Greg_Di

At the end of Season 82, Tom Eagles had the best season of his career. Even going on to win the Wylde trophy as the best defensive defenseman.

What caught many by surprise was that he was not nominated for the Dustin Funk award which is the most improved. Many fans and even Tom was shocked he was not even on the ballot as they believed he had a great chance of winning the Dustin Funk and ending the season with two award wins.

Let's do a breakdown of his S81 vs S82 and then compare his improved stats to the eventual winner.

Goals:
S81 - 16 goals

S82 - 21 goals

Difference - +5

Not a big difference here but Tom was never a scoring defenseman but we still see a little uptick from last season

Assists:
S81 - 49 assists

S82 - 84 assists

Difference - +35

Here we saw a huge increase from the past season, at the twilight of his career he managed to improve his assists by 35 over the past year. 84 assists is a massive achievement for anyone and especially a player that would go on and retire after season 83.

Points:

S81 - 65

S82 - 105
Difference - +40

Another great improvement over the last year and ended up being the best season of Tom's career.

+/-:
S81 - +2

S82 - +52
Difference - +50

Another massive stat that maybe gets a little overlooked. Tom finished with an incredible +50 to end the season. Another career high for this defender.

Hits:

S81 - 235

S82 - 217
Difference -  -18

This is the only stat that decreased during this season for Tom. As players get older they tend to hit less so this was expected. There wasn't too big of a difference and he still had a respectable 217 hits on the season.

Shots Blocked:
S81: 137

S82: 228

Difference: +91

Another huge stat for an aging star. Tom blocked an extra 91 shots in S82. He put his body on the line to help prevent goals from going in and was a huge difference maker for the Wranglers

Comparisons to eventual winner: Eagles comparison in red

Darth Kaprizov (Eventual Winner): 
Goals - +31      +5

Assists - +24   +35

Points - +55     +40
+/- : +33           +50

Hit: +16             -18

SB: -3               +91

Total Count:
Darth: 156

Eagles: 203

Adding up the totals above, Darth had a total increase of +156, while Tom had an increase of +203.

While I know this is not how the BOG calculates the winners, it gives you a bit of thought as to why Tom Eagles was not even nominated. Compared to some of the other candidates he should have been at minimum nominated for this award to go up against Darth. 

Putting up this kind of an improvement as a defenseman, I believe, would have given Tom a leg up to win this award if he were nominated. While we may never know if he would have won the award, it is definitely something to think about and is considered one of the biggest snubs in the Eagles dynasty.

Henry Eagles who was the S85 1^st overall pick and highly touted prospect coming into the VHL has been facing a very challenging season this year which has been marked by a huge underperformance for Malmo up to this point of the season. The promising star has left management and his fans scratching their heads as they watch his train-wreck of a season unfold.

All his stats across the board have plummeted significantly and could potentially lead to one of his worse season to date. His underwhelming performances can be attributed to Malmo also struggling, even though they were one of the favorites to slide into the playoffs with ease. Now the team is struggling to even hold a wild card spot.

No one can quite pinpoint what has gone wrong this season. Could Eagles be potentially playing with a undisclosed injury this season? Or maybe the pressure and expectations of being traded to Malmo and helping to lead their resurgence might be playing a factor in his recent struggles.

“I just keep hearing this on a weekly basis from the media, yes I have struggled this season but I am personally not that worried yet” Eagles told us “We have 40 games left in the season and we will continue to fight for a playoff spot. I am confident myself and the team will bounce back”

On 8/30/2023 at 8:28 PM, comrade cat said:

 

 

1. best car brand?

2. top 3 vhl teams

3. and the most unquie food from your country or culture?

Answers:
1) I would probably say Porsche would be the best car brand; for me personally I would say Tesla (not due to quality as still has issues but due to the technology)
2) My personal top 3 would be Vancouver, Calgary and always whatever team I am on, currently Malmo

3) Live in Canada now but born in Poland, so would say Pierogi from Poland

Questions:
1) Who in your opinion is the most underrated player this season in the VHL?
2) Who in your opinion is the most overrated player this season in the VHL?

3) What do you wish you spent more time doing five years ago?

Last week we published an article highlighting Henry Eagles struggles with his new team in Malmo.

A followup to that article this week and Henry has been steadily picking up the pace. Last week he was at 1 point with only a single goal to his name but today he is at 7 goals and 5 assists for 12 points in 18 games. While this is still a far cry from what he is capable of, we can see that he is starting to find his grove.

"I think it was a longer adjustment period for me and I just wasn't playing up to my full potential" Henry said "Things have been going better now that I am settled here in Malmo and the points are starting to come. There is still lots of season left and I expect myself and Malmo to start turning things around the deeper we get into the season"

With only 18 games played so far for Henry, he has a lot of time to get back into his usual scoring self. We will continue to follow Henry and the Nighthawks to see how they do this season.

It has been the worst start to his career so far but Henry Eagles is shrugging it off and does not seem worried.

After 4 games with his new team, Malmo, Henry only has 1 goal to his name. Many are wondering what is going on and if his skills are starting to decline.

"I think many people are jumping the gun, it's a new season for me with a new team, I am still getting used to the new style of play and my new team-mates" Henry said "I am not worried with the slow start, things will pick up and the points will come. If I still only have 1 point at the end of this week then maybe I will start to worry"

Henry Eagles was a big trade acquisition for Malmo this off-season, but so far the team has not seen any return on their investment. The Malmo Management and fans are hoping that Henry can turn it around quick and help the team out of their slow start.

Review:

I always like player interviews as you get to learn more about the player, their thoughts and how they think the season will go. This one was a little different which I liked as this tested the players knowledge on where he would be playing this season and it also included a little singing surprise  . Some improvements I would make it adding a picture as those are always a nice touch in media spots, I would also color code the interviewer a different color and Aurora a different color to help differentiate. Some spelling errors and missing letters seen as well but overall a good interview with some interesting touches. 7/10

Henry Eagles was seen training for the first time in his new home, Malmo, earlier this evening. 

He took the ice with some of his new team-mates and got to meet the new coaches. Henry was working on learning the Malmo strategies and plays as they prepare for a season that has a lot of potential to end with a cup win.

"It was great to meet my new coaching staff as well as my new team-mates" Henry said "I spent the day today getting a feel for the new team tactics and seeing what the team expectations of me are, it was a good day and I can't wait to start the season. The whole team is looking forward to it and we think it will be a great season for the Malmo fanbase"

Henry was traded earlier this season as he moved from Vancouver to Malmo. It will be a season with a lot of high expectations for both Henry and Malmo and hopefully they both can deliver.

F - Mac Atlas

@wcats

G - Clueless Wallob

@der meister

F - Yaroslav Bogatyrev

@wcats

F - Henry Eagles

@der meister

D - Brian Kowalksi

@wcats

D - Hammar Voss

@der meister

In what may have been a shock trade to many in the VHL and even some Wolves players, was not a shock for the player involved.

Henry Eagles was recently traded to Malmo and many fans were left wondering why this happened

" I think a lot of people thought of it as a shock trade but our GM actually approached me before the trade happened and we discussed it" Henry said "It was a very respectful talk and I have much respect for GM Frank, He let me know there was a potential trade opportunity for me and what I thought of it. I have always been a team first player and I let him know that he  has to do what's best for the Wolves and there would be no hard feelings if I ended up moving"

The trade did eventually happen and Eagles was moved to a potential Cup contender in Malmo, who has been aggressively putting together a team that can compete now

"While I will miss Vancouver, the players, the fans and the Eagles history in that city, I am very excited to head over to Malmo and see what we can do there" Henry continued " Their GM, Victor Grachev, is putting together a solid team over there and I can't wait to get started. I think big things will happen in Malmo this season and I am happy that Malmo was willing to move some pretty good pieces for me. Now it is my turn to repay that faith and help lead this team to a cup!"

Love your work, would appreciate a new sig for my new team!

 

Player Name: Henry Eagles

Player Render (Faceclaim): Brendan Shanahan or Wendel Clark

Team: Malmo

Graphic Style (OPTIONAL): Whatever you feel like, I am not picky and enjoy your styles.

Henry Eagles - PC

16 hours ago, Banackock said:

EAGLES IN GREEN. ALMOST AS GOOD AS A BEARS JERSEY! 

@Banackock Maybe one day an Eagles will play in Seattle while you're still GM!

Thanks @Frank and @Gaikoku-hito for a great time in Vancouver and a cup win! 

@KaleebtheMighty Lets get that Cup for Malmo!

On 8/1/2023 at 3:31 AM, Gaikoku-hito said:

Continental Cup Finals & Season Awards

 

 

Here we are back in the finals only two seasons removed from our last dance with Cup. We missed out on chance of repeat with Prague Phantom dropping in five games to HC Davos one of the best team in the regular season. So, What are our chance against Davos? Season Awards are being handed out very soon so do you think you will win any awards and can you predict any of the winners; since some of you claim you can see into the future. Either way we are back with another press conference, so answer three questions for one TPE or all six for two TPE. As always have fun!!

 

 

Q: HC Davos and Vancouver in the Finals; Are you at all surprised that these two teams have made the finals?

Surprised a little bit with Davos but not surprised with the Wolves. It was always a cup or bust season for us.

 

Q: Who is the favorite heading into the Finals but in the end who is going to win the Continental Cup?

 

I think we are the favorites but we find ourselves down 3-2 in the series after taking a 2-0 lead. We really need to focus and win the next 2.
 

Q: Season Awards are being handed out, who do you think will win the Three Awards trophy this season? Why?

I already saw who won so will not answer but was well deserved. They had a great season!

 

Q: Who was the team’s best defender this season? Why?

Toss up between Payne and Bouchard. Both were very solid this season and have been a big help in the playoff push.

 

Q: Who do you feel was the teams Unsung Hero and why?

Probably Kerr, he stepped it up this season and has also been leading the team in points during the playoffs!

 

Q: Which player is been under played the most this season? Should @Frank play them more?

I think all players have received fair playing time and no one has issues with ice time. Everyone got to play on different lines and show the management team what they can do

 

Well, I just realized that I might not be around to celebrate or share in the emotions of the Continental Cup finals as I am heading on mini vacation this weekend and I am not sure I am going to have access to a computer so Good Luck and Hopefully we lift the Cup again at the end of the play-offs!!

 

Lets go get them Wolves!!

 

@Frank@dogwoodmaple@Spartan @Greg_Di@JB123@VattghernCZ@STZ@Scurvy@Gaikoku-hito@Kylrad@Tate

After a hard fought series against the ever tough Wranglers, Henry Eagles and the Wolves moved on after a 4-2 series win. They will now face the NY Americans who upset the Seattle Bears. While it will be a tough series the Wolves are confident they can overcome NY and move on to another finals appearance. Things have gone well as they have taken a 2-0 series lead.

Henry has been playing well so far putting up 8 points in 8 games. 5 of those being goals

"Just trying to contribute whenever I can, we want to win the cup this season and so far we are off to the right start" Henry said " There is still a long way to go as we know we can't let the foot off the pedal yet. We may be up 2-0 but New York is a solid team and they come into this series with a lot of confidence after beating the Bears. If we take them too lightly they will jump right back into this series"

The Wolves are hoping they can take atleast 1 more game in game 3 and 4 and then close out the series in game 5.

On 7/26/2023 at 12:09 AM, Gaikoku-hito said:

PLAY-OFFS

 

 

Here we are at the end of the season and since I am busy/slow this week the play-off has already started so hopefully these question don`t age or fall flat. Either way we are back with another press conference, so answer three questions for one TPE or all six for two TPE. As always have fun!!

 

 

 

 

Q: Wildcard rounds are over and Prague has advanced to play Moscow in the first round? Do you give Prague a fighting chance of beating the Continental Cup favorites?

 

Everyone has a shot in the playoffs and by looking at the current playoff tree, it seems Prague is doing very well against Moscow.

 

Q: New York sneaks into the Wildcard and wins. Can they continue to surprise everyone by upsetting much more favored Bears in the first round?

 

Similar answer as to the above. NY is a good team and they have been playing very well vs Seattle so far. They can definitely cause an upset.

 

Q: Vancouver & Calgary; Who do you think wins and why? And does this team have enough to win the Continental Cup?

 

I always put my money on my team. We have a strong roster and just need to win one more game to close the series out. We have enough to win the cup and anything other then winning it would be a dissapointment.

 

Q: Riga and HC Davos are in the other series; what are you expecting from this series? Why?

 

Davos already won it by the time I got to the question. They really dominated and deserve to move on.

 

Q: Prediction time: Pick one team from each conference that is going to make the finals? Who are they and then who wins the Continental Cup? Why?

 

My picks would be Vancouver and Davos in the finals with us taking it in 6  

 

Q: Summer time heat; How do you break the summer time heat? (we hit 45C this past week, today is cool at 38C)

Hasn't been that hot where I am, it has been hovering around the 30-32c mark but when there is a heat wave I would stay inside in the AC.

 

 

Next week we are either talking about Fishing & Golf or we continue to talk about the Play-offs. Considering I don`t fish or golf since moving to Japan, I am hoping for Play-off talk to continue.

         

 

Actually, I am heading for vacation starting next Thursday for the weekend so will be a bit quieter than usual.

 

@Frank@dogwoodmaple@Greg_Di@Spartan @JB123@STZ@VattghernCZ@Bobcat@Xflexz@Gaikoku-hito@Tate@nikkisixx089

Hello,

Welcome back to our show, to end things off we have a very special guest joining us today. Please welcome Henry Eagles to our studio!

R: Welcome back Henry to our show, it has been a while since we last spoke.

HE: Thank you, glad to be back.

R: Now tell us, how has the season gone for you? 

HE: Well this is a 2 part answer. The season for the team I think has gone very well. We started off slow but finished very strong. I think we have a very good chance in the playoffs. On a personal level, I was very disappointed with this season. You know many will look at the totals and say that I did pretty well and thats a fair point looking from the outside in. Me personally, I failed to achieve the goals I set for myself this season and I count this one as not a good one for me

R: Can you go into a little more detail as to why it was that disappointing?

HE: Well, I did set a career high in assists and game winning goals which is great but everything else has dropped since last season. Less goals, less hits, less +/-, Less shots blocked. I was up for awards last season and this season I won't be nominated for anything. I set a goal at the beginning of the season to atleast get 50 goals and finish in top 10 in Goals, Assists and Points. I didn't even get close in any of those stats. So yes, disappointing that I did not reach my goals.

R: Is there a reason why you think so many stats dropped this season?

HE: You know, it could be a mix of things. The other teams scouting me and knowing what I will be doing. We also have a very talented team on the ice with a lot of top players so scoring for me may have been down for me due to me trying to make that pass, could just be im getting older and not performing to what I am used to. You know, its hard to say. It's not like the team did bad and that's why my totals dropped, team did very well. I just count it as a bad season and will do my best to improve next season

R: How do you see the team doing in the playoffs?

HE: I think we will do well. We have a solid team from attack to defense to goalie with alot of depth. I see us as one of the favorites.

R: Any goals for next season?

HE: I want to break the 100 point mark before I retire and the 50 goal mark. I also want to win some awards and that will be my goal going into my late stage of my career. For a 1st overall pick I definitely have not lived up to all the expectations placed on me and hopefully I can make up for that in this second half of my career.

R: We all hope you do reach those milestones, that is all the time we have for today. Good luck in the playoffs Henry and we look forward to speaking with you again next season!

HE: Thank you and Go Wolves Go!

On 7/18/2023 at 7:25 AM, Gaikoku-hito said:

Birthdays!! I like Birthdays!!

 

 

The league has turned that awkward age with voice changing, pimpled noses and in most case the legal ability to drive a motor car. Yeah, I think this coming year can and will be awkwardly fun but when hasn`t the VHL been awkwardly fun? Either way we are back with another press conference, so answer three questions for one TPE or all six for two TPE. As always have fun!!

 

Q: July 18^th, 2007; Where were you and what were you doing? If you can remember!!

 

I have no idea, that was a long time ago lol! Probably was just starting my first career job...I really don't remember

 

 

Q: When did you join this league and why did you decided to stay?

I joined the league in the very early days and played a few seasons then took a really long break due to being busy. Decided to come back in S66 and have been here ever since. 

 

Q: What is the best thing about Birthdays? Why?

Spending time with family and friends.....and obviously the gifts

 

Q: What was the best thing about being 16?

I wish I could go back to being 16, so many less responsibilities and the freedom to do pretty much anything you want.

 

Q: Since joining the league or in the past 16 years of the VHL; what has been the most memorable moment for you and why?
 

Being drafted in the second round when I first rejoined (not known by many people) with Greg Eagles and then going on to winning multiple cups and awards, still my best VHL player to date.

 

Q: Riddle: How can you tell when a birthday is very emotional?

This one stumped me, tried looking up on google just to see what the answer was and couldn't even find it!

 

Holly cows, time flies and next week we will be talking about the play-offs. It seems we have Calgary in the first round unless something drastically changes in short order. Well, Let eat our cake and …….

 

@Frank@dogwoodmaple@Greg_Di@Spartan @JB123@STZ@VattghernCZ@Bobcat@Xflexz@Gaikoku-hito@Tate@nikkisixx089

 

 

Happy Birthday VHL!

Henry Eagles set a goal for this season of 90+ points and was very optimistic of hitting these goals. Unfortunately it doesn't even look like he will even meet his last season totals. 

While his playmaking and assists have seen a similar pace to last season, his goal scoring has dropped and no improvement seen. With playoffs close to starting ,the Wolves will be hoping Henry can find his scoring touch.

"It's a little bit disappointing, I had set what I thought were realistic goals but it seems like I have degressed in the scoring department" Eagles said " With 10 games to go I am at 30 goals where last season I was at 42 to end the season. I don't believe I can hit 12 in 10 but you never know, either way I won't be hitting the 50 goal mark"

With the Wolves having scoring power across all lines, Henry scoring has gone down as anyone on any line can be a lethal threat, which makes it harder to be the main scoring threat on the team.