1.) The expansion teams were recently revealed what do you think of the team names and logos?
2.) Which team do you think drafted better in the expansion draft?
3.) Along with the reveal of the expansion teams, the league has divided into four divisions, how do you feel about that?
4.) Will either of the new teams suck as bad as Malmo?
5.) The offseason is in full swing and the VHL award show has just passed. Were there any surprising winners, or any you disagreed with?
6.) Speaking of the offseason, training camps have just started. What drills are you focusing on, and what do you hope to improve upon for this next season?
7.) Our team has a very good mix of vets and prospects, how do you feel about our chances this upcoming season?
8.) Do you think we need to make any changes to the team to ensure we go deeper in the playoffs this season?
9.) We're going to hop onto the bandwagon of professional hockey teams having a puppy associated with the team i.e St Louis, Montreal, New York. What breed is it and what are we naming it?
10.) What have you been doing with your limited free time this offseason?
We'd like to congratulate the Ottawa Lynx on a successful campaign - hoisting the Founder's cup. It was a team, over the course of the regular season and playoffs, that overcame a lot and was guided in an extremely efficient direction to dominate most portions of the year. Probably a lot of other people had other teams picked? Maybe? Anyway, congrats to them. Another big congrats to all of the players who are making their ways to the VHL and were drafted the other night to their new VHL organizations. We wish you all the best of luck. Next, thank you to everyone who runs the show. From my trusty partner D_A, le bluez, to the people who make the lines and simulate for us season after season, the updaters, the recruitment team and every other staff member and normal member we have that makes the VHLM such a stronger, more enjoyable league.
We will have some small changes coming in the near future that we feel are strongly going to improve the VHLM and all those involved. All rules will take place immediately if ready, however, the entirety will not be announced until a later date.
And with that, I'd like to congratulate this seasons Awards winners.
If you won an award you can claim 2 TPE. All co-winners can claim 1 TPE.
Team awards do not count as TPE.
S67 VHLM Awards
Championship - Founder's Cup: Ottawa Lynx
Best Regular Season Record - Prime Minister's Cup: Ottawa Lynx
Leading Points - Ethan Osborne Trophy: Zeno Miniti (OTT)
Leading Goals - Alexander Chershenko Trophy: Thorny Underyew (OTT)
Leading Assists - Vladimir Boomchenko Trophy: Zeno Miniti (OTT)
Regular Season MVP - Mitch Higgins Trophy:
Zeno Miniti @Zeno
The S66 VHL Entry Draft, I'm told, was one for the ages, and by far the most deep of all time, at the time. I, obviously, cannot speak for this, as I was a rookie in this draft class. I'm actually writing about this season in particular for two reasons: first, the aforementioned, my presence within it, and second, the fact that this season is the one (so far) that I extensively covered around draft time with my own mock draft (because I need another reason to talk about it and haven't mentioned it in a whole 53 seconds), the creatively-named Gustav's Mock Draft, from which I'll be pulling such things as at-the-time team needs and lineup analysis. I'll also mention that this article is made possible by @rjfryman's post-draft live rankings, where I'll get all my current TPE numbers, and by the recently-renovated draft section of the portal (many thanks to @Will). Anyway, enough with the intro. Let's get on to the drafting. I'll be going approximately however long I feel like with this, so my apologies if we reach some arbitrary cutoff point or if you feel you've been FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY.
TPE numbers are as of last week.
#1: Riga Reign (from MOS)
Hunter Hearst Helmsley | @Beaviss | C | 1st overall | TPE: 431 (Current TPE: 777)
Actual draft pick: Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Mock draft pick: Hunter Hearst Helmsley
OK, let's get this one over with. HHH at #1, we know. Though a tiny bit of doubt about Helmsley's #1 overall status was thrown around before the draft, none of it gained any serious traction and he went to the Reign with the top pick. Here, there's no doubt--HHH is #1 in the class by 89 TPE, and, should he stick with Riga when his contract is up after the coming season, figures to be the team's (and quite possibly the league's) #1 forward in good time.
#2: Vancouver Wolves (from DAV)
Julius Freeman | @rjfryman | LW | 2nd overall | TPE: 339 (Current TPE: 688)
Actual draft pick: Julius Freeman
Mock draft pick: Julius Freeman
When the draft results rolled in, I was particularly proud of calling this pick--Freeman was behind at-the-time #2 Shane Mars by a bit, but had demonstrated the ability to earn TPE at an incredible rate since joining (due in part to reasons which made me hate the lottery forever, but he's cool so all is forgiven). Freeman is now the #2 player in the draft class, and while it should be noted that Jet Jaguar is catching up, the Wolves had their future #1 center in Gritty already at the time of the draft, keeping Freeman at this point for now.
#3: Seattle Bears (from CGY)
Jet Jaguar | @gorlab | C | 10th overall | TPE: 304 (Current TPE: 686)
Actual draft pick: Shane Mars
Mock draft pick: Shane Mars
The draft class has a clear-cut "top 3," and Jaguar rounds it out here. To say that he's earned at a ridiculous rate would be an understatement--he was 18 ahead of my player at the time of the draft, and now sits over 100 ahead, and I've earned every last point I could in that timeframe. Honestly, I've got no clue how he's been doing it, but what's important is that he's now put into a much better, and more fair, position than his 10th overall selection.
#4: Riga Reign (from VAN via DAV)
Apollo Hackett | @Renomitsu | D | 16th overall | TPE: 231 (Current TPE: 584)
Actual draft pick: Mikko Aaltonen
Mock draft pick: Mikko Aaltonen
At the time of the draft, Riga's top need was defensive depth--they had a wonderful, but slightly aging, roster all around, presenting availability at every position depth-wise, but defense was easily the position most in need of filling immediately after the departure of Shawn Glade. This pick makes sense on both levels: one, Hackett is the top player on the board in terms of TPE, and two, he plays the position Riga is out to get. At the time of the draft, picking any defenseman at #4 overall would have been a bit of a reach, but now it finally makes sense.
#5: Moscow Menace (from NYA via RIG)
Jerry Garcia | @GustavMattias | D | 7th overall | TPE: 286 (Current TPE: 583)
Actual draft pick: Dmitri Volosenkov
Mock draft pick: Shawnomir Jagr (14th overall)
We're seeing a strong BPA trend so far, with the picks here directly following the TPE rankings, and this pick is no exception. Moscow, at the time of the draft, could make a good case for drafting any player at all, at any position, as a second-season expansion team. Jerry Garcia is the best player available here, so that's what they go with.
#6: HC Davos Dynamo (from RIG)
Charlie Paddywagon | @DMaximus | D | 6th overall | TPE: 270 (Current TPE: 572)
Actual draft pick: Charlie Paddywagon
Mock draft pick: Dmitri Volosenkov (5th overall)
When I was writing up the mock, I reasoned that while defensive depth was the biggest concern for Davos, trading for Shawn Glade and giving Smitty a linemate for the top pairing would at least leave the team free to go BPA. Anyway, I was wrong about that--Davos made a surprising move and took Paddywagon over Garcia at this point, confusing the hell out of me at the time as Garcia was the top defenseman available in terms of TPE, and our builds are highly similar. Later, Shawn told me that he made the choice because he knew Paddywagon and saw him as a safe option. No protests here, as Charlie has lived up to expectations, staying close to even with the top of the defensive crop.
#7: Malmo Nighthawks
Shawnomir Jagr | @TheLastOlympian07 | RW | 14th overall | TPE: 296 (Current TPE: 568)
Actual draft pick: Jerry Garcia
Mock draft pick: Jerry Garcia
Well, we're still following the TPE rankings, though that wasn't my intention. Malmo's in a bit of a rough spot here--they came into the draft with one defenseman (Basaraba Moose) on the roster, and the defensive situation was fairly lost at first under lots of "Malmo is going to draft Owen May" talk. At this point, there aren't any defensemen available for the taking, or at least there aren't any who would be a reach at #7 overall, as the next available defenseman is Rusty Shackleford, 14th in the TPE rankings with 467. If this were the real draft, it would make lots of sense if Malmo were to trade up a spot or two to satisfy their need. Here, though, Jagr goes with this pick as the best player available.
#8: Riga Reign (from SEA via DAV)
Mikko Aaltonen | @GRZ | RW | 4th overall | TPE: 315 (Current TPE: 550)
Actual draft pick: Aron Nielsen
Mock draft pick: Jet Jaguar (10th overall)
Aaltonen jumped up to #4 in the TPE rankings at draft time, and indeed went fourth overall in the draft, coincidentally, to Riga. It's worth noting that he's slipped a few spots, for sure, and isn't much of a "TPE whore," but he's earning consistently at a respectable rate and has developed into a nice depth role for now, slotting right into Riga's plans for the future.
#9: Riga Reign (from HSK via CGY via DAV)
Hans Gruber | @TheFlash | C | 28th overall | TPE: 225 (Current TPE: 506)
Actual draft pick: Arnor Sigurdsson
Mock draft pick: Aron Nielsen (8th overall)
Yes, we're still following the TPE rankings at this point. Riga could have used a center at the time of the draft, but HHH took care of that with the first pick. This season, too, top defenseman Ryan Kastelic switched to center, leaving the team fairly set up for the near future at the position. So, why pick Gruber? Remember, just about all of Riga's roster at the time was S63 or earlier, and while they had the star power for a few seasons to come, the future needs consideration, and with this pick the team aims to get a second center who can step into a major role immediately when the top of the roster begins to age out.
#10: Moscow Menace (from TOR via CGY via RIG)
Mat Tocco | @Matmenzinger | RW | 31st overall | TPE: 189 (Current TPE: 477)
Actual draft pick: Jet Jaguar
Mock draft pick: Owen May (11th overall)
Finally, I get to deviate from the rankings! There are two wingers here, one who would be following the rankings exactly, but I'm picking Tocco here. Currently, he's 16 behind Arnor Sigurdsson, but at the time of the draft he was 95 behind, making up a solid 79 TPE since that point. We also saw a bit of artificial separation prior to the draft, as Tocco slowed down to stay in the minors another season. So, up to #10 he goes.
SECOND ROUND
#11: Moscow Menace
Arnor Sigurdsson | @bluesfan55 | RW | 9th overall | TPE: 284 (Current TPE: 493)
Actual draft pick: Owen May
Mock draft pick: Arnor Sigurdsson
Moscow, at this point, still would have had demonstrated need at every position. Garcia in the first round gets them a nice defenseman, and they picked up a winger in Tocco. They need a goalie here, but the top netminder of the class is Owen May, who's fallen off the wagon in recent weeks. So, the team goes BPA here and picks up another forward in Sigurdsson, who hasn't been the league's fastest earner in recent seasons but still presents an active, solid option with future potential.
#12: Calgary Wranglers
John Frostbeard | @FrostBeard | RW | 12th overall | TPE: 184 (Current TPE: 464)
Actual draft pick: John Frostbeard
Mock draft pick: Chico Smeb (19th overall)
Calgary surprised quite a few people by reaching up to take Frostbeard in the second--while being a winger, and being able to fill Calgary's single pressing need, he was, at 184 TPE, far from the highest-TPE winger on the board (Chico Smeb, best winger available in my mock draft pool, had 272, and Shawnomir Jagr at 296 was still on the board in the actual draft). Here, we've seen Jagr leave the draft pool before #12, but Frostbeard gets the nod over Smeb due to both his higher earn rate and his positive history with Philadelphia, a VHLM team with strong Calgary ties.
#13: HC Davos Dynamo (from VAN via RIG)
Rusty Shackleford | @K1NG LINUS | 17th overall | TPE: 199 (Current TPE: 467)
Actual draft pick: Codrick Past
Mock draft pick: Charlie Paddywagon (6th overall)
Up above, we see a tale of three defensemen--at this point, defense isn't a huge issue for Davos. They've got Glade and Smitty on the top line, and they've just picked up Paddywagon in the first. They've got the ability to use 482 (at the time, I think? That's just a number that pops out to me) TPE semi-active Cayden Saint on the second pairing, for now. In the future, though, they'd need someone else to step up, and who better than Shackleford, who stayed down in the minors a second season, to do it for them? His activity took a small hit recently, but speaking through the Malmo grapevine, there isn't much to worry about as he'll continue to develop just fine.
#14: Vancouver Wolves (from DAV)
Chico Smeb | @xDParK | LW | 19th overall | TPE: 272 (Current TPE: 472)
Actual draft pick: Shawnomir Jagr
Mock draft pick: Bert Meyers (15th overall)
Smeb is, in actuality, the higher-ranking winger when compared to Frostbeard, but I've explained why he's here already. His earn rate isn't spectacular, but it's there, and consistently so. Smeb goes to Vancouver here, a team with limited positional need but with room to use the best available players however they see fit.
#15: Helsinki Titans (from NYA)
Guillaume Fontenette | @okocha5 | D | 30th overall | TPE: 156 (Current TPE: 399)
Actual draft pick: Bert Meyers
Mock draft pick: Codrick Past (13th overall)
If I were to list BPA here, it would be Past. So why isn't it? He plays Fontenette's position, and he's almost 50 TPE ahead. Here's the thing: he was over 100 ahead at the time of the draft, and Fontenette has been slowly but surely gaining ever since, even moving four spots up in the TPE rankings last week. Is this a good choice? Will Fontenette catch, and eventually overtake, Past in the future (sorry for the weird wording there), with enough time to have a noticeable positive effect? Only time will tell.
#16: Riga Reign
Codrick Past | @Kylrad | D | 13th overall | TPE: 258 (Current TPE: 447)
Actual draft pick: Apollo Hackett
Mock draft pick: Apollo Hackett
And here's Past; that didn't take long. Riga could still use some defense, even after taking Hackett in the first. And who's the best player on the board? That's right, a defenseman. Past to Riga in an easy selection, though this would be Fontenette to Riga had Helsinki gone the other way.
#17: Malmo Nighthawks
Jordan Tonn | @MexicanCow123 | C | 29th overall | TPE: 200 (Current TPE: 438)
Actual draft pick: Rusty Shackleford
Mock draft pick: Rusty Shackleford
Here Malmo finds themselves in yet another defense-less predicament. They need a defenseman more than anything else, and if this were the real draft, with real possibility for trades, with a writer who factors this kind of thing in and tries to project it, I can again promise that the Nighthawks absolutely would have traded up at least a spot in the first round. Under the conditions of this redraft specifically, Malmo is screwed, so they take what they can and try to make something out of it through a trade or two. In this case, what they get is Tonn, a decent, active center and AGM of San Diego.
#18: Vancouver Wolves (from SEA)
Aleksander Rodriguez | @Jtv123 | RW | 24th overall | TPE: 199 (Current TPE: 435)
Actual draft pick: Kyle Sabertooth
Mock draft pick: Hans Gruber (28th overall)
Vancouver definitely does not need a winger at this point, but after Rodriguez, there's a bit of a drop-off in TPE among the actives, with the next member who's updated in the past week coming in at 384. Rodriguez is 51 TPE ahead of the competition here, and as such he's taken as the most valuable, either for depth or for trade value.
#19: HC Davos Dynamo (from HSK via CGY via VAN)
Cody Smith | @cody73 | LW | 42nd overall | TPE: 138 (Current TPE: 351)
Actual draft pick: Chico Smeb
Mock draft pick: Maximilian Kirbsson (23rd overall)
It should be noted that as of this season, Smith has shifted to the blue line, converting from a winger to a defenseman. At the time of the draft, though, he played left wing, so that's how we'll treat him here. While a bit behind Nethila Dissanayake, who's got 368 TPE, Smith has proved to be the quicker earner, and figures to move up the board in the future as a valuable asset.
#20: Seattle Bears (from TOR via HSK via VAN)
Edward Vigneault | @Patpou22 | D | 33rd overall | TPE: 182 (Current TPE: 335)
Actual draft pick: Valeri Morozov
Mock draft pick: Valeri Morozov
The Bears here use their second-rounder on Vigneault, the best available defenseman. This isn't a question of positional need--Seattle had a ton of it, everywhere. It's not even a question of BPA--Owen May is still on the board, and over in forward-land, so is Dissanayake. Lately, Vigneault's been earning TPE at a solid rate, more so than either of the aforementioned, which puts him in this spot for now.
THIRD ROUND
#21: Moscow Menace
Owen May | @FacebookFighter | G | 11th overall | TPE: 266 (Current TPE: 442)
Actual draft pick: Beau Buefordsson
Mock draft pick: Ludvig Sederstrom (22nd overall)
Goaltending is a pressing concern for Moscow at this point, and while May's return to consistent, at times maxed-out, earning, is somewhat in question at the moment, that's a chance the team is willing to take here. If May does in fact return to the site (last update close to a month ago, but he's given his reasons), this would be a steal for the Menace. Either way, it's a chance Victor is likely willing to take, and gives the team a player with great future potential.
#22: Helsinki Titans (from CGY)
Nethila Dissanayake | @nethi99 | RW | 26th overall | TPE: 199 (Current TPE: 368)
Actual draft pick: Ludvig Sederstrom
Mock draft pick: Beau Buefordsson (21st overall)
Helsinki was (and is) reasonably filled at every position by this point. It's possible that they'd be looking for an eventual replacement for Pepper here, but circumstances allow for a bit of BPA exploration, and that's exactly what happens here, with Dissanayake being taken at 22.
#23: New York Americans (from VAN via HSK via MOS)
Dean Clarke | @Kyle | D | 51st overall | Current TPE: 314
Actual draft pick: Maximilian Kirbsson
Mock draft pick: Kyle Sabertooth (18th overall)
You may have noticed that I don't have a number for Clarke's TPE at the time of the draft. This is because I simply don't know what it was--I've been taking TPE numbers from my mock, and I didn't even have him projected in the 5 rounds I covered. Since the draft, Clarke has climbed the ladder, though--making it to BPA here as far as actives are concerned. With this pick, an Americans roster that was, at the time, falling apart, picks up a player who can make the eventual shift into effective territory--maybe not now, but in the future, and that's exactly what they need.
#24: Riga Reign (from DAV)
Ben Hafkey | @ItsMcLovin | LW | 53rd overall | TPE: 112 (Current TPE: 309)
Actual draft pick: Aleksander Rodriguez
Mock draft pick: Kolur Bjoernsson (49th overall)
Hafkey is another late bloomer who's managed to make his way into the last few actives of the class. He's done reasonably well in recent weeks, with an earn rate consistent with many above him here. He's easily BPA here for Riga, and as such he's picked up at this point.
#25: Moscow Menace (from NYA)
Blake Laughton | @Grape | LW | 47th overall | TPE: 151 (Current TPE: 291)
Actual draft pick: Edgar Tannahill
Mock draft pick: Edgar Tannahill
Laughton's earning has been somewhat inconsistent over time, but lately he's been doing well enough. Soon, he may find himself stepping into a depth role as a physical forward with a scoring touch, providing valuable support for a playoff team or perhaps being the temporary centerpiece of a rebuild.
#26: Calgary Wranglers (from RIG)
MORPHEUS DESTRUCTIOUS | @Abaddon | D | 57th overall | Current TPE: 272
Actual draft pick: Nethila Dissanayake
Mock draft pick: Nethila Dissanayake
Ah, MORPHEUS, the league's favorite bone-crusher. He hasn't been on every week to earn points, but he has done something most weeks in recent memory. He also plays a hard physical game, meaning that he could be seen as a player of value for teams looking for such a thing.
#27: Seattle Bears (from MAL)
Micheal Rassmussen | @Connor mcdavid | LW | 78th overall | Current TPE: 158
Actual draft pick: Clayton Park
Mock draft pick: Aleksander Rodriguez (24th overall)
Rassmussen is the last active of the draft class, and I suppose I'll finish off the third round after this point. He's been on for 6 TPE per week from welfare and practice facility, consistently, and at 78th overall was the last active player to be selected, by Helsinki. While it's unknown whether or not he'll develop into anything in the VHL, here he's the obvious BPA.
#28: Vancouver Wolves (from SEA)
Shane Mars | @Spade18 | LW | 3rd overall | TPE: 358 (Current TPE: 381)
Actual draft pick: Hans Gruber
Mock draft pick: Rhye Tyr
Well, that certainly aged well. As anyone who's been active since the time of the S66 draft knows, Mars historically disappeared from the site in mid-May, and while his eventual return is promised, nothing is known for sure yet. It's probable that, when he comes back, Mars will retire for the sake of a fresh start, but here he's picked up by Vancouver, who hopes for a quik return and a few updates.
#29: Helsinki Titans
Aron Nielsen | @solas | D | 8th overall | TPE: 274 (Current TPE: 389)
Actual draft pick: Jordan Tonn
Mock draft pick: Clayton Park
Nielsen was, at one point, the top defenseman in the draft class (@Renomitsu wrote all about him in the second article in our tagging wars). He showed a patch of inconsistency during his first season in the minors, but quickly recovered and returned to past hall-of-fame form. Since that point, though, he's gone inactive again, raising questions about Nielsen's future in the league.
#30: Helsinki Titans
Walter Clements | @cpetrella | C | 55th overall | TPE: 134 (Current TPE: 267)
Actual draft pick: Guillaume Fontenette
Mock draft pick: Jordan Tonn
Clements rose up the board after being drafted into the VHL, but fell off the wagon soon after, having not updated in almost a month. It's interesting to see if he makes a return, and if so, the pick could still turn out to be a steal.
3,660 words, will claim for 4 weeks starting the week ending 9/8.
1) The Menace lost a tough first round series against Riga. Where did we go wrong in the series? We could have tried changing up the lines sooner but their goalie just shut us down. Not much we could have done.
2) The VHL finals sees Vancouver Wolves vs Helsinki Titans, who is going to win and why?
I'm guessing Vancouver. They're just pretty dominant right now.
3) Who are your top choices for playoff MVP this season? The safe bet would be Louth.
4) Off-season is already in full swing for the Menace. What off-season activities are you currently enjoying while we wait for S68 to start? Haha I'm just glad I can finally drink without the trainers going off on me. I'll just have to make sure I'm back in shape when the new season rolls around.
5) What stat categories are you going to be focusing on improving as we enter the new season? All of them hopefully. I was really disappointed in how I played this season. But I'm still learning and growing.
6) VHL is apparently expanding next season. Where do you think/hope the two new franchises will be located? Do you like or dislike the idea of league expansion? I really think Prague is going to be one of them and that's bittersweet. It would be pretty cool to play in my home town but I couldn't ever see myself leaving Moscow. As for the other team? I don't know some city in Canada I guess. They're all the same.
Hi Reapers and friends this is the first Reapers' team awards! It will be done in play by play style and I am hosing it live in the Philly Locker Room!!
Good luck to all the guys on the team and a reminder that these results were decided by a team vote !!
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Matmenzinger got a reaction from rjfryman in S68 VHFL Group 2 - Complete
Matmenzinger got a reaction from gorlab in Moscow Menace Press Conference.thumb.jpg.aed6521838588fbb335091586ae9cb9b.jpg)
Matmenzinger reacted to Banackock in S67 VHLM Awards
Matmenzinger got a reaction from Victor in S67 Trivia Week 7 - Answers
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