animal74

Credit: @kirbithan Welcome to VSN’s preview of the S86 World Junior Championship! Last season’s gold medalists, Team Europe, are looking to defend their title and the team they beat, Team USA, has come back stronger than ever trying move past their silver medals from the last two tournaments and with their first gold since S81. Teams Canada, World, and Asia all have intriguing rosters but also certain weaknesses. One area that is a strength for every team is in net. In fact, the goaltending is so elite and even across the board that it hasn't even been factored into the rankings. One goaltender will help their team to the gold medal but each team has two goalies that are capable of the feat. The rankings were based on each team's top forward line and defense pairing and their depth overall. Here are the teams in alphabetical order: Team Asia GM: @Tetricide Last Five Finishes (S85-S81): 5th, 5th, 2nd, 2nd, 5th Forwards (Rank: 5th): With only one forward who played in the VHLE in S86 (Jeffrey Bezos @jsdeac), Asia will be icing the youngest and least experienced forward group in the tournament. They are not without talent, but they will rely heavily on the VHLM’s 2nd and 3rd-leading scorers: Mac Atlas @v.2 and Jimi Jaks @kelvi. Defense (Rank: 3rd): Having returning defenders Isamu Knievel @TMGSosa (see below) and Reese McFleury @Spaz will help form a decent backend. Their overall depth gives them a slight edge over Canada. Goaltending: Ilya Bryzgalov @Devise is back for his third WJC after not making the cut last year. His experience will be needed but he may get pushed by newcomer Alexander Minion @UnknownMinion who is fresh off of leading the Oslo Storm to the Renaissance Cup after being named the VHLM’s Top Goaltender in S85. Key Player: D Isamu Knievel is the only player returning to Team Asia that played for Asia in the last tournament (the other two returnees played for USA). He spent the year with Davos where he led all rookies in penalty minutes. He is one of the best defenders in this tournament and Asia will need him to be tough yet disciplined to keep the crease clear of opponents. X-Factor: Goaltending. With one of the strongest tandems in the tournament, Bryzgalov and Minion need to be at their best to give Asia a chance at a medal. Goals will be hard to come by so saves will be of utmost importance. Team Canada GM: @Dom Last Five Finishes (S85-S81): 3rd, 1st, 3rd, 1st, 4th Forwards (Rank: 3rd): Only ranked 3rd due to a little less depth than USA and Europe, Canada’s top four forwards have the chance to dominate as much as any in the tournament. A potential top line of the VHLE’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-highest scorers (Larry Abass Jr @RileyL, Babay Shrimp @Blazzer, and Sadie St-Louis @sadie) has the ability to score goals by the bunch. That trio were also 3rd, 4th, and 1st respectively in goals and St-Louis and Abass Jr co-led the league with three hat tricks each and were tied for 2nd in power play goals. Add into the mix VHLE playoff scoring leader Randy Bobandy @AJW and offense should not be a problem for this group. Defense (Rank: 4th): Canada’s backend will be led by returning defenseman Rex Wolffe Gregor @oilmandan a solid all-around player and Sigma Freud @CODENAMEJIMMY who is coming off a monster 96-pont season in the M. The second pairing are younger but provide a little bit of everything. Goaltending: This could be Canada’s greatest strength or a bit of an Achilles’ heel. Both Joel Castle @animal74 and Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro are elite goalie prospects who can play lights out for stretches but who also have a tendency to have a bad game at inopportune times. They may each play half the games before a starter is chosen for the medal round. Key Player: C Randy Bobandy is a big two-way center who will start on the top line and can match up against other team’s top players. He has Junior Showcase Tournament gold and a Renaissance Cup and can put up goals in bunches. X-Factor: Confidence. Canada’s players have won more championships and tournaments collectively than any other team in this year’s WJC. For example, the third line are all from the Founder’s Cup-winning Marlins. They will need to draw on that knowledge and winning attitude to give them an edge. Team Europe GM: @qripll Last Five Finishes (S85-S81): 1st, 3rd, 1st, 4th, 2nd Forwards (Rank: 2nd): With four returning forwards from last year’s gold medal winning roster, Europe has the slightest edge over Canada with its group up front. S86 Renaissance Cup-winning teammates Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide and Sunglasses Joyo @JetsGoalie101 will be counted on as will Rome’s leading scorer, Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ. Germany’s Alexander Stroheim @Stroheim, the VHLM’s leading scorer should also add some offensive pop. Defense (Rank: 5th): On paper, Europe’s defense is not quite on par with the rest of the teams but they may also be the most underrated. Both Jens Lekman @Bobcat and Elias Lampi @Pifferfish, the M’s top scoring defenseman, are very good and have excelled in other tournaments and can add huge doses of offense at times. Goaltending: Karl Pedersen @JeffD may have led Europe to gold last year but his development has not progressed as many have hoped. Rising up the ranks is Fuukka Rask @Jubis, widely considered to be the best goalie not playing in the VHL. He may get the chance to lead Europe in the crease. Key Player: D Jens Lekman is poised to use this tournament as his springboard into becoming one of the most talked about prospects. He will need to be at his best for Europe to repeat. X-Factor: Goaltending. If Rask gets the opportunity to start and plays like he can, Europe will be difficult to beat. Pedersen can play well if called upon or share his gold medal knowledge with his protegee. USA's Jeremy Swayman makes a save as teammate John Poremba Jr ties up Canada's Larry Abass Jr. Team USA GM: Oatex Last Five Finishes (S85-S81): 2nd, 2nd, 4th, 3rd, 1st Forwards (Rank: 1st): The Americans have by far the deepest group of forwards in the tournament. All of their forwards played in the VHLE aside from one, William Futch @Futch, who played in the VHL and all of them played in the tournament last year. While only one forward cracked the Top-10 in VHLE scoring (Lorenzo Cobberson @Hendrix Cobberson) they can roll three solid lines that may overwhelm the competition. Defense (Rank: 1st): USA’s defense corp is also the deepest in the tournament. They are all excellent in their own zone and should be able to provide a lot of offense as well as John Poremba Jr @CrlineDijohn14 is the highest scoring returning defenseman from last year, Skor McFleury @Alex was one of the top offensive dmen in the E and Kronchy Kardashian @Garsh was almost a point-per-game player in the M. Goaltending: Jeremy Swayman @Agito has something to prove as he was pulled in the 2nd period of last year’s gold medal game against Europe. He’s been runner-up a lot so far in his young career. Can he win it all with this team in front of him? If he falters, Justin Lion @Emperor_Fun is the least experienced goalie in the tournament but he did just lead San Diego to the Founder’s Cup. Key Player: LW Jon Webber Jr @Webberj led last season's tournament in goals, assists, and points. If he comes even close to that production this time, USA will be almost impossible to stop. X-Factor: Experience. With almost the entire roster returning from last year’s tournament, the Americans have their eyes set on avenging two straight silver medal finishes. Team World GM: @Emperor_Fun Last Five Finishes (S85-S81): 4th, 4th, 5th, 5th, 3rd Forwards (Rank: 4th): While Team World has a solid group of forwards, they lack the amount of elite talent that USA, Europe and Canada have and their depth is not quite as robust. But with over half of them returning from last year and the entire group being solid players, they have the ability to compete and surprise the critics. They may have the most underrated third line as their three VHLM players were all point-per-game players with time on special teams. Dirk Diggler @Tbeez99 was second in the M with 10 game-winning goals. Defense (Rank: 2nd): While not the flashiest group, Team World’s four defensemen are big, mobile, physical and very good defensively. Every entry into their zone will be contested and those that dare enter will be punished. How they fare against some of the tournament’s high-octane offenses will be interesting to see. Goaltending: If opponents get through the defense then they’ll have to deal with either Geoffrey Bezos @Quik or Lachlan Summers @kirbithan in net. Both netminders are excellent puck stoppers that are capable of taking over a game. Bezos led all VHLE starters in save percentage. Key Player: LW Fred Hampton @TownBizness led the VHLE in scoring with 106 points and 9 game-winning goals. He will be relied on to drive the offense. X-Factor: Physicality. This group is not afraid to get dirty. Defenseman Womp Womp Womp Womp Womp Jr @AdamEss led last year’s tournament in hits and was second in the E with 314 and forward Johnny Kalamazoo @KzooJohn was 8th with 212. Everyone on this roster will finish their checks. They may beat teams into submission before out-scoring them. Enjoy the S86 World Junior Championship as the VHL’s next generation of international stars battle for gold. May the best team win! @animal74 VSN Writer

A little presumptuous in your sig maybe, @Tetricide?

Joel Castle was ecstatic to learn he was selected by Team Canada management (@Dom) to participate for his country at the upcoming World Junior Championship. This will be the Victoria, BC native’s first time representing the maple leaf in international play. He has a lot of friends on the team and is looking forward to reconnecting and playing with them. He will be looking to win another championship with former Las Vegas Aces’ teammate Larry Abass Jr @RileyL with whom he won the S84 Founder’s Cup and Dehli Pickles’ teammates Sigma Freud @CODENAMEJIMMY and Randy Bobandy @AJW with whom he won the S85 Junior Showcase Tournament. He will be most familiar with his fellow netminder Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro with whom he just completed the S86 season with the VHLE’s Geneva Rush. They split the crease the entire season but couldn’t push the Rush out of last place in the league. He hopes that they will have better success at the World Juniors in possibly their last time as teammates before becoming rivals once again in the VHL. Castle hopes to backstop Canada back to the gold medal after winning bronze in S85. Canada won gold in S84. Go Canada!

Great selections! Congrats @Lemorse7 & @UnknownMinion

Gonna throw my hat in here. 1. I thought Prague would go all the way so yes, I thought they would down Warsaw. 2. You took care of both so does it matter? 3. Stop more goals, score more goals. 4. 60 minutes traditionally seems to be a good length. Overtime and shootouts provide more excitement for the fan and provide opportunities for players to be the hero so I don't have a problem with them. 5. Research since I usually know where the answers are being a history writer. 6. Yes I did them. I never remember what I picked but I usually only get 3 or 4 TPE.

Good luck in Cowtown @Doomsday! No pressure on me now, haha!

Great player and great teammate! Good luck with the next one @scoop!

That's sh*tty

Wow, what a way to win and lose. Congrats, Vancouver you did it again. Prague, what a heck of a playoffs. You guys deserved better. Next year...

Joel Castle | G | #74 HT: 5’ 10” WT: 185 lbs Birthplace: Victoria, BC, Canada VHL Entry Draft: 1st Round / 13th Overall / S86 Toronto Legion Like many hockey players of this generation, Joel Castle’s development time took a hit due to season stoppages because of COVID. After spending all his formative years playing youth hockey with various Vancouver Island-based teams, he took a chance and went to play under the bright lights of Las Vegas with the VHLM’s Aces. He fit in seamlessly with the team and a few games played and helping the Aces capture their second straight Prime Minister’s and Founder’s Cups was all that Vegas needed to see to bring him back in the VHLM draft (13th Overall). He rewarded the Aces by leading them to a third consecutive Prime Minister’s Cup and Founder’s Cup final but lost to the Philadelphia Reapers. His 41 wins led all VHLM goalies and he was second among starters in GAA and shutouts which garnered him a Benoit Devereux Trophy (Top Goalie) nomination. Castle’s standout season impressed the Geneva Rush of the VHLE who drafted him 11th Overall and began a polar opposite season of sorts for the young goalie. Along with fellow Canadian Ash Sparks who was also drafted by the Rush, Castle had no shortage of rubber to stop as they struggled to push a severely undermanned Geneva squad into the win column most nights. Splitting the crease with Sparks, Castle managed a 6-24-7 record in 43 games with a 3.13 GAA and one shutout. The lone positive was his SV% which was third among starters at 0.937. Assets: Competitiveness Castle may seem like a laid back dude, but underneath the mostly unflappable exterior is an unquenchable desire to win. This desire fuels his battle-level in the crease and is resilient when playing from behind. From playing in the Founder’s Cup final to giving the last place team in the VHLE a chance each game, he never takes a night off and always wants to win. Quickness Helped by his smaller stature and his hobbies of boxing and drumming, Castle’s calling card are his lightning-fast reflexes. His lateral movement is very good and his arms can be a blur. Glove In conjunction with his quick reflexes along with fantastic hand-eye coordination, the glove of Joel Castle seems alive at times snatching pucks with ferocious ease. Smart shooters will know to shoot elsewhere to avoid being on the wrong end of a highlight-reel save. Joel Castle tracks a puck during training camp. Flaws: Size 5’10” is definitely not an ideal height for today’s goaltenders although not unheard of. Castle makes up for lack of coverage with his reflexes and angles but sometimes it’s not enough to make the save. Focus While Castle has shown himself to be durable and consistent, once every few games he seems to lose his focus and allow a game to get away from him, letting in 5 or 6 goals. Every young goalie has a bad game but it seems a more noticeable part of his psyche and something he is working on minimizing as he gets closer to the pro leagues. Agility You’d think a smaller goalie would be very flexible but unfortunately, Castle has a more solid build which seems to lessen his agility. He will need to work hard with his coaches and trainers to increase his flexibility and other areas of this game so this limitation doesn’t hinder his career. Despite his size and slow developmental curve earlier in his career, Castle’s hard work and self-confidence has paid off as he has blossomed in the VHL’s lower leagues and shown the compete level and raw talent that intrigued scouts enough to make him a top prospect. His consistency and fitness still need improvement but the desire, technique and sheer quickness are undeniable. The Toronto Legion have a long history of employing star goaltenders. Will Joel Castle be the next? Career Potential: Talented, hard-working starting goaltender with a lot of upside

Glad to see you're still at it Steve! Good luck in the VHL. You'll have the chance to score on me soon enough.

Ceson: God of Vegas

Game 7! #Phamily

I don't know about the filter - is that what it is? Oh man, I honestly never realized, haha. So, anytime someone writes "s**bbed" it changes? (Edit: And it did it again hence the asterisks!) Sorry @N0HBDY! Also, in regards to the ballot, that's a good to know the BOG's perspective. I appreciate the explanation. And, no, I honestly wasn't pushing Malmo I just saw those performances. Fair enough. Thanks for the explanation.

I sense a phantom edit - @N0HBDY?

Or why not Max Torq @Steve who led all defensemen with 30 goals (7 more then the next dman), PPG (4th in the league), PPPts, 2nd among dmen in shots and led his team in scoring. Pretty outstanding, I'd say. Always seems like one or two teams have multiple players to vote on and other deserving candidates are FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY. Curious what the league thinks about a more wide-spread MOP selection - maybe write-in for a long list, take the 6-8 most popular players and then vote on the winner/finalists?

Why not someone like Boris Tsezar @comrade cat who had the same SV% as Pearce and faced over 300 more shots and had only one more loss than Dusty behind a less talented team?

Joel Castle, G, #74 Hello Europe (Geneva Rush) After a mostly successful season with the Las Vegas Aces where we made it to the Founder’s Cup Final only to lose to the Philadelphia Reapers, I was excited to see which VHLE team would draft me for the S86 season. After a few pre-draft interviews, I was slightly surprised to be selected by the Geneva Rush at 11th overall. Another nice surprise was that the Rush also added my VHLM rival and friend Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro later in the draft. We were excited to have the chance to play together and share the crease for Geneva. Unfortunately, due to various circumstances, the rest of the roster was not set and Ash and I quickly realized we would be very busy most nights and we were. With the shorthanded roster, we usually faced 50+ shots a night and while it did elevate our save percentage, the rest of our statistics suffered individually and as a team. We both ended up winning only six games each and the Rush finished dead last in the VHLE standings. I think it would be safe to say that we both had higher expectations for our season in the E. And as I was expecting to play only one season with Geneva I had been hoping for a better experience. I hadn’t played in the VHLE yet and I must say, I was not enamored with how the season went at all. Geneva goaltender Joel Castle I did play well and I was happy with my performance most games but I obviously did not get the results I wanted. After having such a good season with a Founder’s Cup contender in Las Vegas in the VHLM, going to the opposite end of the spectrum with Geneva was hard to fathom. I was able to improve my game and show that I could compete with (and sometimes beat single-handedly) the best goalies and teams in the VHLE. I also showed that I could handle an extreme workload and mentally and physically handle facing 50-60 shots in a game. After witnessing a similar situation with the winless Mississauga Hounds in the VHLM in S85, I was shocked that this scenario would also happen in the E. It was demoralizing and hard to stay social in an almost empty locker room. I think that roster stability guidelines need to be put in place in the E as were in the M after the Hounds’ debacle of a season. If not, the league will be hard pressed to retain any players aside from loyal players who know how things cycle past their season in the VHLE if they have to go through what Geneva did in S86. I hope this will be looked at. There are either not enough players to go around or too many teams. Having one extremely weak team in a league is bad for that roster’s morale and an unfair advantage for other teams who play that weak team more often. Chasing true parity is like chasing an invisible unicorn but even the bottom teams need to have enough players to make a minimum roster. I look forward to S87 with the Toronto Legion! Joel Castle

Geneva Rush Press Conference 3 Questions Answered = 1 Capped TPE 6 Questions Answered = 2 Capped TPE Please answer in full sentences Week Ending Dec 25th 1. How would you grade your season (S86)? 2. What will you be working on this off-season? 3. What do you think the Geneva Rush would most like to have in their stocking this Christmas? 4. What is your favorite Christmas song? 5. What is your favorite Christmas movie? 6. What was the best Christmas gift you ever bought for someone?

Almost Christmas!

Midwinter's Eve

With two games left in the S86 season, Davos left winger Vinny Detroit @dasboot continues his quest to be included among the VHL’s greatest power forwards of all-time. The American behemoth has steadily risen up the league’s career leaders for penalty minutes and hits and recently became only the 15th player in league history to accumulate 2500 hits. He is now searching for another historical moment - to become the 20th player to collect 400 hits in a season and the fourth Davos player to accomplish the feat and first since HOFer Gabriel McAllister @CowboyinAmericaset the single-season record with 461 in S61. He currently sits at a career-high 390 and so needs 10 hits in his last two games. The last player to reach 400 hits was all-time hits leader and Malmo Nighthawks legend Druss Deathwalker two seasons ago when he put up 404 hits - his second season of 400+. Detroit has already become only the third player in VHL history with seven consecutive seasons with 300 or more hits and in S87 will look to join Deathwalker as the only player to have crushed 300+ hits for eight straight campaigns. If he does hit 300 again, Detroit will also be the only player to reach 2800 career hits with Deathwalker. In fact, Detroit is only 378 hits away from breaking Deathwalker’s newly-set mark of 2882 career hits - and he has reached that mark the last two seasons. He’s also only 17 penalty minutes behind Deathwalker for 12th all-time. Is Deathwalker’s hits record safe? How many more records will Detroit crush along the way? Keep your head up to find out!

Eggnog drinkers unite!

6 a-laying