Matt_O

So, just today I left VSN for the second time because I am not able to keep up with the workload. This isn't going to be one of those typical articles that bash everyone after leaving, which we have seen with quite a few different jobs or just the site in general as people angrily leave. Seeing VSN where it is today is incredible after seeing how it was in its beginning stages. I was a member of VSN from February of 2019 to November or December, then re-joined in May or June I think but honestly I have no idea when I joined again. All I can say is that the difference in the organization from when I started in February to now is really something that longtime editor @FrostBeard and @Banackock should be proud of.
 
When I joined VSN, I had to think of a series to start. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I decided I would recap past seasons in the league, starting from S20, the first season that has an archive on the portal. That lasted for only a few season recaps until my new series Deep Rewind took over, which was my main thing for a very long time. I still have no idea why I picked history to write about. When I first joined VSN in February, I had only been on the site for about four months or so, the most history I knew was that Riga won the S63 Continental Cup and the Wranglers lost in the finals. I joined VSN and it was nothing like how it is today. The summer of 2019 was a particularly dead time for VSN, and it pretty much became a platform for me to write stuff and get more publicity than what a typical media spot would. I would post twice a week, and I don't even know how I did that. I can hardly even keep up with posting once every other week now, posting twice a week would be a death sentence for me. That being said, I didn't have much of a life during that summer, but now I actually do so that probably is a factor. I believe during the month of August, there were nine posts and I had seven or eight of them, but I'm not exactly sure. I remember I said something that VSN should have more publicity and thought of ways that we could get that to happen, and the overwhelming response by people was that VSN just kinda sucked. We fixed things for a while, and then it went back to a lack of articles being posted. This is when Frostbeard and Bana took over (I think).
 
I'm doing this whole timeline off the top of my head so it's definitely a little spotty. But, Frostbeard and Bana took over VSN and made it much more organized and complete than at any point in my tenure. We got new writers, I believe this is when we got a graphics department too, it became rejuvenated. After a few months under this new leadership, my life actually got interesting and I wasn't able to keep up with VSN anymore, as I was too busy getting with the ladies ? . But I also wasn't able to keep up with the league in general anymore, I stepped down from my GM job, and then about a month later I think I left VSN and the league as a whole for a few months until I came back in around March. I came back to VSN because I wanted to write for them again and my activity on the site had picked up, but now, I don't know if I can keep up anymore. VSN has grown tremendously, and I also have to mention @Doomsday for his incredible contributions to VSN, as a great history writer and he was definitely the most deserving successor of Frostbeard. I hope VSN can continue to grow and improve and become better than ever before.

So, just today I left VSN for the second time because I am not able to keep up with the workload. This isn't going to be one of those typical articles that bash everyone after leaving, which we have seen with quite a few different jobs or just the site in general as people angrily leave. Seeing VSN where it is today is incredible after seeing how it was in its beginning stages. I was a member of VSN from February of 2019 to November or December, then re-joined in May or June I think but honestly I have no idea when I joined again. All I can say is that the difference in the organization from when I started in February to now is really something that longtime editor @FrostBeard and @Banackock should be proud of.
 
When I joined VSN, I had to think of a series to start. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I decided I would recap past seasons in the league, starting from S20, the first season that has an archive on the portal. That lasted for only a few season recaps until my new series Deep Rewind took over, which was my main thing for a very long time. I still have no idea why I picked history to write about. When I first joined VSN in February, I had only been on the site for about four months or so, the most history I knew was that Riga won the S63 Continental Cup and the Wranglers lost in the finals. I joined VSN and it was nothing like how it is today. The summer of 2019 was a particularly dead time for VSN, and it pretty much became a platform for me to write stuff and get more publicity than what a typical media spot would. I would post twice a week, and I don't even know how I did that. I can hardly even keep up with posting once every other week now, posting twice a week would be a death sentence for me. That being said, I didn't have much of a life during that summer, but now I actually do so that probably is a factor. I believe during the month of August, there were nine posts and I had seven or eight of them, but I'm not exactly sure. I remember I said something that VSN should have more publicity and thought of ways that we could get that to happen, and the overwhelming response by people was that VSN just kinda sucked. We fixed things for a while, and then it went back to a lack of articles being posted. This is when Frostbeard and Bana took over (I think).
 
I'm doing this whole timeline off the top of my head so it's definitely a little spotty. But, Frostbeard and Bana took over VSN and made it much more organized and complete than at any point in my tenure. We got new writers, I believe this is when we got a graphics department too, it became rejuvenated. After a few months under this new leadership, my life actually got interesting and I wasn't able to keep up with VSN anymore, as I was too busy getting with the ladies ? . But I also wasn't able to keep up with the league in general anymore, I stepped down from my GM job, and then about a month later I think I left VSN and the league as a whole for a few months until I came back in around March. I came back to VSN because I wanted to write for them again and my activity on the site had picked up, but now, I don't know if I can keep up anymore. VSN has grown tremendously, and I also have to mention @Doomsday for his incredible contributions to VSN, as a great history writer and he was definitely the most deserving successor of Frostbeard. I hope VSN can continue to grow and improve and become better than ever before.

So, just today I left VSN for the second time because I am not able to keep up with the workload. This isn't going to be one of those typical articles that bash everyone after leaving, which we have seen with quite a few different jobs or just the site in general as people angrily leave. Seeing VSN where it is today is incredible after seeing how it was in its beginning stages. I was a member of VSN from February of 2019 to November or December, then re-joined in May or June I think but honestly I have no idea when I joined again. All I can say is that the difference in the organization from when I started in February to now is really something that longtime editor @FrostBeard and @Banackock should be proud of.
 
When I joined VSN, I had to think of a series to start. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I decided I would recap past seasons in the league, starting from S20, the first season that has an archive on the portal. That lasted for only a few season recaps until my new series Deep Rewind took over, which was my main thing for a very long time. I still have no idea why I picked history to write about. When I first joined VSN in February, I had only been on the site for about four months or so, the most history I knew was that Riga won the S63 Continental Cup and the Wranglers lost in the finals. I joined VSN and it was nothing like how it is today. The summer of 2019 was a particularly dead time for VSN, and it pretty much became a platform for me to write stuff and get more publicity than what a typical media spot would. I would post twice a week, and I don't even know how I did that. I can hardly even keep up with posting once every other week now, posting twice a week would be a death sentence for me. That being said, I didn't have much of a life during that summer, but now I actually do so that probably is a factor. I believe during the month of August, there were nine posts and I had seven or eight of them, but I'm not exactly sure. I remember I said something that VSN should have more publicity and thought of ways that we could get that to happen, and the overwhelming response by people was that VSN just kinda sucked. We fixed things for a while, and then it went back to a lack of articles being posted. This is when Frostbeard and Bana took over (I think).
 
I'm doing this whole timeline off the top of my head so it's definitely a little spotty. But, Frostbeard and Bana took over VSN and made it much more organized and complete than at any point in my tenure. We got new writers, I believe this is when we got a graphics department too, it became rejuvenated. After a few months under this new leadership, my life actually got interesting and I wasn't able to keep up with VSN anymore, as I was too busy getting with the ladies ? . But I also wasn't able to keep up with the league in general anymore, I stepped down from my GM job, and then about a month later I think I left VSN and the league as a whole for a few months until I came back in around March. I came back to VSN because I wanted to write for them again and my activity on the site had picked up, but now, I don't know if I can keep up anymore. VSN has grown tremendously, and I also have to mention @Doomsday for his incredible contributions to VSN, as a great history writer and he was definitely the most deserving successor of Frostbeard. I hope VSN can continue to grow and improve and become better than ever before.

So, just today I left VSN for the second time because I am not able to keep up with the workload. This isn't going to be one of those typical articles that bash everyone after leaving, which we have seen with quite a few different jobs or just the site in general as people angrily leave. Seeing VSN where it is today is incredible after seeing how it was in its beginning stages. I was a member of VSN from February of 2019 to November or December, then re-joined in May or June I think but honestly I have no idea when I joined again. All I can say is that the difference in the organization from when I started in February to now is really something that longtime editor @FrostBeard and @Banackock should be proud of.
 
When I joined VSN, I had to think of a series to start. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I decided I would recap past seasons in the league, starting from S20, the first season that has an archive on the portal. That lasted for only a few season recaps until my new series Deep Rewind took over, which was my main thing for a very long time. I still have no idea why I picked history to write about. When I first joined VSN in February, I had only been on the site for about four months or so, the most history I knew was that Riga won the S63 Continental Cup and the Wranglers lost in the finals. I joined VSN and it was nothing like how it is today. The summer of 2019 was a particularly dead time for VSN, and it pretty much became a platform for me to write stuff and get more publicity than what a typical media spot would. I would post twice a week, and I don't even know how I did that. I can hardly even keep up with posting once every other week now, posting twice a week would be a death sentence for me. That being said, I didn't have much of a life during that summer, but now I actually do so that probably is a factor. I believe during the month of August, there were nine posts and I had seven or eight of them, but I'm not exactly sure. I remember I said something that VSN should have more publicity and thought of ways that we could get that to happen, and the overwhelming response by people was that VSN just kinda sucked. We fixed things for a while, and then it went back to a lack of articles being posted. This is when Frostbeard and Bana took over (I think).
 
I'm doing this whole timeline off the top of my head so it's definitely a little spotty. But, Frostbeard and Bana took over VSN and made it much more organized and complete than at any point in my tenure. We got new writers, I believe this is when we got a graphics department too, it became rejuvenated. After a few months under this new leadership, my life actually got interesting and I wasn't able to keep up with VSN anymore, as I was too busy getting with the ladies ? . But I also wasn't able to keep up with the league in general anymore, I stepped down from my GM job, and then about a month later I think I left VSN and the league as a whole for a few months until I came back in around March. I came back to VSN because I wanted to write for them again and my activity on the site had picked up, but now, I don't know if I can keep up anymore. VSN has grown tremendously, and I also have to mention @Doomsday for his incredible contributions to VSN, as a great history writer and he was definitely the most deserving successor of Frostbeard. I hope VSN can continue to grow and improve and become better than ever before.

So, just today I left VSN for the second time because I am not able to keep up with the workload. This isn't going to be one of those typical articles that bash everyone after leaving, which we have seen with quite a few different jobs or just the site in general as people angrily leave. Seeing VSN where it is today is incredible after seeing how it was in its beginning stages. I was a member of VSN from February of 2019 to November or December, then re-joined in May or June I think but honestly I have no idea when I joined again. All I can say is that the difference in the organization from when I started in February to now is really something that longtime editor @FrostBeard and @Banackock should be proud of.
 
When I joined VSN, I had to think of a series to start. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I decided I would recap past seasons in the league, starting from S20, the first season that has an archive on the portal. That lasted for only a few season recaps until my new series Deep Rewind took over, which was my main thing for a very long time. I still have no idea why I picked history to write about. When I first joined VSN in February, I had only been on the site for about four months or so, the most history I knew was that Riga won the S63 Continental Cup and the Wranglers lost in the finals. I joined VSN and it was nothing like how it is today. The summer of 2019 was a particularly dead time for VSN, and it pretty much became a platform for me to write stuff and get more publicity than what a typical media spot would. I would post twice a week, and I don't even know how I did that. I can hardly even keep up with posting once every other week now, posting twice a week would be a death sentence for me. That being said, I didn't have much of a life during that summer, but now I actually do so that probably is a factor. I believe during the month of August, there were nine posts and I had seven or eight of them, but I'm not exactly sure. I remember I said something that VSN should have more publicity and thought of ways that we could get that to happen, and the overwhelming response by people was that VSN just kinda sucked. We fixed things for a while, and then it went back to a lack of articles being posted. This is when Frostbeard and Bana took over (I think).
 
I'm doing this whole timeline off the top of my head so it's definitely a little spotty. But, Frostbeard and Bana took over VSN and made it much more organized and complete than at any point in my tenure. We got new writers, I believe this is when we got a graphics department too, it became rejuvenated. After a few months under this new leadership, my life actually got interesting and I wasn't able to keep up with VSN anymore, as I was too busy getting with the ladies ? . But I also wasn't able to keep up with the league in general anymore, I stepped down from my GM job, and then about a month later I think I left VSN and the league as a whole for a few months until I came back in around March. I came back to VSN because I wanted to write for them again and my activity on the site had picked up, but now, I don't know if I can keep up anymore. VSN has grown tremendously, and I also have to mention @Doomsday for his incredible contributions to VSN, as a great history writer and he was definitely the most deserving successor of Frostbeard. I hope VSN can continue to grow and improve and become better than ever before.

Some of you may remember awhile ago @Motzaburger (where are you bud?) and @Da_Berr collaborated on a new logo for the Calgary Wranglers. Some of you may also remember that Bushito, the GM of Calgary at the time, didn't care for it. Well Bush is gone now and @Jubis happens to be quite fond of getting rid of what I have deemed the derp horse. So, even though you have mostly all seen it before, I present to you the new and improved Calgary Wranglers logo!
 

Keeping the colour scheme and the overall theme of the wranglers logo, important for such a historical team, this new logo encompasses the best parts of the Wranglers while removing the slightly, shall we say, Family Guy esk nature of the old logo. The wranglers shall be sporting this new look starting in S75.

Missed this one while I was gone over the weekend. Fun look back @Matt_O! Ditto on the S44 Wranglers team, probably my favorite VHL season.

Welcome to the sixth and final 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, podcasts, and scouting reports
VSN Radio | VSN Scouting | Under 250 | BOG Update
 
The Meute have been the victims of some unfortunate sim luck throughout VHL history. Their S49 and S50 woes are well documented, and they suffered a similar fate only a handful of seasons earlier, in S43 and S44. They had three future Hall of Famers, as well as an elite goaltender and solid supporting pieces. What could go wrong for this team? How could a team that good win only two playoff games over the course of two playoff runs? 
 
Heading into S43, the Meute had been good for quite some time. They made the playoffs the prior three seasons, including a finals run in S42. The Meute’s success was largely due to making trades for young players. Aksel Thomassen was an exception, however, as he was drafted in S39 due to the GM rule, and he would help lead the Meute to some great success during his hall of fame career. They also traded for Bruno Wolf, another hall of fame forward, from the Bears early in his career. This set the Meute up with two future superstar forwards to build their team around. They selected goaltender Brock Waldron sixth overall in the S38 draft, and these three alongside other supporting players helped the Meute finish second in the North American Conference in S40, in what was a very successful year for Quebec City. They were just starting to revamp their team, and they had already found some success. They didn’t do much in the playoffs, losing in the first round to the Wranglers, but it was a good season. 
 
In the offseason after S40, the Meute wanted to continue their growth, and made some moves. They traded for Travis Boychuk, a young forward, that could secure their second line. They also traded for rookie Rami Jakobssen, who was the final piece of the first line that consisted of Thomassen, Wolf, and now Jakobssen. With these moves in place, the Meute went from 99 points to S40 all the way to 111 in S41. Thomassen and Wolf had monster years, with 136 and 123 points respectively,  while Boychuk's 103 points was a huge boost from the second line. Thomassen and Wolf finished with the first and second-most points in the league that year, while Boychuk finished eleventh. Thomassen won multiple awards, including the Brett Slobodzian Trophy for most outstanding player, Dustin Funk Trophy for most improved, and the Beketov and Szatkowski Trophies for most assists and points, while Wolf won the Scott Boulet as best two way forward, and finally the Kevin Brooks Trophy for most goals. The Meute owned the second-best offense in the league, and looked like they had many great years ahead of them.
 
The Meute dominated the Wranglers in Round One, easily dispatching them in a quick five games. The offense looked deadly, scoring five or more goals three times in the series. In the Conference Finals, they would go on to face the Americans. New York proved they were simply too much for the Meute. They were able to shut down the offense, with one shutout and two games only allowing one goal. They took down the Meute in five games, and it was clear they needed to shore up the defense at some point to seriously contend. They would only get better from here, as Thomassen, Boychuk, Jakobssen, Wolf, and goaltender Waldron all were young players. 
 
During the offseason, the Meute surprisingly decided not to go after any defensemen, but instead picked up forward Milos Denis. This would prove to be a good move, since Denis would have multiple successful seasons in Quebec City, but there wasn’t much of a need for another forward. With Denis’ arrival, Jakobssen got moved down to the second line, and the new first line of Aksel Thomassen, Bruno Wolf, and Milos Denis would be the most deadly lineup in the league. Thomassen and Wolf yet again finished first and second in the league in points, with 141 and 137 respectively. Wolf won the Boulet and Brooks Trophies again, but added the Slobodzian Trophy to his collection, while Thomassen won the Beketov and Szatkowski Trophies for the second consecutive year. Waldron had a great year in net, with a 2.10 GAA and a .920 save percentage, and the Meute finished first place in the league with 54 wins. They had the best offense and third best defense in the league, and many had them as the favorite to make it to the finals, and perhaps win it all.
 
They had a bye into the Conference Finals, and they would face the Americans for the second year in a row. These Americans weren’t the same as last year's team, but they still put up a great fight. They brought it all the way to seven games against the Meute, but Quebec City held on to win Game Seven thanks to Waldron's 40 saves. The Meute won the series, and they were heading to the Continental Cup Finals to face the Cologne Express. 
 
Games One and Two both went to the Express, and the Meute only had three goals in those two games. Game Three went Quebec’s way, but after a Game Four loss, the writing was on the wall. Robin Gow’s overtime winner in Game Five won the Continental Cup for the Express, and the Meute’s run was over. While it certainly was a rough way to go out, the Meute had multiple years of success ahead of them. All of their players were young and still growing, but they just needed one thing to perhaps push them over the edge: a sturdy defenseman.
 
During the offseason, they got their priorities straight and set out to acquire the best defenseman that was actively being shopped around: Jake Wylde. Many know his name because he has the award for best defensive defenseman. After a bit of discussion, Quebec City was able to trade for Wylde to finally secure their blue line, and truly solidify themselves as the best team in the league. However, the move for Wylde wasn’t as big of a splash as it may have seemed. They still finished first place in the North American Conference, but the offensive totals went down from the previous year, going from the league's best offense to third best, while the defense still ranked third. However, goalie Brock Waldron massively improved, with a 1.85 GAA and a .924 save percentage. The Meute, once again, were the favorite to go to the finals.
 
The Seattle Bears were the Meute's opponent in the Conference finals after they took down the Legion in the first round in a sweep. No one gave the Bears a real chance at taking down the Meute. The roster wasn’t even that great, the GM was inactive, and the Meute were just that much better. The Meute won Game One 4-3, but after that, things started to go Seattle’s way. They won the next three games and took a 3-1 series lead. How could this happen? The Bears were not good, yet found themselves a win away from the finals. The Meute's offense had been lackluster, and the Bears had taken advantage. The Bears jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Game Five, but the Meute tied the game and forced overtime. In overtime, the Bears would score and win the game and the series, sending a shock to the Quebec City fans in attendance. A few seasons ago, this team was young and had tons of promise. When they lost in the playoffs, it wasn’t the end of the world, as they could always say that there is always next year. This was a reality check. There wouldn’t always be a next year, and this team was starting to get older. S44 was a must win season for the Meute.
 
In what was clearly the Meute's final chance at a ring, they went all-in. They acquired goaltender Niklaus Mikaelson, who had just beaten them as a member of the Bears, and Brady Stropko, a forward that also was a part of the Bears team that had taken them down. This was perhaps the most impressive team that the Meute had put together. They had the second-best offense, finishing with just one less goal than the first-placed Express, as well as the third-best defense, with only five more goals against than the first-placed Stockholm Vikings. Thomassen had 108 points, Stropko had 105, Wolf had 102, Boychuk had 101, Denis had 96, and Wylde had 92. This team was loaded with elite talent, and they had six players in the top 20 for points in S44. This was likely the team's best and final chance at a cup. They finished first in the league again, their second Victory Cup in three seasons, and got a bye in round one. They would face the Wranglers in the Conference Finals, who they had a very intense rivalry with.
 
The Wranglers had a very solid team in S44, as goaltender Hans Wingate, who would eventually be inducted to the Hall of Fame, helped lead the team to finishing second in the North American Conference. They didn’t have any stand out names though, the complete opposite of Quebec City. If the Meute wanted to win, they needed their big names to shine. In Game One, Bruno Wolf was the one who stepped up, with three points in a 4-2 win. The Meute would need more of that if they wanted to keep winning. Unfortunately for them, they did not get much of anything in Game Two, losing 3-0 with only 18 shots on net. It would be a similar story in Game Three, losing 1-0. This was looking very similar to what happened the season prior. Game Four was clearly a must win.
 
The Wranglers scored first, as Rami Jakobssen, who once was a member of the Meute, gave the Wranglers the lead late in the first period. Brady Stropko would answer back in the second period with two consecutive goals to give the Meute the lead headed to the third. In the third, the Wranglers would tie the game, and then score again just fifteen seconds later to take the lead, and that was all she wrote. The Wranglers won Game Four, and had the Meute on the brink of elimination. It was a demoralizing loss for the Meute, it seemed as though the series was already over, and the Wranglers did not let up in Game Five. After a four goal first period, the Wranglers cruised to a 6-0 Game Five win, defeating their much hated rivals in Quebec City. The S40 and S41 Meute had championship aspirations, and it looked like they were set up very nicely to win one, if not multiple cups in the future. The closest this team ever got was a five game finals loss. It was clearly over for the Meute.
 
Thomassen and Milos Denis were both shipped to Riga, Bruno Wolf was traded to New York, Wylde was moved to Calgary. They made the playoffs in S45 thanks to a weak North American Conference, but got swept by none other than Calgary in the first round. The Meute began a rebuild, which led to them forming perhaps the best team in franchise history in S49 and S50. Neither of those teams would win anything either, suffering a fate that the S43-S44 Meute also suffered. 
 
This will be the final edition of Ringless. There simply aren't enough elite teams that never won a cup, and many of those really good teams that didn’t win a cup happened before S20, which is where the VHL archives end. Thanks to @Victor for his list of the best teams to never win a cup, which was used plenty of times to help find teams for this series. Next on VSN, we will be launching a series called,  “Hall of Very Good,” which will talk about the best players that aren’t in the Hall of Fame. 
 
@Frank @philthethrill81 @STZ @DollarAndADream  @Hybrid1486


 

S44 Wranglers was definitely one of the most fun teams I've ever been on. That underdog run was legendary.

Niklaus Mikaelson still gives me nightmares. What a run for that guy.
 
I still credit some of the Meute's woes to Kesler not willing to put Boychuk on the 1st line for a game or two in the playoffs. Wolf/Thomassen were being shutdown consistently, and putting Boychuk either up there with them, or swapping Thomassen to the 2nd line could have mixed it up and provided some goals.

As the Wranglers S44 GM this was a really fun read for me. Awesome read, one thing you wouldn't have known unless you were there though was there was a pretty good rivalry between Calgary and Quebec in S44, as Quebec (mainly Kesler and DT) pretty much always initiated trash talk and ate their own words when they lost to Calgary
 
Check out the awesome game thread after CGY won
 
 
 

Welcome to the sixth and final 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, podcasts, and scouting reports
VSN Radio | VSN Scouting | Under 250 | BOG Update
 
The Meute have been the victims of some unfortunate sim luck throughout VHL history. Their S49 and S50 woes are well documented, and they suffered a similar fate only a handful of seasons earlier, in S43 and S44. They had three future Hall of Famers, as well as an elite goaltender and solid supporting pieces. What could go wrong for this team? How could a team that good win only two playoff games over the course of two playoff runs? 
 
Heading into S43, the Meute had been good for quite some time. They made the playoffs the prior three seasons, including a finals run in S42. The Meute’s success was largely due to making trades for young players. Aksel Thomassen was an exception, however, as he was drafted in S39 due to the GM rule, and he would help lead the Meute to some great success during his hall of fame career. They also traded for Bruno Wolf, another hall of fame forward, from the Bears early in his career. This set the Meute up with two future superstar forwards to build their team around. They selected goaltender Brock Waldron sixth overall in the S38 draft, and these three alongside other supporting players helped the Meute finish second in the North American Conference in S40, in what was a very successful year for Quebec City. They were just starting to revamp their team, and they had already found some success. They didn’t do much in the playoffs, losing in the first round to the Wranglers, but it was a good season. 
 
In the offseason after S40, the Meute wanted to continue their growth, and made some moves. They traded for Travis Boychuk, a young forward, that could secure their second line. They also traded for rookie Rami Jakobssen, who was the final piece of the first line that consisted of Thomassen, Wolf, and now Jakobssen. With these moves in place, the Meute went from 99 points to S40 all the way to 111 in S41. Thomassen and Wolf had monster years, with 136 and 123 points respectively,  while Boychuk's 103 points was a huge boost from the second line. Thomassen and Wolf finished with the first and second-most points in the league that year, while Boychuk finished eleventh. Thomassen won multiple awards, including the Brett Slobodzian Trophy for most outstanding player, Dustin Funk Trophy for most improved, and the Beketov and Szatkowski Trophies for most assists and points, while Wolf won the Scott Boulet as best two way forward, and finally the Kevin Brooks Trophy for most goals. The Meute owned the second-best offense in the league, and looked like they had many great years ahead of them.
 
The Meute dominated the Wranglers in Round One, easily dispatching them in a quick five games. The offense looked deadly, scoring five or more goals three times in the series. In the Conference Finals, they would go on to face the Americans. New York proved they were simply too much for the Meute. They were able to shut down the offense, with one shutout and two games only allowing one goal. They took down the Meute in five games, and it was clear they needed to shore up the defense at some point to seriously contend. They would only get better from here, as Thomassen, Boychuk, Jakobssen, Wolf, and goaltender Waldron all were young players. 
 
During the offseason, the Meute surprisingly decided not to go after any defensemen, but instead picked up forward Milos Denis. This would prove to be a good move, since Denis would have multiple successful seasons in Quebec City, but there wasn’t much of a need for another forward. With Denis’ arrival, Jakobssen got moved down to the second line, and the new first line of Aksel Thomassen, Bruno Wolf, and Milos Denis would be the most deadly lineup in the league. Thomassen and Wolf yet again finished first and second in the league in points, with 141 and 137 respectively. Wolf won the Boulet and Brooks Trophies again, but added the Slobodzian Trophy to his collection, while Thomassen won the Beketov and Szatkowski Trophies for the second consecutive year. Waldron had a great year in net, with a 2.10 GAA and a .920 save percentage, and the Meute finished first place in the league with 54 wins. They had the best offense and third best defense in the league, and many had them as the favorite to make it to the finals, and perhaps win it all.
 
They had a bye into the Conference Finals, and they would face the Americans for the second year in a row. These Americans weren’t the same as last year's team, but they still put up a great fight. They brought it all the way to seven games against the Meute, but Quebec City held on to win Game Seven thanks to Waldron's 40 saves. The Meute won the series, and they were heading to the Continental Cup Finals to face the Cologne Express. 
 
Games One and Two both went to the Express, and the Meute only had three goals in those two games. Game Three went Quebec’s way, but after a Game Four loss, the writing was on the wall. Robin Gow’s overtime winner in Game Five won the Continental Cup for the Express, and the Meute’s run was over. While it certainly was a rough way to go out, the Meute had multiple years of success ahead of them. All of their players were young and still growing, but they just needed one thing to perhaps push them over the edge: a sturdy defenseman.
 
During the offseason, they got their priorities straight and set out to acquire the best defenseman that was actively being shopped around: Jake Wylde. Many know his name because he has the award for best defensive defenseman. After a bit of discussion, Quebec City was able to trade for Wylde to finally secure their blue line, and truly solidify themselves as the best team in the league. However, the move for Wylde wasn’t as big of a splash as it may have seemed. They still finished first place in the North American Conference, but the offensive totals went down from the previous year, going from the league's best offense to third best, while the defense still ranked third. However, goalie Brock Waldron massively improved, with a 1.85 GAA and a .924 save percentage. The Meute, once again, were the favorite to go to the finals.
 
The Seattle Bears were the Meute's opponent in the Conference finals after they took down the Legion in the first round in a sweep. No one gave the Bears a real chance at taking down the Meute. The roster wasn’t even that great, the GM was inactive, and the Meute were just that much better. The Meute won Game One 4-3, but after that, things started to go Seattle’s way. They won the next three games and took a 3-1 series lead. How could this happen? The Bears were not good, yet found themselves a win away from the finals. The Meute's offense had been lackluster, and the Bears had taken advantage. The Bears jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Game Five, but the Meute tied the game and forced overtime. In overtime, the Bears would score and win the game and the series, sending a shock to the Quebec City fans in attendance. A few seasons ago, this team was young and had tons of promise. When they lost in the playoffs, it wasn’t the end of the world, as they could always say that there is always next year. This was a reality check. There wouldn’t always be a next year, and this team was starting to get older. S44 was a must win season for the Meute.
 
In what was clearly the Meute's final chance at a ring, they went all-in. They acquired goaltender Niklaus Mikaelson, who had just beaten them as a member of the Bears, and Brady Stropko, a forward that also was a part of the Bears team that had taken them down. This was perhaps the most impressive team that the Meute had put together. They had the second-best offense, finishing with just one less goal than the first-placed Express, as well as the third-best defense, with only five more goals against than the first-placed Stockholm Vikings. Thomassen had 108 points, Stropko had 105, Wolf had 102, Boychuk had 101, Denis had 96, and Wylde had 92. This team was loaded with elite talent, and they had six players in the top 20 for points in S44. This was likely the team's best and final chance at a cup. They finished first in the league again, their second Victory Cup in three seasons, and got a bye in round one. They would face the Wranglers in the Conference Finals, who they had a very intense rivalry with.
 
The Wranglers had a very solid team in S44, as goaltender Hans Wingate, who would eventually be inducted to the Hall of Fame, helped lead the team to finishing second in the North American Conference. They didn’t have any stand out names though, the complete opposite of Quebec City. If the Meute wanted to win, they needed their big names to shine. In Game One, Bruno Wolf was the one who stepped up, with three points in a 4-2 win. The Meute would need more of that if they wanted to keep winning. Unfortunately for them, they did not get much of anything in Game Two, losing 3-0 with only 18 shots on net. It would be a similar story in Game Three, losing 1-0. This was looking very similar to what happened the season prior. Game Four was clearly a must win.
 
The Wranglers scored first, as Rami Jakobssen, who once was a member of the Meute, gave the Wranglers the lead late in the first period. Brady Stropko would answer back in the second period with two consecutive goals to give the Meute the lead headed to the third. In the third, the Wranglers would tie the game, and then score again just fifteen seconds later to take the lead, and that was all she wrote. The Wranglers won Game Four, and had the Meute on the brink of elimination. It was a demoralizing loss for the Meute, it seemed as though the series was already over, and the Wranglers did not let up in Game Five. After a four goal first period, the Wranglers cruised to a 6-0 Game Five win, defeating their much hated rivals in Quebec City. The S40 and S41 Meute had championship aspirations, and it looked like they were set up very nicely to win one, if not multiple cups in the future. The closest this team ever got was a five game finals loss. It was clearly over for the Meute.
 
Thomassen and Milos Denis were both shipped to Riga, Bruno Wolf was traded to New York, Wylde was moved to Calgary. They made the playoffs in S45 thanks to a weak North American Conference, but got swept by none other than Calgary in the first round. The Meute began a rebuild, which led to them forming perhaps the best team in franchise history in S49 and S50. Neither of those teams would win anything either, suffering a fate that the S43-S44 Meute also suffered. 
 
This will be the final edition of Ringless. There simply aren't enough elite teams that never won a cup, and many of those really good teams that didn’t win a cup happened before S20, which is where the VHL archives end. Thanks to @Victor for his list of the best teams to never win a cup, which was used plenty of times to help find teams for this series. Next on VSN, we will be launching a series called,  “Hall of Very Good,” which will talk about the best players that aren’t in the Hall of Fame. 
 
@Frank @philthethrill81 @STZ @DollarAndADream  @Hybrid1486


 

Welcome to the sixth and final 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, podcasts, and scouting reports
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The Meute have been the victims of some unfortunate sim luck throughout VHL history. Their S49 and S50 woes are well documented, and they suffered a similar fate only a handful of seasons earlier, in S43 and S44. They had three future Hall of Famers, as well as an elite goaltender and solid supporting pieces. What could go wrong for this team? How could a team that good win only two playoff games over the course of two playoff runs? 
 
Heading into S43, the Meute had been good for quite some time. They made the playoffs the prior three seasons, including a finals run in S42. The Meute’s success was largely due to making trades for young players. Aksel Thomassen was an exception, however, as he was drafted in S39 due to the GM rule, and he would help lead the Meute to some great success during his hall of fame career. They also traded for Bruno Wolf, another hall of fame forward, from the Bears early in his career. This set the Meute up with two future superstar forwards to build their team around. They selected goaltender Brock Waldron sixth overall in the S38 draft, and these three alongside other supporting players helped the Meute finish second in the North American Conference in S40, in what was a very successful year for Quebec City. They were just starting to revamp their team, and they had already found some success. They didn’t do much in the playoffs, losing in the first round to the Wranglers, but it was a good season. 
 
In the offseason after S40, the Meute wanted to continue their growth, and made some moves. They traded for Travis Boychuk, a young forward, that could secure their second line. They also traded for rookie Rami Jakobssen, who was the final piece of the first line that consisted of Thomassen, Wolf, and now Jakobssen. With these moves in place, the Meute went from 99 points to S40 all the way to 111 in S41. Thomassen and Wolf had monster years, with 136 and 123 points respectively,  while Boychuk's 103 points was a huge boost from the second line. Thomassen and Wolf finished with the first and second-most points in the league that year, while Boychuk finished eleventh. Thomassen won multiple awards, including the Brett Slobodzian Trophy for most outstanding player, Dustin Funk Trophy for most improved, and the Beketov and Szatkowski Trophies for most assists and points, while Wolf won the Scott Boulet as best two way forward, and finally the Kevin Brooks Trophy for most goals. The Meute owned the second-best offense in the league, and looked like they had many great years ahead of them.
 
The Meute dominated the Wranglers in Round One, easily dispatching them in a quick five games. The offense looked deadly, scoring five or more goals three times in the series. In the Conference Finals, they would go on to face the Americans. New York proved they were simply too much for the Meute. They were able to shut down the offense, with one shutout and two games only allowing one goal. They took down the Meute in five games, and it was clear they needed to shore up the defense at some point to seriously contend. They would only get better from here, as Thomassen, Boychuk, Jakobssen, Wolf, and goaltender Waldron all were young players. 
 
During the offseason, the Meute surprisingly decided not to go after any defensemen, but instead picked up forward Milos Denis. This would prove to be a good move, since Denis would have multiple successful seasons in Quebec City, but there wasn’t much of a need for another forward. With Denis’ arrival, Jakobssen got moved down to the second line, and the new first line of Aksel Thomassen, Bruno Wolf, and Milos Denis would be the most deadly lineup in the league. Thomassen and Wolf yet again finished first and second in the league in points, with 141 and 137 respectively. Wolf won the Boulet and Brooks Trophies again, but added the Slobodzian Trophy to his collection, while Thomassen won the Beketov and Szatkowski Trophies for the second consecutive year. Waldron had a great year in net, with a 2.10 GAA and a .920 save percentage, and the Meute finished first place in the league with 54 wins. They had the best offense and third best defense in the league, and many had them as the favorite to make it to the finals, and perhaps win it all.
 
They had a bye into the Conference Finals, and they would face the Americans for the second year in a row. These Americans weren’t the same as last year's team, but they still put up a great fight. They brought it all the way to seven games against the Meute, but Quebec City held on to win Game Seven thanks to Waldron's 40 saves. The Meute won the series, and they were heading to the Continental Cup Finals to face the Cologne Express. 
 
Games One and Two both went to the Express, and the Meute only had three goals in those two games. Game Three went Quebec’s way, but after a Game Four loss, the writing was on the wall. Robin Gow’s overtime winner in Game Five won the Continental Cup for the Express, and the Meute’s run was over. While it certainly was a rough way to go out, the Meute had multiple years of success ahead of them. All of their players were young and still growing, but they just needed one thing to perhaps push them over the edge: a sturdy defenseman.
 
During the offseason, they got their priorities straight and set out to acquire the best defenseman that was actively being shopped around: Jake Wylde. Many know his name because he has the award for best defensive defenseman. After a bit of discussion, Quebec City was able to trade for Wylde to finally secure their blue line, and truly solidify themselves as the best team in the league. However, the move for Wylde wasn’t as big of a splash as it may have seemed. They still finished first place in the North American Conference, but the offensive totals went down from the previous year, going from the league's best offense to third best, while the defense still ranked third. However, goalie Brock Waldron massively improved, with a 1.85 GAA and a .924 save percentage. The Meute, once again, were the favorite to go to the finals.
 
The Seattle Bears were the Meute's opponent in the Conference finals after they took down the Legion in the first round in a sweep. No one gave the Bears a real chance at taking down the Meute. The roster wasn’t even that great, the GM was inactive, and the Meute were just that much better. The Meute won Game One 4-3, but after that, things started to go Seattle’s way. They won the next three games and took a 3-1 series lead. How could this happen? The Bears were not good, yet found themselves a win away from the finals. The Meute's offense had been lackluster, and the Bears had taken advantage. The Bears jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Game Five, but the Meute tied the game and forced overtime. In overtime, the Bears would score and win the game and the series, sending a shock to the Quebec City fans in attendance. A few seasons ago, this team was young and had tons of promise. When they lost in the playoffs, it wasn’t the end of the world, as they could always say that there is always next year. This was a reality check. There wouldn’t always be a next year, and this team was starting to get older. S44 was a must win season for the Meute.
 
In what was clearly the Meute's final chance at a ring, they went all-in. They acquired goaltender Niklaus Mikaelson, who had just beaten them as a member of the Bears, and Brady Stropko, a forward that also was a part of the Bears team that had taken them down. This was perhaps the most impressive team that the Meute had put together. They had the second-best offense, finishing with just one less goal than the first-placed Express, as well as the third-best defense, with only five more goals against than the first-placed Stockholm Vikings. Thomassen had 108 points, Stropko had 105, Wolf had 102, Boychuk had 101, Denis had 96, and Wylde had 92. This team was loaded with elite talent, and they had six players in the top 20 for points in S44. This was likely the team's best and final chance at a cup. They finished first in the league again, their second Victory Cup in three seasons, and got a bye in round one. They would face the Wranglers in the Conference Finals, who they had a very intense rivalry with.
 
The Wranglers had a very solid team in S44, as goaltender Hans Wingate, who would eventually be inducted to the Hall of Fame, helped lead the team to finishing second in the North American Conference. They didn’t have any stand out names though, the complete opposite of Quebec City. If the Meute wanted to win, they needed their big names to shine. In Game One, Bruno Wolf was the one who stepped up, with three points in a 4-2 win. The Meute would need more of that if they wanted to keep winning. Unfortunately for them, they did not get much of anything in Game Two, losing 3-0 with only 18 shots on net. It would be a similar story in Game Three, losing 1-0. This was looking very similar to what happened the season prior. Game Four was clearly a must win.
 
The Wranglers scored first, as Rami Jakobssen, who once was a member of the Meute, gave the Wranglers the lead late in the first period. Brady Stropko would answer back in the second period with two consecutive goals to give the Meute the lead headed to the third. In the third, the Wranglers would tie the game, and then score again just fifteen seconds later to take the lead, and that was all she wrote. The Wranglers won Game Four, and had the Meute on the brink of elimination. It was a demoralizing loss for the Meute, it seemed as though the series was already over, and the Wranglers did not let up in Game Five. After a four goal first period, the Wranglers cruised to a 6-0 Game Five win, defeating their much hated rivals in Quebec City. The S40 and S41 Meute had championship aspirations, and it looked like they were set up very nicely to win one, if not multiple cups in the future. The closest this team ever got was a five game finals loss. It was clearly over for the Meute.
 
Thomassen and Milos Denis were both shipped to Riga, Bruno Wolf was traded to New York, Wylde was moved to Calgary. They made the playoffs in S45 thanks to a weak North American Conference, but got swept by none other than Calgary in the first round. The Meute began a rebuild, which led to them forming perhaps the best team in franchise history in S49 and S50. Neither of those teams would win anything either, suffering a fate that the S43-S44 Meute also suffered. 
 
This will be the final edition of Ringless. There simply aren't enough elite teams that never won a cup, and many of those really good teams that didn’t win a cup happened before S20, which is where the VHL archives end. Thanks to @Victor for his list of the best teams to never win a cup, which was used plenty of times to help find teams for this series. Next on VSN, we will be launching a series called,  “Hall of Very Good,” which will talk about the best players that aren’t in the Hall of Fame. 
 
@Frank @philthethrill81 @STZ @DollarAndADream  @Hybrid1486


 

Dream Teams.
Love the theme this season. I helped pick it, so obviously I do. Better than @GustavMattias' alternative, that's for sure. At first I was going to go all-meme with it, do like a London United alumni team, with literally only Lesieur and inactive fillers, but opted to push it farther and do an all-time best expansion draftees squad, composed only by players that were once drafted in an expansion draft. The players selected on this squad all had an impact on the team that drafted them, I'm not just picking players that were selected and traded straight away, just because that's what expansions are all about. Like that time D.C. selected future Hall of Famer Maxim Kovalchuk.
 
So, a bit of context first, there has been 5 expansions in league history:
- S31; 2 new teams - the Quebec City Meute (now the Vancouver Wolves) and the Cologne Express (now defunct)
- S65; 1 new team - the Moscow Menace
- S66; 1 new team - the Malmo Nighthawks
- S68; 2 new teams - the D.C. Dragons and the Pragues Phantoms
- S73; 4 new teams - the Chicago Phoenix, the Los Angeles Stars, the London United and the Warsaw Predators
 
 
Dan Baillie | LW | 958 TPE @wcats
Selected in S65, from the HC Davos Dynamo
174 G, 226 A, 400 PTS in 432 GP with Moscow
 
Dan Baillie is currently the only player in the history of the league to win a Continental Cup with the team that selected him in an expansion draft. He was selected by Moscow a year after Davos picked him in the VHL Entry Draft, and he stayed with the team up until S70, his penultimate season, during which he recorded career highs with 32 goals, 45 assists and 77 points, as well as winning the elusive Continental Cup. He was an incredibly constant factor in Moscow's offense, scoring between 25 and 32 goals for his six straight seasons with the team.
 
Matthew Materazo | C | 987 TPE @Matt_O
Selected in S66, from the New York Americans
129 G, 125 A, 254 PTS in 288 GP with Malmo
 
Matthew Materazo was once a prized 2nd round steal for a rebuilding New York team, and they elected to not protect him in the expansion draft, for reasons, I guess. That brought him in Malmo, where he played four seasons, scoring at least 30 goals every season. His best season was his second in Sweden, when he scored 36 goals and 38 assists for 74 points, establishing himself as the first star of the Nighthawks.
 
Mikko Aaltonen | RW | 1140 TPE @GRZ
Selected 4th overall in S68, from the Riga Reign
193 G, 228 A, 421 PTS in 432 GP with D.C.
 
Arguably the best selection ever from an expansion draft, the D.C. Dragons got incredible from Mikko Aaltonen. He scored 40 goals in his first season with the team, then 35 for three straight seasons, for a total of 193 in 6 seasons playing in the American capital. He has been the face of the franchise - along with zombie GW, probably - from the moment he was selected up to his retirement following S73. He probably still holds a bunch of franchise records, and it's really just a shame that he was never able to win it all with the team.
 
Radislav Mjers | D | 798 TPE @InstantRockstar
Selected 1st overall in S31, from the Seattle Bears
30 G, 58 A, 88 PTS in 72 GP in Cologne
 
Radislav Mjers only played with the now-defunct Cologne Express for one season, but he produced more in that one season than any other defenseman ever selected in expansion drafts. He led the German franchise in scoring in their inaugural season with 88 points, so there's that.

Paolo Nano | D | 772 TPE @leafsman
Selected in S65, from the Helsinki Titans
46 G, 195 A, 241 PTS in 310 GP
 
This one stretches the rules of this very dream team a bit, as @Victor sent Paolo Nano to the New York Americans midway through his first season with the team, but signed him in free agency the upcoming offseason, basically giving Moscow free value for him. The Italian mobster was literally the only defenseman playing for the Menace in S66 and S67, leading him to score over 60 points in two straight seasons despite his relatively low TPE. In S67, he finished fifth in defensemen scoring in a close race for the top spot.
 
Johnny Havenk Carison | G | 583 TPE @Donno100
Selected in S66, from the Toronto Legion
27 W, .917 SV%, 2.86 GAA in 65 GP with Malmo
 
Johnny Havenk Carison only started with Malmo for a single season, but he makes this all-expansion team because he is the only goalie ever taken in a VHL expansion draft. Yes.
 

Welcome to the fifth 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, podcasts, and scouting reports
VSN Radio | VSN Season Preview | VSN Scouting | Under 250 | BOG Update
 
 
The Seattle Bears of the late S60s/early S70s are what the mid S60 Bears wish they were. The current day Bears have won four cups in the past six seasons, while the S63 through S65 Bears didn’t win a single series, despite winning back to back victory cups. This team had future Hall of Famers Matt Thompson, and Maxim Kovalchuk yet couldn’t get it done when it mattered the most. How did this happen? How did they build this team? It all started at the S61 VHL Draft.
 
The S61 Draft is known for two players; Matt Thompson and Podrick Cast. Thompson was selected first overall by the Bears while Cast was selected third to the Reign. These were the superstars of the draft, but there still were plenty of other solid guys that were taken, many of which found their way onto the Bears during their peak years. Roger Sterling was selected by Seattle fourth overall, and he would be their goalie for the years to come. Robert Malenko was selected seventh by the Legion, and he would become an elite defenseman for the Bears, winning multiple awards in S64. The Bears also picked up Sergei Kovalev at eighth overall, and he also would be on the team for multiple seasons and was a good piece for the team. Sebastian Ironside also was part of the S61 draft class, but since he was a GM player at the time of the draft, he went straight to the Legion’s roster. Eventually, he would no longer be a GM player and would sign with the Bears in S65. The S61 draft class was a huge part of the Bears success during the mid S60s, but other core pieces came from different times. In the S62 Draft, the Bears selected Maxim Kovalchuk second overall, and he would go on to be a Hall of Famer.
 
The S63 Bears were the first year that the Bears could consider themselves contenders. On top of the core of players from the S61 Draft, they also brought back Hall of Famer Gabriel McCallister for his final season, Vyacheslav Smirnov was a young up and coming center, veteran David Kiaskov, a reliable point per game player, as well as a young Jake Davis, an elite forward throughout his whole career. The S63 Bears were pretty loaded from top to bottom, and they finished second place in the league with 52 wins and 109 points, just one point behind first place Riga. However, the argument can be made that they were better than Riga that year, as they actually had one more win than the Reign, as well as owning the league's best offense and second best defense. The Bears had serious cup hopes this season, and they hoped it was only the beginning of multiple years of success.
 

Matt Thompson's incredible career saw him win multiple Boulets
 
In the semi-finals, they had to face the Calgary Wranglers, who finished third that year. They had only one less win than Seattle that season, and consisted of hall of famers Jasper Canmore, Oyorra Arroyo, Mats Johnsson, and goaltender Norris Stopko. They also had Keaton Louth, who may also become a Hall of Famer one day. The Wranglers were just as loaded as the Bears, and this was bound to be a great matchup. 
 
Game One is often times the tone setter for the series, and in a hostile Seattle environment, the Bears showed up for the fans, shelling Wranglers netminder Norris Stopko with 56 shots. Unfortunately for Seattle, Stopko also showed up, stopping all 56 shots on goal, helping secure the 3-0 Game One win for the Wranglers in shocking fashion. The Wranglers weren’t necessarily underdogs in this series, but the win was still shocking due to the way it happened. The series as a whole was an offensive showdown, as both goalies had to take on incredible amounts of shots throughout the series. In Game Two, Seattle had 48 shots while Calgary had 36, but this time Stopko didn’t stand on his head, letting in five goals in the 5-3 win for the Bears. Robert Malenko had 3 assists and the Bears tied the series up heading to Calgary for Game Three.
 
Seattle outplaying the Wranglers was the trend of the series, although it didn’t correlate to wins. Roger Sterling's poor play in net cost the Bears in Games Three, Four, and Six. In Game Six, an elimination game for the Bears, they had 56 shots compared to the Wranglers 27. The Wranglers won that game 3-2 after Sterling let in three goals in the first period, and the Bears couldn’t recover. It was an unfortunate loss for the Bears, considering how well they had played, but in the end, it wasn’t the end of the world. The Wranglers are a great team, and the Bears were young, and this would hopefully be just the beginning of something special.
 

Norris Stopko shut down the Bears to help the Wranglers advance to the finals
 
The Bears lost McCallister to retirement in the offseason, but picked up Veran Dragomir to replace him. The Bears headed into S64 with practically the same team, but now everyone was a year older and more experienced. The Bears finished first place in S64 with 108 points, barely beating out Riga by one point. They had by far the best offense in the league, with nearly 50 more goals for that season than any other team. When you have Matt Thompson scoring 56 goals, Robert Malenko dishing out 85 assists, and Veran Dragomir scoring 95 points, it’s no surprise that Seattle’s offense was deadly that year. The only problem was that they struggled on defense, and Roger Sterling's stats were mediocre for a goalie on the league's top team. Even the bot backup had better stats than Sterling in the games he had played. If the Bears wanted to make it past the semi finals this year, they needed Sterling to step up in the playoffs.
 
The Toronto Legion would win the wild card round over the Quebec City Meute after an infringement of the Louth Rule, and would face the Bears in the semi-finals. In game one, the Bears, specifically Roger Sterling, had to make a statement, and they did just that. A 5-1 drubbing of the Legion was a huge victory for Seattle, especially for Sterling, who made 45 saves that game. The Bears couldn’t keep up the momentum though, as they fell 5-2 in Game Two and then lost 5-1 in Game Three. You can blame Roger Sterling for having bad performances in those games, but you also aren’t going to win games when you can’t score, as Stopko was completely shutting down the Bears for the second year in a row. The Bears would put tons of shots on net every game, routinely getting shot totals in the high 30s, 40s, and sometimes even 50s. They just couldn’t put the puck in the net, but in Game Four they figured it out, with a dominating 7-2 win. When you score 7 goals, usually you expect the opposing goalie to be pulled, or have an abysmal save percentage, but Stopko didn’t get pulled, and had a save percentage of .904. How is this possible? The Bears had an ungodly 73 shots on goal in Game Four. Matt Thompson had six points, and the Bears put together one of the most incredible single game performances I have ever seen to tie the series at two.
 
Somehow, the Bears were unable to build on this momentum. They had nearly 50 shots again in Game Five, but the Legion snuck past the Bears with a 4-3 win thanks to Stopko’s 45 saves. Game Six was do or die for the Bears. Another year, another dominating performance, yet they were fighting for their season yet again. It was a high scoring affair, but it was 3-1 Toronto midway through the second. Matt Thompson had two quick goals to complete his hat trick to tie the game, before both teams traded goals and it was tied at four at the end of the second. That score held through regulation, and we needed overtime. One goal, and the Bears could force a Game Seven, or the Legion could go to the Continental Cup Finals. Seattle had 49 shots in Game Six, another incredible offensive performance. But in the end, the shot total doesn’t matter. After a Maxim Kovalchuk penalty sent the Legion to the power play in overtime, Oyorra Arroyo scored another big-time goal against the Bears, this time to send his new team, the Legion, to the finals.
 

Oyorra Arroyo's overtime winner in game six sent the Legions to the finals
 
The Bears had outplayed the Legion at nearly every turn. Unfortunately for Seattle, Norris Stopko shut them down, and Sterling couldn’t keep up. The off-season was filled with questions, specifically if Matt Thompson would re-sign. He did, but the message was clear. In S65, it was cup or bust for the Bears. This was it, no excuses. They added Sebastion Ironside in free agency, and they were ready to make one last run at the cup. They finished with 52 wins in S65 and won another Victory Cup, but it didn’t matter to them. This team looked even better than last year's team. They had an offense just as explosive, but a much sturdier defense, which allowed the second lowest amount of goals. The lack of defense is what largely cost them in S64, but they didn’t lack there anymore. They would have to face the Helsinki Titans in the semi-finals, and hoped to make quick work of them. This was their last chance.
 
Game One went well for Seattle. They had lots of shots, and Roger Sterling managed to hold it together well enough to secure a 4-3 win for Seattle, as young forward Gucci Garrop scored the game-winner mid-way through the third. All was going well for the Bears, but unfortunately things get ugly. Really ugly, as a matter of fact. Game Two saw the Bears take 49 shots compared to the Titans 28, yet the Titans won 5-3. This game was particularly agonizing for the Bears. Seattle led 3-1 just ten minutes into the first, and chased stud goaltender Alexander Pepper from the game. With the bot goalie in, all the Bears had to do was get tons of shots like they always do, and they should win. The bot goaltender for Helsinki would go on to make 41 saves on 41 shots and lead the Titans to an incredible win. The sim gods must have felt bad for what they did to these Bears teams, and repaid them with their success later in the decade. Game Three was very unique for the Bears, as it was the first time they had been outshot in a playoff game since at least S62. They still forced Pepper to make 36 saves in a 4-1 Titans win, but they allowed 48 shots on net, very uncharacteristic of this team. Game Four was absolutely a must-win for the Bears.
 
The Bears yet again had tons of shots, with 41 in this game. The Titans had 40 of their own, but Sterling stood on his head, making 38 saves in Game Four to help secure a Bears win, 4-2. This was a huge win, a momentum swinging win even, but we have learned that the Bears don’t know how to build off of momentum, as they haven’t won back to back playoff games in the past few seasons. Game Five was another high flying affair, with both teams having 35 or more shots. Pepper made 34 saves for the Titans, while Sterling made 37. This game wasn’t on Sterling, it was on the defense for allowing that many shots. The Bears lost 4-2, and even though it was only a 3-2 series lead, the writing was on the wall. The energy was gone. It was clear what was going to happen in Game Six, and to no one's surprise, the Titans picked up the win in Game Six, 4-2, to advance to the finals. This loss was a brutal one. Seattle led 2-1 with just seven minutes left in the game. They were in a great position to steal this win and force a home Game Seven, but the Titans tied it. Then, only a minute and a half later, they take the lead with a Julian Borwinn power play marker. Just twenty seconds later, Helsinki adds the insurance marker to make it 4-2. In two minutes of play, the Bears went from winning and having hope, to losing by two and being dead in the water. It was over for the Bears. They had three seasons with a great team, and threw it all away. 
 
Matt Thompson left in free agency for the Titans, Roger Sterling left, Dragomir left for Davos, and Ironside went to Calgary. The rebuild began in Seattle, as they heavily invested in the S67 draft. As we all know, this worked out huge for them, as they would win four cups in the next seasons, with the chance for five in S74. Perhaps the lack of success by this Bears team is what facilitated possibly the greatest dynasty in VHL history. 
 

 

On the standings page in the forums, the ROW is right next to the wins column and comes before the losses, which to me is kind of unnatural and makes it confusing to look at the standings sometimes. I think ROW should be moved to the column to the right of points, and on the column to the left of the goals for, I think this will make it look better

On the standings page in the forums, the ROW is right next to the wins column and comes before the losses, which to me is kind of unnatural and makes it confusing to look at the standings sometimes. I think ROW should be moved to the column to the right of points, and on the column to the left of the goals for, I think this will make it look better

After a great sophomore season, Zod has built nicely upon that and started his third year in the league strong, with 8 points in 7 games, and Calgary has won three games in a row. However, one thing clouds Zod and the Wranglers: the impending free agency. Not only is Zod a free agent, but fellow S72 defenseman Latrell Mitchell also becomes a free agent this offseason. It would be in Calgary's best interest to re-sign one of these players obviously, but re-signing both isn't quite out of the question. 
 
"Everything in Calgary is great. Locker room is good, I'm putting up good numbers offensively and defensively while getting the chance to compete for a cup. The only reason I haven't re-signed is because I want to test free agency just to see what it's all about."
 
Zod made it clear he isn't just going to leave in free agency. Returning to Calgary is absolutely on the table, and if Zod had to make odds for his landing spots, Calgary would likely be the favorite. However, his desire to test the open market for the experience of doing it for the first time is perhaps the only thing stopping him from re-signing, and it's hard to imagine that the grass is greener on the other side for Zod.

After a great sophomore season, Zod has built nicely upon that and started his third year in the league strong, with 8 points in 7 games, and Calgary has won three games in a row. However, one thing clouds Zod and the Wranglers: the impending free agency. Not only is Zod a free agent, but fellow S72 defenseman Latrell Mitchell also becomes a free agent this offseason. It would be in Calgary's best interest to re-sign one of these players obviously, but re-signing both isn't quite out of the question. 
 
"Everything in Calgary is great. Locker room is good, I'm putting up good numbers offensively and defensively while getting the chance to compete for a cup. The only reason I haven't re-signed is because I want to test free agency just to see what it's all about."
 
Zod made it clear he isn't just going to leave in free agency. Returning to Calgary is absolutely on the table, and if Zod had to make odds for his landing spots, Calgary would likely be the favorite. However, his desire to test the open market for the experience of doing it for the first time is perhaps the only thing stopping him from re-signing, and it's hard to imagine that the grass is greener on the other side for Zod.

On the standings page in the forums, the ROW is right next to the wins column and comes before the losses, which to me is kind of unnatural and makes it confusing to look at the standings sometimes. I think ROW should be moved to the column to the right of points, and on the column to the left of the goals for, I think this will make it look better

On the standings page in the forums, the ROW is right next to the wins column and comes before the losses, which to me is kind of unnatural and makes it confusing to look at the standings sometimes. I think ROW should be moved to the column to the right of points, and on the column to the left of the goals for, I think this will make it look better

On the standings page in the forums, the ROW is right next to the wins column and comes before the losses, which to me is kind of unnatural and makes it confusing to look at the standings sometimes. I think ROW should be moved to the column to the right of points, and on the column to the left of the goals for, I think this will make it look better

Welcome to the fifth 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, podcasts, and scouting reports
VSN Radio | Weekly Review | VSN Scouting | Under 250 | Talents Behind the Trophies
 
Some teams have the talent to win it all, but simply can’t put it together for a strong playoff run. The S51 Calgary Wranglers fit that description, as they only would win a single game in the postseason, despite having one of the greatest regular seasons in league history. 
 
The seasons prior to S51, the Wranglers had been building a team slowly but surely through the draft. They drafted forward Travis Gowecny, defenseman Tobias Klingberg, and another forward in Ted Doughty, who they selected second overall in the S49 draft. While these three were not superstars, they were very reliable players that the Wranglers could depend on for the upcoming seasons. They also had goaltender Ariel Weinstein, who was a very strong goaltender for Calgary. He was drafted in S45 by the Quebec City Meute third overall, then played in Stockholm for a few seasons before finding his way to Calgary. He was a veteran goaltender that could help this young Wranglers team thrive. The team had some good young pieces, but didn’t have the big star just yet. In the S50 draft, the Wranglers selected Theo Axelsson second overall, a future Hall of Famer that would be instrumental in Calgary’s success. 
 

Future Hall of Famer Theo Axelsson was an important piece for the Wranglers throughout the early S50s
 
S50 was a solid season for the Wranglers. Theo Axelsson had a strong rookie year with 58 points, but only three players on the team had more than 50 points. The highest-scoring player was defenseman Marquis Hyvarian, who was a veteran for the team, with 63 points. Despite these very low offensive totals, goaltender Weinstein put up incredible numbers, with a 2.05 GAA and a .929 save percentage. This also was a time where goaltending dominated the league, with the likes of the Clegane brothers, Hans Wingate, and Jakab Holik, three of which are in the Hall of Fame, and Holik has been on the ballot for many seasons. The Wranglers finished with a record of 33-29-10, far from elite but it got them into the playoffs as the third seed in the North American Conference. 
 
They were promptly swept by the Quebec City Meute, but it was a valuable experience for Calgary. They were on the right track, and a couple more solid pieces could make them a contender. Unfortunately for Calgary, they couldn’t pick up anyone in the draft, as S51 was one of the worst draft classes in history, with only twelve players being taken, not even enough to fill out two rounds. They had to resort to free agency.
 
Building teams through free agency is risky. You usually have to overpay for players in free agency, and many people believe building a team through the draft and trades is a better way. The S51 Wranglers had a very different philosophy. In order to try to bring their roster a couple more solid players to really take a big step forward, they signed not one, not two, not three, but four elite players who would go on to receive votes to make it into the Hall of Fame, although only three of them would end up actually making it. Those players were Unassisted, Black Velvet, Tyson Kohler, and Aleksi Koponen. The Wranglers went from a decent up and coming team to the best team in the league in the blink of an eye. Anything short of a cup this year would be a failure.
 
The regular season showed how incredible this team could be. They put up an astounding 132 points and 64 wins, one of the best seasons in VHL history. They had by far the best offense in the league, scoring 283 goals, nearly 40 more than the next best offensive team. The Wranglers' defense was also incredibly elite. Let's look at the best defensive season for every other team in their franchise history. The majority of the best seasons for each team defensively are around 115-130 goals against throughout that season, such as the Bears 128 goals against in S27, and the Titans 126 goals against in S33. The Meute had the best defensive season out of all of the other teams, allowing only 110 in S49. The Wranglers in S51 allowed only 96. Based on what I could find, that is the only time a team has ever allowed less than 100 goals against in a season. That’s barely more than one goal per game. The S51 Wranglers had statistically the greatest defense in VHL history. 
 
The strong defensive core they had certainly played a huge factor in allowing only 96 goals all year. Black Velvet's 98 assists were the most in the league, and his 121 points were the most any defenseman had that year. Tobias Klingberg also contributed with 56 points of his own, but this defense was all about Black Velvet, as well as goaltender Ariel Weinstein. His .932 save percentage, 1.35 GAA, and 16 shutouts were some of the highest totals in the league, and had the Greg Clegane trophy, which was given to the goalie with the lowest GAA, existed back in S51, Weinstein would have won the award. Weinstein's .932 save percentage is tied for tenth best all time, his 1.35 GAA is fourth best all time, and 16 shutouts is also tied for tenth most all time .The Wranglers' defense and goaltending was incredible, but the forwards deserve some love too.
 

Ariel Weinsteins historic season helped the Wranglers win 64 games in S51
 
Aleksi Koponen led the team with 135 points and 60 goals, while Tyson Kohler had 122 points. Travis Gowecny had 71 points, complementing Koponen and Kohler on the first line and they formed a deadly lineup. On the second line, Unassisted had 106 points, including 54 goals, while Theo Axelsson had 65 points to support him. The team was noticeably top heavy, but they still were an incredible team. They were heavy favorites to win the cup in S51, and anything less than that would be disappointing.
 
Since they finished first in the North American Conference, they received a bye, and would end up facing the Toronto Legion in the conference finals. The Legion had some elite talent themselves, with Zach Parechkin and Max Molholt leading the team, both of which are Hall of Famers. Goaltender Greg Clegane had a season arguably as good, if not better than Ariel Weinstein, with a .940 save percentage and a 1.50 GAA, which are the second and eighth best all time respectively. The series was likely to come down to the goaltender battle; could Weinstein outduel Greg Clegane?
 
Game One was an intense matchup, as it was tied at one after regulation, and overtime was needed. Both goaltenders were playing incredibly, as was expected. After five minutes of overtime, Zach Parechkin scored to win the game for the Legion. Clegane’s .972 save percentage in game one helped the Legion pick up the win, as they were outshot by ten and outplayed for most of the game. The Wranglers had to win game two. In Game Two, Tyson Kohler scored only six seconds into the game, but the Legion tied the game up at one only a few minutes later. After that, the defense settled in and we went through the next two periods without any goals, still tied at one. Unassisted scored on the powerplay early in the third to give the Wranglers a 2-1 lead, and Weinstein shut down the Legion as Calgary would win Game Two and tie the series. Weinstein won the goaltending battle in Game Two, with 26 saves on 27 shots. Game three in Toronto was coming up next.
 
Game Three was not how Calgary expected. Max Molholt’s goal just twelve seconds in seemingly set the tone for the remainder of the game, as the Legion would go on to win 4-0. Clegane stopped all 26 shots he faced, and the Legion easily won Game Three. Game Four was now a must-win for the Wranglers, as they wouldn’t want to go down 3-1. Unassisted and Molholt traded goals in the second period of Game Four, and it was tied at one heading to the third. The Wranglers could not score, most notably their top line. Unassisted was doing what he had to do, but Koponen, Kohler, and Black Velvet had been very disappointing thus far. About halfway through the third, the Legion scored to take the league. The goal scorer was Marquis Hyvarinen, who was the Wranglers' leading scorer just a year prior, but they let him leave as they pursued other marquee free agents. That goal would end up being the winner, and Toronto would take a 3-1 series lead. Weinstein bounced back from Game Three, but his efforts were still not enough to help the Wranglers win. You can’t blame the goalie when your team has four goals in four games. Game Five was do or die for the Wranglers.
 
The home fans in Calgary had waited all season for a possible cup, but their hopes seemed to be crashing down. Greg Clegane was putting up some of the best performances ever against the Wranglers, and this elite offense failed to do much, but there was still hope. After all, the Legion’s offense hadn’t done great either. It was a scoreless first period in Game Five, but the Legion took the lead midway through the second to go up by one headed to the third. If the Wranglers didn’t score in the next 20 minutes, their 64 win season would have gone to waste. Midway through the third, the Legion go on a rush and score again, doubling their lead. Aleksi Koponen finally scored his first of the playoffs with a few minutes to go, but it was too late. The Legion would win Game Five 2-1, and win the series. Weinstein made 38 saves in Game Five, keeping the Wranglers in the game even though they were seriously outplayed. The Wranglers relied on elite scoring, but it disappeared when they needed it the most. Greg Clegane single-handedly won this series for the Legion.
 

Greg Clegane's performance against Calgary was one of the greatest single series performances in VHL history
 
In S52, they still won 50 games, but lost Unassisted during the offseason. They would lose in the semi-finals that year, and it all came crashing down after that. During the S52 offseason, they lost everyone, as Tyson Kohler, Black Velvet, Ariel Weinstein, Aleksi Koponen, and Theo Axelsson were no longer on the team by the time S53 began. The Wranglers' elite weapons were shut down against the Legion, and Greg Clegane’s performance may have been the greatest single series performance of all time. The S51 Wranglers were one of the best teams ever, but could only win one game when it mattered most.
 
 

Hello VHL Friends and Family!
 
Today we are here to honour the Hall of Fame Inductions of three long-time members of the VHL community, none of whom are strangers to the induction podium. Of the three inductions, as usual, two will go in as players, while the third will enter the Builder Category.
 
PLAYERS
 
D - Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen, S65-S72
RS: 576 GP, 119 G, 414 A, 533 P, +153, 1,021 PIM, 1,471 HIT, 1,032 SB, 11 GW
PO: 76 GP, 9 G, 55 A, 64 P, +14, 132 PIM, 146 HIT, 138 SB, 1 GW
 
S68 Sterling Labatte Trophy (Top Defenceman)
S68 Alexander Valiq Trophy (Top Offensive Defenceman)
S69 Sterling Labatte Trophy (Top Defenceman)
S69 Jake Wylde Trophy (Top Defensive Defenceman)
S70 Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding)
S70 Alexander Beketov Trophy (Most Assists)
S70 Sterling Labatte Trophy (Top Defenceman)
S70 Alexander Valiq Trophy (Top Offensive Defenceman)
3x All-VHL First Team (S68, S69, S70)
One Continental Cup (S70)
 
We will begin with the First Ballot entry in Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen. As any spongebob fan would know, he was #1. In fact, while easily being the greatest defender of his generation, boasting three straight Sterling Labatte Trophy wins as the league's Top Defenceman, Smitty also carries the honour of being @flyersfan1453's first entry in the Player Category of the Hall of Fame. While not a requirement, it is rare for a member to rise the ranks and become a VHL Builder without having at least one Hall of Fame Player, and Flyersfan will shed that note in his history with this fantastic player who, when adjusting for era, will go down as one of the greatest defenders, not only of his generation, but of all time.
 
D/C - Sebastian Ironside, S61-S68 
RS (D): 144GP, 34G, 82A, 116P, -102, 238PIM, 438HIT, 404SB, 5GW
RS (C): 432GP, 229G, 341A, 570P, +163, 796PIM, 1,615HIT, 154SB, 38GW
RS (TOTAL): 576 GP, 263 G, 423 A, 686 P, +61, 1,034 PIM, 2,053 HIT, 558 SB, 43 GW
PO (C only): 45 GP, 20 G, 23 A, 43 P, +3, 90 PIM, 149 HIT, 20 SB, 1 GW 
 
S63 Scotty Campbell Trophy (Most Valuable)
S63 Kevin Brooks Trophy (Most Goals)
S63 Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved)
2x All-VHL First Team (S63, S64)
2x All-VHL Second Team (S65, S66)
One Continental Cup (S64)
 
With his second player induction, @DollarAndADream watches Sebastian Ironside make his long awaited entrance into the Hall. After starting his career as a defenceman and transitioning to forward, Ironside, while playing in an era of legendary two-way forwards, became one of the league's premier two-way studs, earning a Scotty Campbell Trophy as league MVP in his first season after making the switch! After being one of the last original GM-Rule players created, Ironside would lead the Legion to a surprising Season 64 Continental Cup, alongside fellow Hall of Famer Norris Stopko, before moving on to Seattle and eventually Calgary to finish out his incredible career.
 
VOTING RESULTS
Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen - 10/11
Sebastian Ironside - 10/11
Wesley Kellinger - 1/11
Mike Szatkowski Jr. - 0/11
Jakab Holik - 0/11
Tyson Kohler - 0/11
 
BUILDER
 
As previously mentioned, while not a requirement to make it into the Builder Category of the Hall of Fame, this member is no stranger to creating Hall of Fame players, with three previous inductions and aspirations for another. @OrbitingDeath , aka Green, has been a long time member of the VHL, joining the league all the way back in Season 30, which would be approximately 7 real life years ago, and will be making his way into the Builder side.
 
Perhaps best known as the VHL's first Welfare Manager, Green has worn many hats in his time as a VHLer, from being a grader back when Point Tasks were not automatically awarded the full 6, to an Updater under both the original forum-based format and new, Portal-based one, he has also been a staff writer for both the VHL and VHLM magazines during their runs, as well as having sat on the league's Board of Governors for a time. Green was also a trailblazer for recruitment, bringing in many members during a time before the Recruitment Team was even a thought, much less the force they are today as they continue to work on growing the league.
 
With all those accolades to his name, it is no wonder that the Board of Governors unanimously selected OD/Green to enter the Hall of Fame Builder's Category this season!
 
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Congratulations to all 3 members on incredibly well earned Season 73 inductions to the Hall of Fame!