dstevensonjr

Ah shoot, I just saw this now!! I'll definitely try to remember it for week 3!

F - Napoleon Dynamite @samx

D - Skor McFleury @SlapshotBear

F - Landon Wolanin @samx

G - Clueless Wallob @SlapshotBear

1. Yes, I've seen the discussion. I don't think that it should be deleted, I think that the 3 tier system is the best for development. After being drafted by Bratislava this year, I have enjoyed being a part of the locker room, and I hope that more people can find a good experience to make the E a place that people want to play in on the way to the VHL. 2. No, I think that making the league pay to play in terms of ability boosts is dangerous, and I don't think that's what the spirit of the league should be. 3. I was planning on building a physical scoring winger when I first started, and I've shifted my focus away from the checking aspect as I've gone on. I think that the physicality will likely come when there's more TPE to play with, but right now I noticed that putting any development into the checking attribute was coming at the cost of attributes that were more valuable to the team. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Have you been pleased with the start to your season after the first 3 sims from a player perspective? How is your team doing? 2. Will you be paying attention to the NHL draft coming in just 9 days? 3. Do you do any gaming (PC, Console, or otherwise)? If so, what are you playing the most currently?

F - Nico Pearce @samx

Hello everyone! Here is the first episode of my new series for the VHLM season. I hope you enjoy it!

D - Mo Probert

Haha, I appreciate that! Thought about doing one post for all 3, but I figured that would have been too long.

Here we'll look at strengths and weaknesses for the teams heading into the season, as well as a projected finishing order for each league, plus a one line thought for everybody! This post will focus on the VHLM! VHLM Projected finishing order by conference: Western Conference 1) Houston Bulls 2) Mexico City Kings 3) Las Vegas Aces 4) San Diego Marlins 5) Saskatoon Wild Houston Bulls S88 Regular Season Rank: 6th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 2nd Strength: Forwards. Houston is going to score a lot of goals this season. The best top line in the VHLM (Stan-dingyouup, Toms, Zilla) with an average TPA of 188, and the 2nd best second line (Tuominen, Kemp, Targayen) is about to net Houston a windfall of goals. The entire top line could be maxed out weeks into the season, setting up a season of terror for everyone tasked with stopping them from scoring. Weakness: Blueline. The best top defense in the VHLM (Joe Block) isn't enough to pull the Bulls rankings for the blueline up, as they rank 3rd in the first pairing and 5th in the second pairing rankings. The Bulls will need another blueliner to make the jump this season from a development standpoint to secure the back end. One line thought: Could be the most entertaining team in the M to watch this season, should be a few high scoring games. Mexico City Kings S88 Regular Season Rank: 2nd S89 Projected Overall Rank: 3rd Strength: 2nd Line Forwards. Mexico City boasts the best second line in the M currently, and it should allow them to spread out the offense between the 6 forwards well. All three members of the second line (Mcdard, Sanzone, Chen) are above average for their roster slot at F4-F6. When your sixth best forward is as good as some teams third or fourth forwards, you know that you have decent depth. Weakness: Goaltending. The Kings could see a stumble in net with the 9th ranked starter out of the 10 teams. A roster that is solid if not flashy across the board up front and on the blueline will need to get work done to protect the goalie. One line thought: Can Mexico City's depth and above average roster give everybody a battle at the top of the West? Las Vegas Aces S88 Regular Season Rank: 7th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 4th Strength: 1st Line Forwards, Goaltending. Las Vegas has a solid 1 through 4 up front, thanks to two maxed out player slots (Barbaslov on lines 1 and 2), ShaunYoungca at 196 TPA, and Maxim Anisimov at 168 TPA. This ensures that offense should not be in short supply in Vegas. If the offense does dry up on a night though, Vegas can rely on the highest ranked goaltender in the VHLM, Jeffrey Blake. Weakness: Blueline. With only 2 defense (Fitzroy Jr. and Dingdong Jr.), the Aces are thin on the blueline. Averaging 100 TPA for the pairings will make for some long nights trying to defend leads until the blueline develops a bit more. One line thought: Maximizing the opportunities for their best forwards is a recipe for success for Vegas, can they defend well enough to capitalize? San Diego Marlins S88 Regular Season Rank: 3rd S89 Projected Overall Rank: 7th Strength: 1st Line Forwards. San Diego possesses the 3rd best first line in the M currently, thanks to 2 maxed out players (Tzesar and Sjin). They are grouped with Baby Moo Moo to start the season, forming a strong top line to cash in offensively for Saint Diago. Another maxed out player lands on the second line in Brad Marchand to help keep the line afloat behind the top line. Weakness: Blueline, Goaltending. Unfortunately for the Marlins, the riches up front don't translate to the back end of the rink. A top pairing of Marty Byrd and a bot will have to hold teams at bay, while a young pairing of rookies (Lee and Kozlov) find their way and continue to develop on the second pair. These units will need to protect goaltender Clark who comes into the season with the 8th lowest TPA. One line thought: Can the young rookies develop quick enough to make San Diego's top talent even better? Saskatoon Wild S88 Regular Season Rank: 9th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 9th Strength: Depth Forwards, Goaltending. A few decent depth forwards in the F5 and F6 (Jokinenegg, Leblanc Jr.) slots relative to league average help this young forward group comprised entirely of S89 and S90 players.They'll get help in the crease from the 5th best ranked goaltender in the M, Joseph Reed. If they can develop quickly, Saskatoon might surprise a few teams this year. Weakness: 1st Line Forwards, Blueline. The young forwards are still currently below average relative to their roster slots for the F1-F4 spots, but that can change over time with proper development. The blueline on the other hand is in need of some depth, as Stan Par is all alone at the moment. Being forced to roll out a bot on every shift locks the Wild firmly in the 10th spot for D1 and D2 ranks. One line thought: Can the young group develop fast enough to hang around the playoff race? Eastern Conference 1) Philadelphia Reapers 2) Mississauga Hounds 3) Ottawa Lynx 4) Halifax 21st 5) Miami Marauders Philadelphia Reapers S88 Regular Season Rank: 4th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 1st Strength: Blueline, Goaltending. The luxury of being able to roll out the best blueline (Swift and Johnson) in the VHLM in front of the 2nd highest rated goaltender (Karl Herzlich) in the league means that it is going to be very difficult to score on Philadelphia this year. The combination of that shut down back half of the ice and the talent up front for Philly makes them an imposing team for everybody in the VHLM to face this season. Weakness: Forwards? Difficult to find a true weakness for the Reapers at the moment, so we'll settle on the first forward line grading out as the 4th best in the league by average, and the second forward line grading out as the 3rd best. Not a true weakness with the defensive ability here, but something has to go in this spot. One line thought: Will Philadelphia give up fewer goals in a month than some teams do in a week? Mississauga Hounds S88 Regular Season Rank: 1st S89 Projected Overall Rank: 5th Strength: Forwards. Mississauga grades out above average in all 6 forward roster slots, which allows them to insulate some of the rookies playing in the lineup this year. With the talent spread out on the top 2 lines, it puts Mississauga in a good spot to get offensive contributions from everybody. Weakness: Top Blueline, Goaltending. The top blueliner for the Hounds (Howdy Doody) sits at a 133 TPA currently, showing a lack of a true elite #1 on the blueline. The ability to continue to develop the pieces along will be imperative to push the top teams in the East. One line thought: Is the solid forward group enough to put Mississauga in the conversation with Philadelphia for best in the East? Ottawa Lynx S88 Regular Season Rank: 10th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 6th Strength: Blueline. Ottawa holds the 2nd spot in blueline ranks in the VHLM thanks to the top pair of Oven and Pereira, as well as the second pair of Oven and Sleeves. With Oven pretty much maxed out, it gives the 2 pairs an average TPA of 175, which gets them right near the top. That group will likely get a heavy workload to deal with this season, one that they are equipped to handle. Weakness: Goaltending, Forwards. The great blueline for the Lynx is offset by their league worst ranking in net. With a rookie goaltender who is continuing to develop, there will definitely be some growing pains in the crease early on this season. The Lynx are also lacking in scoring up front, with a first line ranked 7th and a second line ranked 8th in the league in average TPA. One line thought: A team with 6 S90 draft picks in the lineup, if they can develop quickly they could do some damage this year. Halifax 21st S88 Regular Season Rank: 5th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 8th Strength: 1st Line Forwards. Halifax enters the season with some talent up front that is a few good development weeks away from being very competitive. Whopper, Miroslav, and Borisyuk all sit between 157 and 163 TPA, and could enter the top tier of forwards in the M this season with some good work. Weakness: Blueline, Depth Forwards. All by their lonesome on the 21st blueline is Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage, an S90 draft pick who is up to 137 TPA early in their career. It is imperative that the 21st get them some help on the back end so that they don't have to roll a bot out on every shift. The 21st also need their forward draft picks from the S90 draft year to continue to develop into their role up front for some added offense. One line thought: A lot of good on the Halifax roster, can they turn into great with a solid development run and an add on the blueline? Miami Marauders S88 Regular Season Rank: 8th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 10th Strength: Top Defense, Goaltending. Miami has a couple of elite pieces on the roster in the persons of their top defender, Darko Alexander Malkovich (195 TPA) and their top goaltender, Ryan Artyomov (175 TPA). Developing around these pieces will be a good start for Miami. Weakness: Forwards, Defense Depth. With only 4 forwards on the roster, and the use of multiple bots at forward and on the blueline, it drags the Marauders down to the 10th ranked first forward line, second forward line, and second defense pairing. One line thought: A couple of pieces and this roster would be much closer to average, but as it stands right now, it's going to be a tough one in Miami. Overall thoughts for the VHLM Much like the VHLE, it feels like there are clusters of teams in the VHLM. I believe that there are three distinct tiers in the league, with Philadelphia/Houston/Mexico City in the first tier, Las Vegas/Ottawa/Mississauga/San Diego in the second tier, and Halifax/Saskatoon/Miami in the third tier. I'm sure that there will be shuffling throughout those groups this season, especially with the likely high level of development that is usually seen in the VHLM and potential trades. It should be an entertaining year to see who can drag somebody out of that top tier.

Here we'll look at strengths and weaknesses for the teams heading into the season, as well as a projected finishing order for each league, plus a one line thought for everybody! This post will focus on the VHLE, with the VHLM to come! VHLE 1) Cologne Express 2) Oslo Storm 3) Rome Gladiators 4) Istanbul Red Wolves 5) Bratislava Watchmen 6) Geneva Rush 7) Vasteras Iron Eagles 8. Stockholm Vikings Cologne Express S88 Regular Season Rank: 2nd S89 Projected Overall Rank: 1st Strength: Second Line, Blueline, Goaltender. The best second line (Laakkonen, Lewis, Dover, Sanderson, Dudzinska) and the second best goaltender (Lion) in the VHLE propel Cologne to the top of the rankings. It's not particularly close in terms of TPA ratings for the second line relative to other teams, as Sanderson would be the best defender on 6 other VHLE teams, but is playing on the second pair for Cologne. Weakness: First Forward Line. Hard to classify this as a weakness, but it is a little concerning. The first forward group ranks 4th out of the 8 teams in terms of average TPA. While that's not terribly low, it is a little surprising with a team as loaded elsewhere as the Express. One line thought: Will Cologne's impressive depth and goaltending help them overcome potential top of the lineup scoring shortages? Oslo Storm S88 Regular Season Rank: 3rd S89 Projected Overall Rank: 2nd Strength: Forwards, Top D Pairing, Goaltender. The forward group for Oslo boasts 6 players who are all above average at their roster slot. This overall depth of the group will help Oslo win a lot of hockey games this season. The top D pairing of Jeckler and Bala is the best pairing in the league, ensuring that scoring isn't all this team will do. Behind that strong roster of skaters is the only maxed out goaltender in the VHLE, Ross Glagau. Weakness: 2nd D Pairing. Much like the other teams at the top of the projections here, this is not so much a glaring weakness as it is a minor concern. The Storm's second D pairing is below average overall by roster slot and ranks 4th in the league. One line thought: Another powerhouse team, can the balance across this roster help Oslo win a title? Rome Gladiators S88 Regular Season Rank: 4th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 3rd Strength: Top Forwards, Goaltending. Rome has 1 forward who is maxed out (BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson), and another who is almost maxed out (Dirk Diggler). These two forwards help keep Rome competitive with the 2nd ranked first forward line in the VHLE. Combine that with the 3rd ranked goaltender in the league (Matthew McCagg), and Rome has a decent shot to do some real damage this season. Weakness: Blueline. The first D pairing ranks 6th of the 8 teams in the league, which will hurt the Gladiators when going up against some of the potent offenses out there. Can Pope Francis continue to develop into the number one that this blueline sorely needs? One line thought: Does Rome have the ability to outscore their defensive woes and turn the Top 2 into the Big 3? Istanbul Red Wolves S88 Regular Season Rank: 5th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 4th Strength: Forwards, Goaltender. Istanbul boasts the best Forward trio in the VHLE with Lattimer, Withers, and Gaming. Lattimer is maxed out, Withers is almost maxed, and Gaming looks like they'll be maxed before the end of the season. The second line matches up decently as well, grading out as the 3rd best second line in the E. This group is going to put up some numbers. Their ability to do so will be backstopped by the fourth best goalie in the league, Evan Bihler. Though ranked fourth seems a bit harsh, considering they're much closer to first than fifth. Weakness: Blueline. The 4th best first pairing and 5th best second pairing is what hurts the Red Wolves. Room for growth for consistent earners Yvel (S88) and Laas (S89) could absolutely strengthen this group to get where they need to go. One line thought: Much like Rome, can Istanbul use their forward talent to cover for their defense and make the jump to the top group? Bratislava Watchmen S88 Regular Season Rank: 7th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 5th Strength: Blueline. Bratislava sports the 3rd ranked first D pairing and 2nd ranked D pairing, as well as an S89 prospect coming up (Tobias Weiss). This group is a mix of veterans (3 players from S81-82) and newer players (S86 and S89). This blueline will be tasked with keeping Bratislava in the mix for the play-in spot to get into the playoffs this season. Weakness: Forwards, Goaltender. The F1-F6 spots on the roster are all predominantly hovering at or below the league average slot for each, resulting in a lack of a top end scorer to carry the group. At the goaltender position, a changing of the guard as S87 goaltender Jonny Elgar comes in to continue to develop into a number one goalie for the Watchmen. One line thought: A team caught in the middle between the past and the future, does Bratislava have enough youth to develop throughout the season and surprise this year? Geneva Rush S88 Regular Season Rank: 1st S89 Projected Overall Rank: 6th Strength: Youth, Forward Depth. The Geneva roster is littered with skaters who are all developing, having 6 on the roster from S87-89. If these players continue to develop consistently, it could see Geneva rush up the standings this year quickly. The forward depth is a bit of strength, where the second forward line ( ranks 4th in the league in average TPA. Weakness: Top Line Scoring, Goaltending. At the moment, the Rush have the 6th best first forward line and 5th best first D pairing. The lack of a true number one at those spots for now leaves the Rush in a tough spot to compete with the top of the VHLE. One line thought: After finishing with the best record last season, is this a rapid retool for Geneva that could get them competitive again quickly? Vasteras Iron Eagles S88 Regular Season Rank: 8th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 7th Strength: Youth, Prospect Pool. The top 3 forwards (Rice, Burns, Anand) and top defense (McGryer) for Vasteras are all very active and are developing quickly, which will help them improve the first line and top d rankings. There are also plenty of prospects who could make the jump next season to look forward to as well in Barbaslov, Simmons, and Walker Jr. Weakness: Current Roster Depth. With only 5 forwards and 1 defense on the roster, as well as an inactive goaltender, it will be difficult for the Iron Eagles to improve this season. One line thought: Can the active younger players on the roster develop fast enough this season to play a bit of spoiler by the end? Stockholm Vikings S88 Regular Season Rank: 6th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 8th Strength: Nice City. The Capital city of Sweden, Stockholm is a picturesque city with lots of water, and a fantastic ABBA museum. It will host the IIHF World Championships in 2025 for the 11th time. Weakness: Current Roster. With 3 players on the current roster, none of which who are active, it's difficult to get excited about this season's Vikings team. One line thought: Can Stockholm turn it around moving forward by adding to their prospect pool and bringing more players up? Overall thoughts for the VHLE It really feels like the VHLE has teams paired together across the standings. Cologne and Oslo seem pretty stacked at the top, Rome and Istanbul feel like they're just a little behind that first group, Bratislava and Geneva could join that pairing with the right development across the season, and Vasteras and Stockholm are hoping for some magic. I think it will make for a fascinating season to see if it does indeed play out in clumps like that, or whether there is a shakeup throughout the season. Lots to be excited about in the E!

Hello, and welcome to what will hopefully be a start of season tradition! Here we'll look at strengths and weaknesses for the teams heading into the season, as well as a projected finishing order for each league, plus a one line thought for everybody! This post will focus on the VHL, with the VHLE and VHL to come! Without further ado, let's get into the good stuff! VHL Projected finishing order by conference: North American Conference 1) Vancouver Wolves 2) Seattle Bears 3) Los Angeles Stars 4) Calgary Wranglers 5) New York Americans 6) Chicago Phoenix 7) Toronto Legion 8) D.C. Dragons Vancouver Wolves S88 Regular Season Rank: 10th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 1st Strength: Top line players, mid-level players. The entire first line, both up front and on the back end is exceptionally strong. With an average TPA of 1157.4 on the top line, Vancouver's first group (Maple, Eagles, Pearce, Payne, Bouchard) will be a tough matchup for anybody this season. Weakness: The second d-pairing? Not much to choose from here for the Wolves, they're solid all over the place. One line thought: It's going to be a dominant season for Vancouver this year, I see a lot of awards, both individual and team coming to them. Seattle Bears S88 Regular Season Rank: 2nd S89 Projected Overall Rank: 3rd Strength: Above average top players, solid depth players. The Bears possess the best second forward line (DeGroot, Bobandy, Justice) in the VHL, along with a solid third defense (Gregor). Though the top line isn't quite as elite as a couple of teams, it looks to be very capable of holding its own. Weakness: Goaltender. Seattle has the 13th ranked starting goaltender, which definitely hurts the overall ranking. Despite that, they still grade out well enough elsewhere to cause quite a headache for the rest of the VHL. One line thought: Can Seattle overcome their concerns in net? Los Angeles Stars S88 Regular Season Rank: 8th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 8th Strength: Goaltender and First Line Forwards. Los Angeles boasts the best goaltender in the North American Conference (Vandelay), along with a solid group of first line forwards (Cooke, Nezuko, Miglaskems) that should keep them solidly in the mix for a locked in playoff spot to avoid the play-in. Weakness: Defense. The Stars blueline grades out mid-pack in the VHL, which could use some improvement, but should still be good enough to stay competitive. One line thought: LA leads the fight for the rest of the pack in NA, can they topple the top 2 teams? Calgary Wranglers S88 Regular Season Rank: 7th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 9th Strength: Top Line Forwards. Calgary boasts the best group of 1-3 Forwards in the VHL with Goncalves, Wolanin, and Janser. This group should allow them to score their way out of a good bit of trouble this season. Weakness: Goaltender. The Wranglers have gone young in net with 2 goalies who have combined for 26 games of VHL experience. Both goalies have played well in small sample sizes so far in the VHL, but they hold the lowest TPA in the league at the position, so it may be an uphill climb at the moment. One line thought: Will Calgary's elite forwards be enough to carry this team to a playoff spot? New York Americans S88 Regular Season Rank: 13th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 12th Strength: Above average top 2 Forwards. Dynamite and Puk both sit above the league average at their forward ranks of F1 and F2. These top forwards might be enough to keep New York ahead of the other teams vying for one of the play-in spots in the NA Conference. Weakness: Top end Defense. The Americans are missing a big blueliner to carry the back end this season, as the D1 ranks 14th of the 16 teams in the VHL in terms of TPA. One line thought: Can New York stay afloat in the bottom half of the weaker North American Conference and stay in a playoff spot? Chicago Phoenix S88 Regular Season Rank: 4th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 13th Strength: Veteran Presence. Chicago has a lineup full of experience, with 7 of their 9 roster players holding S81-S84 draft designations. Can they continue to squeeze production out of these players? Weakness: Top end Talent. The Phoenix are well below average at the F1, F2, and F3 positions, which will make it difficult to put up some scoring this year. One line thought: Chicago is paying the price for being competitive with some older players, do they sell off the vets at the deadline? Toronto Legion S88 Regular Season Rank: 15th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 14th Strength: Youth, Depth on the Blueline. On the opposite end of the age spectrum from the previous entry, the Legion's top 2 forwards, 3 defense, and starting goaltender all are from the S84-S88 drafts. This will help the future as they continue to develop, but it will mean a tougher present. The blueline has one of the best second pairings in the league, which is where we see a bright future with S88 draft pick Bobby Bob. Weakness: Current top end Talent. In terms of a future build, there is hope. That comes at the cost of the current roster, which is well below average in all 5 top line positions. One line thought: With 4 players from the S86 draft or later and a deep prospect pool, how long does it take Toronto to get into the mix at the top? D.C. Dragons S88 Regular Season Rank: 16th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 15th Strength: Goaltending, Youth. D.C. has a midpack starting goaltender in Bubbles Utonium which will help them stay afloat in some games. There are a few players on the current roster from the S87-89 drafts (Kourou, Calaway, Queefson) that should see some development this season to provide some excitement. Weakness: Forwards. It's going to be tough to see a lot of scoring right now with a forward group that's first line is roughly 300-350 TPA in arrears to the league average at their positions. One line thought: The Dragons should help bolster their already deep prospect pool this season with the most draft picks in the S90 draft. European Conference 1) Moscow Menace 2) Riga Reign 3) London United 4) HC Davos Dynamo 5) Prague Phantoms 6) Helsinki Titans 7) Warsaw Predators 8) Malmo Nighthawks Moscow Menace S88 Regular Season Rank: 5th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 2nd Strength: First line talent, goaltending. Similarly to the other projected Conference winner, Moscow looks solid all over the place. The top group of Lavelle, Sogaard, Jason, Voss, and Nesbitt are an elite bunch. The biggest difference between the Menace and some of the other contenders is that Moscow has the second highest rated starting goaltender in the league (Wallob). Weakness: Depth? The 6th forward and 3rd defense are lower than league average. One line thought: Can Moscow's elite goaltending be the difference this season and propel them to the top of the league standings? Riga Reign S88 Regular Season Rank: 9th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 4th Strength: Above average talent virtually across the board. F1, F4, F5, F6, D1, D2, G1 are all above the league average at their position, allowing for a balanced lineup throughout. This balance in the lineup will help the Reign not have to rely on one or two players to carry them throughout the season, which should make them a very consistent team. Weakness: A bit of a lack of true gamebreaking talent. While Riga is above average at most positions, they lack the separation from the average at each position to potentially elevate them. One line thought: With the projection where it is, can Riga make the jump into the league's elite in a very tough Conference after being mid-pack last season? London United S88 Regular Season Rank: 6th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 5th Strength: Goaltender, Forwards. London is loaded at multiple positions, with the best goaltender in the VHL (Teno), and a solid 1-2 punch on both forward lines. They should be able to hold their own well in any high scoring games this season, and the goalie could win a goalie battle on any given night. Weakness: Defense. The United will need the goaltending to hold up, because it's a bit of a one man show on the blueline at the moment. Siyan Yasilievich is a solid top defense with the 6th highest TPA in the VHL this season, but it's lean behind them. One line thought: London has the elite talent to be competitive in the tough European Conference, will the lack of defensive depth hold them back? HC Davos Dynamo S88 Regular Season Rank: 3rd S89 Projected Overall Rank: 6th Strength: Defense, Overall Depth. The blueline is a big plus for HC Davos, as they have a stud blueliner with the second highest TPE in the VHL (Thunder), along with a solid pair of S87 defenders who have developed well in McFleury and Jokinen. On the right side of the ratings at the average for every position except F6 and D4, this is a roster with a lot of solid talent across the board. Weakness: Lack of a true gamebreaking Forward. While the forward group is deeper at the F4 and F5 spots, the F1 (10th) and F2 (8th) slots are midpack, which could hurt the top production for the Dynamo. One line thought: With a team that is slightly above average at most positions, will that be enough to make HC Davos a playoff team in Europe? Prague Phantoms S88 Regular Season Rank: 1st S89 Projected Overall Rank: 7th Strength: Goaltender, Top Forwards. Prague's biggest asset is in net, with the third highest rated goaltender in the VHL in Daredevil...err, Matt Murdock. The top 2 forwards (Jameson, Laperriere) are both well above average at their slots as well, giving Prague some punch up front and a brick wall in net. Weakness: Depth Forwards, Top Defense. The F3-F6 forward spots, as well as the D1 and D2 defense spots are either right around or a little below the league average at their position, which could make the offense a little one dimensional. One line thought: Can Prague recapture the magic from last season to be the best team in the regular season in the VHL again? Helsinki Titans S88 Regular Season Rank: 11th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 10th Strength: Young Forwards, Top D Pairing. Helsinki has 3 young forwards from the S86-88 drafts, including the Walking Dead twosome (Dixon, Grimes). They're definitely the future of the franchise up front. On the blueline, the pairing of Maellard and Probert represents the 4th best pairing by average TPE. That combination likely puts Helsinki in the middle of the play-in race in Europe. Weakness: Forwards overall. While the young players show promise for the future, it leaves the Titans below average at every single forward slot from F1-F6. That's going to make it tougher to score in a tough Conference. One line thought: Can Helsinki defend their way to a playoff spot with some opportunistic scoring? Warsaw Predators S88 Regular Season Rank: 12th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 11th Strength: Blueline, Holy Draft Picks Batman. The third best rated D pairing in the VHL (Sakamoto and Wit da Hoodie), along with a decent second pairing should allow Warsaw to defend well this season. Warsaw has also stockpiled a truckload of draft picks in the next 2 seasons, holding 7 picks in each year (14 overall, 7 of which are in the first 2 rounds). Weakness: Goaltending, Forwards. The 14th ranked starting goaltender and a forward group that's below average at each slot means that this is probably a rougher year for the Predators in the loaded European Conference. One line thought: With a tough Conference battle for the playoffs, does Warsaw sell off their S81/82 forwards at the deadline for even more picks? Malmo Nighthawks S88 Regular Season Rank: 14th S89 Projected Overall Rank: 16th Strength: Lots of Prospects and Picks, Team Colours. 5 players on the current roster are S87-89, with another 8 prospects in that time range. Combine that with the 4 picks in the first 2 rounds in the S90 draft, and the Nighthawks could add more young talent. The colour combination with the neon green is still the coolest colour combo in the VHL. Weakness: The Current Roster. Below league average at every roster slot except for D3, this is going to be a long year for Malmo, but potentially a short rebuild. One line thought: This is a rough Conference to be at the bottom because there are a lot of good teams, but that might help lock up the first overall pick. Overall thoughts for the VHL There is definitely a disparity in team rank this season in the VHL between the European Conference and the North American Conference. Europe boasts 5 of the top 7, and 7 of the top 11 ranked teams, so it should be interesting to see how that plays out in terms of inter-Conference matchups. Will Vancouver and Seattle run away with North America? As the 1st and 3rd ranked teams overall, having a gap between them and the rest of NA certainly seems likely. With 10 teams making the playoffs overall (including play-ins), somebody in the European Conference that is ranked in the top 10 overall is going to end up missing the playoffs.

Harry Callahan completed his first season in the VHLM for the Ottawa Lynx in S88, we take a look at the rookie's season here today. S88 Stat Line 72 Games Played, 34 Goals, 31 Assists, 65 Points, 0.90 Points Per Game, -28, 334 Shots, 5 Powerplay Goals, 10.18 Shooting Percentage, 42 PIM, 127 Hits, 55 Shot Blocks Overall Season After being drafted in the 5th round, 43rd overall by the Ottawa Lynx in the S88 draft, it was a rough start to his VHLM career for Harry Callahan. His season saw plenty of growing pains early on in the season, as well as a late season slump. It wasn't all bad for the rookie this season though, as he had a mid-season breakout that showed potential of what he can be capable of moving forward in his career. It was a rebuilding year for the Ottawa Lynx coming off of a Founder's Cup win in S87, one that saw them lock up the first overall pick in the S89 Draft. While it was a tough season in the standings, there were bright spots on the roster that shone through. Strengths Callahan is primarily a shooter, finishing more than half of his games this season with 5 or more shots. That ability to get the puck on net led him to lead the Lynx in goal scoring with 34 goals. Maintained a consistent level of physicality throughout the season, ending with an average of 1.76 hits per game. Showed a surprising playmaking ability, one that was previously missing after being mostly a shooter only. Playmaking improved during mid-season breakout, allowing for elevated assist and point production. Callahan showed the ability to have offensive "explosions", seeing games of 6 (3G, 3A) and 4 (2G, 2A) points. Was a point per game player (56 points in 56 games) from Game 17 until the end of the season. Defensive play showed some signs of improvement in the back half of the season, shot blocking in the second half was nearly double what he had in the first half (19 in first half, 36 in second half). Weaknesses Needs to continue to improve defensively, and from a discipline standpoint. Callahan finished the season with a significantly negative plus/minus, ending the year at -28. Improvement on that front is definitely needed to contribute better in his own end. While his discipline improved later in the season, finishing with just one penalty taken in his last 15 games, Callahan still needs to focus on staying out of the box. Needs to shorten the length of offensive slumps, at one point going 7 games without a point early in the season. Future Outlook Callahan's ability to develop consistently over the final 8 weeks of the season (10+ TPE earned each week) should help him in becoming a consistent offensive contributor as he moves forward into the VHLE and the VHL.

1) Absolutely! Looks like a lot of good work has been done this off-season to improve the team and be in a good spot to make the playoffs this season. 2) As someone who is new to the VHL and isn't too familiar with more of the current players, I'll have to take the easy answer and say Scotty Campbell. Playing with a player who holds the VHL record for goals, assists, and points would be pretty amazing to see what it takes to put up those kind of totals over a career. 3) Pretty fortunate to only have to deal with the air pollution coming off of the wildfires and not the actual fires themselves, so I'm thankful for that. It's definitely been more orange in the air when the sun is out, so that's been a little weird, but it could definitely be much worse. 4) Plans to have a guys weekend at the end of the summer for a fantasy football draft are pretty exciting. I'm hoping to do a bit of golfing this summer as well, which I always look forward to. 5) Definitely floating around a pool with the BBQ going and relaxing in the sun. I see the appeal in being out in a boat and enjoying the lake, but I don't really have the patience for fishing unfortunately. 6) I think that the Panthers have dug themselves too big of a hole to climb out of at this point. The break in between the East Final ending and the Cup Final starting killed their momentum and took Bobrovsky out of the groove that he was in, which I think was the only way that they could beat the Golden Knights. I think that Vegas shuts the door tomorrow night and ends the series in 5.

As the 88th season wound down, Harry Callahan found himself wondering whether he had done enough to warrant consideration for the upcoming VHL and VHLE drafts. We sat down with Callahan for a pre-draft interview to get his thoughts on his first season in the VHLM. Interviewer: Now that your first season is done, how do you look back on your first year with the Lynx? Callahan: It was amazing to get my first experience in the VHLM with Ottawa. I learned a lot about what it takes to help contribute to a team, and which areas to focus on developing to be a better player. Inteviewer: Is there anything particular statistically that stood out to you this season? Callahan: As a goal scorer primarily, it was a nice surprise to lead the team in goals this year with 34 in the 72 games. I was more disappointed to have a -28 in the plus/minus column, I definitely need to improve defensively moving forward to help stay on the right side of the +/- column. I'd also like to focus on cutting down penalty minutes next season. Interviewer: How do you view your team's place in the standings this season? Callahan: It was a tough season for us in the standings for sure. I was hoping that coming off Ottawa's successful season the year before would carry some momentum, but we definitely have some work to do next season. Interviewer: Does that mean that you expect to be back in the VHLM next season? Callahan: I'm not sure what next season holds yet, but if it's back in the VHLM next year, I hope it can be as a top player in the league to help win a championship. Interviewer: Thank you for sitting down with us, and good luck in the draft! Callahan: Thank you for having me!

1) The Maple Leafs, they have been my favourite team for a long, long time. 2) I'd spend time with my family and eat as much delicious food as possible. Depending on the day, would be great to go see one last game. 3) If it were to play, it'd be hockey. If it were to watch, I'd have a real tough decision between hockey and football. On one hand I rarely ever miss a Leaf game, but on the other hand NFL Sundays are my day to sit and watch. ------------------------------------------------ 1) Which live-action Spider-Man is your favourite: Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, or Tom Holland? 2) Have you played for more than one team in the VHL/VHLE/VHLM? If so, what kind of locker room experience would you say has been your favourite? (Without naming a specific team) 3) What was the last live sporting event that you saw in person?

1) Continue to improve stats, and hopefully get drafted into the VHL and/or the VHLE. It's been a fun first season! 2) In high school, it was definitely gym or law. Nothing beats floor hockey and soccer baseball in gym class. In college, it was accounting, but that was mostly because it was easy. 3) Professional athlete for sure, despite the utter lack of actual athletic ability. When that realization hit, it was to be a GM. --------------------------------------------------- 1) Who is your favourite comedy actor/actress, and what it your favourite movie/show that they star in? 2) Do you follow any non-hockey professional sports? If so, what is your favourite? 3) Have you been disappointed with the relative lack of drama in the NHL playoffs this season? BONUS: Could Jesus microwave a burrito so hot that he himself could not eat it?

1) Broke my foot blocking a shot back when I was younger. Didn't know that it was broken, so I spent the following day walking around on it before it got worse and went to get the x-rays done. 2) To play and to watch was always hockey when I was younger. I think that I've mostly maintained the playing portion of that, but I watch significantly more variety now. 3) No, and that's for good reason. Nobody needs to suffer through that at all. ------------------------------------------- 1) What do you think has been the most consistently good action movie franchise? (I have a favourite, and I'm hoping it's yours too) 2) Do you have a favourite candy bar or sweet? 3) Do you have experience with multiple players in the VHL? If so, what different positions have you played throughout your players careers? If not, do you think that you'll make a new player once your current player ages out?

1. I don't really have a preference for position first, probably build your plan based off of what position the best player available plays. If you can get a lights out elite scorer first or a top end all around dman, I'll take either of those positions first and then build off of that. I wouldn't go goalie first ever, the position is just far too volatile. 2. Baseball in the summer for sure. I love watching hockey and football, so the months of June/July/August are rough viewing. I end up filling that gap with baseball for the most part. 3. White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Cheesecake. It's absolutely amazing. ------------------------------------------- 1. Where do you want to see the Arizona Coyotes go now that the vote for the new arena in Tempe has failed? 2. Do you listen to stand-up comedy, and if so, who is your favourite comedian to listen to? 3. Do you have any minor league sports near your hometown? If so, how is the viewing experience in the smaller venue?

1) I think that the best player available is always the best approach for a draft, but I do think that we need help on defense more than anything after finishing at the bottom in goals against. 2) Best approach would be to draft well to add onto our group, keep developing as a team with a renewed commitment to growing our players abilities, and hopefully be in a position to start well and add to the team next season. 3) That three headed monster at the top of the standings is going to be tough to pick from. Mississauga, Mexico City, and San Diego all had great regular seasons. Can't rule out Halifax and their ability to score with that trio of 90+ point players. My pick is San Diego, I think that their ability to defend well, and get timely scoring from their big guys end up getting the job done. 4) My pick for MVP is Pope Francis for Halifax. It's pretty impressive to put up 95 points as a dman, but to also lead the entire league in shot blocks (by a wide margin), powerplay goals, and penalty minutes while also being top 5 in hits and assists is pretty special. It's a really tough group to pick from this year, which is a great sign for the league. 5) I think that we're looking at a Carolina/Vegas Final right now. That Carolina/Florida series is going to be fun to watch with the two monster forechecks that they have. Whoever comes out of the two West series should make for an entertaining matchup, but I think it'll be Dallas and Vegas for the West Final. Give me the Hurricanes to win it all in the end. 6) Hoping to do a bit of golfing this summer as the weather gets nicer. Would like to get out every couple of weeks and knock the ball around.

New Ottawa Lynx Press Conference: 1) Now that we're down to the final sim and have locked up the first overall pick, which position would you like to see the team draft first? 2) After a few big seasons, this was a down year for the team. How do we get back to being a contender next season? 3) With the VHLM playoffs starting this week, who do you think is going to win the Championship? 4) Who would be your pick for VHLM MVP for the regular season? 5) Who is your favourite to win the Stanley Cup as we approach the end of the second round? 6) Do you have anything exciting planned for this summer?

You should be cheering for the Leafs this round, it's the difference between owning the 17th overall pick and the 29th-32nd overall pick.

Ouch, pair of 6-0 losses. Tough sim day.

Harry Callahan looking to make a sudden impact after being drafted by VHLM's Ottawa Lynx Harry Callahan was born and raised with one obsession: his love of hockey. Harry was born to a single mother, Linda in Madison County, Iowa, and raised in San Francisco, California. He has one older brother, Taylor, who is one year older than Harry. Right from the ages of 3 and 4, Harry and Taylor were on the ice together learning the game that they loved. The Callahan boys attended Glengrove Public School together, where they remained inseparable. When the opportunity came for them to play organized hockey together, they leapt at the chance. While Taylor was a star in his own right, it was Harry who began to shine brightest. Playing a year above his age group to play with his brother, Harry lit up the scoreboard his first season, leading the league in goals and points. Off the ice, the bond between the Callahan family was very strong. The Callahan's spent most of their relaxation time together playing Monopoly, watching movies, and taking road trips. Most road trips in the car were spent driving with the windows down and singing along loudly to terrible boy bands, much to the delight of the boys. It was these trips together that were the highlight of their summers before the winters brought non-stop hockey for the boys. Every time they were on the ice together, there was their mother Linda in the stands, supporting the boys through every practice and every game. The boys strong sense of devotion to the game came directly from their mother, who did everything that she could to make sure that her boys were as happy as they could be. As they moved forward through Peewee hockey, it was clear that the Callahan boys were destined for greatness. Now 11 and 12 years old, the Callahan's terrorized players in the league with their blend of offensive prowess and physical play. Despite having to be reminded multiple times to tone down their physical play, the Callahan's continued to lay big hit after big hit in their games. Their growing reputation as enforcers on the ice led to a couple of suspensions, but allowed them to have a presence on the ice that caused hesitation in their opponents as they wreaked havoc on the ice. As the boys continued to grow taller and larger, it allowed them to use that physicality to forecheck hard, create turnovers, and capitalize offensively. Playing Bantam hockey together at the ages of 13 and 14, the boys began to realize that their love of hockey might not lead to a future playing professionally for both of them. While they had always dreamed of continuing to play together as long as they could all the way to professional hockey, it was becoming clear that this was not going to be the ultimate end to their sports careers. In the first year that Taylor joined high school, he chose to focus on playing basketball leaving Harry to continue on his hockey journey alone. While this was difficult for the brothers to end their hockey playing together, they remained as close as they had ever been. Harry was in the stands for every basketball game, and Taylor was in the stands for every hockey game, with Linda watching both boys every chance that she had. Harry attended Gran Torino High School in Fontana, California, where he was a B+ student and a multi-sport athlete. Playing Right Wing for the hockey team, Linebacker for the football team, and Catcher for the baseball team, he was the first student in school history to win a Championship in three different sports. Harry captained the hockey team to a strong 14-1-0 record during the regular season, finishing with 14 goals and 7 assists, sending his school to the High School State Championship tournament. Harry continued to lead his team all over the ice, scoring at key moments and hitting everything in sight. It was Callahan who netted the title winning goal in double overtime to win his final high school game before preparing to enter the VHLM Draft. As the days counted down before the draft, the Callahan's convened in their family home, hoping to hear Harry's name called early in the draft. It was the same home that Taylor had heard his name called in just one year earlier in the NBA draft. While both boys were overjoyed to take the next steps in their sports journeys, it was their mother Linda who was truly ecstatic to see her boys accomplish so much. Though the family was going to be spread out all over North America, the bonds that they had forged over the span of 18 years would ensure that they would always be connected. The Ottawa Lynx drafted Harry Callahan in the 5th Round with the 43rd Overall pick in Season 88. After speaking with Callahan, he admitted that he was happy to be joining a team coming off of a VHLM Championship win and three straight division titles.