VanCanWin

Why Each NA team lost in the playoffs After a season in which their conference was supposed to be incredibly weak, with potentially its top team being only fifth or sixth-best overall, no one would have guessed that one of these teams would have come out on top. Let’s take a look at what went wrong for those who didn’t win and then look at what brought Seattle to glory so soon. Calgary After squeezing past Vancouver in the first round of the playoffs on the back of three goals per game, a power-play running an efficient 24.32% and a penalty kill of 81.58%, Calgary ran in a hot and stingy Seattle defence. The reasons Calgary lost to Seattle were simple: no one showed up. The stats that back this up are staggering. Offence In four games, Calgary was shut out twice and managed just a single goal the other two games. Hard to win games when you’re relying on your goaltender to have a shutout in order to win games. Calgary was outshot this series by a tune of 149 to 84. Not quite doubled up but close enough. I mean, how can the ice be so tilted towards one team and expect this to be a close series. Defence Calgary’s defence couldn’t withstand the balanced offensive onslaught Seattle brought highlighted in the first game by seven goals allowed. As poor as their shots per game were, Calgary leaked an average of 37.25 shots per game. This one is especially difficult it shows that they simply were dominated on the ice and had no defensive answer to the Seattle onslaught. Special Teams After doing well in the first round, Seattle’s power play turned out to be too hot to handle for Calgary. Individual Play Brady Stropko After scoring nine points in the first round Brady was dominated by Seattle as he registered zero points and a -4 rating. Thorny Underyew Through the first two games, Calgary’s Thorny Underyew showed his inexperience in the face-off circle as he won just 14 of 60 draws he took. Thorny was kept out of the faceoff circle the rest of the series going just 1 for 4 the final two games. Toronto Toronto had a very intriguing playoff run even if it only lasted four games. They initially made the playoffs against the odds as they were clearly a rebuilding team expected to finish near the bottom of the standings. Toronto was the only team marked as a “sure thing” to not advance to the next round and it was generally thought that they would do well if they just didn’t get swept. Turns out, they ended up being Seattle’s toughest opponent! All the praise for a good series, yet what exactly went wrong for Toronto? They were simply not the better team. Average Talent (Top 10 skaters) Toronto’s average player overall of 73.9 was no match for Seattle’s average overall of 77.1 especially considering that just two skaters (Rylan Peace and Tzuyu) have overalls better than the TENTH best skater for Seattle. Third period Probably the biggest reason Toronto failed to win this series against Seattle was their lack of ability to score timely goals. Out of their fourteen goals scored, just two of them came in the third period. When you are battling in close games, those timely goals are usually the difference. They couldn’t control the ice in the third as their shots dropped as the game went later whereas Seattle’s shot attempt jumped in the third as they applied the pressure. Depth Toronto has a couple of solid players at the top, led by shot machine Rylan Peace. Unfortunately for Toronto, only two players scored more than one goal (Glover and Kai) as the lack of depth shone through. Unlucky Rylan Peace Being the lone offensive star on the team, all the players looked to Peace to lead the offensive charge. Rylan did his best firing six shots per game but unfortunately a total of ZERO found the back of the net. Peace led the regular season in shots with 466 but scored at just a 7.51% rate and it seemed this bad luck carried over into this series. Vancouver The Vancouver Wolves came into the playoffs as the number two seed and expectations were definitely higher than losing in the first round. While the series did go seven games and most numbers show the series was a close one, there were some worrying trends for Vancouver that ultimately led to their demise. Third periods Vancouver played good hockey for two periods. Unfortunately, whenever period three came around, Vancouver forgot how to play offence. With a total of 94 and 99 shots in the first and second periods, respectively, Vancouver only managed a lacklustre 79 in the third. Making matters worse, they failed to hit the back of the net in the third periods across all seven games. Astonishing. Special teams Often times, hockey games are won or lost on the special teams and for this series we can certainly say the same. Vancouver’s penalty kill (18.42%) trailed Calgary’s (24.32%) somewhat significantly. Backup goalie When league rules are broken, sanctions are expected. When Vancouver failed to play their backup goaltender for at least eight games, the repercussion was that their backup was required to play the first two games of the playoffs. Unfortunately, B-QUE just isn’t an adequate replacement goaltender and his stats showed it with a 0.881 sv% and a 4.00 GAA. Struggling Sophomore Michael Gary Scott was one of the only Vancouver players who struggled mightily through this series. Expecting big things from this second-year up-and-coming star, MGS only managed a single goal and an assist in seven games. More concerning? The thirty penalty minutes he took. If you’re not contributing while you’re on the ice and you’re putting your team down a man so often, you likely aren’t of much value to your team. VSN Writer VanCanWin

Helsinki 2-1

49 Prague Phantoms @ Moscow Menace 50 Calgary Wranglers @ Vancouver Wolves 51 Seattle Bears @ Helsinki Titans 52 HC Davos Dynamo @ Malmo Nighthawks

Congrats @fonziGG!!

F - Mikko Altonen G - Rayz Funk @.sniffuM

Entering his third season in the VHL, Rob Mattalex’s career to date has been one of varying levels of success. Currently with just 84 points in his first 144 games, Mattalex is looking to take the next step and become a premier forward in this league. Projections have him beginning the season pivoting the top line on Malmo where he should have the opportunity to put up some big numbers. To date, Mattalex has been primarily a scoring center (42 goals and 42 assists so far in his career) and he will continue to be a dynamic scoring presence along with his continued reliability on the defensive side of the puck. One are he has grown in this offseason has been his passing ability. Something he’s never worked on in his life, he dedicated this offseason to it and is hoping it pays off for him. His individual expectations for this season? Break the 30 goals mark and finish at a point per game pace or higher. His team expectations for this season? The Continental Cup.

F Dan Wilinsky D Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen @.sniffuM

Strictly off of TPE HHH should be higher on the list

to be fair this happens all the time. We tried to rank to best 25 players. That’s based on past stats, pure talent (combination of total TPA and build type). Should Drew Doughty be in any top lists after last season? And yet he was because of his talent

Getting a members tag making you think you’ve won ?

Sign me up

In a career defining move, Rob Mattalex has agreed to a new five year deal with Malmo for an annual salary of $4,000,000. This move signals his intent to finish his career where it started. Rob has this to say to the press: ”When I first came to Malmo I was unsure and unsettled. I didn’t know the team or the area and it didn’t look like I was a fit on this team due to its immense depth. GM Advantage @Advantage really worked me into the team finding me ice time wherever he could and though I didn’t ace my rookie season I became more comfortable. This last season was where it all began to feel like home for me though. The locker room I shared with such an incredible group of guys was such a calming comfort for me and really helped me settle. Today I wanted to affirm this with my teammates and sign a long term contract to stay here. This is my home and these guys are who I want to be with the rest of my career.” 183 words.

Thanks!! Happy to stay in Malmo!

Glad you’re enjoying it buddy! The VHL’s better with you in it! ?

Haha nope was way off on that one

@studentized apply for this buddy. We could use your stats brain here! (I’m sure there’s plenty more of you brainy guys in here that should apply though!)

With two full rounds completed in the playoffs and his team, Malmo, still playing Robert Mattalex looks like he’s stepped up his game in the playoffs after a successful regular season. Currently he sits at five goals, six assists, for a total of eleven points in twelve games. He scored a crucial triple overtime winner in the first round and has been a timely scorer throughout the first two rounds. Overall, Mattalex has performed admirably alongside his running mates Thompson and Sullivan Jr as they have once again dominated their opponents. Thompson and Sullivan are two major players in the race for playoff MVP as they both sit atop the leaderboards for the playoffs. Seattle will have their hands full with this trio and any hopes of Seattle winning this series will start with finding a solution to this line. Where does this series go? How far can this trio take Malmo? They figure to be a huge key to Malmo’s chances at glory. 164 words.

A Week in Review It was the week everyone looks forward to at the beginning of the season. The playoffs had finally arrived! The blood, sweat, and tears of the regular season were behind us. While players on New York, Moscow, Prague, and D.C. headed home for an offseason of growth and training, the other eight teams were all preparing themselves for a playoff run. Only one team - Toronto - came this far unexpectedly while others like Vancouver and Calgary expected to come this far but were not sure how much further they would go. Seattle was a surprise contender that really established themselves throughout the year as legitimate contenders in a very weak North American conference. On the other side however, though Malmo took home the top seed, the four teams are interchangeable on talent and expectations with all of them having legitimate hopes of pulling through to the Finals. As the first round started, the parity showed its face as each round began 1-1 eventually leading to two series going six games while the other two went the distant seven. Twelve of the games were decided by one goal, while six more were decided by two goals. That’s an astonishing eighteen out of twenty-six games or nearly seventy percent! Besides that, the largest series goal differential was four (Seattle and Malmo) with one series winner (Riga) even being outscored. Unfortunately, the second round came and went without much pushback from the losing teams. Seattle steamrolled Calgary for a clean sweep outscoring then an astonishing fifteen to two! The other series featured the leagues top two teams in Malmo and Riga and while this series was close and hard fought, with many close games, Malmo closed it out in a tidy five games setting up a showdown between the growing rivalry of Seattle and Malmo. Playoff Leaders: Goals: Tyler Barabash Jr (CGY) - 7 Matt Thompson (MAL) - 6 Ryan Sullivan Jr (MAL) - 6 Assists: Jerry Garcia (MAL) - 10 Matt Thompson (MAL) - 9 Brandan LeBlanc (CAL) - 9 Points: Matt Thompson (MAL) - 15 Ryan Sullivan Jr (MAL) - 14 Jerry Garcia (MAL) - 13 Kevin Low (SEA) - 13 Stat of the Week Combined Record of Opponents Through Two Rounds Seattle’s: 64-61-19 Malmo’s: 86-44-14 —————————————————————————————————————————————— Rookie Spot Light (S67) LW Berocka Sundqvist (Seattle) @Berocka 6’3” 200lbs 23-34-57 +30 267 shots 245 hits 7GWG A young talent from across the globe, this young Australian is a talent to keep an eye on. Berocka was born in Australia and grew up playing other sports as hockey wasn’t so big in his hometown. Learning the game from his grandfather Hugo, Berocka quickly developed into an intriguing talent. Though he was a natural athlete, Berocka didn’t get the chance to learn the hockey game as much as other youngsters did. This did not stop him from pursuing his dream and eventually scoring a scholarship from the Gothenburg University of Business in Sweden where he became known to scouts in pro leagues, such as the VHL. In his career in college, Berocka excelled earning the still standing record for points for a rookie in that program. Soon enough, with scouts knocking on his door, Berocka signed as an undrafted player with the Mississauga Hounds where his VHLM career began. Berocka Sundqvist was drafted first overall in the Season Sixty-Seven VHLM draft while also being selected seventeenth overall in the VHL draft the same season. Berocka spent two entire seasons in the VHLM where he tore the league up to the tune of 163 points in 144 games. Entering this season, Berocka was playing for a young talented but inexperienced Seattle team and his expected output was unknown. He was able to exceed all expectations ending his rookie season with 23 goals and 57 points along with a punishing 245 hits! Berocka’s Bears are still playing as they have steamrolled through the North American conference on route to a meeting with the Malmo Nighthawks in the VHL finals. Berocka and his teammates are attempting to put the finishing touches on the first season of this budding powerhouse as they look to remain atop the league for the foreseeable future. You can bet Berocka Sundqvist will be a huge part of that future wherever it goes.

1. What is the next part of your game you are hoping to develop? hoping to improve my passing finally. 2. What portion of your game are you particularly proud of when it comes to your on-ice play? My goal scoring as that’s who I was trying to create. 3. Related to the question above which stat on the stat sheet is most important to you? Do you like to score goals? Do you like to block shots? Goals first, points next. 4. After the home games which of your teammates seems to have the longest lineup for autographs? Matt Thompson obv. 5. It’s the team Christmas party. Which teammate is making a fool of himself in front of team management? Probably Jerry. 6. The Halifax 21st are holding a contest to decide what their team mascot is going to be. Do you have any good ideas? Not sure... knowing Halifax it’s probably not a family friendly mascot.

I appreciate the kind words, my friend!

oh my goodness that took me a minute get that ?? love it ? @Tate

TVL changes to Robert Mattalex. As was rumoured, Malmo forward TVL in the midst of a heated playoff round, has busied himself with the process of a name change. With the paperwork complete, TVL would like to formally introduce himself to the VHL world as Rob Mattalex. Of course this all begs the question, why? See this interview I had with him today on this very subject: Well I hear there’s big news! Why the name change? Honestly, I wanted to change my name as I usually don’t use my irl name on internet games like many people don’t. It’s that simple. And why the name Rob Mattalex? That’s a good question. Recently I was blessed with my firstborn son (irl). Now leading up to this season there was a huge negotiation going on for the services of Matt Thompson. Word is that he signed with Malmo on the sole basis that TVL would name his firstborn (unborn at the time) after Matt or Bek or whatever names are associated with this man in VHL history. After my boy was born and my wife didn’t allow me to choose the name, I felt really bad. Bek and other let me hear about it and there was a certain unrest in our locker room because of this. By naming him Rob Mattalex, I chose three names associated with Bek and put them together as an attempted peace offering in the hopes of regaining a good friend and peace in our locker room. Have you talked about this to him yet? No, no one knows about this. Not even my wife! I hope he takes this the right way though and we can repair our once strong bonds as linemates and friends. Has this had any effect on your playoff performance? I think I have played well all things considered, but it has been weighing on me tremendously so I hope I can now relax and play the game how I know I can. So do we call you Rob from now on or can we continue with calling you any nicknames we have for you? I would prefer to go by Rob to pay proper homage but if Bek approves I will allow a few nicknames to stick such as TVL, Van, etc. Now back to the ice, where do you see your series playing out in the 7th and deciding game? We are going to dominate the lesser talented HC Davos and move on to the next round. Matt is a superstar that is willing (and simming) his way to bring Malmo their first championship. We have such a good group of guys and so much talent we know we are the best team in the VHL. What are the keys to your team success from here forward? If everyone forgives me my big mistake towards Bek and accepts this peace offering taking me back in with open arms, we will regain the unity that made us an unstoppable force this season. 502 words. @Beketov @Advantage @fonziGG @GustavMattias @Matt_O @Phil @OrbitingDeath

aw man, so close ? nice article again though! Really enjoy these!