animal74

A couple of weeks ago, I took a look at a comparison between S91 and S92 for Harry Callahan, and how the start to the season was a disappointing one statistically. Here's a look at that comparison:
 

 
A big note at the time was about how the percentages (notably shooting) weren't going the lucky way, shooting just 3.23% this season compared to 8.92% last season. As we've gone deeper into the season, that percentage, along with the statistical projections for this season have bounced back, and along with that has been an increase in production.
 
Callahan is now shooting 5.57% on the season. That percentage hasn't returned to last seasons mark, but the increase in opportunities generated has allowed that increase in shooting percentage to mean offensive improvement.
 
The newest projections at the 48 game mark (2/3 of the season) see modest offensive increases this season for Callahan compared to last year's rookie season. Let's take a look at the comparison to last year vs. what is now projected this season (year to year difference in brackets):
 
Goals: 25 (+1)
Assists: 37 (+6)
Points: 62 (+7)
Plus/Minus: +12 (-25)
Shots: 457 (+188)
PIM's:  60 (+34)
Hits: 183 (+73)
Shot Blocks: 37 (+10)
 
As you can see, the biggest increases are in the shots, hits, and penalty minute sections, an indication that Callahan has been much more involved in games this season. The only statistic that is projected to decrease is plus/minus, which is always a volatile year over year stat.
 
Hopefully this upward trajectory continues over the final third of the season and Callahan continues to improve!

After being shut out four times so far this season, the Legion goaltending duo of Joel Castle @animal74 and Evan Bihler @Eb14 are taking matters into their own gloves and have shut out opposing teams a combined four times in the last seven games. The most recent and most impressive goose egg was posted by Bihler, who stopped 36 Seattle shots in a 1-0 victory, his third of the season. The shutout was his first this season and only second of his career. Joel Castle posted three shutouts in five games blanking Warsaw, Davos and London to help him tie his single season career-high of four which he has now reached four times in his career and which vaults him into a four-way tie for second in the league. With 20 games left in Toronto’s season, there is still plenty of time for both goalies to set new career-highs for shutouts in a season.

After being shut out four times so far this season, the Legion goaltending duo of Joel Castle @animal74 and Evan Bihler @Eb14 are taking matters into their own gloves and have shut out opposing teams a combined four times in the last seven games. The most recent and most impressive goose egg was posted by Bihler, who stopped 36 Seattle shots in a 1-0 victory, his third of the season. The shutout was his first this season and only second of his career. Joel Castle posted three shutouts in five games blanking Warsaw, Davos and London to help him tie his single season career-high of four which he has now reached four times in his career and which vaults him into a four-way tie for second in the league. With 20 games left in Toronto’s season, there is still plenty of time for both goalies to set new career-highs for shutouts in a season.

For my Theme Week post on All-Stars, I decided to take a look back at the last half decade (Seasons 88-92) in the VHL to see which players would be the All-Star of the last Half Decade for each team. Considering the individual nature of being an All-Star, I'll focus more on individual performances in the regular season rather than team results. I'll take a look at their overall performance from S88-92, and the best season in that run. In order to come up with specific team criteria, I'm only including seasons that the player played for that team, and the player must have played at least 4 seasons for the team unless otherwise noted. S92 totals for players come at the 48 game mark of the season.
 
Calgary Wranglers
 
Player: D - Phil Strasmore
 
S88-92 Totals: 336 GP  45 G  224 A  269 PTS  671 SHT  1000 PIM  1193 HIT  697 SB  8 GWG  23 PPG
Best Season: S90 - 72 GP  13 G  47 A  60 PTS  166 SHT  201 PIM  244 HIT  170 SB  3 GWG  8 PPG
 
Why?: Strasmore had seasons that were arguably more productive offensively in the five seasons in Calgary, but S90 was the best blend of both offense and defense. The highest goal output in the five season run came that season, along with a linked high in shots and powerplay goals. S88 was a contender when Strasmore won the Jake Wylde Trophy for best defensive defenseman, but All-Star nods usually boil down to scoring, so I'll give it to the better goal year.
 
Chicago Phoenix
 
Player: C - Scotty Sundin
 
S88-92 Totals: 288 GP  153 G  195 A  348 PTS  1831 SHT  164 PIM  287 HIT  139 SB  23 GWG  33 PPG
Best Season: S91 - 72 GP  49 G  63 A  112 PTS  522 SHT  50 PIM  103 HIT  31 SB  5 GWG  12 PPG
 
Why?: Sundin was the quintessential Phoenix player of the last half decade, playing 4 full seasons from S88-91 in Chicago. Sundin won the Scotty Campbell Trophy and the Mike Szatkowski Trophy in S91, which ended up being Sundin's most productive season for Chicago. The choice for the best season for Sundin was between S90 and S91, but it wasn't much of a choice to make given how dominant that season was in S91.
 
D.C. Dragons
 
Player: D - Mark Calaway
 
S88-92 Totals: 264 GP  69 G  178 A  247 PTS  959 SHT  458 PIM  658 HIT  613 SB  11 GWG  26 PPG
Best Season: S90 - 72 GP  20 G  56 A  76 PTS  286 SHT  132 PIM  166 HIT  165 SB  4 GWG  6 PPG
 
Why?: Not much debate around the All-Star choice for Calaway's season, any time that a blueliner hits 20 goals in a season as Calaway did in S90, it's very impressive. A five season high in goals, assists, points, shots, penalty minutes, and game winning goals came in that season as well, showing an all around offensive strength. The goal total wasn't inflated by a surprise powerplay year either, further adding to the impressiveness of that season.
 
HC Davos Dynamo
 
Player: Tie between D - Jake Thunder and G - Lachlan Summers
 
S88-92 Totals (Thunder): 288 GP  61 G  294 A  355 PTS  899 SHT  698 PIM  930 HIT  675 SB  15 GWG  38 PPG
Best Season (Thunder): S88 - 72 GP  17 G  76 A  93 PTS  199 SHT  198 PIM  239 HIT  144 SB  3 GWG  12 PPG
 
S88-92 Totals (Summers): 297 GP  190-80-26  .931 SV%  2.36 GAA  21 SO  9519 SV  17949 MIN
Best Season (Summers): S90 - 64 GP  49-12-3  .938 SV%  2.06 GAA  7 SO  2015 SV
 
Why?: It was a real tossup between Thunder and Summers, with both deserving of the All-Star nod for Davos. Jake Thunder had some monster seasons on the back end for the Dynamo offensively and defensively. S88 ended up being a solid combination of both sides, winning the Alexander Beketov Trophy for leading the VHL in assists while remaining productive defensively. A full award cabinet that included 2 Victory Cups (S90, S91), a Continental Cup (S89), a Sterling Labatte Trophy (S90), a Jake Wylde Trophy (S90), a Daisuke Kanou Trophy (S89), and the previously mentioned Beketov Trophy. Thunder would be the runaway sole All-Star on most teams, but not for Davos.
 
Goaltender Lachlan Summers holds an equally impressive resume for the half decade for the Dynamo. Summers won the same Victory and Continental Cups as Thunder on those teams, and also won the Aidan Shaw Trophy, Greg Clegane Trophy, and Brett Slobodzian Trophy in the S90 choice for best season. Summers added a Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy in S88 to go with the rest of that hardware. The .938 single season save percentage is tied for the best among the All-Star goalies in this span, and the .931 overall save percentage tops the rest.
 
Helsinki Titans
 
Player: C - Daryl Dixon
 
S88-92 Totals: 336 GP  153 G  214 A  367 PTS  2098 SHT  543 PIM  1055 HIT  172 SB  17 GWG  34 PPG
Best Season: S91 - 72 GP  30 G  63 A  93 PTS  470 SHT  122 PIM  176 HIT  38 SB  3 GWG  3 PPG
 
Why?: Goal scoring is what fans come to see, and 30 goal seasons are a virtual lock for Dixon. Four straight seasons (with a fifth on the way) over 30 make for the class of the Titans, but it was the usual goal scoring with the playmaking spike in S91 that gets the All-Star nod. Career highs in multiple categories came last season for Dixon, including coming close to eclipsing the 100 point mark. Almost the entirety of the goals came at even strength, where the goals are harder to come by than on the powerplay.
 
London United
 
Player: Tie between RW - Molly the Cat and G - Jesse Teno
 
S88-92 Totals (the Cat): 335 GP  179 G  189 A  368 PTS  2138 SHT  288 PIM  692 HIT  148 SB  33 GWG  52 PPG
Best Season (the Cat): S91 - 72 GP  52 G  55 A  107 PTS  528 SHT  56 PIM  127 HIT  31 SB  12 GWG  23 PPG
 
S88-92 Totals (Teno): 301 GP  160-109-32  .929 SV%  2.36 GAA  21 SO  9424 SV  18328 MIN
Best Season (Teno): S91 - 64 GP  40-16-8  .937 SV%  2.02 GAA  6 SO  1937 SV
 
Why?: Despite winning the Continental Cup together in S88, the pair of All-Stars both put up their best season in S91. Both members of London for all five seasons, they've had spectacular individual seasons and five year runs.
 
Molly the Cat posted some of the best offensive numbers in the league in S91, with an almost equal distribution between goals and assists. Powering the goals last season were an explosion on the powerplay, notching the league's highest mark with the man advantage as the only player with more than 20 powerplay goals. Last season was the continuation of goal scoring prowess for the Cat, as the follow up to three straight seasons over 30 goals.
 
Jesse Teno posted the lowest single season goals against average of any of the goalies on this list, barely missing out on a sub 2.00 GAA. Accompanying that sparkling, league best goals against average was a league high in shutouts, and a runner up in save percentage. Teno won the Aidan Shaw and Greg Clegane Trophies in S91 as an acknowledgment of those accomplishments. Teno finished the five year run with the most minutes played among the goalies on this list.
 
Los Angeles Stars
 
Player: Tie between C - Todd Cooke and G - Art Vandelay
 
S88-92 Totals (Cooke): 336 GP  186 G  277 A  463 PTS  2086 SHT  247 PIM  479 HIT  177 SB  30 GWG  44 PPG
Best Season (Cooke): S90 - 72 GP  41 G  77 A  118 PTS  501 SHT  56 PIM  147 HIT  49 SB  7 GWG  11 PPG
 
S88-92 Totals (Vandelay): 302 GP  188-88-24  .926 SV%  2.42 GAA  23 SO  9031 SV  17941 MIN
Best Season (Vandelay): S92* - 43 GP  31-9-3  .928 SV%  2.20 GAA  4 SO  1240 SV
 
Why?: Another team with an offensive star and a stud goaltender that are too difficult to compare and choose between. Both have had amazing seasons for the Stars, and both have played the entirety of the half decade together in LA.
 
Todd Cooke has been an extremely productive scorer for all five seasons in LA, but there is a clear standout season in the five that gets the nod for best season. Cooke's S90 season included a league lead in assists and points, along with big hardware. The Mike Szatkowski Trophy, Scotty Campbell Trophy, and Alexander Beketov Trophy all landed in Cooke's Trophy Case following a spectacular S90. Cooke remains the offensive star in LA, headed for yet another 35+ goal season, the benchmark for all five seasons.
 
Art Vandelay's run of over 60 starts through the entirety of the five season span (including the pace for this season) has been the picture of consistency for Los Angeles. All five seasons above a save percentage of .920 made it difficult to choose from, but this season has the potential to be the best yet for the latex salesman. Vandelay has been the architect of many successes for the Stars, and S92 looks to be building towards career bests in wins, goals against average, save percentage, and shutouts for the aspiring marine biologist.
 
Malmo Nighthawks
 
Player: G - Ash Sparks
 
S88-92 Totals: 231 GP  123-79-26  .926 SV%  2.46 GAA  17 SO  7083 SV  13796 MIN
Best Season: S89 - 67 GP  30-26-8  .931 SV%  2.49 GAA  9 SO  2222 SV
 
Why?: Ash Sparks has had multiple solid seasons in the last four seasons to choose from for the Nighthawks, but the standout year definitely goes to S89. While the W/L record didn't reflect just how good Sparks was that season, the other statistics definitely did. Sparks finished S89 with a league high in shutouts, along with top five finishes in save percentage and goals against average among qualified goaltenders. The 9 shutouts in S89 was the most in a single season for a goalie in this half decade run.
 
Moscow Menace
 
Player: D - Fraser Wallace
 
S88-92 Totals: 288 GP  79 G  152 A  231 PTS  1206 SHT  204 PIM  362 HIT  255 SB  9 GWG  27 PPG
Best Season: S90 - 72 GP  23 G  44 A  67 PTS  382 SHT  60 PIM  115 HIT  20 SB  5 GWG  5 PPG
 
Why?: As mentioned previously, it is awfully special when a defender can put up a 20 goal season. Fraser Wallace managed 2 of them in the 4 seasons in Moscow, while almost having a third in S88. Deciding between multiple 20 goal seasons was difficult, but the edge goes to S90, as it had better totals in other statistical categories to go with it. A career high in assists, points, shots, hits, and game winning goals makes this a solid All-Star season for Wallace with the Menace.
 
New York Americans
 
Player: C - Jasper Davis
 
S88-92 Totals: 265 GP  108 G  150 A  258 PTS  1291 SHT  132 PIM  380 HIT  222 SB  11 GWG  26 PPG
Best Season: S91 - 72 GP  39 G  66 A  105 PTS  434 SHT  46 PIM  119 HIT  73 SB  3 GWG  9 PPG
 
Why?: Jasper Davis burst onto the scene for the Americans in S89, winning the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy as top rookie. With a couple of solid offensive seasons along the way in the four seasons, it was the offensive explosion in S91 that takes the All-Star honours for Davis. Eclipsing the century mark for points was a highlight, along with career highs across the board in goals, assists, points, shots, penalty minutes, and powerplay goals.

Prague Phantoms
 
Player: Tie between C - John Jameson and D - Velociraptor Greg
 
S88-92 Totals (Jameson): 336 GP  211 G  247 A  458 PTS  2278 SHT  739 PIM  1258 HIT  153 SB  39 GWG  48 PPG
Best Season (Jameson): S89 - 72 GP  50 G  64 A  114 PTS  533 SHT  72 PIM  243 HIT  39 SB  7 GWG  10 PPG
 
S88-92 Totals (Greg): 336 GP  74 G  227 A  301 PTS  1067 SHT  617 PIM  815 HIT  636 SB  14 GWG  40 PPG
Best Season (Greg): S88 - 72 GP  18 G  59 A  77 PTS  271 SHT  114 PIM  190 HIT  143 SB  4 GWG  9 PPG
 
Why?: A couple of large team based awards were won together by the two All-Stars for the Phantoms, both winning the Continental Cup in S90, and the Victory Cup in S88. A forward and a blueliner aren't very comparable head to head, and splitting the two players didn't make much sense with both of them spending the full half decade with Prague.
 
John Jameson holding a streak of four straight 40 goal seasons for the Phantoms makes an easy choice for an All-Star, but should be a difficult choice for which season is the best standout. S89 rises above the rest here, as Jameson eclipsed the 50 goal mark for the only time, along with a high in assists, points, and shots. It also included personal hardware, with Jameson winning the Scotty Campbell and Scott Boulet Trophies, a testament to the dominant season that Jameson had.
 
Velociraptor Greg was a harder pick to narrow down a best season, with double digit goals and 50+ points in each season of the half decade from the blueline. I gave the edge to S88, one that held a high in goals, assists, points, and game winning goals for the half decade period. Greg has been a model of consistency on the back end for the Phantoms, both offensively and defensively. 
 
Riga Reign
 
Player: G - Henry Tucker Jr.
 
S88-92 Totals: 257 GP  155-78-20  .928 SV%  2.50 GAA  10 SO  8164 SV  15222 MIN
Best Season: S91 - 65 GP  47-12-5  .931 SV%  2.28 GAA  2 SO  1966 SV
 
Why?: Henry Tucker Jr. spent the first four seasons of the half decade with Riga, posting solid numbers in all four seasons. While all four seasons were solid, S91 ends up being the choice here for the All-Star nod, seeing the best win total, save percentage, and goals against average with the Reign. Tucker Jr. almost topped the 50 win mark, which is an exceptionally difficult threshold to break. Having a four season run where the worst save percentage is .925 is consistent and remarkable. 
 
Seattle Bears
 
Player: D - Rex Wolffe Gregor
 
S88-92 Totals: 216 GP  50 G  141 A  191 PTS  633 SHT  387 PIM  413 HIT  411 SB  7 GWG  33 PPG
Best Season: S91 - 72 GP  27 G  52 A  79 PTS  288 SHT  120 PIM  165 HIT  137 SB  6 GWG  19 PPG
 
Why?: Rex Wolffe Gregor is the only player on the list to make it while playing fewer than four seasons with their team. There is plenty of good reason for Gregor to be the nominee for the Bears, as the S91 numbers are eye-popping. Gregor neared the 30 goal mark from the blueline, which is remarkable, and almost hit 20 goals on the powerplay, which is equally remarkable. Gregor also topped the 50 assist mark, and was very close to hitting the 80 points and 300 shots totals.
 
Toronto Legion
 
Player: Tie between C - Mac Atlas and G - Joel Castle
 
S88-92 Totals (Atlas): 336 GP  164 G  150 A  314 PTS  1917 SHT  319 PIM  705 HIT  157 SB  31 GWG  31 PPG
Best Season (Atlas): S91 - 72 GP  46 G  42 A  88 PTS  539 SHT  77 PIM  186 HIT  26 SB  10 GWG  10 PPG
 
S88-92 Totals (Castle): 303 GP  141-126-34  .927 SV%  2.47 GAA  16 SO  9523 SV  18123 MIN
Best Season (Castle): S91 - 65 GP  42-21-1  .938 SV%  2.06 GAA  3 SO  1997 SV
 
Why?: Yet another team who gets a split between a forward and a goaltender, this duo won the Continental Cup together last season. Both players have spent the entire half decade with Toronto, and put up their best seasons last year on the way to the Championship.
 
Mac Atlas has been the Captain of the Legion for the last four seasons, and had his best offensive season in S91. Setting career highs almost across the board was impressive for Atlas, hitting that mark in goals, assists, points, shots, penalty minutes, hits, game winning goals, and powerplay goals. Atlas finished among the league leaders in multiple categories, and was an easy choice to go with for the Legion skaters.
 
Joel Castle has had multiple strong seasons in net, but S91 is the clear runaway for the best. A league best save percentage and the second best goals against average made this an easy choice, and Castle ended up being runner up in the top goaltender category. The .938 save percentage was tied for the best single season mark for the goalies on this list, earning Castle his reputation as a brick wall.
 
Vancouver Wolves
 
Player: G - Brandt Fuhr
 
S88-92 Totals: 64 GP  49-12-3  .938 SV%  2.06 GAA  7 SO  2015 SV  12743 MIN
Best Season: S89 - 65 GP  40-22-2  .922 SV%  2.63 GAA  4 SO  1969 SV
 
Why?: Fuhr spent the first four seasons of the half decade with the Wolves, and was a consistent backstop throughout that run. S89 was the choice for the All-Star season, setting a high in wins for that period with 40, and a best goals against average with 2.63. Fuhr finished that run with a .921 save percentage total for that time with the Wolves, and was a solid presence in net throughout.

Warsaw Predators
 
Player: D - Doug Britton
 
S88-92 Totals: 336 GP  38 G  158 A  196 PTS  581 SHT  574 PIM  819 HIT  691 SB  5 GWG  18 PPG
Best Season: S90 - 72 GP  12 G  35 A  47 PTS  152 SHT  134 PIM  226 HIT  181 SB  2 GWG  5 PPG
 
Why?: Britton had multiple solid seasons for the Preds throughout the entire half decade, but there was one season where it all came together offensively and defensively. S90 saw a high in goals, penalty minutes, hits, shot blocks, and game winning goals for Britton. The middle of the run saw three straight seasons over 30 assists and 40 points, leaving Britton as the model of consistency for Warsaw on the blueline.
 
 

So I was thinking to myself: What would be a cool yet crazy idea to bring forward to the VHL’s All-Star Committee (which doesn’t exist)? An idea that give players a chance to showcase their skill and yet be a bit bizarre? So I thought about where I loved skating most and I thought of my childhood when our fields would flood and freeze and we’d have a beautiful, mirror-like 10-acre field of ice to skate on as fast as we wanted. Check.
 
We could do the All-Star game on a huge frozen field! Bring in seating for thousands, food trucks, music, all sorts of fun activities!
 
But then I thought, that’s a lot of ice to cover, we’d have to have more players. Why not have all the players play at the same time? What about all the goalies? Have a quadrant for each team – in fact, make it a free for all! Players could wheel around and score on any of the other three goalies! Maybe even have two, three, or even four pucks! Holy frozen chaos, Bekman!
 
Then there’s the question of the Skills Competition. Incorporate it in the actual game! There would be so much ice, you could award extra points for speed, super dekes, amazing saves, hardest shots and put obstacles all over the ice to pass through, skate around, targets to shoot at and maybe even ice ramps to jump off! That would be crazy!
 
Another wild idea: In a predetermined number of games leading up to the All-Star game, any player that gets a major penalty will also have to sit in dunk tanks placed all over the outdoor ice rink and All-Stars will get points for shooting pucks at the target during the chaotic gameplay and sinking the perpetrators in the “swim bins”.
 
Now the teams, how could they be divided up? Four teams for four quadrants? Sure. Eye color? Left or right stick? Season born in? By native global region? Beauty contest? There are so many ways this could be accomplished but maybe just let the fans decide.
 
Since we’re on a huge sheet of ice anyway, another activity I would love to see among the All-Stars is a go-cart race on an ice track around the “stadium”. Throw some hay bales or something around it for protection and let them have a four lap race around the track. Other games for cash prizes could be longest slapshot, most accurate curling throw, and make the All-Stars don speed skates and do a speed skating lap. The possibilities are endless!
 
And of course you’d need an Alumni/Hall of Fame Game. But you would probably need ambulances stationed strategically around the rink as the older players might have trouble skating that far.
 
It would take a lot of technology to make this happen but I think the VHL could pull it off. There would have to be sensors in a lot of the equipment and the cameras would have to be top notch. The weather would need to cooperate as well. I think it would be a monumental spectacle which is more than you can say for all the other All-Star Games.

S92 Toronto Legion
Assistant Captains
Harry Callahan @dstevensonjr
 
Callahan burst onto the season as a rookie last season, placing 5th in VHL rookie scoring with 55 points, also leading Toronto in PPG and Plus/Minus. A prominent voice in the locker room, he's been selected to increase his leadership role on the team.
 
Joel Castle @animal74
 
Entering his sixth season, all with the Legion, Castle rise as one of the top goalies in the league culminated in backstopping Toronto to the S91 Continental Cup along with earning the Daisuke Kanou Trophy as playoff MVP and an All-VHL Second Team nomination.
 
Captain
Mac Atlas @v.2
 
Voted as captain for the fourth consecutive season, Atlas had a career season in S91 leading the Legion in goals (for the third time in four seasons) and points as well as setting a franchise record for most points in a playoff season.
 
These three will lead Toronto in their defense of the Continental Cup for S92! 

This is a heck of an honour, and I hope to be able to follow in the footsteps of the great leaders that we already have here!

S92 Toronto Legion
Assistant Captains
Harry Callahan @dstevensonjr
 
Callahan burst onto the season as a rookie last season, placing 5th in VHL rookie scoring with 55 points, also leading Toronto in PPG and Plus/Minus. A prominent voice in the locker room, he's been selected to increase his leadership role on the team.
 
Joel Castle @animal74
 
Entering his sixth season, all with the Legion, Castle rise as one of the top goalies in the league culminated in backstopping Toronto to the S91 Continental Cup along with earning the Daisuke Kanou Trophy as playoff MVP and an All-VHL Second Team nomination.
 
Captain
Mac Atlas @v.2
 
Voted as captain for the fourth consecutive season, Atlas had a career season in S91 leading the Legion in goals (for the third time in four seasons) and points as well as setting a franchise record for most points in a playoff season.
 
These three will lead Toronto in their defense of the Continental Cup for S92! 

S92 Toronto Legion
Assistant Captains
Harry Callahan @dstevensonjr
 
Callahan burst onto the season as a rookie last season, placing 5th in VHL rookie scoring with 55 points, also leading Toronto in PPG and Plus/Minus. A prominent voice in the locker room, he's been selected to increase his leadership role on the team.
 
Joel Castle @animal74
 
Entering his sixth season, all with the Legion, Castle rise as one of the top goalies in the league culminated in backstopping Toronto to the S91 Continental Cup along with earning the Daisuke Kanou Trophy as playoff MVP and an All-VHL Second Team nomination.
 
Captain
Mac Atlas @v.2
 
Voted as captain for the fourth consecutive season, Atlas had a career season in S91 leading the Legion in goals (for the third time in four seasons) and points as well as setting a franchise record for most points in a playoff season.
 
These three will lead Toronto in their defense of the Continental Cup for S92! 

1.  A bit underwhelming coming off our cup win but as we have seen before anything can happen if we just make the playoffs!
2. We need our squad to focus more on defence and scoring stats to have more puck control in the offensive zone and make our shots count.
3. Management really has to assess what they deem a successful season at this point.  Simon hasn't been kind and we are teetering in the middle.
4. Malmo has been better than expected for sure.
5. Chrome blue! Let's get flashy.
6. Rangers, Devils, Isles, Flyers.  In that order

All-Star. A phrase that is iconic across the entireity of the United States, Canada, and the world. Used as an adjective, a noun, a descriptor, a qualifier, you name it. It influences hall of fame voting, people's perceptions of how good someone is at a particular sport. It's loaded to the max.
And it's something Steve Lattimer has aspired to for a very long time. He's never really heard his name called in that kind of rarified air, celebrated among his peers, above his peers in some respects. And while he respects all of his colleagues, peers, competitors, he's definitely not here just for shits and giggles. He's here to win, and to achieve the accolades that come with winning. Like an all-star recognition.
While Lattimer is unaware of the current constructs of all star fesitivities, by far the model I am most interested in as a format is a set of countries against other countries. I think US vs. The World is a cop out though. It undermines just how good the rest of the world is at hockey (and many other sports for that matter). So I would change the entire format of an all star hockey festivity to a couple of different things.
1) Maintaining a skills competition and a hardest slapshot competition as well. These seem to be fan favorites.
2) Speaking of fan favorites, similar to that part of the movie The Dilemma, give the fans a chance to participate, but with the players coaching them in a fun, sort of jokey way. Think there are a ton of things that could work, ranging from sliding the puck all the way down the ice to a 1 vs. 1 between 'fans' (who know how to skate at least).
3) Making the game matter, the winning country gets some sort of financial compensation similar to NBA's in-season tournament (but the money would have to matter).
4) Could change format entirely to 4 on 4 per country, 8 minute periods. Or 3 on 3, half ice, defenses have to clear, same thing in terms of clearing, but also Elam ending so no one can just play keepaway
5) One of the more popular tournaments on the PGA Tour is the event where players play with their children, like Tiger Woods playing with his son. There has to be a way to bring that into the competition, and even if it's just sponsoring a kid from the local town where the player's franchise is located, there's something to this that would captivate people's attention. 
6) No oen cares about the rising stars game, so forget about putting them on the ice together, have them do fan engagement, make the fans feel more connected to the next generation of great hockey players who they may not have evne heard of yet.
Those are some ideas. So yeah, no idea how any of this can be applied to VHL but I rely on the powers that be to figure that out, and the creators of the simulation = )

1. I think that the season has been a mixed bag so far, but we've found a bit more consistency as the season has gone on. We need to get on a bit of a solid run to catch up to the group in front of us, but I think that with continued development we are capable of doing that.
 
2. In the brief time since we made the changes to the powerplay, we're 5 for 26 (19.2%) on the powerplay, including 4 for 16 (25%) over our last 4 games, so maybe there are signs of the powerplay coming around. If not, we'll make some more changes to the personnel and hope to find a better mix.
 
3. I'd see how the sims go until Friday before we head into the weekend. If we continue to play better than we were early on, I'd stay the course. If we fall off at all, alternatives may need to be looked at. It's a pretty big week for our group here.
 
4. I'll give one good and one bad surprise. Moscow has made a huge jump (15th to 4th) in the overall standings from last season, while Davos has made a big drop (1st to 15th).
 
5. Definitely matte blue. I can't say that I'm a large fan of the chrome helmets at all, but I think that the matte ones do have a nice touch to them to make them a little different.
 
6.
1 - New York Rangers - Keeps the Rangers diagonal look on the front, and has the always nice colour scheme.
2 - Philadelphia Flyers - Stays pretty simple with the Flyers look. I like the way that the sleeve stripe wraps around the back, it's a little different.
3 - New Jersey Devils - Amazing how much different the logo looks taking the circle away from behind it. Not sure that it's an improvement though.
4 - New York Islanders - Not sure how many teams need to try the whole "team nickname on the jersey front" thing before they realize that it doesn't work. At all.

I mean sorta but the idea would be more of how an all-star team would actually be logically built so maybe we go back to the EU vs. NA instead of the free for all ones or whatever.
 
It’s pretty open ended honestly; we aren’t that picky. 

What a descent into averageness has befallen last season’s playoff MVP goalie Joel Castle of the Toronto Legion. One of the top goalies the last two seasons, Castle has not been playing up to his usual standards until recently and the stats show. He hasn’t placed in any of the Top-10 statistical lists for most of the season – at one point sporting a dismal 2.95 GAA with the Legion bouncing in and out of a play-in spot.
 
“I knew something had to change,” said Castle during yesterday’s post-game scrum after one of his better performances of the season, a 4-3 SOL to rival Los Angeles where he stopped 42 shots. “I talked to our goalie coach, we looked at some film from last season and made some tweaks to a couple of bad habits I’ve been getting into. Nothing major, just some stylistic changes and how I push off from the post. I’ve also changed some of my workout routine to maintain my flexibility after such a long season last year. And, I’m not getting any younger.”
 
The results, at least in net, have been positive as Castle is back to his stellar form. Over the last seven games he's posted a 1.84 GAA on 13 goals against, a 0.936 SV% and earned his first shutout of the season. Unfortunately, his better play hasn’t necessarily translated to a big boost in the standings as the Legion have only scored 16 goals in that span going 3-3-1. Even with an improved power play, they’re still ranked last in the VHL with the man advantage. They’ll have to do better then that to secure a spot in the playoffs to defend their championship.
 

What a descent into averageness has befallen last season’s playoff MVP goalie Joel Castle of the Toronto Legion. One of the top goalies the last two seasons, Castle has not been playing up to his usual standards until recently and the stats show. He hasn’t placed in any of the Top-10 statistical lists for most of the season – at one point sporting a dismal 2.95 GAA with the Legion bouncing in and out of a play-in spot.
 
“I knew something had to change,” said Castle during yesterday’s post-game scrum after one of his better performances of the season, a 4-3 SOL to rival Los Angeles where he stopped 42 shots. “I talked to our goalie coach, we looked at some film from last season and made some tweaks to a couple of bad habits I’ve been getting into. Nothing major, just some stylistic changes and how I push off from the post. I’ve also changed some of my workout routine to maintain my flexibility after such a long season last year. And, I’m not getting any younger.”
 
The results, at least in net, have been positive as Castle is back to his stellar form. Over the last seven games he's posted a 1.84 GAA on 13 goals against, a 0.936 SV% and earned his first shutout of the season. Unfortunately, his better play hasn’t necessarily translated to a big boost in the standings as the Legion have only scored 16 goals in that span going 3-3-1. Even with an improved power play, they’re still ranked last in the VHL with the man advantage. They’ll have to do better then that to secure a spot in the playoffs to defend their championship.
 

What a descent into averageness has befallen last season’s playoff MVP goalie Joel Castle of the Toronto Legion. One of the top goalies the last two seasons, Castle has not been playing up to his usual standards until recently and the stats show. He hasn’t placed in any of the Top-10 statistical lists for most of the season – at one point sporting a dismal 2.95 GAA with the Legion bouncing in and out of a play-in spot.
 
“I knew something had to change,” said Castle during yesterday’s post-game scrum after one of his better performances of the season, a 4-3 SOL to rival Los Angeles where he stopped 42 shots. “I talked to our goalie coach, we looked at some film from last season and made some tweaks to a couple of bad habits I’ve been getting into. Nothing major, just some stylistic changes and how I push off from the post. I’ve also changed some of my workout routine to maintain my flexibility after such a long season last year. And, I’m not getting any younger.”
 
The results, at least in net, have been positive as Castle is back to his stellar form. Over the last seven games he's posted a 1.84 GAA on 13 goals against, a 0.936 SV% and earned his first shutout of the season. Unfortunately, his better play hasn’t necessarily translated to a big boost in the standings as the Legion have only scored 16 goals in that span going 3-3-1. Even with an improved power play, they’re still ranked last in the VHL with the man advantage. They’ll have to do better then that to secure a spot in the playoffs to defend their championship.
 

1. If I am being honest, I am very disappointed in our season so far. Indeed, we won the Cup last season and now it is not even sure we will make the playoffs. I know we can, but we have to do better.
2. We can change the lines or the strategies. I don't think there is really more we can do.
3. It would be a good idea in my opinion to find a good second defensemen or a third forward.
4. Moscow! Last season they finished second-to-last and now, they are sixth in the league. They have a really young team and their rebuild is doing really good.
5. A couple of NHL teams tried the chrome helmet look, but for most of them it is pretty awful. So, chrome blue can look good, but matte blue is more of a safe choice in my opinion.
6. 1-New York Rangers, 2-New Jersey Devils, 3-New York Islanders, 4-Philadelphia Flyers.

@Members
 
Better late than never right? I promise we didn't forget about the holiday prize raffle! The draw will be taking place Sunday, January 28th, around 7pm EST. As previously mentioned the prize pool consists of 14 prizes spread over 4 tiers.
 
Tier 1 - 5 Winners
5 uncapped TPE
 
Tier 2 - 5 Winners
$15 donation equivalent (IE you get the reward choice of a $15 donation without donating, can be claimed even if you have donated this season.)
 
Tier 3 - 3 Winners
Video Game of your choice (up to a max of $90 CAD, on any system)
 
Tier 4 - 1 Winner
Nintendo Switch (OLED) console OR an NHL Jersey of the winner's choice.
 
The draw will be streamed to my twitch channel which can be found here: https://twitch.tv/beketov_vhl
 
The draw will be at random and the number of entries you have is based on the number of 12 days of Christmas threads you responded to. Everyone who responded to at least 1 day has at least 1 entry and everyone, staff included, are allowed to win. As usual if you win something and would prefer to receive the prize from the tier below you can do that. Additionally we will not exchange any prize for cash value but a difference in prize that costs the same or less can be negotiated under certain circumstances.
 
Good luck to everyone and I’ll see you all for the draw on Saturday!

The Toronto Legion won the S91 Continental Cup, defeating the Chicago Phoenix, Los Angeles Stars, and Helsinki Titans along the way. Each of the teams that they defeated vowed revenge against the Legion in the following season for ending their Cup bids, and so far this year they have done just that.
 
The Legion have faced those three teams a total of six times this season (2 against Chicago, 1 against Los Angeles, and 3 against Helsinki), and so far have gone a combined 0-6. Here's a breakdown of how those matchups have gone:
 
Toronto vs. Chicago
Game 9 - @ CHI - Phoenix win 2-1
Game 10 - vs CHI - Phoenix win 3-1
 
Toronto vs. Los Angeles
Game 5 - vs LAS - Stars win 4-1
 
Toronto vs. Helsinki
Game 13 - @ HEL - Titans win 3-1
Game 22 - @ HEL - Titans win 4-0
Game 24 - vs HEL - Titans win 5-3
 
Toronto has lost the 6 revenge games by a combined score of 21-7, showing that these motivated teams are handling their matchups with ease. Outside of the revenge games this season, the Legion are 13-5-2. They'll need to get a much better handle on these revenge games in order to move up the standings.

1. What do you think of the move to bring in Lattimer and Caufield Jr? I mean I'm Lattimer, so I think this is a huge W, haha. In all honestly, I'm pumped to be here and playing for a team that I think values me as a player and as a person.
2. What grade do you give your performance this season so far? B. I think the proof will be on how I perform on a real contender. I'm excited for the opportunity to contribute however the team needs and wants me to.
3. We currently sit at 11-11-2 with an uncharacteristic -9 goal differential. What not working for us? I think it's just a malaise. The trades will infuse life and energy into our team and into our skates.
4. Do you think we're suffering from Cup hangover?  I hope not! It's to be expected but perhaps that's thy the midseason trades were so important. Never settle for what's already in the rear view.
5. What song/album do you have on repeat right now? Swept Away by Avett Brothers
6. What is your best story about 40 degrees C (104 F) or -40 C (-40 F)? There are no good stories other than playing a doubleheader in baseball in 104 temp. 

1. Good to address the Bot situation on the roster, it definitely helps keep us more consistent with the players on the ice. Trading Caufield for Wallace helps upgrade that further.
 
2. I'd give myself a C so far. I haven't been able to progress offensively this season from my rookie year, but I've been steady defensively. Hopefully it starts to improve, maybe I need to focus more on improving my offensive attributes.
 
3. I think that we were getting caved in by our bots early on in the season. The bots were -6 and -7, so it definitely wasn't helping us defensively. The line without the bots is +3 or better, so it should balance out now that we're not playing bots.
 
4. No, I just think that we're finding our way. We lost some pretty key players in the off-season that contributed to our Championship last season, replacing them has been a process that continues.
 
5. I've been listening to the Blazing Saddles soundtrack lately, and also the Walk Hard soundtrack. Both are fantastic movies, and Walk Hard has a surprisingly good song base.
 
6. I don't really have a story about the extreme temperatures, but I can come close to the extreme cold. We went on a family trip in the middle of December years ago from Ontario to Florida. As you can imagine in the middle of December, it was very cold while leaving. We were still excited for the trip, so we all left the house in shorts to head to the airport. The people in Florida all looked at us like we were crazy because it was cold by their standards, so they were all wearing sweaters and jackets while we were wearing shorts and tees.

Glad to have you aboard @pugsood! Hopefully we can win again like we did with the JST Pickles! 🥒 

Glad I could help you out @Moon
 
@pugsood enjoyed our chats and you as a member. @Daniel Janser was not wrong   with where you are, just made sense to help ya win on a good team. Win/win/win imo. 

I don`t know why but my stupid brain just thought of a name for my new player:
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ NowyouknowyourABCs!! LOL!!
 
Still doesn`t look as bad as holding down W for 10 seconds!! LOL!!
 
I guess I could also go with:
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH!! What!!

Speaking of tampering, @rory your goalie name is going to be tampering with the goalie stats page layout for the next eight seasons. 😭