Grape

Game 49:
Miami Marauders vs. Mississauga Hounds

Go to Playoff Tree

Shawty Nananana might have a little gas left in the tank

All aboard the Slezak Train

The Miami Marauders currently find themselves gearing up for game five of the VHLM Founders Cup, against the second-best regular season team, Mississauga Hounds. While the team has found timely scoring in the three-playoff series they have been in, in all honestly the Marauders would not be in the position they are if not for the play of goaltender David Slezak. Slezak has played in all seventeen playoff games the Marauders have played in Season Ninety, winning ten of those seventeen games he has started. Slezak has also put up some pretty eye-popping numbers, as he currently sits second in safe percentage in the playoffs (.912), behind Jose Avocado who played only five games in the playoffs. Slezak has also put up the third best goals against average in the playoffs, putting up a 2.47 GAA, while also leading the goalies in the playoffs with two shutouts. With those amazing numbers being put up by Slezak, one has to wonder If Miami is able to pull off the upset, will the VHLM see its second consecutive goalie taking home the Skyler Rift trophy at the conclusion of the season?

VHLM Dispersal Draft Outlook
With the VHLM Season just a week or so away from seeing a new Founder Cup champion crowned, in this week’s article, we will take a way too early look ahead at what the VHLM Dispersal Draft may look like with the current eligible players. With eight of the ten VHLM franchises currently holding onto their own first round draft choice, the draft order may look a little different come draft day, but we will look at the picks based on current regular season standings.
Ottawa Lynx:

Ottawa has had a rough go of it recently in the VHLM, being at or near the bottom of the standings the last three VHLM seasons. This is one pick I could see moving prior to the VHLM draft, as Ottawa currently holds only six total picks in the draft, with only two of those picks coming in the first two rounds. Regardless if the pick is moved or not, we believe the consensus First Overall pick in the VHLM draft would currently be Phillip Rave. After joining the league after the Season Ninety VHLM Dispersal Draft, Rave signed to play for the San Diego Marlins, where he was able to play in all seventy-two games for the Marlins this past season. Rave was a point per game player for the Marlins this season, putting up thirty-three goals and forty-one assists, helping San Diego to a first-place finish in the VHLMs Western Conference. With Rave being well ahead in the TPE race, it’s a very high likelihood Rave will see his name forever on the poral as the First Overall Pick of the S91 VHLM Dispersal Draft.
Houston Bulls:

Houston is one of two VHLM franchises that have a second first round pick, Mississauga’s First Round pick, which they picked up in a trade with Saskatoon his past season. Currently Houston does not have any defenseman on their roster, which is the reason we believe they will jump at the chance to draft the top defenseman currently in the VHLM Dispersal Draft, which happens to be Vanellope von Schweetz. Von Schweetz was a trade deadline re-create arrival in the VHLM this season, where he signed with the Marlins. The Greenland native was able to play in twenty games with the Marlins after signing with the club, where he put up ten assists in those twenty-games. Von Schweetz and the Marlins are currently playing in the VHLM playoffs, where he has been able to show off more of his play, putting up three goals and seven assists in nine playoff games. If the Bulls in fact do go defense with a top two pick in the VHLM Dispersal Draft, they surely won’t be disappointed with von Schweetz.
Halifax 21st:

Halifax did manage to sneak into the playoffs in Season Ninety, as the eighth and final seed for the VHLM playoffs. Halifax took on the San Diego Marlins in the and were unfortunate swept in four games in the VHLM Quarter Finals. Halifax had a few maxed-out earners on the roster in Season Ninety, some of which are likely to move onto the VHLE, which will leave some areas of the roster to work on for Halifax General Manger. With most of those losses likely to come in their forward group, we can see the 21st tuning their attention that way in the draft and selecting American winger, Logan Ninefingers. Ninefingers was another trade deadline re-create that joined the VHLM, so he was only able to showcase his abilities in eighteen games with the Miami Marauders. In the eighteen games Ninefingers dressed for, couldn't really showcase what he could do, putting up three goals and three assists. With a strong agency and strong practice history, we believe teams would be more than willing to look past such a small sample size of Ninefingers low offensive numbers.
 
Mexico City Kings:

Next on the reverse regular season standings list is the Mexico City Kings. Mexico like Halifax snuck into the playoffs, where the lined up against the Mississauga Hounds. Mexico put up a valiant effort but was unable to knock off the Hounds, eventually losing in five games. Mexico also appears to have some players that will be graduating out of the VHLM but looks to bring back most of their roster outside possibly Justin Chen and Mina. With no top end centerman likely to return to Mexico in Season Ninety- One, out not so educated guess has us leaning Mexico picking up George Richmond with their First-Round pick. Richmond just finished up his season, playing the last nineteen games of the regular season and their six playoff games series with the Las Vegas Aces. Richmond really hit the ground running after joining the Aces club at the VHL trade deadline, putting up a point per game, with six goals and eleven assists. Richmond has been a consistent TPE earner since joining the league as a re-create, something the VHLM General Managers will likely take notice of, which may allow Richmond to go higher than Fourth Overall.
Philadelphia Reapers:

Philadelphia made their intentions clear early in the season, when they traded away Eno Velvson to Miami just thirteen games in the VHLM season. Philadelphia clawed and scratched their way to the playoffs after the trade that brought them in additional draft picks for the Season Ninety-One VHLM Dispersal Draft. Currently is looks as if the Reapers will return their two defenders that played on the team in Season Ninety, so we can see the Reapers looking towards the forwards come draft day. We believe the Reapers will select the French born forward Nico Belique. Belique put together good tape for the draft process in his seventy-two games played with the Miami Marauders, as the young forward put up twenty-one goals and forty-two assists in his first go around in the VHLM. Miami and Belique are currently fighting for their lives in the VHLM playoffs, and Belique is doing everything in his power to help the team move onto the next round, as he has put up eight points in the eleven playoffs games. The Reapers would be hard pressed to select a different player if Belique is on the board when they step up to the podium.
Philadelphia Reapers (From Miami Marauders):

Philadelphia may be lucky enough to have back-to-back draft choices right smack down in the middle VHLM Dispersal Draft. After dipping into the forward pool with their own draft choice, we believe Philadelphia will dip back into the pool and select forward Adi Dassler from Germany. Another trade deadline re-create, Dassler comes from a very reputable VHL Agency, something that may allow Dassler to jump ahead of other prospects in the draft. Dassler didn’t preform in the regular season like many including himself would have hoped, as he managed only one point in the fourteen games he played in San Diego. With an entire off-season or practice and improving ahead for the left-winger, we can’t foresee a VHLM General Manager passing up selecting Dassler if he’s still available when they select in the first round.
 
Las Vegas Aces:

Next on the list is the Las Vegas Aces, who are coming off what would be described as a less than expected playoff series against the Miami Marauders. After being bounced in the Quarter Finals in six games, the Aces likely switched their focus to the off-season and what they can do to take the next step. With their current goalie, Dalkr Vidarsson likely to move onto the VHLE next season, selecting his predecessor in Giorgiy Constanzov would be a giant step in the right direction. Although Constanzov doesn’t have much VHLM experience under his belt after joining the Miami Marauders during the VHL trade deadline, where he only saw action in five games, Contanzov is by far the bet goalie prospect in the VHLM Dispersal Draft. Constanzov is another prospect from the Mongoose agency, who’s lastest VHLer Jasmes Teekrique is about to retire after a point per game career with HC Davos Dynamo, so VHLM General Managers are well aware of the quality of player they would expect from this agency. The only real question remains, will Costanzov still be available at the back half of the First Round?
 
Saskatoon Wild:

When Saskatoon is called to the podium for the first time, the Wild will likely be looking at a roster that is quite depleted by graduating players into the VHLE. Seven of their current roster players sit at 199 TPE of higher, which is a major part of their roster that carried them to a 104-point season. Saskatoon was just bounced from the playoffs in their Semi-Finals match-up against the Mississauga Hounds and will be looking to add to their few returning players to take a shot once again at the Founders Cup. After a great regular season and deep playoff run, the only issue is you’ll find yourself near the bottom of the draft, but we still believe Saskatoon will get a quality player in sixteen-year-old forward Olumide Anderson. Anderson who stands at closer to seven feet than six feet, spent the season playing for the Halifax 21st. Although he wasn’t the highest TPA player on the roster in Halifax, Anderson played a key role for the team, putting up seventy-two points, including twenty-eight goals in the sixty-three games he played this past season. Anderson continued his point per game performance in the playoffs, as he led the way in assists and points for the 21st in their four playoff games with four assists and six points. With Anderson on board in Saskatoon, the Wild should have no problems putting the puck in the back of the net.
 
Houston Bulls (From Saskatoon; From Mississauga Hounds):

Houston is back on the clock after their trade with Saskatoon that saw Season Ninety-One VHL Entry Draft Eligible Joshua Schwarzer head over to Saskatoon for their run to the playoffs. After we predicted the Bulls going with a defenseman with the Second Overall pick, we believe the Bulls will now look to add to their forward core with another Greenland born player in this draft, Dietrich Reingaard. With 199 TPE earned so far since joining the VHLM just under two months ago, Reingaard could be a player that might see more than one season in the VHLM, which may intrigue the Bulls enough to select him for a longer turn around. Reingaard is another VHLM draft eligible player that played this last season with the San Diego Marlins, a team that was a very loaded roster with good depth. With all the roster players, which included 8 forwards, Reingaard didn’t see the ice-time that other prospects might have, but still put up a respectable twenty-eight points to go along with 132 hits in seventy-two games played. If Houston was to add the younger Reingaard to their roster through the draft, we don’t think they will be disappointed come seasons’ end.
San Diego Marlins:

Of course, the playoffs are yet to be decided, but the Marlins might be on their way to having the last draft pick in the First Round, as they currently hold a 3-2 led in the VHLM Semi-Finals against Miami. If they do go on to win and then take home the Founders Cup, they might not be holding onto this pick come draft time, as they may be heading into a retool after a very successful season. With a lot of depth pieces available in the draft on the defensive side of the rink, we believe the Marlins will take the chance to retool their defense with the selection of Vlad Von Carstein, the twenty-five-year-old defenseman from Germany. The last pick in our way to early mock draft was surprise; another trade deadline re-create. Carstein comes to the VHL via the Dom agency, whose previous player Igor Molotov is going to retire at the conclusion of the season after eight-year career split between Malmo and London. Hopefully Carstein can have the same impact in a short time with San Diego as Molotov did in his long VHL career.
 
2,021 Words
(4 Weeks October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29)

VLG for sure. Mississauga didn't get much help via recreates and still had arguably the strongest roster. Extremely good drafting.

VLG for sure. Mississauga didn't get much help via recreates and still had arguably the strongest roster. Extremely good drafting.

Maybe this time I'll be selected by Team Europe

I’d pick Bocage, 100%! You know… we had a Portuguese poet named “Bocage”, Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage.
 
One of the greatest ever. Known for his specific style, which has had a load of fans historically.

Two top-level players have publicly come out and announced their desire to test the free agency waters. The Frenchman of Riga Reign and Yaroslav Bogatyrev Seattle Bears are both heading to free agency - or are they?
I have analyzed the statements given by the two in the hopes of finding out whether they are serious or not.
 
Here are my findings.
 
Starting with The Frenchman.
 
"As people have seen from the graphic I posted this week, I probably will hit free agency (unless Riga wins a cup, then I promised to stay). So what am I looking for?
I have a couple of wishes. "
 
Right away from the start, we can see that the player is negotiating with the audience by trying to soften the blow of the free agency announcement a little by stating what they are announcing has already been said in graphic form earlier. Using words like "probably" and "wishes" shows that the player is still thinking about free agency, they do not have demands - they have wishes.
 
Looking at the wishes next:

"A) I want points. Lots of them.  This year I dropped to barely over a point per game on my "capped" build, a build that got me 100 points the season before while working through that end goal. So it should be possibly, but this season was just dissapointing for me.

 So if you pitch to me, I would like to know what line combinations you expect, and how you think this will help my player.  "
 
Wanting points is being mentioned first shows that winning the cup is not as big of a deal breaker as a lack of points will be. Requesting information about future linemates also suggests that winning comes second to points and production.
 
"B) I want to compete, I want to challenge for that cup. Idaho is my first player here without a cup, so lets avoid having Frenchie as my second player in a row that fails. I will still have another player after this as it's part of the charity purchase Lemorse made, but I hope to break me not winning before its becoming a bigger one. "
 
"I want to challenge for that cup" further shows that the player is open to sacrificing the best possible destination for slightly more points and production. Using a word like "challenge" does not create a sense of urgency, instead, you get more of a: "winning would be nice, but I want points foremost" - a type of sensation.
 
 Name-dropping Idaho, a well-known player, who played almost their whole career in one team is an interesting twist. Openly stating Idaho failed also leads the reader to believe we might not see The Frenchman waiting in one team as long as Idaho did.
 
 C) If I win - I hope to win with a franchise I haven't won yet with. So I still need to win with chi dc la lon pra war one day, so these teams might have a leg up on other ones.
So once Riga is out - feel free to pitch your offers, I will not report you for tampering. "
 
Notice the choice of words, "If I win", "I hope", "one day", and "might have",  lack of urgency and directness is notable. "So once Riga is out" is also harsh and disrespectful towards the organization, but is it all what it seems?
 
Overall: I believe this is a ruse, too many mixed signals. The Frenchman has played in one team for their whole career, this team is doing exactly what the player is hoping - challenging for the cup, and they have gotten solid production on ice.  The choice of words, especially in the last part, leads me to believe this is purely an attempt to get other players around the league to think about their positions, perhaps the goal is to get players to sign for Riga.  Despite Idaho and the history being mentioned, I doubt The Frenchman will leave Riga this off-season.
 
Lets move on to Yaroslav Bogatyrev.
 
" MOSCOW, October 6, 2023 (Shaiba.ru) – The Yaroslav Bogatyrev era is almost certainly over in Seattle. According to sources close to the Nizhnii Tagil native, Bogatyrev informed the team on Wednesday that he would not be signing a new contract and would test free agency for the first time in his career.

S90 was a disappointing end to what has been a mixed bag for the second overall pick in the S86 VHL Entry Draft. Bogatyrev joined the team with high expectations having been drafted one place behind The Frenchman. After two disappointing seasons, Bogatyrev’s game grew significantly in S88, and he finished the last season with 45 goals, the second most in the entire VHL.
However, Bogatyrev was always left frustrated with not getting his hands on the Continental Cup, particularly in S88 when the Bears were one win away from the VHL crown before losing three straight games to the London United in the finals.

It is thought that the Bears failure to rebuild following the departures of key veterans Hulk Hogan 2 and Tavish Degroot, which left the team unable to make it past the Vancouver Wolves in the North American Wild Card, prompted Bogatyrev’s decision to leave the club.

Bogatyrev was named the Seattle Bears captain ahead of S90, but the Bears poor performance throughout the season left fans critical of the decision. In fact, Bogatyrev has never really been fully accepted by the Seattle faithful, many of whom were left frustrated with the supposed stars first two seasons in which he only scored 75 points. ."
 
This piece of media is different as, for the most part, it is not Bogatyrev speaking directly to the audience.  If you read the whole text, the very first thought that comes to mind is the directness and tone of the text. Words such as: "disappointing", "frustrated", and "poor performance" is enough to make anyone think the player is not pleased at the moment.  Past events are commented on directly without sugar-coating anything, and the icing on the cake is the statement at the end where tension inside the organization is mentioned.
 
In the second part, we get to hear directly from the player.
 
" UPDATE (15:50 MSK)

Following the publication of our story earlier today, Yaroslav Bogatyrev confirmed on social media that he will be leaving the Seattle Bears this offseason.
“I’m writing this with a heavy heart but a clear mind. I will become a free agent upon the conclusion of S90 after failing to reach an agreement with the Seattle Bears on a new contract. I have no complaints to the team’s management, who were cordial throughout the entire process. After five seasons here, one as captain, I feel that I have given my all as a Seattle Bear, but that I know feel that is time for us to go in different directions.

I am looking forward to a fresh start, wherever that may be. I want to thank the Seattle fans for their support throughout my entire career to date. It was certainly difficult coming into this league as a rookie, but you showed patience throughout my struggles, and I felt your support when you started to believe in me.

Of course, there were difficult times, and I’m sad that I could never repay your trust in me with a Continental Cup, but if there is one thing that the Bears have proven time and again, it’s that you can never count them out. I’m sure they will be competing again soon, and I will look forward to returning to Seattle for games, this time in the away locker room, in the near future,” Bogatyrev wrote on Instagram.  "
 
No complaints about team management combined with a comment on a fresh start and thanking the Seattle fans is an interesting mix. It is clear that the player is not too eager to stay in Seattle. Bogataryev continues by praising  Seattle as they say Seattle can never be counted out and they are surely going to be competing soon again. That is perhaps the most revealing piece of information in this text, the player is already out of the door, or are they?
 
Overall:  I believe this is yet another clever ploy to get players around the league to consider their positions.  Bogataryev said all the right things to make the reader think Bogataryev is leaving Seattle, but I am not convinced, everything seemed too on the nose.
 
 

 
 
650 words without quotes

Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage

Defensemen
6'8" 250lbs
VHLM Stats: 144GP, 33G, 96A, 129P, -52
Drafted By: Moscow Menace (12th)

Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage is an offensive defenseman originating from France. Playing in Halifax, he showed a strong two-way game, despite being on a team that typically struggled on the defensive side of the puck. The Moscow Menace selected him late in the first round of the S90 VHL draft, with high hopes that he develops into a franchise level defenseman.

Pros:
Offense
Bocage has a very powerful shot and often uses it to either score or generate rebounds for his teammates. Over the course of his VHLM career, he averaged over 2.5 shots per game. His slapshot is one of the strongest in the league, and allows him to generate offense from the blue line. While shooting is his focus, Bocage has an underrated passing game, able to move the puck around the ice effectively. Of his 33 goals in the VHLM, 15 of them were on the powerplay, showing his effectiveness as a powerplay quaterback.

Leadership
For the majority of his two seasons in Halifax, Bocage was the only defenseman on the roster, and even with a lack of help for large portions both seasons, he was able to excel. Moving into a young Moscow roster, Bocage should be able to use this experience to slide into a leadership role and assist in mentoring the other blueliners, as well as quarterback the powerplay and run the offense reliably.

Defense/Physical Play
In his time with Halifax, Obuz was able to average roughly 2.5 hits and 2.5 shot blocks per game, able to neutralize offensive chances and slow down the rush through crushing body checks. While he is focused on the offensive side of the game, he has been able to utilize his staggering size to provide a strong physical edge and shut down opposing offenses.

Cons:
Skating Ability
Being a large body on the blue line, Bocage is one of the slower skaters on the ice at a time. The majority of time, he plants himself on the blue line when in the offensive zone, and is one of the first to back check when a turnover occurs to compensate for his below average speed. It is a concern if this lack of speed and skating ability will let his offensive game translate in the VHL.

Discipline
In his 144 games with Halifax, Obuz put up 155 PIMS. His physical edge coupled with his lack of skating ability led to late hits and desperation penalties and kept sending him to the penalty box. If he wants to be a top producer in the VHL, he needs to work on his discipline and learn to stop committing bad penalties.

10. Ottawa Lynx

(15-49-8)
FD Ranking: 9th (0.122)
Goalie Ranking: 10th (98 TPA)
Players In: Josh Caz, William Wallace, Rat Pans
Players Out: N/A
 
Ottawa was primed to be at the bottom of the standings from the very beginning. Having been unable to bolster the roster very much through the draft or the waiver wire, this team struggled throughout the entire season and was pretty much out of every game they played. Goaltending, defense, and offense were all pretty much at the bottom of the league ever since the season started. They hope to bounce back in the draft and get back into contention.
 
9. Houston Bulls

(17-49-6)
FD Ranking: 10th (0.052)
Goalie Ranking: 6th (166 TPA)
Players In: Keegan Vos, Kimi Raikkonen, Jeffrey Howard Dewberry Kalin
Players Out: Joshua Schwarzer, Toby Kadachi, Joseph Holm
 
Houston was pretty much out of the playoff conversation as soon as the playoffs started. Never able to get any defensemen on the roster, their defense became a pure turnstile and oppositions were free to score at will. The offense, lacking any true superstars, especially after trading away both Schwarzer and Kadachi early into the season. The only real competition this team had was with Ottawa for the first overall pick. While they held that spot for the majority of the season, at the last sim, they sucked just a little less than Ottawa and bumped up to 9th, ceding that first pick to Ottawa. Looking at the draft however and the picks this team has, a slide from 1 to 2 is not too much of a blow.
 
8. Halifax 21st [-1]

(25-39-8)
FD Ranking: 6th (0.626)
Goalie Ranking: 9th (98 TPA)
Players In: Olumide Anderson, Shaunca, Demko, Guntis Gavilrovs
Players Out: N/A
 
The start of the season was pretty bleak to say the least. Without a goalie, they struggled mightily, despite bolstering a decently strong forward group. Eventually, they were able to get a goalie, and then their defense showed weakness, with only having one defenseman on the roster. At the trade deadline, they were able to get a player via waivers to fill that spot, and thus their roster was complete. However, those early season woes means they have to go up against the best team in the regular season as their first playoff opponent. While their roster is good and their weaknesses at least patched up, they’re likely to struggle against the juggernaut before them. They’ll go as far as their goaltending takes them, and based on their TPA, that likely won’t be very far.
 
7. Mexico City Kings [-6]

(28-39-5)
FD Ranking: 3rd (0.690)
Goalie Ranking: 8th (152 TPA)
Players In: Rory Sullivan, Tom Dufour
Players Out: Kirk Van Him, Motionless Kleaver
 
I really got burned by this pick. On paper, at the start of the season, this team was arguably the best and was primed to start off strong. Well, they did not. They bumbled and fumbled and flopped around at the start sitting near the bottom and stayed there for the entire season. Even still, on paper, this is a strong team. Their record is not necessarily indicative of the roster this team has. Their main issue is offensive production. While they’re about middle of the league in goals against, they are down with the bottom feeder teams in terms of goals for. If they want to truly compete at the level that their roster should have them at, there needs to be a strategy change to either score more goals or become a true shutdown team and keep games low scoring.
 
6. Philadelphia Reapers [+2]

(30-34-8)
FD Ranking: 8th (0.505)
Goalie Ranking: 7th (165 TPA)
Players In: Daniel Temple, Vlad Von Carstein
Players Out: Eno Velson
 
Philadelphia has had and still has one of the thinnest rosters in the league, and yet they were able to stay close to the middle. They were able to find the perfect line combinations with the slim pickings that they had to get the most out of their relatively weak team, and were able to stay around the middle in both goals for and goals against. Not much roster change has occurred with this team, and honestly they haven’t needed it. They got their two defensemen, a good goalie, and some decently strong forwards. Will they do anything in the playoffs? Probably not to be honest. But a decent season from a team that really should be worse than they actually are.
 
5. Miami Marauders [-1]

(39-27-6)
FD Ranking: 2nd (0.765)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Eno Velson, Logan Ninefingers, Riley Martin, Giorgiy Costanzov
Players Out: Liam Evans, Hershey McFleury, Joakim Norden
 
Miami is one of the few teams that benefited greatly from the recreate wave, bolstering their team and making them a lot better than what their record would have you believe. While defense is still relatively thin with only two defenseman on the roster, their forward core is deep and elite, and should make it hell for the opposing netminders. This team is one that has a legitimate chance to, at least in terms of the standings, cause some upsets in the playoffs. So long as the offensive production doesn’t go cold, they should be chugging along the postseason just fine.
 
4. Las Vegas Aces [+2]

(47-19-6)
FD Ranking: 7th (0.519)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Bric Sheithaus, Caesar Monterrey, Jean-Marc Lemieux, Elle Aura Ashe, George Richmond
Players Out: Jaja Dingdong, Zacharie Masse, Barry McOckiner
 
Vegas is a team that always seems to have no problems with getting waiver players to help flesh out their roster, and this was the case again, getting a large chunk of players early on which have kept them strong throughout. Their defense is very solid and while their forwards are a little low TPA wise, they have the depth to jumble the lines up if things go cold. This team did recently take a pretty massive blow, having one of their better forwards go IA and having to drop them right before the playoffs started. That is going to serve as a pretty big issue going forward if they want to make a push for the cup.
 
3. Saskatoon Wild [-1]

(48-16-8)
FD Ranking: 1st (0.835)
Goalie Ranking: 5th (199 TPA)
Players In: Joshua Schwarzer
Players Out: Jean-Marc Lemieux, Henry Ford
 
Saskatoon is one of the deepest teams forward wise, having 10 forwards on the roster. What is really amazing about this team is that they got zero waiver players all season long. Their roster is built up out of their draft picks and a trade here and there. How well this team performed and honestly how good the roster looks speaks volumes on their (now former) GM’s drafting ability. This is definitely a competitive team and a team to watch this playoffs and potentially next season as well, since they could very likely retain a decent group of players going into Season 91.
 
2. Mississauga Hounds [+1]

(54-16-2)
FD Ranking: 4th (0.681)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Joseph Dubois, Alfonzo Fineski, Toby Kadachi, Suetekh Kos, DB IV
Players Out: Pierre-luc Dutil
 
Mississauga’s offense is the offense. Full stop. Their forward core is absolutely lethal and can and will put the puck in the back of the net. Their defense is not too shabby either, having a strong top two guys with some decent help below them. This team is one that should and I believe will have a legit chance of going all the way. A lot of max players means next season, they will likely be pretty low in the standings, so they have to make the most of it here and now.
 
1. San Diego Marlins [+4]

(57-13-2)
FD Ranking: 5th (0.631)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Trevor Parsons, Thickums Mcgillacutty, Vanellope von Schweetz, Adi Dassler, Rainbow Colours
Players Out: N/A
 
This team absolutely feasted on the recreates this trade deadline, making their strong, deep roster even stronger and deeper. Their forwards? Nasty. Defense? Even nastier. This is the de facto cup favorite and it is hard to argue against that. The only team roster wise that can match them is Mississauga and maybe, if I’m a couple bottles deep, Miami. While the initial acquisition of the recreates should have hurt the team, as bringing in lower TPA guys and taking time away from higher TPA guys should hurt the team, San Diego did not slow down very much and those recreates are starting to catch up. Overall, this should be a fun squad to watch and see what they can do.
 
Playoff Matchups
 
1. San Diego Marlins vs 8. Halifax 21st
As I said before, Halifax will only go as far as their goaltending takes them, and when put up against a juggernaut like San Diego, that is not going to be very far at all. This series is not gonna last long at all, and I predict it’ll be a clean sweep, no gentlemen here. Despite the high hopes Halifax had coming into this season, they simply will not get past this Marlins team
San Diego wins 4-0
 
2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 7. Mexico City Kings
Mississauga is a team that can pretty much score at will. Mexico City is a team that couldn’t score to save their life. The only way Mexico City gets out of this series is with a major strategy change to basically turn them into the New York Islanders and play some of the most boring hockey known to man and make every game end up as 2-1 or 3-2. Mexico City is not that bad of a team, they simply can’t score though. Mississauga is not only better than Mexico City in every way possible, but they can actually score too. Even if Mexico City New York Islanders it up, it’s pretty evident that Mississauga will win.
Mississauga wins 4-1
 
3. Saskatoon Wild vs. 6. Philadelphia Reapers
Another interesting matchup. Saskatoon with an immensely deep roster and a multitude of line combinations to change up the team if the first couple games go south, versus Philly who pretty much has to rock with whatever the sims give them. In every category, Saskatoon has Philly beat, and will likely stomp them pretty handedly. Philly could probably steal a game but that’s about it.
Saskatoon wins 4-1
 
4. Las Vegas Aces vs. 5. Miami Marauders
This is what I feel the first “upset” would be. Las Vegas, especially after that major blow of one of their top players going IA, is actually pretty weak. Miami, on the other hand, got a huge boost due to the recreate wave and looks a lot stronger than what their record shows. This will definitely be the tightest of the series, just because these teams are actually somewhat close compared to everyone else, but I see Miami getting the edge in 6.
Miami wins 4-2
 
2nd Round
 
1. San Diego Marlins vs. 5. Miami Marauders
The two teams that benefited from the recreates the most. Honestly it is poetic for these two to meet. In all honesty, I think Miami has a legit chance to upset. Their forward group as a whole is a lot stronger than San Diego and while San Diego has the depth, Miami has that star power on defense that we saw during the regular season. What this will come down to is a legendary goaltender duel between Slezak and Syko, who have been pretty damn close in the goalie rankings throughout the season, and it is fitting that they match off against each other. This is a series that I feel will go the distance, with Miami edging off the Marlins right at the end.
Miami wins 4-3
 
2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 3. Saskatoon Wild
This feels like arguably the hardest matchup in the entire playoffs. Both these teams showcase a plethora of elite talent on both sides of the puck. This is one of those series that either team really could win it, and also one that feels like it’ll either go the distance or be a sweep. That being said, I just find it really hard to bet against Mississauga this season, and I see them absolutely shocking the Wild in a sweep.
Mississauga win 4-0
 
Final
 
 2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 5. Miami Marauders
All upsets must come to an end eventually, and this is where Miami’s stops. Mississauga is simply better than Miami in practically every way, and while I was able to argue for Miami’s case in their first two matchups, I’m not able to here. Mississauga is built to win, and they will. I feel like this series will be decently close, but there really won’t be much doubt for who the victor will be.
Mississauga wins 4-2

(2141 words)

I am glad Dil was forced to change the name. Not because Dil told me to shut up, but because Dil is claiming welfare.

Back in the recreate wave, one fine upstanding user by the name of @Dil did a little funny and created a character by the name of "Shut Up Ruutu" (still shows up in the index as that too). Sure, telling someone to shut up may not be very nice, but the discourse that was spawned by it was quite amusing to say the least. It was not overly abusive per-say, honestly quite tame in terms of "going after someone". But eventually, the name was forced to be changed to a more acceptable "Rainbow Colours", which, under context, is still pretty funny, but it loses that blunt charm that the original had. Ruutu is a big boy, I think he can handle a funny name at his expense that he will likely rarely see on a regular basis. I doubt having a name telling someone to shut up will cause that much distress amongst the league. But the big big piece of it all, was that it was kind of funny. I can understand blatant harassment of a user is a huge no no and whatnot, but this? I doubt many people would be too upset with this. If it’s done in good faith, then I see no issue with it. If people want to openly insult me or whatever on the forum, feel free. I won’t be mad, so long as it’s funny. 🙂

To me the entire season was rigged so it'd make sense that the postseason is too

10. Ottawa Lynx

(15-49-8)
FD Ranking: 9th (0.122)
Goalie Ranking: 10th (98 TPA)
Players In: Josh Caz, William Wallace, Rat Pans
Players Out: N/A
 
Ottawa was primed to be at the bottom of the standings from the very beginning. Having been unable to bolster the roster very much through the draft or the waiver wire, this team struggled throughout the entire season and was pretty much out of every game they played. Goaltending, defense, and offense were all pretty much at the bottom of the league ever since the season started. They hope to bounce back in the draft and get back into contention.
 
9. Houston Bulls

(17-49-6)
FD Ranking: 10th (0.052)
Goalie Ranking: 6th (166 TPA)
Players In: Keegan Vos, Kimi Raikkonen, Jeffrey Howard Dewberry Kalin
Players Out: Joshua Schwarzer, Toby Kadachi, Joseph Holm
 
Houston was pretty much out of the playoff conversation as soon as the playoffs started. Never able to get any defensemen on the roster, their defense became a pure turnstile and oppositions were free to score at will. The offense, lacking any true superstars, especially after trading away both Schwarzer and Kadachi early into the season. The only real competition this team had was with Ottawa for the first overall pick. While they held that spot for the majority of the season, at the last sim, they sucked just a little less than Ottawa and bumped up to 9th, ceding that first pick to Ottawa. Looking at the draft however and the picks this team has, a slide from 1 to 2 is not too much of a blow.
 
8. Halifax 21st [-1]

(25-39-8)
FD Ranking: 6th (0.626)
Goalie Ranking: 9th (98 TPA)
Players In: Olumide Anderson, Shaunca, Demko, Guntis Gavilrovs
Players Out: N/A
 
The start of the season was pretty bleak to say the least. Without a goalie, they struggled mightily, despite bolstering a decently strong forward group. Eventually, they were able to get a goalie, and then their defense showed weakness, with only having one defenseman on the roster. At the trade deadline, they were able to get a player via waivers to fill that spot, and thus their roster was complete. However, those early season woes means they have to go up against the best team in the regular season as their first playoff opponent. While their roster is good and their weaknesses at least patched up, they’re likely to struggle against the juggernaut before them. They’ll go as far as their goaltending takes them, and based on their TPA, that likely won’t be very far.
 
7. Mexico City Kings [-6]

(28-39-5)
FD Ranking: 3rd (0.690)
Goalie Ranking: 8th (152 TPA)
Players In: Rory Sullivan, Tom Dufour
Players Out: Kirk Van Him, Motionless Kleaver
 
I really got burned by this pick. On paper, at the start of the season, this team was arguably the best and was primed to start off strong. Well, they did not. They bumbled and fumbled and flopped around at the start sitting near the bottom and stayed there for the entire season. Even still, on paper, this is a strong team. Their record is not necessarily indicative of the roster this team has. Their main issue is offensive production. While they’re about middle of the league in goals against, they are down with the bottom feeder teams in terms of goals for. If they want to truly compete at the level that their roster should have them at, there needs to be a strategy change to either score more goals or become a true shutdown team and keep games low scoring.
 
6. Philadelphia Reapers [+2]

(30-34-8)
FD Ranking: 8th (0.505)
Goalie Ranking: 7th (165 TPA)
Players In: Daniel Temple, Vlad Von Carstein
Players Out: Eno Velson
 
Philadelphia has had and still has one of the thinnest rosters in the league, and yet they were able to stay close to the middle. They were able to find the perfect line combinations with the slim pickings that they had to get the most out of their relatively weak team, and were able to stay around the middle in both goals for and goals against. Not much roster change has occurred with this team, and honestly they haven’t needed it. They got their two defensemen, a good goalie, and some decently strong forwards. Will they do anything in the playoffs? Probably not to be honest. But a decent season from a team that really should be worse than they actually are.
 
5. Miami Marauders [-1]

(39-27-6)
FD Ranking: 2nd (0.765)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Eno Velson, Logan Ninefingers, Riley Martin, Giorgiy Costanzov
Players Out: Liam Evans, Hershey McFleury, Joakim Norden
 
Miami is one of the few teams that benefited greatly from the recreate wave, bolstering their team and making them a lot better than what their record would have you believe. While defense is still relatively thin with only two defenseman on the roster, their forward core is deep and elite, and should make it hell for the opposing netminders. This team is one that has a legitimate chance to, at least in terms of the standings, cause some upsets in the playoffs. So long as the offensive production doesn’t go cold, they should be chugging along the postseason just fine.
 
4. Las Vegas Aces [+2]

(47-19-6)
FD Ranking: 7th (0.519)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Bric Sheithaus, Caesar Monterrey, Jean-Marc Lemieux, Elle Aura Ashe, George Richmond
Players Out: Jaja Dingdong, Zacharie Masse, Barry McOckiner
 
Vegas is a team that always seems to have no problems with getting waiver players to help flesh out their roster, and this was the case again, getting a large chunk of players early on which have kept them strong throughout. Their defense is very solid and while their forwards are a little low TPA wise, they have the depth to jumble the lines up if things go cold. This team did recently take a pretty massive blow, having one of their better forwards go IA and having to drop them right before the playoffs started. That is going to serve as a pretty big issue going forward if they want to make a push for the cup.
 
3. Saskatoon Wild [-1]

(48-16-8)
FD Ranking: 1st (0.835)
Goalie Ranking: 5th (199 TPA)
Players In: Joshua Schwarzer
Players Out: Jean-Marc Lemieux, Henry Ford
 
Saskatoon is one of the deepest teams forward wise, having 10 forwards on the roster. What is really amazing about this team is that they got zero waiver players all season long. Their roster is built up out of their draft picks and a trade here and there. How well this team performed and honestly how good the roster looks speaks volumes on their (now former) GM’s drafting ability. This is definitely a competitive team and a team to watch this playoffs and potentially next season as well, since they could very likely retain a decent group of players going into Season 91.
 
2. Mississauga Hounds [+1]

(54-16-2)
FD Ranking: 4th (0.681)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Joseph Dubois, Alfonzo Fineski, Toby Kadachi, Suetekh Kos, DB IV
Players Out: Pierre-luc Dutil
 
Mississauga’s offense is the offense. Full stop. Their forward core is absolutely lethal and can and will put the puck in the back of the net. Their defense is not too shabby either, having a strong top two guys with some decent help below them. This team is one that should and I believe will have a legit chance of going all the way. A lot of max players means next season, they will likely be pretty low in the standings, so they have to make the most of it here and now.
 
1. San Diego Marlins [+4]

(57-13-2)
FD Ranking: 5th (0.631)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Trevor Parsons, Thickums Mcgillacutty, Vanellope von Schweetz, Adi Dassler, Rainbow Colours
Players Out: N/A
 
This team absolutely feasted on the recreates this trade deadline, making their strong, deep roster even stronger and deeper. Their forwards? Nasty. Defense? Even nastier. This is the de facto cup favorite and it is hard to argue against that. The only team roster wise that can match them is Mississauga and maybe, if I’m a couple bottles deep, Miami. While the initial acquisition of the recreates should have hurt the team, as bringing in lower TPA guys and taking time away from higher TPA guys should hurt the team, San Diego did not slow down very much and those recreates are starting to catch up. Overall, this should be a fun squad to watch and see what they can do.
 
Playoff Matchups
 
1. San Diego Marlins vs 8. Halifax 21st
As I said before, Halifax will only go as far as their goaltending takes them, and when put up against a juggernaut like San Diego, that is not going to be very far at all. This series is not gonna last long at all, and I predict it’ll be a clean sweep, no gentlemen here. Despite the high hopes Halifax had coming into this season, they simply will not get past this Marlins team
San Diego wins 4-0
 
2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 7. Mexico City Kings
Mississauga is a team that can pretty much score at will. Mexico City is a team that couldn’t score to save their life. The only way Mexico City gets out of this series is with a major strategy change to basically turn them into the New York Islanders and play some of the most boring hockey known to man and make every game end up as 2-1 or 3-2. Mexico City is not that bad of a team, they simply can’t score though. Mississauga is not only better than Mexico City in every way possible, but they can actually score too. Even if Mexico City New York Islanders it up, it’s pretty evident that Mississauga will win.
Mississauga wins 4-1
 
3. Saskatoon Wild vs. 6. Philadelphia Reapers
Another interesting matchup. Saskatoon with an immensely deep roster and a multitude of line combinations to change up the team if the first couple games go south, versus Philly who pretty much has to rock with whatever the sims give them. In every category, Saskatoon has Philly beat, and will likely stomp them pretty handedly. Philly could probably steal a game but that’s about it.
Saskatoon wins 4-1
 
4. Las Vegas Aces vs. 5. Miami Marauders
This is what I feel the first “upset” would be. Las Vegas, especially after that major blow of one of their top players going IA, is actually pretty weak. Miami, on the other hand, got a huge boost due to the recreate wave and looks a lot stronger than what their record shows. This will definitely be the tightest of the series, just because these teams are actually somewhat close compared to everyone else, but I see Miami getting the edge in 6.
Miami wins 4-2
 
2nd Round
 
1. San Diego Marlins vs. 5. Miami Marauders
The two teams that benefited from the recreates the most. Honestly it is poetic for these two to meet. In all honesty, I think Miami has a legit chance to upset. Their forward group as a whole is a lot stronger than San Diego and while San Diego has the depth, Miami has that star power on defense that we saw during the regular season. What this will come down to is a legendary goaltender duel between Slezak and Syko, who have been pretty damn close in the goalie rankings throughout the season, and it is fitting that they match off against each other. This is a series that I feel will go the distance, with Miami edging off the Marlins right at the end.
Miami wins 4-3
 
2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 3. Saskatoon Wild
This feels like arguably the hardest matchup in the entire playoffs. Both these teams showcase a plethora of elite talent on both sides of the puck. This is one of those series that either team really could win it, and also one that feels like it’ll either go the distance or be a sweep. That being said, I just find it really hard to bet against Mississauga this season, and I see them absolutely shocking the Wild in a sweep.
Mississauga win 4-0
 
Final
 
 2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 5. Miami Marauders
All upsets must come to an end eventually, and this is where Miami’s stops. Mississauga is simply better than Miami in practically every way, and while I was able to argue for Miami’s case in their first two matchups, I’m not able to here. Mississauga is built to win, and they will. I feel like this series will be decently close, but there really won’t be much doubt for who the victor will be.
Mississauga wins 4-2

(2141 words)

As I was reading "Getting Old in the VHL" by Gustav I started to understand Leonardo DiCaprio a little better. Gustav in the article mentions that despite being A LOT older than when he first joined VHL and priorities having changed, Gustav still checks the forum daily and even visits Discord. In the article, Gustav also points out he does not feel the need to contribute like he once did, he also sometimes claims welfare.
 
What I saw and heard while reading is what Leonardo DiCaprio must see and hear when his 23-year-old girlfriend, one day, casually starts to talk about the future: marriage, kids, etc., or when the girlfriend decides to stay home on a Saturday night to eat ice cream. It is only a matter of time before the 25th birthday is coming up, and the casual discussions are now serious, eating too much ice cream has turned the once so delicate and beautiful flower into not so delicate and beautiful flower - it's time to find a new one.
 
Just like Leonardo DiCaprio when he looks at his 23-year-old girlfriend and thinks about the future, I too feel strong sadness when I look at Gustav and think about the future: Gustav will soon start to rely more and more on welfare. The frequent visits to the forum will turn into every other day, then a few times a week, and before we know it Gustav last visited 3 months ago, Discord was deleted a long time ago.
 
That is the life of hot babes in VHL and Hollywood, people grow old and they move on. Meanwhile, VHL and Leonardo DiCaprio continue looking for new hot babes they will enjoy until they, too, move on.

10. Ottawa Lynx

(15-49-8)
FD Ranking: 9th (0.122)
Goalie Ranking: 10th (98 TPA)
Players In: Josh Caz, William Wallace, Rat Pans
Players Out: N/A
 
Ottawa was primed to be at the bottom of the standings from the very beginning. Having been unable to bolster the roster very much through the draft or the waiver wire, this team struggled throughout the entire season and was pretty much out of every game they played. Goaltending, defense, and offense were all pretty much at the bottom of the league ever since the season started. They hope to bounce back in the draft and get back into contention.
 
9. Houston Bulls

(17-49-6)
FD Ranking: 10th (0.052)
Goalie Ranking: 6th (166 TPA)
Players In: Keegan Vos, Kimi Raikkonen, Jeffrey Howard Dewberry Kalin
Players Out: Joshua Schwarzer, Toby Kadachi, Joseph Holm
 
Houston was pretty much out of the playoff conversation as soon as the playoffs started. Never able to get any defensemen on the roster, their defense became a pure turnstile and oppositions were free to score at will. The offense, lacking any true superstars, especially after trading away both Schwarzer and Kadachi early into the season. The only real competition this team had was with Ottawa for the first overall pick. While they held that spot for the majority of the season, at the last sim, they sucked just a little less than Ottawa and bumped up to 9th, ceding that first pick to Ottawa. Looking at the draft however and the picks this team has, a slide from 1 to 2 is not too much of a blow.
 
8. Halifax 21st [-1]

(25-39-8)
FD Ranking: 6th (0.626)
Goalie Ranking: 9th (98 TPA)
Players In: Olumide Anderson, Shaunca, Demko, Guntis Gavilrovs
Players Out: N/A
 
The start of the season was pretty bleak to say the least. Without a goalie, they struggled mightily, despite bolstering a decently strong forward group. Eventually, they were able to get a goalie, and then their defense showed weakness, with only having one defenseman on the roster. At the trade deadline, they were able to get a player via waivers to fill that spot, and thus their roster was complete. However, those early season woes means they have to go up against the best team in the regular season as their first playoff opponent. While their roster is good and their weaknesses at least patched up, they’re likely to struggle against the juggernaut before them. They’ll go as far as their goaltending takes them, and based on their TPA, that likely won’t be very far.
 
7. Mexico City Kings [-6]

(28-39-5)
FD Ranking: 3rd (0.690)
Goalie Ranking: 8th (152 TPA)
Players In: Rory Sullivan, Tom Dufour
Players Out: Kirk Van Him, Motionless Kleaver
 
I really got burned by this pick. On paper, at the start of the season, this team was arguably the best and was primed to start off strong. Well, they did not. They bumbled and fumbled and flopped around at the start sitting near the bottom and stayed there for the entire season. Even still, on paper, this is a strong team. Their record is not necessarily indicative of the roster this team has. Their main issue is offensive production. While they’re about middle of the league in goals against, they are down with the bottom feeder teams in terms of goals for. If they want to truly compete at the level that their roster should have them at, there needs to be a strategy change to either score more goals or become a true shutdown team and keep games low scoring.
 
6. Philadelphia Reapers [+2]

(30-34-8)
FD Ranking: 8th (0.505)
Goalie Ranking: 7th (165 TPA)
Players In: Daniel Temple, Vlad Von Carstein
Players Out: Eno Velson
 
Philadelphia has had and still has one of the thinnest rosters in the league, and yet they were able to stay close to the middle. They were able to find the perfect line combinations with the slim pickings that they had to get the most out of their relatively weak team, and were able to stay around the middle in both goals for and goals against. Not much roster change has occurred with this team, and honestly they haven’t needed it. They got their two defensemen, a good goalie, and some decently strong forwards. Will they do anything in the playoffs? Probably not to be honest. But a decent season from a team that really should be worse than they actually are.
 
5. Miami Marauders [-1]

(39-27-6)
FD Ranking: 2nd (0.765)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Eno Velson, Logan Ninefingers, Riley Martin, Giorgiy Costanzov
Players Out: Liam Evans, Hershey McFleury, Joakim Norden
 
Miami is one of the few teams that benefited greatly from the recreate wave, bolstering their team and making them a lot better than what their record would have you believe. While defense is still relatively thin with only two defenseman on the roster, their forward core is deep and elite, and should make it hell for the opposing netminders. This team is one that has a legitimate chance to, at least in terms of the standings, cause some upsets in the playoffs. So long as the offensive production doesn’t go cold, they should be chugging along the postseason just fine.
 
4. Las Vegas Aces [+2]

(47-19-6)
FD Ranking: 7th (0.519)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Bric Sheithaus, Caesar Monterrey, Jean-Marc Lemieux, Elle Aura Ashe, George Richmond
Players Out: Jaja Dingdong, Zacharie Masse, Barry McOckiner
 
Vegas is a team that always seems to have no problems with getting waiver players to help flesh out their roster, and this was the case again, getting a large chunk of players early on which have kept them strong throughout. Their defense is very solid and while their forwards are a little low TPA wise, they have the depth to jumble the lines up if things go cold. This team did recently take a pretty massive blow, having one of their better forwards go IA and having to drop them right before the playoffs started. That is going to serve as a pretty big issue going forward if they want to make a push for the cup.
 
3. Saskatoon Wild [-1]

(48-16-8)
FD Ranking: 1st (0.835)
Goalie Ranking: 5th (199 TPA)
Players In: Joshua Schwarzer
Players Out: Jean-Marc Lemieux, Henry Ford
 
Saskatoon is one of the deepest teams forward wise, having 10 forwards on the roster. What is really amazing about this team is that they got zero waiver players all season long. Their roster is built up out of their draft picks and a trade here and there. How well this team performed and honestly how good the roster looks speaks volumes on their (now former) GM’s drafting ability. This is definitely a competitive team and a team to watch this playoffs and potentially next season as well, since they could very likely retain a decent group of players going into Season 91.
 
2. Mississauga Hounds [+1]

(54-16-2)
FD Ranking: 4th (0.681)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Joseph Dubois, Alfonzo Fineski, Toby Kadachi, Suetekh Kos, DB IV
Players Out: Pierre-luc Dutil
 
Mississauga’s offense is the offense. Full stop. Their forward core is absolutely lethal and can and will put the puck in the back of the net. Their defense is not too shabby either, having a strong top two guys with some decent help below them. This team is one that should and I believe will have a legit chance of going all the way. A lot of max players means next season, they will likely be pretty low in the standings, so they have to make the most of it here and now.
 
1. San Diego Marlins [+4]

(57-13-2)
FD Ranking: 5th (0.631)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Trevor Parsons, Thickums Mcgillacutty, Vanellope von Schweetz, Adi Dassler, Rainbow Colours
Players Out: N/A
 
This team absolutely feasted on the recreates this trade deadline, making their strong, deep roster even stronger and deeper. Their forwards? Nasty. Defense? Even nastier. This is the de facto cup favorite and it is hard to argue against that. The only team roster wise that can match them is Mississauga and maybe, if I’m a couple bottles deep, Miami. While the initial acquisition of the recreates should have hurt the team, as bringing in lower TPA guys and taking time away from higher TPA guys should hurt the team, San Diego did not slow down very much and those recreates are starting to catch up. Overall, this should be a fun squad to watch and see what they can do.
 
Playoff Matchups
 
1. San Diego Marlins vs 8. Halifax 21st
As I said before, Halifax will only go as far as their goaltending takes them, and when put up against a juggernaut like San Diego, that is not going to be very far at all. This series is not gonna last long at all, and I predict it’ll be a clean sweep, no gentlemen here. Despite the high hopes Halifax had coming into this season, they simply will not get past this Marlins team
San Diego wins 4-0
 
2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 7. Mexico City Kings
Mississauga is a team that can pretty much score at will. Mexico City is a team that couldn’t score to save their life. The only way Mexico City gets out of this series is with a major strategy change to basically turn them into the New York Islanders and play some of the most boring hockey known to man and make every game end up as 2-1 or 3-2. Mexico City is not that bad of a team, they simply can’t score though. Mississauga is not only better than Mexico City in every way possible, but they can actually score too. Even if Mexico City New York Islanders it up, it’s pretty evident that Mississauga will win.
Mississauga wins 4-1
 
3. Saskatoon Wild vs. 6. Philadelphia Reapers
Another interesting matchup. Saskatoon with an immensely deep roster and a multitude of line combinations to change up the team if the first couple games go south, versus Philly who pretty much has to rock with whatever the sims give them. In every category, Saskatoon has Philly beat, and will likely stomp them pretty handedly. Philly could probably steal a game but that’s about it.
Saskatoon wins 4-1
 
4. Las Vegas Aces vs. 5. Miami Marauders
This is what I feel the first “upset” would be. Las Vegas, especially after that major blow of one of their top players going IA, is actually pretty weak. Miami, on the other hand, got a huge boost due to the recreate wave and looks a lot stronger than what their record shows. This will definitely be the tightest of the series, just because these teams are actually somewhat close compared to everyone else, but I see Miami getting the edge in 6.
Miami wins 4-2
 
2nd Round
 
1. San Diego Marlins vs. 5. Miami Marauders
The two teams that benefited from the recreates the most. Honestly it is poetic for these two to meet. In all honesty, I think Miami has a legit chance to upset. Their forward group as a whole is a lot stronger than San Diego and while San Diego has the depth, Miami has that star power on defense that we saw during the regular season. What this will come down to is a legendary goaltender duel between Slezak and Syko, who have been pretty damn close in the goalie rankings throughout the season, and it is fitting that they match off against each other. This is a series that I feel will go the distance, with Miami edging off the Marlins right at the end.
Miami wins 4-3
 
2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 3. Saskatoon Wild
This feels like arguably the hardest matchup in the entire playoffs. Both these teams showcase a plethora of elite talent on both sides of the puck. This is one of those series that either team really could win it, and also one that feels like it’ll either go the distance or be a sweep. That being said, I just find it really hard to bet against Mississauga this season, and I see them absolutely shocking the Wild in a sweep.
Mississauga win 4-0
 
Final
 
 2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 5. Miami Marauders
All upsets must come to an end eventually, and this is where Miami’s stops. Mississauga is simply better than Miami in practically every way, and while I was able to argue for Miami’s case in their first two matchups, I’m not able to here. Mississauga is built to win, and they will. I feel like this series will be decently close, but there really won’t be much doubt for who the victor will be.
Mississauga wins 4-2

(2141 words)

10. Ottawa Lynx

(15-49-8)
FD Ranking: 9th (0.122)
Goalie Ranking: 10th (98 TPA)
Players In: Josh Caz, William Wallace, Rat Pans
Players Out: N/A
 
Ottawa was primed to be at the bottom of the standings from the very beginning. Having been unable to bolster the roster very much through the draft or the waiver wire, this team struggled throughout the entire season and was pretty much out of every game they played. Goaltending, defense, and offense were all pretty much at the bottom of the league ever since the season started. They hope to bounce back in the draft and get back into contention.
 
9. Houston Bulls

(17-49-6)
FD Ranking: 10th (0.052)
Goalie Ranking: 6th (166 TPA)
Players In: Keegan Vos, Kimi Raikkonen, Jeffrey Howard Dewberry Kalin
Players Out: Joshua Schwarzer, Toby Kadachi, Joseph Holm
 
Houston was pretty much out of the playoff conversation as soon as the playoffs started. Never able to get any defensemen on the roster, their defense became a pure turnstile and oppositions were free to score at will. The offense, lacking any true superstars, especially after trading away both Schwarzer and Kadachi early into the season. The only real competition this team had was with Ottawa for the first overall pick. While they held that spot for the majority of the season, at the last sim, they sucked just a little less than Ottawa and bumped up to 9th, ceding that first pick to Ottawa. Looking at the draft however and the picks this team has, a slide from 1 to 2 is not too much of a blow.
 
8. Halifax 21st [-1]

(25-39-8)
FD Ranking: 6th (0.626)
Goalie Ranking: 9th (98 TPA)
Players In: Olumide Anderson, Shaunca, Demko, Guntis Gavilrovs
Players Out: N/A
 
The start of the season was pretty bleak to say the least. Without a goalie, they struggled mightily, despite bolstering a decently strong forward group. Eventually, they were able to get a goalie, and then their defense showed weakness, with only having one defenseman on the roster. At the trade deadline, they were able to get a player via waivers to fill that spot, and thus their roster was complete. However, those early season woes means they have to go up against the best team in the regular season as their first playoff opponent. While their roster is good and their weaknesses at least patched up, they’re likely to struggle against the juggernaut before them. They’ll go as far as their goaltending takes them, and based on their TPA, that likely won’t be very far.
 
7. Mexico City Kings [-6]

(28-39-5)
FD Ranking: 3rd (0.690)
Goalie Ranking: 8th (152 TPA)
Players In: Rory Sullivan, Tom Dufour
Players Out: Kirk Van Him, Motionless Kleaver
 
I really got burned by this pick. On paper, at the start of the season, this team was arguably the best and was primed to start off strong. Well, they did not. They bumbled and fumbled and flopped around at the start sitting near the bottom and stayed there for the entire season. Even still, on paper, this is a strong team. Their record is not necessarily indicative of the roster this team has. Their main issue is offensive production. While they’re about middle of the league in goals against, they are down with the bottom feeder teams in terms of goals for. If they want to truly compete at the level that their roster should have them at, there needs to be a strategy change to either score more goals or become a true shutdown team and keep games low scoring.
 
6. Philadelphia Reapers [+2]

(30-34-8)
FD Ranking: 8th (0.505)
Goalie Ranking: 7th (165 TPA)
Players In: Daniel Temple, Vlad Von Carstein
Players Out: Eno Velson
 
Philadelphia has had and still has one of the thinnest rosters in the league, and yet they were able to stay close to the middle. They were able to find the perfect line combinations with the slim pickings that they had to get the most out of their relatively weak team, and were able to stay around the middle in both goals for and goals against. Not much roster change has occurred with this team, and honestly they haven’t needed it. They got their two defensemen, a good goalie, and some decently strong forwards. Will they do anything in the playoffs? Probably not to be honest. But a decent season from a team that really should be worse than they actually are.
 
5. Miami Marauders [-1]

(39-27-6)
FD Ranking: 2nd (0.765)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Eno Velson, Logan Ninefingers, Riley Martin, Giorgiy Costanzov
Players Out: Liam Evans, Hershey McFleury, Joakim Norden
 
Miami is one of the few teams that benefited greatly from the recreate wave, bolstering their team and making them a lot better than what their record would have you believe. While defense is still relatively thin with only two defenseman on the roster, their forward core is deep and elite, and should make it hell for the opposing netminders. This team is one that has a legitimate chance to, at least in terms of the standings, cause some upsets in the playoffs. So long as the offensive production doesn’t go cold, they should be chugging along the postseason just fine.
 
4. Las Vegas Aces [+2]

(47-19-6)
FD Ranking: 7th (0.519)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Bric Sheithaus, Caesar Monterrey, Jean-Marc Lemieux, Elle Aura Ashe, George Richmond
Players Out: Jaja Dingdong, Zacharie Masse, Barry McOckiner
 
Vegas is a team that always seems to have no problems with getting waiver players to help flesh out their roster, and this was the case again, getting a large chunk of players early on which have kept them strong throughout. Their defense is very solid and while their forwards are a little low TPA wise, they have the depth to jumble the lines up if things go cold. This team did recently take a pretty massive blow, having one of their better forwards go IA and having to drop them right before the playoffs started. That is going to serve as a pretty big issue going forward if they want to make a push for the cup.
 
3. Saskatoon Wild [-1]

(48-16-8)
FD Ranking: 1st (0.835)
Goalie Ranking: 5th (199 TPA)
Players In: Joshua Schwarzer
Players Out: Jean-Marc Lemieux, Henry Ford
 
Saskatoon is one of the deepest teams forward wise, having 10 forwards on the roster. What is really amazing about this team is that they got zero waiver players all season long. Their roster is built up out of their draft picks and a trade here and there. How well this team performed and honestly how good the roster looks speaks volumes on their (now former) GM’s drafting ability. This is definitely a competitive team and a team to watch this playoffs and potentially next season as well, since they could very likely retain a decent group of players going into Season 91.
 
2. Mississauga Hounds [+1]

(54-16-2)
FD Ranking: 4th (0.681)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Joseph Dubois, Alfonzo Fineski, Toby Kadachi, Suetekh Kos, DB IV
Players Out: Pierre-luc Dutil
 
Mississauga’s offense is the offense. Full stop. Their forward core is absolutely lethal and can and will put the puck in the back of the net. Their defense is not too shabby either, having a strong top two guys with some decent help below them. This team is one that should and I believe will have a legit chance of going all the way. A lot of max players means next season, they will likely be pretty low in the standings, so they have to make the most of it here and now.
 
1. San Diego Marlins [+4]

(57-13-2)
FD Ranking: 5th (0.631)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Trevor Parsons, Thickums Mcgillacutty, Vanellope von Schweetz, Adi Dassler, Rainbow Colours
Players Out: N/A
 
This team absolutely feasted on the recreates this trade deadline, making their strong, deep roster even stronger and deeper. Their forwards? Nasty. Defense? Even nastier. This is the de facto cup favorite and it is hard to argue against that. The only team roster wise that can match them is Mississauga and maybe, if I’m a couple bottles deep, Miami. While the initial acquisition of the recreates should have hurt the team, as bringing in lower TPA guys and taking time away from higher TPA guys should hurt the team, San Diego did not slow down very much and those recreates are starting to catch up. Overall, this should be a fun squad to watch and see what they can do.
 
Playoff Matchups
 
1. San Diego Marlins vs 8. Halifax 21st
As I said before, Halifax will only go as far as their goaltending takes them, and when put up against a juggernaut like San Diego, that is not going to be very far at all. This series is not gonna last long at all, and I predict it’ll be a clean sweep, no gentlemen here. Despite the high hopes Halifax had coming into this season, they simply will not get past this Marlins team
San Diego wins 4-0
 
2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 7. Mexico City Kings
Mississauga is a team that can pretty much score at will. Mexico City is a team that couldn’t score to save their life. The only way Mexico City gets out of this series is with a major strategy change to basically turn them into the New York Islanders and play some of the most boring hockey known to man and make every game end up as 2-1 or 3-2. Mexico City is not that bad of a team, they simply can’t score though. Mississauga is not only better than Mexico City in every way possible, but they can actually score too. Even if Mexico City New York Islanders it up, it’s pretty evident that Mississauga will win.
Mississauga wins 4-1
 
3. Saskatoon Wild vs. 6. Philadelphia Reapers
Another interesting matchup. Saskatoon with an immensely deep roster and a multitude of line combinations to change up the team if the first couple games go south, versus Philly who pretty much has to rock with whatever the sims give them. In every category, Saskatoon has Philly beat, and will likely stomp them pretty handedly. Philly could probably steal a game but that’s about it.
Saskatoon wins 4-1
 
4. Las Vegas Aces vs. 5. Miami Marauders
This is what I feel the first “upset” would be. Las Vegas, especially after that major blow of one of their top players going IA, is actually pretty weak. Miami, on the other hand, got a huge boost due to the recreate wave and looks a lot stronger than what their record shows. This will definitely be the tightest of the series, just because these teams are actually somewhat close compared to everyone else, but I see Miami getting the edge in 6.
Miami wins 4-2
 
2nd Round
 
1. San Diego Marlins vs. 5. Miami Marauders
The two teams that benefited from the recreates the most. Honestly it is poetic for these two to meet. In all honesty, I think Miami has a legit chance to upset. Their forward group as a whole is a lot stronger than San Diego and while San Diego has the depth, Miami has that star power on defense that we saw during the regular season. What this will come down to is a legendary goaltender duel between Slezak and Syko, who have been pretty damn close in the goalie rankings throughout the season, and it is fitting that they match off against each other. This is a series that I feel will go the distance, with Miami edging off the Marlins right at the end.
Miami wins 4-3
 
2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 3. Saskatoon Wild
This feels like arguably the hardest matchup in the entire playoffs. Both these teams showcase a plethora of elite talent on both sides of the puck. This is one of those series that either team really could win it, and also one that feels like it’ll either go the distance or be a sweep. That being said, I just find it really hard to bet against Mississauga this season, and I see them absolutely shocking the Wild in a sweep.
Mississauga win 4-0
 
Final
 
 2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 5. Miami Marauders
All upsets must come to an end eventually, and this is where Miami’s stops. Mississauga is simply better than Miami in practically every way, and while I was able to argue for Miami’s case in their first two matchups, I’m not able to here. Mississauga is built to win, and they will. I feel like this series will be decently close, but there really won’t be much doubt for who the victor will be.
Mississauga wins 4-2

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10. Ottawa Lynx

(15-49-8)
FD Ranking: 9th (0.122)
Goalie Ranking: 10th (98 TPA)
Players In: Josh Caz, William Wallace, Rat Pans
Players Out: N/A
 
Ottawa was primed to be at the bottom of the standings from the very beginning. Having been unable to bolster the roster very much through the draft or the waiver wire, this team struggled throughout the entire season and was pretty much out of every game they played. Goaltending, defense, and offense were all pretty much at the bottom of the league ever since the season started. They hope to bounce back in the draft and get back into contention.
 
9. Houston Bulls

(17-49-6)
FD Ranking: 10th (0.052)
Goalie Ranking: 6th (166 TPA)
Players In: Keegan Vos, Kimi Raikkonen, Jeffrey Howard Dewberry Kalin
Players Out: Joshua Schwarzer, Toby Kadachi, Joseph Holm
 
Houston was pretty much out of the playoff conversation as soon as the playoffs started. Never able to get any defensemen on the roster, their defense became a pure turnstile and oppositions were free to score at will. The offense, lacking any true superstars, especially after trading away both Schwarzer and Kadachi early into the season. The only real competition this team had was with Ottawa for the first overall pick. While they held that spot for the majority of the season, at the last sim, they sucked just a little less than Ottawa and bumped up to 9th, ceding that first pick to Ottawa. Looking at the draft however and the picks this team has, a slide from 1 to 2 is not too much of a blow.
 
8. Halifax 21st [-1]

(25-39-8)
FD Ranking: 6th (0.626)
Goalie Ranking: 9th (98 TPA)
Players In: Olumide Anderson, Shaunca, Demko, Guntis Gavilrovs
Players Out: N/A
 
The start of the season was pretty bleak to say the least. Without a goalie, they struggled mightily, despite bolstering a decently strong forward group. Eventually, they were able to get a goalie, and then their defense showed weakness, with only having one defenseman on the roster. At the trade deadline, they were able to get a player via waivers to fill that spot, and thus their roster was complete. However, those early season woes means they have to go up against the best team in the regular season as their first playoff opponent. While their roster is good and their weaknesses at least patched up, they’re likely to struggle against the juggernaut before them. They’ll go as far as their goaltending takes them, and based on their TPA, that likely won’t be very far.
 
7. Mexico City Kings [-6]

(28-39-5)
FD Ranking: 3rd (0.690)
Goalie Ranking: 8th (152 TPA)
Players In: Rory Sullivan, Tom Dufour
Players Out: Kirk Van Him, Motionless Kleaver
 
I really got burned by this pick. On paper, at the start of the season, this team was arguably the best and was primed to start off strong. Well, they did not. They bumbled and fumbled and flopped around at the start sitting near the bottom and stayed there for the entire season. Even still, on paper, this is a strong team. Their record is not necessarily indicative of the roster this team has. Their main issue is offensive production. While they’re about middle of the league in goals against, they are down with the bottom feeder teams in terms of goals for. If they want to truly compete at the level that their roster should have them at, there needs to be a strategy change to either score more goals or become a true shutdown team and keep games low scoring.
 
6. Philadelphia Reapers [+2]

(30-34-8)
FD Ranking: 8th (0.505)
Goalie Ranking: 7th (165 TPA)
Players In: Daniel Temple, Vlad Von Carstein
Players Out: Eno Velson
 
Philadelphia has had and still has one of the thinnest rosters in the league, and yet they were able to stay close to the middle. They were able to find the perfect line combinations with the slim pickings that they had to get the most out of their relatively weak team, and were able to stay around the middle in both goals for and goals against. Not much roster change has occurred with this team, and honestly they haven’t needed it. They got their two defensemen, a good goalie, and some decently strong forwards. Will they do anything in the playoffs? Probably not to be honest. But a decent season from a team that really should be worse than they actually are.
 
5. Miami Marauders [-1]

(39-27-6)
FD Ranking: 2nd (0.765)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Eno Velson, Logan Ninefingers, Riley Martin, Giorgiy Costanzov
Players Out: Liam Evans, Hershey McFleury, Joakim Norden
 
Miami is one of the few teams that benefited greatly from the recreate wave, bolstering their team and making them a lot better than what their record would have you believe. While defense is still relatively thin with only two defenseman on the roster, their forward core is deep and elite, and should make it hell for the opposing netminders. This team is one that has a legitimate chance to, at least in terms of the standings, cause some upsets in the playoffs. So long as the offensive production doesn’t go cold, they should be chugging along the postseason just fine.
 
4. Las Vegas Aces [+2]

(47-19-6)
FD Ranking: 7th (0.519)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Bric Sheithaus, Caesar Monterrey, Jean-Marc Lemieux, Elle Aura Ashe, George Richmond
Players Out: Jaja Dingdong, Zacharie Masse, Barry McOckiner
 
Vegas is a team that always seems to have no problems with getting waiver players to help flesh out their roster, and this was the case again, getting a large chunk of players early on which have kept them strong throughout. Their defense is very solid and while their forwards are a little low TPA wise, they have the depth to jumble the lines up if things go cold. This team did recently take a pretty massive blow, having one of their better forwards go IA and having to drop them right before the playoffs started. That is going to serve as a pretty big issue going forward if they want to make a push for the cup.
 
3. Saskatoon Wild [-1]

(48-16-8)
FD Ranking: 1st (0.835)
Goalie Ranking: 5th (199 TPA)
Players In: Joshua Schwarzer
Players Out: Jean-Marc Lemieux, Henry Ford
 
Saskatoon is one of the deepest teams forward wise, having 10 forwards on the roster. What is really amazing about this team is that they got zero waiver players all season long. Their roster is built up out of their draft picks and a trade here and there. How well this team performed and honestly how good the roster looks speaks volumes on their (now former) GM’s drafting ability. This is definitely a competitive team and a team to watch this playoffs and potentially next season as well, since they could very likely retain a decent group of players going into Season 91.
 
2. Mississauga Hounds [+1]

(54-16-2)
FD Ranking: 4th (0.681)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Joseph Dubois, Alfonzo Fineski, Toby Kadachi, Suetekh Kos, DB IV
Players Out: Pierre-luc Dutil
 
Mississauga’s offense is the offense. Full stop. Their forward core is absolutely lethal and can and will put the puck in the back of the net. Their defense is not too shabby either, having a strong top two guys with some decent help below them. This team is one that should and I believe will have a legit chance of going all the way. A lot of max players means next season, they will likely be pretty low in the standings, so they have to make the most of it here and now.
 
1. San Diego Marlins [+4]

(57-13-2)
FD Ranking: 5th (0.631)
Goalie Ranking: T-1st (200 TPA)
Players In: Trevor Parsons, Thickums Mcgillacutty, Vanellope von Schweetz, Adi Dassler, Rainbow Colours
Players Out: N/A
 
This team absolutely feasted on the recreates this trade deadline, making their strong, deep roster even stronger and deeper. Their forwards? Nasty. Defense? Even nastier. This is the de facto cup favorite and it is hard to argue against that. The only team roster wise that can match them is Mississauga and maybe, if I’m a couple bottles deep, Miami. While the initial acquisition of the recreates should have hurt the team, as bringing in lower TPA guys and taking time away from higher TPA guys should hurt the team, San Diego did not slow down very much and those recreates are starting to catch up. Overall, this should be a fun squad to watch and see what they can do.
 
Playoff Matchups
 
1. San Diego Marlins vs 8. Halifax 21st
As I said before, Halifax will only go as far as their goaltending takes them, and when put up against a juggernaut like San Diego, that is not going to be very far at all. This series is not gonna last long at all, and I predict it’ll be a clean sweep, no gentlemen here. Despite the high hopes Halifax had coming into this season, they simply will not get past this Marlins team
San Diego wins 4-0
 
2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 7. Mexico City Kings
Mississauga is a team that can pretty much score at will. Mexico City is a team that couldn’t score to save their life. The only way Mexico City gets out of this series is with a major strategy change to basically turn them into the New York Islanders and play some of the most boring hockey known to man and make every game end up as 2-1 or 3-2. Mexico City is not that bad of a team, they simply can’t score though. Mississauga is not only better than Mexico City in every way possible, but they can actually score too. Even if Mexico City New York Islanders it up, it’s pretty evident that Mississauga will win.
Mississauga wins 4-1
 
3. Saskatoon Wild vs. 6. Philadelphia Reapers
Another interesting matchup. Saskatoon with an immensely deep roster and a multitude of line combinations to change up the team if the first couple games go south, versus Philly who pretty much has to rock with whatever the sims give them. In every category, Saskatoon has Philly beat, and will likely stomp them pretty handedly. Philly could probably steal a game but that’s about it.
Saskatoon wins 4-1
 
4. Las Vegas Aces vs. 5. Miami Marauders
This is what I feel the first “upset” would be. Las Vegas, especially after that major blow of one of their top players going IA, is actually pretty weak. Miami, on the other hand, got a huge boost due to the recreate wave and looks a lot stronger than what their record shows. This will definitely be the tightest of the series, just because these teams are actually somewhat close compared to everyone else, but I see Miami getting the edge in 6.
Miami wins 4-2
 
2nd Round
 
1. San Diego Marlins vs. 5. Miami Marauders
The two teams that benefited from the recreates the most. Honestly it is poetic for these two to meet. In all honesty, I think Miami has a legit chance to upset. Their forward group as a whole is a lot stronger than San Diego and while San Diego has the depth, Miami has that star power on defense that we saw during the regular season. What this will come down to is a legendary goaltender duel between Slezak and Syko, who have been pretty damn close in the goalie rankings throughout the season, and it is fitting that they match off against each other. This is a series that I feel will go the distance, with Miami edging off the Marlins right at the end.
Miami wins 4-3
 
2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 3. Saskatoon Wild
This feels like arguably the hardest matchup in the entire playoffs. Both these teams showcase a plethora of elite talent on both sides of the puck. This is one of those series that either team really could win it, and also one that feels like it’ll either go the distance or be a sweep. That being said, I just find it really hard to bet against Mississauga this season, and I see them absolutely shocking the Wild in a sweep.
Mississauga win 4-0
 
Final
 
 2. Mississauga Hounds vs. 5. Miami Marauders
All upsets must come to an end eventually, and this is where Miami’s stops. Mississauga is simply better than Miami in practically every way, and while I was able to argue for Miami’s case in their first two matchups, I’m not able to here. Mississauga is built to win, and they will. I feel like this series will be decently close, but there really won’t be much doubt for who the victor will be.
Mississauga wins 4-2

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Mexico City runs a hog cycle deck confirmed

Every single article you make is an absolute gem

Obuz mentioned = 10/10 article

The trade deadline has come and passed, and so too has the wave of recreates. This surge of “new” players breathes life into the VHLM and bolsters both rosters and locker rooms. While this is overall a good thing, as more activity in the VHLM leads to a greater experience for first gens, it also impacts the league in a pretty negative way in my opinion. As of writing this, if my counting is right, there are 14 returning members that have signed with a team. All but one team has gotten a returning member, with Saskatoon being the lone team to not bring in any returning member (you could also include Ottawa since their returning member is a pure VHLM lifer and basically recreates every season now).. While that in itself is fine, one must look at the distribution of the other five returning members. Those five members went to two teams, San Diego and Miami. Another fun fact: ALL of Miami’s waiver players are returning members, and ALL but ONE of San Diego’s are also returners. Think about that. San Diego, the top team in the VHLM, has four returning members who have all pretty much broken the 100 TPE mark and continue to boost this team in the standings. Miami, while not as good as San Diego, is also feeling the influx of production from their wave of returners. Returning members coming to a team and making them better is not a new revelation. What team is not going to benefit from getting a player with some extra TPE in their pocket at the start? But the real question is, is it fair? Is it fair that returning members turn a stacked team into an even more stacked team, taking away playing time from new creates who have been having themselves a good season, only to get shafted? Is it fair for the struggling teams with new players to not get that extra veteran experience? Is it fair for returning members to basically cup chase right out of the gate? I understand going to a team because you have a personal relationship with the GM or something like that. I’ve done that before, albeit when I did that team was kinda in the shitter, but, especially in San Diego’s case, this just seems like blatant cup chasing. The only way for this league to survive is to bring in new members, give them a positive experience, and retain them. Stacking a single team or two while pretty much ignoring every other team does not help facilitate it. Obviously, returning members likely would not want to go to the bottom teams in the league and basically play for a week or two max and dip out, but there’s no need for a big chunk of them to go and make the best team in the league even better. Spread the wealth around, actually make the race to first look competitive. At the very least, implement a system in which roughly an even distribution of returning members, in which a team cannot get three until every other team gets two, or something along those lines. It just seems extremely unfair to GMs and players alike that returning members can just come in and choose to cup chase right out of the gate.
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what 0 recreates does to a mfer 💀