place in the league and had 126 points. He also won the Mike Szatkowski trophy for most points in the league.
The Playoff MVP went to Mathias Chouinard, as his 19 points in 12 games help the Wranglers win it all, Peyton Nydroj of Toronto won the Kevin Brooks trophy, with 60 goals. Adam Schultz from Davos won the Sterling Labatte, and Jakob Kjeldson won the Aidan Shaw trophy for best goalie, beating out Aidan Shaw himself. Dustin McKullen, whom the Americans traded for from Vasteras at the draft, won rookie of the year, with 68 points.

Next season, some wild stuff happens. One of the four playoff teams takes a major drop. A blockbuster trade between two unlikely teams took place, and other blockbuster trades happen in Season 24. Tune in on Tuesday, April 30th for our review of Season 24!

blast from the past! @gregreg @tfong
 
@frescoelmo @CoachReilly @street @JardyB10 @Victor @Advantage @Squinty @slobo @JardyB10 
 
@Beketov (was dustin Mckullen your player? can't remember!)
 
As I would say - the good ol' days.
 
Wonderful recap @Matt_O ❤️

After the Helsinki Titans pulled off one of the most incredible upset wins in VHL history over the Toronto Legion, we can start to look at Season 23. During the offseason, some of the wildest trades I have seen in a while took place. First, the Vasteras Iron Eagles struck up a deal with the Americans, where Vasteras sent their second overall pick, two second rounders and the next years first rounder for two prospects and New Yorks fourth overall pick. That was an unexpected trade, but what came in the next few days changed the shape of the VHL forever.
 
Markus Strauss, arguable the top player in the VHL at the time, was shipped off to Davos for a first, and two thirds. The Bears were on full rebuild now, and Davos was trying to capitalize on their final years with Daisuke Kanou. Later that day, Helsinki acquired Tarik Saeijs from Riga, where they traded seemingly their entire team, as well as recent draftee Mitch Higgins, who was the key to the deal. The Titans wanted to capitalize on their championship window that had just opened, while the Reign were just starting their rebuild.
 
DRAFT
 
The S23 draft was a big step up from last years horrendous draft, but it was still a little weak. With the first overall pick, Davos found themselves on the clock, despite making the playoffs. If you remember back to the Season 21 review, the Bears traded a handful of picks in exchange for Patrick Bergqvist, Jordan Berglund and Geno Esposito to try to win the cup. Well, that pick became the first overall selection, where Davos picked up future Hall of Famer Leeroy Jenkins. With the second pick, New York selected Dustin McKullen, and Vasteras took Lasse Milo with the fourth pick. The Titans took Mitch Higgins with the eighth pick, who they later traded to Riga. Overall it was still a pretty weak draft, but far better than last years draft.
 
 
 
The HC Davos Dynamo retook the throne at the top of the VHL for the first time since season 20, off the backs of Daisuke Kanou in net, and the duo of Anton Brekker and Markus Strauss. Strauss had his first year where he took a step back, and had less than 100 points for the first time since the index goes back to (season 20). They also had a one two punch of young studs, with Pavel Koradek and Leeroy Jenkins both having solid seasons.

 
The Helsinki Titans finished right behind them, in large part due to the resurgence of Tarik Saeijs scoring 126 points, and playoff MVP Cam Fowler dropping 116 points as well. Their goaltender Jakob Kjeldson had a stellar year, with a jaw dropping 1.77 GAA.  Even though they traded six players for Saeijs in the offseason, they had more than enough depth help, with guys like Ignatius Feltersnatch, Kevin Hesje and Michael Angelo dropping more than 80 points.
 

 
The Legion took a massive step back from their victory cup winning campaign, barely winning the North American division over Calgary. Peyton Nydroj and Lars Berger kept their elite level of play, both getting over 110 points. Unfortunately for the Legion the depth seemed to tail off, and the Legion heavily relied on the incredible play of Aidan Shaw, and their top two scorers Nydroj and Berger.
 
The Wranglers nearly dethroned the Legion a top the North American divison, with an intense end of season push that fell just short. Joey Clarence was arguably the main reason for this teams success, but the contributions of Evgeni Fydorov and Mathias Chouinard, as well as a well rounded team from top to bottom is what led this team to success.
 
Now with the non playoff teams; the Vasteras Iron Eagles took their first positive stride in a while, and finished with an above .500 record. Their goalie Andreas Bjorkman has started to solidify himself as a solid starter, with a very solid 2.43 GAA and a .918 Save Percentage. Cam Merrill led the team in points again, and Clint Guite had a very good sophomore season. Lasse Milo had a good rookie year as well, with 50 points.
 
The three utter tanks of the league belonged in New York, Riga and Seattle. New York was finally beginning to show some promise, with guys like Jukka Hakkinen, Jaroslav Oslig, Oliver Bergstrom all had over 90 points, and Fantastic McAwesome started to live up to his name, dropping 77 points. The Reign were very bad as well, with the only recognizable names being Ma'a Nonu and Oliver Scarlett. Scarlett, who once was a Sterling Labette winner, had dropped in production as his career began to hit its end, only scoring 61 points. Although the Reign were very trash, no one was close to being as bad as Seattle was. They had nine wins total, and their top guy didn't even hit 60 points. Sam Pouza, who had no notable seasons or awards through his career, finished on top of the team with 59 points. The best plus minus they had was a -34! They were awful, let me tell you.
 
TRADE DEADLINE
 
There were no notable trades at the deadline this year. The Wranglers traded for minor depth peices with Jake Steen and Biggie Shakur, but that is all for this years deadline.
 
PLAYOFFS
 
The Playoff came and we saw two very close series; the Legion vs Wranglers and the Dynamo vs Titans. In North America, the Wranglers headed to Toronto for game one, but the Legion came well prepared, easily taking game one 5-2. Lars Berger had a hat trick in the win. Game two headed back Calgary's way, as the Wranglers bounced back and won 4-1. Trade deadline acquisition Jake Steen dropped three points in game two. Both teams headed to Calgary, and the Wranglers delivered for the fans, winning 2-1 in overtime when Roman Andreev scored on the powerplay. The most notable thing was the fact that Toronto only had 19 shots; a pattern that would continue the next game. Toronto had a mere 16 shots and lost 3-1 to Calgary in game four. The Wranglers were all over the Legion, outscoring them 9-3 in the past three games. And in game five back in Toronto, the Wranglers trounced the Legion, winning 3-0. The Legion were held to 16 shots again in their loss. Jake Steen had three assists and the Wranglers were headed to the finals.
 
Now, we hit the most intense point of a rivalry between Helsinki and Davos that lasted for a few seasons. The two top squads in the VHL facing off for a spot in the finals. Game one was a nail biter, as it was tied 1-1 heading to the third. But HSK RW scored in the third to give the Titans the win in game one. Game two was another heart wrenching game to watch, as the Titans tied it with five minutes left, and Tarik Saeijs won the game in overtime, shocking Davos in both of their home games. Davos stormed back in game three, propelled off of Markus Strauss' hat trick and won 4-3. But the Titans would ultimately head out of Helsinki happy, as they won game four 3-1 and took a strong hold on the series. Davos wasn't done yet. Game five went Davos' way, after Markus Strauss scored his sixth of the playoffs early in the third to bring home the 2-1 win. The two teams headed back to Helsinki for game six. The Titans were up 3-1 heading to the third, but Chad Murphy's two third period goals for Davos gave them a headache. But Cam Fowler wouldn't let it slip away, as he scored with three minutes left to win the game and the series for the Titans.
 
Now we had our finals; Calgary vs Helsinki. The trend of the Wranglers allowing low shot totals continued, as the Titans only got off 19 shots in game one, and Calgary took a 2-1 win. Game two, however, was a complete disaster for Calgary, to say the least. They lost 5-1, and were outshot 42-18. They were embarassed, and Game three was a big one. Helsinki won off of Tarik Saeijs overtime winner to steal game three away from Calgary. The Wranglers bounced back, and returned to their great defensive style of play, winning 3-1 and tying the series up. Game five was back in Helsinki, where Helsinki was shut down once again. Luckily for them, the Wranglers struggled to produce offense as well. Tarik Saeijs goal in the dying moments of the second period would ultimately be the winner, as the Titans won 2-1 in game five. Now, game six was do or die for Calgary. They let up two goals in the first, but scored four unanswered in the second and third period. Jesse McGhann made them feel uneasy, scoring with ten minutes left, but in the end Calgary squeaked out with a 4-3 win and forced game 7.
 
Game 7 was in Helsinki, and the crowd was hoping to win back to back titles. The first period was scoreless until Jardy Bunclewirth scored with three minutes left to give the Wranglers the lead heading to the locker room. They carried the momentum to the second half, when Evgeni Fydorov scored just a minute in. He scored again later that period, and the Wranglers headed to the third with a 3-0 lead. Then, they went into a defensive lockdown, allowing just seven shots in the third period to lock down game 7. It was Calgary's sixth continental cup, and their first since their back to back cup runs of S18 and S19. The legendary Jardy Bunclewirth could end his career off on top, winning his third continental cup.

 
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
 
To no ones surprise, Tarik Saeijs won the MVP, as he led Helsinki to second place in the league and had 126 points. He also won the Mike Szatkowski trophy for most points in the league.
The Playoff MVP went to Mathias Chouinard, as his 19 points in 12 games help the Wranglers win it all, Peyton Nydroj of Toronto won the Kevin Brooks trophy, with 60 goals. Adam Schultz from Davos won the Sterling Labatte, and Jakob Kjeldson won the Aidan Shaw trophy for best goalie, beating out Aidan Shaw himself. Dustin McKullen, whom the Americans traded for from Vasteras at the draft, won rookie of the year, with 68 points.

Next season, some wild stuff happens. One of the four playoff teams takes a major drop. A blockbuster trade between two unlikely teams took place, and other blockbuster trades happen in Season 24. Tune in on Tuesday, April 30th for our review of Season 24!

@Matt_O

After the Helsinki Titans pulled off one of the most incredible upset wins in VHL history over the Toronto Legion, we can start to look at Season 23. During the offseason, some of the wildest trades I have seen in a while took place. First, the Vasteras Iron Eagles struck up a deal with the Americans, where Vasteras sent their second overall pick, two second rounders and the next years first rounder for two prospects and New Yorks fourth overall pick. That was an unexpected trade, but what came in the next few days changed the shape of the VHL forever.
 
Markus Strauss, arguable the top player in the VHL at the time, was shipped off to Davos for a first, and two thirds. The Bears were on full rebuild now, and Davos was trying to capitalize on their final years with Daisuke Kanou. Later that day, Helsinki acquired Tarik Saeijs from Riga, where they traded seemingly their entire team, as well as recent draftee Mitch Higgins, who was the key to the deal. The Titans wanted to capitalize on their championship window that had just opened, while the Reign were just starting their rebuild.
 
DRAFT
 
The S23 draft was a big step up from last years horrendous draft, but it was still a little weak. With the first overall pick, Davos found themselves on the clock, despite making the playoffs. If you remember back to the Season 21 review, the Bears traded a handful of picks in exchange for Patrick Bergqvist, Jordan Berglund and Geno Esposito to try to win the cup. Well, that pick became the first overall selection, where Davos picked up future Hall of Famer Leeroy Jenkins. With the second pick, New York selected Dustin McKullen, and Vasteras took Lasse Milo with the fourth pick. The Titans took Mitch Higgins with the eighth pick, who they later traded to Riga. Overall it was still a pretty weak draft, but far better than last years draft.
 
 
 
The HC Davos Dynamo retook the throne at the top of the VHL for the first time since season 20, off the backs of Daisuke Kanou in net, and the duo of Anton Brekker and Markus Strauss. Strauss had his first year where he took a step back, and had less than 100 points for the first time since the index goes back to (season 20). They also had a one two punch of young studs, with Pavel Koradek and Leeroy Jenkins both having solid seasons.

 
The Helsinki Titans finished right behind them, in large part due to the resurgence of Tarik Saeijs scoring 126 points, and playoff MVP Cam Fowler dropping 116 points as well. Their goaltender Jakob Kjeldson had a stellar year, with a jaw dropping 1.77 GAA.  Even though they traded six players for Saeijs in the offseason, they had more than enough depth help, with guys like Ignatius Feltersnatch, Kevin Hesje and Michael Angelo dropping more than 80 points.
 

 
The Legion took a massive step back from their victory cup winning campaign, barely winning the North American division over Calgary. Peyton Nydroj and Lars Berger kept their elite level of play, both getting over 110 points. Unfortunately for the Legion the depth seemed to tail off, and the Legion heavily relied on the incredible play of Aidan Shaw, and their top two scorers Nydroj and Berger.
 
The Wranglers nearly dethroned the Legion a top the North American divison, with an intense end of season push that fell just short. Joey Clarence was arguably the main reason for this teams success, but the contributions of Evgeni Fydorov and Mathias Chouinard, as well as a well rounded team from top to bottom is what led this team to success.
 
Now with the non playoff teams; the Vasteras Iron Eagles took their first positive stride in a while, and finished with an above .500 record. Their goalie Andreas Bjorkman has started to solidify himself as a solid starter, with a very solid 2.43 GAA and a .918 Save Percentage. Cam Merrill led the team in points again, and Clint Guite had a very good sophomore season. Lasse Milo had a good rookie year as well, with 50 points.
 
The three utter tanks of the league belonged in New York, Riga and Seattle. New York was finally beginning to show some promise, with guys like Jukka Hakkinen, Jaroslav Oslig, Oliver Bergstrom all had over 90 points, and Fantastic McAwesome started to live up to his name, dropping 77 points. The Reign were very bad as well, with the only recognizable names being Ma'a Nonu and Oliver Scarlett. Scarlett, who once was a Sterling Labette winner, had dropped in production as his career began to hit its end, only scoring 61 points. Although the Reign were very trash, no one was close to being as bad as Seattle was. They had nine wins total, and their top guy didn't even hit 60 points. Sam Pouza, who had no notable seasons or awards through his career, finished on top of the team with 59 points. The best plus minus they had was a -34! They were awful, let me tell you.
 
TRADE DEADLINE
 
There were no notable trades at the deadline this year. The Wranglers traded for minor depth peices with Jake Steen and Biggie Shakur, but that is all for this years deadline.
 
PLAYOFFS
 
The Playoff came and we saw two very close series; the Legion vs Wranglers and the Dynamo vs Titans. In North America, the Wranglers headed to Toronto for game one, but the Legion came well prepared, easily taking game one 5-2. Lars Berger had a hat trick in the win. Game two headed back Calgary's way, as the Wranglers bounced back and won 4-1. Trade deadline acquisition Jake Steen dropped three points in game two. Both teams headed to Calgary, and the Wranglers delivered for the fans, winning 2-1 in overtime when Roman Andreev scored on the powerplay. The most notable thing was the fact that Toronto only had 19 shots; a pattern that would continue the next game. Toronto had a mere 16 shots and lost 3-1 to Calgary in game four. The Wranglers were all over the Legion, outscoring them 9-3 in the past three games. And in game five back in Toronto, the Wranglers trounced the Legion, winning 3-0. The Legion were held to 16 shots again in their loss. Jake Steen had three assists and the Wranglers were headed to the finals.
 
Now, we hit the most intense point of a rivalry between Helsinki and Davos that lasted for a few seasons. The two top squads in the VHL facing off for a spot in the finals. Game one was a nail biter, as it was tied 1-1 heading to the third. But HSK RW scored in the third to give the Titans the win in game one. Game two was another heart wrenching game to watch, as the Titans tied it with five minutes left, and Tarik Saeijs won the game in overtime, shocking Davos in both of their home games. Davos stormed back in game three, propelled off of Markus Strauss' hat trick and won 4-3. But the Titans would ultimately head out of Helsinki happy, as they won game four 3-1 and took a strong hold on the series. Davos wasn't done yet. Game five went Davos' way, after Markus Strauss scored his sixth of the playoffs early in the third to bring home the 2-1 win. The two teams headed back to Helsinki for game six. The Titans were up 3-1 heading to the third, but Chad Murphy's two third period goals for Davos gave them a headache. But Cam Fowler wouldn't let it slip away, as he scored with three minutes left to win the game and the series for the Titans.
 
Now we had our finals; Calgary vs Helsinki. The trend of the Wranglers allowing low shot totals continued, as the Titans only got off 19 shots in game one, and Calgary took a 2-1 win. Game two, however, was a complete disaster for Calgary, to say the least. They lost 5-1, and were outshot 42-18. They were embarassed, and Game three was a big one. Helsinki won off of Tarik Saeijs overtime winner to steal game three away from Calgary. The Wranglers bounced back, and returned to their great defensive style of play, winning 3-1 and tying the series up. Game five was back in Helsinki, where Helsinki was shut down once again. Luckily for them, the Wranglers struggled to produce offense as well. Tarik Saeijs goal in the dying moments of the second period would ultimately be the winner, as the Titans won 2-1 in game five. Now, game six was do or die for Calgary. They let up two goals in the first, but scored four unanswered in the second and third period. Jesse McGhann made them feel uneasy, scoring with ten minutes left, but in the end Calgary squeaked out with a 4-3 win and forced game 7.
 
Game 7 was in Helsinki, and the crowd was hoping to win back to back titles. The first period was scoreless until Jardy Bunclewirth scored with three minutes left to give the Wranglers the lead heading to the locker room. They carried the momentum to the second half, when Evgeni Fydorov scored just a minute in. He scored again later that period, and the Wranglers headed to the third with a 3-0 lead. Then, they went into a defensive lockdown, allowing just seven shots in the third period to lock down game 7. It was Calgary's sixth continental cup, and their first since their back to back cup runs of S18 and S19. The legendary Jardy Bunclewirth could end his career off on top, winning his third continental cup.

 
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
 
To no ones surprise, Tarik Saeijs won the MVP, as he led Helsinki to second place in the league and had 126 points. He also won the Mike Szatkowski trophy for most points in the league.
The Playoff MVP went to Mathias Chouinard, as his 19 points in 12 games help the Wranglers win it all, Peyton Nydroj of Toronto won the Kevin Brooks trophy, with 60 goals. Adam Schultz from Davos won the Sterling Labatte, and Jakob Kjeldson won the Aidan Shaw trophy for best goalie, beating out Aidan Shaw himself. Dustin McKullen, whom the Americans traded for from Vasteras at the draft, won rookie of the year, with 68 points.

Next season, some wild stuff happens. One of the four playoff teams takes a major drop. A blockbuster trade between two unlikely teams took place, and other blockbuster trades happen in Season 24. Tune in on Tuesday, April 30th for our review of Season 24!

After the Helsinki Titans pulled off one of the most incredible upset wins in VHL history over the Toronto Legion, we can start to look at Season 23. During the offseason, some of the wildest trades I have seen in a while took place. First, the Vasteras Iron Eagles struck up a deal with the Americans, where Vasteras sent their second overall pick, two second rounders and the next years first rounder for two prospects and New Yorks fourth overall pick. That was an unexpected trade, but what came in the next few days changed the shape of the VHL forever.
 
Markus Strauss, arguable the top player in the VHL at the time, was shipped off to Davos for a first, and two thirds. The Bears were on full rebuild now, and Davos was trying to capitalize on their final years with Daisuke Kanou. Later that day, Helsinki acquired Tarik Saeijs from Riga, where they traded seemingly their entire team, as well as recent draftee Mitch Higgins, who was the key to the deal. The Titans wanted to capitalize on their championship window that had just opened, while the Reign were just starting their rebuild.
 
DRAFT
 
The S23 draft was a big step up from last years horrendous draft, but it was still a little weak. With the first overall pick, Davos found themselves on the clock, despite making the playoffs. If you remember back to the Season 21 review, the Bears traded a handful of picks in exchange for Patrick Bergqvist, Jordan Berglund and Geno Esposito to try to win the cup. Well, that pick became the first overall selection, where Davos picked up future Hall of Famer Leeroy Jenkins. With the second pick, New York selected Dustin McKullen, and Vasteras took Lasse Milo with the fourth pick. The Titans took Mitch Higgins with the eighth pick, who they later traded to Riga. Overall it was still a pretty weak draft, but far better than last years draft.
 
 
 
The HC Davos Dynamo retook the throne at the top of the VHL for the first time since season 20, off the backs of Daisuke Kanou in net, and the duo of Anton Brekker and Markus Strauss. Strauss had his first year where he took a step back, and had less than 100 points for the first time since the index goes back to (season 20). They also had a one two punch of young studs, with Pavel Koradek and Leeroy Jenkins both having solid seasons.

 
The Helsinki Titans finished right behind them, in large part due to the resurgence of Tarik Saeijs scoring 126 points, and playoff MVP Cam Fowler dropping 116 points as well. Their goaltender Jakob Kjeldson had a stellar year, with a jaw dropping 1.77 GAA.  Even though they traded six players for Saeijs in the offseason, they had more than enough depth help, with guys like Ignatius Feltersnatch, Kevin Hesje and Michael Angelo dropping more than 80 points.
 

 
The Legion took a massive step back from their victory cup winning campaign, barely winning the North American division over Calgary. Peyton Nydroj and Lars Berger kept their elite level of play, both getting over 110 points. Unfortunately for the Legion the depth seemed to tail off, and the Legion heavily relied on the incredible play of Aidan Shaw, and their top two scorers Nydroj and Berger.
 
The Wranglers nearly dethroned the Legion a top the North American divison, with an intense end of season push that fell just short. Joey Clarence was arguably the main reason for this teams success, but the contributions of Evgeni Fydorov and Mathias Chouinard, as well as a well rounded team from top to bottom is what led this team to success.
 
Now with the non playoff teams; the Vasteras Iron Eagles took their first positive stride in a while, and finished with an above .500 record. Their goalie Andreas Bjorkman has started to solidify himself as a solid starter, with a very solid 2.43 GAA and a .918 Save Percentage. Cam Merrill led the team in points again, and Clint Guite had a very good sophomore season. Lasse Milo had a good rookie year as well, with 50 points.
 
The three utter tanks of the league belonged in New York, Riga and Seattle. New York was finally beginning to show some promise, with guys like Jukka Hakkinen, Jaroslav Oslig, Oliver Bergstrom all had over 90 points, and Fantastic McAwesome started to live up to his name, dropping 77 points. The Reign were very bad as well, with the only recognizable names being Ma'a Nonu and Oliver Scarlett. Scarlett, who once was a Sterling Labette winner, had dropped in production as his career began to hit its end, only scoring 61 points. Although the Reign were very trash, no one was close to being as bad as Seattle was. They had nine wins total, and their top guy didn't even hit 60 points. Sam Pouza, who had no notable seasons or awards through his career, finished on top of the team with 59 points. The best plus minus they had was a -34! They were awful, let me tell you.
 
TRADE DEADLINE
 
There were no notable trades at the deadline this year. The Wranglers traded for minor depth peices with Jake Steen and Biggie Shakur, but that is all for this years deadline.
 
PLAYOFFS
 
The Playoff came and we saw two very close series; the Legion vs Wranglers and the Dynamo vs Titans. In North America, the Wranglers headed to Toronto for game one, but the Legion came well prepared, easily taking game one 5-2. Lars Berger had a hat trick in the win. Game two headed back Calgary's way, as the Wranglers bounced back and won 4-1. Trade deadline acquisition Jake Steen dropped three points in game two. Both teams headed to Calgary, and the Wranglers delivered for the fans, winning 2-1 in overtime when Roman Andreev scored on the powerplay. The most notable thing was the fact that Toronto only had 19 shots; a pattern that would continue the next game. Toronto had a mere 16 shots and lost 3-1 to Calgary in game four. The Wranglers were all over the Legion, outscoring them 9-3 in the past three games. And in game five back in Toronto, the Wranglers trounced the Legion, winning 3-0. The Legion were held to 16 shots again in their loss. Jake Steen had three assists and the Wranglers were headed to the finals.
 
Now, we hit the most intense point of a rivalry between Helsinki and Davos that lasted for a few seasons. The two top squads in the VHL facing off for a spot in the finals. Game one was a nail biter, as it was tied 1-1 heading to the third. But HSK RW scored in the third to give the Titans the win in game one. Game two was another heart wrenching game to watch, as the Titans tied it with five minutes left, and Tarik Saeijs won the game in overtime, shocking Davos in both of their home games. Davos stormed back in game three, propelled off of Markus Strauss' hat trick and won 4-3. But the Titans would ultimately head out of Helsinki happy, as they won game four 3-1 and took a strong hold on the series. Davos wasn't done yet. Game five went Davos' way, after Markus Strauss scored his sixth of the playoffs early in the third to bring home the 2-1 win. The two teams headed back to Helsinki for game six. The Titans were up 3-1 heading to the third, but Chad Murphy's two third period goals for Davos gave them a headache. But Cam Fowler wouldn't let it slip away, as he scored with three minutes left to win the game and the series for the Titans.
 
Now we had our finals; Calgary vs Helsinki. The trend of the Wranglers allowing low shot totals continued, as the Titans only got off 19 shots in game one, and Calgary took a 2-1 win. Game two, however, was a complete disaster for Calgary, to say the least. They lost 5-1, and were outshot 42-18. They were embarassed, and Game three was a big one. Helsinki won off of Tarik Saeijs overtime winner to steal game three away from Calgary. The Wranglers bounced back, and returned to their great defensive style of play, winning 3-1 and tying the series up. Game five was back in Helsinki, where Helsinki was shut down once again. Luckily for them, the Wranglers struggled to produce offense as well. Tarik Saeijs goal in the dying moments of the second period would ultimately be the winner, as the Titans won 2-1 in game five. Now, game six was do or die for Calgary. They let up two goals in the first, but scored four unanswered in the second and third period. Jesse McGhann made them feel uneasy, scoring with ten minutes left, but in the end Calgary squeaked out with a 4-3 win and forced game 7.
 
Game 7 was in Helsinki, and the crowd was hoping to win back to back titles. The first period was scoreless until Jardy Bunclewirth scored with three minutes left to give the Wranglers the lead heading to the locker room. They carried the momentum to the second half, when Evgeni Fydorov scored just a minute in. He scored again later that period, and the Wranglers headed to the third with a 3-0 lead. Then, they went into a defensive lockdown, allowing just seven shots in the third period to lock down game 7. It was Calgary's sixth continental cup, and their first since their back to back cup runs of S18 and S19. The legendary Jardy Bunclewirth could end his career off on top, winning his third continental cup.

 
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
 
To no ones surprise, Tarik Saeijs won the MVP, as he led Helsinki to second place in the league and had 126 points. He also won the Mike Szatkowski trophy for most points in the league.
The Playoff MVP went to Mathias Chouinard, as his 19 points in 12 games help the Wranglers win it all, Peyton Nydroj of Toronto won the Kevin Brooks trophy, with 60 goals. Adam Schultz from Davos won the Sterling Labatte, and Jakob Kjeldson won the Aidan Shaw trophy for best goalie, beating out Aidan Shaw himself. Dustin McKullen, whom the Americans traded for from Vasteras at the draft, won rookie of the year, with 68 points.

Next season, some wild stuff happens. One of the four playoff teams takes a major drop. A blockbuster trade between two unlikely teams took place, and other blockbuster trades happen in Season 24. Tune in on Tuesday, April 30th for our review of Season 24!

After an alright rookie campaign for Materazo and a solid season for the Americans, the offseason comes to a start. The nerves of the expansion draft start to set in. "Last year, I wasn't nervous, but this year I feel on edge. I really would like to stay in New York, I hope they protect me" 
 
As the names were read aloud for the Malmo Nighthawks GM, Materazo waited to see his fate. When they reached the Americans, he was at the edge of his seat. "I wanted to contend, something that we will hopefully be doing in New York for a few seasons. If I'm taken in this draft, I may have to see myself with a cupless career." Wouldn't you know it, as his name was announced, he sunk into his chair. "I always wanted to play for my hometown team, since I was from Long Island. Being traded is one thing, but this is very bittersweet." Despite the sad feelings, he started to look to the bright side.
 
"At least I can get a chance to set all kinds of team records with Malmo. Maybe I'll even make the all star team. Plus their logo is sick, way better than New Yorks. Besides, I always wanted to go to Sweden."
 
He also had some departing words for the Americans. "It was a fun ride, but now Xander is going to be pissed. Hopefully the bad feelings will be put aside by time he gets older, or else you may have to miss out on an elite defenseman because of this. I think the beef will be put aside though. Good luck next year New York. I have to pack my bags."
 
 

Damn I thought I would be blessed with the talents of Elias Dahlberg on my line

After an alright rookie campaign for Materazo and a solid season for the Americans, the offseason comes to a start. The nerves of the expansion draft start to set in. "Last year, I wasn't nervous, but this year I feel on edge. I really would like to stay in New York, I hope they protect me" 
 
As the names were read aloud for the Malmo Nighthawks GM, Materazo waited to see his fate. When they reached the Americans, he was at the edge of his seat. "I wanted to contend, something that we will hopefully be doing in New York for a few seasons. If I'm taken in this draft, I may have to see myself with a cupless career." Wouldn't you know it, as his name was announced, he sunk into his chair. "I always wanted to play for my hometown team, since I was from Long Island. Being traded is one thing, but this is very bittersweet." Despite the sad feelings, he started to look to the bright side.
 
"At least I can get a chance to set all kinds of team records with Malmo. Maybe I'll even make the all star team. Plus their logo is sick, way better than New Yorks. Besides, I always wanted to go to Sweden."
 
He also had some departing words for the Americans. "It was a fun ride, but now Xander is going to be pissed. Hopefully the bad feelings will be put aside by time he gets older, or else you may have to miss out on an elite defenseman because of this. I think the beef will be put aside though. Good luck next year New York. I have to pack my bags."
 
 

The day is February 5th, 2008. It was the offseason between season three and season four, when Lucas Tannahill pulled the trigger on the biggest trade in VHL history, involving multiple hall of famers, such as Scotty Campbell, Mike Szatkowski, Matt Defosse and Brennan Anthony. But how did we get here? How did Campbell get to Vasteras? Why was Campbell, unanimously considered the GOAT, traded in the middle of his prime? This trade needs a deep rewind.
 

 
 
We can go all the way back to the inaugural VHL draft, where Vasteras had the eighth pick and the Hamilton Canucks had the second pick. Vasteras had their eyes set on Campbell, and were in the process of negotiating with Hamilton. They agreed, and they sent the second overall pick to Vasteras in exchange for their eighth overall pick, and a second rounder for the next season. They would go on to draft Campbell with that pick. Things weren't all bad for Hamilton though, and while they did miss out on Scotty Campbell, David Night was a good consolation prize. He was a future Hall of Famer, but he was not on Campbells level.
 
Vasteras also drafted future Hall of Famer goaltender Matthew Pogge with the ninth pick, and they were stacked in year one. They would go on to defeat the Wranglers in the finals and won the first ever Continental cup. During that offseason, they drafted another future hall of famer in defenseman Matt Defrosse. The Bears took Brennan Anthony sixth overall, and the Wranglers took legendary defenseman Sterling Labatte seventh. These additions from Calgary lead them to a rematch between them and Vasteras in the finals, but this time the Wranglers brought out the brooms on them, and swept them.
 
 
During that offseason, Avangard took Mike Szatkowski with the second overall pick. However, it wouldn't take long for them to swing him to Seattle, for Jon Church and a future first rounder. Now we know how the big names got to the Bears and Vasteras. But why did they even trade Campbell?
 
Well, it is a simple answer; he wanted out. In the beginning of season three, we almost saw a trade that sent Scotty Campbell to the Titans for Robert Sharpe and a couple of first rounders, but the deal fell apart when the Vasteras GM Lucas Tannehill backed out last second. Sharpe was the player picked first overall ahead of Campbell in the first draft, ironically. There also was a verbal agreement to trade away hall of fame goaltender Matt Pogge to the Bears, which also fell apart. They wanted one last go at it before the group would wither away, but Maxim Desny singlehandedly knocked them out in the semi finals.
 
Scotty Campbell wanted out. When the idea of a trade went into play, his teammate Matt Defosse wasn't happy. 
 
"I wasn't really in favor of moving from Vasteras when the idea of the trade first arose. Scotty approached me about going to Seattle and sold me on the idea. 'We'll win a cup there,' he said." (source) After Defosse was sold, the deal was done. A Seattle team with good core peices, and a Vasteras team in need of a culture change made the trade of all trades; Scotty Campbell and Matt Defosse were headed to Seattle while Mike Szatkowski and Brannan Anthony were going to Vasteras. 
 
How did these teams end up? The Bears would go on to win the next two continental cups, while Vasteras would go through a long painful rebuilding process over the next several seasons.  The Bears would end up trading Campbell to the Titans after their back to back cups, as they fell back to the bottom. What moment in VHL history should we review next?

After an alright rookie campaign for Materazo and a solid season for the Americans, the offseason comes to a start. The nerves of the expansion draft start to set in. "Last year, I wasn't nervous, but this year I feel on edge. I really would like to stay in New York, I hope they protect me" 
 
As the names were read aloud for the Malmo Nighthawks GM, Materazo waited to see his fate. When they reached the Americans, he was at the edge of his seat. "I wanted to contend, something that we will hopefully be doing in New York for a few seasons. If I'm taken in this draft, I may have to see myself with a cupless career." Wouldn't you know it, as his name was announced, he sunk into his chair. "I always wanted to play for my hometown team, since I was from Long Island. Being traded is one thing, but this is very bittersweet." Despite the sad feelings, he started to look to the bright side.
 
"At least I can get a chance to set all kinds of team records with Malmo. Maybe I'll even make the all star team. Plus their logo is sick, way better than New Yorks. Besides, I always wanted to go to Sweden."
 
He also had some departing words for the Americans. "It was a fun ride, but now Xander is going to be pissed. Hopefully the bad feelings will be put aside by time he gets older, or else you may have to miss out on an elite defenseman because of this. I think the beef will be put aside though. Good luck next year New York. I have to pack my bags."
 
 

Sucks to see you go. All the best in Malmo. May be going down in the standings, but you definitely shot right to the top in logos