animal74

If you take a quick look through the top 10 statistical leaderboard for the VHL in terms of skaters and goalies, you'll find a member of the Legion on almost each category, and multiple in some cases.
 
Here is a look at where the members of the Legion sit so far this season:
 
Skaters
 
Points
 
Diego Machado - 64 - 5th
Harry Callahan - 61 - 6th
Jimi Jaks - 58 - t-8th
 
Goals
 
Diego Machado - 28 - t-6th
Jimi Jaks - 27 - t-8th
 
Assists
 
Harry Callahan - 40 - 4th
Diego Machado - 36 - t-7th
 
Shots
 
Mac Atlas - 322 - 2nd
Harry Callahan - 303 - 6th
Jimi Jaks - 300 - 7th
 
Forward Points
 
Diego Machado - 64 - 5th
Harry Callahan - 61 - 6th
Jimi Jaks - 58 - t-7th
 
Defense Points
 
Bobby Bob - 41 - 9th
 
Plus/Minus
 
Mason Rice - +24 - t-6th
Diego Machado - +22 - t-8th
Steve Lattimer - +22 - t-8th
 
Powerplay Goals
 
Mac Atlas - 9 - t-2nd
 
Shorthanded Goals
 
Jimi Jaks - 2 - 2nd
 
Game Winning Goals
 
Mac Atlas - 5 - t-7th
 
Hat Tricks
 
Steve Lattimer - 2 - t-3rd
Diego Machado - 2 - t-3rd

The only categories that the Legion don't have skaters listed in are Rookie Points, Shots Blocked, Hits, Hits Taken, and Penalty Minutes
 
Goalies
 
Wins
 
Joel Castle - 26 - 1st
 
Shutouts
 
Joel Castle - 1 - t-7th
 
Goals Against
 
Joel Castle - 89 - 10th
 
Assists
 
Joel Castle - 3 - t-2nd
 
Penalty Minutes

Joel Castle - 2 - t-8th
 
----------------------------------------------------
 
As you can see from above, there are Legion players all over the leaderboard, and it has been a balanced approach from the skaters with 7 of the 9 skaters appearing on the lists in some capacity. The breakout star for the Legion has been Diego Machado, who shows up on 6 different top 10's, and is on pace to shatter personal records across the board. Jimi Jaks shows up on 5 different lists, and Harry Callahan shows up on 4. Captain Mac Atlas appears on 3 lists, and Steve Lattimer is in 2 different top 10's. Defenders Bobby Bob and Mason Rice both hold a spot on 1 list as well. In net, it is unsurprising to see Toronto's rock, Joel Castle leading the league in wins. He appears on 5 different top 10's for goalies.

There are a lot of things to like about the VHL and the creative process you can take to make the player of your choosing.  Some go for that offensive defenseman or a speedy playmaking center. However, sometimes VHL members choose to make a gritty smashmouth killer that would hit his/her own grandmother on the ice.  And these are the players I love and will honor here today:
 
 
As I hunted through the forum of historical hitters it was pretty evident the early seasons were similar to the 70s-80s NHL.  Lots of points and lots of killers with hits and PIMS that will probably never be equaled by our modern VHL players.  I am going to highlight some of these players and just a note:  This is by no means a comprehensive list and if I missed someone or chose not to list them here it was simply for brevity.  
 
Looking for the single season hit record I saw it was held by Season 61 Davos’s Gabriel McAllister @CowboyinAmerica with 461 and he still had 99 points that same season.  That is a lot of damn hits.  The only modern player I could find that was close to this record was Malmo’s forward, Druss Deathwalker with 413 in S82 (good for 12th all time) and 404 in S84.  No other modern player has amassed 400 hits.  Pretty impressive.  
 
Top 10 Hits in a Season:
#1- Gabriel McAllister 461 (S61)
#2- Simon Valmount 441 (S49)
#3- Zach Perechkin 434.   (S51)
#4- Tukka Reikkinen 430  (S30)
#5- Phil Shankly 426 (S57)
#6- David Smalling 423 (S23)
#7- Motherfucker Sharpe 421 (S57)
#8- Phil Marleau 418 (S74)
#9- Chad Magnum 415 (S75)
#10- Leeroy Jenkins 414 (S26)
#10- Edwin Encarnacion 414 (S42)
 
Now, for career hits that record his held by Vinny Detroit @dasboot with 3163.  He almost broke the 400 mark in S86 with Davos where he had 398 hits and he never had a season under 300. Detroit was a hitting machine and even won a Continental Cup in S83.  
 
Rounding out the top 5 career hits are:
 
#1- Vinny Detroit 3163
#2- Brennan McQueen 2889
#3-Druss Deathwalker 2882
#4-Vasile Lamb @dlamb 2877
#5-Duncan Idaho @OrbitingDeath 2734
 
I tried looking up if any of these top 30 or so hit leaders were defensemen but kept getting “Oops you went off side” when I clicked their names.  It’s harder to be the hit leader as a Defensive player but in looking at the current hit leaders in the VHL, there are two in the top 10 in Womp Womp Womp Womp Womp Jr @AdamEss with 158 (2nd place) and Skor McFleury @AlexAlex with 139 (6th).
 
Also, a huge shoutout to the always reliable stay at home dman in Calgary, Phil Strasmore @PhilPhil is set to pass 2000 hits this year which is a huge achievement. Added to the 1664 minutes in PIMS (good for 4th all time currently) he for sure has been tough to play against.  Congrats Phil!!  
 
See ya next week

@animal74

1. With five 20-goal scorers already (Machado, Jaks, Atlas, Lattimer, Callahan), who do you think will be the first Legion to hit 50 in ten seasons? It probably won't be me, but I think I'll help my teammates get tot his. My money is on Machado.
2. Which team in the three leagues do you think needs a name change most? We have some generic names like 'Wild' etc. Anything generic, let's rip 'em out.
3. If you could pick an expansion city for each VHL Conference (North American and European), what would be your choices? NA: Raleigh. Europe: Vienna.
4. What were your thoughts on the league's Unfortunate Announcement? That shit was crazy. But there are a lot of bad actors online and also a lot of people who act out of desperation. Need more checks and balances across the board.
5. How you feel about your performance so far this season? I feel a lot better lately; slow start, but I and we (the team!) are coming out strong!
6. What is your favorite Easter candy? anything chocolate. high cholesterol. 

1. With five 20-goal scorers already (Machado, Jaks, Atlas, Lattimer, Callahan), who do you think will be the first Legion to hit 50 in ten seasons?
I think Atlas will take it, Or Callahan 
2. Which team in the three leagues do you think needs a name change most?
Halifax way to simple need more flair i think. 
3. If you could pick an expansion city for each VHL Conference (North American and European), what would be your choices?
Montreal, Porto Portugal for sure 
4. What were your thoughts on the league's Unfortunate Announcement?
Was not a fan but is what it is. 
5. How you feel about your performance so far this season?
Surprising didn't expect to be in the top 10 in anything so far.
6. What is your favorite Easter candy?
I'm not a big candy person but im a sucker for a Easter ham. 

1. I'll go with Machado. Currently leading in goals, and having a hell of a breakout season. Hopefully it's a close race between everybody all the way to 50!
 
2. I'll go with the Halifax 21st. I'm sure that there's significant meaning behind the choice, but it's pretty limiting in terms of creativity for what you can do with it from a scheme perspective.
 
3. My choice for North America would be Montreal, it's an awfully historic hockey city to not have representation in the VHL. For the Europe conference, I'll go with Madrid. Would be cool to bring hockey to Spain.
 
4. I didn't like it, mostly because I don't have much of a sense of humour when it comes to April Fool's Day. Didn't think that it was the kind of subject matter that should be joked about either. Yes, I'm boring.
 
5. I've been more of a playmaker this season, and I'm happy with how it has gone. We're having a great year in the standings, so it feels nice to help contribute to a winning club.
 
6. It's gotta be Reese's Eggies for me. I have to limit myself when I get them, they're bloody addictive.

Toronto Legion Press Conference 
(2 TPE for answering all six questions)
 
1. With five 20-goal scorers already (Machado, Jaks, Atlas, Lattimer, Callahan), who do you think will be the first Legion to hit 50 in ten seasons?
2. Which team in the three leagues do you think needs a name change most?
3. If you could pick an expansion city for each VHL Conference (North American and European), what would be your choices?
4. What were your thoughts on the league's Unfortunate Announcement?
5. How you feel about your performance so far this season?
6. What is your favorite Easter candy?

Woooo!!

1. What trophy do you think is missing from the VHL Awards?
Best player graphic of the season
2. Which team will win World Cup gold?
I think it will be east Europe
3. How would you design a Legion third jersey?
Like the graphic i made for Harry Callahan Black with blue lines at the elbow.
4. If you could change the overtime/shootout format, what would you do?
3 on 3 till someone scores.
5. What is your least favorite part of off-season training?
Cardio EW.
6. What book/movie have you read/watched recently that you would recommend to your teammates?
Dune 2 absolutely 

1. I think we need to win some more face-offs and keep the shots heavy.  with Atlas entering the top line now my focus is to pour points into FO.
2. Crazy breakout year! If not the Beketov he'll at least be a top candidate for the Funk / if not the runaway winner.
3. Had a very strong start but beginning to fizzle out a bit these last few sims.. hoping to get things going again soon.  I like where our team is at so far though.
4. Bobbly has been a stud so far in net, it's a good feeling knowing you have a solid backup that can steal you games.
5. Honestly the team awards are great for locker room activity but they don't really do much for me, I think team success is more important.
6. Oilers / Leafs in the final... Or my Canucks VS Rangers/Bruins and the Canucks take it this time.

1. We are hanging near the top of the conference despite being in the lower half of goal scoring. What do we need to do to score more?
Put the puck in the net! Duh!  Kidding of course.  As the team continues to gel they will start getting the bounces and I would expect to see the scoring pick up.
 
2. Walter Fitzroy Jr is tied for the league lead in assists. Do you think he'll have a shot at the Beketov Trophy (Most Assists)? For sure,  the offense has started slow so as the stats level out the offense should really get going.
 
3. How would you rate your start to the season? 
While I am only a prospect currently for the team and hope to join them next season.  However,  in the E it has been good start to the season I hope to build on.  
 
4. Rookie goalie Toddly Bobbly has stepped right in and is 1-1 in his first two VHL starts. What do you think of his performance so far? 
Love to see it and as they keep updating they will only get better. Hope they will be the rock in the bet the team needs for many years.
 
5. Do you like the Team Awards? Is there an award you would like to see added/removed?
I love the team awards and any of the awards.  It helps some focus on a single goal.  I believe it can help bring a team together.
 
6. What NHL playoff match up would you most like to see?
Tampa Bay vs Florida.  I want to continue to see this rivalry grow and see something besides the same old boring rivalries that have been going on for decades.

1. We are hanging near the top of the conference despite being in the lower half of goal scoring. What do we need to do to score more? Lattimer got off to a slow start but the last game was his best game so far. I think I'm turning the corner and that should unlock more opportunities for our offense to hum.
2. Walter Fitzroy Jr @Moon is tied for the league lead in assists. Do you think he'll have a shot at the Beketov Trophy (Most Assists)? definitely. we've got more firepower to give him.
3. How would you rate your start to the season? Not good. I think I've sucked. It's been depressing not being in the box score or feeling like I'm contributing.
4. Rookie goalie Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly has stepped right in and is 1-1 in his first two VHL starts. What do you think of his performance so far? So far so good. Improving each week. That's what you want to see out of a rookie.
5. Do you like the Team Awards? Is there an award you would like to see added/removed? I didn't have time to vote on them this time around but I also personally don't see much utility in them.
6. What NHL playoff match up would you most like to see? Edmonton - Rangers?

1. We are hanging near the top of the conference despite being in the lower half of goal scoring. What do we need to do to score more?
Need Joel Castle to quarterback our pp other team will never expect it. 😂 
2. Walter Fitzroy Jr @Moon is tied for the league lead in assists. Do you think he'll have a shot at the Beketov Trophy (Most Assists)?
100%
3. How would you rate your start to the season?
It started out really good now not so much
4. Rookie goalie Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly has stepped right in and is 1-1 in his first two VHL starts. What do you think of his performance so far?
Very good i saw what he could do is Saskatoon a few seasons back so i know he will keep up with the good play! 
5. Do you like the Team Awards? Is there an award you would like to see added/removed?
yeah i do, I think we need the at least you tried award and it should be for most shots and lowest shooting% keep it fun! 
6. What NHL playoff match up would you most like to see?
I think a Jets Wild series would be fun to watch as they are now starting build a bit of a rivalry.

I picked your goalie too , so lots is at stake 

Joel

G JoeL Castle 
 
@cLoWn

After Team Canada failed to defend their World Cup gold, losing to Team USA 4-3 in the semi-final game and instead settling for bronze with a gutsy 4-2 win against Team Nordic, the various media outlets, YouTubers, podcasts and pundits started whispers about a potential goalie controversy that may have cost Canada a chance for three-peat gold medal.
 
After starting the first four games of the World Cup round robin, last tournament's gold medal game starter, Joel Castle had been looking on from the bench. Despite sparkling numbers (1.97 GAA, 0.939 SV%, 1 shutout), Team Canada only scored five goals in those four games to start the tournament with a less than inspiring 1-2-1 record. Merome Dilson started the remaining six games and won all six as Canada finally found their scoring touch, lighting the lamp 22 times for 3.56 goals/game compared to 1.25 in Castle's games. Dilson was still great (2.26 GAA, 0.925 SV%, 1 shutout) but he didn’t need to be quite as stingy as the players in front of him scored almost triple the rate they scored with Castle in net.
 

Joel Castle backstopping Team Canada
 
Obviously looking at win record and not stats, Canada chose to start Dilson in the semi-final which ended up backfiring on the Red and White. Canada lost 4-3 to USA – who Castle had shutout in his final appearance. Now, the loss was definitely not Dilson’s fault. After Canada took a 1-0 lead into the second period, USA scored on three of four power play opportunities in the middle frame to take a 3-1 lead that Canada never recovered from. Dilson’s effort was valiant stopping 42 of 45 shots, but as the critics wondered after, would the knowledge that they hadn’t beaten Castle perhaps played a critical mental game with the American players as they had scored five times on Dilson in their meeting, a 6-5 shootout loss to Canada. Either way, having already beaten the USA twice in the round robin, losing to them in the medal round was especially bitter for the defending champions.
 
When asked about the decision on a podcast days after the World Cup had ended, Joel Castle gave his typical professional answer.
 
“As a competitor, you always want to play, but to be fair to Dilsy, he had a better season than I did leading up to the World Cup and he played fantastic in the round robin. I feel the team as a whole kind of played a little too loose in that second period against the States and we got into penalty trouble and they capitalized. It could have been way more out of reach but Dilsy played out of his mind really. We got outshot 26-10 in the second and 36-16 over the last two periods. You don’t win many games when you get outshot like that. And we made a push but in the end, it wasn’t enough and we had to play for bronze.”
 
Asked if he thinks he’ll be able to play in the S94 World Cup, he just shrugged and said, “Hopefully, I’m still playing a level that allows me to play for Canada one more time. Dilson will probably be the starter again but I’d love another chance to get another gold medal. Time will tell. I have to stay in shape until then.”
 
Castle’s record in two World Cups for Canada, including medal games, is 9-3-2 with a 1.72 GAA, 0.945 SV% and 2 shutouts for one gold and one bronze.

D - Leif Reingaard
F - Yaroslav Trunov
 
@MubbleFubbles

After Team Canada failed to defend their World Cup gold, losing to Team USA 4-3 in the semi-final game and instead settling for bronze with a gutsy 4-2 win against Team Nordic, the various media outlets, YouTubers, podcasts and pundits started whispers about a potential goalie controversy that may have cost Canada a chance for three-peat gold medal.
 
After starting the first four games of the World Cup round robin, last tournament's gold medal game starter, Joel Castle had been looking on from the bench. Despite sparkling numbers (1.97 GAA, 0.939 SV%, 1 shutout), Team Canada only scored five goals in those four games to start the tournament with a less than inspiring 1-2-1 record. Merome Dilson started the remaining six games and won all six as Canada finally found their scoring touch, lighting the lamp 22 times for 3.56 goals/game compared to 1.25 in Castle's games. Dilson was still great (2.26 GAA, 0.925 SV%, 1 shutout) but he didn’t need to be quite as stingy as the players in front of him scored almost triple the rate they scored with Castle in net.
 

Joel Castle backstopping Team Canada
 
Obviously looking at win record and not stats, Canada chose to start Dilson in the semi-final which ended up backfiring on the Red and White. Canada lost 4-3 to USA – who Castle had shutout in his final appearance. Now, the loss was definitely not Dilson’s fault. After Canada took a 1-0 lead into the second period, USA scored on three of four power play opportunities in the middle frame to take a 3-1 lead that Canada never recovered from. Dilson’s effort was valiant stopping 42 of 45 shots, but as the critics wondered after, would the knowledge that they hadn’t beaten Castle perhaps played a critical mental game with the American players as they had scored five times on Dilson in their meeting, a 6-5 shootout loss to Canada. Either way, having already beaten the USA twice in the round robin, losing to them in the medal round was especially bitter for the defending champions.
 
When asked about the decision on a podcast days after the World Cup had ended, Joel Castle gave his typical professional answer.
 
“As a competitor, you always want to play, but to be fair to Dilsy, he had a better season than I did leading up to the World Cup and he played fantastic in the round robin. I feel the team as a whole kind of played a little too loose in that second period against the States and we got into penalty trouble and they capitalized. It could have been way more out of reach but Dilsy played out of his mind really. We got outshot 26-10 in the second and 36-16 over the last two periods. You don’t win many games when you get outshot like that. And we made a push but in the end, it wasn’t enough and we had to play for bronze.”
 
Asked if he thinks he’ll be able to play in the S94 World Cup, he just shrugged and said, “Hopefully, I’m still playing a level that allows me to play for Canada one more time. Dilson will probably be the starter again but I’d love another chance to get another gold medal. Time will tell. I have to stay in shape until then.”
 
Castle’s record in two World Cups for Canada, including medal games, is 9-3-2 with a 1.72 GAA, 0.945 SV% and 2 shutouts for one gold and one bronze.

After Team Canada failed to defend their World Cup gold, losing to Team USA 4-3 in the semi-final game and instead settling for bronze with a gutsy 4-2 win against Team Nordic, the various media outlets, YouTubers, podcasts and pundits started whispers about a potential goalie controversy that may have cost Canada a chance for three-peat gold medal.
 
After starting the first four games of the World Cup round robin, last tournament's gold medal game starter, Joel Castle had been looking on from the bench. Despite sparkling numbers (1.97 GAA, 0.939 SV%, 1 shutout), Team Canada only scored five goals in those four games to start the tournament with a less than inspiring 1-2-1 record. Merome Dilson started the remaining six games and won all six as Canada finally found their scoring touch, lighting the lamp 22 times for 3.56 goals/game compared to 1.25 in Castle's games. Dilson was still great (2.26 GAA, 0.925 SV%, 1 shutout) but he didn’t need to be quite as stingy as the players in front of him scored almost triple the rate they scored with Castle in net.
 

Joel Castle backstopping Team Canada
 
Obviously looking at win record and not stats, Canada chose to start Dilson in the semi-final which ended up backfiring on the Red and White. Canada lost 4-3 to USA – who Castle had shutout in his final appearance. Now, the loss was definitely not Dilson’s fault. After Canada took a 1-0 lead into the second period, USA scored on three of four power play opportunities in the middle frame to take a 3-1 lead that Canada never recovered from. Dilson’s effort was valiant stopping 42 of 45 shots, but as the critics wondered after, would the knowledge that they hadn’t beaten Castle perhaps played a critical mental game with the American players as they had scored five times on Dilson in their meeting, a 6-5 shootout loss to Canada. Either way, having already beaten the USA twice in the round robin, losing to them in the medal round was especially bitter for the defending champions.
 
When asked about the decision on a podcast days after the World Cup had ended, Joel Castle gave his typical professional answer.
 
“As a competitor, you always want to play, but to be fair to Dilsy, he had a better season than I did leading up to the World Cup and he played fantastic in the round robin. I feel the team as a whole kind of played a little too loose in that second period against the States and we got into penalty trouble and they capitalized. It could have been way more out of reach but Dilsy played out of his mind really. We got outshot 26-10 in the second and 36-16 over the last two periods. You don’t win many games when you get outshot like that. And we made a push but in the end, it wasn’t enough and we had to play for bronze.”
 
Asked if he thinks he’ll be able to play in the S94 World Cup, he just shrugged and said, “Hopefully, I’m still playing a level that allows me to play for Canada one more time. Dilson will probably be the starter again but I’d love another chance to get another gold medal. Time will tell. I have to stay in shape until then.”
 
Castle’s record in two World Cups for Canada, including medal games, is 9-3-2 with a 1.72 GAA, 0.945 SV% and 2 shutouts for one gold and one bronze.

Get a super large jersey and put us both in at the same time! No one would notice a four-legged goalie! 😆

While the S93 VHL Entry Draft was highly anticipated from the moment high-end prospects Gianfranco Del Rocco @Victor and Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica declared their eligibility - and Jean-Pierre Devote @eagle_3450 and Forum Content @frescoelmo rounded out the top of the draft class nicely - it was a group that was originally pegged by many VHL scouts as lacking in depth.
 
It’s not so much that those scouts missed the mark, but the VHL made a mid-season play to expand their recruiting efforts and all of a sudden, there was a massive influx in talent in the VHLM and, accordingly, in the S93 draft class as well. Several of the new faces brought in have immediately made names for themselves, and a couple of them even threaten to shake up that top of the draft class - although the top two of Del Rocco / Bucatini in some order is essentially untouchable.
 
As a result, the S93 draft now looks like one of the deepest VHL draft classes in a very long time. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the new faces that have made their impact felt during their brief times in the league, and when some of these fast-rising prospects can look forward to hearing their names called on draft day.
 
Lucy Leitner - D - Houston Bulls @LucyXpher
The 5’8, 155 pound US-born defender stormed onto the VHL scene at the start of S93 and signed with Houston, where she would go on to rank 4th in the VHLM in defenseman scoring with 76 points in 72 games. That is surely impressive production for a VHLM rookie but it’s off the ice, with her work ethic, that Leitner has impressed most. She is a brilliant skater who moves the puck well and excels in her own end of the ice, though the offensive toolkit (passing and shooting) will need to develop to see the same production at the next level. Leitner has skyrocketed up draft boards and has massive upside - currently ranked 5th in the draft class, Leitner’s name will be in the minds of every GM who isn’t picking in the top-2, and if I were making the call, she would probably be the #3 pick.
 
Benjamin Abenduct - D - Houston Bulls @Schnee
The Bulls really scored themselves a pair of great young defensemen early in the year through the VHLM’s waiver process, with Abenduct close behind Leitner all year and actually outproducing her on the scoresheet. He finished the year with 23 goals, 81 points, 170 hits, and 100 blocks in 68 games. Although the stats don’t necessarily bear it out, Abenduct is a little more defense-minded than Leitner but doesn’t get around the ice as well and has a little bit less refined offensive game. He’s currently ranked 6th in the draft class and has his own case to jump Devote and Content on draft day, probably going right after Leitner especially if a team needs a defender.
 
Annie Oaks - RW - Las Vegas Aces @Noodle Enjoyer
Oaks signed with the Saskatoon Wild at the start of the VHLM season before being traded to the more competitive Las Vegas Aces at the deadline. Over the season, Oaks totalled 41 goals and 95 points, showcasing excellent vision and a powerful slapshot. Her shot is actually nearly pro-ready, but she does have a lot of work to do defensively before being able to contribute at the VHL level. Oaks is currently the ninth-ranked player in the draft class, the highest-rated forward coming from the increased recruiting efforts, and is a surefire first-round pick with a good chance to break into the top half of the round.
 
UghSike - LW - Miami Marauders @UghSike
UghSike has a lot of similarities to the aforementioned Oaks, having signed with the Wild at the start of the year before being shipped out at the trade deadline. UghSike found himself in Miami after the trade and was not as productive as Oaks during the season - he compiled 28 goals and 60 points. Compared to Oaks, UghSike has a slightly weaker shot (but still very good), is even less refined defensively, but is a better passer and skater. He will likely come off the board shortly after Oaks on draft day, somewhere in the middle of the first round.
 
Trimiskez Artav - RW - Houston Bulls @jake
Another member of the Houston Bulls, Artav brought it in a big way this season putting up 43 goals and 88 points in 72 games. He’s talented offensively and a little more well-rounded overall compared to the other forwards we’ve discussed so far. Unfortunately, over the last few weeks, there have been reports that Artav’s development has stalled and he’s been missing practice, which could definitely affect his draft stock. For the time being, Artav is still ranked 12th, but it seems likely he will fall into the second or third round based on these recent developments.
 
Nathan Ecker - RW - Houston Bulls @Nathan_8
As you may have guessed, the Bulls were big beneficiaries of the VHL’s recruitment effort, and this is the fourth player they’ve placed on this list. Ecker is an extremely similar player to UghSike, with glaring defensive deficiencies in his game but excellent offensive talent, hands, and vision. With 25 goals and 48 points in 72 games, Ecker contributed to the Bulls’ offense from day one and has shown a steady commitment to improving. He is ranked 15th in the draft right now and will definitely be in the conversation for those GMs picking late in the first round.
 
Gul Dukat - D - Miami Marauders @MSouthworth
Dukat is an old-school defender, a stay-at-home, 6’3 200 pound behemoth with a mean streak and above average mobility, the kind of game that fans, scouts, and coaches all love. Dukat even showed some untapped offensive ability with Miami this season, putting up 18 goals and 65 points, even though that’s not necessarily their strong suit. With 163 hits, 72 PIM, and 123 blocks, it is that defensive element where Dukat truly shines. Ranked 16th in the class to date, Dukat is also the draft’s third-ranked defenseman behind Leitner and Abenduct, which means they should be a lock to be a first rounder.
 
Ondrej Vencko - G - Houston Bulls @Mutti
Vencko came to the VHLM as a talented but troubled young netminder, and had some much-publicized concerns about drug usage mar his early days in Houston. We may never find out exactly what went on, but it seems that whatever it was is firmly in the rearview mirror. Vencko quickly claimed the starting role in Houston and improved greatly as the year went on, finishing the season 27-18-3 with an .892 SV% before posting a .917 SV% in 12 playoff games. Vencko has excellent reflexes and rebound control, but struggles with lateral mobility and plays a little small in his net at times. There’s definite upside here though and he is the 3rd-ranked goaltender and 18th-ranked prospect in the draft overall. Vencko should go early in the second round and might sneak into the late-1st if there is a particularly goalie-needy team.
 
Tyler Lawson - C - Houston Bulls @Nyx
The Bulls are a veritable factory of brand-new talent! Interestingly, Lawson is the first player on this list that naturally plays centre and is the third-ranked centre in the draft class overall. Lawson has a similar profile to a lot of these players in that he’s got great offensive vision, a good slapshot, and some flaws in other areas of his game, particularly defensively. Joining the Bulls mid-season, Lawson scored at a point-per-game pace in the regular season (56 points in 56 games) but fell off in the playoffs with just 5 points in 12 games. He’s ranked #22 and probably didn’t do enough this season to jump into the first round, but he’s a high upside player who could really reward a team that takes the plunge in the high or mid-2nd.
 
Ray Stanton - D - San Diego Marlins @horoscope
Stanton, a 5’10 185 pound defenseman who’s a little more offensively-inclined than most of the others in this draft, really stepped into the league in a big way with the Saskatoon Wild mid-season. He put up 21 points, 61 hits, and 42 blocks in just 18 games before being traded to the San Diego Marlins. Unfortunately, his production tailed off in a more structured system in San Diego leaving some questions as to whether his production was a product of just playing on a bad team or truly being great. Stanton has made some good progression over his short time in the league so far and is projected in the middle of the second round (ranked #25).
 
Cody Toland - D - Houston Bulls @ctoland102
A gritty, 6’4 215 pound offensive defenseman, Toland likes to hit and isn’t afraid to mix it up, giving him a little bit of a different dimension compared to most of the other young defenders in this draft. The two main concerns with Toland at this stage in his career are that he’ll need to develop his defensive game to play a defensive position at the next level and, while his improvement has been consistent over the course of the season, he hasn’t taken the next step in his development like some of the other players in the class have. With 35 points, 213 hits, and 92 blocked shots for Houston this year, Toland definitely has a possible VHL career in his future, and I would expect him to be chosen somewhere in the late-2nd or early-3rd round.
 
Oliver Loo - RW - Miami Marauders @Peiffy
Loo is a well-rounded, two-way forward with a little less upside than many of the forwards we’ve covered so far, but has shown steady improvement throughout the year and plays a projectable game without many flaws. Because of his limited offensive upside, at least based on what we’ve seen so far, Loo is more of a project who will likely spend more time at the VHLM and VHLE levels. However, he’s a good skater and responsible defensively, two things that VHL teams love to see. Loo is another player who will probably be selected somewhere around the early-3rd round.
 
Billy Joel - D - San Diego Marlins @The goat of hockey
Joel is a similar player to Toland, except even bigger, but less refined defensively. Joel’s brand of defense is simply running guys over and while it’s effective at times and certainly fun to watch, he will need to develop that positioning and poke checking at some point in order to have a VHL career in the future. Joel is a real old school type player, a 6’5, 235 pound physical force who is very willing to drop the gloves. He’s also got a bomb of a shot when he wants to use it. He put up 20 points in 72 games with San Diego but, more importantly, 205 hits and 84 blocks with 106 PIM. The harder he practices, the quicker he will get better but for now it looks like whoever drafts Joel will have a long-term project on their hands, with probably VHL #4 defenseman type upside to him. He’s likely to go off the board in the early-3rd round.
 
Jack Dickins - RW - Houston Bulls @Mystery_boy98
A big, well-rounded winger, Dickins has shown some steady improvement over the season and the consistency to eventually play at the VHL level if he can maintain that for a few seasons, but he’s definitely a couple of seasons away, starting with what will likely be another VHLM season to continue his development. Dickins put up 20 points in 64 games with Houston this year and is in line for a bump up in role with whichever VHLM team drafts him next season. How the next season or so goes for him will be the big determinant in whether or not the VHL is in his future, but he’s surely worth a pick in the 3rd round to figure that out.
 
 
~2020 words for the next 4 weeks

After Team Canada failed to defend their World Cup gold, losing to Team USA 4-3 in the semi-final game and instead settling for bronze with a gutsy 4-2 win against Team Nordic, the various media outlets, YouTubers, podcasts and pundits started whispers about a potential goalie controversy that may have cost Canada a chance for three-peat gold medal.
 
After starting the first four games of the World Cup round robin, last tournament's gold medal game starter, Joel Castle had been looking on from the bench. Despite sparkling numbers (1.97 GAA, 0.939 SV%, 1 shutout), Team Canada only scored five goals in those four games to start the tournament with a less than inspiring 1-2-1 record. Merome Dilson started the remaining six games and won all six as Canada finally found their scoring touch, lighting the lamp 22 times for 3.56 goals/game compared to 1.25 in Castle's games. Dilson was still great (2.26 GAA, 0.925 SV%, 1 shutout) but he didn’t need to be quite as stingy as the players in front of him scored almost triple the rate they scored with Castle in net.
 

Joel Castle backstopping Team Canada
 
Obviously looking at win record and not stats, Canada chose to start Dilson in the semi-final which ended up backfiring on the Red and White. Canada lost 4-3 to USA – who Castle had shutout in his final appearance. Now, the loss was definitely not Dilson’s fault. After Canada took a 1-0 lead into the second period, USA scored on three of four power play opportunities in the middle frame to take a 3-1 lead that Canada never recovered from. Dilson’s effort was valiant stopping 42 of 45 shots, but as the critics wondered after, would the knowledge that they hadn’t beaten Castle perhaps played a critical mental game with the American players as they had scored five times on Dilson in their meeting, a 6-5 shootout loss to Canada. Either way, having already beaten the USA twice in the round robin, losing to them in the medal round was especially bitter for the defending champions.
 
When asked about the decision on a podcast days after the World Cup had ended, Joel Castle gave his typical professional answer.
 
“As a competitor, you always want to play, but to be fair to Dilsy, he had a better season than I did leading up to the World Cup and he played fantastic in the round robin. I feel the team as a whole kind of played a little too loose in that second period against the States and we got into penalty trouble and they capitalized. It could have been way more out of reach but Dilsy played out of his mind really. We got outshot 26-10 in the second and 36-16 over the last two periods. You don’t win many games when you get outshot like that. And we made a push but in the end, it wasn’t enough and we had to play for bronze.”
 
Asked if he thinks he’ll be able to play in the S94 World Cup, he just shrugged and said, “Hopefully, I’m still playing a level that allows me to play for Canada one more time. Dilson will probably be the starter again but I’d love another chance to get another gold medal. Time will tell. I have to stay in shape until then.”
 
Castle’s record in two World Cups for Canada, including medal games, is 9-3-2 with a 1.72 GAA, 0.945 SV% and 2 shutouts for one gold and one bronze.

Just you wait Spraytan, just u wait