Sharkstrong

Reaction time for Grekkark Gyrfalcon please. Thank you! 

Goaltending clinic put on by Gyrfalcon @Sharkstrong & Tretiak @Molholt in Game 79. 83 saves between the two!

Andrew Su - Jim Bob - Aloe Dear
 
Spencer Elsby - Erik Killinger
 
Grekkark Gyrfalcon
 
The inclusion of Andrew Su @Da_Berr on the First Team All-VHL should come as little surprise, as the two-time reigning MVP of the VHL was the dominant force of the league yet again with 120 points. Jim Bob @jRuutujoins him, as the VHL's top goal scorer of Season 77, along with Aloe Dear @Renomitsu , whose 112 points were second only to Su himself. Spencer Elsby @Spence King led all defensemen with 93 points as the Alexander Valiq Trophy winner, and Erik Killinger @Peace, the Sterling Labatte and Jake Wylde Trophy winner, was a major presence every time he stepped on the ice. Rounding it out is Grekkark Gyrfalcon @Sharkstrong, whose dominance in net propelled the Prague Phantoms to the playoffs, along with winning him the Aidan Shaw Trophy.
 
The best of the best, the First Team All-VHL!!
 
Voting:
 
Forwards:
Andrew Su: 14, Aloe Dear: 12, Jim Bob: 10, Groovy Dood: 5, Onde Sandstrom: 1
 
Defense:
Spencer Elsby: 11, Erik Killinger: 10, Tyler Walker: 7
 
Goalie:
Grekkark Gyrfalcon: 11, Doug Dimmadome: 2, Zamboni Driver: 1

S77 Team Awards
 
Announcing the S77 Prague Phantoms’ Team Awards as voted by the players and management.
 
Best Defenseman
Riley Knight Gee @KnightRiley
 
For the second straight season Riley Knight Gee was voted the best defenseman on the Phantoms by his teammates although Battre Sandstrom is closing the gap. Gee and Sandstrom led Prague blueliners with identical stat lines of 14-43-57 and Gee posted career-highs in assists, PIM, hits, and shot blocks. He also led the Prague defense in power play goals and points but also patrolled Prague’s zone with a snarl, getting into 10 fights – 3rd in the VHL – while winning a league-high 6. His veteran leadership will be essential to the Phantoms in coming seasons.
 
Others Receiving Votes: Battre Sandstrom, Zachariah Kisslinger
 
 
Rookie of the Year
Braxton Hunter @dshervill
 
After a strong VHLM career with the Saskatoon Wild, the beefy Canadian power forward made his way to the VHL as Prague’s only rookie. Drafted in the 5th round in S75, Hunter is proving to be a late-round gem and showed a lot of promise in his first season. He contributed 5 goals and 18 points, saw some time on special teams and provided some of his signature grit with 85 hits.
 
 
Unsung Hero
Grekkark Gyrfalcon @Sharkstrong
 
When your team has the second-best offense in the conference with six 20+ goal scorers, it’s easy to forget the man that keeps the other team from scoring. The Phantoms have had poor and great goaltending in their history and they recognized that Gyrfalcon gave them a career year and one of the best seasons ever by a Prague puckstopper. The giant Greenlander set career highs in SV% (0.925), GAA (2.99) and shutouts (2) and posted even better numbers in the playoffs. Perhaps calling Gyrfalcon "unsung" is a bit understated after winning the Aidan Shaw Trophy but the Phantoms will have more shots at a Cup if he continues his solid play between the pipes.
 
Others Receiving Votes: Dan Baillie Jr, Xavier leFlamant, Robert Bouchard, Silas LeFriend, John Brewitt
 
 
Most Energetic
Dominic Gobeil @Domg5
 
Gobeil earns his second straight Most Energetic Award and it’s easy to see why. He has a non-stop motor on the ice that wears other teams down. He plays in all situations for the Phantoms and continues to etch his name in the franchise record books. He recorded 134 hits this season, a career-high 34 goals (Tied for 5th-best in Prague history), a career-high 382 shots (4th-best), and became only the third Phantom to score two shorthanded goals in a season. You notice him right away in the locker room as his infectious grin and French-Canadian charm have endeared him to his teammates and the management.
 
Others Receiving Votes: Zachariah Kisslinger, Thomas Landry II, John LeClair II
 
 

All Landry II, All the Time
 
Most Gentlemanly
Thomas Landry II @Doomsday
 
It may seem odd that one of the premier power forwards in the league and Prague’s career leader in hits would be receiving his third Most Gentlemanly Award but that is a testament to the type of player and person Landry II is. His truculence has waned in recent seasons as he has focused on becoming Prague’s offensive lynchpin. He’s still a force on the ice but he’s always had the respect of his peers for his work ethic, optimism, and sportsmanship.
 
Others Receiving Votes: John Brewitt, Dominic Gobeil, John LeClair II, Dan Baillie Jr, Xavier leFlamant
 
 
Most Valuable Player
Thomas Landry II @Doomsday
 
The winner for the Phantoms’ MVP for the third straight season is none other than their leader Thomas Landry II who broke his own team records for goals and power play points in a season and also led the team in assists, points, shots, power play goals, game-winning goals, and shootout goals. With one more season left to play, Landry II is leaving no doubt that he is the most dominant Phantom ever.
 
Others Receiving Votes: Grekkark Gyrfalcon
 
 
Phantom of the Year
Thomas Landry II @Doomsday
 
Landry II will be spending the off-season building a larger trophy case! In a locker room full of leaders, he once again led a Phantoms team with some new faces and younger stars to the playoffs. He’s the face of the franchise, the heartbeat of the team, and is training up a new generation of Phantoms to lead following his retirement next season. He matches former teammate Ondrej Ohradka with his third Phantom of the Year Award.
 
Others Receiving Votes: Dominic Gobeil, Zachariah Kisslinger
 
 
3-Stars Award
Thomas Landry II @Doomsday
 
This was the closest 3-Stars race in recent memory. Landry II barely beat out Dominic Gobeil and Grekkark Gyrfalcon to become the first Phantom to win the award twice. Landry II and Gyrfalcon tied with 7 1st-Star selections and Landry II, Gobeil, and John LeClair II tied with 18 total Star selections but overall, Landry II won by just 10 points.
 
Full 3-Star standings below:
 
Player 1st 2nd 3rd Star Points Total Stars Thomas Landry II 7 5 6 370 18 Dominic Gobeil 6 6 6 360 18 Grekkark Gyrfalcon 7 6 3 360 16 John LeClair II 5 4 9 320 18 Dan Baillie Jr 4 2 3 190 9 Battre Sandstrom 1 2 6 130 9 Riley Knight Gee 1 4 2 130 7 Robert Bouchard 2 1 3 110 6 Xavier leFlamant 2 1 2 100 5 Brian Strong Jr 2 0 2 80 4 Zachariah Kisslinger 2 0 1 70 3 Silas LeFriend 0 1 2 40 3 Fat palloon 0 0 1 10 1 Braxton Hunter 0 0 1 10 1 John Brewitt 0 0 0 0 0 Michael Fletcher 0 0 0 0 0  
Congrats to the Prague Phantoms on another great season!
 
Phamily: @wcats @Wheaties @JBrew42 @Fire Vigneault @Gaikoku-hito @BarzalGoat @yevty @Acydburn  @UnkemptCL4PTP @Kisslinger @DragonFire420 @diamond_ace  

Up next, it's the Aidan Shaw Trophy, awarded to the top goaltender in the VHL. Three candidates staked their claims to be the VHL's best goaler:
 
 Grekkark Gyrfalcon (PRG) - 69GP, 37-26-5, 0.925SV%, 2.99GAA, 2SO, 2747SA
 
 Zamboni Driver (HSK) - 64GP, 36-24-4, 0.921SV%, 2.96GAA, 3SO, 2418SA

Doug Dimmadome (LAS) - 64GP, 36-23-4, 0.923SV%, 2.89GAA, 2SO, 2355SA
 
Statistically, strong cases could be made for any of the three, yet the Awards Committee saw this one very differently.
 
The winner of the Season 77 Aidan Shaw Trophy is...
 
 

Why in the world are players from Greenland emerging suddenly? In the portal era, not even one existed until Season 70. In the last 9 seasons, we have seen 13 players, to mostly successful careers.
Nothing on the forums seems to indicate the sudden surge of Greenlandic players. Besides some half-jokingly suggestions about an expansion team there (mostly @GustavMattias calling for the Nuuk Nukes), not much seems to indicate where this all started. A potential theory is members being FROM Greenland (hello if you are reading!), but none of my research has confirmed that to be true. Join me as I take a look at all the players from the country and their careers thus far.
Back in Season 70, it was obviously a rarity for a prospect to hail from Greenland. As stated by @DollarAndADream in a December 9th, 2019 forum comment, replying to the backstory of Lewis Dawson, a pioneer of Greenland’s impact on the VHL: “Hockey player from Greenland? How unique.” Well DaaD, it may be not so unique anymore, but rather a blossoming VHL player producing powerhouse.
Let us look at the first generation of Greenlandic players, one in which we can call THE BEGINNING.
 
C Lewis Dawson (S70) 932 TPE RETIRED @Kendrick
Dawson marks the earliest VHL player from Greenland in the portal era, with Dawson popping up on VHLM scouts’ radar in mid-November, 2019. The all-time leader in TPE, for now, from the world’s biggest island, Dawson compiled 396 career points in the VHL between Malmo, Calgary, Davos, and DC, winning a Victory cup with the Wranglers as a rental in Season 75.
 

RW Aleelee Kiak (S70) 494 TPE RETIRED @Grant
As VHLM scouts discovered the aforementioned Dawson, it was not long until they found another gem in Kiak. The first champion on this list, Aleelee was able to conquer both the VHLM and VHL, winning a Founder’s Cup in Season 70 with Minnesota, and a Continental Cup in Season 73. A respectable career, however cut short, there is nothing to complain about Kiak’s 238 points in 287 regular season VHL games.
 
G Grekkark Gyrfalcon (S73) 775 TPE  @Sharkstrong
The only known goalie from Greenland to see VHL ice thus far, Gyrfalcon has enjoyed a very nice career between Malmo and Prague. Another double champion (VHLM + VHL), along with a 178-124-21 record and a career .915 SV%, Grekkark has inspired many from their country to strap on the pads and see what the VHL has to offer.
 
D Mie Dickinson (S75) 72 TPE FREE AGENT @garbageproducts
Unfortunately, Dickinson had trouble keeping up with training, and only lasted 1 season in the VHLM with Miami before disappearing from VHL ice completely.
 
D Thunder Dick (S75) 66 TPE RETIRED @garbageproducts
As was with Dickinson, Thunder Dick was unable to complete the transition, and was never able to impress VHL/M scouts enough to land a deal. He has since retired.
 
After those players, all was quiet. We did not see any talent good enough to crack a VHLM or VHL lineup from the cold island in Season 76. Little did we know, we were about to begin a new generation… in one I call THE EXPLOSION.
 
C Asher Reinhart (S77) 490 TPE  @rjfryman
VHL, get ready for the family taking over the entire league – the Reinharts. Asher, who many say is most skilled right now, is another champion, taking the S75 Founder’s Cup with Philadelphia.  Asher contributed to the Toronto Legion’s return to the playoffs, and is set to become their franchise Centre for years to come.
 
D Reylynn Reinhart (S77) 476 TPE  @Ricer13
The next 2 sort of go hand-in-hand. Reylynn Reinhart and Zeedayno Chara are the first 2 defenders from Greenland to officially play a VHL game. They play similar games, and they compliment eachother every time they play together, whether it be back in the motherland, or in the World Juniors. Reylynn is a silky smooth passer. No notable awards to talk about right now, but I expect that to change sooner rather than later.
 

D Zeedayno Chara (S77) 414 TPE  @Jubis
Big Z, as they call him, is an absolute menace on New York’s blueline. As a rookie, he put up 6 goals and 41 assists, just a glimmer of what he can do. Chara and his Greenlandic roots hope to bring NYA back to the playoffs sometime real soon.
 
D Joe Madison (S77) 260 TPE  @Brewins15
A very promising prospect, Madison looks to make an impact with Calgary next season, where they are penciled in to begin Season 78. They showed off their offensive prowess this past season in the VHLM, with 67 points with Mississauga, helping them reach the Founder’s Cup finals.
 
D Inunnguaq Kiak (S77) 182 TPE  @Grant
When it comes to hockey families, Canada has the Sutters and the Staals, but Greenland has the Reinharts and the Kiaks. The second-generation Kiak, Inunnguaq, is already following in Aleelee’s footsteps by starting off their career with a Founder’s Cup, accomplished in S77 with the Mexico City Kings. Inunnguaq may spend another season in the VHLM, but had a coming out party in Season 77 with 26 goals and 81 points in 71 games.
 
C Jlloyoid Blloyoiderson (S78) 112 TPE S78 DRAFT ELIGIBLE @Cxsquared
An absolute mouthful of a name, Blloyoiderson has flashes of brilliance here and there, but has stalled on training from time to time, so there is question marks surrounding their future. Scouts say the talent is there, however if the commitment is not, then Blloyoiderson may end up as the next Thunder Dick. Only the future will tell.
 

G Tobias Reinhart (S78) 148 TPE S78 DRAFT ELIGIBLE @Spaz
The second of the two Greenlandic netminders, Tobias has been absolutely stellar thus far in his VHLM career. Rocking a 12-1-0 record, he still has some improvements to make, but scouts are saying he will be one of the first goalers taken off the board at the Season 78 VHL draft.
 
RW Tyler Reinhart (S79) 149 TPE S79 DRAFT ELIGIBLE @Zetterberg
One of, if not the top prospect for the Season 79 VHL draft, the most recent Reinhart to announce for the VHL draft has his sights set on being the highest drafted player from his home country. He showed improvements in his game across his stint with the Mississauga Hounds, however, has yet to score a regular season VHLM goal. Look for that to change early next season.
 
It is crazy the talent we are seeing come from a country of just 56,225. I do not think it is going to stop, as scouts have added Greenland to their usual scouting trips, just looking for the next budding star. As we start to get more and more players coming to the VHL, it may be safe to assume that eventually we may see a World Junior or World Cup team consisting of just the one country – akin to Canada or USA.
 
 
Side note: Did you know Greenland is a territory of Denmark? In 1946, the United States offered to buy Greenland from Denmark for $100,000,000. That is all.
 
(1150-ish Words, claiming for Week Ending 16 and 23)
 

This week I decided to look at all 57 shootouts this season and find out which teams had the best duels, after selecting my favorites and creating a list I was left with a lot of nominations so I ended up with a few lists, the best goaltending, the best goal scoring and the longest duels we've had, leaving out the shorter shootouts where there was only a few saves or goals. These are the best of the best, which one do you think is the most entertaining?
 
the Best Goaltenders
 Jacob Tonn 
Game 470 | London United vs. Vancouver Wolves 
Both goaltenders duel but Tonn comes out on top with the shutout in the shootout, gloving down a the final snipe shot by Onde Sandstrom headed top shelf
 
 Jacob Tonn
Game 550 | London United vs. Prague Phantoms
Tonn doesn't waiver after giving up the shootout tying goal and stops 4 straight shots using all of his equipment, giving his team plenty of chances to score
 
 Jurgis Kalvelis Blazevicius
Game 59 | HC Davos Dynamo vs. Warsaw Predators
Backup goaltender Blazevicius shuts down the Warsaw offense with four huge saves, stopping Taro Tsujimoto with a crowd shocking toe save at the beginning and bearhugging a  slap shot from Aloe Dear
 
Woody McPine
Game 84 | Malmo Nighthawks vs. Moscow Menaces
McPine frustrates the Menace shooters by staying solid and wins the game, not buying into Ryan Schwarz's fake shot attempt
 
Woody McPine
Game 477 | Malmo Nighthawks vs. Moscow Menace
After round one blunder, McPine takes advice and get energized by his teammates, stopping the next three shots
 
Doug Dimmadome 
Game 132 | New York Americans vs. Los Angeles Stars
Dimmadome earns his paycheck flying back and forth for the first two shots and sweats it out after the shot rings off the post, gloving it down on the line, after the replay.. SAVE IS GOOD! 
 
 Grekkark Gyrfalcon 
Game 156 | Prague Phantoms vs. Toronto Legion
After a huge save stopping Asher Reinhart, silencing the crowd, bench and deflating the Legion, Gyrfalcon tells Thomas to go right side with his next shot and he scores, Gyrfalcon keeps focused on the next shot and stops a bad attempt from a shaken up Jon Webber for the dub
 
 Vsevolod Askarov 
Game 179 | D.C. Dragons vs. Calgary Wranglers
Askarov does the dragons dirty and makes three straight saves against three shootout beasts, Groovy Dood, Alex Letang and Jeffrenomitsu The 3rd with a couple of poke checks and glove hand save on Letang
 
John Poremba 
Game 181 | Moscow Menace vs. Los Angeles Stars
Shining in his back up role with three big time stops, Poremba solidifies the Los Angeles Stars as a shootout threat with shooters, goaltending and back ups ready for the spotlight
 
Ajay Krishna
Game 228 | Warsaw Predators vs. D.C. Dragons
Krishna keeps his team in it by stacking his pads against Groovy Dood's speedy left, right dangle while staying big the rest of the way, taking space and not giving any opportunities against The 3rd or Letang, getting the easy win for his team
 
 Calvin Harvey
Game 272 | Los Angeles Stars vs. Riga Reign
Harvey shuts down one of the best shootout teams, proving he can go one on one with the best, stopping dangle god Jeffrey Pines with the pads, hard shot John Merrick's laser went into the glove and the creative Its Gucci tried to slow it down but Harvey shut his five hole just in time to give his team the victory
 
Artem Tretiak
Game 567 | Malmo Nighthawks vs. New York Americans 
Stopping three straight shots toward the top of the net, Tretiak holds the fort for his team with excellent reading and glove work
 
 
the Best Goal Scorers
Brendan Telker & Druss Deathwalker
Game 423 | Moscow Menace vs. Malmo Nighthawks
Malmo ends the shootout quickly without a commercial break as Telker and Deathwalker end Moscow's chances with a few easy dangles, going five hole both times
 
Chris Hylands &  Thomas Landry II 
Game 303 | Prague Phantoms vs. Malmo Nighthawks
In an electric shootout where we saw five goals, Hylands and Landry II exchange highlight reel goals, first Hylands goes in very slow and gets close to the goalie, dangles the puck left, right really quickly which gets the goalie out of position and toe drags it into the empty net. On the other side we saw Landry II shoot the puck off the goaltenders helmet but miss, hit off his helmet and into the net
Pekko Viitanen, John Merrick & Its Gucci 
Game 466 | Los Angeles Stars vs. Chicago Phoenix
Playing it perfectly against the former champions we see a trio of players leave no errors against a tired goaltender, outwaiting and scoring their first two attempts blocker side, the last one under the glove
 
John Merrick & Jeffrey Pines
Game 280 | Los Angeles Stars vs. Vancouver Wolves
The Stars shine and end the shootout with perfection, leaving no errors with a top of the slot wrister through legs by Pines in the crease and a trickling over right pad goal by Merrick to stun the Wolves
 
Red Lite
Game 398 | Prague Phantoms vs. New York Americans
This shootout had to go to a few round into sudden death after both teams failed to solve the opposition and after a long wait and nervous crowd Red Lite wins the game with a slick move that fakes out the goaltender, leaving the top half of the net wide open
 Alex Letang, Groovy Dood & Jeffrenomitsu The 3rd
Game 368 | Los Angeles Stars vs. D.C. Dragons
D.C. flips the script on a comfortable in the shootout Los Angeles, scoring three straight goals for the sure win. With the first shot Groovy Dude lifts the puck up a few feet in the air and bats it past Doug Dimmadome's blocker, scoring one of the best this season, second goal we saw The 3rd easily slapping it home through the five hole and the last shot we see a confident Letang skate in with the puck, snapping it past the glove hand
 
 Wolf Weiss
Game 337 | Helsinki Titans vs. Vancouver Wolves
In a shootout where both teams could have left the net empty we see give goals from each team, three for Vancouver and two for Helsinki, they always say save the best for last and Weiss was just that, dangling the puck like a madman through his legs confusing the goaltender, easily opening up the net for a wrister upstairs 
 
John Merrick, Cole Newhook, Roque Davis & Pekko Viitanen
Game 444 | Los Angeles Stars vs. Moscow Menace
Seven total goals were scored in this one and both water bottles got a workout after a good start from the goaltenders but it would be the scorers left to show off their skills in an exciting duel, in the end though it was Viitanen who took his chances with a creative move, failing along the way and losing the puck we saw an awful pokecheck attempt totally missing the puck and Kevin Malone drags it into his own net
 
the Longest Duels
Game 491 | HC Davos Dynamo vs. Toronto Legion
This game went 9 rounds and both teams didn't give up after a nail biting start going back and forth, in the end it was the goaltenders who prevailed but it would be veteran Jaxx Hextall coming out victorious with a save against a defender, Shawty Nananana, giving his team the edge in the next round with a sniper Jon Webber who stops the nightmare with backhand fake, forehand wrister past a stretched out Kunibuni UnGuri's glove
 
Game 340 | Warsaw Predators vs. Malmo Nighthawks
In our longest shootout of the season we see a back up goaltender duel it out with a starter, Jacob Carson and Artem Tretiak, who both had 8/11 stops in a 22 shooter shootout but it would be the Predators Carson to stop a shot against an offensive defense Alexei Kamenov and a depth player Gino DiGiannantonio who finally solved Tretiak 
 
Game 541 | Riga Reign vs. Helsinki Titans
In this one we saw another outstanding effort from both goaltenders, stopping shots from some of the best shooters the league has to offer, in the end though Ray Sheilds snaps the puck under the armpit of a standing Zamboni Driver
 
Game 44 | Warsaw Predators vs. Chicago Phoenix
It was early in the season and both squads were fighting it out for top spot which made for a nail biter of a finish, starting things out we see slick moves from both sides in Round #1 and a few more in Round #4, after that we saw the goaltenders take over and extend the shots all the way to Round #8 when Matty Socks broke the silence with an absoloute rocket from the top of the circle
 
 
Well that ends my list, hope everybody enjoyed.. See you next season!
 
1502 words without the spoilers
 
@MexicanCow123@efiug @HearnNation67 @Esso2264 @Sharkstrong @Gooningitup@CrlineDijohn14 @Hooperorama @Mrpenguin30 @Molholt @Telkster @animal74 @hylands @rory @Steve @Xdjk93 @frescoelmo @Josh @Spartan @Jeffie43 @bigAL @Tate @Matmenzinger @Doomsday @GrittyIsKing09

Everyone pretty much knows at this point there are two things that go together well: the Prague Phantoms and late round draft picks (early round draft picks, not so much). However, let's say our current picks were not available to us in the last 2 drafts. With the benefit of hindsight, who should we have taken, if we were prevented from taking the people we did?
 
S77 draft, 43rd pick: Kirby Pandora
 
This was a particularly hard one - Nicholas Mariani @Mistxh J is already 26th in TPE for this draft class, despite being picked 43rd and being a good bit lower than 43rd at the time of the draft. There's no one particularly close to Mariani in terms of steals in this entire draft, especially around this vicinity of picks. Mariani is already approximately on the level of a mid 2nd rounder, despite being in the 4th round on draft night. However, if we're going to repick, with Mariani ineligible as well as anyone picked before 43rd, it basically comes down to two guys: Kirby Pandora, drafted 45th and sitting 37th currently, or Donne Talliferro, drafted 47th and sitting 38th currently. It's a tough choice, because Talliferro has technically outperformed his spot by one more than Pandora has, and is an established user in Wally. However, that's actually what works against him here. Wally was taking a step back in other leagues last I've heard, and I'm not entirely sure of the status of that or how it will affect him here, but the uncertainty is enough to nudge Pandora ahead for me. Still, if I'm honest, Mariani is the clear choice if it's not an article format that eliminates him from contention.
 
S76 draft, 2nd pick: Tom Eagles
 
Another pick here where there was never going to be anything else but the guy we took - I've wanted @Acydburn on this team for ages, and when the second pick fell into our laps, Battre Sandstrom was only ever going to be the pick. For argument's sake, and for the sake of a theme week article, we can't take him though. Member-wise, I'd have liked to go with Boom or Phil (and in the lead up to the draft, probably would have gone Boom if we'd done poorly enough in the lottery to not have Acyd available). However, based only on things as they are now: Boom has changed to a forward, Phil always was a forward, and we desperately needed to take defense here. I don't have much of a relationship with Greg_Di, seems like a great guy just never ended up on any teams with him, but he'd have to be the pick here. Next best defense after Acyd. Eagles would be essentially a like for like swap with Sandstrom at this stage.
 
S76 draft, 15th pick: Jivere Zolnek
 
Here is where we reach the first of two true regret picks, back to back. Abe Roque actually really impressed me before the draft. I knew at the time it was a bit of a reach to take Roque at 15, but honestly expected it to pay off in the long run. Obviously we know how that has gone since - I'd also like to express that at least from me in particular, I have no hard feelings toward Roque, even if some of the members of the team do not share that sentiment. I think largely what happened with both Roque and Myers, who we will get to shortly, was just a disconnect between the way the league operates and the way they intended to interact with it, which is unfortunate, but it does happen. In any case, I would obviously not select Roque at 15 given the opportunity to select again, even were she eligible, which based on the theme she is not. I do, however, wish Kevin Hard the best of luck going forward. This pick could actually have gone several ways - I was at least somewhat interested in selecting Kaladin Kvothe, as I'd been a single pick away from taking DangerGolding's last guy, Raleigh Ritchie. I'd also gone into the draft fully intending to take Javad Kamkar at one of these round-wrapping picks I'd accumulated. However, the best and most logical pick (especially with the benefit of hindsight and knowing this is a Sixers player that has stuck around, which is generally a good pick when it happens) would be to simply BPA it and take Jivere Zolnek. Sixers always goes one of two ways with his players: either he goes inactive with them, or they end up being really solid contributions to the league. I wasn't entirely sold at the time (as proven by having taken Roque) but Zolnek has been on the good side of that line for some time now.
 
S76 draft, 20th pick: Javad Kamkar
 
I don't want to get into a lot of salt with Willy Myers either, as he's taken a step away from the league at this time. I was unaware at the time of the draft, but it seemed like a fortuitous coincidence after the fact, that Myers and Roque know each other in real life. It seemed like a masterstroke, if a fluky one, that they'd be able to motivate each other to keep active and become great selections for Prague to a greater extent than I would be able to as a comparatively random user. Instead, Myers wanted to play musical leagues, bouncing from the VHLM to the VHL to the VHLM to the VHL. I honestly don't blame him for this - player movement is more of a thing in real hockey leagues than it is here, especially with guys who are borderline to the larger league, and coming into this league it might have been a reasonable assumption that this would be done with a greater frequency than it is. However, it's simply not a thing here. Teams run too close to the cap to be able to really deal with potentially paying for a player who would only spend part of the season on the roster. This league has been notoriously cap-tight for most of its existence, which limits the ability to move leagues midseason. In any case, like Roque, I would not select Myers again, but wish him the best going forward, whether he returns here or not. Instead, I'd go with Kamkar, who I'd actually entered the draft intending to take. At the time, I was on Parriyah's SBDL team in the SBA, which I joined partially because he needed a guy but also partially to build a relationship with him as a user and potentially draft him. Myers had mentioned in Saskatoon's LR about wanting to come to Prague, so I made it happen for him, but would definitely take Kamkar in a redistribution of picks scenario here.
 
S76 draft, 25th pick: Henry Tucker
 
Eeli Rantanen @Jolline is not someone I regret taking - in fact, quite the opposite, he's someone I regret trading. Malmo wanted Abe Roque in the Gyrfalcon trade, but because Roque and Myers knew each other in real life, I wanted to keep them together. That made Rantanen the one that appeared to be expendable out of the three, and instead he's become the one that's actually still around and progressing his career in generally the way you'd expect. I did not doubt he would do so, as all signs pointed toward a consistent effort from him, the trade was more a matter of being the odd one out when compared to the other two. I do not regret the Gyrfalcon trade on the whole, as @Sharkstrong has been nothing short of a world beater for us, but I do regret talking Frosty out of Roque and onto Rantanen. However, given the purpose of this article, I'd take Tucker if Rantanen is off the table. It could honestly have gone either way between Tucker and Mikey Harris, but I'd nudge Tucker's way slightly here.
 
S76 draft, 36th pick: Joseph Sharkton
 
Kid Frost, like Rantanen before him, is someone I'm perfectly happy with having taken at 36, even though he's no longer on the roster. He was ultimately going to run into a log jam with us when he would have come up to the bigs, and for that reason I can't say as though I regret the trade, but Town's a great guy from what I know of him from SBA. Roster fullness aside however, for the purposes of this article I'd go with Joseph Sharkton here. Riga has gotten a lot out of Sharkton so far and I'm sure there's more to come - I'd probably put Sharkton among the top few steals of the S77 draft entirely (not going to do the work to see if there are others in the same vicinity, so saying "among" just to be safe). Tater Tot probably as well, but goalies are a whole separate thing really.
 
S76 draft, 57th pick: Craig Martin
 
Chicken Nugget has been off and on repeatedly over recent months - as of right now, he is active, and honestly that's all you can really ask of a guy at that stage of the draft. However, there were a few guys who went after Martin who have actually been more active and passed him in TPE, and the pick of the lot has to be Craig Martin. I'll be the first to admit some level of surprise that this pick came from New York, but Martin is now the 46th best player in the draft in terms of TPE, and probably in the top 40 in terms of futures given that there are a few retired or inactive guys he's yet to reach. Martin is not likely to ever really be a top tier player as he's only a welfare and practice facility claimer, but he is consistent in doing both, and for where he was taken in the draft that's more than most people.
 
Originally, I'd planned on this being the last 3 drafts rather than 2, but I'm already over 1600 words and can't be bothered.
 
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Around the VHL: April 5th, 2021 (Season 77, Edition 1)
 
Welcome back everyone to another edition of Around the VHL! We’re well underway in the 77th season of VHL hockey as the standings start to take shape. Off-season shifts in power are starting to play out as teams like the Los Angeles Stars, Riga Reign, London United, and Toronto Legion try to transition into contenders while familiar powerhouses like Moscow, Vancouver, and Malmo drop off.


 
The defending champion Chicago Phoenix are near the top of tables again, with a 19-10-1 record through 30 games. Most of the key players are back, and with 7 point-per-game players, they are a deep, talented squad that will contend once again. Robin Winter leads the team with 14 goals and 38 points while Christian Mingle is following up his breakout season with a team-high 16 goals, though his production has dropped off slightly from last year’s pace. Matty Socks has 34 points in 30 games, once again ranking among the top defensemen in VHL scoring after a 92-point campaign.
 
The next two teams in the North American Conference are less familiar sights at the top of the standings. The Los Angeles Stars and Toronto Legion were both non-playoff teams last season, finishing 15th and tied for 11th in the league respectively. Over the off-season, the Stars added Roque Davis - coming off a 100+ point season and several VHL awards - to their lineup, a massive addition that has turned the tide for their team. They’re now up to 18-11-0 through 29 games, second in the NA, and Davis has 9 goals and 31 points. Pistil Stamen, Jeffrey Pines, and John Merrick are a formidable trio up front that has combined for 110 points so far this season.
 
The Legion, meanwhile, got off to a hot start and then complimented it with a blockbuster trade that brought in star forward SS Hornet and star defenseman Micah Adrienne from the Vancouver Wolves. The Wolves struggled out of the gate despite strong performances from Andrew Su and Onde Sandstrom, each of whom have eclipsed the 40-point mark. As players like Kristof Welch, Scotty Kaberle, and Nicholas Sunderbruch mature as players the Legion are hoping to capitalize on a window to contend, and the acquisitions of Hornet and Adrienne will surely help in their pursuit.
 
The next three spots in the North American Conference are somewhat up for grabs. While none of the teams have looked on the level of Chicago, LA, or Toronto early on, there are two more playoff spots open and they seem the most poised to challenge for them. For the Seattle Bears, currently sitting fourth, it’s been secondary scoring behind the line of Jim Bob, Timothy Brown, and Isabella Campbell that has been the main source of their problems. Rara Rasputin is providing solid goaltending and the defense as a whole has surrendered the fifth-fewest total in the VHL, but behind that top unit, there’s only one other forward and two other players on the team over 20 points.
 
Scoring hasn’t really been the issue for the New York Americans, especially not from the forwards, with a dynamic group of young offensive talent like Gary Rush, Rhynex Entertainment, and Red Lite. The Americans’ defense core is very weak, though, and Thadius Sales isn’t quite as established as the other top netminders in the league. Sales has tons of potential, and he’s actually played very well this season with a .919 SV%, but the Americans just aren’t doing him any favours (he’s faced more than 42 shots per game on average). The end result is that the Americans boast the second-worst defensive unit in the league so far, having allowed 111 goals. That will likely have to improve for them to fend off the Wolves, who sit sixth.
 
The Calgary Wranglers have entered a bit of a rebuilding phase, and they possess a lot of young talent too, especially on the defensive side of the puck with Tom Eagles, Rolf Fizzlebeef Jr., and Cowboy Prout. There’s some offensive talent here too, but that’s an area they’ll have to build up as their rebuilding process goes on. This is a team with better days ahead, but they’re unlikely to pose a big threat in the NA this season. The eighth-place DC Dragons are perhaps in a bit better position for the short term, though they’re a talented enough squad that sitting eighth right now has to be a huge disappointment - especially with the strong seasons of Groovy Dood (leading the VHL with 28 goals and 51 points) and Alex Letang (leading VHL d-men and tied for second in the league overall with 45 points). The Dragons have shown signs of life with a 7-1-2 record in their past 10, so it’s possible they just had a cold start - keep an eye on them as the season goes on. They were a fast finishing team when they went to the finals recently, too.
 

 
On the European side of things, the #1 seed is who you’d expect as well. The Warsaw Predators were 51-13-8 last season and they should be the class of the EU again this year… at 19-7-3, they are indeed terrifying for anyone to line up against. Uhtred is one point shy of giving the team FOUR 40-point players in a league that only has 10 so far among all 16 teams combined. Dakota Lamb is tied for second in the VHL with 45 points. He’s a big-time scoring threat that has continued to deliver; a PPG player every season of his career so far. Aloe Dear and Lexi Glass are also over the 40-point mark for Warsaw’s league-leading offense.
 
The Prague Phantoms sit in second, and for them it’s not so much a case of off-season additions helping them turn the corner as it is just a team finally living up to their potential. The defense core has young stud Battre Sandstrom, but overall is fairly weak, however, a deep offensive unit that has seven 20-point forwards and a spectacular start for veteran netminder Grekkark Gyrfalcon (20-9-0, 0.926 SV%) has them in position to finally make some noise. Thomas Landry II and Dominic Gobeil are the main offensive forces.
 
At 19-8-2, the Helsinki Titans find themselves in a familiar place among the European Conference contenders. Venus Thightrap came over in Free Agency, joining an already strong lineup and adding offensive skill; she leads the team with 42 points so far this year. Valtteri Vaakanainen and Patrik Laine have 41 and 37 points respectively while Vick Fairchild, Dan Dan, and Ola Vikingstad are a formidable trio, too. With 32 points in 29 games, Emi Rune is on pace for a career year and gives the Titans the top-end defenseman they really need.
 
The London United hoped for bigger things when they added Chad Magnum and Erik Killinger, and they hadn’t really worked out. James Rose ended up being dealt to Riga, but the United did add Mikko Lahtinen, a future Hall of Famer and perennial MVP candidate. Lahtinen’s paid dividends with 13 goals and 35 points, and they have really benefited from Kasper Kankkunen’s breakout season - he’s posted a terrific 40 points in 28 games so far, second among VHL defensemen and already almost eclipsing his own career high. The United are 15-10-3 for 33 points, and they are a ways back of the top three teams in the EU so far, but they have put themselves in a good position through the season’s first 28 games.
 
The Malmo Nighthawks went for a rebuild at last season’s trade deadline yet find themselves in the fifth playoff spot so far. Chris Hylands is his usual self, leading the team with 13 goals and 39 points. Outside of their first line, however, the Nighthawks don’t have a single forward with more than 10 points. They recently shipped off Marshall James Frostbeard, and seem committed to the rebuild. This fifth playoff spot might be up for grabs if any of Davos, Riga, or Moscow turn their seasons around.
 
Sitting just outside the playoffs, the perennially snakebit HC Davos Dynamo are again rebuilding, with Tyler Walker being their primary source of star power. Taro Tsujimoto is getting there - with 33 points in 29 games he’s becoming a #1 centre - and Reylynn Reinhart is poised to be a superstar on the back end at some point. Netminder Kunibuni UnGuri has a save percentage of 0.922 so far, too. There is promising talent on this team but, like with Malmo, they are a squad that doesn’t really have the depth right now to sustain as a contender.
 
That brings us to the Riga Reign, who are probably this season’s biggest disappointment. Picked by some as a possible Cup contender - at the very least expected to be a surefire playoff team - the Reign are 11-15-3 and seventh in the EU. This comes after off-season moves to strengthen the defense, adding James Rose and General Zod. A slew of great young players unearthed in the stacked S75 draft has given Riga a great squad on paper. They should be a better team than they are, but they haven’t yet put it together, perhaps due to a lack of experience overall.
 
Finally, we have the Moscow Menace, who shipped out their top talent over the off-season to also enter a true rebuild. Under new management. The future for this team lies in the super-talented duo of Duncan Idaho (10 goals, 21 points) and Paul Atreides (11 goals, 21 points) who were both selected with top-3 picks in last season’s Entry Draft. Ryan Schwarz (12 goals, 23 points) from the S74 draft is a talented player likely to be young enough to remain with the team through to when they’re able to contend again. Idaho and Atreides, along with teammate and S76 pick Philip Stein, are all tied for second in the VHL in rookie scoring. With Idaho and Atreides on the roster, both of whom seem destined to be VHL superstars, their time will come… but this is a rebuilding squad for sure, not a team built for the present.
 
The first half of the season has been an exciting one with some change coming to the VHL landscape that promises to make for a really interesting season. Expect there to be more of the same in the second half, and for some exciting playoff races on both sides of the draw as the mid-tier teams fight for an invitation to the dance at season’s end.
 
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Sorry guys, I didn't have time to come up with a Feature Story or put together good stats for a Fantasy Corner this time around. I did write a little more than usual in the Around the VHL part. Hope you enjoyed.
 
Players mentioned: @Sonnet @Quik @fishy  @Josh @DMaximus @Steve @rory @McWolf @Poptart @Juice @fromtheinside @NickSunderbruch  @jRuutu @a_Ferk @Victor @Banackock @G_Rush @Rhynex Entertainment @Tate @thadthrasher @Greg_Di @TacticalHammer  @Prout @bigAL @Spartan @dlamb @Renomitsu  @AW13 @leafsman @Acydburn  @Domg5 @Doomsday @Sharkstrong @BladeMaiden @PatrikLaine @Jubo07 @Emi @GreenGato @Dil @MMFLEX @Beketov @Peace @MattyIce @16z @Hylands @FrostBeard @Matt_O @OrbitingDeath  @Mr_Hatter @IHateBobNutting
 

Hello Members,
 
It's no secret that the VHL has been expanding rapidly over the last few seasons and an internal goal has been to eventually beat out the NHL for number of teams, which will sit at 32 once Seattle joins the league. With that goal in mind we have decided to bring forth the largest change to the league in decades, potentially ever.
 
Starting in S78 the VHLM will be disbanded with it's teams all being moved to the VHL, giving us 28 teams in total. This gets us close to our goal but not quite there so we will be also adding 6 new teams to the league, all based out of Europe to counter the 12 North American teams entering. This gives us 34 teams, thus beating the NHL and proving VHL dominance.
 
This would still leave us unbalanced of course with 14 teams in Europe and 20 in North America so we will also be moving Mexico, Houston, and Minnesota to Europe in order to balance the conferences. 
 
A general manager application will be opening shortly so that we can fill the vacant 6 spots and decide on team name and locations and more details will follow in the upcoming weeks. The @BOG and Blue team are very excited to finally hit this milestone with you all and we welcome your ideas regarding where teams should be placed and their logos.
 
Sincerely,
@Commissioner 

During the off-season I played a little with my sheets, looking at every teams and getting different informations which probably is useless unless I wanted to do a long article. Let’s be honest, a power ranking is most of the time full of flaws and it is most likely gonna be wrong but it’s a good topic for debates and also a good topic to write about. So here is my power ranking based on TPA datas and not on my personal thoughts
 
 
Here is the maths:
 
 
The forwards total TPA is only based on the top 6 which means the 2 first lines. The reason behind that is because the 3rd line and the forth line is most likely gonna spend less time on the ice and having multiple rookies on a team could lead a team to be at the top of the ranking
 
 
The defense total TPA is based on the top 4 which means the 2 first lines as well for the same reason
 
 
Then the Goalie total TPA is only the starter goalie because having an high TPA starter goalie is better than having an average duo so I only took the datas on the starter goalies.
 
 
For the team ranking, the score is based on the forward top 6 + the defense top 4 and the starter goalie total TPA.
 
 
*All these datas has been taken Monday the 15th so there might have been some change since then. I personally notified one change in London on the defense since then but didn’t want to start over.*
 
 
16. New York:

Forwards: 15th
 
Defense: 16th
 
Goalie: 12th
 
 
 
At the 16th position, we have a team that is filled with young talent. It is no surprise that New York come last when the power ranking is based on total TPA but with players such as the rising star, Red Lite @Tate who just won the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy (it’s a nightmare to spell that trophy by the way!), Zeedayno Chara @Jubis who is their freshly acquired 1st round pick and could be a potential rookie of the year contender, and their young and feisty goalie Thadius Sales @thadthrasher, should make New York confident for their future! Hopefully, New York’s GM @Esso2264 can break the curse soon enough but they will probably need to wait one more season.
 
 
 
 
15. Davos:

Forwards: 16th
 
Defense: 9th
 
Goalie: 15th
 
Davos is an other team that is filled with young players. In fact, that team should be the home of 9 rookies this season. This is an impressive number that include some potential rising stars such as the second pick overall in the last draft; Reylynn Reinhart @Ricer13. This is also combined with a young Taro Tsujimoto @GustavMattias, who is leading the S75 draft class in term of earned TPE. Add over that, a S73 defenseman, Tyler Walker @Advantage on the last season of his prime, who should be leading the young Davos squad. In front of the net, they will put their trust into their young goalie; Kuniburi Unguri @Berocka. Like New York, this team should not be a contender for this season but they are building a team that will be competitive soon!
 
 
 
 
14. Moscow:

Forwards: 12th
 
Defense: 14th
 
Goalie: 13th
 
In 14th position, we have a team that made a lot of moves in the off-season to aim at a better future. With their core getting old, Moscow pulled the trigger and started the rebuild. That allowed them to get their hands on the first pick overall; Paul Astreides @Mr_Hatter and the third pick overall; Duncan Idaho @OrbitingDeath . This is some interesting additions that will give them a bright future at the price of a season at the bottom of the standings. It should be interesting to see what will be their plan at the trade deadline.
13. Malmo:

Forwards: 14th
 
Defense: 8th
 
Goalie: 15th
 
Coming at the 13th position, it’s a team that decided to rebuild after winning the cup in S75. Expect their veteran forward Chris Hyland @Hylands to lead that squad and probably be one of the best forwards in the league this season. They also still have the defenseman Marshall James Frostbeard @FrostBeard who should be their biggest piece at the defense. Combining with those veterans, they have 2 freshly drafted first rounders in Brendan Telker @Telkster and Druss Deathwalker @animal74. Like Moscow, it will be interesting to see what Malmo will do at the trade deadline.
 
 
12. Calgary:

Forwards: 13th
 
Defense: 10th
 
Goalie: 11th
 
 
 
Calgary will probably be one of the teams in the race for a playoff spot. It is still early to know which team will be making it but I do think that they will be in the race. With Luke Thornton @Jtv123 getting in his prime and Kosmo Kramerev @Mongoose87 as their top defenseman, they will be an aggressive team filled with players that will soon hit their prime. I do think they will finish higher than 12th .
 
 
 
11. Toronto:

Forwards: 11th
 
Defense: 7th
 
Goalie: 6th
 
At the 11th position, we have a team that has a solid young core all on the edge of reaching their prime. That team has a ton of rising stars in Scotty Kaberle @fromtheinside, Kristof Welch @Juice, Jolly Greene Giant @DoktorFunk, Frank Funk Jr. @Rayzor_7, Asher Reinhart @rjfryman, Sirkants Klamasteris @hedgehog337 and it does on. This is a massive core for the seasons to come. For the coming season, expect them to be on the race too.
10. Vancouver:

 
Forwards: 4th
 
Defense: 15th
 
Goalie: 16th
 
At the 10th position, we have the Vancouver Wolves, This is a team that has a lot of offensive potential but a is weak on the other side of the ice. Expect their games to be high in goals for both team. Also expect Micah Adrienne @Poptart to get a lot of ice time as the top defenseman in the team. The offensive is composed of SS Hornet @McWolf, Andrew Su @Da_Berr and Onde Sandstrom @fonziGG. Let’s hope for them that a good offense can cover their weakness but it is hard to predict where they will be in the leaderboard.
9. Prague:

Forwards: 7th
 
Defense: 13th
 
Goalie: 8th
 
Coming at 9th, we have the Prague Pahntoms. This is a team that has performed better than the expections last season and has improved again for the coming season. Some will say I am biased about this one but I do think that this team will do better than 9th . With an experienced goalie, Grekkark Gyrfalcon @Sharkstrong who proved to step up his game when the playoffs come and an offensive squad leaded by Thomas Landry II @Doomsday who has set a new team record last season with 105 points, that team should be fun to watch! Let’s not forget the two newcomers who got aquired during free agency, I name Brian Strong Jr. @Wheaties and Xavier Leflamant @BarzalGoat. This team should count on their depth to succeed this season.
 
 
 
 
8. D.C. :

 
Forwards: 10th
 
Defense: 5th
 
Goalie: 2nd
 
D.C. is a team that will need to rely on their starter goalie Stone Wolski @DollarAndADream who is currently the second best goalie in the league in term of TPA and a solid defense that just brought in a former Moscow Menace player in Alex Letang @Spartan. While the offense is ranked 10th in TPA, they still have one of the top players in the league with Groovy Dood @bigAL. This is a team that lost a few key players due to retirement but still has what it takes to succeed.
 
 
7. Seattle:

 
Forwards: 5th
 
Defense: 6th
 
Goalie: 10th
 
Here we have a team in the middle of a transition period. This team is a mix between young talent and experienced players. Expect their first line composed of Timothy Brown @a_Ferk, Jim Bob @jRuutu and Isabella Campbell @Banackock to be an impressive scoring machine. This is also the season where you should see Lucifer Olivier Leveque @InstantRockstar claim the title of Seattle’s first dman by the end of the season. Without forgetting their fresh goalie Rara Rasputin @Victor who is set to become one of the best in the league soon enough.
 
 
6. Helsinki:

 
Forwards: 1st
 
Defense: 12th
 
Goalie: 4th
 
Let’s be honest, that offense is scary. Helsinki is surely gonna be one of the teams that score the most if not the team that score the most. With a newly acquired Venus Thightrap @BladeMaiden who will add even more scoring ability to that team that already had Ola Vinkingstad @Dil , they should be very good. Let’s hope their top goalie Zamboni Driver @Tape-to-Tape can handle the fact that their defensive will an ordinary one.
 
 
 
 
5. London:

 
Forwards: 3rd
 
Defense: 11th
 
Goalie: 1st
 
London… Where to start? Here we have the team that improved the most during the off-season. They went all-in this season by acquiring the both the hottest goalie in the league Jacob Tonn @MexicanCow123 and the hottest player in the league Mikko Lahtinen @Beketov. We all know these two names, they belong to the elite of the league and maybe are future Hall of Famer. That Power ranking has been done before they get a 4th defenseman which is why that team is ranked 5 but I’m confident that it will go in the top 3 before the season start. Big things are expected from London this season and they are ready to get their first appearance in the playoffs of their history.
 
 
4. Riga:

 
Forwards: 9th
 
Defense: 3rd
 
Goalie: 3rd
 
Here we have a young but impressive team. We all remember Riga selling all their top players for picks before the S75 draft. Well, now it pays off, that team can now rely on many young players like Cabe McJake @RedSus, Addison McLaren @tcookie, Linus Zetterstorm @Ledge_and_Dairy and many more. Add over that young squad a few veterans acquired with trades in General Zod @Matt_O, James Rose @MattyIce and Ray Shield @Zetterberg. That team now has an impressive good mix of youth and experience that should be helped by an elite goalie Calvin Harvey @Mrpenguin30.
3. L.A. :

 
Forwards: 8th
 
Defense: 1st
 
Goalie: 8th
 
Not Gonna lie, seeing Los Angeles as the 3rd team in that power ranking was really not something I expected. When you take a closer look at their team though, it all make sense when the datas is taken on the top lines. What L.A. has to offer this season is a brutal force on their top lines composed of Jeffrey Pines @rory, John Merrick @Steve, Jiggly Gumballs @JigglyGumballs and Roque Davis @Josh. Their weakness though, it should be their depth. While this team is impressive on the first lines, the depth is an other story. I do think this team will be in the playoffs but probably not third in the league.
 
 
2. Warsaw:

Forwards: 6th
 
Defense: 4th
 
Goalie: 7th
 
There we have an other team that has a full trio of elite players on their first line. I’d expect the line of Dakota Lamb @dlamb, Uthred @leafsman and Aloe Dear @Renomitsu to be among the best lines in the league. Combined with the top defensive line Latrell Mitchell @dasboot and Victor Grachev @KaleebtheMighty, this team should have an impressive power play that will make you think twice before giving a cheap shot to your opponent. Warsaw had one of the most shocking run at the playoffs last season by doing a reverse swipe and making it to the finals. Can they finally win it all this season? I’m sure that is the plan in Warsaw!
 
1.   Chicago:

Forwards: 2nd
 
Defense: 2nd
 
Goalie: 5th
 
The S76 Champions are still a strong contender this coming season. There is no slowing down in Chicago, they are thirsty for a second cup in a row. Last season, we have seen Christin Mingle @Quik stepping up his game to claim a spot on the leaderboard and bringing home a few trophies. Not only this team still has their core but they even added new players to complete their roster with Jungkok @tfong and Spencer Elsby @Spence King. While the new arrival of an elite defenseman at the side of Matty Socks @fishy should reduce the icetime of the younger desensemen, I’m sure this is no problem if they can touch the cup for a second time. In front of the net, we have last season’s Kanou winner Jean-Pierre Camus @solas who is still in his prime and should be even better this season. I think Chicago is in the beginning of a new dynasty and they are not done being at the top, its only beginning.
 
 
 
This is all for my S77 power ranking, please consider that these teams are not ranked on a personal ranking but on specific datas. My personal ranking would probably have London in the top 3 and Los Angeles more in the middle of the ranking. Let’s get ready for a wonderful season everyone, its starting tomorrow!
 
Let us know your top 3 teams for this season in the comments!
 

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claiming on weeks ending on:
3/28
4/04
4/11
4/18
 

March 16th marks a great tragedy for the hockey community around the world as 19 year old Timur Faizutdinov passed away this morning after sustaining a head injury during a game last Friday. Timur was a defense-man for Dynamo St. Petersburg's junior team in the MHL. At just 19 years old he was the leading bull for the team and sparked their locker room which is why he earned the big 'C' on his jersey. Timur's injuries were the result of receiving a puck to the head after his opposition attempted to dump the puck in their zone but unfortunately Timur was in the way. 
 
Timur was seen almost immediately grabbing his head and stumbling before collapsing to the ice. After the team and MHL doctors attempted to provide on ice care he was immediately rushed to the hospital where for three days doctors and Timur would fight for his life. It is with great sadness that all efforts failed and Timur died this morning under care. The news of his passing spread quickly and many will miss his young spirit on the ice. 
 
VHLM rising star, Nicholas Mariani, had some words about the tragedy after his morning skate today during an interview. Nicholas had said, "First and foremost I want to give my condolences to the family of Timur Faizutdinov, I cannot imagine the pain that they are going through right now. I knew he was hospitalized on Friday and that he was battling but I never knew the details... no one did." he chokes up a bit before continuing on, "Not many people knew this but before making my decision on entering the VHLM draft I was seriously considering going to Europe for a couple years to truly hone my skills. Timur had reached out to me to actually join his team, we would talk about forming a powerhouse team and everything. When I heard the news I was in the middle of my morning skate, I took it hard.. I just dropped and my emotions took over, it was just the worst news I could have heard. All I can say is that the hockey world has lost a good one, but Heaven gained another angel. My Prayers got out to his family." After finishing his thoughts Nicholas ended the interview there and went on to later post a picture of Timur Faizutdinov on his social media with the caption, "Rest in Peace Timur Faizutdinov #dynamoforever" . 
 
 
 
 
In memory of Timur Faizutdinov here was my way of a giving him a tribute . RIP Timur, Hockey will miss you 03/16/21
 
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DA is good guy, I'd play for him. Ya'll should like the guy. Nice guy to have in the LR.

Coming into the S77 VHL Draft, Prague only had one single pick, 43rd overall in the 3rd round, so it was always going to get a bit interesting in terms of who we could manage to get and who we couldn't. It was perhaps a bit ironic that this draft in particular was the one we barely had any picks in, given that there were so many Prague alumni with their recreates in it. That Dude @Cornholio, Druss Deathwalker @animal74, Brussels Sprout @Liberty_Cabbage, and Gary Tarantino @Garrett, were all guys who we greatly enjoyed having on the team and would have definitely preferred to bring back, had circumstances gone in a direction as to allow it, but ultimately I'm still happy with the trade that netted us Grekkark Gyrfalcon @Sharkstrong even if it took away the opportunities on bringing back some of these guys. It was pretty interesting though seeing the mid first round to the early second full of members of the Phamily, and I hope these guys all enjoy their new locations. Honestly, given the way a few of them fell, I'd thrown the idea around in our strategy area of potentially trading into the draft to pick one up, but never ended up pulling the trigger - mostly because work was particularly busy and I couldn't guarantee being able to take the time away to fully negotiate a deal with anyone, but still. All of these guys are 100% welcome in Prague at any time and they know that. That's simply the way the Phamily works - for that matter, Animal is still doing the team awards, despite no longer being on the team, and it's probably one of my favorite little personal touches that Prague offers despite being done by a now former member.

A few hours before draft night, I took a look through all the VHLM Discords (the perks of being one of the guys running the thing after all) to see what I could find in terms of activity from the type of players who were likely to be around at 43. At first, I did have one specific target, Baldur Poulsen @GlowyGoat who at that stage would have been more of a locker room presence type of player than one that would necessarily be a huge help for us on the ice. Still, Glowy is a great person to have around, and so I wanted to try to make that happen. Unfortunately, I'd gotten word from my AGM Dominic Gobeil @Domg5 that he speculated Malmo at 40 might be looking that way, and my source ended up being correct on that front.
 
I found a few players just down the draft list that I'd also seen in their respective discords, and added Raphael Sonier @raphaelsonier9815 and Raihan Heavems @RstortonYT in particular to my list (and had I not gone with the guy I did, these two were the next targets) but there was one message in particular that intrigued me. "Appreciate the heads up, but sticking to the basics is just temporary until I'm not stressed with school and also learn the league in more detail. I would definitely do more in the future!" This was found in the Houston discord, and it came from a guy that perhaps on paper would have been maybe half a round later, Nicholas Mariani @Mistxh J. A guy who is active already, but who plans to increase that as time goes on, and just needs to learn the league? I was immediately sold. After all, where better for a member to learn the league than on the team with both VHLM commissioners? I'm confident Mariani will significantly outperform his 43rd overall selection. In fact, while he was somewhere in the early to mid 50s TPE-wise on draft night, just over the last few days he's climbed to 47th.
 
Shortly thereafter, it was time to turn our attention to free agency. We had Jungkok @tfong that was set to test the market, although we were considered to have a fair chance of retaining him as a fairly contending team. Ultimately, it did not work out that way, and while it's unfortunate to see him go, it's hard for a guy looking to compete for cups to turn down an offer from the team that most recently won it, which is where Jungkok ended up. This left us with 7 million in cap and the rest of the market to play with. Obviously, an attempt was made to go after Venus Thightrap @BladeMaiden as well - similarly to the people mentioned in the first paragraph, Blade and any of her players will always be welcome in Prague. This time, it wasn't to be - my work schedule for the Saturday in which FA opened got changed to 7 PM-3 AM, so I didn't wake up until 6 PM, by which time she'd already signed with Helsinki (I'd talked briefly with her the day before though, when FA talks were open but signings were not). This narrowed our focus onto two players, Xavier LeFlamant @BarzalGoat and Brian Strong Jr @Wheaties.
 
Both guys I added to the discord, let them talk with the team for a bit, created a role for FA with basically the same perms as the Players role, and let the guys get down to the business of swaying them to our side. The plan was to offer on both players, and if we got one, to then put in an inactive claim on Hugh Jass which combined would take up most of our cap space. While it seemed stressful at the time, and I could never be 100% sure of where either guy would go until they signed, I'm ultimately not sure how close it was in the end for either guy. Barzy took to our discord like he was meant to be there the whole time, immediately meshing with the guys as though he was a long lost member of the Phamily. Given we could match the few things he had a preference for, he agreed to sign fairly early for us, which solidified the plans a bit and most importantly, it removed the possibility of a complete strikeout. Given we'd lost Jungkok, getting LeFlamant was a major relief in my mind.
 
Then the focus turned to Strong. He'd already been talking with us a little during the talking period, but went out the first night FA was open and wasn't around quite as much as Barzy initially. Still, Wheaties is a guy I go back some way with, having been on his Miami Neptune in EFL for a while with one of my old players (not my shiny new auto 12s, but a guy I had to do work for and ultimately didn't most of the time) plus was just generally aware of him anyway and got along well. There's also a few other guys on the team (the aforementioned Shark, as well as @Doomsday) that know Wheaties and could make it a place of familiarity. At this point, FA largely became a series of if-then statements: IF Strong : THEN Done - IF Not Strong : THEN IA claim on Jass. It never came down to that though, as Strong also signed on with us and while admittedly landing both does fill up the forwards a bit, it still makes us a much stronger team than we were, which is saying a lot because we were already in a pretty good spot. Definitely happy to bring Wheaties on board and the even nicer part is he's still a pretty young player as a season 74 draftee, so potentially he fits in well with the whole extended window, both pre and post the Landry timeline.
 
This whole thing turns our arguably weakest area from last season, centers, into a position of strength. We now have four players with a developed FO attribute as both FAs have done so (Strong may want to bump his up a little, as he's at 70 compared to Bouchard's 75, LeFlamant's 77, and Landry's 85) and can actually move people about the lines a bit more freely and look for matchups rather than having the center availability largely dictate things for us. Also, and this appears to be somewhat of a footnote because it didn't require any separate transactional work over the last few days, but it's certainly much more important than just the brief mention at the end: we are set to see the debut of hard working winger Braxton Hunter @dshervill. He's given everything he's had to the Saskatoon Wild program in the VHLM, and it's time for him to take a step up the pipeline and crack the opening day roster. He deserves every bit of this chance and will surely be a key part of the Phantoms going forward. It's especially impressive that a guy who was in somewhat of the dregs of his draft, at 72 overall, has kept such consistent work over the seasons and now finds himself on the Phantoms roster proper.
 
1504 words
 

The Greg Clegane Trophy, awarded to the netminder with the lowest goals allowed average in the league, is our first award dedicated to the fearless netminders of the VHL tonight. If we want to get technical, just one goaltender, Michael Olson @MSO94 of the Moscow Menace, posted a sub-2.00 GAA, albeit in nine games. His teammate, Jacob Tonn @MexicanCow123, on the other hand, posted an impressive 2.46 GAA in 64 games, earning him his first Greg Clegane Trophy. After three seasons with the Seattle Bears, Tonn really broke out to establish himself as one of the VHL's premiere goaltenders in Season 76. Valiant efforts, however, were put forward by Grekkark Gyrfalcon @Sharkstrong, who recorded a 2.57 GAA with the Prague Phantoms after being acquired in a mid-season trade, and the fabled Zamboni Driver @Tape-to-Tape of the Helsinki Titans, who recorded a 2.63 GAA. 
 

 
Congratulations to Jacob Tonn, the Greg Clegane Trophy winner!

Can’t say I’m not a little sad that you’re stepping down, but it was a helluva run and you’ve done a lot for the league. Hopefully the step down reinvigorates your passion for the league, because it’s certainly a MUCH better place with you in it. 

11th Annual Unofficial VHL Regular Season Awards – S76
Another exciting regular season has come to a close. That means we can dole out some regular season awards! Welcome everyone to the 11th Annual Unofficial VHL Regular Season Awards honoring the highs and lows of S76! Thank you to everyone that reads this.
 
These awards have been created by me. There is no voting process and they are not officially recognized by the VHL Board of Governors. I wrote descriptions for most of these award names in the original award post.
 
I’m reducing the list of the previous winners to the last 5 seasons. If you want to check out the award winners from every season, use this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sAZtX3bxVpPTIsKe1rSRVOenH1-iyWzbQEdR9ZvYOdU/edit?usp=sharing
 
I also added the “all-time” record for each category. Of course by that I mean all-time for the existence of these awards, not all-time, all-time. Clear? Ok, good. Let’s get things underway!
 
 
The Pylon Award (worst +/- rating) – Tyler Walker @Advantage 
 
This award seems to be getting more competitive every season. This season there were 5 different teams represented in the top 10. Tyler took home the award with a -35, matching the winning total from last season.
 
All-time record: S73 - Balentine Kidd -  -74
Last 5 Pylon Award Winners:
Season
Player
+ / -
S75
Pistil Stamen
-35
S74
Jay Jones
-38
S73
Balentine Kidd
-74
S72
Jack Feriancek
-59
S71
John Madden
-43
 
 
 
The Gandhi Award (least penalty minutes, min 1,000 minutes played) – John Brewitt @JBrew42
 
For the first time since S68, we have a winner with 0 penalty minutes! John Brewitt showed the utmost discipline by committing no penalties the entire season, which is odd because their DI is 40. They played a total of 1,320 minutes.
 
All-time record: S67 - Diljodh Starload - 0 PIM, 2091 Minutes Played
Last 5 Gandhi Award Winners:
Season
Player
PIM
Minutes Played
S75
Jonas Stormsson
4
1700
S74
Uhtred
2
2132
S73
Joseph Gainer
2
2106
S72
Jared Spaz
2
1106
S71
Soren Jensen
4
2016
 
 
 
The Major2 Award (most major penalties) - Riley Knight Gee @KnightRiley 
 
Riley must have had an axe to grind this season. They dominated the league by committing 9 major penalties, 2 more than the nearest competitors.
 
All-time Record: S75 - Gary Tarantino - 12 Majors
Previous Major2 Award Winners:
Season
Player
Major Penalties
S75
Gary Tarantino
12
S74
Gary Tarantino
10
S73
Mickey Dickson
7
S72
Mikko Lahtinen
9
 
 
 
 
The Timex Award (received most hits) – Thomas Landry II @Doomsday
 
Prague racking up the awards. Landry II was the top target of opposing teams. He was hit a league leading 329 times.
 
All-time Record: S69 - John Madden - 357 Hits taken
Last 5 Timex Award Winners:
Season
Player
Hits Taken
S75
John Merrick
311
S74
Mikko Lahtinen
321
S73
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
310
S72
Anthony Matthews
274
S71
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
274
 
 
The John Wayne Award (most shots on goal) - Andrew Su @Da_Berr
 
Su and Mikko Lahtinen @Beketov battled all season for the point lead and ended up tying each other. Su snuck out this award with 483 shots, 2 more than the runner-up, Lahtinen.
 
All-time record: S66 - Shane Mars - 533 Shots on goal
Last 5 John Wayne Award Winners:
Season
Player
Shots on Goal
S75
Mikko Lahtinen
510
S74
Patrik Tallinder
532
S73
Sigard Gunnar
531
S72
Jet Jaguar
425
S71
Scott Greene
402
 
 
 
The “Hit the Broadside of the Barn” Award (most own shots blocked) - Chris Hylands @Hylands
 
Hylands had their shots blocked left and right this season. They prevented Su from winning all three shooting awards by having 16 more shots blocked than 2nd place Su, Hylands’ 165 to Su’s 149.
 
All-time record:  S76 - Chris Hylands - 165 Own shots blocked
Last 5 HtBotB Award Winners:
Season
Player
Own Shots Blocked
S75
Mikko Lahtinen
146
S74
Ray Sheilds
157
S73
Brock Louth
164
S72
Henrik Zoiderberg
122
S71
Guy LeGrande
122
 
 
 
The “Can’t Hit the Broadside of the Barn” Award (most own shots missed) – Andrew Su @Da_Berr
 
Su paid Hylands back for the previous award. They won this category with 373 shots missed, beating Hylands’ 368 missed shots.
 
All-time record: S74 - Brock Louth - 429 Shots missed
Last 5 CHtBotB Award Winners:
Season
Player
Shots Missed
S75
Mikko Lahtinen
375
S74
Brock Louth
429
S73
Brock Louth
425
S72
RJ Jubis
299
S71
Guy LeGrande
299
 
 
 
The New Shin Pads Award (most blocked shots) – Hulk Hogan Jr @Beaviss 
 
Hogan Jr. was dropping the leg a lot this season. Their 188 blocked shots prevented the retiring Guy Sasakamoose @Cxsquared from winning in their final season.
 
All-time record: S68 - Seabass Perrin - 207 Shots blocked
Last 5 New Shin Pads Award Winners:
Season
Player
Shots Blocked
S75
Fernando Jokinen
200
S74
Matty Socks
181
S73
Alex Bridges
194
S72
Condor Adrienne
188
S71
Aron Nielsen
153
 
 
The Tired Legs Award (most minutes played) - Chicken Wing @chikn
 
Did Wing get too deep fried? They spent 2,213 minutes on the ice this season.
 
All-time record: S73 - Alex Bridges - 2401 Minutes played
Last 5 Tired Legs Award Winners:
Season
Player
Minutes Played
S75
Alek Andreshnikov
2303
S74
Guy Lesieur
2279
S73
Alex Bridges
2401
S72
Condor Adrienne and Zyrok12
2227
S71
Juilius Freeman
2189
 
 
 
The Snap! Award (most power play minutes) - Alex Letang @Spartan
 
A tight race this season between Letang and Jungkok @tfong . Letang claims the award with 351 minutes on the powerplay.
 
All-time record: S67 - Beau Louth - 437 power play minutes
Last 5 Snap! Award Winners:
Season
Player
PP Minutes
S75
Micah Adrienne
414
S74
Micheal Gary Scott
378
S73
Hulk Hogan
356
S72
Micheal Gary Scott
340
S71
Juilius Freeman
364
 
 
 
The 1 vs. 100 Award (most time on penalty kill) - Mikeal Keef @RStar 
 
Los Angeles players took up the top 3 spots on this list. Keef had the most with 359 minutes spent killing penalties.
 
All-time record: S73 - Tyler Walker - 390 penalty kill minutes
Last 5 1 vs. 100 Award Winners:
Season
Player
PK Minutes
S75
Dakota Lamb
369
S74
Edwin THE Encarnacion
344
S73
Tyler Walker
390
S72
Cody Smith
356
S71
Jacob Perry
344
 
 
 
The Sean Archer Award (highest face-off win %, min 1,000 faceoffs) - Benny Graves @STZ
 
Graves end his career on a high note, claiming this award in back-to-back seasons. They won this year with 59.91% of their 3,073 faceoffs taken.
 
All-time record: S74 - Brock Louth - 63.72% face-offs won
Last 5 Sean Archer Award Winners:
Season
Player
Face Off Pct
S75
Benny Graves
60.14%
S74
Brock Louth
63.72%
S73
Brock Louth
62.14%
S72
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
62.35%
S71
Jet Jaguar
61.84%
 
 
 
The Castor Troy Award (lowest face-off win %, min 1,000 faceoffs) - Nero Endrizzi @TurnDaddy  
 
Last year was a bit of a mess with a winger playing at center claiming this prize. Endrizzi made sure to make it known that a true center can claim this award. They won a strong, but still league low, 43.87% of their faceoffs. That is the highest % to ever win this award, so at least they have that going for them.
 
All-time record: S66 - Bryce Zhields - 30% face-offs won.
Last 5 Castor Troy Award Winners:
Season
Player
Face Off Pct
S75
Jeff Odinson
32.74%
S74
Kefka Palazzo
32.26%
S73
Thorny Underyew
35.48%
S72
Richard Penisson
38.13%
S71
Zeno Miniti
42.07%
 
 
 
The Triple Deke Award (most penalty shot goals) - Kris Rice @Ricer13
 
Rice won this award outright with 6 penalty shot goals. Special recognition to John LeClair II @flyersfan1406 who had 5 penalty shot goals on only 7 shots.
 
All-time record: S67 - Veran Dragomir - 8 penalty shot goals
Last 5 Triple Deke Award Winners:
Season
Player
Penalty Shot Goals
S75
Ola Vikingstad
6
S74
Benny Graves
7
S73
Codrick Past
5
S72
Sigard Gunnar
6
S71
Sigard Gunnar
6
 
 
 
The Rocky Award (most fights won) – Cabe McJake @RedSus and Randy Marsh @oilmandan
 
There were 4 people tied for this award with 3 fights won. Cabe McJake and Randy Marsh split the award because they both have a 3-0-3 fight record this season. Maybe they can fight over the award.
 
All-time record: S74 - Kristopher McDagg and S67 ACL TEAR - 6 fights won
Last 5 Rocky Award Winners:
Season
Player
Fights Won
S75
Vin Calia
4
S74
Kristopher McDagg
6
S73
Kristopher McDagg
4
S72
Kristopher McDagg
2
S71
Owen Nolan
3
 
 
 
The Glass Joe Award (most fights lost) – Riley Knight Gee  @KnightRiley 
 
Riley was one of the players tied for the Rocky Award, with 3 fights won. Unfortunately for them, they also had 4 fights lost, which wins them this award.
 
All-time record: S74 - Lee Xin and S69 Rusty Shackleford - 5 fights lost
Last 5 Glass Joe Award Winners:
Season
Player
Fights Lost
S75
Jared Willis
3
S74
Lee Xin
5
S73
Mickey Dickson
3
S72
Roll Fizzlebeef
3
S71
Benny Graves and John Madden
3
 
 
 
The Stars Award (most stars won) – Mikko Lahtinen @Beketov
 
Lahtinen must not have liked how close the award was last season, because they brought it this season, earning an all-time high 34 total stars this season! An amazing threepeat as well!
 Special shout out to Zamboni Driver @Tape-to-Tape for leading all goalies with 21 total stars this season.
 
All-time record: S76 - Mikko Lahtinen – 34 total stars          
Last 5 Stars Award Winners:
Season
Player
Total Stars
S75
Mikko Lahtinen
24
S74
Mikko Lahtinen
32
S73
Sigard Gunnar
30
S72
Julius Freeman
25
S71
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
28
 
 
 
The “Always a Bridesmaid” Award (most stars without winning 1st star) – Dan Baillie Jr @wcats
 
Baille Jr is following in the footsteps of their father. Jr claimed 12 stars this season without being named the top star. That almost equaled the record setting performance by Dan Baille in season 67.
 
All-time record: S72 - Lewis Dawson and S67 Dan Baillie - 13 stars
Last 5 Bridesmaid Award Winners:
Season
Player
Stars
S75
Jacob Perry
7
S74
Richard Penisson
12
S73
Spencer Elsby
8
S72
Lewis Dawson
13
S71
Condor Adrienne
12
 
 
The Biggest Backpack Award (player with the largest difference in points from the rest of their team) - Chris Hylands @Hylands 
 
Out of all the awards, this is the most annoying one to figure out. I have to look at every team and keep track of the point difference. When I made it to Malmo, which is only like half way through, I said oh well that’s more than enough difference to win this award. Hylands demolished the previous record by scoring 36 more points than their next closest teammate. Turns out though this race was super close, Thomas Landry II @Doomsday  scored 34 more and Andrew Su @Da_Berr  scored 35 more. Definitely a record setting season for this award! Congrats to Hylands for beating those great challengers and setting the all-time mark!
 
All-time record: S76 – Chris Hylands - 36 points more than next teammate
Last 5 Backpack Award Winners:
Season
Player
Point Difference from nearest teammate
S75
Dagmar Havlova
22
S74
Patrik Tallinder
27
S73
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
27
S72
Benny Graves
13
S71
Roque Davis
20
 
 
 
The Anniversary Award (rank in total points matches season number) - Jonas Stormsson @Kyle
 
Stormsson ranked 76th in total points with 59 points. Congrats!
 
Last 5 Anniversary Award Winners:
Season
Player
Points
S75
Seabass Perrin
62
S74
Pengu
64
S73
Charlie Paddywagon
63
S72
Ondrej Ohradka
51
S71
Elasmobranch Fish
46
 
 
 
 
The Egghshell Award (goalie with most overtime losses) - Doug Dimmadome @Esso2264 
 
Doug Dimmadome becomes the first repeat winner of this award. They lost 9 games in overtime this season.
 
All-time record: S75 - Doug Dimmadome and S71 Jaxx Hextall - 11 OT games lost
Previous Eggshell Award Winners:
Season
Player
Overtime Games Lost
S75
Doug Dimmadome
11
S74
Greg Eagles
10
S73
Raymond Bernard
9
S72
Michael Johnson
9
S71
Jaxx Hextall
11
 
 
 
The Jason Voorhees Award (most PIM by a Goalie) - Doug Dimmadome @Esso2264 
 
I wonder if those overtime losses upset Dimmadome. They set the all-time record with 29 PIM this season. Unsurprisingly, their biggest penalty, an attempt to injure, came in overtime.
 
All-time record: S76 - Doug Dimmadome - 29 PIM
Previous Jason Voorhees Award Winners:
Season
Player
PIM
S75
Jaxx Hextall
12
S74
Ajay Krishna
21
S73
Rayz Funk
27
S72
A Red Guy
12
S71
Greg Eagles
10
 
 
 
The Poke Check Award (highest % of penalty shots stopped, min 10 penalty shots against) - Grekkark Gyrfalcon @Sharkstrong 
 
Grekkark Gyrfalcon gets this award in consecutive season. It must have been a tough season for goalies, they won the award with only 79.5% penalty shot save pct.
 
Previous Poke Check Award Winners:
Season
Player
Penalty Shots Stopped
S75
Grekkark Gyrfalcon
88.9%
S74
Jacques Lafontaine
85.7%
S73
Stone Wolski
87.0%
S72
Virgil Ligriv
83.3%
S71
Greg Eagles
79.3%
 
 
 
That wraps it up for this season! Another year, another successful award ceremony! Congratulations and/or condolences to all the winners! As always, please provide any suggestions, insights, or thoughts in the comments. Thank you all for reading and continuing to make this a successful column!
 
 
2,212 words. Will claim for 4 weeks.

@Sharkstrong

Let’s go Prague & Helsinki! I’m rooting for my old teams! 

This one is for the comments implying Prague was simply delaying Moscow's inevitable advance. There are two teams in this series, not one team and one roadblock. If you still advance, fair enough, but this is not a foregone conclusion, and we've proven that.
 
In any case, good luck regardless of which way this goes - it's certainly nice to be one win away though.
 

1 more win Prague!!

PRAGUE PRAGUE PRAGUE 
 
ONE MORE BOYS

PRAGUE PRAGUE PRAGUE 

I'm glad @OrbitingDeath isn't a simmer then. FFS.

CGY / MOS - Feb 15, 2019
Calgary receives:
Moscow receives:
S65 MOS 1st (Elasmobranch Fish)
Mark Gebauer
 
 
 
 
Starting with the pick that Calgary received. The 1st round, 6th overall pick was used to select a defenseman. Fish was just one of the three first round picks for Calgary that season. Fish had his rookie season in S65 and it wasn’t too shabby. Fish managed to finish 17 opportunities he got while setting up his teammates 41 times. Long way of saying 17 goals and 41 assists right. Being a checking defenseman, he put up just over 250 hits going with 161 PIMs. Like I said that’s the only way to play in the VHL. Not collect ankles and score but kill brain cells.
 
Fish had a rather disappointing run in S66. His production reduced significantly with only 48 points, 67 hits and 52 PIMs. Unfortunate because he had more shots this season but nothing seemed to convert to goals. Bad puck luck I guess. His defensive game dropped slightly but it’s still impressive with 152 SBs. His 3rd and final season with Calgary saw him get back to his usual self with a career high season in points and assists. Fish never got his checking game back to its original excellence though.
 
Moving to Moscow now. S64 Mark Gebauer is a centerman that played with 3 VHL teams across his VHL career. He started off with a bright future with his first season with Moscow being his breakout season. Mark his sensational in the offensive zone, scoring and setting up plays. Mark was never able to improve his presence in the D-zone but never was an issue with his offensive skills. Mark spent 4 seasons in the chilly Russian capital, probably met Ovechkin and Putin. He had 2 incredible seasons with Moscow but Simon decided to ruin this mans career with a snap. A tremendous drop in production for this man which saw him get traded to Prague.
 
The user Sova eventually went IA I assume as Prague proceeded to release him in S70. But let’s look at some of his highlight stats. Mark was a big part of the Moscow powerplay unit and even-strength lines. With 28 powerplay goals, his opponents need to think twice before taking a penalty here. Mark plays a 5-0-0 game and he isn’t exactly huge. Battling around the boards was probably not his strong suit on the VHL ice. Hence, he sticks to what he’s good at.
 
To conclude, this trade is pretty even. Nothing to complain about here. Moscow got themselves an offensive machine and Calgary got a pass-first defenseman. Maybe Moscow got a little bad luck with Mark as Simon crushed him with his giant fist. But its user also fell into an inactive hole after that devastation. I guess it’s just too much to handle after that. Moreover, they each had a few playoff appearances with their respective teams but both never did too well there.
 
Well this is boring. Thought it was gonna be bad but oh well.
 
509 words, claiming week ending Feb 21