Cran

The Minnesota Storm 
Now this one is a highly requested article and while I don't usually succumb to peer pressure, I will say that this team has intrigued me over a little bit of time. I mean, we are talking about a team that hasn't lost in 10 games. That's right, 10 straight wins but if thats not impressive, then let's look at their last 15 games? Well, they've not lost in 15 either. Over the past 20 games, they have run an absolutely dominating 18-2 record. Seriously, I scratched my eyes when I saw that as well. While that's incredibly impressive, they've been doing this with the 2nd best PP percentage and 4th best PK percentage. Minnesota has been the most dominant team in the league and it's no question that I expect that to continue.
 
The Young Players:
Cole Newhook @GrittyIsKing09
Danny DeYeeto @Cran
Groovy Dood @bigAL
Hunter Harrison @I'll change this later
Jack John @GoadenGoalie35
Liam Flaten @flatl99
Michael Hall @Hops
Mickey Dickson @Brewins15
Mikeal Keef @RStar
Woody McPine @HearnNation67
 
Goaltenders:
Let's start with the goalie here in Woody McPine. Woody has been an absolute revelation this season for the Storm. He's boasted this season with a 90.6% save percentage and a 2.06 goals against average. This is top 5 in the league in his position material, infact you could probably argue he's a top 3 player in his position. Actually, I'd like to make a firm belief that he is the best goalie in the VHLM at the moment. Woody also has a league leading eight shutouts (sharing with Nils Friedriksen) and has been one of the best players on this already dominating team. I expect to see him blossom with Prague after getting drafted 35th overall in S71.
 
Defenders:
Minnesota has a glut of brilliant defenders on the team. GM Funk has done an excellent job of bringing in the right players for the right roles on this team. We'll start with Danny DeYeeto, a player who is in the top 10 for assists with 57 which is also netting him around 81 points. His plus/minus is at +74 as well and has 12 PP goals for the team. Danny has been a true leader for this team and it shows with his play. Seriously, Danny has been the most physical player on the team and is being an example to the younger players.
 
Hunter Harrison has been a fantastic utility player for the team. Hunter has boasted a +57 plus/minus with a solid 119 hits and 44 shots blocked. He's not on the team to be a true offensive weapon, however he has been improving on that side of the ice every single season. This season he's truly lived up to his utility name for Minnesota.
 
Liam Flaten has been another brilliant player for Minnesota. Liam has 83 points on the season, 13 power play goals and 61 assists. Heck I'm sure his 22 goals doesn't hurt. Liam has been an absolute defensive dynamite on the blueline for Minnesota. In fact, he's nearly tripled his scoring total from last season when he played for Philadelphia. He was drafted 16th overall by the DC Dragons and is a major blue chip prospect for the team.
 
Mikeal Keef has been another young stud joining this team. Infact, Mikeal has been a fantastic 2 way defender for the team by putting up 40 assists and 57 shot blocks. Minnesota has hit the jackpot with this young +33 defender and every single team in the VHL has been keeping an eye on Mikeal who has been reaping the rewards of training extra hard. In fact, some of his teammates had mentioned that he had been working harder than anyone else on the team and has invoked other teammates to try to work as hard.
 
Forwards:
 
The grooviest dude in the entire VHL, Groovy Dood, has been catching fire as of late for the Storm. Groovy has put up a very impressive 7 goals and 27 assists for  34 points on what I'd like to consider a brilliant rookie season (he played 2 games for Halifax last season). The only hole in Groovy's game is that he's only blocked 2 shots on the entire season and if he wanted to impress GM's at the VHL level, he's going to need to be able to pick up the slack on the defensive end. He's been a very slick player for a 6 foot 1 inch player and always seems to be finding space for not just himself but also for his teammates. I expect a very bright future for Groovy!
 
Jack John has been another veteran in the room for Minnesota. He's been training hard and in private for the past 3 seasons and there seems to be a lot of faith that he can be a very solid piece for Prague. Jack has put up 8 goals, 14 assists and 22 points on limited minutes. In fact, he's boasting a great plus/minus of +33 and has scored 2 goals on the PP. He's been a major physical piece for the team on the offensive side of the ice by putting up 78 hits as well. Everyone knows he's going to be a fantastic depth piece for any VHL team in the future.
 
Michael Hall has been a major piece to this team by boasting nearly a point per game statistics. He's thrown up an impress 24 goals and 21 assists with a +24 plus/minus to note. While impressing on the offensive line, just from that stat line you can see that he does need to work on his defense however his offense has been an absolute powerhouse to note for his depth scoring. Michael has been impressive but I expect him to be even more brilliant down the line.
 
Mickey Dickson is the last forward we're going to talk about today. In fact, probably one of the best forwards on the team. He's been rocking an 18 goal 52 assists for 70 points. Whats impressive about this is that even though he has the calibre to score goals but he's finding the right players at the right time to score. He's showing up on the defensive side of the ice with a +53 plus/minus. Mickey was drafted by Davos back in S71 and I fully expect him to go up to the major leagues this season considering he can be a brilliant playmaker for any team (which is a very hot commodity).
 
That ladies and gents is the Minnesota Storm. Who are we talking about next? Let me know in the comments.
 

The Minnesota Storm have been firing on all cylinders lately. After being shutout by the Ottawa Lynx in game 50, they rallied and are currently on a 5 game winning streak which has brought them within 2 points of 1st place in the VHLM. Over the course of the streak, they've outscored their opponents 32 – 12, including a 12- 0 thrashing of the Houston Bulls. That game saw all but 4 Storm skaters see the scoresheet and the defense, led by Danny DeYeeto @Cran and Liam Flaten @flatl99 (each with 6 points), hold the Bulls to a measly 9 shots. DeYeeto and Flaten have been studs on the back end during the streak, with a +/- of +15 and +11, respectively, over those 5 games. The 2 dmen aren't too shabby in the offensive zone either, as mentioned above. During the current win streak, DeYeeto has racked up 2 goals and 12 assists for 14 points, while Flaten has managed 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points. Overall, DeYeeto sits 2nd in team scoring with 25 points, while Flaten is 4th with 21. DeYeeto, a career minor leaguer, seems to have found his form from 2 seasons ago when he returned to the Storm after a brief stint with the Saskatoon Wild and had 114 points in 72 games, a 1.58 ppg average. His 25 points is 14 games is 1.78 ppg. Flaten, who is in only his 1st full season in the league, was picked 13th overall by the Storm in the S72 draft after putting up 31 points in 61 games with the Philadelphia Reapers. His 1.5 ppg makes GM @Rayzor_7 look like a genius. The sky is the limit for the young defenseman.
 
The rest of the Storm defensemen haven't been too shabby this season either. Hunter Harrison @I'll change this later is a reliable young defenseman, who is on his 3rd team in 3 years since being drafted by the Yukon Rush in S70. He has put up 3 goals and 3 assists and is +18 on the season, and is on pace to mathc his career high of 31 points he set last season with Philly. The d core is rounded out by 3 rookies, Han Jae Kuk @Dtayl (33rd overall), Mikael Keef @RStar (38th overall), and Jikim Connolly @Jikim (76th overall). HJK has had the most success so far in this young season, with 6 assists and a +1 rating in 14 games. Keef (2A, -3) and Connolly (1A, +1) both played partial seasons last year with the Mississauga Hounds. Keef put up 19 points (4 goals and 15 assists) and was +7 in 20 games, while Connolly had 3 goals and 3 assists and was -5 in 8 games. Should these young defensemen get the opportunity to get more ice time, its no doubt they will be able to reproduce these numbers, but with DeYeeto and Flaten leading the way, who knows when that will happen. The Storm also had defenseman Grant Thiel, another former Reaper, but he was released after just 2 games.
 
Word Count:504

Woody McPine and the Minnesota Storm finished the VHLM regular season on fire, winning 16 games in a row before losing their last game to Yukon in a battle for 2nd place. We managed to get the young goaltender to sit down for an interview before the playoffs.
 
Question: You guys seemed unstoppable during that last stretch of the season, how will that help you in the playoffs?
Woody: We gained a lot of confidence during those games. We know we can beat any team that we face.
 
Q: You started the season a little rough, what turned it around for you?
W: I wasn't playing great, that's for sure. But I put the axe to the oak as they say, and worked my ass off to get to where the team needed me to be. After that, we all clicked and it was smooth sailing.
 
Q: Now that your first full regular season is in the books, what are you most proud of?
W: That's a tough one but I'd have to say helping the team into the playoffs or representing my country at the world juniors.
 
Q: Speaking of the juniors, can you tell us a bit about what that was like?
W: Oh it was amazing. We had a great team. Didn't get the result we wanted, but still managed to silence the doubters and win a nice bronze.
 
Q: You were also named the top goalie in the tournament. What does that mean to you?
W: It's a huge honor, but I couldn't have done it without my teammates.
 
Q: Tell us about the prize you gave the Americans.
W: (Laughs) Well after we beat them, I remember looking over at them while we were celebrating and they all looked so sad and I wanted to do something to cheer them up.
 
Q: Do you think it worked?
W: My Storm teammates, Robin Winter and Gavin Harris, had a good laugh about it so I hope the rest of the team did as well.
 
Q: Back to the VHLM. You finished with a record of 49-13-1, with 4 shutouts, a GAA of 2.9, and save % of 0.877. Those are much better numbers than your time with Vegas. What made the difference?
W: A lot of things really. Lots of practice is the main thing, as well as upping my off season training. Another big thing was the Vegas was in a rebuilding year so that, combined with my inexperience meant that there would be a lot of tough games.
 
Q: Both the Storm and Vegas made the playoffs, do you think you'll end up playing each other?
W: I hope so, it'd be fun to have a go at them.
 
Q: You guys have San Diego in the first round, any thoughts on that?
W: It should be a good series, they're a tough team.
 
Q: Woody, thanks for sitting down with us and best of luck in the post season.
W: Thank you, it was my pleasure.

Regular Season MVP Award "Mitch Higgins Trophy"
 
Mitch Higgins Trophy is given to the most valuable player last season. It is an award that emphasis leadership ability and unparalleled skill that is only found in some players.
For us this season we have had many great players all around the VHLM and the award committee had a tough time decided who will take home the trophy.  
In award committee ballots there 4 different nominees that received at least 1 vote, but in this case we did have a clear winner and a clear runner-up for this award. 
Runner up for this award was the brilliant sniper and the backbone of success in Mexico City, Jaxon Walker.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, a winner of Mitch Higgins Trophy of S69 is none else than the amazing Danny DeYeeto of Saskatoon Wild!
Congratulations @Cran!
 
Next up - Playoff MVP - Skylar Rift Trophy!
 

Top Defenseman award "Ryan Sullivan Trophy"
 
Award named after a true legend in VHL, a brilliant defenseman that ruled his time and was absolutely dominant on the blue line. We have had many brilliant players receive this award and this time we will see another join the club. Only two nominees received votes and those two were truly dominant. 
Runner up for an award given to the top defenseman in the league was Shawn Glade Jr.
 
And winner of S69 Ryan Sullivan Trophy was none else than the beast of Saskatoon Wild, Danny DeYeeto!
 
Congratulations @Cran
 
Next up - Top Goaltender award "Benoit Devereux Trophy" 
  
 

First of all, I'd like to congratulate Mississauga management ( @GustavMattias and @Berocka ) for making the finals, and their players for a fantastic season and series. After your first round selections - which surprised me - your rise above Mexico was both fun to witness and fuel for me to bug Motzaburger that Mexico kept falling and falling in the standings. Good luck next season, Hounds! 

Now for my guys... obviously I have to start with @Elmebeck. You are a fantastic AGM that is arguably the breath of life for the team and locker room. You're inclusiveness, passion, presence and commitment to the players on the team will make you a great GM in the future. 

Now onto the players...

@diamond_ace @Laflamme @Cran @JohnOQuinn @Edustava @Tagger @Ren @myself @Garrett @Jesse Nyman @Aye my name jeff @Viperxhawks19 @cjc_24 @Beketov @animal74 @Sade @leafsman @SlapshotDragon 

It was an absolute honor to both play alongside you with Killinger, and be your general manage for this historical season. Saskatoon was insanely dominant this year, a year which the VHL will remember as Saskatoon's season. Season sixty nine (haha, nice) goes down in the record book - on the VHLM index anyway - as the strongest season ever by any single VHLM team. 

Congratulations, everyone, you all deserved this. 

 

Welcome back to the WJC Daily Review, a series in which we will talk about best players, surprises, letdowns and more! Stick around and follow us as VSN is here to be the media outlet for you and your entertainment!
 
 
Another day of games has been played at the World Junior Championship, with Team Asia continuing to impress, winning both of their matches to lead the field with four wins in as many games. Sitting in second place is Team Europe with four wins as well, matching Asia’s tally, but with an extra game played. Team Canada has continued their average start, once again splitting their games with a win and a loss, while Team World regressed from their day one performance, dropping both of their matches against team Europe. Rounding out the standings is the only team currently without a win; Team USA sits at a -10 goal differential and will have to quickly turn things around if they want to have a chance at this tournament.  
 
 
Team Asia
Asia has continued their storybook start to this WJC with two statement victories against the US and Canada. Winning 6-1 against the Americans, Asia showcased their scoring depth, with 5 separate players finding the back of the net. In particular, Richard Fitzwell impressed with a three-assist night, as well as Will Clarke’s two-goal performance. In the next match, Asia took down team Canada 3-1 behind a monster performance from goalie Jimmy Spyro, who made 40 saves, allowing just the one, while winger Jerry Wang took the first star as he had a hand in all three Asia goals, scoring two himself. Their penalty units were top class as well today, going 3/8 on the power play and 8/9 on the penalty kill. This Asia team is looking impossible to beat.
 
 
 
Team Europe
Europe’s good form from the first day of matches continued, as they picked up two victories today, both against Team World.  Despite letting in 3 goals in the first game, goalie Boris Boris still had an SV% above .900 (.903), and turned it on in the second, shutting out Team World with 19 saves. Boris Boris continues to be a bright spot for this team and leads the tournament in both SV% as well as GAA. Offensively, Team Europe has been maintaining its form. Solid performances from team leader Guy Lesieur and overall depth scoring has taken them where they need to go. However, they still aren’t firing on all cylinders. Even with a two-point game in the overtime victory,  Balentine Kidd has struggled to produce so far despite high expectations, with those two being his only points so far of the tournament, though this can perhaps be attributed to his starting on the second line. If this Europe team can start playing to their full potential, they have a very good shot at the gold medal. 
 
Team Canada
Canada’s performances in day two of the WJC were much the same as day one, having lost one and won one in both days. Their first game of the day saw them put four goals past a struggling United States team, with a big 3 point game from Alyksander Hunter, who is currently tied with Daldo and Kris Rice in leading the team with 4 points. Despite their good performance in this game, they were unable to recreate it against an in-form Team Asia, losing 3-1. To get back on track, Team Canada needs someone to step up. They have had decent depth scoring so far, but no one has taken the lead and truly given this team the impetus they need to compete at the level of Team Europe and Asia. There still is time, however, and this Canada team hasn’t given up just yet. 
 
 
Team World
As previously mentioned, Team World struggled a little in today’s matches, losing both to Team Europe. We’ve looked at the games from a Europe’s perspective, but from the World’s point of view, what went wrong? The biggest issue for World in their OT loss was the penalties. Despite a decent kill percentage, Team World spent 20 minutes in the box. If they want to take control of games, they are going to have to work on their discipline. Danny DeYeeto impressed in game one, scoring two and assisting one, but otherwise, the team was severely lacking in their performance. In their second game, they were simply outplayed. One highlight so far for Team World, however, continues to be their goaltending. Although not quite at the level of Asia or Europe currently, Block Buster is sitting at a respectable .920 SV% and is providing a good platform upon which World can improve. 
 
  
Team USA
Although many people predicted that the US would struggle this year, few thought it would be so rough. Team USA has yet to win a game, and at this rate, I’m not sure they will. First and foremost, they need to tighten up their defence. They have been scored on at least three times in every game. However, they have not been returning the favour, having never scored more than two goals so far in their four games, and as we all know, 2 < 3. Currently, they have no players within the top 20 for scoring, and only two players, Jason Connors and Nate Wright, have a positive +/- rating.  For Team USA to pull something out of this tournament they will need a real miracle.
 
 
That is it for today - good luck for now and see you again tomorrow!
 
 
VSN Writer Mr_Hatter 
 
People Mentioned: @Tomato Soup, @Will, @Spyro, @ColeMrtz, @Walter Fizz, @KC15, @TukTukTheGreat,
@Jaku, @Harpskii, @Krice13, @Cran, @Banana2311, @Klrpizza, @73MPL4R

As S69 of the VHLM lurches past the half-way mark, the Saskatoon Wild continue their phenomenal march into the history books. After a nail-biting shoot out win against the Mississauga Hounds that halted the Wild’s streak of 35 straight wins in regulation time, Peace’s boys rattled off a couple more wins like it was no big deal. (Interesting side note: No other team this season have held the Wild to 1 goal in regulation but the determined Jimmy Spyro stopped 27 Wild shots to stymie this prolific Saskatoon offense like no other goalie has yet.)
 
In light of this amazing streak of wins and many goals, it’s fair to say there have been just a few 3-Stars handed out to the Wild roster. So, here is an updated 3-Star standings for the Saskatoon Wild after 41 games:
 
 

Player 1st 2nd 3rd Star Points Ondrej Ohradka 5 4 5 280 Danny DeYeeto 8 0 3 270 Edwin THE Encarnacion 5 6 0 270 Killy Foilen 3 7 3 260 Jesse Nyman 4 3 7 250 Dagmar Havlova 2 6 4 220 Mikko Lahtinen 2 4 3 170 David OQuinn 4 2 0 160 Elliot Porter 1 3 1 100 Jacques Lafontaine 1 2 2 90 Edu Stava 1 0 5 80 Kristopher McDagg 1 0 0 30 Damien Wolfe 0 1 1 30  
 
The biggest climbers have been Danny DeYeeto, currently the league’s leading scorer, Killy Foilen, who joined the team later and has been making an impact ever since, and Ondrej Ohradka, who led the team in scoring last season and holds the slightest edge in the 3-star standings in spite being only tied for 5th in scoring this year but does share the team lead with 6 game-winning goals.
 
Good luck to the Saskatoon Wild the rest of the way!
 
Mentioned: @Peace @Spyro @Cran @Aye my name jeff

With the WJC rosters finally being set, I present to you the S69 Team World WJC roster! 
 
Forward
Killy Foilen AU - @Aye my name jeff
Ben Storm AU - @BigBallerFromDownUnder
Raleigh Ritchie UK - @DangerGolding
Lewis Dawson GL - @monkeywrench15
Chad Magnum IOM - @Corco
Jimothy Frost AQ - @Frostbite
Ben McGirr UK - @cartoes
Milos Slavik SK - @Frank
Iangenere Risteneen HT - @Maasa
 
Defense
Charles Drumm AU - @frescoelmo
Khalabib Stiopic CC - @SweetMike666
Danny DeYeeto NG - @Cran
Edwin the Encarnacion DO - @Tagger
 
Goaler
Block Buster AU - @Banana2311
Nicolas Fomba FR - @efiug 
 
Congratulations to those who were selected, and get ready to roll! The index will be released sometime next week.
Make sure to stay under the 350 cap and join the discord: https://discord.gg/WScaVqD
See you soon.
 
S69 WJC Commissioners: 
@rjfryman 
@Acydburn

Only forty-five games played and the behemoth of VHLM season 69 has already mathematically secured their playoff spot. After losing game three they have had a solid win streak ever since then, taking two points in every game.

When asked whether he would start saving players a bit for the playoffs, GM Peace replied, "We're not taking our foot off the pedal now!"

The team is lead in points by DeYeeto, who also leads the league with a pretty decent 91 points at 2 points per game; partnered up with the league's 2nd best defender in Encarnacion.
 
Lafontaine has played a key role in the team's succes in goal too with .905 SV% and three shutouts.

The numbers speak for themselves.

The first line of Nyman, Lahtinen and Foilen
          92G, 121A, 213P

Second line with McDagg, Stava and Ohradka
          62G, 87A, 149P

Third line consisting of Wolfe, Havlova and Tarantino
          37G, 68A, 105P

Fourth line, Wolfe, Cuddy and Blackthorn have 
          10G, 29A, 39P

First defence pair of DeYeeto and Encarnacion
          53G, 120A, 173P

And the second defence pair consisting of O'Quinn and Porter
          20G, 72A, 92P

Several team records have already been beaten, and some more are surely possible to break by the end of the season; perhaps even placing well or beating some of the longstanding league records that exist.



@Peace @Cran @Tagger @Jesse Nyman @animal74 @Aye my name jeff @diamond_ace @JohnOQuinn @Beketov @Edustava @Ren @Laflamme @Viperxhawks19 @Garrett @cjc_24 @LattimoreIsland @Samuel Kuchar @BigHARDCORE32 @Andrew Essen @ducks @Sade @Kevin Lafleur @SlapshotDragon @Jubo07
 

VHLM Award Tracker
Preview of the S69 VHLM Award Races
 
Last week's VHL Award Tracker proved to be a great success, presenting early favourites for different awards and generating interest discussions along the way. To please the couple members that have requesting VHLM from us for a while, we decided to keep the same format and preview with you the road to the VHLM Awards.

 
Ethan Osborne Trophy
 
Surprisingly enough, the points leader 25 games into the season is a defenceman. Even more surprisingly, it doesn't look like he's stopping anytime soon and he's my favourite to win the Osborne Trophy at the end of the season. Actually, scratch that. I believe two defencemen are the current favourites to claim the award, Saskatoon Wild teammates Danny DeYeeto and Edwin THE Encarnacion. They pace all skaters with respectively 60 and 56 points. Among forwards that could catch them up and fight for the accolade, we have two of the pair's teammates with the Wild, Jesse Nyman (53 points) and Dagmar Havlova (51 points), along with Roadkill Steve (56 points), Patrik Tallinder (54 points) and Jaxon Walker (51 points).

 
Alexander Chershenko Trophy
 
Two players are currently tied as the best goalscorers in the VHLM with 30 goals in 25-to-27 games: San Diego Marlin Roadkill Steve and Mississauga Hound Patrik Tallinder. Steve isn't new to this kind of success, as he scored 63 goals in Season 68, finishing third behind a pair Las Vegas Aces, Jeff Tates and Benny Graves. For the younger Tallinder, 30 goals is a more impressive total as he is now just 4 off of his career-best. Both players possess quick hands and a dangerous wrister and could stay over their goal per game rate until the end of the season, though a regression should be expected, as it's been a really long time since a player finished the season with 72 goals or more. Should they fail to keep up, Justin Rushmore (25 goals), Jesse Nyman (23 goals), Ben Storm (23 goals), Raleigh Ritchie (23 goals), Shush Nyko (22 goals) and Jaxon Walker (21 goals) are leading a close pack of challengers. 

 
Vladimir Boomchenko Trophy
 
If there's a chance Danny DeYeeto and Edwin THE Encarnacion get caught up in the points leaderboard, I think it won't be as simple for runner-ups when it comes to the Boomchenko Trophy, given to the league's assists leader. The Saskatoon Wild defensive pair has collected 39 and 38 assists, respectively. The team has been unstoppable so far and, as long as they keep on scoring that much, DeYeeto and THE Encarnacion should gather apples. The forwards that could realistically give them a run for the award include Dagmar Havlova (34 assists), Liam Rooney (34 assists), Kris Rice (30 assists) and Jaxon Walker (30 assists).

 
Ryan Sullivan Trophy
 
Danny DeYeeto of the Saskatoon Wild is easily the early favourite to win the Ryan Sullivan Trophy. He leads the league in points with 60 and has the 6th most hits with 81 after the first third of the season. His teammate Edwin THE Encarnacion is an obvious runner-up as he only trails DeYeeto by 4 points, but sits way farther down the hits list with 51. The two of them are also not blocking many shots, but that could be explained by the fact that they are playing on a team that controls the puck most of the game. If the committee decides to value defensive process more, Oskar Lagesson (33 PTS, 87 H, 34 SB), Shawn Glade Jr (34 PTS, 37 H, 65 SB) and Blacker Velvet (33 PTS, 33 H, 52 SB) could all see their names appear on the ballot, though the award is realistically DeYeeto's to lose at this point. Last season' winner, Alyksander Hunter also appears to be in the mix, as he has a statline of 51 points, 65 hits and 35 shots blocked.

 
Benoit Devereux Trophy
 
Winner of 26 games in 27 starts, Jacques Lafontaine is riding the wave with the Saskatoon Wild and could very well win the Devereux Trophy off of it. He's pacing all goaltenders with a .900 save percentage and 1.78 goals-against average. The Canadian goaltender is basically for the award already unless, of course, if the Wild collapses and Lafontaine start to fall in all 3 categories. The shortlist of present runner-ups that could fight for the award in that case include Jimmy Spyro (18 W, .872 SV%, 2.42 GAA), Nicolas Fomba (16 W, .873 SV%, 2.80 GAA), Isak Sjostrom (15 W, .877 SV%, 2.59 GAA) and Boris Boris (15 W, .894 SV%, 2.72 GAA).

 
Matt Bentz Trophy
 
Last season's Matt Bentz Trophy winner, Minnesota Storm winger Chett Bandy, could yet again be this season's forward. He's one of the VHLM's best power forwards at the moment, as he has collected 48 points and 94 hits, which both rank him in the top 10 in the league. The player that has the best shot at challenging him for the award is Saskatoon Wild's Ondrej Ohradka. The Slovak winger has scored 38 points and added a respectable 69 hits. However, one of Justin Rushmore (56 PTS, 50 H), Patrik Tallinder (54 PTS, 41 H) and Jaxon Walker (51 PTS, 40 H) could also be in the mix at the end of the season if they continue to throw bodies around despite not being renowned power forwards.

 
Mitch Higgins Trophy
 
At this point in time, I'd say the early MVP favourite is none other than Saskatoon Wild defenceman Danny DeYeeto. He's already been named as the favourite to win the Osborne, the Boomchenko and the Sullivan, with this hypothetical Higgins Trophy taking his Award Night's haul to a historic four. The fact that he's leading the league in assist with 39 and in points with 60, while presenting great hit totals with 81 as a defenceman should be enough for his name to appear on the ballots. The only player at this moment that seems like he could give DeYeeto a run for his money, other than his partner Edwin THE Encarnacion (56 PTS, 51 H), is fellow Wild Jacques Lafontaine, who is off to a historic start with 26 wins in 27 starts to go with his .900 save percentage and his 1.78 goals-against average. Something would have to happen for the Wild players to not keep up as favourites throughout the season but, if it happens and they do somehow fall in our rankings, Roadkill Steve (56 PTS, 26 H), Patrik Tallinder (54 PTS, 41 H), Jaxon Walker (51 PTS, 40 H) and Chet Bandy (38 PTS, 94 H) could lead the charge

 
Once again, we're late one sim with the statistics in our award tracker. It's only two games, so the picture we painted is still valid. If anything, these two games helped cement Danny DeYeeto's point lead and, at the same time, his MVP status. So, good continuation to the players mentioned among the favourites in this article and, for the others, you still got two thirds of the season to improve your stats.
 
Players mentioned: @Cran @Tagger @Jesse Nyman @diamond_ace @stevo @Patrik Tallinder @hewasajazzman @PotatoKing @STZ @street @BigBallerFromDownUnder @DangerGolding @SDCore @elrune1988 @Krice13 @fever95 @ShawnGlade @Higgins @Jaku @SlapshotDragon @Spyro @efiug @Austin2997 @Walter Fizz @animal74
 
VSN Writer McWolf

Hockey all the way
 
Defence is my natural but probably Goalie
 
Uhhhh well MIN will be a bottom barrel playoff team, SSK is going for the cup
 
You don't
 
S72
 
for the M, an MB or QB team

I'm off to a good start. Can't complain about 2 PPG
 
I'm up there, hopefully I can stay in the top 10.
 
Had a solid 3 point game in the win over MEX
 
I'm happy with MIN drafting me ages ago and NYA well it sucks for them
 
Saskatoon Silverblades
 
Anything less annoying than Baby shark!

Oh, also maybe if there is a concern that playoff performances are swaying the Slobo voting, my suggestion is *GASP* doing the voting when the playoffs start, instead of once they're finished.
 
I know, radical thinking right? Sorry if my know-it-all suggestions are a drain on the BoD/Commishes and result in their life/sim job being more difficult. 

I voted Rayz Funk because without him we wouldn't of won the cup  Ill give Thompson this vote as a tribute to his FA decision making skills  amazing season and career. TBF, Adding Thompson to Seattle lets say... well that move likely SHOULD give them the cup on paper.. but lets be real here for a second, as ADV says 13 times in his podcast,  we would have lost in 4 to Toronto, R1 with Thomson. He'd of scored 75 regular season goals and would have gotten 1 assist and be a -7 in the playoffs for us in 4 GP. 
 

I think there is a strong argument for Rayz Funk over Thompson. In order to keep this thread civil, I won't get into the finer details of said argument, but leading SEA to 1st in NA and then a cup was definitely the most surprising thing for me this season, and he was a massive part of that. 

Minnesota Storm S67 VHLM Draft Recap
 

 
This past draft was seen as a huge success by Minnesota Storm GM @Rayzor_7 and Assistant GM @DMaximus. Not only did the Storm have four picks in the first two rounds including the coveted 1st overall pick previously acquired from the Houston Bulls, they made seven other selections in rounds 4-7 for a total of 11 new prospects. The Storm drafted four right wingers, three defensemen, two left wingers and two goalies from eight different countries. These new faces will go a long way to bringing the Storm back into the contender discussion. Along with the post-draft signing of RW Killy Foilen, the management team should be feeling pretty good about their off-season.
 
GM Rayzor_7 said after the draft: “I think all in all the draft went really well for the Storm. We picked up some really strong players with every one of our picks as well as getting some value by trading out of some rounds.” He also gave credit to Assistant GM DMaximus saying, “He was a big help to me during the draft… with the scouting and selecting of players.”
 
Assistant GM DMaximus, in turn, gave koodos to the GM for his ability to “wheel and deal” as he made a “ton of moves to accumulate draft picks” including the #1 overall.
 
Here’s how the Storm’s haul looked after it was all said and done...
 
Round 1

1.  MINNESOTA STORM (from Houston Bulls): LW - Berocka Sundqvist, Australia
Arguably the best winger available at the draft, Sundqvist have scouts drooling at his combination of size, skill, and speed. One of the most polished prospects available, Sundqvist is also considered the most VHLM-ready, having already played a season as a free agent. One of the top players not playing in the VHL, the Aussie is an offensive force and DMaximus believes is talented enough to lead the Storm to the Cup.
 
8.  MINNESOTA STORM (from Saskatoon Wild): D - Danny DeYeeto, Niger
This little-known behemoth defenseman from the wilds of Niger impressed scouts with his skating ability and acumen in his own zone. At 6’ 8”, he puts fear into the heart of opposing players (and sometimes his own teammates and will do anything to protect his end of the ice. While early on considered a loose cannon with no offensive upside, his passing seems to have improved and he may develop into a two-way threat.
 
Round 2

15.  MINNESOTA STORM : G - Stanley Sawchuk, Canada
The monster netminder from Canada was the second goalie selected in the draft. Size is not an issue for the Canadian, as he is as tall as new teammate, Danny DeYeeto, standing 6’ 8” and coming in at a whopping 250 pounds! Although he is surprisingly agile, mobility and puck control are areas that will need working on and he’ll have plenty of time for that as he probably won’t see much playing time behind defacto starter, Justin Cole.
 
21.  MINNESOTA STORM (from Ottawa Lynx): D - Hugh Chan, Hong Kong
Hugh Chan is from Hong Kong and was discovered by a Canadian scout who encouraged him to come to North America. It seems to have been the right move as he developed into one of the highest-rated prospects in the draft. DMaximus said after the pick that he was surprised the slick puck-moving defenseman dropped so far. He may be slightly-built for today’s VHL but he makes up for it in speed, hockey sense, and passing, and is also quite good in his own zone. Minnesota thinks they got a steal here. 
 
Round 3

No picks.
 
Round 4
 
37.  MINNESOTA STORM : RW - Mac Hooper, UK
Despite his size (only 5’ 8” and weighing 150 pounds) and shortened development period, the Storm like what they see in the energetic winger. Here’s hoping he has enough skill and speed and can withstand the rigors of the VHLM. Works hard and is a deft passer and has good hockey sense.
 
39.  MINNESOTA STORM (from Mississauga Hounds): RW - Ryo Yamazuki II, Japan
Another 6’ 8” player selected by the Storm, the Japanese giant has tantalizing physical tools and awe-inspiring skills. He can really move for a big man and stickhandle around defenders like pylons. His shot is hard and accurate which is helped by his huge frame. Many scouts peg him as one-dimensional and others question his attitude, largely attributed to his pampered upbringing. Can he work on his weaknesses enough so they don’t hinder his raw talent? Time will tell. 
 
Round 5

49.  MINNESOTA STORM (from San Diego Marlins): D - Charles Drumm, Australia
The solid, rugged defender from down under is a stalwart in his own end and skates well for a man of his size. Considered a shot-blocking specialist, some wonder if there is any offense to his game. Was traded after the draft to the Las Vegas Aces.
 
52.  MINNESOTA STORM (from Saskatoon Wild): RW - Jacob Rogers, USA
This American winger was considered a safe pick in this stage of the draft. Very strong and a hard worker, his key skills are a slick outlet pass and fantastic vision that allows him to move the puck deftly up the ice. He does everything else well but not great. Has a reputation as a good teammate and a positive influence in the locker room. 
 
Round 6
 
66.  MINNESOTA STORM (from Philadelphia Reapers): G - Douglas Steel, USA
Steel is known for being a leader in the locker room and on the bench, which is where scouts predict he’ll start for now as he rounds out his game. He has good size at 6’ 2” and 220 pounds, so he fills a lot of net. But while he is good in most areas, his agility and puck control need work. Was traded shortly after the draft to the San Diego Marlins.
 
Round 7
 
68.  MINNESOTA STORM (from Las Vegas Aces): LW - Ondrej Ohradka, Slovakia
Little-known Ohradka had one of the best 18-year-old seasons in Slovakia Extraliga history before being snagged in the 7th round. The solidly-built yet shifty winger is looking to build on his success back home and become the next great Slovakian hockey export. He’s quik, has a sneaky wrist shot, plays with an edge and is already a solid two-way player. The tools are there but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few weaknesses in his game. He will need some time to adjust to the North American style of hockey.
 
70.  MINNESOTA STORM: RW - Myles Angellus, Canada
This Canadian winger has good skating ability and is strong on the puck despite his slight frame but scouts wonder if that is enough to push him to the next level. The raw talent is there but he needs to get stronger and work on his overall game.
 
This is over 1100 words so claiming for two weeks.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     @berocka @Cran @Molholt @HughJas_ @MacH @Donno100 @frescoelmo @raghas @animal74 @50states @co2angel
 

F - Michael Keaton
F - Oswald Cobblepot
 
G - Bruce Wayne

F - Michael Keaton
F - Oswald Cobblepot
 
G - Bruce Wayne

1. I'm pretty happy, we haven't played a few of the stronger teams but we do seem to be one of the top in the league.
2. I'm fairly pleased, been throwing the body around and getting us the puck back
3. Foreskin and Chan are two different breeds who both can play really good hockey. 
4. Not really, everything seems pretty normal for once.
5. I break a stick over my knee to start every game.
6. Away, I live to be boo'd at and jeered. Puts a fire under me

...and the Hounds seem to have collectively gone to Seattle. Bana loves us.

1. Well we are on the ropes now so I hope we win a few more!
2. I'm pleased with my performance, been a little slow though.
4. Unlikely, He's VHL bound and it's been proven nearly impossible to maintain high stats.
5. Not really, looking for a second round appearance at least.
7. Too many, I also won't be around here as I'm draft bound.
10. Not likely, Gustav doesn't want anyone to move away from him.

After a fairly decent showing, Danny DeYeeto got a bit of a scare when General Manager Garcia started threatening to yeet people out of Mississauga.
Garcia posted a team announcement that "Announcement: Rayz Funk has been YEETED out of Mississauga".
 
Garcia then proceeded to tell his team that only MacElroy was safe and that everyone else needs to be on the lookout to be traded. 
With his old teammate supposedly traded, DeYeeto bumped into Garcia in the team locker room while going to pack his bag. 
"Garcia seemed like he was a bit intoxicated. He was stumbling around the locker room and yelling at walls. He kept saying that people were traded. He told Funk he was traded for a fourth round pick, he turned to the other room and said he'd be happy to get a fifth for anyone else."
 
Garcia announced the next day that everyone was safe and no one had been traded. It is unknown why he did what he did.

Just a quick note for everyone. We have gone through and changed our donation currency to using CAD (Canadian Dollar) instead of USD (American Dollar). This change should make donations cheaper for everyone since the Canadian dollar is a bit weaker which is a nice bonus but the main objective was to not have the donation actually come up to being significantly higher than anticipated when users went in. $20 USD is roughly $27 CAD as of this post so it didn’t seem fair to have Canadian users being shown $20 donation amounts and paying $27.
 
In any case, cheaper for everyone so enjoy.

After a fairly decent showing, Danny DeYeeto got a bit of a scare when General Manager Garcia started threatening to yeet people out of Mississauga.
Garcia posted a team announcement that "Announcement: Rayz Funk has been YEETED out of Mississauga".
 
Garcia then proceeded to tell his team that only MacElroy was safe and that everyone else needs to be on the lookout to be traded. 
With his old teammate supposedly traded, DeYeeto bumped into Garcia in the team locker room while going to pack his bag. 
"Garcia seemed like he was a bit intoxicated. He was stumbling around the locker room and yelling at walls. He kept saying that people were traded. He told Funk he was traded for a fourth round pick, he turned to the other room and said he'd be happy to get a fifth for anyone else."
 
Garcia announced the next day that everyone was safe and no one had been traded. It is unknown why he did what he did.