hockeyis66

Draft Class Comparisons: SHL to VHL, 2021 NHL/VHL Entry Draft: Top 5
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1: William Eklund, Djurgårdens IF
 
Over the 2020-21 Swedish Hockey League (SHL) season, Djurgårdens IF centerman/left winger William Eklund has made quite the impact on his team, putting up an impressive 11 goals and 23 points in 40 games. Since he is 18 years old, 23 points is remarkable in a league with grown men playing against him. His incredible hockey sense, nose for net, and hard wrist shot makes him deadly in the offensive zone. He can work anywhere on the ice, and score from anywhere too. His best quality has to be his shot; it can overpower goalies easily, and fool the defense. His creativity also plays a major factor in his play. He can create plays, finish plays, and undress the defense. He does need some work in the defensive end, but his offensive skill and skating prowess makes up for his liability. He’s ranked from sixth to third for many scouts, and will most likely fall in the top five in this year’s draft. A player comparison to him in the Victory Hockey League is Luc Tessier of the San Diego Marlins. Tessier is an amazing offensive player, with a great shot and goal scoring talent. He can move the puck up the ice and start up the rush. His defensive play is a bit of a liability, but his offensive and skating skills make up for it. Tessier has 37 goals and 78 points in 72 total games played for the Marlins this season, and is ranked fifth overall in the draft currently. Similar rankings and play to Eklund. 
 
2: Simon Edvinsson, Frölunda HC
 
Over his 10 game stint in the SHL, Frölunda HC left shot defenseman Simon Edvinsson put up one assist, and then was loaned to Västerås IK of HockeyAllsvenskan, where he put up five assists in 14 games played. According to many scouts, he is a very offensive and defensive skilled player, with the ability to begin the rush, and cleanly move the puck into the offensive zone. Scouts have described his defensive play as “strong” and “technically skilled.” When watching his highlights, you immediately see how strong his slap shot is. You also see how he doesn’t stay on the point while attacking; he fights for the puck down low behind the net. He makes hard and efficient passes, and rarely gives up the puck. He plays confidently and smartly, that’s why he’s so highly ranked in the draft. He’s mainly ranked around #8-9 by most scouts. From what I’ve seen from him, his VHL player comparison will be Tui Sova from the Mexico City Kings. Sova’s offensive and defensive zone play makes him the most similar to Edvinsson, since Sova has 180 shots blocked and 250 shots this season. Both players utilize their size in their play, as both use their body in the defensive end to shut down and create plays for their team. Edvinsson is 6’5” and Sova is 6’3”. Similar sizes, similar play, similar rank (Sova is ranked #7 in the VHL entry draft). 
 
3: Fabian Lysell, Luleå HF
 
During his 26 game stint in the SHL for Luleå HF, right winger Fabian Lysell scored two goals and three points. Scouts rave over his high level play, and elite release, while creating plays at an elite level too. A scout from Sweden, Anders Eriksen stated that Lysell was a, “Highly skilled forward with impressive technical skills and an amazing release. Scores a lot of goals and is a loyal team player.” That best sums up his play on paper. But when you watch the highlights, you see more in the Swedish sniper. He likes to get in front of the net and create a screen, he hustles towards the puck and never shies away from the play, and he creates and finishes plays very well. He is the true complete package. His best VHL player comparable is probably Alex Johnston from the Yukon Rush. Johnston is ranked 13th overall in the VHL, while Lysell is ranked 10th overall in the NHL, but both play a similar game. They can both play and shoot the puck well, play a physical game when needed, and play well in their zone and start up the rush. A player that any team wants. Johnston put up 24 goals and 50 points for the Rush. Very similar play, elite skill. Both players have bright futures. 
 
4: Oskar Olausson, HV71
 
While playing for the SHL’s HV71 in the 20-21 season, left/right wing Oskar Olausson put up an impressive three goals and four points in 16 regular season games. He was later loaned to the HockeyAllsvenskan team Södertälje for the remainder of the season, where he put up even better numbers with three goals and six points in 11 regular season games. Olausson’s play in the offensive zone of the ice gives him an advantage over others on this list, but his defensive play is a concern. When watching his highlights on HV71, he skates very smoothly and can begin the attack very well. He handles the puck with confidence and skill, and stays with the puck even when he has fallen down. He plays a TJ Oshie style of game as an 18 year old against men. His hard shot complements his playmaking ability. A very well rounded player offensively. He is ranked from #12-19 by many, and I see him going at around 17. Any team that gets him will be getting a player who can make the jump within two years maximum. A player comparable in the VHL to Olausson would be Jaromir Lemiuex from the Yukon Rush. Being another Rush prospect I’ve listed, Lemiuex’s play speaks for itself. 16 goals and 64 points in 72 games this season, 209 shots, but only 31 shots blocked. Like Olausson, his defensive play needs some work, but his offensive play and production is his bright spot. He can be physical at times, and he plays with a certain grit and passion. I cannot wait to see what happens to both prospects at their respect drafts.
 
5: Anton Olsson, Malmö Redhawks
 
During a 39 game stint with the SHL’s Malmö Redhawks, left shot defenseman Anton Olsson scored four points, all of which were assists. Many scouts have ranked Olsson in the second round, around #36, but I believe he can go higher, around #28-30. His play in the offensive zone with his hands and shot establishes his ability to score and create plays, while also being able to shut down the opposition. Olsson’s highlights prove these points, while also showing his physical side. His ability to think on the fly and start the rush is also good, not elite. I would compare him to Tynan Sylvester from the Mississauga Hounds. Now, while they aren’t similar in their draft rankings, their play styles are quite similar. Sylvester put up two goals and 13 points in 72 regular season games for the Hounds this season, and 32 hits. He can play the puck well, and utilize his shot to score goals occasionally. He can be physical when he needs to be, and he can play defense quite well, and his 50 shots blocked further proves my point. His skating and size is similar to Olsson’s 6’0” frame (Sylvester is 6’2”). Similar skill, similar play style, but not so similar rankings. Both players do have bright futures, and will be ready for the pros within a span of three years. 
 
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“Its always tough to miss the playoffs and watch other teams play while you are at home, but it just gives you that much more motivation to work hard this off season and be ready to come out and play next season.  I think we will have a real solid team between the returning players and the potential draftees coming in and fully expect the Rush to be one of the top team in the conference and league.”
 
“Overall, I am happy with my season.  My numbers fell off a little bit here toward the end of the season and I didn’t keep my point per game pace.  I got more assists and points than I thought I would but the goal scoring let me down and that shooting percentage is something I am going to have to improve next season in order to help the team win more.”
 
“We had a lot of solid free agents join the team over the course of the season and I hope we are able to draft them back on the team.  It was nice to get to know them during the season and we all got along well together and had a good time even though we were not winning as much as we wanted to.”

1 -- Even though we missed the playoffs, it was still a good experience and got to have a lot of different teammates on the team to get to know and hang out with.  As for my player, little disappointed he fell off toward the end of the season but i still hit my goal of 30+ assists and 50+ points so i am glad there, wish i could have gotten to 20 goals though
 
2 -- i ll probably have a little bit of interest in them, but if i am not playing in them, its hard to follow and good to take a little mental break for a week or two
 
3 -- team vote is always the best way to go
 
4 -- i would go with Lorgo, 2nd in goals and 2nd in points and one of the top assist players on the team and can hit and isnt afraid to block shots either
 
5 -- Its ok -- if you are looking at the Yukon and Rush, maybe either an angry bear of sorts or tough looking miner
 
6 -- disagree -- give me a milk chocolate with a little heat in it -- either cinnamon or chyenne peppers

1 -- Even though we missed the playoffs, it was still a good experience and got to have a lot of different teammates on the team to get to know and hang out with.  As for my player, little disappointed he fell off toward the end of the season but i still hit my goal of 30+ assists and 50+ points so i am glad there, wish i could have gotten to 20 goals though
 
2 -- i ll probably have a little bit of interest in them, but if i am not playing in them, its hard to follow and good to take a little mental break for a week or two
 
3 -- team vote is always the best way to go
 
4 -- i would go with Lorgo, 2nd in goals and 2nd in points and one of the top assist players on the team and can hit and isnt afraid to block shots either
 
5 -- Its ok -- if you are looking at the Yukon and Rush, maybe either an angry bear of sorts or tough looking miner
 
6 -- disagree -- give me a milk chocolate with a little heat in it -- either cinnamon or chyenne peppers

RUSH TEAM STAT REVIEW
 
The Yukon Rush finished the season with a 25-42-5 record which was good for 55 points on the season and a 5th place finish in the Western Conference.  They finished 21 points out of a playoff spot and and 10th overall in the 12 team league.  They had the same record as Ottawa from the Eastern Conference but the Lynx won the tie breakers and finished 9th. 
 
The actually had the 6th best offense in the league scoring 249 goals on the season but the downfall in the long run was the goals against which was 10th in the league and one of three teams that gave up over 300 goals on the season as the Rush gave up 301 on the season.  Because the offense was so good, the goal difference of -52 on the season was 9th best.
 
RUSH TRADES IN SEASON 77
 
The Rush did make a couple of trades throughout the season as too.  Yukon acquired right winger Apollo from San Diego early in the season for a draft pick.  Another big trade was to get center Lorgo from Mississauga along with some draft picks for Pacheco and some picks as well.  Dugan was sent to San Diego in exchange for a 3rd and 4th round draft picks in the upcoming draft. 
 
As we got closer to the trade deadline and it looked like the Rush would not make it, Yukon shipped out a couple of the better players to the Hounds and 21st.  First, Zakrevsky went to the Hounds for Kiak, Grisby and a 3rd round pick.  Second, The great went to Halifax in exchange for Clouet and a 3rd round pick in the S79 draft.  All of the moves mentioned will help the Rush will depth next season as Yukon will look to make the playoffs and make a run toward the championship as well.
 
RUSH PLAYER REVIEW
 
The goalies faced a ton of shots during the season and played admirably with Cat seeing the bulk of action in 51 games with a 19-29-3 record, 4.04 GAA and a .868 save percentage.  Free agent pick up Jacob Rask, saw action in 21 games with a 6-13-2 record, 4.09 GAA and a .877 save percentage.  Neither goalie had a shutout on the season. 
 
Even though The great was traded, he still led the team in points with 91 and had 43 goals on the season to go along with being a +2, 35 PIMs, 75 hits and 47 shot blocks.  Lorgo was second on the team in points with 84 and goals with 36.  Lemieux had 64 points in 72 games and free agent pick up Johnston had 50 points in 52 games. 
 
After being acquired in a trade, defenseman Kiak was the highest scoring defensemen on team with 77 points in 58 games which was third best and his 51 assists was second best on the team as well.  He also led the team in shot blocks with 124.  Rookie Powers led the team with 53 assists from the blueline and his 62 points was second among the defense and 5th overall on the team.  Powers 112 PIMs and 202 hits also led the team and his 112 shot blocks were second on the team. 
 
Overall, the Rush held on as long as they could with the lack of depth along the blueline and even though the offense could score, they couldn’t keep the puck from going into their own net.  With a decent amount of picks in the upcoming draft, the Rush should be able to restock areas and have some depth to go along with returning players to not only get back into the playoffs next season, but also challenge for the VHLM Championship!
 
In the words of GM Juice -- "We will RUSH to the top of the standing next season."

RUSH TEAM STAT REVIEW
 
The Yukon Rush finished the season with a 25-42-5 record which was good for 55 points on the season and a 5th place finish in the Western Conference.  They finished 21 points out of a playoff spot and and 10th overall in the 12 team league.  They had the same record as Ottawa from the Eastern Conference but the Lynx won the tie breakers and finished 9th. 
 
The actually had the 6th best offense in the league scoring 249 goals on the season but the downfall in the long run was the goals against which was 10th in the league and one of three teams that gave up over 300 goals on the season as the Rush gave up 301 on the season.  Because the offense was so good, the goal difference of -52 on the season was 9th best.
 
RUSH TRADES IN SEASON 77
 
The Rush did make a couple of trades throughout the season as too.  Yukon acquired right winger Apollo from San Diego early in the season for a draft pick.  Another big trade was to get center Lorgo from Mississauga along with some draft picks for Pacheco and some picks as well.  Dugan was sent to San Diego in exchange for a 3rd and 4th round draft picks in the upcoming draft. 
 
As we got closer to the trade deadline and it looked like the Rush would not make it, Yukon shipped out a couple of the better players to the Hounds and 21st.  First, Zakrevsky went to the Hounds for Kiak, Grisby and a 3rd round pick.  Second, The great went to Halifax in exchange for Clouet and a 3rd round pick in the S79 draft.  All of the moves mentioned will help the Rush will depth next season as Yukon will look to make the playoffs and make a run toward the championship as well.
 
RUSH PLAYER REVIEW
 
The goalies faced a ton of shots during the season and played admirably with Cat seeing the bulk of action in 51 games with a 19-29-3 record, 4.04 GAA and a .868 save percentage.  Free agent pick up Jacob Rask, saw action in 21 games with a 6-13-2 record, 4.09 GAA and a .877 save percentage.  Neither goalie had a shutout on the season. 
 
Even though The great was traded, he still led the team in points with 91 and had 43 goals on the season to go along with being a +2, 35 PIMs, 75 hits and 47 shot blocks.  Lorgo was second on the team in points with 84 and goals with 36.  Lemieux had 64 points in 72 games and free agent pick up Johnston had 50 points in 52 games. 
 
After being acquired in a trade, defenseman Kiak was the highest scoring defensemen on team with 77 points in 58 games which was third best and his 51 assists was second best on the team as well.  He also led the team in shot blocks with 124.  Rookie Powers led the team with 53 assists from the blueline and his 62 points was second among the defense and 5th overall on the team.  Powers 112 PIMs and 202 hits also led the team and his 112 shot blocks were second on the team. 
 
Overall, the Rush held on as long as they could with the lack of depth along the blueline and even though the offense could score, they couldn’t keep the puck from going into their own net.  With a decent amount of picks in the upcoming draft, the Rush should be able to restock areas and have some depth to go along with returning players to not only get back into the playoffs next season, but also challenge for the VHLM Championship!
 
In the words of GM Juice -- "We will RUSH to the top of the standing next season."

1 -- losing GM has to write their article for the week based on how great the winning GM is, how the winning GM has shaped his life here in the VHL and how the losing GM will strive to be more like the winning GM in the future
 
2 -- we knew it was going to be a long shot coming into the season to make the playoffs and we gave it as good as a run as we could based on our depth, etc.  It is always a bummer to miss the playoffs but its basically out of reach now for us.
 
3 -- It is a good to move to always improve the club for the future and looking ahead to next season.  The Rush did a great job drafting this season and with another draft like that, the team should be set up real well for the next couple of seasons.
 
4 -- i am sure its something one of my kids did in public when they were young or did something to me
 
5 -- Pennsylvania has been slowly lifting restrictions since the first of the year so things are kinda getting back to normal but i am still working from home and two of my kids are still doing school from home although they will be going back 2 days a week here shortly
 
6 -- i ll watch college basketball and football mainly; NBA once in a while and same with NFL; MLB hardly ever

“Our GM has made a couple of great moves in trading a couple of our top players for other players that will come in and play next season for us and some draft picks.  This will set us up well next season to not only make the playoffs but also challenge for a league championship.  We are in a great drafting position with a lot of picks that will allow us to add some significant talent to the team.”
 
“It was definitely a tough go of things here lately for us but we kept our heads held high and continued to play some solid hockey even though we couldn’t get the wins we needed to keep ourselves in the playoff chase.  You always want to finish the season out strong no matter what and carry that momentum into the next season.”
 
“As for my game, little disappointed here in the past 20ish games or so cause I really thought I could have a good chance at a point per game this season but my goal scoring let me down and that 8% shooting percentage is something I will need to improve upon next season.  I am going to continue to skate and work hard during the off season to hopefully earn a spot on the top line next season.”

“Our GM has made a couple of great moves in trading a couple of our top players for other players that will come in and play next season for us and some draft picks.  This will set us up well next season to not only make the playoffs but also challenge for a league championship.  We are in a great drafting position with a lot of picks that will allow us to add some significant talent to the team.”
 
“It was definitely a tough go of things here lately for us but we kept our heads held high and continued to play some solid hockey even though we couldn’t get the wins we needed to keep ourselves in the playoff chase.  You always want to finish the season out strong no matter what and carry that momentum into the next season.”
 
“As for my game, little disappointed here in the past 20ish games or so cause I really thought I could have a good chance at a point per game this season but my goal scoring let me down and that 8% shooting percentage is something I will need to improve upon next season.  I am going to continue to skate and work hard during the off season to hopefully earn a spot on the top line next season.”

“Our GM has made a couple of great moves in trading a couple of our top players for other players that will come in and play next season for us and some draft picks.  This will set us up well next season to not only make the playoffs but also challenge for a league championship.  We are in a great drafting position with a lot of picks that will allow us to add some significant talent to the team.”
 
“It was definitely a tough go of things here lately for us but we kept our heads held high and continued to play some solid hockey even though we couldn’t get the wins we needed to keep ourselves in the playoff chase.  You always want to finish the season out strong no matter what and carry that momentum into the next season.”
 
“As for my game, little disappointed here in the past 20ish games or so cause I really thought I could have a good chance at a point per game this season but my goal scoring let me down and that 8% shooting percentage is something I will need to improve upon next season.  I am going to continue to skate and work hard during the off season to hopefully earn a spot on the top line next season.”

With the Yukon Rush now 16 points behind San Diego for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference of the VHLM many of their undrafted players have started to turn their attention toward the upcoming off-season and most importantly the VHL draft and for some also the VHLM draft. In this article we will break down each player strengths and weaknesses as well as make some projections about the draft as well, followed by an exclusive interview with the GM of the Yukon Rush @Juice.
 
 
Alex Johnston @Alex_J32
Position: RW
Age: 20
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 198lbs
Birthplace: Vancouver, Canada
Current TPE: 142
Johnston has had a solid season, albeit shorter than most as he joined the Rush 20 games into the season. With that said he has been a good addition to a team that needed a productive forward following the Gaspar Zarevsky trade. In 42 games played Johnston has 20 goals and 18 assists for 38 points. This is a player that loves to generate offence however, his defensive game leaves some to be desired as he is currently a -15 on the year and has racked up 34 penalty minutes. Johnston is also not the most physical player as he prefers to use his speed instead of his body having only 61 hits and 21 blocked shots. Current draft projections have Johnston as the 16th ranked prospect heading into the VHL draft and the 5th ranked VHLM draft eligible player. Among Wingers 3rd heading into the VHL draft. When asked about his potential draft position Johnston said:
 
               "Personally, I don't care when or where I get drafted whether It's in the first or last round. Either way I plan to hopefully have a long and successful career and will play my heart out every game to help my team win.”
 
Johnston went on:
 
                “I know that it is very unlikely that I get picked in the first round given that I have played a rather short season, I would like any team who does take a chance on me to know that I plan to be very active and will constantly improve in whatever areas I can to help the team succeed”
 
Johnston acknowledges that it is very unlikely that he will be a first round pick as he is only a first generation player.
 

Jaromir Lemiuex @hockeyis66
VHLM Drafted: 64th Overall (S77)
Position: RW
Age: 18
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 200lbs
Birthplace: Denmark
Current TPE: 135
Lemiuex has had a great season for the Rush playing in all 62 games. The Rush’s 64th overall pick in the S77 VHLM dispersal draft appears to have been an incredible steal as he’s currently just under a point per game with 16 goals and a total of 59 points and has proven himself to be a top 6 forward in this league. In terms of strengths Lemiuex has an impressive 200-foot game and has managed to maintain a relatively high for the team minus 13 +/-. Although his game is pretty complete Lemiuex’s biggest weakness would be his checking and strength as he hopes to be a more aggressive player in the corners and to win more puck battles along the boards. Heading into the draft Lemiuex is currently ranked 20th overall and is ranked 6th among wingers. Lemiuex had this to say in regard to the upcoming draft when asked about his potential draft position:
 
                “I really don’t have a lot of expectations heading into the draft other than I feel like i am going to get picked late second round to mid third round. I have tried a couple of players before so I am sure that will knock down a bit since they didn’t pan out for me but I have enjoyed writing quotes and articles in the VHL so far and I do not see that changing anytime soon.”
 
Lemiuex added that:
 
                 “I will be happy to be drafted to any team and will do my best to continue to improve while playing at least a couple more seasons in the VHLM before joining the big club. A few teams have reached out so far with questionnaires and have had productive conversations so far with those management teams.”
 

Nathan Powers @JB123
VHLM Drafted: 57th Overall (S77)
Position: D
Age: 17
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 187lbs
Birthplace: Mississauga, Canada
Current TPE: 135
The Rush’s 57th pick in the S77 VHLM draft has proven himself to be a staple on the backend, putting up an impress 6 goals and 47 assists in 62 games. More impressively is Powers’ physical play as he currently ranks 11th in the entire VHLM in hits with 174 and 7th for blocked shots with 100. Needless to say, whom ever drafts this player is getting a dominant physical puck moving defenseman. Overall Powers has a very well rounded game however he does struggle to stay out of the penalty box wit 106 penalty minutes, good enough for 10th in the league. Powers is currently ranked 21st overall heading into the draft and is the 10th ranked defenseman. When asked about his hopes for the draft Powers said:
 
                “My number one goal heading into the draft is to be a 1st round pick. I'm not quite sure how realistic that is as of now, but I think if I continue to work hard, it's a definite possibility.”
 

James P Albini @Ttro89
VHLM Drafted: 56th Overall (S77)
Position: LW
Age: 18
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 175lbs
Birthplace: Denmark
Current TPE: 61
The Rush’s 56th overall pick from the S77 draft has had a relatively poor season recording 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points in 62 games played. Albini has also seen his minutes drop from 18 to an average of 13 minutes a game. Over the 59 games this season Albini has recorded 56 penalty minutes, 13 blocked shots and is a minus 15. Albini is currently the 97th ranked draft eligible player however I wouldn’t be surprised if he went undrafted as he has been inactive since the week of April 4th. Albini was unavailable for comment.
 

Zen Raider @bRaidsz
Position: RW
Age: 17
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 180lbs
Birthplace: St. Louis, USA
Current TPE: 84
Raider another rookie signed as a free agent by the Rush has had an impressive impact on the roster given his rather limited role averaging around 12 minutes a night. Raider has been a solid depth piece for the Rush Scoring 3 goals and adding 3 assists in 20 games. Scoring is not Raiders strongest feature that would be his physical play recording 21 hits while only having 6 penalty minutes. The defensive aspect of Raiders game is impressive as well as he is only a minus 5 despite the Rush’s recent struggles to keep the puck out of the net. Raider is currently the 58th ranked player heading into the VHL draft and is ranked 30th among those eligible for the draft. When asked about his expectations for the draft  Raider stated that:
 
                “I don’t necessarily have to high of expectations for the draft since I haven’t been reached out to yet.”
 
Raider added in regards to a hopeful team to be drafted by:
 
                 “ I don’t have a preference as being drafted is a reward in its own right.”
 

Pippo Coca @pippo
Position: C
Age: 20
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 150lbs
Birthplace: Italy
Current TPE: 88
So far Coca has had a very short lived VHLM career having only played 18 games. In those 18 games Coca has shown some promise as a productive scoring center scoring 5 goals on only 34 shots, Coca added 2 assists for a total of 7 points. Coca’s game does however lack defence and a physical aspect as he is a minus 5 +/- and only has 4 hits and no blocked shots. Coca is improving at a solid consistent rate over his career and I look forward to seeing what the future brings for this goal scoring center. Currently Coca is ranked 46th in the VHL draft class and 20th among the player eligible for the VHLM draft. When asked about his hopes for the upcoming draft Coca stated that he hopes to become one of the all-time greats in the VHL.
 

Mitchell Osborne @OzNasty 
Position: D
Age: 23
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 212lbs
Birthplace: Canada
Current TPE: 82
Osborne joined the rush as a rookie free agent on just the second day of the season and since then has developed into a physical defensive defenceman that should strike fear into the opposing team. In just 59 games Osborne has recorded 114 hits, 91 shots blocked and 82 penalty minutes, the most impressive stat has to be Osborne’s +/- as he currently is the only player on a struggling team to have a positive +/-, sitting at a remarkable +10. Osborne’s offensive production is not quite at the level of others in the draft class as he only has 6 goals and 23 assists for a total of 29 points. With that being said those 6 goals have come off of only 57 shots for an above average shooting percentage, Osborne has also been solid on the powerplay scoring 4 powerplay goals on the season. Heading into the final week of the season Osborne is ranked 59th for the VHL draft and 31st among those eligible for the VHLM draft. Osborne was unavailable for comment.
 

Jacob Rask @BostonBruinsFan1806 
Position: G
Age: 16
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 189lbs
Birthplace: Canada
Current TPE: 86
Rask has had an impressive stretch of games lately and has contributed positively toward pulling the Rush out of their recent slump. Having played 19 games Rask has recorded 6 wins, 11 losses, and 2 overtime losses. Throughout the time that Rask has been in the league he has put up a 0.88 save percentage and a 4.05 goals against average. Given the small sample size it is difficult to identify any strengths and weaknesses yet however, it will surely be interesting to see how Rask develops in the coming seasons and to see if he can earn a starting role next season in the VHLM. Currently Rask is ranked 47th for the VHL draft and is the 5th ranked goalie, Rask is ranked 21st among VHLM draft eligible players. When asked about his thoughts going into the draft Rask said that he hopes to go in the first round, in the VHLM draft he hopes to stay in Yukon furthermore, Rask also hopes to get drafted by Toronto in the VHL draft as it is "Close to home".
 
 
As @Juice prepares for the VHLM Draft I decided to ask him a few questions regarding his hopes for his draft eligible players, as well as if he had any words for his players, here is that conversation:
 
With 2 of your first 4 picks in the last VHLM draft you selected Powers and Lemiuex, what sort of impact have they had on the team this year?
 
Juice: “Immense impact. To be honest, going into the draft as a newer GM with only a few picks, and all of them only being in the very late rounds, I was a bit scared that we'd only hit inactive players if anything. To grab a top-2 defenseman and a top-6 forward, both of whom are earning like crazy as well is absolutely heart warming to see. Their impact on the stat-sheet says it for themselves that they're top line players, but their impact as great team members away from the sim is also great to see. Both Powers and Lemiuex want to make their players the best they can be, and ultimately be a great addition to the team overall. I've been approached a few times to see if they are at all available, and I can for sure say that they are untouchable.”
 
You have made several rookie signings throughout the year, what are your expectations for them heading into both the VHL and VHLM draft?
 
Juice: “Yes, thankfully the Rush have been able to pick-up quite a few rookies, and some great rookies at that like Johnston that have been amazing additions to the team and ultimately core members that have 'Yukon Rush' written all over them, and are obvious targets for me in the upcoming draft. In regards to expectations, I have none. I want each player to experience the VHL anyway they please, whether it's max earning and making a god-tier player, or having a more casual route. Thus with that being said, don't let the draft mold your experience either. You can be taken 1st overall or 50th overall, but where you go from there is what counts. What I will say is that I have glowing recommendations for all my Rush players, as each one has amazing qualities and I'll definitely be looking at them at the VHLM draft.”
 
Being a GM do you have any words for your draft eligible players?
 
Juice: “My only words would be to have fun with the draft. I know several players have approached me and let me know that they want to be Rush for as long as they are with the VHLM. Don't be gutted if you don't go where you're hoping to in both the VHLM and VHL draft. You are all amazing players and people in your own right, and I know that wherever you go that you'll be quality there too. You'll always be a Rush at heart though.”
 
As the Yukon Rush’s season comes to a close there is still a chance that they could overcome the 16 point deficit and squeak their way into the playoffs as they do have several games left against the team that they are chasing. Let’s keep extra attention on these draft eligible players to see if they can impress the VHL or will they crack under the pressure.
 
A special thank you to everyone who answered my questions:
@Juice
@hockeyis66
@bRaidsz
@JB123
@pippo
@BostonBruinsFan1806
 
Words: 2283
Claiming 1/4

Well it took me a week of pondering if I should do an actual version of this rather than my meme one of 'What if I wasn't a @dlamb multi' alternate universe.
 
Ultimately, I wanted to do an actual try at making a realistic one for this, so let's take a look at:
 
 What if @thadthrasherdidn't deny me a shot at being his AGM in San Diego and I didn't go to Mexico City under @Hylands?
 

 
Now, a little backstory on this. Technically speaking, I never wanted to be apart of any sort of management when I first came into the VHL. I wanted to only focus on making my player a 12 max capped player for his whole career and have a nice chill time with the community. However, the more I interacted with people in VHL (de)gen chat and got to meet some really cool members, the more invested I was feeling in the community and felt like maybe management is something I could give it more of a thought of doing. With this being said, I wanted to make sure I only applied for jobs that I actually felt I could get along with the GM, not felt like I was being assigned all their duties but instead actually learning and helping in a cooperative manner, and overall if I actually liked the GM overall.
 
Cut to the announcement of the new San Diego Marlins VHLM team GM: Thadthrasher! At this time, I was talking with thad here and there in the discord and I felt like him and I got along pretty well, and is ultimately someone I could see that if he didn't already have someone in mind, that I would put in an application to be his AGM, as although there was several AGM openings, he was the only one I either knew or just someone I got along with.
 
Thus, when there was an announcement that Thad was looking for an AGM, I was actually quite excited. So much so, that instead of doing just the normal 'Hey, I'm interested in the position!' comment that you normally see done, I actually try-harded so badly that I made a legit resume based on my irl resume and sent it to Thad over DM.
 
If you think I'm joking, please find it here:


 
Part cringe, part try-hard, fully ready to be Thad's AGM. With this and answering his pre-signing questions to the best of my ability, and being told by a few people that Thad was high on me, I had a great feeling that I was going to actually have a management position after being really strict on not wanting to be an AGM.
 
*record scratch* Thad choose Prout to be his AGM shortly afterwards.
 
Heartbroken and rejected, I figured that it would be a long, long time until I went after another AGM position as I didn't really know anyone else looking for one and I'd continue to abide by what I'd look for in that position. And this also kickstarted my long rivalry with Thad, which then contributed to the current Yukon v San Diego VHLM war.
 
However, things work out in funny ways. Another AGM opening happened, and although I didn't know this Hylands guy and I didn't even make a post on his announcement looking for one, Hylands approached me directly after Thad recommended me and gave him my resume above. He must have an awful sense of humour, because he immediately asked if I wanted to be the Assistant General Manger of the Mexico City Kings in the VHLM.
 
Thus, I became his AGM there, found out he's a funny dude and all around a solid person, went on a cinderella run to the first Founder's Cup in Mexico City Kings' history and Hylands' first cup win, met some amazing people in the Mexico City Kings discord that I hold near and dear (shoutout to @Vat who is my first ever gem of a waiver pickup), and helped lead me to where I am today as the Yukon Rush GM.
 
The friends I've met and the things that happened during my run alongside @Hylands is some unforgettable stuff, and I attribute pretty much everything to him for teaching me and introducing me to some o the best people in my mind in the VHL.
 
However, what would have happened if Thad did like my resume and answers enough to name me his AGM?
 
Let's shoot back to the opening for the San Diego Marlins AGM position and go step-by-step. As this was happening back in the beginning of January, this was just over 3 months ago and almost 2 full VHLM seasons ago.
 
>I would say that if Thad accepted me as his assistant general manager, I would say that immediately wouldn't have probably met or at least wouldn't have gotten along as well as I did with Hylands, nor with the people in Mexico City (shoutout to @GlowyGoat, @Vat, and Dyl) or the people Hylands introduced me to (shoutout to @rory, @.sniffuM, and @Esso2264) , which would be quite sad to think about as they also helped me get more invested in the VHL and overall are great people to talk to.
>Next, I would say that I would have probably gotten closer to Thad, another pal @Eldredman, and @LuluSalesAway, as we'd be closer compared to interacting here and there in the San Diego LR for the memer bot and in For Honor.
>I think overall the changes Thad made to the San Diego Marlins discord and overall vibe would be the same, as we're on similar wave-lengths. He's completely revamped the locker-room and discord to make it a friendly and fun place, and is one thing I give him huge kudos for.
>I'd say the S76 season runs the same course, as the Marlins were quite awful and there wasn't much changing that. I don't mind any of the trades Thad did in his first year and I'd probably say I'd give to 'go' sign for them as well.
 
So already in the first year of being in the VHLM under Thad, I would say that I would lose a lot of good connections with people (would I have gained more under San Diego? I'm really unsure of who was in San Diego in S76, but I don't think there was as many connections as with Hylands) whilst getting closer to a few people I've already met. It would depend on what type of person you are (become better friends with who you know, or branch out to more), but I think either way I would be extremely happy. I'd be biased to Hylands as that's what I've experienced, but either way I don't think I could go wrong in that sense. However, what would be different is the experience in regards to how the season played out. You have really quite the opposite seasons between the Kings and the Marlins, with one team being the champs and one team ending up picking first overall after a rough season.
 
>Heading into the next season and before the draft, Hylands got brought up to Malmo and additionally brought me up to be his assistant general manager there. I think this helped play a part into myself getting the Yukon job soon afterwards. I would say in the alternative universe, I would of course stay with Thad in San Diego and although attempting to get the Yukon job, it would probably go to someone with more + better experience in management and more known around the league, for example to someone like @dlamb who I figured was the next best candidate after me (honestly figured he would get the Yukon job).
>Thus, I would have stayed with San Diego for the S77 draft and helped with the pre-draft interviews, which were something I enjoyed doing and found some amazing picks in the late round as the Yukon GM, which I would have probably urged Thad to pick in the draft like @JB123 and @hockeyis66 and @SexyWrench which could have made San Diego that much better getting a few additional 100+ TPE players.
>With these additional players, and including maybe the free agent goalie I pursued in @Tropicalfire which would give San Diego another edge, I think San Diego would be in a better position than currently at 8th in the VHLM. Despite this, I would say they would still fall short due to the current powerhouses in Mississauga and Minnesota, but overall they would be in a better place with more core members to build around for a better chance at competing in S78.
 
--------------
 
In summary, you could say I really could not be here today as the Rush GM if it wasn't for the recommendation to Hylands by Thad after he went a different route for Assistant General Manager, and although I would say I would be having a good time in the VHL, I don't really think I could imagine myself if I didn't end up as the Mexico City Kings AGM as they really shaped how I view and experienced the league up to now.
 
So with that, a huge kudos to @thadthrasher for enjoying my application so much he personally suggested me to another GM, and another kudos to @Hylands for all the help and ultimately being one of the best people I could have met in the VHL.
 
Things work out in the strangest ways sometimes, but they don't always end up bad and sometimes turn out to be the best outcomes.
 
(1596 words, claiming for theme week + weeks ending in 4/25, 5/2, and 5/9)

What if…what if during the last expansion, the VHL expanded into 24 teams – 12 in Europe and 12 in North America with stipulations being an East/West divisions for both, the cities in Europe must be a major city and in North America, the cities cannot have a current NHL team – what would this look like potentially.  In the North American divisions, I would like to have 3 Canadian and 3 United States cities in each one.
 

 
In the Europe West Division – London, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Budapest to hit all of the major cities in predominate hockey countries and keeping it to one city per country as well.  Travel would be pretty easy the cities as well with the only trip over water having to play in London.  Other cities in play would be Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid and Rome.  Amsterdam would probably be next on the list with Madrid and Rome last on the list since they are farther east and south and more in a warmer climate than the other ones.
 
In the Europe East Division – Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Moscow, Riga and Warsaw would be my top 6 picks with Minsk, Kiev, Copenhagen and Bucharest just missing the cut.  Keeping the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden and Finland together would make for some great rivalries and travel would not be too bad either as a team could play all 3 of the Nordic teams in a row or all 3 of other teams to the east of the Baltic Sea at once. 
I like my mix of cities here in Europe – travel is easy and there are natural rivalries between the cities already.  As the VHL continues to grow, there are already cities that could easily jump into the league in both divisions to keep the travel at a minimum and the competition high.
 
North America West – For the US Cities and using the Mississippi River as the divider between West and East, I would go with Portland, Salt Lake City and Kansas City to give a nice spread of coastal, mountain and Midwestern flavor.  For the Canadian cities, I would pick Victoria, Saskatoon and Regina.  Victoria and Portland would end up having a nice rivalry on Western coast and the other 4 hit my Mountain/Midwestern look that I was hoping to achieve.   Fargo and Boise would be a couple of US cities that come to mind as potential destinations as well while maybe Moose Jaw and Red Deer just miss the Canadian city cut.
 
North America East – Quebec and Hartford are in no matter what.  No agreement.  No discussion.  They are in.  Period.  For my other two Eastern US cities, I am going to keep with the Midwestern/Great Lakes theme here and select Cleveland and Milwaukee.  Two Midwestern cities both situated on Great Lakes and easy access to Canada.  Nothing south or below the Mason-Dixon line.  Also thought of Cincy and Indy and possible Baltimore here, but being a Pittsburgh native my whole and selecting Cleveland should tell you a whole lot.  Lots of choices for the two Canadian teams, but I am going to go with Hamilton and Halifax.  Hamilton is close to Cleveland and will make for a nice rivalry there and Halifax is a coastal town which will match up nicely with Hartford.
 
Same as with Europe, I am happy with the overall mix of the North American cities – coastal, Midwest and mountain – and nothing more south than Kansas City.  And with as the same as Europe too, there are still good possibilities to expand into. 

What if…what if during the last expansion, the VHL expanded into 24 teams – 12 in Europe and 12 in North America with stipulations being an East/West divisions for both, the cities in Europe must be a major city and in North America, the cities cannot have a current NHL team – what would this look like potentially.  In the North American divisions, I would like to have 3 Canadian and 3 United States cities in each one.
 

 
In the Europe West Division – London, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Budapest to hit all of the major cities in predominate hockey countries and keeping it to one city per country as well.  Travel would be pretty easy the cities as well with the only trip over water having to play in London.  Other cities in play would be Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid and Rome.  Amsterdam would probably be next on the list with Madrid and Rome last on the list since they are farther east and south and more in a warmer climate than the other ones.
 
In the Europe East Division – Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Moscow, Riga and Warsaw would be my top 6 picks with Minsk, Kiev, Copenhagen and Bucharest just missing the cut.  Keeping the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden and Finland together would make for some great rivalries and travel would not be too bad either as a team could play all 3 of the Nordic teams in a row or all 3 of other teams to the east of the Baltic Sea at once. 
I like my mix of cities here in Europe – travel is easy and there are natural rivalries between the cities already.  As the VHL continues to grow, there are already cities that could easily jump into the league in both divisions to keep the travel at a minimum and the competition high.
 
North America West – For the US Cities and using the Mississippi River as the divider between West and East, I would go with Portland, Salt Lake City and Kansas City to give a nice spread of coastal, mountain and Midwestern flavor.  For the Canadian cities, I would pick Victoria, Saskatoon and Regina.  Victoria and Portland would end up having a nice rivalry on Western coast and the other 4 hit my Mountain/Midwestern look that I was hoping to achieve.   Fargo and Boise would be a couple of US cities that come to mind as potential destinations as well while maybe Moose Jaw and Red Deer just miss the Canadian city cut.
 
North America East – Quebec and Hartford are in no matter what.  No agreement.  No discussion.  They are in.  Period.  For my other two Eastern US cities, I am going to keep with the Midwestern/Great Lakes theme here and select Cleveland and Milwaukee.  Two Midwestern cities both situated on Great Lakes and easy access to Canada.  Nothing south or below the Mason-Dixon line.  Also thought of Cincy and Indy and possible Baltimore here, but being a Pittsburgh native my whole and selecting Cleveland should tell you a whole lot.  Lots of choices for the two Canadian teams, but I am going to go with Hamilton and Halifax.  Hamilton is close to Cleveland and will make for a nice rivalry there and Halifax is a coastal town which will match up nicely with Hartford.
 
Same as with Europe, I am happy with the overall mix of the North American cities – coastal, Midwest and mountain – and nothing more south than Kansas City.  And with as the same as Europe too, there are still good possibilities to expand into. 

What if…what if during the last expansion, the VHL expanded into 24 teams – 12 in Europe and 12 in North America with stipulations being an East/West divisions for both, the cities in Europe must be a major city and in North America, the cities cannot have a current NHL team – what would this look like potentially.  In the North American divisions, I would like to have 3 Canadian and 3 United States cities in each one.
 

 
In the Europe West Division – London, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Budapest to hit all of the major cities in predominate hockey countries and keeping it to one city per country as well.  Travel would be pretty easy the cities as well with the only trip over water having to play in London.  Other cities in play would be Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid and Rome.  Amsterdam would probably be next on the list with Madrid and Rome last on the list since they are farther east and south and more in a warmer climate than the other ones.
 
In the Europe East Division – Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Moscow, Riga and Warsaw would be my top 6 picks with Minsk, Kiev, Copenhagen and Bucharest just missing the cut.  Keeping the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden and Finland together would make for some great rivalries and travel would not be too bad either as a team could play all 3 of the Nordic teams in a row or all 3 of other teams to the east of the Baltic Sea at once. 
I like my mix of cities here in Europe – travel is easy and there are natural rivalries between the cities already.  As the VHL continues to grow, there are already cities that could easily jump into the league in both divisions to keep the travel at a minimum and the competition high.
 
North America West – For the US Cities and using the Mississippi River as the divider between West and East, I would go with Portland, Salt Lake City and Kansas City to give a nice spread of coastal, mountain and Midwestern flavor.  For the Canadian cities, I would pick Victoria, Saskatoon and Regina.  Victoria and Portland would end up having a nice rivalry on Western coast and the other 4 hit my Mountain/Midwestern look that I was hoping to achieve.   Fargo and Boise would be a couple of US cities that come to mind as potential destinations as well while maybe Moose Jaw and Red Deer just miss the Canadian city cut.
 
North America East – Quebec and Hartford are in no matter what.  No agreement.  No discussion.  They are in.  Period.  For my other two Eastern US cities, I am going to keep with the Midwestern/Great Lakes theme here and select Cleveland and Milwaukee.  Two Midwestern cities both situated on Great Lakes and easy access to Canada.  Nothing south or below the Mason-Dixon line.  Also thought of Cincy and Indy and possible Baltimore here, but being a Pittsburgh native my whole and selecting Cleveland should tell you a whole lot.  Lots of choices for the two Canadian teams, but I am going to go with Hamilton and Halifax.  Hamilton is close to Cleveland and will make for a nice rivalry there and Halifax is a coastal town which will match up nicely with Hartford.
 
Same as with Europe, I am happy with the overall mix of the North American cities – coastal, Midwest and mountain – and nothing more south than Kansas City.  And with as the same as Europe too, there are still good possibilities to expand into. 

1 -- we have gotten ourselves in a little bit of a pickle now that we are 10 points behind SD for that final playoff spot -- its going to be a tough climb, but i think we have the tools in place to make up the ground and challenge for that spot
 
2 -- i have heard from a few teams already and it will be cool to get to the VHL eventually, but i am excited to play in the VHLM for a couple more seasons 
 
3 -- yes i definitely will, its a pretty cool idea and something fun to write about
 
4 -- oreo for sure
 
5 -- Joe Namath
 
6 -- we got Jeff Carter which isnt that bad of a pickup and gives us some depth down the middle with Malkin out potentially long term and Tanev basically out till at least the playoffs

It has been a tough go of it lately for the Yukon Rush as they have fallen 10 points behind San Diego for the 4th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.  They were also scoring more goals than they were giving up, but now have given up more goals than they have scored.  “We haven’t played well recently and we have put ourselves in a position now were we have to play catch up and hope the Marlins lose.  We split games with them last week too so we didn’t really make up any ground in the head to head matchups.”
 
Lemiuex has also dropped below a point per game average now with 47 points in 49 games on 14 goals and 33 assists.  He was also a “+” player but is now a -9 on the season.  “I really have to continue to up my game here in the second half of the season and play better defense.  I have to skate hard on the back check, help to clear out in front of the net and get the puck out from in front of our net.  I am scoring a little more too, but its still not enough and have to get my shooting percentage up over 10% and closer to 12-15% on the season.”

With the season a little more than halfway over, the conference standings are starting to shake out with teams pulling away in the first couple of spots and the teams at the bottom fighting for playoff spots in what will turn out to be a couple of tight races here in the second half of the season.
 
EASTERN CONFERENCE
 
Mississauga – What can you say about the Hounds?  They are 39-3 on the season and will be clinching a playoff spot here soon.  They have the best offense in the league scoring nearly 200 goals in 42 games and only give up 89 goals which is just over 2 goals a game.  Spinelli in goal has a 1.96 GAA and a save percentage of .912 while winning 32 of 35 games.  Lambert, Nasherov and Wachiure lead the team in scoring and form a tough first line to matchup against.
 
Miami – The Marauders are in a distant second place but have a firm hold on a playoff spot with 56 points.  They currently have the second best defense in the league and can also put the puck in the net as well with 3 20 goal scorers in Alexander The Great, Trevor Wallace and Noah Mashford.  ClapbombsRUs has a 2.49 GAA and a save percentage of .883 this season.
 
Minnesota – The Storm sit in third place with an 8 point lead on the 5th place team.  They have basically scored the same amount of goals this season that they have given up.  Grapes and Puhovs are their only two players averaging more than a point per game but Vaughn has been solid in net with a .885 save percentage and a 2.83 GAA.
 
Halifax – The 21st are in the 4th and final playoff spot, 5 games up on the 5th place team but only 3 points behind the Storm.  They are better offensively than the other two, but not as good defensively.  Glass leads the team in goals, assists and points while they have split goaltending duties between Bustard and Johnson with Bustard having a little better season statistically.
 
Ottawa and Philadelphia – The Lynx and Reapers sit in 5th and 6th place respectively.  The Lynx are 5 points back of a playoff spot while the Reapers are 11 back.  The Lynx are not a bad team defensively, but are the worst team in the league offensively.  The Reapers can score but have trouble keeping the puck out of their own net as they are the next to worst team in the league defensively.
 
WESTERN CONFERENCE
 
Saskatoon – The Wild lead the conference with 60 points and are ahead of the second place team by 7 points and are in no real danger of missing the playoffs.  They are second best team in the league goal scoring wise while being one of the better defensive teams.  Montana and Mackenzie have both over 70 points on the season with both players scoring 35 goals.  Bowman has 29 wins, a .890 save percentage and a 2.53 GAA. 
 
Houston – The Bulls are currently in second place and only two points up on 3rd place Las Vegas in a battle for home ice in the first round.  They score less goals and give up more than Vegas but have more regulation and OT wins.  They also have two 70+ point scorers in Myers and Senjo and Van Giersbergen has been solid in net with a 2.89 GAA and a .890 save percentage.
 
Las Vegas – The Aces are in 3rd place in the conference and have a playoff spot down while looking to move up into either second or first in which they are 9 points out of.  McDagg leads the team in goals and points while defenseman Tipton is second on the team in points and leads the Aces in assists.  Karlsson has been tough in goal with a 2.66 GAA and a .891 save percentage.
 
San Diego and Yukon – The real battle will take place between the Marlins and Rush for the final playoff spot.  The Marlins have a 5 point lead and a game on hand on the Rush.  The teams have a similar goal difference but the Marlins score less than the Rush and also give up less goals.  The Rush can score but cant keep the puck from going into their own net though.  The teams face each other 7 more times the rest of the season.
 
Mexico City – The Kings have only won 6 games on the season and have 14 points which is 23 behind the 4th place Marlins.  Miklavz leads the team in goals with 22 and points with 47 while defenseman Sova has the most assists with 28.

With the season a little more than halfway over, the conference standings are starting to shake out with teams pulling away in the first couple of spots and the teams at the bottom fighting for playoff spots in what will turn out to be a couple of tight races here in the second half of the season.
 
EASTERN CONFERENCE
 
Mississauga – What can you say about the Hounds?  They are 39-3 on the season and will be clinching a playoff spot here soon.  They have the best offense in the league scoring nearly 200 goals in 42 games and only give up 89 goals which is just over 2 goals a game.  Spinelli in goal has a 1.96 GAA and a save percentage of .912 while winning 32 of 35 games.  Lambert, Nasherov and Wachiure lead the team in scoring and form a tough first line to matchup against.
 
Miami – The Marauders are in a distant second place but have a firm hold on a playoff spot with 56 points.  They currently have the second best defense in the league and can also put the puck in the net as well with 3 20 goal scorers in Alexander The Great, Trevor Wallace and Noah Mashford.  ClapbombsRUs has a 2.49 GAA and a save percentage of .883 this season.
 
Minnesota – The Storm sit in third place with an 8 point lead on the 5th place team.  They have basically scored the same amount of goals this season that they have given up.  Grapes and Puhovs are their only two players averaging more than a point per game but Vaughn has been solid in net with a .885 save percentage and a 2.83 GAA.
 
Halifax – The 21st are in the 4th and final playoff spot, 5 games up on the 5th place team but only 3 points behind the Storm.  They are better offensively than the other two, but not as good defensively.  Glass leads the team in goals, assists and points while they have split goaltending duties between Bustard and Johnson with Bustard having a little better season statistically.
 
Ottawa and Philadelphia – The Lynx and Reapers sit in 5th and 6th place respectively.  The Lynx are 5 points back of a playoff spot while the Reapers are 11 back.  The Lynx are not a bad team defensively, but are the worst team in the league offensively.  The Reapers can score but have trouble keeping the puck out of their own net as they are the next to worst team in the league defensively.
 
WESTERN CONFERENCE
 
Saskatoon – The Wild lead the conference with 60 points and are ahead of the second place team by 7 points and are in no real danger of missing the playoffs.  They are second best team in the league goal scoring wise while being one of the better defensive teams.  Montana and Mackenzie have both over 70 points on the season with both players scoring 35 goals.  Bowman has 29 wins, a .890 save percentage and a 2.53 GAA. 
 
Houston – The Bulls are currently in second place and only two points up on 3rd place Las Vegas in a battle for home ice in the first round.  They score less goals and give up more than Vegas but have more regulation and OT wins.  They also have two 70+ point scorers in Myers and Senjo and Van Giersbergen has been solid in net with a 2.89 GAA and a .890 save percentage.
 
Las Vegas – The Aces are in 3rd place in the conference and have a playoff spot down while looking to move up into either second or first in which they are 9 points out of.  McDagg leads the team in goals and points while defenseman Tipton is second on the team in points and leads the Aces in assists.  Karlsson has been tough in goal with a 2.66 GAA and a .891 save percentage.
 
San Diego and Yukon – The real battle will take place between the Marlins and Rush for the final playoff spot.  The Marlins have a 5 point lead and a game on hand on the Rush.  The teams have a similar goal difference but the Marlins score less than the Rush and also give up less goals.  The Rush can score but cant keep the puck from going into their own net though.  The teams face each other 7 more times the rest of the season.
 
Mexico City – The Kings have only won 6 games on the season and have 14 points which is 23 behind the 4th place Marlins.  Miklavz leads the team in goals with 22 and points with 47 while defenseman Sova has the most assists with 28.

Through 33 games, Jaromir Lemieux has 8 goals and 26 assists for 34 points on the season and a point per game average.  “Its not like I am not taking any shots on goal as I am averaging almost 3 shots per game, I am not just hitting the back of the net like I thought I would, but still having 26 assists and being able to set up my teammates is just as good since we can score well.”
 
Lemieux is also a -1 on the season with 45 hits, 16 PIMs and 10 shot blocks.  He has also contributed 2 power play goals and a game winning goal as well.  “Coach has confidence in me that I can play in all situations and that’s what I eventually wanted when I was drafted by the Rush.  I wanted to show that I can play both offense and defense and be counted on during the penalty kill.”
 
With the Rush sitting one point out of a playoff spot right, the team knows that it will need to get every point possible here in the second half of the season and it will all start on the defensive side of the ice.  “We know we have to play better defensively and that will be a focus in the final 40+ games and we cant leave our goalie out to dry.  We have to limit shots against him and clear out in front of the net to limit the other team’s chances.”

Through 33 games, Jaromir Lemieux has 8 goals and 26 assists for 34 points on the season and a point per game average.  “Its not like I am not taking any shots on goal as I am averaging almost 3 shots per game, I am not just hitting the back of the net like I thought I would, but still having 26 assists and being able to set up my teammates is just as good since we can score well.”
 
Lemieux is also a -1 on the season with 45 hits, 16 PIMs and 10 shot blocks.  He has also contributed 2 power play goals and a game winning goal as well.  “Coach has confidence in me that I can play in all situations and that’s what I eventually wanted when I was drafted by the Rush.  I wanted to show that I can play both offense and defense and be counted on during the penalty kill.”
 
With the Rush sitting one point out of a playoff spot right, the team knows that it will need to get every point possible here in the second half of the season and it will all start on the defensive side of the ice.  “We know we have to play better defensively and that will be a focus in the final 40+ games and we cant leave our goalie out to dry.  We have to limit shots against him and clear out in front of the net to limit the other team’s chances.”

1 -- there is definately no harm in trying a little more defensive approach -- we should be able to score goals either way, but definately helping to protect the goalie and maybe giving up less shots per game should help bring down the goals against
 
2 -- right now my focus is doing whatever i can to get us into the playoffs and if that means going out and playing extra hard against a team like that, thens thats what i will do to ensure we get the win and they get no points
 
3 -- no interest, too old for that stuff anymore
 
4 -- very nice, good food, good weather and lots of hockey on the driveway
 
5 -- Tiramisu
 
6 -- Thunderstruck by AC/DC

1 -- It was a solid trade for both sides and one that will give us some much needed depth on the blue line this season and next season as well as another forward for us.  We have a tough road ahead of us to make the playoffs, so this was a good deal for us to move a great player for some assets that will help us in the long run.
 
2 -- I think we definately have a chance for sure -- we have been playing better as of late and now with some blueline help, that should keep our shots and goals against down a little bit and give us a chance to climb back up the standings
 
3 -- i am hoping to have a 20 goal, 30 assists, 50 point season 
 
4 -- i am in different about it, havent really looked at any team or anything like that since i will be spending at least another season or two in the VHLM
 
5 -- oh yeah absolutely its been great, management has been awesome and everyone in the LR gets along good, wouldnt change a thing at all
 
6 -- Even with all of our injuries and stuff, Pittsburgh has done well so far, but at some point, losing your top players for any significant period of time will eventually catch up to you 

Absolutely wonderful write-up @hockeyis66! Great to see our team on paper and hopefully as discussed we can get some more defensive support, as so far our offense (with you included 😉) has been phenomenal.

The Yukon Rush is coming off of S76 in which they finished 3rd in the Western Conference with a record of 43-21-8 which was good for 94 points on the season.  After beating Miami 4 games to 2 in the first round, the Rush were swept in the semi-finals by Houston 4 games to 0.  This season will be different since the Rush does not have the depth that they had last season especially on defense and will look to the waiver wire and free agents to fill the void there. 
 
Goaltender – Darcy Cat – In this third season in the VHLM and second full season, Cat will be the full time starter for the Rush after spending last season with the San Diego Marlins.  Cat signed with the Rush after being released by the Marlins after posting an 11-58-3 record for them last season.  Cat had a .866 save percentage and a 4.76 GAA and no shutouts in 72 games for San Diego.  Cat will face a ton of shots this season due to the lack of depth on the blue line and will be called upon to keep the Rush in games.
 

Cat making one of many saves on the season for the Rush
 
Defense – Nathan Powers – Powers was drafted by the Rush 57th overall in the VHLM draft and has played in 10 games so far this season with a goal and 5 assists for 6 points.  He has 10 PIMs, 12 hits and 12 shot blocks while being a -6 on the season.  Powers is a good skater and passer while playing solid defense and chipping in with a little offense as well.
 
Defense – Mitchell Osborne – Osborne has joined the Rush as a free agent after the season started and has a goal and 3 assists in 7 games to go along with 8 PIMs, 8 hits, 6 shots and a -2 while helping to provide some depth on the blue line.  He is a perfect complement to Powers since Osborne is more physical and more of a stay at home defensemen right now.
 

Osborne knocking an opponent to the ice with a big hit
 
Centers – The great and Lorgo Pompronkimishkonov – The great will be the #1 center on the team and is an all-around center that can pass, skate, defend and can shoot.   Lorgo can defend and score and will be on the second line.  The great has 7 goals and 8 assists in 10 games this season while Lorgo has 8 goals and 8 assists in 10 games.  They are second and third on the team in points so far this season.
 
Wingers – Gaspar Zakrevsky, James Albini, Jaromir Lemieux, Apollo, Emils Pless – Zakrevsky currently leads the team in goals, assists and points and will play in all situations since he is a good defender, can skate and can handle the puck.  Albini is 4th on the team with 9 points on 4 goals and 5 assists.  He has a solid overall game between defense, offense and passing and isn’t afraid to throw his body around checking wise.  Lemieux has 8 points so far, all assists, while working on becoming a two-way forward that can play a full 200 foot game.  Apollo has 2 goals and 5 assists this season and is your prototypical power forward who can score and check and Pless has 2 assists on the season as a scoring/checking type of forward as well.