Erik Summers

Welcome to the fourth edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 217-300).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 
 
Recap
 
We had several more trades this week as the trade deadline loomed. Hiroshi Okada made a splash with a hat-trick in one of his first games as a Titan and John Frostbeard announced his retirement just days after being traded to the Americans. Malmo appeared to be selling it all for the future and then immediately turned around and grabbed up Shawn Glade Jr and ACL TEAR. By the end of the week, it looks like the dust might finally be settling and it will just be a matter of time before we know how these trades will be remembered.
 
In the European Conference, acquisitions by Helsinki and Malmo added an extra level of excitement to their tight race for the final playoff spot. At the start of the week, it looked like the Titans might pull away with it, but the Nighthawks now wold a five-point lead. At the top of the conference, Moscow, Prague, and Riga all sit within two points, so the number one seed is open for anyone to grab. If their goaltending continues to hold, my current favourite to win the conference is the Phantoms, but the margins are extremely narrow.
 
In the North American Conference, the field has begun to pull away from their European counterparts as well as from the teams not currently in playoff spots. While it appears that we know who to expect in the playoffs out of North America, the seeding is way up in the air. Just three points separate first and forth and I can’t say I even have a  good guess who will win it. Vancouver has been the team I thought was a sleeper all season, but Calgary has maintained their lead throughout the week despite some adversity.
 
3-Stars
 
First Star
Brick Wahl (PRG) - .956 SV%, 1.64 GAA, 5 SO
Second Star
Scott Greene (SEA) - 10 G, 8 A
Third Star
Erik Summers (HSK) - 13 A, 28 SB
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Prague Phantoms - (+2) On the back of great goaltending, they made an outstanding surge this week.
Moscow Menace - (-1) I had told myself that I wouldn’t demote the reigning champs until they gave up first, but tied will have to do.
Riga Reign -  (-1) They captured some real magic for a while, but I’m not sure it is sustainable.
Malmo Nighthawks - (+1) Their trades seem to have paid off handsomely. They have a chance to look up a playoff spot
Helsinki Titans - (-1) It was a great start to the week and they got exactly what they wanted on the trade market, but will it be enough?
HC Davos Dynamo - They might be in last, but this team is becoming more and more respectable by the day.
 
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - They have fiercely defended first place all week. I just don’t know who is going to beat them.
Vancouver Wolves - Their goalie announced his retirement this week. This is the season for them to make a move.
Seattle Bears - One of the most well-rounded teams and even more so after this week’s trade.
D.C. Dragons - It feels wrong having this team in fourth, but the top four are just so close.
Toronto Legion - It is a shame that they don’t have much of a shot at the playoffs this season. They were very exciting to watch this week.
New York Americans - Their trade this week might help them this season, but is going to be rough in the long term.

User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - First in the European Conference, fifth in the league.
Riga Reign - (+4) Finally the recognition they deserve.
HC Davos Dynamo - Is this meme going to die?
Prague Phantoms/Helsinki Titans - (-1/0) I sure hope people aren’t still sleeping on Prague
Malmo Nighthawks - (-4) Roller coaster central over here.
 
North American Conference
Vancouver Wolves - (+5) I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Calgary Wranglers/Seattle Bears - (-1/+1) It is just so close here at the top.
D.C. Dragons - (-2) Exhibit A. How is a team this good in fourth in these rankings?
New York Americans - (-1) I’m interested to see if this will change at all this week.
Toronto Legion - (-1) At least it isn’t lonely down here.

Notable Games 

Game 263 Prague Phantoms vs. Moscow Menace
The Phantoms have been on a roll this week, especially on defence, and, at the end of the week, they are sitting tied for first place in the European Conference. The Cinnamon Block and Seabass Perrin combo on defence has been smothering and Brick Wahl has lived up to his name. This was put on full display in this shutout against Moscow. Despite giving up thirty-eight shots to possibly the best offence in the league, Prague held on and, with two goals from Roll Fizzlebeaf, ended it 2-0.
 
Game 286 - Riga Reign vs. Calgary Wranglers
Calgary finished the week on top of the standing again this week, and this game was a prime example of what they are capable of. It was actually the third in a series of games these two teams played this week and Calgary won them all. Since acquiring Greg Eagles, Acyd Burn, and Phil Marleau Riga has jumped up into the position of being a real contender. However, the North American Conference just looks significantly better at the moment. Calgary did an excellent job of wrangling in the star players of the Reign roster, with the only one of those big-name signings that appeared on the score-sheet being Greg Eagles.
 
Game 288 - Vancouver Wolves vs. Seattle Bears
The battle for first place in the North American Conference and, by extension, the league, was very tight all week. At the end of the season, we will look back on these rivalry games with extra importance as they will each be huge in determining playoff seeding. Scott Greene and Will Clark each had multi-point games, but the goaltending was the real story of this match as each goalie stopped thirty or more shots. In the end, Rayz Funk and Finn Davison combined for an SV% of .941.

Events of the Week 

Fights
 
Game 222 - BRAWL! Fights have been way down this season from last, but Helsinki and Davos set out to begin fixing that problem, though the Titan’s certain came out the worse for it. After Anthony Matthews scored just seconds into the third period, Kronos Bailey sought revenge with his fists. This sparked a line-brawl that included Erik Draven, Chico Smeb, Guillaume Fontenett, Derek Eriksson, and Cody Smith. Then, later that period Kronos Bailey started another fight, this time with Milos Slavik. The resulting ejection and powerplay would lead to the final nail in the Titan’s coffin this game. Game 270 - Brawl…? This was considered a line brawl, but somehow only two players received fighting majors. Kris Rice and Hunter Hearst Helmsley fought to a draw and were penalized the full five minutes while Mikko Lahtinen, Jeff Downey, and Sigard Gunnar only got minors for their involvement. Game 285 - Forest beats up Laughton Sometimes a fight can be used to kill an opponent’s momentum as much as it can be to fuel your own. That was the case when Boris the Forest laid a brutal beat-down on Blake Laughton late in the second period. Helsinki had just come within one goal and seemed to have a good deal of momentum. However, after the fight, D.C. regained control and closed out the game without another goal. Game 294 - BRAWL! Helsinki has been a very physical team this season and you will not find a fiercer rivalry in the VHL than Titans vs. Reign, so this was to be expected. A high-stick from Cody Smith started it all when Guy Sasakamoose took umbrage with it and started swinging. He would end up getting the additional instigation penalty as he beat up Ben Hafkey. Jim Bob won one for Helsinki as well in his fight against Patrick Tallinder and Erik Draven and Apollo Hackett fought to a draw. Guillaume Fontenette and Phil Marleau also got involved with some pushing and shoving but were only called for minors.  
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 241 - Brian Strong and Hiroshi Okada Helsinki showed everyone that they got exactly what they wanted in their trade for Hiroshi Okada. In his first week with the Titans, he has already nearly doubled his point total for the season. He was going criminally underutilized on Calgary’s third line, so I’m sure this is a breath of fresh air for the up and comer.

Another effect of having Okada on the team is that it has open up space on the ice for his teammates. Brian Strong was one of the main beneficiaries of that in this game with a hat-trick of his own. Erik Summers also had a career-best game with five assists in this 8-4 score-fest. Game 248 - Soren Jensen Soren Jensen, MGS, and Fredick Elembeck combined for a lightning-fast start. With three points apiece, Jensen did the majority of the scoring with his first hat-trick of the season. The Americans spent the rest of the game just holding off the Wolves so cling to a 4-3 victory. Game 251 - Ambrose Stark This has been a great season for individual efforts, and hat-tricks are way up from last season. Ambrose Stark spaced this one out, scoring his first goal to give the Bears a two-goal lead early in the first. We didn’t see him again until after Toronto had done some scoring of their own when he once again gave Seattle a two-goal lead at the start of the third. He then increased it to a three-goal lead to complete his first hat-trick of the season. Game 254 - Mikko Aaltonen This has to be the worst-feeling hat-trick of the season. Mikko Aaltonen carrier his team into overtime scoring all three of their goals. Then, after extra time went scoreless, it was the Wranglers who one as Aaltonen’s shootout shot sailed wide of the net. Game 280 - Pat Svoboda Back with his old team this season, Pat Svoboda has slowed down a bit in his final season, but he is still a great leader in Davos. Currently, he is the only player on the Dynamo roster with a positive +/-. He did everything he could to help them win this one, scoring once in each period, but it came up just short. Regardless, it is exciting to watch the veteran still put up highlight-reel performances. Game 284 - Mat Tocco The first period was action-packed with a final score of 3-2, and Moscow was deadly on the powerplay, scoring on both of their opportunities. But from there, it was all Mat Tocco. He scored again in the second and third periods to finish out his hat-trick. Game 289 - Zeno Miniti When the last-place team in the North American Conference faces the reigning champs, you don’t expect to get a great game. That expectation was smashed when Zeno Miniti led the Legion to an impressive victory with his first career hat-trick. Game 292 - Benny Graves Some people discount hat-tricks that include an empty-netter, but not here. This is especially true when no one could have deserved one more than Benny Graves did in this game. Graves’s first two goals kept the Dragons in this game while the rest of the team struggled. But, late in the second, his teammates turned it on to make the comeback and lead the game 5-4. That was what gave Benny the opportunity at the empty netter for his first hat-trick of the season. Game 295 - Jeff Downey Jeff Downey scored the opening goal and the one that would go on to be the game-winner in the first period for his initial two goals. After that, he waited until the third to finish his hat-trick and chase Seattle goalie Rayz Funk in the process. With an assist as well, he had himself a four-point game.  
Shutouts
  
Game 217 - Toronto vs. New York The battle to stay out of last place in the North American Conference got off to a big start this week. Shots were fairly even throughout with New York actually out-shooting Toronto in the second and third periods, but nothing could get past Jaxx Hextall. Despite being only his second shutout of the season, I would say he is playing pretty well considering the struggles Toronto has had so far. Game 230 - H.C. Davos vs. Vancouver One of the few predictions I’ve gotten right, I was on the Jimmy Spyro train very early and this kid continues to amaze. Davos actually managed to get off quite a few shots, but Spyro stoped all twenty-nine of them. He was especially brilliant in the third, facing thirteen shots as his opponents tried desperately to find a hole. Game 231 - Prague vs. Riga Sometimes experience beats the hottest new thing, and that’s what happened here. Brick Wahl has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season, but he still has a few lessons to teach the new guard. This game had extra meaning because it is extremely close at the top of the European Conference right now and any of these games could be the one that decides it. Game 250 - D.C. vs. Malmo The Dragons were a mess in this game. JB Rift had one of the worst games of his career, letting in two of the first six shots he face and getting pulled just over five minutes into the first period. Once they had the lead, Malmo did what Malmo does best, shut it down. After an amazing first period, Michael Johnson had a much easier time in the second and third, facing just eight shots in each to close out another great shutout. Game 252 - Prague vs. H.C. Davos For a team that has spent most of the season in a pretty distant last place, Davos still manages to look very competitive in short bursts. They absolutely dominated this game, outshooting the Phantoms 37-13 and handing Samuel Ross one of the calmer shutouts of his career. Game 253 - Prague vs. Vancouver Prague's goaltending has been on a streak of its own as well, besting both sides of the Davison/Eagles trade this week. Brick Wahl benefited from a team in front of him that control the momentum for much of the game, forcing Finn Davison to make thirty saves. Both goalies had an excellent night, but it was Wahl who walked away with the shutout. Game 255 - Malmo vs. Seattle Word to the wise, don’t let Malmo go up 2-0 on you in the first period. It will almost always end with a shutout. However, when Hulk Hogan is ejected for head-butting and Ambrose Stark is sitting for a fight, it is kinda hard to stop them. Seattle made a good effort with eleven shots in the third, but Michael Johnson held them off to climb back atop the shutout leaderboard. Game 262 - Toronto vs. D.C. D.C. had pretty good control for most of this game. There were a few moments in the first period where things could have gone the other way, but once they got to the second they really shut things down. JB Rift and Jaxx Hextall were each excellent this game, but it was Rift who sealed it off and earned his fourth shutout of the season. Game 263 - Moscow vs. Prague This is another major battle for dominance in the European Conference and Brick Wahl delivered again. Moscow maintained a high level of pressure throughout, forcing Wahl to make thirty-eight stops, but he kept them all out. This also moved Brick back into a tie for first for shutouts this season. Game 267 D.C. vs. New York What a game for A Red Guy! Thirty-nine saves against one of the best teams in the league right now. The rest of the Americans’ roster owes him a big one for this performance. Guy continues to be able to stand on his head to bail out his team when the occasion necessitates it. Game 277 - Seattle vs. D.C. D.C. had a bit of a slide in the middle of this week and this beatdown delivered by the bears capped it off. JB Rift topped himself from earlier in the week having the new worst game of his career, getting pulled after stopping just two of the first four shots against him. At the other end of the ice, Rayz Funk was flawless, securing the shutout with twenty-five saves. Game 281 - Riga vs. Calgary This was billed as one of the most exciting games of the week; two incredibly hot teams vying for position in their perspective conferences. But, for a game that could realistically be a preview of the cup final, this was incredibly one-sided. Calgary dominated with forty shots while Jacques Lafontaine only faced sixteen in this shutout. Game 287 - Malmo vs. Prague The battle for the top spot on the shutouts leader board has been very contentious and it came to a head in this game. Michael Johnson and Brick Wahl faced off for a chance to take the lead. Malmo had an absolutely smothering first period, giving up just two shots, but it looked like Prague might breakthrough in the second. Johnson was able to hold them off and Malmo regained control in the third, once again allowing almost no shots. With that, it was Michael Johnson who would claim the shutout title, for now at least. Game 290 - HC Davos vs. Vancouver You won’t find Samuel Ross on the many of the goalie leaderboards, but he just quietly earned his fourth shutout of the season while starting ten fewer games than most other starting goalies. Ross, and the entire Dynamo roster to some extent, have been very all or nothing this season and, unfortunately, it has been more nothing than all. However, the sparks of greatness like we saw in this game give a fair amount of hope for the future.
Rookie Spotlight
Roque Davis 

If the season ended today, I think Roque Davis would be the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year. Not only does he lead the league in scoring among rookies, but he has done it on an HC Davos squad that is the only team in the league to score under one hundred goals. That means that Davis has a point on nearly half of Dynamo goals this season. This is all from a defenseman who is also very noticeable at his own end of the ice with eighty-two shots blocked.
 
This should come as no surprise to anyone who followed Davis’ VHLM career. Joining Mississauga at the cutoff for his first season, buy the playoffs, he was already a central figure of that roster, scoring twelve points in fifteen playoff games. The following season he was drafted by San Diego where he scored over two points per game and had over a hundred shots blocked.
 
It is really going to take a major upheaval to shake Roque’s grip on rookie of the year, but there are a couple of candidates who could still accomplish it. We’ll look at one of those rookies next week.
 

 
 

Welcome to the fourth edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 217-300).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 
 
Recap
 
We had several more trades this week as the trade deadline loomed. Hiroshi Okada made a splash with a hat-trick in one of his first games as a Titan and John Frostbeard announced his retirement just days after being traded to the Americans. Malmo appeared to be selling it all for the future and then immediately turned around and grabbed up Shawn Glade Jr and ACL TEAR. By the end of the week, it looks like the dust might finally be settling and it will just be a matter of time before we know how these trades will be remembered.
 
In the European Conference, acquisitions by Helsinki and Malmo added an extra level of excitement to their tight race for the final playoff spot. At the start of the week, it looked like the Titans might pull away with it, but the Nighthawks now wold a five-point lead. At the top of the conference, Moscow, Prague, and Riga all sit within two points, so the number one seed is open for anyone to grab. If their goaltending continues to hold, my current favourite to win the conference is the Phantoms, but the margins are extremely narrow.
 
In the North American Conference, the field has begun to pull away from their European counterparts as well as from the teams not currently in playoff spots. While it appears that we know who to expect in the playoffs out of North America, the seeding is way up in the air. Just three points separate first and forth and I can’t say I even have a  good guess who will win it. Vancouver has been the team I thought was a sleeper all season, but Calgary has maintained their lead throughout the week despite some adversity.
 
3-Stars
 
First Star
Brick Wahl (PRG) - .956 SV%, 1.64 GAA, 5 SO
Second Star
Scott Greene (SEA) - 10 G, 8 A
Third Star
Erik Summers (HSK) - 13 A, 28 SB
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Prague Phantoms - (+2) On the back of great goaltending, they made an outstanding surge this week.
Moscow Menace - (-1) I had told myself that I wouldn’t demote the reigning champs until they gave up first, but tied will have to do.
Riga Reign -  (-1) They captured some real magic for a while, but I’m not sure it is sustainable.
Malmo Nighthawks - (+1) Their trades seem to have paid off handsomely. They have a chance to look up a playoff spot
Helsinki Titans - (-1) It was a great start to the week and they got exactly what they wanted on the trade market, but will it be enough?
HC Davos Dynamo - They might be in last, but this team is becoming more and more respectable by the day.
 
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - They have fiercely defended first place all week. I just don’t know who is going to beat them.
Vancouver Wolves - Their goalie announced his retirement this week. This is the season for them to make a move.
Seattle Bears - One of the most well-rounded teams and even more so after this week’s trade.
D.C. Dragons - It feels wrong having this team in fourth, but the top four are just so close.
Toronto Legion - It is a shame that they don’t have much of a shot at the playoffs this season. They were very exciting to watch this week.
New York Americans - Their trade this week might help them this season, but is going to be rough in the long term.

User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - First in the European Conference, fifth in the league.
Riga Reign - (+4) Finally the recognition they deserve.
HC Davos Dynamo - Is this meme going to die?
Prague Phantoms/Helsinki Titans - (-1/0) I sure hope people aren’t still sleeping on Prague
Malmo Nighthawks - (-4) Roller coaster central over here.
 
North American Conference
Vancouver Wolves - (+5) I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Calgary Wranglers/Seattle Bears - (-1/+1) It is just so close here at the top.
D.C. Dragons - (-2) Exhibit A. How is a team this good in fourth in these rankings?
New York Americans - (-1) I’m interested to see if this will change at all this week.
Toronto Legion - (-1) At least it isn’t lonely down here.

Notable Games 

Game 263 Prague Phantoms vs. Moscow Menace
The Phantoms have been on a roll this week, especially on defence, and, at the end of the week, they are sitting tied for first place in the European Conference. The Cinnamon Block and Seabass Perrin combo on defence has been smothering and Brick Wahl has lived up to his name. This was put on full display in this shutout against Moscow. Despite giving up thirty-eight shots to possibly the best offence in the league, Prague held on and, with two goals from Roll Fizzlebeaf, ended it 2-0.
 
Game 286 - Riga Reign vs. Calgary Wranglers
Calgary finished the week on top of the standing again this week, and this game was a prime example of what they are capable of. It was actually the third in a series of games these two teams played this week and Calgary won them all. Since acquiring Greg Eagles, Acyd Burn, and Phil Marleau Riga has jumped up into the position of being a real contender. However, the North American Conference just looks significantly better at the moment. Calgary did an excellent job of wrangling in the star players of the Reign roster, with the only one of those big-name signings that appeared on the score-sheet being Greg Eagles.
 
Game 288 - Vancouver Wolves vs. Seattle Bears
The battle for first place in the North American Conference and, by extension, the league, was very tight all week. At the end of the season, we will look back on these rivalry games with extra importance as they will each be huge in determining playoff seeding. Scott Greene and Will Clark each had multi-point games, but the goaltending was the real story of this match as each goalie stopped thirty or more shots. In the end, Rayz Funk and Finn Davison combined for an SV% of .941.

Events of the Week 

Fights
 
Game 222 - BRAWL! Fights have been way down this season from last, but Helsinki and Davos set out to begin fixing that problem, though the Titan’s certain came out the worse for it. After Anthony Matthews scored just seconds into the third period, Kronos Bailey sought revenge with his fists. This sparked a line-brawl that included Erik Draven, Chico Smeb, Guillaume Fontenett, Derek Eriksson, and Cody Smith. Then, later that period Kronos Bailey started another fight, this time with Milos Slavik. The resulting ejection and powerplay would lead to the final nail in the Titan’s coffin this game. Game 270 - Brawl…? This was considered a line brawl, but somehow only two players received fighting majors. Kris Rice and Hunter Hearst Helmsley fought to a draw and were penalized the full five minutes while Mikko Lahtinen, Jeff Downey, and Sigard Gunnar only got minors for their involvement. Game 285 - Forest beats up Laughton Sometimes a fight can be used to kill an opponent’s momentum as much as it can be to fuel your own. That was the case when Boris the Forest laid a brutal beat-down on Blake Laughton late in the second period. Helsinki had just come within one goal and seemed to have a good deal of momentum. However, after the fight, D.C. regained control and closed out the game without another goal. Game 294 - BRAWL! Helsinki has been a very physical team this season and you will not find a fiercer rivalry in the VHL than Titans vs. Reign, so this was to be expected. A high-stick from Cody Smith started it all when Guy Sasakamoose took umbrage with it and started swinging. He would end up getting the additional instigation penalty as he beat up Ben Hafkey. Jim Bob won one for Helsinki as well in his fight against Patrick Tallinder and Erik Draven and Apollo Hackett fought to a draw. Guillaume Fontenette and Phil Marleau also got involved with some pushing and shoving but were only called for minors.  
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 241 - Brian Strong and Hiroshi Okada Helsinki showed everyone that they got exactly what they wanted in their trade for Hiroshi Okada. In his first week with the Titans, he has already nearly doubled his point total for the season. He was going criminally underutilized on Calgary’s third line, so I’m sure this is a breath of fresh air for the up and comer.

Another effect of having Okada on the team is that it has open up space on the ice for his teammates. Brian Strong was one of the main beneficiaries of that in this game with a hat-trick of his own. Erik Summers also had a career-best game with five assists in this 8-4 score-fest. Game 248 - Soren Jensen Soren Jensen, MGS, and Fredick Elembeck combined for a lightning-fast start. With three points apiece, Jensen did the majority of the scoring with his first hat-trick of the season. The Americans spent the rest of the game just holding off the Wolves so cling to a 4-3 victory. Game 251 - Ambrose Stark This has been a great season for individual efforts, and hat-tricks are way up from last season. Ambrose Stark spaced this one out, scoring his first goal to give the Bears a two-goal lead early in the first. We didn’t see him again until after Toronto had done some scoring of their own when he once again gave Seattle a two-goal lead at the start of the third. He then increased it to a three-goal lead to complete his first hat-trick of the season. Game 254 - Mikko Aaltonen This has to be the worst-feeling hat-trick of the season. Mikko Aaltonen carrier his team into overtime scoring all three of their goals. Then, after extra time went scoreless, it was the Wranglers who one as Aaltonen’s shootout shot sailed wide of the net. Game 280 - Pat Svoboda Back with his old team this season, Pat Svoboda has slowed down a bit in his final season, but he is still a great leader in Davos. Currently, he is the only player on the Dynamo roster with a positive +/-. He did everything he could to help them win this one, scoring once in each period, but it came up just short. Regardless, it is exciting to watch the veteran still put up highlight-reel performances. Game 284 - Mat Tocco The first period was action-packed with a final score of 3-2, and Moscow was deadly on the powerplay, scoring on both of their opportunities. But from there, it was all Mat Tocco. He scored again in the second and third periods to finish out his hat-trick. Game 289 - Zeno Miniti When the last-place team in the North American Conference faces the reigning champs, you don’t expect to get a great game. That expectation was smashed when Zeno Miniti led the Legion to an impressive victory with his first career hat-trick. Game 292 - Benny Graves Some people discount hat-tricks that include an empty-netter, but not here. This is especially true when no one could have deserved one more than Benny Graves did in this game. Graves’s first two goals kept the Dragons in this game while the rest of the team struggled. But, late in the second, his teammates turned it on to make the comeback and lead the game 5-4. That was what gave Benny the opportunity at the empty netter for his first hat-trick of the season. Game 295 - Jeff Downey Jeff Downey scored the opening goal and the one that would go on to be the game-winner in the first period for his initial two goals. After that, he waited until the third to finish his hat-trick and chase Seattle goalie Rayz Funk in the process. With an assist as well, he had himself a four-point game.  
Shutouts
  
Game 217 - Toronto vs. New York The battle to stay out of last place in the North American Conference got off to a big start this week. Shots were fairly even throughout with New York actually out-shooting Toronto in the second and third periods, but nothing could get past Jaxx Hextall. Despite being only his second shutout of the season, I would say he is playing pretty well considering the struggles Toronto has had so far. Game 230 - H.C. Davos vs. Vancouver One of the few predictions I’ve gotten right, I was on the Jimmy Spyro train very early and this kid continues to amaze. Davos actually managed to get off quite a few shots, but Spyro stoped all twenty-nine of them. He was especially brilliant in the third, facing thirteen shots as his opponents tried desperately to find a hole. Game 231 - Prague vs. Riga Sometimes experience beats the hottest new thing, and that’s what happened here. Brick Wahl has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season, but he still has a few lessons to teach the new guard. This game had extra meaning because it is extremely close at the top of the European Conference right now and any of these games could be the one that decides it. Game 250 - D.C. vs. Malmo The Dragons were a mess in this game. JB Rift had one of the worst games of his career, letting in two of the first six shots he face and getting pulled just over five minutes into the first period. Once they had the lead, Malmo did what Malmo does best, shut it down. After an amazing first period, Michael Johnson had a much easier time in the second and third, facing just eight shots in each to close out another great shutout. Game 252 - Prague vs. H.C. Davos For a team that has spent most of the season in a pretty distant last place, Davos still manages to look very competitive in short bursts. They absolutely dominated this game, outshooting the Phantoms 37-13 and handing Samuel Ross one of the calmer shutouts of his career. Game 253 - Prague vs. Vancouver Prague's goaltending has been on a streak of its own as well, besting both sides of the Davison/Eagles trade this week. Brick Wahl benefited from a team in front of him that control the momentum for much of the game, forcing Finn Davison to make thirty saves. Both goalies had an excellent night, but it was Wahl who walked away with the shutout. Game 255 - Malmo vs. Seattle Word to the wise, don’t let Malmo go up 2-0 on you in the first period. It will almost always end with a shutout. However, when Hulk Hogan is ejected for head-butting and Ambrose Stark is sitting for a fight, it is kinda hard to stop them. Seattle made a good effort with eleven shots in the third, but Michael Johnson held them off to climb back atop the shutout leaderboard. Game 262 - Toronto vs. D.C. D.C. had pretty good control for most of this game. There were a few moments in the first period where things could have gone the other way, but once they got to the second they really shut things down. JB Rift and Jaxx Hextall were each excellent this game, but it was Rift who sealed it off and earned his fourth shutout of the season. Game 263 - Moscow vs. Prague This is another major battle for dominance in the European Conference and Brick Wahl delivered again. Moscow maintained a high level of pressure throughout, forcing Wahl to make thirty-eight stops, but he kept them all out. This also moved Brick back into a tie for first for shutouts this season. Game 267 D.C. vs. New York What a game for A Red Guy! Thirty-nine saves against one of the best teams in the league right now. The rest of the Americans’ roster owes him a big one for this performance. Guy continues to be able to stand on his head to bail out his team when the occasion necessitates it. Game 277 - Seattle vs. D.C. D.C. had a bit of a slide in the middle of this week and this beatdown delivered by the bears capped it off. JB Rift topped himself from earlier in the week having the new worst game of his career, getting pulled after stopping just two of the first four shots against him. At the other end of the ice, Rayz Funk was flawless, securing the shutout with twenty-five saves. Game 281 - Riga vs. Calgary This was billed as one of the most exciting games of the week; two incredibly hot teams vying for position in their perspective conferences. But, for a game that could realistically be a preview of the cup final, this was incredibly one-sided. Calgary dominated with forty shots while Jacques Lafontaine only faced sixteen in this shutout. Game 287 - Malmo vs. Prague The battle for the top spot on the shutouts leader board has been very contentious and it came to a head in this game. Michael Johnson and Brick Wahl faced off for a chance to take the lead. Malmo had an absolutely smothering first period, giving up just two shots, but it looked like Prague might breakthrough in the second. Johnson was able to hold them off and Malmo regained control in the third, once again allowing almost no shots. With that, it was Michael Johnson who would claim the shutout title, for now at least. Game 290 - HC Davos vs. Vancouver You won’t find Samuel Ross on the many of the goalie leaderboards, but he just quietly earned his fourth shutout of the season while starting ten fewer games than most other starting goalies. Ross, and the entire Dynamo roster to some extent, have been very all or nothing this season and, unfortunately, it has been more nothing than all. However, the sparks of greatness like we saw in this game give a fair amount of hope for the future.
Rookie Spotlight
Roque Davis 

If the season ended today, I think Roque Davis would be the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year. Not only does he lead the league in scoring among rookies, but he has done it on an HC Davos squad that is the only team in the league to score under one hundred goals. That means that Davis has a point on nearly half of Dynamo goals this season. This is all from a defenseman who is also very noticeable at his own end of the ice with eighty-two shots blocked.
 
This should come as no surprise to anyone who followed Davis’ VHLM career. Joining Mississauga at the cutoff for his first season, buy the playoffs, he was already a central figure of that roster, scoring twelve points in fifteen playoff games. The following season he was drafted by San Diego where he scored over two points per game and had over a hundred shots blocked.
 
It is really going to take a major upheaval to shake Roque’s grip on rookie of the year, but there are a couple of candidates who could still accomplish it. We’ll look at one of those rookies next week.
 

 
 

Welcome to the fourth edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 217-300).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 
 
Recap
 
We had several more trades this week as the trade deadline loomed. Hiroshi Okada made a splash with a hat-trick in one of his first games as a Titan and John Frostbeard announced his retirement just days after being traded to the Americans. Malmo appeared to be selling it all for the future and then immediately turned around and grabbed up Shawn Glade Jr and ACL TEAR. By the end of the week, it looks like the dust might finally be settling and it will just be a matter of time before we know how these trades will be remembered.
 
In the European Conference, acquisitions by Helsinki and Malmo added an extra level of excitement to their tight race for the final playoff spot. At the start of the week, it looked like the Titans might pull away with it, but the Nighthawks now wold a five-point lead. At the top of the conference, Moscow, Prague, and Riga all sit within two points, so the number one seed is open for anyone to grab. If their goaltending continues to hold, my current favourite to win the conference is the Phantoms, but the margins are extremely narrow.
 
In the North American Conference, the field has begun to pull away from their European counterparts as well as from the teams not currently in playoff spots. While it appears that we know who to expect in the playoffs out of North America, the seeding is way up in the air. Just three points separate first and forth and I can’t say I even have a  good guess who will win it. Vancouver has been the team I thought was a sleeper all season, but Calgary has maintained their lead throughout the week despite some adversity.
 
3-Stars
 
First Star
Brick Wahl (PRG) - .956 SV%, 1.64 GAA, 5 SO
Second Star
Scott Greene (SEA) - 10 G, 8 A
Third Star
Erik Summers (HSK) - 13 A, 28 SB
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Prague Phantoms - (+2) On the back of great goaltending, they made an outstanding surge this week.
Moscow Menace - (-1) I had told myself that I wouldn’t demote the reigning champs until they gave up first, but tied will have to do.
Riga Reign -  (-1) They captured some real magic for a while, but I’m not sure it is sustainable.
Malmo Nighthawks - (+1) Their trades seem to have paid off handsomely. They have a chance to look up a playoff spot
Helsinki Titans - (-1) It was a great start to the week and they got exactly what they wanted on the trade market, but will it be enough?
HC Davos Dynamo - They might be in last, but this team is becoming more and more respectable by the day.
 
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - They have fiercely defended first place all week. I just don’t know who is going to beat them.
Vancouver Wolves - Their goalie announced his retirement this week. This is the season for them to make a move.
Seattle Bears - One of the most well-rounded teams and even more so after this week’s trade.
D.C. Dragons - It feels wrong having this team in fourth, but the top four are just so close.
Toronto Legion - It is a shame that they don’t have much of a shot at the playoffs this season. They were very exciting to watch this week.
New York Americans - Their trade this week might help them this season, but is going to be rough in the long term.

User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - First in the European Conference, fifth in the league.
Riga Reign - (+4) Finally the recognition they deserve.
HC Davos Dynamo - Is this meme going to die?
Prague Phantoms/Helsinki Titans - (-1/0) I sure hope people aren’t still sleeping on Prague
Malmo Nighthawks - (-4) Roller coaster central over here.
 
North American Conference
Vancouver Wolves - (+5) I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Calgary Wranglers/Seattle Bears - (-1/+1) It is just so close here at the top.
D.C. Dragons - (-2) Exhibit A. How is a team this good in fourth in these rankings?
New York Americans - (-1) I’m interested to see if this will change at all this week.
Toronto Legion - (-1) At least it isn’t lonely down here.

Notable Games 

Game 263 Prague Phantoms vs. Moscow Menace
The Phantoms have been on a roll this week, especially on defence, and, at the end of the week, they are sitting tied for first place in the European Conference. The Cinnamon Block and Seabass Perrin combo on defence has been smothering and Brick Wahl has lived up to his name. This was put on full display in this shutout against Moscow. Despite giving up thirty-eight shots to possibly the best offence in the league, Prague held on and, with two goals from Roll Fizzlebeaf, ended it 2-0.
 
Game 286 - Riga Reign vs. Calgary Wranglers
Calgary finished the week on top of the standing again this week, and this game was a prime example of what they are capable of. It was actually the third in a series of games these two teams played this week and Calgary won them all. Since acquiring Greg Eagles, Acyd Burn, and Phil Marleau Riga has jumped up into the position of being a real contender. However, the North American Conference just looks significantly better at the moment. Calgary did an excellent job of wrangling in the star players of the Reign roster, with the only one of those big-name signings that appeared on the score-sheet being Greg Eagles.
 
Game 288 - Vancouver Wolves vs. Seattle Bears
The battle for first place in the North American Conference and, by extension, the league, was very tight all week. At the end of the season, we will look back on these rivalry games with extra importance as they will each be huge in determining playoff seeding. Scott Greene and Will Clark each had multi-point games, but the goaltending was the real story of this match as each goalie stopped thirty or more shots. In the end, Rayz Funk and Finn Davison combined for an SV% of .941.

Events of the Week 

Fights
 
Game 222 - BRAWL! Fights have been way down this season from last, but Helsinki and Davos set out to begin fixing that problem, though the Titan’s certain came out the worse for it. After Anthony Matthews scored just seconds into the third period, Kronos Bailey sought revenge with his fists. This sparked a line-brawl that included Erik Draven, Chico Smeb, Guillaume Fontenett, Derek Eriksson, and Cody Smith. Then, later that period Kronos Bailey started another fight, this time with Milos Slavik. The resulting ejection and powerplay would lead to the final nail in the Titan’s coffin this game. Game 270 - Brawl…? This was considered a line brawl, but somehow only two players received fighting majors. Kris Rice and Hunter Hearst Helmsley fought to a draw and were penalized the full five minutes while Mikko Lahtinen, Jeff Downey, and Sigard Gunnar only got minors for their involvement. Game 285 - Forest beats up Laughton Sometimes a fight can be used to kill an opponent’s momentum as much as it can be to fuel your own. That was the case when Boris the Forest laid a brutal beat-down on Blake Laughton late in the second period. Helsinki had just come within one goal and seemed to have a good deal of momentum. However, after the fight, D.C. regained control and closed out the game without another goal. Game 294 - BRAWL! Helsinki has been a very physical team this season and you will not find a fiercer rivalry in the VHL than Titans vs. Reign, so this was to be expected. A high-stick from Cody Smith started it all when Guy Sasakamoose took umbrage with it and started swinging. He would end up getting the additional instigation penalty as he beat up Ben Hafkey. Jim Bob won one for Helsinki as well in his fight against Patrick Tallinder and Erik Draven and Apollo Hackett fought to a draw. Guillaume Fontenette and Phil Marleau also got involved with some pushing and shoving but were only called for minors.  
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 241 - Brian Strong and Hiroshi Okada Helsinki showed everyone that they got exactly what they wanted in their trade for Hiroshi Okada. In his first week with the Titans, he has already nearly doubled his point total for the season. He was going criminally underutilized on Calgary’s third line, so I’m sure this is a breath of fresh air for the up and comer.

Another effect of having Okada on the team is that it has open up space on the ice for his teammates. Brian Strong was one of the main beneficiaries of that in this game with a hat-trick of his own. Erik Summers also had a career-best game with five assists in this 8-4 score-fest. Game 248 - Soren Jensen Soren Jensen, MGS, and Fredick Elembeck combined for a lightning-fast start. With three points apiece, Jensen did the majority of the scoring with his first hat-trick of the season. The Americans spent the rest of the game just holding off the Wolves so cling to a 4-3 victory. Game 251 - Ambrose Stark This has been a great season for individual efforts, and hat-tricks are way up from last season. Ambrose Stark spaced this one out, scoring his first goal to give the Bears a two-goal lead early in the first. We didn’t see him again until after Toronto had done some scoring of their own when he once again gave Seattle a two-goal lead at the start of the third. He then increased it to a three-goal lead to complete his first hat-trick of the season. Game 254 - Mikko Aaltonen This has to be the worst-feeling hat-trick of the season. Mikko Aaltonen carrier his team into overtime scoring all three of their goals. Then, after extra time went scoreless, it was the Wranglers who one as Aaltonen’s shootout shot sailed wide of the net. Game 280 - Pat Svoboda Back with his old team this season, Pat Svoboda has slowed down a bit in his final season, but he is still a great leader in Davos. Currently, he is the only player on the Dynamo roster with a positive +/-. He did everything he could to help them win this one, scoring once in each period, but it came up just short. Regardless, it is exciting to watch the veteran still put up highlight-reel performances. Game 284 - Mat Tocco The first period was action-packed with a final score of 3-2, and Moscow was deadly on the powerplay, scoring on both of their opportunities. But from there, it was all Mat Tocco. He scored again in the second and third periods to finish out his hat-trick. Game 289 - Zeno Miniti When the last-place team in the North American Conference faces the reigning champs, you don’t expect to get a great game. That expectation was smashed when Zeno Miniti led the Legion to an impressive victory with his first career hat-trick. Game 292 - Benny Graves Some people discount hat-tricks that include an empty-netter, but not here. This is especially true when no one could have deserved one more than Benny Graves did in this game. Graves’s first two goals kept the Dragons in this game while the rest of the team struggled. But, late in the second, his teammates turned it on to make the comeback and lead the game 5-4. That was what gave Benny the opportunity at the empty netter for his first hat-trick of the season. Game 295 - Jeff Downey Jeff Downey scored the opening goal and the one that would go on to be the game-winner in the first period for his initial two goals. After that, he waited until the third to finish his hat-trick and chase Seattle goalie Rayz Funk in the process. With an assist as well, he had himself a four-point game.  
Shutouts
  
Game 217 - Toronto vs. New York The battle to stay out of last place in the North American Conference got off to a big start this week. Shots were fairly even throughout with New York actually out-shooting Toronto in the second and third periods, but nothing could get past Jaxx Hextall. Despite being only his second shutout of the season, I would say he is playing pretty well considering the struggles Toronto has had so far. Game 230 - H.C. Davos vs. Vancouver One of the few predictions I’ve gotten right, I was on the Jimmy Spyro train very early and this kid continues to amaze. Davos actually managed to get off quite a few shots, but Spyro stoped all twenty-nine of them. He was especially brilliant in the third, facing thirteen shots as his opponents tried desperately to find a hole. Game 231 - Prague vs. Riga Sometimes experience beats the hottest new thing, and that’s what happened here. Brick Wahl has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season, but he still has a few lessons to teach the new guard. This game had extra meaning because it is extremely close at the top of the European Conference right now and any of these games could be the one that decides it. Game 250 - D.C. vs. Malmo The Dragons were a mess in this game. JB Rift had one of the worst games of his career, letting in two of the first six shots he face and getting pulled just over five minutes into the first period. Once they had the lead, Malmo did what Malmo does best, shut it down. After an amazing first period, Michael Johnson had a much easier time in the second and third, facing just eight shots in each to close out another great shutout. Game 252 - Prague vs. H.C. Davos For a team that has spent most of the season in a pretty distant last place, Davos still manages to look very competitive in short bursts. They absolutely dominated this game, outshooting the Phantoms 37-13 and handing Samuel Ross one of the calmer shutouts of his career. Game 253 - Prague vs. Vancouver Prague's goaltending has been on a streak of its own as well, besting both sides of the Davison/Eagles trade this week. Brick Wahl benefited from a team in front of him that control the momentum for much of the game, forcing Finn Davison to make thirty saves. Both goalies had an excellent night, but it was Wahl who walked away with the shutout. Game 255 - Malmo vs. Seattle Word to the wise, don’t let Malmo go up 2-0 on you in the first period. It will almost always end with a shutout. However, when Hulk Hogan is ejected for head-butting and Ambrose Stark is sitting for a fight, it is kinda hard to stop them. Seattle made a good effort with eleven shots in the third, but Michael Johnson held them off to climb back atop the shutout leaderboard. Game 262 - Toronto vs. D.C. D.C. had pretty good control for most of this game. There were a few moments in the first period where things could have gone the other way, but once they got to the second they really shut things down. JB Rift and Jaxx Hextall were each excellent this game, but it was Rift who sealed it off and earned his fourth shutout of the season. Game 263 - Moscow vs. Prague This is another major battle for dominance in the European Conference and Brick Wahl delivered again. Moscow maintained a high level of pressure throughout, forcing Wahl to make thirty-eight stops, but he kept them all out. This also moved Brick back into a tie for first for shutouts this season. Game 267 D.C. vs. New York What a game for A Red Guy! Thirty-nine saves against one of the best teams in the league right now. The rest of the Americans’ roster owes him a big one for this performance. Guy continues to be able to stand on his head to bail out his team when the occasion necessitates it. Game 277 - Seattle vs. D.C. D.C. had a bit of a slide in the middle of this week and this beatdown delivered by the bears capped it off. JB Rift topped himself from earlier in the week having the new worst game of his career, getting pulled after stopping just two of the first four shots against him. At the other end of the ice, Rayz Funk was flawless, securing the shutout with twenty-five saves. Game 281 - Riga vs. Calgary This was billed as one of the most exciting games of the week; two incredibly hot teams vying for position in their perspective conferences. But, for a game that could realistically be a preview of the cup final, this was incredibly one-sided. Calgary dominated with forty shots while Jacques Lafontaine only faced sixteen in this shutout. Game 287 - Malmo vs. Prague The battle for the top spot on the shutouts leader board has been very contentious and it came to a head in this game. Michael Johnson and Brick Wahl faced off for a chance to take the lead. Malmo had an absolutely smothering first period, giving up just two shots, but it looked like Prague might breakthrough in the second. Johnson was able to hold them off and Malmo regained control in the third, once again allowing almost no shots. With that, it was Michael Johnson who would claim the shutout title, for now at least. Game 290 - HC Davos vs. Vancouver You won’t find Samuel Ross on the many of the goalie leaderboards, but he just quietly earned his fourth shutout of the season while starting ten fewer games than most other starting goalies. Ross, and the entire Dynamo roster to some extent, have been very all or nothing this season and, unfortunately, it has been more nothing than all. However, the sparks of greatness like we saw in this game give a fair amount of hope for the future.
Rookie Spotlight
Roque Davis 

If the season ended today, I think Roque Davis would be the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year. Not only does he lead the league in scoring among rookies, but he has done it on an HC Davos squad that is the only team in the league to score under one hundred goals. That means that Davis has a point on nearly half of Dynamo goals this season. This is all from a defenseman who is also very noticeable at his own end of the ice with eighty-two shots blocked.
 
This should come as no surprise to anyone who followed Davis’ VHLM career. Joining Mississauga at the cutoff for his first season, buy the playoffs, he was already a central figure of that roster, scoring twelve points in fifteen playoff games. The following season he was drafted by San Diego where he scored over two points per game and had over a hundred shots blocked.
 
It is really going to take a major upheaval to shake Roque’s grip on rookie of the year, but there are a couple of candidates who could still accomplish it. We’ll look at one of those rookies next week.
 

 
 

Welcome to the fourth edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 217-300).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 
 
Recap
 
We had several more trades this week as the trade deadline loomed. Hiroshi Okada made a splash with a hat-trick in one of his first games as a Titan and John Frostbeard announced his retirement just days after being traded to the Americans. Malmo appeared to be selling it all for the future and then immediately turned around and grabbed up Shawn Glade Jr and ACL TEAR. By the end of the week, it looks like the dust might finally be settling and it will just be a matter of time before we know how these trades will be remembered.
 
In the European Conference, acquisitions by Helsinki and Malmo added an extra level of excitement to their tight race for the final playoff spot. At the start of the week, it looked like the Titans might pull away with it, but the Nighthawks now wold a five-point lead. At the top of the conference, Moscow, Prague, and Riga all sit within two points, so the number one seed is open for anyone to grab. If their goaltending continues to hold, my current favourite to win the conference is the Phantoms, but the margins are extremely narrow.
 
In the North American Conference, the field has begun to pull away from their European counterparts as well as from the teams not currently in playoff spots. While it appears that we know who to expect in the playoffs out of North America, the seeding is way up in the air. Just three points separate first and forth and I can’t say I even have a  good guess who will win it. Vancouver has been the team I thought was a sleeper all season, but Calgary has maintained their lead throughout the week despite some adversity.
 
3-Stars
 
First Star
Brick Wahl (PRG) - .956 SV%, 1.64 GAA, 5 SO
Second Star
Scott Greene (SEA) - 10 G, 8 A
Third Star
Erik Summers (HSK) - 13 A, 28 SB
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Prague Phantoms - (+2) On the back of great goaltending, they made an outstanding surge this week.
Moscow Menace - (-1) I had told myself that I wouldn’t demote the reigning champs until they gave up first, but tied will have to do.
Riga Reign -  (-1) They captured some real magic for a while, but I’m not sure it is sustainable.
Malmo Nighthawks - (+1) Their trades seem to have paid off handsomely. They have a chance to look up a playoff spot
Helsinki Titans - (-1) It was a great start to the week and they got exactly what they wanted on the trade market, but will it be enough?
HC Davos Dynamo - They might be in last, but this team is becoming more and more respectable by the day.
 
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - They have fiercely defended first place all week. I just don’t know who is going to beat them.
Vancouver Wolves - Their goalie announced his retirement this week. This is the season for them to make a move.
Seattle Bears - One of the most well-rounded teams and even more so after this week’s trade.
D.C. Dragons - It feels wrong having this team in fourth, but the top four are just so close.
Toronto Legion - It is a shame that they don’t have much of a shot at the playoffs this season. They were very exciting to watch this week.
New York Americans - Their trade this week might help them this season, but is going to be rough in the long term.

User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - First in the European Conference, fifth in the league.
Riga Reign - (+4) Finally the recognition they deserve.
HC Davos Dynamo - Is this meme going to die?
Prague Phantoms/Helsinki Titans - (-1/0) I sure hope people aren’t still sleeping on Prague
Malmo Nighthawks - (-4) Roller coaster central over here.
 
North American Conference
Vancouver Wolves - (+5) I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Calgary Wranglers/Seattle Bears - (-1/+1) It is just so close here at the top.
D.C. Dragons - (-2) Exhibit A. How is a team this good in fourth in these rankings?
New York Americans - (-1) I’m interested to see if this will change at all this week.
Toronto Legion - (-1) At least it isn’t lonely down here.

Notable Games 

Game 263 Prague Phantoms vs. Moscow Menace
The Phantoms have been on a roll this week, especially on defence, and, at the end of the week, they are sitting tied for first place in the European Conference. The Cinnamon Block and Seabass Perrin combo on defence has been smothering and Brick Wahl has lived up to his name. This was put on full display in this shutout against Moscow. Despite giving up thirty-eight shots to possibly the best offence in the league, Prague held on and, with two goals from Roll Fizzlebeaf, ended it 2-0.
 
Game 286 - Riga Reign vs. Calgary Wranglers
Calgary finished the week on top of the standing again this week, and this game was a prime example of what they are capable of. It was actually the third in a series of games these two teams played this week and Calgary won them all. Since acquiring Greg Eagles, Acyd Burn, and Phil Marleau Riga has jumped up into the position of being a real contender. However, the North American Conference just looks significantly better at the moment. Calgary did an excellent job of wrangling in the star players of the Reign roster, with the only one of those big-name signings that appeared on the score-sheet being Greg Eagles.
 
Game 288 - Vancouver Wolves vs. Seattle Bears
The battle for first place in the North American Conference and, by extension, the league, was very tight all week. At the end of the season, we will look back on these rivalry games with extra importance as they will each be huge in determining playoff seeding. Scott Greene and Will Clark each had multi-point games, but the goaltending was the real story of this match as each goalie stopped thirty or more shots. In the end, Rayz Funk and Finn Davison combined for an SV% of .941.

Events of the Week 

Fights
 
Game 222 - BRAWL! Fights have been way down this season from last, but Helsinki and Davos set out to begin fixing that problem, though the Titan’s certain came out the worse for it. After Anthony Matthews scored just seconds into the third period, Kronos Bailey sought revenge with his fists. This sparked a line-brawl that included Erik Draven, Chico Smeb, Guillaume Fontenett, Derek Eriksson, and Cody Smith. Then, later that period Kronos Bailey started another fight, this time with Milos Slavik. The resulting ejection and powerplay would lead to the final nail in the Titan’s coffin this game. Game 270 - Brawl…? This was considered a line brawl, but somehow only two players received fighting majors. Kris Rice and Hunter Hearst Helmsley fought to a draw and were penalized the full five minutes while Mikko Lahtinen, Jeff Downey, and Sigard Gunnar only got minors for their involvement. Game 285 - Forest beats up Laughton Sometimes a fight can be used to kill an opponent’s momentum as much as it can be to fuel your own. That was the case when Boris the Forest laid a brutal beat-down on Blake Laughton late in the second period. Helsinki had just come within one goal and seemed to have a good deal of momentum. However, after the fight, D.C. regained control and closed out the game without another goal. Game 294 - BRAWL! Helsinki has been a very physical team this season and you will not find a fiercer rivalry in the VHL than Titans vs. Reign, so this was to be expected. A high-stick from Cody Smith started it all when Guy Sasakamoose took umbrage with it and started swinging. He would end up getting the additional instigation penalty as he beat up Ben Hafkey. Jim Bob won one for Helsinki as well in his fight against Patrick Tallinder and Erik Draven and Apollo Hackett fought to a draw. Guillaume Fontenette and Phil Marleau also got involved with some pushing and shoving but were only called for minors.  
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 241 - Brian Strong and Hiroshi Okada Helsinki showed everyone that they got exactly what they wanted in their trade for Hiroshi Okada. In his first week with the Titans, he has already nearly doubled his point total for the season. He was going criminally underutilized on Calgary’s third line, so I’m sure this is a breath of fresh air for the up and comer.

Another effect of having Okada on the team is that it has open up space on the ice for his teammates. Brian Strong was one of the main beneficiaries of that in this game with a hat-trick of his own. Erik Summers also had a career-best game with five assists in this 8-4 score-fest. Game 248 - Soren Jensen Soren Jensen, MGS, and Fredick Elembeck combined for a lightning-fast start. With three points apiece, Jensen did the majority of the scoring with his first hat-trick of the season. The Americans spent the rest of the game just holding off the Wolves so cling to a 4-3 victory. Game 251 - Ambrose Stark This has been a great season for individual efforts, and hat-tricks are way up from last season. Ambrose Stark spaced this one out, scoring his first goal to give the Bears a two-goal lead early in the first. We didn’t see him again until after Toronto had done some scoring of their own when he once again gave Seattle a two-goal lead at the start of the third. He then increased it to a three-goal lead to complete his first hat-trick of the season. Game 254 - Mikko Aaltonen This has to be the worst-feeling hat-trick of the season. Mikko Aaltonen carrier his team into overtime scoring all three of their goals. Then, after extra time went scoreless, it was the Wranglers who one as Aaltonen’s shootout shot sailed wide of the net. Game 280 - Pat Svoboda Back with his old team this season, Pat Svoboda has slowed down a bit in his final season, but he is still a great leader in Davos. Currently, he is the only player on the Dynamo roster with a positive +/-. He did everything he could to help them win this one, scoring once in each period, but it came up just short. Regardless, it is exciting to watch the veteran still put up highlight-reel performances. Game 284 - Mat Tocco The first period was action-packed with a final score of 3-2, and Moscow was deadly on the powerplay, scoring on both of their opportunities. But from there, it was all Mat Tocco. He scored again in the second and third periods to finish out his hat-trick. Game 289 - Zeno Miniti When the last-place team in the North American Conference faces the reigning champs, you don’t expect to get a great game. That expectation was smashed when Zeno Miniti led the Legion to an impressive victory with his first career hat-trick. Game 292 - Benny Graves Some people discount hat-tricks that include an empty-netter, but not here. This is especially true when no one could have deserved one more than Benny Graves did in this game. Graves’s first two goals kept the Dragons in this game while the rest of the team struggled. But, late in the second, his teammates turned it on to make the comeback and lead the game 5-4. That was what gave Benny the opportunity at the empty netter for his first hat-trick of the season. Game 295 - Jeff Downey Jeff Downey scored the opening goal and the one that would go on to be the game-winner in the first period for his initial two goals. After that, he waited until the third to finish his hat-trick and chase Seattle goalie Rayz Funk in the process. With an assist as well, he had himself a four-point game.  
Shutouts
  
Game 217 - Toronto vs. New York The battle to stay out of last place in the North American Conference got off to a big start this week. Shots were fairly even throughout with New York actually out-shooting Toronto in the second and third periods, but nothing could get past Jaxx Hextall. Despite being only his second shutout of the season, I would say he is playing pretty well considering the struggles Toronto has had so far. Game 230 - H.C. Davos vs. Vancouver One of the few predictions I’ve gotten right, I was on the Jimmy Spyro train very early and this kid continues to amaze. Davos actually managed to get off quite a few shots, but Spyro stoped all twenty-nine of them. He was especially brilliant in the third, facing thirteen shots as his opponents tried desperately to find a hole. Game 231 - Prague vs. Riga Sometimes experience beats the hottest new thing, and that’s what happened here. Brick Wahl has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season, but he still has a few lessons to teach the new guard. This game had extra meaning because it is extremely close at the top of the European Conference right now and any of these games could be the one that decides it. Game 250 - D.C. vs. Malmo The Dragons were a mess in this game. JB Rift had one of the worst games of his career, letting in two of the first six shots he face and getting pulled just over five minutes into the first period. Once they had the lead, Malmo did what Malmo does best, shut it down. After an amazing first period, Michael Johnson had a much easier time in the second and third, facing just eight shots in each to close out another great shutout. Game 252 - Prague vs. H.C. Davos For a team that has spent most of the season in a pretty distant last place, Davos still manages to look very competitive in short bursts. They absolutely dominated this game, outshooting the Phantoms 37-13 and handing Samuel Ross one of the calmer shutouts of his career. Game 253 - Prague vs. Vancouver Prague's goaltending has been on a streak of its own as well, besting both sides of the Davison/Eagles trade this week. Brick Wahl benefited from a team in front of him that control the momentum for much of the game, forcing Finn Davison to make thirty saves. Both goalies had an excellent night, but it was Wahl who walked away with the shutout. Game 255 - Malmo vs. Seattle Word to the wise, don’t let Malmo go up 2-0 on you in the first period. It will almost always end with a shutout. However, when Hulk Hogan is ejected for head-butting and Ambrose Stark is sitting for a fight, it is kinda hard to stop them. Seattle made a good effort with eleven shots in the third, but Michael Johnson held them off to climb back atop the shutout leaderboard. Game 262 - Toronto vs. D.C. D.C. had pretty good control for most of this game. There were a few moments in the first period where things could have gone the other way, but once they got to the second they really shut things down. JB Rift and Jaxx Hextall were each excellent this game, but it was Rift who sealed it off and earned his fourth shutout of the season. Game 263 - Moscow vs. Prague This is another major battle for dominance in the European Conference and Brick Wahl delivered again. Moscow maintained a high level of pressure throughout, forcing Wahl to make thirty-eight stops, but he kept them all out. This also moved Brick back into a tie for first for shutouts this season. Game 267 D.C. vs. New York What a game for A Red Guy! Thirty-nine saves against one of the best teams in the league right now. The rest of the Americans’ roster owes him a big one for this performance. Guy continues to be able to stand on his head to bail out his team when the occasion necessitates it. Game 277 - Seattle vs. D.C. D.C. had a bit of a slide in the middle of this week and this beatdown delivered by the bears capped it off. JB Rift topped himself from earlier in the week having the new worst game of his career, getting pulled after stopping just two of the first four shots against him. At the other end of the ice, Rayz Funk was flawless, securing the shutout with twenty-five saves. Game 281 - Riga vs. Calgary This was billed as one of the most exciting games of the week; two incredibly hot teams vying for position in their perspective conferences. But, for a game that could realistically be a preview of the cup final, this was incredibly one-sided. Calgary dominated with forty shots while Jacques Lafontaine only faced sixteen in this shutout. Game 287 - Malmo vs. Prague The battle for the top spot on the shutouts leader board has been very contentious and it came to a head in this game. Michael Johnson and Brick Wahl faced off for a chance to take the lead. Malmo had an absolutely smothering first period, giving up just two shots, but it looked like Prague might breakthrough in the second. Johnson was able to hold them off and Malmo regained control in the third, once again allowing almost no shots. With that, it was Michael Johnson who would claim the shutout title, for now at least. Game 290 - HC Davos vs. Vancouver You won’t find Samuel Ross on the many of the goalie leaderboards, but he just quietly earned his fourth shutout of the season while starting ten fewer games than most other starting goalies. Ross, and the entire Dynamo roster to some extent, have been very all or nothing this season and, unfortunately, it has been more nothing than all. However, the sparks of greatness like we saw in this game give a fair amount of hope for the future.
Rookie Spotlight
Roque Davis 

If the season ended today, I think Roque Davis would be the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year. Not only does he lead the league in scoring among rookies, but he has done it on an HC Davos squad that is the only team in the league to score under one hundred goals. That means that Davis has a point on nearly half of Dynamo goals this season. This is all from a defenseman who is also very noticeable at his own end of the ice with eighty-two shots blocked.
 
This should come as no surprise to anyone who followed Davis’ VHLM career. Joining Mississauga at the cutoff for his first season, buy the playoffs, he was already a central figure of that roster, scoring twelve points in fifteen playoff games. The following season he was drafted by San Diego where he scored over two points per game and had over a hundred shots blocked.
 
It is really going to take a major upheaval to shake Roque’s grip on rookie of the year, but there are a couple of candidates who could still accomplish it. We’ll look at one of those rookies next week.
 

 
 

Welcome to the fourth edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 217-300).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 
 
Recap
 
We had several more trades this week as the trade deadline loomed. Hiroshi Okada made a splash with a hat-trick in one of his first games as a Titan and John Frostbeard announced his retirement just days after being traded to the Americans. Malmo appeared to be selling it all for the future and then immediately turned around and grabbed up Shawn Glade Jr and ACL TEAR. By the end of the week, it looks like the dust might finally be settling and it will just be a matter of time before we know how these trades will be remembered.
 
In the European Conference, acquisitions by Helsinki and Malmo added an extra level of excitement to their tight race for the final playoff spot. At the start of the week, it looked like the Titans might pull away with it, but the Nighthawks now wold a five-point lead. At the top of the conference, Moscow, Prague, and Riga all sit within two points, so the number one seed is open for anyone to grab. If their goaltending continues to hold, my current favourite to win the conference is the Phantoms, but the margins are extremely narrow.
 
In the North American Conference, the field has begun to pull away from their European counterparts as well as from the teams not currently in playoff spots. While it appears that we know who to expect in the playoffs out of North America, the seeding is way up in the air. Just three points separate first and forth and I can’t say I even have a  good guess who will win it. Vancouver has been the team I thought was a sleeper all season, but Calgary has maintained their lead throughout the week despite some adversity.
 
3-Stars
 
First Star
Brick Wahl (PRG) - .956 SV%, 1.64 GAA, 5 SO
Second Star
Scott Greene (SEA) - 10 G, 8 A
Third Star
Erik Summers (HSK) - 13 A, 28 SB
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Prague Phantoms - (+2) On the back of great goaltending, they made an outstanding surge this week.
Moscow Menace - (-1) I had told myself that I wouldn’t demote the reigning champs until they gave up first, but tied will have to do.
Riga Reign -  (-1) They captured some real magic for a while, but I’m not sure it is sustainable.
Malmo Nighthawks - (+1) Their trades seem to have paid off handsomely. They have a chance to look up a playoff spot
Helsinki Titans - (-1) It was a great start to the week and they got exactly what they wanted on the trade market, but will it be enough?
HC Davos Dynamo - They might be in last, but this team is becoming more and more respectable by the day.
 
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - They have fiercely defended first place all week. I just don’t know who is going to beat them.
Vancouver Wolves - Their goalie announced his retirement this week. This is the season for them to make a move.
Seattle Bears - One of the most well-rounded teams and even more so after this week’s trade.
D.C. Dragons - It feels wrong having this team in fourth, but the top four are just so close.
Toronto Legion - It is a shame that they don’t have much of a shot at the playoffs this season. They were very exciting to watch this week.
New York Americans - Their trade this week might help them this season, but is going to be rough in the long term.

User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - First in the European Conference, fifth in the league.
Riga Reign - (+4) Finally the recognition they deserve.
HC Davos Dynamo - Is this meme going to die?
Prague Phantoms/Helsinki Titans - (-1/0) I sure hope people aren’t still sleeping on Prague
Malmo Nighthawks - (-4) Roller coaster central over here.
 
North American Conference
Vancouver Wolves - (+5) I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Calgary Wranglers/Seattle Bears - (-1/+1) It is just so close here at the top.
D.C. Dragons - (-2) Exhibit A. How is a team this good in fourth in these rankings?
New York Americans - (-1) I’m interested to see if this will change at all this week.
Toronto Legion - (-1) At least it isn’t lonely down here.

Notable Games 

Game 263 Prague Phantoms vs. Moscow Menace
The Phantoms have been on a roll this week, especially on defence, and, at the end of the week, they are sitting tied for first place in the European Conference. The Cinnamon Block and Seabass Perrin combo on defence has been smothering and Brick Wahl has lived up to his name. This was put on full display in this shutout against Moscow. Despite giving up thirty-eight shots to possibly the best offence in the league, Prague held on and, with two goals from Roll Fizzlebeaf, ended it 2-0.
 
Game 286 - Riga Reign vs. Calgary Wranglers
Calgary finished the week on top of the standing again this week, and this game was a prime example of what they are capable of. It was actually the third in a series of games these two teams played this week and Calgary won them all. Since acquiring Greg Eagles, Acyd Burn, and Phil Marleau Riga has jumped up into the position of being a real contender. However, the North American Conference just looks significantly better at the moment. Calgary did an excellent job of wrangling in the star players of the Reign roster, with the only one of those big-name signings that appeared on the score-sheet being Greg Eagles.
 
Game 288 - Vancouver Wolves vs. Seattle Bears
The battle for first place in the North American Conference and, by extension, the league, was very tight all week. At the end of the season, we will look back on these rivalry games with extra importance as they will each be huge in determining playoff seeding. Scott Greene and Will Clark each had multi-point games, but the goaltending was the real story of this match as each goalie stopped thirty or more shots. In the end, Rayz Funk and Finn Davison combined for an SV% of .941.

Events of the Week 

Fights
 
Game 222 - BRAWL! Fights have been way down this season from last, but Helsinki and Davos set out to begin fixing that problem, though the Titan’s certain came out the worse for it. After Anthony Matthews scored just seconds into the third period, Kronos Bailey sought revenge with his fists. This sparked a line-brawl that included Erik Draven, Chico Smeb, Guillaume Fontenett, Derek Eriksson, and Cody Smith. Then, later that period Kronos Bailey started another fight, this time with Milos Slavik. The resulting ejection and powerplay would lead to the final nail in the Titan’s coffin this game. Game 270 - Brawl…? This was considered a line brawl, but somehow only two players received fighting majors. Kris Rice and Hunter Hearst Helmsley fought to a draw and were penalized the full five minutes while Mikko Lahtinen, Jeff Downey, and Sigard Gunnar only got minors for their involvement. Game 285 - Forest beats up Laughton Sometimes a fight can be used to kill an opponent’s momentum as much as it can be to fuel your own. That was the case when Boris the Forest laid a brutal beat-down on Blake Laughton late in the second period. Helsinki had just come within one goal and seemed to have a good deal of momentum. However, after the fight, D.C. regained control and closed out the game without another goal. Game 294 - BRAWL! Helsinki has been a very physical team this season and you will not find a fiercer rivalry in the VHL than Titans vs. Reign, so this was to be expected. A high-stick from Cody Smith started it all when Guy Sasakamoose took umbrage with it and started swinging. He would end up getting the additional instigation penalty as he beat up Ben Hafkey. Jim Bob won one for Helsinki as well in his fight against Patrick Tallinder and Erik Draven and Apollo Hackett fought to a draw. Guillaume Fontenette and Phil Marleau also got involved with some pushing and shoving but were only called for minors.  
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 241 - Brian Strong and Hiroshi Okada Helsinki showed everyone that they got exactly what they wanted in their trade for Hiroshi Okada. In his first week with the Titans, he has already nearly doubled his point total for the season. He was going criminally underutilized on Calgary’s third line, so I’m sure this is a breath of fresh air for the up and comer.

Another effect of having Okada on the team is that it has open up space on the ice for his teammates. Brian Strong was one of the main beneficiaries of that in this game with a hat-trick of his own. Erik Summers also had a career-best game with five assists in this 8-4 score-fest. Game 248 - Soren Jensen Soren Jensen, MGS, and Fredick Elembeck combined for a lightning-fast start. With three points apiece, Jensen did the majority of the scoring with his first hat-trick of the season. The Americans spent the rest of the game just holding off the Wolves so cling to a 4-3 victory. Game 251 - Ambrose Stark This has been a great season for individual efforts, and hat-tricks are way up from last season. Ambrose Stark spaced this one out, scoring his first goal to give the Bears a two-goal lead early in the first. We didn’t see him again until after Toronto had done some scoring of their own when he once again gave Seattle a two-goal lead at the start of the third. He then increased it to a three-goal lead to complete his first hat-trick of the season. Game 254 - Mikko Aaltonen This has to be the worst-feeling hat-trick of the season. Mikko Aaltonen carrier his team into overtime scoring all three of their goals. Then, after extra time went scoreless, it was the Wranglers who one as Aaltonen’s shootout shot sailed wide of the net. Game 280 - Pat Svoboda Back with his old team this season, Pat Svoboda has slowed down a bit in his final season, but he is still a great leader in Davos. Currently, he is the only player on the Dynamo roster with a positive +/-. He did everything he could to help them win this one, scoring once in each period, but it came up just short. Regardless, it is exciting to watch the veteran still put up highlight-reel performances. Game 284 - Mat Tocco The first period was action-packed with a final score of 3-2, and Moscow was deadly on the powerplay, scoring on both of their opportunities. But from there, it was all Mat Tocco. He scored again in the second and third periods to finish out his hat-trick. Game 289 - Zeno Miniti When the last-place team in the North American Conference faces the reigning champs, you don’t expect to get a great game. That expectation was smashed when Zeno Miniti led the Legion to an impressive victory with his first career hat-trick. Game 292 - Benny Graves Some people discount hat-tricks that include an empty-netter, but not here. This is especially true when no one could have deserved one more than Benny Graves did in this game. Graves’s first two goals kept the Dragons in this game while the rest of the team struggled. But, late in the second, his teammates turned it on to make the comeback and lead the game 5-4. That was what gave Benny the opportunity at the empty netter for his first hat-trick of the season. Game 295 - Jeff Downey Jeff Downey scored the opening goal and the one that would go on to be the game-winner in the first period for his initial two goals. After that, he waited until the third to finish his hat-trick and chase Seattle goalie Rayz Funk in the process. With an assist as well, he had himself a four-point game.  
Shutouts
  
Game 217 - Toronto vs. New York The battle to stay out of last place in the North American Conference got off to a big start this week. Shots were fairly even throughout with New York actually out-shooting Toronto in the second and third periods, but nothing could get past Jaxx Hextall. Despite being only his second shutout of the season, I would say he is playing pretty well considering the struggles Toronto has had so far. Game 230 - H.C. Davos vs. Vancouver One of the few predictions I’ve gotten right, I was on the Jimmy Spyro train very early and this kid continues to amaze. Davos actually managed to get off quite a few shots, but Spyro stoped all twenty-nine of them. He was especially brilliant in the third, facing thirteen shots as his opponents tried desperately to find a hole. Game 231 - Prague vs. Riga Sometimes experience beats the hottest new thing, and that’s what happened here. Brick Wahl has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season, but he still has a few lessons to teach the new guard. This game had extra meaning because it is extremely close at the top of the European Conference right now and any of these games could be the one that decides it. Game 250 - D.C. vs. Malmo The Dragons were a mess in this game. JB Rift had one of the worst games of his career, letting in two of the first six shots he face and getting pulled just over five minutes into the first period. Once they had the lead, Malmo did what Malmo does best, shut it down. After an amazing first period, Michael Johnson had a much easier time in the second and third, facing just eight shots in each to close out another great shutout. Game 252 - Prague vs. H.C. Davos For a team that has spent most of the season in a pretty distant last place, Davos still manages to look very competitive in short bursts. They absolutely dominated this game, outshooting the Phantoms 37-13 and handing Samuel Ross one of the calmer shutouts of his career. Game 253 - Prague vs. Vancouver Prague's goaltending has been on a streak of its own as well, besting both sides of the Davison/Eagles trade this week. Brick Wahl benefited from a team in front of him that control the momentum for much of the game, forcing Finn Davison to make thirty saves. Both goalies had an excellent night, but it was Wahl who walked away with the shutout. Game 255 - Malmo vs. Seattle Word to the wise, don’t let Malmo go up 2-0 on you in the first period. It will almost always end with a shutout. However, when Hulk Hogan is ejected for head-butting and Ambrose Stark is sitting for a fight, it is kinda hard to stop them. Seattle made a good effort with eleven shots in the third, but Michael Johnson held them off to climb back atop the shutout leaderboard. Game 262 - Toronto vs. D.C. D.C. had pretty good control for most of this game. There were a few moments in the first period where things could have gone the other way, but once they got to the second they really shut things down. JB Rift and Jaxx Hextall were each excellent this game, but it was Rift who sealed it off and earned his fourth shutout of the season. Game 263 - Moscow vs. Prague This is another major battle for dominance in the European Conference and Brick Wahl delivered again. Moscow maintained a high level of pressure throughout, forcing Wahl to make thirty-eight stops, but he kept them all out. This also moved Brick back into a tie for first for shutouts this season. Game 267 D.C. vs. New York What a game for A Red Guy! Thirty-nine saves against one of the best teams in the league right now. The rest of the Americans’ roster owes him a big one for this performance. Guy continues to be able to stand on his head to bail out his team when the occasion necessitates it. Game 277 - Seattle vs. D.C. D.C. had a bit of a slide in the middle of this week and this beatdown delivered by the bears capped it off. JB Rift topped himself from earlier in the week having the new worst game of his career, getting pulled after stopping just two of the first four shots against him. At the other end of the ice, Rayz Funk was flawless, securing the shutout with twenty-five saves. Game 281 - Riga vs. Calgary This was billed as one of the most exciting games of the week; two incredibly hot teams vying for position in their perspective conferences. But, for a game that could realistically be a preview of the cup final, this was incredibly one-sided. Calgary dominated with forty shots while Jacques Lafontaine only faced sixteen in this shutout. Game 287 - Malmo vs. Prague The battle for the top spot on the shutouts leader board has been very contentious and it came to a head in this game. Michael Johnson and Brick Wahl faced off for a chance to take the lead. Malmo had an absolutely smothering first period, giving up just two shots, but it looked like Prague might breakthrough in the second. Johnson was able to hold them off and Malmo regained control in the third, once again allowing almost no shots. With that, it was Michael Johnson who would claim the shutout title, for now at least. Game 290 - HC Davos vs. Vancouver You won’t find Samuel Ross on the many of the goalie leaderboards, but he just quietly earned his fourth shutout of the season while starting ten fewer games than most other starting goalies. Ross, and the entire Dynamo roster to some extent, have been very all or nothing this season and, unfortunately, it has been more nothing than all. However, the sparks of greatness like we saw in this game give a fair amount of hope for the future.
Rookie Spotlight
Roque Davis 

If the season ended today, I think Roque Davis would be the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year. Not only does he lead the league in scoring among rookies, but he has done it on an HC Davos squad that is the only team in the league to score under one hundred goals. That means that Davis has a point on nearly half of Dynamo goals this season. This is all from a defenseman who is also very noticeable at his own end of the ice with eighty-two shots blocked.
 
This should come as no surprise to anyone who followed Davis’ VHLM career. Joining Mississauga at the cutoff for his first season, buy the playoffs, he was already a central figure of that roster, scoring twelve points in fifteen playoff games. The following season he was drafted by San Diego where he scored over two points per game and had over a hundred shots blocked.
 
It is really going to take a major upheaval to shake Roque’s grip on rookie of the year, but there are a couple of candidates who could still accomplish it. We’ll look at one of those rookies next week.
 

 
 

Welcome to the fourth edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 217-300).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 
 
Recap
 
We had several more trades this week as the trade deadline loomed. Hiroshi Okada made a splash with a hat-trick in one of his first games as a Titan and John Frostbeard announced his retirement just days after being traded to the Americans. Malmo appeared to be selling it all for the future and then immediately turned around and grabbed up Shawn Glade Jr and ACL TEAR. By the end of the week, it looks like the dust might finally be settling and it will just be a matter of time before we know how these trades will be remembered.
 
In the European Conference, acquisitions by Helsinki and Malmo added an extra level of excitement to their tight race for the final playoff spot. At the start of the week, it looked like the Titans might pull away with it, but the Nighthawks now wold a five-point lead. At the top of the conference, Moscow, Prague, and Riga all sit within two points, so the number one seed is open for anyone to grab. If their goaltending continues to hold, my current favourite to win the conference is the Phantoms, but the margins are extremely narrow.
 
In the North American Conference, the field has begun to pull away from their European counterparts as well as from the teams not currently in playoff spots. While it appears that we know who to expect in the playoffs out of North America, the seeding is way up in the air. Just three points separate first and forth and I can’t say I even have a  good guess who will win it. Vancouver has been the team I thought was a sleeper all season, but Calgary has maintained their lead throughout the week despite some adversity.
 
3-Stars
 
First Star
Brick Wahl (PRG) - .956 SV%, 1.64 GAA, 5 SO
Second Star
Scott Greene (SEA) - 10 G, 8 A
Third Star
Erik Summers (HSK) - 13 A, 28 SB
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Prague Phantoms - (+2) On the back of great goaltending, they made an outstanding surge this week.
Moscow Menace - (-1) I had told myself that I wouldn’t demote the reigning champs until they gave up first, but tied will have to do.
Riga Reign -  (-1) They captured some real magic for a while, but I’m not sure it is sustainable.
Malmo Nighthawks - (+1) Their trades seem to have paid off handsomely. They have a chance to look up a playoff spot
Helsinki Titans - (-1) It was a great start to the week and they got exactly what they wanted on the trade market, but will it be enough?
HC Davos Dynamo - They might be in last, but this team is becoming more and more respectable by the day.
 
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - They have fiercely defended first place all week. I just don’t know who is going to beat them.
Vancouver Wolves - Their goalie announced his retirement this week. This is the season for them to make a move.
Seattle Bears - One of the most well-rounded teams and even more so after this week’s trade.
D.C. Dragons - It feels wrong having this team in fourth, but the top four are just so close.
Toronto Legion - It is a shame that they don’t have much of a shot at the playoffs this season. They were very exciting to watch this week.
New York Americans - Their trade this week might help them this season, but is going to be rough in the long term.

User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - First in the European Conference, fifth in the league.
Riga Reign - (+4) Finally the recognition they deserve.
HC Davos Dynamo - Is this meme going to die?
Prague Phantoms/Helsinki Titans - (-1/0) I sure hope people aren’t still sleeping on Prague
Malmo Nighthawks - (-4) Roller coaster central over here.
 
North American Conference
Vancouver Wolves - (+5) I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Calgary Wranglers/Seattle Bears - (-1/+1) It is just so close here at the top.
D.C. Dragons - (-2) Exhibit A. How is a team this good in fourth in these rankings?
New York Americans - (-1) I’m interested to see if this will change at all this week.
Toronto Legion - (-1) At least it isn’t lonely down here.

Notable Games 

Game 263 Prague Phantoms vs. Moscow Menace
The Phantoms have been on a roll this week, especially on defence, and, at the end of the week, they are sitting tied for first place in the European Conference. The Cinnamon Block and Seabass Perrin combo on defence has been smothering and Brick Wahl has lived up to his name. This was put on full display in this shutout against Moscow. Despite giving up thirty-eight shots to possibly the best offence in the league, Prague held on and, with two goals from Roll Fizzlebeaf, ended it 2-0.
 
Game 286 - Riga Reign vs. Calgary Wranglers
Calgary finished the week on top of the standing again this week, and this game was a prime example of what they are capable of. It was actually the third in a series of games these two teams played this week and Calgary won them all. Since acquiring Greg Eagles, Acyd Burn, and Phil Marleau Riga has jumped up into the position of being a real contender. However, the North American Conference just looks significantly better at the moment. Calgary did an excellent job of wrangling in the star players of the Reign roster, with the only one of those big-name signings that appeared on the score-sheet being Greg Eagles.
 
Game 288 - Vancouver Wolves vs. Seattle Bears
The battle for first place in the North American Conference and, by extension, the league, was very tight all week. At the end of the season, we will look back on these rivalry games with extra importance as they will each be huge in determining playoff seeding. Scott Greene and Will Clark each had multi-point games, but the goaltending was the real story of this match as each goalie stopped thirty or more shots. In the end, Rayz Funk and Finn Davison combined for an SV% of .941.

Events of the Week 

Fights
 
Game 222 - BRAWL! Fights have been way down this season from last, but Helsinki and Davos set out to begin fixing that problem, though the Titan’s certain came out the worse for it. After Anthony Matthews scored just seconds into the third period, Kronos Bailey sought revenge with his fists. This sparked a line-brawl that included Erik Draven, Chico Smeb, Guillaume Fontenett, Derek Eriksson, and Cody Smith. Then, later that period Kronos Bailey started another fight, this time with Milos Slavik. The resulting ejection and powerplay would lead to the final nail in the Titan’s coffin this game. Game 270 - Brawl…? This was considered a line brawl, but somehow only two players received fighting majors. Kris Rice and Hunter Hearst Helmsley fought to a draw and were penalized the full five minutes while Mikko Lahtinen, Jeff Downey, and Sigard Gunnar only got minors for their involvement. Game 285 - Forest beats up Laughton Sometimes a fight can be used to kill an opponent’s momentum as much as it can be to fuel your own. That was the case when Boris the Forest laid a brutal beat-down on Blake Laughton late in the second period. Helsinki had just come within one goal and seemed to have a good deal of momentum. However, after the fight, D.C. regained control and closed out the game without another goal. Game 294 - BRAWL! Helsinki has been a very physical team this season and you will not find a fiercer rivalry in the VHL than Titans vs. Reign, so this was to be expected. A high-stick from Cody Smith started it all when Guy Sasakamoose took umbrage with it and started swinging. He would end up getting the additional instigation penalty as he beat up Ben Hafkey. Jim Bob won one for Helsinki as well in his fight against Patrick Tallinder and Erik Draven and Apollo Hackett fought to a draw. Guillaume Fontenette and Phil Marleau also got involved with some pushing and shoving but were only called for minors.  
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 241 - Brian Strong and Hiroshi Okada Helsinki showed everyone that they got exactly what they wanted in their trade for Hiroshi Okada. In his first week with the Titans, he has already nearly doubled his point total for the season. He was going criminally underutilized on Calgary’s third line, so I’m sure this is a breath of fresh air for the up and comer.

Another effect of having Okada on the team is that it has open up space on the ice for his teammates. Brian Strong was one of the main beneficiaries of that in this game with a hat-trick of his own. Erik Summers also had a career-best game with five assists in this 8-4 score-fest. Game 248 - Soren Jensen Soren Jensen, MGS, and Fredick Elembeck combined for a lightning-fast start. With three points apiece, Jensen did the majority of the scoring with his first hat-trick of the season. The Americans spent the rest of the game just holding off the Wolves so cling to a 4-3 victory. Game 251 - Ambrose Stark This has been a great season for individual efforts, and hat-tricks are way up from last season. Ambrose Stark spaced this one out, scoring his first goal to give the Bears a two-goal lead early in the first. We didn’t see him again until after Toronto had done some scoring of their own when he once again gave Seattle a two-goal lead at the start of the third. He then increased it to a three-goal lead to complete his first hat-trick of the season. Game 254 - Mikko Aaltonen This has to be the worst-feeling hat-trick of the season. Mikko Aaltonen carrier his team into overtime scoring all three of their goals. Then, after extra time went scoreless, it was the Wranglers who one as Aaltonen’s shootout shot sailed wide of the net. Game 280 - Pat Svoboda Back with his old team this season, Pat Svoboda has slowed down a bit in his final season, but he is still a great leader in Davos. Currently, he is the only player on the Dynamo roster with a positive +/-. He did everything he could to help them win this one, scoring once in each period, but it came up just short. Regardless, it is exciting to watch the veteran still put up highlight-reel performances. Game 284 - Mat Tocco The first period was action-packed with a final score of 3-2, and Moscow was deadly on the powerplay, scoring on both of their opportunities. But from there, it was all Mat Tocco. He scored again in the second and third periods to finish out his hat-trick. Game 289 - Zeno Miniti When the last-place team in the North American Conference faces the reigning champs, you don’t expect to get a great game. That expectation was smashed when Zeno Miniti led the Legion to an impressive victory with his first career hat-trick. Game 292 - Benny Graves Some people discount hat-tricks that include an empty-netter, but not here. This is especially true when no one could have deserved one more than Benny Graves did in this game. Graves’s first two goals kept the Dragons in this game while the rest of the team struggled. But, late in the second, his teammates turned it on to make the comeback and lead the game 5-4. That was what gave Benny the opportunity at the empty netter for his first hat-trick of the season. Game 295 - Jeff Downey Jeff Downey scored the opening goal and the one that would go on to be the game-winner in the first period for his initial two goals. After that, he waited until the third to finish his hat-trick and chase Seattle goalie Rayz Funk in the process. With an assist as well, he had himself a four-point game.  
Shutouts
  
Game 217 - Toronto vs. New York The battle to stay out of last place in the North American Conference got off to a big start this week. Shots were fairly even throughout with New York actually out-shooting Toronto in the second and third periods, but nothing could get past Jaxx Hextall. Despite being only his second shutout of the season, I would say he is playing pretty well considering the struggles Toronto has had so far. Game 230 - H.C. Davos vs. Vancouver One of the few predictions I’ve gotten right, I was on the Jimmy Spyro train very early and this kid continues to amaze. Davos actually managed to get off quite a few shots, but Spyro stoped all twenty-nine of them. He was especially brilliant in the third, facing thirteen shots as his opponents tried desperately to find a hole. Game 231 - Prague vs. Riga Sometimes experience beats the hottest new thing, and that’s what happened here. Brick Wahl has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season, but he still has a few lessons to teach the new guard. This game had extra meaning because it is extremely close at the top of the European Conference right now and any of these games could be the one that decides it. Game 250 - D.C. vs. Malmo The Dragons were a mess in this game. JB Rift had one of the worst games of his career, letting in two of the first six shots he face and getting pulled just over five minutes into the first period. Once they had the lead, Malmo did what Malmo does best, shut it down. After an amazing first period, Michael Johnson had a much easier time in the second and third, facing just eight shots in each to close out another great shutout. Game 252 - Prague vs. H.C. Davos For a team that has spent most of the season in a pretty distant last place, Davos still manages to look very competitive in short bursts. They absolutely dominated this game, outshooting the Phantoms 37-13 and handing Samuel Ross one of the calmer shutouts of his career. Game 253 - Prague vs. Vancouver Prague's goaltending has been on a streak of its own as well, besting both sides of the Davison/Eagles trade this week. Brick Wahl benefited from a team in front of him that control the momentum for much of the game, forcing Finn Davison to make thirty saves. Both goalies had an excellent night, but it was Wahl who walked away with the shutout. Game 255 - Malmo vs. Seattle Word to the wise, don’t let Malmo go up 2-0 on you in the first period. It will almost always end with a shutout. However, when Hulk Hogan is ejected for head-butting and Ambrose Stark is sitting for a fight, it is kinda hard to stop them. Seattle made a good effort with eleven shots in the third, but Michael Johnson held them off to climb back atop the shutout leaderboard. Game 262 - Toronto vs. D.C. D.C. had pretty good control for most of this game. There were a few moments in the first period where things could have gone the other way, but once they got to the second they really shut things down. JB Rift and Jaxx Hextall were each excellent this game, but it was Rift who sealed it off and earned his fourth shutout of the season. Game 263 - Moscow vs. Prague This is another major battle for dominance in the European Conference and Brick Wahl delivered again. Moscow maintained a high level of pressure throughout, forcing Wahl to make thirty-eight stops, but he kept them all out. This also moved Brick back into a tie for first for shutouts this season. Game 267 D.C. vs. New York What a game for A Red Guy! Thirty-nine saves against one of the best teams in the league right now. The rest of the Americans’ roster owes him a big one for this performance. Guy continues to be able to stand on his head to bail out his team when the occasion necessitates it. Game 277 - Seattle vs. D.C. D.C. had a bit of a slide in the middle of this week and this beatdown delivered by the bears capped it off. JB Rift topped himself from earlier in the week having the new worst game of his career, getting pulled after stopping just two of the first four shots against him. At the other end of the ice, Rayz Funk was flawless, securing the shutout with twenty-five saves. Game 281 - Riga vs. Calgary This was billed as one of the most exciting games of the week; two incredibly hot teams vying for position in their perspective conferences. But, for a game that could realistically be a preview of the cup final, this was incredibly one-sided. Calgary dominated with forty shots while Jacques Lafontaine only faced sixteen in this shutout. Game 287 - Malmo vs. Prague The battle for the top spot on the shutouts leader board has been very contentious and it came to a head in this game. Michael Johnson and Brick Wahl faced off for a chance to take the lead. Malmo had an absolutely smothering first period, giving up just two shots, but it looked like Prague might breakthrough in the second. Johnson was able to hold them off and Malmo regained control in the third, once again allowing almost no shots. With that, it was Michael Johnson who would claim the shutout title, for now at least. Game 290 - HC Davos vs. Vancouver You won’t find Samuel Ross on the many of the goalie leaderboards, but he just quietly earned his fourth shutout of the season while starting ten fewer games than most other starting goalies. Ross, and the entire Dynamo roster to some extent, have been very all or nothing this season and, unfortunately, it has been more nothing than all. However, the sparks of greatness like we saw in this game give a fair amount of hope for the future.
Rookie Spotlight
Roque Davis 

If the season ended today, I think Roque Davis would be the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year. Not only does he lead the league in scoring among rookies, but he has done it on an HC Davos squad that is the only team in the league to score under one hundred goals. That means that Davis has a point on nearly half of Dynamo goals this season. This is all from a defenseman who is also very noticeable at his own end of the ice with eighty-two shots blocked.
 
This should come as no surprise to anyone who followed Davis’ VHLM career. Joining Mississauga at the cutoff for his first season, buy the playoffs, he was already a central figure of that roster, scoring twelve points in fifteen playoff games. The following season he was drafted by San Diego where he scored over two points per game and had over a hundred shots blocked.
 
It is really going to take a major upheaval to shake Roque’s grip on rookie of the year, but there are a couple of candidates who could still accomplish it. We’ll look at one of those rookies next week.
 

 
 

Welcome to the fourth edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 217-300).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 
 
Recap
 
We had several more trades this week as the trade deadline loomed. Hiroshi Okada made a splash with a hat-trick in one of his first games as a Titan and John Frostbeard announced his retirement just days after being traded to the Americans. Malmo appeared to be selling it all for the future and then immediately turned around and grabbed up Shawn Glade Jr and ACL TEAR. By the end of the week, it looks like the dust might finally be settling and it will just be a matter of time before we know how these trades will be remembered.
 
In the European Conference, acquisitions by Helsinki and Malmo added an extra level of excitement to their tight race for the final playoff spot. At the start of the week, it looked like the Titans might pull away with it, but the Nighthawks now wold a five-point lead. At the top of the conference, Moscow, Prague, and Riga all sit within two points, so the number one seed is open for anyone to grab. If their goaltending continues to hold, my current favourite to win the conference is the Phantoms, but the margins are extremely narrow.
 
In the North American Conference, the field has begun to pull away from their European counterparts as well as from the teams not currently in playoff spots. While it appears that we know who to expect in the playoffs out of North America, the seeding is way up in the air. Just three points separate first and forth and I can’t say I even have a  good guess who will win it. Vancouver has been the team I thought was a sleeper all season, but Calgary has maintained their lead throughout the week despite some adversity.
 
3-Stars
 
First Star
Brick Wahl (PRG) - .956 SV%, 1.64 GAA, 5 SO
Second Star
Scott Greene (SEA) - 10 G, 8 A
Third Star
Erik Summers (HSK) - 13 A, 28 SB
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Prague Phantoms - (+2) On the back of great goaltending, they made an outstanding surge this week.
Moscow Menace - (-1) I had told myself that I wouldn’t demote the reigning champs until they gave up first, but tied will have to do.
Riga Reign -  (-1) They captured some real magic for a while, but I’m not sure it is sustainable.
Malmo Nighthawks - (+1) Their trades seem to have paid off handsomely. They have a chance to look up a playoff spot
Helsinki Titans - (-1) It was a great start to the week and they got exactly what they wanted on the trade market, but will it be enough?
HC Davos Dynamo - They might be in last, but this team is becoming more and more respectable by the day.
 
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - They have fiercely defended first place all week. I just don’t know who is going to beat them.
Vancouver Wolves - Their goalie announced his retirement this week. This is the season for them to make a move.
Seattle Bears - One of the most well-rounded teams and even more so after this week’s trade.
D.C. Dragons - It feels wrong having this team in fourth, but the top four are just so close.
Toronto Legion - It is a shame that they don’t have much of a shot at the playoffs this season. They were very exciting to watch this week.
New York Americans - Their trade this week might help them this season, but is going to be rough in the long term.

User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - First in the European Conference, fifth in the league.
Riga Reign - (+4) Finally the recognition they deserve.
HC Davos Dynamo - Is this meme going to die?
Prague Phantoms/Helsinki Titans - (-1/0) I sure hope people aren’t still sleeping on Prague
Malmo Nighthawks - (-4) Roller coaster central over here.
 
North American Conference
Vancouver Wolves - (+5) I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Calgary Wranglers/Seattle Bears - (-1/+1) It is just so close here at the top.
D.C. Dragons - (-2) Exhibit A. How is a team this good in fourth in these rankings?
New York Americans - (-1) I’m interested to see if this will change at all this week.
Toronto Legion - (-1) At least it isn’t lonely down here.

Notable Games 

Game 263 Prague Phantoms vs. Moscow Menace
The Phantoms have been on a roll this week, especially on defence, and, at the end of the week, they are sitting tied for first place in the European Conference. The Cinnamon Block and Seabass Perrin combo on defence has been smothering and Brick Wahl has lived up to his name. This was put on full display in this shutout against Moscow. Despite giving up thirty-eight shots to possibly the best offence in the league, Prague held on and, with two goals from Roll Fizzlebeaf, ended it 2-0.
 
Game 286 - Riga Reign vs. Calgary Wranglers
Calgary finished the week on top of the standing again this week, and this game was a prime example of what they are capable of. It was actually the third in a series of games these two teams played this week and Calgary won them all. Since acquiring Greg Eagles, Acyd Burn, and Phil Marleau Riga has jumped up into the position of being a real contender. However, the North American Conference just looks significantly better at the moment. Calgary did an excellent job of wrangling in the star players of the Reign roster, with the only one of those big-name signings that appeared on the score-sheet being Greg Eagles.
 
Game 288 - Vancouver Wolves vs. Seattle Bears
The battle for first place in the North American Conference and, by extension, the league, was very tight all week. At the end of the season, we will look back on these rivalry games with extra importance as they will each be huge in determining playoff seeding. Scott Greene and Will Clark each had multi-point games, but the goaltending was the real story of this match as each goalie stopped thirty or more shots. In the end, Rayz Funk and Finn Davison combined for an SV% of .941.

Events of the Week 

Fights
 
Game 222 - BRAWL! Fights have been way down this season from last, but Helsinki and Davos set out to begin fixing that problem, though the Titan’s certain came out the worse for it. After Anthony Matthews scored just seconds into the third period, Kronos Bailey sought revenge with his fists. This sparked a line-brawl that included Erik Draven, Chico Smeb, Guillaume Fontenett, Derek Eriksson, and Cody Smith. Then, later that period Kronos Bailey started another fight, this time with Milos Slavik. The resulting ejection and powerplay would lead to the final nail in the Titan’s coffin this game. Game 270 - Brawl…? This was considered a line brawl, but somehow only two players received fighting majors. Kris Rice and Hunter Hearst Helmsley fought to a draw and were penalized the full five minutes while Mikko Lahtinen, Jeff Downey, and Sigard Gunnar only got minors for their involvement. Game 285 - Forest beats up Laughton Sometimes a fight can be used to kill an opponent’s momentum as much as it can be to fuel your own. That was the case when Boris the Forest laid a brutal beat-down on Blake Laughton late in the second period. Helsinki had just come within one goal and seemed to have a good deal of momentum. However, after the fight, D.C. regained control and closed out the game without another goal. Game 294 - BRAWL! Helsinki has been a very physical team this season and you will not find a fiercer rivalry in the VHL than Titans vs. Reign, so this was to be expected. A high-stick from Cody Smith started it all when Guy Sasakamoose took umbrage with it and started swinging. He would end up getting the additional instigation penalty as he beat up Ben Hafkey. Jim Bob won one for Helsinki as well in his fight against Patrick Tallinder and Erik Draven and Apollo Hackett fought to a draw. Guillaume Fontenette and Phil Marleau also got involved with some pushing and shoving but were only called for minors.  
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 241 - Brian Strong and Hiroshi Okada Helsinki showed everyone that they got exactly what they wanted in their trade for Hiroshi Okada. In his first week with the Titans, he has already nearly doubled his point total for the season. He was going criminally underutilized on Calgary’s third line, so I’m sure this is a breath of fresh air for the up and comer.

Another effect of having Okada on the team is that it has open up space on the ice for his teammates. Brian Strong was one of the main beneficiaries of that in this game with a hat-trick of his own. Erik Summers also had a career-best game with five assists in this 8-4 score-fest. Game 248 - Soren Jensen Soren Jensen, MGS, and Fredick Elembeck combined for a lightning-fast start. With three points apiece, Jensen did the majority of the scoring with his first hat-trick of the season. The Americans spent the rest of the game just holding off the Wolves so cling to a 4-3 victory. Game 251 - Ambrose Stark This has been a great season for individual efforts, and hat-tricks are way up from last season. Ambrose Stark spaced this one out, scoring his first goal to give the Bears a two-goal lead early in the first. We didn’t see him again until after Toronto had done some scoring of their own when he once again gave Seattle a two-goal lead at the start of the third. He then increased it to a three-goal lead to complete his first hat-trick of the season. Game 254 - Mikko Aaltonen This has to be the worst-feeling hat-trick of the season. Mikko Aaltonen carrier his team into overtime scoring all three of their goals. Then, after extra time went scoreless, it was the Wranglers who one as Aaltonen’s shootout shot sailed wide of the net. Game 280 - Pat Svoboda Back with his old team this season, Pat Svoboda has slowed down a bit in his final season, but he is still a great leader in Davos. Currently, he is the only player on the Dynamo roster with a positive +/-. He did everything he could to help them win this one, scoring once in each period, but it came up just short. Regardless, it is exciting to watch the veteran still put up highlight-reel performances. Game 284 - Mat Tocco The first period was action-packed with a final score of 3-2, and Moscow was deadly on the powerplay, scoring on both of their opportunities. But from there, it was all Mat Tocco. He scored again in the second and third periods to finish out his hat-trick. Game 289 - Zeno Miniti When the last-place team in the North American Conference faces the reigning champs, you don’t expect to get a great game. That expectation was smashed when Zeno Miniti led the Legion to an impressive victory with his first career hat-trick. Game 292 - Benny Graves Some people discount hat-tricks that include an empty-netter, but not here. This is especially true when no one could have deserved one more than Benny Graves did in this game. Graves’s first two goals kept the Dragons in this game while the rest of the team struggled. But, late in the second, his teammates turned it on to make the comeback and lead the game 5-4. That was what gave Benny the opportunity at the empty netter for his first hat-trick of the season. Game 295 - Jeff Downey Jeff Downey scored the opening goal and the one that would go on to be the game-winner in the first period for his initial two goals. After that, he waited until the third to finish his hat-trick and chase Seattle goalie Rayz Funk in the process. With an assist as well, he had himself a four-point game.  
Shutouts
  
Game 217 - Toronto vs. New York The battle to stay out of last place in the North American Conference got off to a big start this week. Shots were fairly even throughout with New York actually out-shooting Toronto in the second and third periods, but nothing could get past Jaxx Hextall. Despite being only his second shutout of the season, I would say he is playing pretty well considering the struggles Toronto has had so far. Game 230 - H.C. Davos vs. Vancouver One of the few predictions I’ve gotten right, I was on the Jimmy Spyro train very early and this kid continues to amaze. Davos actually managed to get off quite a few shots, but Spyro stoped all twenty-nine of them. He was especially brilliant in the third, facing thirteen shots as his opponents tried desperately to find a hole. Game 231 - Prague vs. Riga Sometimes experience beats the hottest new thing, and that’s what happened here. Brick Wahl has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season, but he still has a few lessons to teach the new guard. This game had extra meaning because it is extremely close at the top of the European Conference right now and any of these games could be the one that decides it. Game 250 - D.C. vs. Malmo The Dragons were a mess in this game. JB Rift had one of the worst games of his career, letting in two of the first six shots he face and getting pulled just over five minutes into the first period. Once they had the lead, Malmo did what Malmo does best, shut it down. After an amazing first period, Michael Johnson had a much easier time in the second and third, facing just eight shots in each to close out another great shutout. Game 252 - Prague vs. H.C. Davos For a team that has spent most of the season in a pretty distant last place, Davos still manages to look very competitive in short bursts. They absolutely dominated this game, outshooting the Phantoms 37-13 and handing Samuel Ross one of the calmer shutouts of his career. Game 253 - Prague vs. Vancouver Prague's goaltending has been on a streak of its own as well, besting both sides of the Davison/Eagles trade this week. Brick Wahl benefited from a team in front of him that control the momentum for much of the game, forcing Finn Davison to make thirty saves. Both goalies had an excellent night, but it was Wahl who walked away with the shutout. Game 255 - Malmo vs. Seattle Word to the wise, don’t let Malmo go up 2-0 on you in the first period. It will almost always end with a shutout. However, when Hulk Hogan is ejected for head-butting and Ambrose Stark is sitting for a fight, it is kinda hard to stop them. Seattle made a good effort with eleven shots in the third, but Michael Johnson held them off to climb back atop the shutout leaderboard. Game 262 - Toronto vs. D.C. D.C. had pretty good control for most of this game. There were a few moments in the first period where things could have gone the other way, but once they got to the second they really shut things down. JB Rift and Jaxx Hextall were each excellent this game, but it was Rift who sealed it off and earned his fourth shutout of the season. Game 263 - Moscow vs. Prague This is another major battle for dominance in the European Conference and Brick Wahl delivered again. Moscow maintained a high level of pressure throughout, forcing Wahl to make thirty-eight stops, but he kept them all out. This also moved Brick back into a tie for first for shutouts this season. Game 267 D.C. vs. New York What a game for A Red Guy! Thirty-nine saves against one of the best teams in the league right now. The rest of the Americans’ roster owes him a big one for this performance. Guy continues to be able to stand on his head to bail out his team when the occasion necessitates it. Game 277 - Seattle vs. D.C. D.C. had a bit of a slide in the middle of this week and this beatdown delivered by the bears capped it off. JB Rift topped himself from earlier in the week having the new worst game of his career, getting pulled after stopping just two of the first four shots against him. At the other end of the ice, Rayz Funk was flawless, securing the shutout with twenty-five saves. Game 281 - Riga vs. Calgary This was billed as one of the most exciting games of the week; two incredibly hot teams vying for position in their perspective conferences. But, for a game that could realistically be a preview of the cup final, this was incredibly one-sided. Calgary dominated with forty shots while Jacques Lafontaine only faced sixteen in this shutout. Game 287 - Malmo vs. Prague The battle for the top spot on the shutouts leader board has been very contentious and it came to a head in this game. Michael Johnson and Brick Wahl faced off for a chance to take the lead. Malmo had an absolutely smothering first period, giving up just two shots, but it looked like Prague might breakthrough in the second. Johnson was able to hold them off and Malmo regained control in the third, once again allowing almost no shots. With that, it was Michael Johnson who would claim the shutout title, for now at least. Game 290 - HC Davos vs. Vancouver You won’t find Samuel Ross on the many of the goalie leaderboards, but he just quietly earned his fourth shutout of the season while starting ten fewer games than most other starting goalies. Ross, and the entire Dynamo roster to some extent, have been very all or nothing this season and, unfortunately, it has been more nothing than all. However, the sparks of greatness like we saw in this game give a fair amount of hope for the future.
Rookie Spotlight
Roque Davis 

If the season ended today, I think Roque Davis would be the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year. Not only does he lead the league in scoring among rookies, but he has done it on an HC Davos squad that is the only team in the league to score under one hundred goals. That means that Davis has a point on nearly half of Dynamo goals this season. This is all from a defenseman who is also very noticeable at his own end of the ice with eighty-two shots blocked.
 
This should come as no surprise to anyone who followed Davis’ VHLM career. Joining Mississauga at the cutoff for his first season, buy the playoffs, he was already a central figure of that roster, scoring twelve points in fifteen playoff games. The following season he was drafted by San Diego where he scored over two points per game and had over a hundred shots blocked.
 
It is really going to take a major upheaval to shake Roque’s grip on rookie of the year, but there are a couple of candidates who could still accomplish it. We’ll look at one of those rookies next week.
 

 
 

Welcome to the third edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 133-216).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 

Recap
 
It has been a week of big trades around the league and one already seems to be paying off. After acquiring goalie Greg Eagles, the Riga Reign have shot up through the standings and now sit atop the European conference. This looked like a good move for the future, but it is paying off greatly already. On the other side, Vancouver also seems to have improved after receiving Finn Davison in return. It is not often that you see two teams who have a real chance of facing each other for the cup make a trade of this calibre.
 
In the North American Conference, Seattle has jumped up out of the pack to take the lead, but only by a point. In fact, the top four spots are each separated by just one point each. Calgary leads the league in goals for and Vancouver leads the conference in goals against, so it is impossible to make an airtight case for any of these top four teams as the best in the group. Regardless, one thing we know for sure is that it is going to be a gauntlet to get out of the North American Conference this season.
 
In the European Conference, that span of three points separates the top three teams, but they have started to pull away from the bottom half. The Riga Reign now leads the conference, but Moscow and Prague are close behind them. Riga also has the second-fewest goals allowed in the league, beat only by the Helsinki Titans who are narrowly hanging on to the fourth playoff spot at the moment. The biggest shock of the season might be the struggles of Malmo. It will be interesting to watch and see if they can turn it around and reclaim a playoff spot.

3-Stars
 
First Star
Cinnamon Block (PRG) - 4 G, 15 A, 24 SB
Second Star
Ambrose Stark (SEA) - 11 G, 11 A
Third Star
Jacques Lafontaine (CGY) - .921 SV%, 2/57 GAA
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - They are clinging onto first in my power rankings, but just barely. Riga Reign - (+3) A huge surge in the standings this week. They look significantly better after their big trade. Prague Phantoms - (-1) They have been pretty consistent all season. They can still compete for first. Helsinki Titans - (-1) Currently holding forth by a tight margin. Will we see any moves to sure things up before the deadline? Malmo Nighthawks - (-1) Still a lot of potential, but their offence fell apart this week. HC Davos Dynamo - They’ve slowed the bleeding some, but it looks like too little too late.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - Ranking the top teams in this conference is near impossible, but they have been good throughout the season so far. Vancouver Wolves -  (+1) A little post-trade bump. I still think they are a serious contender. Seattle Bears - (+1) Another surging team. After a slow start, it took a lot for them to get here. D.C. Dragons - (-2) This was a disappointing week, but they are still within striking distance of the lead. Toronto Legion - (+1) They actually went on a good run this week, but it is going to be very hard to find room in the playoff picture. New York Americans - (-1) They were tied for last in the league at one point. They sold early, time to tank for the future.
User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - I’m interested to see if this drops at all this week  Prague Phantoms/HC Davos Dynamo -  (+2) Okay, I know they tied in votes, but one of these things is not like the other. Helsinki Titans - Holding on, just like in the standings. Malmo Nighthawks - (-2) Public favour turned against them before the standings did. You called it. Riga Reign - Really? This is just cruel.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - (+1) They continue to make the case for cup favourites. D.C. Dragons - (+1) Trading away Frostbeard? Really? Seattle Bears - (+2) Could they make it to first this week?  New York Americans - (+1) After the recent trade, this is now the greatest team in the league. Vancouver Wolves / Toronto Legion - (-4/-1) I’m not sure what Vancouver is doing here.   
Notable Games
 
Game 140 - D.C. Dragons vs. Vancouver Wolves
Finn Davison has gotten off to a great start with his new team, but this was actually one of his lesser games this week. Instead, the wolves turned to their consistent safety valve, Julius Freeman, who scored two goals and an assist on the night. The Dragons managed to tie the game up late, with two goals in the third period, but they got swept out of the shootout after just two rounds. Mikko Aaltonen also had a three-point game with a goal and two assists. This included an assist on the tying goal with less than two minutes to go by John Frostbeard, in one of his last games with D.C.
 
Game 157 - Seattle Bears vs. Calgary Wranglers  
We didn’t know it at the time, but this game would end up deciding who leads the conference at the end of the week. It will be a very exciting series if we get this matchup in the playoffs because these teams have very different compositions. Seattle’s star-studded roster is very similar to the one that won those back to back cups just a couple seasons ago. Meanwhile, Calgary has some of the most exciting young talents in the league without having a clear superstar. Seattle edged them out in this one, but I am eagerly looking forward to the rematch.
 
Game 193 - Riga Reign vs. D.C. Dragons
These two teams were on opposite trajectories this week. As Riga rocketed up the standings, D.C. slowly got passed by teams in their conference until they were holding onto the last playoff spot. Riga started the week outside of playoff qualification, but after a rather surprising trade for possibly the hottest goalie in the league, they began to dominate teams left and right. Domination isn’t what happened in this game, but Eagles definitely played a large role in keeping them in it, making thirty saves on the night. It wasn't until the second half of the third period that Riga would score a power-play goal to put them back in the lead, a lead they would manage to hold to the end.
 
Events of the Week
 
Fights
 
Game 137 - Stark draws with Gritty
This fight was impactful in a different kind of way. Going into the final minutes of the third period tied 2-2, Ambrose Stark looked to spark something in his team and propel them to victory by dropping gloves with Gritty. However, that didn’t work out so well as Stark was ejected for instigation and the Bears went on to lose in overtime, where they certainly could have used their top scorer.
Game 148 - Telker draws with Frobe
It was a quiet first period with just a single goal scored by the Phantoms. However, after a fight between a couple of bottom-sixers, the game exploded. Nate Telker got called for instigation and drew an ejection as he went after Gert B Frobe. This was in retaliation for a pretty dirty trip committed by Frobe a few minutes earlier. But once their fight was over, the scoring was blown wide open with six goals in the next sixteen minutes.
Game 164 - BRAWL!
In the final minute of a scoreless second period that would drag on into a scoreless third, we got a flash of excitement. John Madden and Lewis Dawson fought to a draw and Lewis Dawson was ejected for instigating this whole mess. Milos Slavik took the opportunity to beat up Nate Wright and several players game in a sword fighting match with their sticks. Walter Clements, Pierre Persson, Aleksander Rodriguez, Jerry Garcia, and Fernando Jokinen each got either slashing or high-sticking calls for the reckless swinging.
Game 196 - Nygren draws with Nolan
How do you know there is a beef between two players? One way to tell is when they get into a fight just nine seconds into a game. Despite never playing in the same conference, let alone for rivals, something has been brewing between Lucas Nygren and Owen Nolan that just couldn’t wait. Although the fight had no clear winner, Nolan clearly won the night, scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout.
 
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 139 - Thomas Landry II
This is several levels of impressive and might go down as one of the top highlights of the season. First, a hat-trick is always a major feat, even more so from a rookie. It takes it to a whole other level when you consider the scoring drought we saw from rookies last year. Then, to cap it all off, Thomas Landry II went a step above and made it a four-goal game as well. He could have stopped at just his second and still won the game, but he was hungry this game and there was nothing the Titans could do to deny him.
Game 153 - Zeno Miniti
Coming into this season, Zeno Miniti’s career had been on an unfortunate trajectory. After an impressive showing as a rookie, Zeno’s scoring has declined every season since. However, he seems to have entered some sort of renaissance and this hat-trick is the icing on the cake. For the first three-quarters of the game Zeno was the only thing keeping Toronto in it, matching Davos’ three goals with three of his own. Finally, after he had finished his hat-trick, the rest of the legion stepped up to seal the victory.
Game 155 - Brian Strong
Brian Strong had some huge shoes to fill this season, and so far he has done an excellent job. After several key retirements on Helsinki’s roster, it is now Strong’s turn to lead the team in scoring. Getting one goal in each period, it was the same small cast of actors terrorizing the Nighthawks all game. Guillaume Fontenette had assists on each of Strong’s goals and Cody Smith contributed to two of them. This is the type of scoring Helsinki needs right now.
Game 182 - Jet Jaguar
Maybe we are finally out of the league-wide scoring drought with our fourth hat-trick of the week. Jet Jaguar showed that he still has the ability to put his team on his back and carry them to victory, scoring all three of Moscow’s goals against Helsinki. Rookie, Kyle Anderson, tried to get the Titans back in it with two goals of his own, his first of the season, in the third period, but it was too little too late.
Game 189 - Joel Ylonen
This was a rough one for the Phantoms, despite being their second hat-trick of the week. Joel Ylonen scored his entire hat-trick in the first period and Prague left the period down 5-3. They would end up down 7-3, less than three minutes into the third, causing them to swap goalies. Despite a valiant effort, they were only able to draw within one, leaving the comeback incomplete.
Game 200 - Kris Rice
Leading the amazing run the Calgary Wranglers have been on is their unbelievable young talent. Kris Rice is second in scoring on the Wrangler’s roster and just behind a point per game pace. That might be the most interesting thing about Calgary, the way they spread the scoring around. However, in this one, it was all Rice. Scoring four of their five goals to lead them to a win over their rival Americans, Rice completes his first hat-trick of the season.
Game 215 - Ryan Busser
Riga has been seeing the top-level play from unexpected places all week, and this game it came in the form of Ryan Busser. I don’t want to disparage Busser’s earlier play in any way, but he has taken a huge step forward this season and it is good to see him get rewarded with this hat-trick.
 
Shutouts

Game 143 - Calgary vs. H.C. Davos
The offence isn’t Davos’s thing this season, but this was a new low. Facing the Wrangler’s sophomore goalkeeper, Jacques Lafontaine, the Dynamo only managed six shots all game. At the very least, they managed to avoid getting held to zero shots in any period, but that is a very very small victory. This was just ugly.
Game 155 - Malmo vs. Helsinki
Two of the hottest goalies in the league going into this week, Virgil Ligriv got the better of this matchup. Getting some assistance from the strong offensive play of Brian Strong and company, Helsinki dominated possession and only allowed fifteen shots from Malmo. With that, Ligriv records his third shutout of the season.
Game 191 - Malmo vs. Seattle
While the majority of the league seems to have figured out at least some of their scoring issues, Malmo continues to struggle offensively. Rayz Funk has faced a lot of shots this season, so I am sure he was thankful for this seventeen shot reprieve and his first shutout of the season.
Game 197 - Davos vs. Prague
The Dynamo had a better performance in this one, forcing Solomon Crawford to make nineteen saves, but that wasn’t enough to get one past him. By the end, the Phantoms were in absolute control, holding Davos to just a single shot in the third period. It has been a hard week for the lower half of the European conference.
Game 198 - Seattle vs. Vancouver
Seattle continued their rise up through the standing this week, but someone forgot to tell Finn Davison and the Vancouver Wolves. Davison seems to be adjusting well to his new team with an amazing twenty-nine saves to capture his third shutout of the season. It will be hard to compete with Riga’s post-trade success, but Finn is certainly keeping the conversation going about who won this trade.
Game 201 - Malmo vs. H.C. Davos
It has been a rough week for both of these teams, but one of them had to win this game. They actually both managed reasonable offences, despite struggling in that regard all week. Samuel Ross stopped twenty shots in this 3-0 game to earn his second shutout of the season.
Game 204 - Vancouver vs. Moscow
Moscow had plenty of opportunities in this game, but Finn Davison was outstanding. Davison is meshing very well with his new team and shutting out the reigning champs should prove to everyone that Vancouver got exactly what they wanted from this trade.
Game 206 - New York vs. Helsinki
Another matchup between two teams that struggled this week, New York looked stronger defensively than they have all season. After two quick powerplay goals in the second, this game was in the bag and A Red Guy had his first shutout of the season.

Rookie Spotlight
Kyl Oferson 

Probably the most explosive rookie to enter the league this season, Kyl Oferson started his career with the Mississauga Hounds. However, it was after being drafted by the San Diego Marlins that his explosive playstyle took off. Scoring one-hundred and fifty-three points and carrying an absurd +126, it was no surprise that he went first overall to the Riga Reign.
 
It has taken some time for Oferson to adjust to the speed of the VHL, but he seems to have gotten it all figured out at the right time. Riga was dominant all week, and Kyl played an important part in that. He is currently third in goals scored on the Reign roster and I wouldn’t be surprised if he climbed even higher.
 
There was some question as to whether Riga would be heading into a rebuild in the next couple seasons, but with top-notch talent like this, it seems like they have pushed that further into the future. It has to be fun to play for a real contender as a rookie, but it is likely even better when you are playing a significant role in getting them to that point.
 
 

Welcome to the third edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 133-216).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 

Recap
 
It has been a week of big trades around the league and one already seems to be paying off. After acquiring goalie Greg Eagles, the Riga Reign have shot up through the standings and now sit atop the European conference. This looked like a good move for the future, but it is paying off greatly already. On the other side, Vancouver also seems to have improved after receiving Finn Davison in return. It is not often that you see two teams who have a real chance of facing each other for the cup make a trade of this calibre.
 
In the North American Conference, Seattle has jumped up out of the pack to take the lead, but only by a point. In fact, the top four spots are each separated by just one point each. Calgary leads the league in goals for and Vancouver leads the conference in goals against, so it is impossible to make an airtight case for any of these top four teams as the best in the group. Regardless, one thing we know for sure is that it is going to be a gauntlet to get out of the North American Conference this season.
 
In the European Conference, that span of three points separates the top three teams, but they have started to pull away from the bottom half. The Riga Reign now leads the conference, but Moscow and Prague are close behind them. Riga also has the second-fewest goals allowed in the league, beat only by the Helsinki Titans who are narrowly hanging on to the fourth playoff spot at the moment. The biggest shock of the season might be the struggles of Malmo. It will be interesting to watch and see if they can turn it around and reclaim a playoff spot.

3-Stars
 
First Star
Cinnamon Block (PRG) - 4 G, 15 A, 24 SB
Second Star
Ambrose Stark (SEA) - 11 G, 11 A
Third Star
Jacques Lafontaine (CGY) - .921 SV%, 2/57 GAA
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - They are clinging onto first in my power rankings, but just barely. Riga Reign - (+3) A huge surge in the standings this week. They look significantly better after their big trade. Prague Phantoms - (-1) They have been pretty consistent all season. They can still compete for first. Helsinki Titans - (-1) Currently holding forth by a tight margin. Will we see any moves to sure things up before the deadline? Malmo Nighthawks - (-1) Still a lot of potential, but their offence fell apart this week. HC Davos Dynamo - They’ve slowed the bleeding some, but it looks like too little too late.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - Ranking the top teams in this conference is near impossible, but they have been good throughout the season so far. Vancouver Wolves -  (+1) A little post-trade bump. I still think they are a serious contender. Seattle Bears - (+1) Another surging team. After a slow start, it took a lot for them to get here. D.C. Dragons - (-2) This was a disappointing week, but they are still within striking distance of the lead. Toronto Legion - (+1) They actually went on a good run this week, but it is going to be very hard to find room in the playoff picture. New York Americans - (-1) They were tied for last in the league at one point. They sold early, time to tank for the future.
User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - I’m interested to see if this drops at all this week  Prague Phantoms/HC Davos Dynamo -  (+2) Okay, I know they tied in votes, but one of these things is not like the other. Helsinki Titans - Holding on, just like in the standings. Malmo Nighthawks - (-2) Public favour turned against them before the standings did. You called it. Riga Reign - Really? This is just cruel.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - (+1) They continue to make the case for cup favourites. D.C. Dragons - (+1) Trading away Frostbeard? Really? Seattle Bears - (+2) Could they make it to first this week?  New York Americans - (+1) After the recent trade, this is now the greatest team in the league. Vancouver Wolves / Toronto Legion - (-4/-1) I’m not sure what Vancouver is doing here.   
Notable Games
 
Game 140 - D.C. Dragons vs. Vancouver Wolves
Finn Davison has gotten off to a great start with his new team, but this was actually one of his lesser games this week. Instead, the wolves turned to their consistent safety valve, Julius Freeman, who scored two goals and an assist on the night. The Dragons managed to tie the game up late, with two goals in the third period, but they got swept out of the shootout after just two rounds. Mikko Aaltonen also had a three-point game with a goal and two assists. This included an assist on the tying goal with less than two minutes to go by John Frostbeard, in one of his last games with D.C.
 
Game 157 - Seattle Bears vs. Calgary Wranglers  
We didn’t know it at the time, but this game would end up deciding who leads the conference at the end of the week. It will be a very exciting series if we get this matchup in the playoffs because these teams have very different compositions. Seattle’s star-studded roster is very similar to the one that won those back to back cups just a couple seasons ago. Meanwhile, Calgary has some of the most exciting young talents in the league without having a clear superstar. Seattle edged them out in this one, but I am eagerly looking forward to the rematch.
 
Game 193 - Riga Reign vs. D.C. Dragons
These two teams were on opposite trajectories this week. As Riga rocketed up the standings, D.C. slowly got passed by teams in their conference until they were holding onto the last playoff spot. Riga started the week outside of playoff qualification, but after a rather surprising trade for possibly the hottest goalie in the league, they began to dominate teams left and right. Domination isn’t what happened in this game, but Eagles definitely played a large role in keeping them in it, making thirty saves on the night. It wasn't until the second half of the third period that Riga would score a power-play goal to put them back in the lead, a lead they would manage to hold to the end.
 
Events of the Week
 
Fights
 
Game 137 - Stark draws with Gritty
This fight was impactful in a different kind of way. Going into the final minutes of the third period tied 2-2, Ambrose Stark looked to spark something in his team and propel them to victory by dropping gloves with Gritty. However, that didn’t work out so well as Stark was ejected for instigation and the Bears went on to lose in overtime, where they certainly could have used their top scorer.
Game 148 - Telker draws with Frobe
It was a quiet first period with just a single goal scored by the Phantoms. However, after a fight between a couple of bottom-sixers, the game exploded. Nate Telker got called for instigation and drew an ejection as he went after Gert B Frobe. This was in retaliation for a pretty dirty trip committed by Frobe a few minutes earlier. But once their fight was over, the scoring was blown wide open with six goals in the next sixteen minutes.
Game 164 - BRAWL!
In the final minute of a scoreless second period that would drag on into a scoreless third, we got a flash of excitement. John Madden and Lewis Dawson fought to a draw and Lewis Dawson was ejected for instigating this whole mess. Milos Slavik took the opportunity to beat up Nate Wright and several players game in a sword fighting match with their sticks. Walter Clements, Pierre Persson, Aleksander Rodriguez, Jerry Garcia, and Fernando Jokinen each got either slashing or high-sticking calls for the reckless swinging.
Game 196 - Nygren draws with Nolan
How do you know there is a beef between two players? One way to tell is when they get into a fight just nine seconds into a game. Despite never playing in the same conference, let alone for rivals, something has been brewing between Lucas Nygren and Owen Nolan that just couldn’t wait. Although the fight had no clear winner, Nolan clearly won the night, scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout.
 
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 139 - Thomas Landry II
This is several levels of impressive and might go down as one of the top highlights of the season. First, a hat-trick is always a major feat, even more so from a rookie. It takes it to a whole other level when you consider the scoring drought we saw from rookies last year. Then, to cap it all off, Thomas Landry II went a step above and made it a four-goal game as well. He could have stopped at just his second and still won the game, but he was hungry this game and there was nothing the Titans could do to deny him.
Game 153 - Zeno Miniti
Coming into this season, Zeno Miniti’s career had been on an unfortunate trajectory. After an impressive showing as a rookie, Zeno’s scoring has declined every season since. However, he seems to have entered some sort of renaissance and this hat-trick is the icing on the cake. For the first three-quarters of the game Zeno was the only thing keeping Toronto in it, matching Davos’ three goals with three of his own. Finally, after he had finished his hat-trick, the rest of the legion stepped up to seal the victory.
Game 155 - Brian Strong
Brian Strong had some huge shoes to fill this season, and so far he has done an excellent job. After several key retirements on Helsinki’s roster, it is now Strong’s turn to lead the team in scoring. Getting one goal in each period, it was the same small cast of actors terrorizing the Nighthawks all game. Guillaume Fontenette had assists on each of Strong’s goals and Cody Smith contributed to two of them. This is the type of scoring Helsinki needs right now.
Game 182 - Jet Jaguar
Maybe we are finally out of the league-wide scoring drought with our fourth hat-trick of the week. Jet Jaguar showed that he still has the ability to put his team on his back and carry them to victory, scoring all three of Moscow’s goals against Helsinki. Rookie, Kyle Anderson, tried to get the Titans back in it with two goals of his own, his first of the season, in the third period, but it was too little too late.
Game 189 - Joel Ylonen
This was a rough one for the Phantoms, despite being their second hat-trick of the week. Joel Ylonen scored his entire hat-trick in the first period and Prague left the period down 5-3. They would end up down 7-3, less than three minutes into the third, causing them to swap goalies. Despite a valiant effort, they were only able to draw within one, leaving the comeback incomplete.
Game 200 - Kris Rice
Leading the amazing run the Calgary Wranglers have been on is their unbelievable young talent. Kris Rice is second in scoring on the Wrangler’s roster and just behind a point per game pace. That might be the most interesting thing about Calgary, the way they spread the scoring around. However, in this one, it was all Rice. Scoring four of their five goals to lead them to a win over their rival Americans, Rice completes his first hat-trick of the season.
Game 215 - Ryan Busser
Riga has been seeing the top-level play from unexpected places all week, and this game it came in the form of Ryan Busser. I don’t want to disparage Busser’s earlier play in any way, but he has taken a huge step forward this season and it is good to see him get rewarded with this hat-trick.
 
Shutouts

Game 143 - Calgary vs. H.C. Davos
The offence isn’t Davos’s thing this season, but this was a new low. Facing the Wrangler’s sophomore goalkeeper, Jacques Lafontaine, the Dynamo only managed six shots all game. At the very least, they managed to avoid getting held to zero shots in any period, but that is a very very small victory. This was just ugly.
Game 155 - Malmo vs. Helsinki
Two of the hottest goalies in the league going into this week, Virgil Ligriv got the better of this matchup. Getting some assistance from the strong offensive play of Brian Strong and company, Helsinki dominated possession and only allowed fifteen shots from Malmo. With that, Ligriv records his third shutout of the season.
Game 191 - Malmo vs. Seattle
While the majority of the league seems to have figured out at least some of their scoring issues, Malmo continues to struggle offensively. Rayz Funk has faced a lot of shots this season, so I am sure he was thankful for this seventeen shot reprieve and his first shutout of the season.
Game 197 - Davos vs. Prague
The Dynamo had a better performance in this one, forcing Solomon Crawford to make nineteen saves, but that wasn’t enough to get one past him. By the end, the Phantoms were in absolute control, holding Davos to just a single shot in the third period. It has been a hard week for the lower half of the European conference.
Game 198 - Seattle vs. Vancouver
Seattle continued their rise up through the standing this week, but someone forgot to tell Finn Davison and the Vancouver Wolves. Davison seems to be adjusting well to his new team with an amazing twenty-nine saves to capture his third shutout of the season. It will be hard to compete with Riga’s post-trade success, but Finn is certainly keeping the conversation going about who won this trade.
Game 201 - Malmo vs. H.C. Davos
It has been a rough week for both of these teams, but one of them had to win this game. They actually both managed reasonable offences, despite struggling in that regard all week. Samuel Ross stopped twenty shots in this 3-0 game to earn his second shutout of the season.
Game 204 - Vancouver vs. Moscow
Moscow had plenty of opportunities in this game, but Finn Davison was outstanding. Davison is meshing very well with his new team and shutting out the reigning champs should prove to everyone that Vancouver got exactly what they wanted from this trade.
Game 206 - New York vs. Helsinki
Another matchup between two teams that struggled this week, New York looked stronger defensively than they have all season. After two quick powerplay goals in the second, this game was in the bag and A Red Guy had his first shutout of the season.

Rookie Spotlight
Kyl Oferson 

Probably the most explosive rookie to enter the league this season, Kyl Oferson started his career with the Mississauga Hounds. However, it was after being drafted by the San Diego Marlins that his explosive playstyle took off. Scoring one-hundred and fifty-three points and carrying an absurd +126, it was no surprise that he went first overall to the Riga Reign.
 
It has taken some time for Oferson to adjust to the speed of the VHL, but he seems to have gotten it all figured out at the right time. Riga was dominant all week, and Kyl played an important part in that. He is currently third in goals scored on the Reign roster and I wouldn’t be surprised if he climbed even higher.
 
There was some question as to whether Riga would be heading into a rebuild in the next couple seasons, but with top-notch talent like this, it seems like they have pushed that further into the future. It has to be fun to play for a real contender as a rookie, but it is likely even better when you are playing a significant role in getting them to that point.
 
 

Helsinki Titans Receive:
 
C Hiroshi Okada
 
 
 Calgary Wranglers Receive:
 
RW Gary Tarantino
S73 HSK 2nd
 
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
| VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | Weekly Review |

Analysis

When analyzing any trade, I think there are three important aspects to consider, the market, the price, and the return. The biggest story as we approach the trade deadline this season has been the market. When looking at other blockbuster trades, teams have been paying exorbitant prices to “get their guy”. We have also seen that most trades aren’t just happening as an exchange of players for picks. This is because most teams are struggling to stay under the cap at the moment and have to move contracts to make room for the new players. So, with that market in mind, let's take a look at what each team got out of the deal.
 
Helsinki was the clear “buyer” here, acquiring a proven player coming off a solid sophomore season who seems to be experiencing a bit of a regression this season. However, the Titans have struggled offensively all season, so it is clear that they were in need of someone with the potential of Hiroshi Okada. I think the bigger question is what did Calgary get out of the deal? 
 
Calgary is among the frontrunners to be the cup favourite at the moment, so it is hard to imagine that they are selling off pieces to build for the future. Their time to win is now. In that light, my first thought about this trade was that it was a simple cap dump. Calgary has another trade lined up that was just waiting for the cap space to open up to close the deal. Then I saw that they retained more than a third of Okada’s salary, freeing up just $250,000 in cap space. Maybe that is all they needed, but that doesn’t seem likely. What about the player they received? Gary Tarantino might pan out as a solid bottom-six forward, but he has had an incredibly rough rookie season so far. But maybe the leadership in Calgary believes that it was just the fit in Helsinki that was holding Tarantino back. Finally, there is the pick. Early second round picks hold some amount of value, but late-seconds are risky. So which is it likely to be? Well, Helsinki is theoretically at the low point of their rebuild/retool and will be back on the upswing next season. Will they be cup favourites? Probably not, but a deep playoff run is certainly possible, which makes this pick rather risky.
 
So, considering the market, it seems like the Titans got a bargain, but there is one big question that will likely determine who this trade is remembered. How does Okada slot into the Helsinki roster? Currently a centre, Hiroshi would certainly find himself third in the depth chart at the position on the Titans. However, with a change to left-wing, he could find himself on the top line. Receiving passes from players like Ben Hafkey, Brian Strong, Erik Draven, or Kronos Bailey could make a big difference in returning Okada to his form from last season.

Get-to-Know the Players

Hiroshi Okada

After his first twenty-two games with the Ottawa Lynx, Hiroshi Okada looked like a big gamble even for a VHLM team. Because of that, he ended up falling to the third round, going 25th overall to the Philadelphia Reapers. That gamble paid off big time as he put up ninety-eight points in the following season. Now proven, he went 9th overall to the Calgary Wranglers who had very successful drafts in S69 and S70 with the likes of RJ Jubis, Kris Rice, and Mikko Lahtinen. Now a leader on a very young roster, Okada had a successful sophomore season with thirty-eight points. He now appears to be in a bit of a slump, but there is still great potential for this player.
 
Gary Tarantino

Long-time VHLMer, Gary Tarantino found great success, playing for two championship-winning teams. After a rough start with the San Diego Marlins, he was drafted by the Saskatoon Wild super team that won the S69 cup. The following season he was traded to the Minnesota Storm and helped lead them on their cup run as well. The only knock against Gary is that his development has been slow, but it has been consistent, so there is good potential for the future. He hasn’t seen a ton of ice time on the third line in his rookie season, so it will be exciting to watch the player he becomes as he gets more opportunities to prove himself.
 

 

Helsinki Titans Receive:
 
C Hiroshi Okada
 
 
 Calgary Wranglers Receive:
 
RW Gary Tarantino
S73 HSK 2nd
 
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
| VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | Weekly Review |

Analysis

When analyzing any trade, I think there are three important aspects to consider, the market, the price, and the return. The biggest story as we approach the trade deadline this season has been the market. When looking at other blockbuster trades, teams have been paying exorbitant prices to “get their guy”. We have also seen that most trades aren’t just happening as an exchange of players for picks. This is because most teams are struggling to stay under the cap at the moment and have to move contracts to make room for the new players. So, with that market in mind, let's take a look at what each team got out of the deal.
 
Helsinki was the clear “buyer” here, acquiring a proven player coming off a solid sophomore season who seems to be experiencing a bit of a regression this season. However, the Titans have struggled offensively all season, so it is clear that they were in need of someone with the potential of Hiroshi Okada. I think the bigger question is what did Calgary get out of the deal? 
 
Calgary is among the frontrunners to be the cup favourite at the moment, so it is hard to imagine that they are selling off pieces to build for the future. Their time to win is now. In that light, my first thought about this trade was that it was a simple cap dump. Calgary has another trade lined up that was just waiting for the cap space to open up to close the deal. Then I saw that they retained more than a third of Okada’s salary, freeing up just $250,000 in cap space. Maybe that is all they needed, but that doesn’t seem likely. What about the player they received? Gary Tarantino might pan out as a solid bottom-six forward, but he has had an incredibly rough rookie season so far. But maybe the leadership in Calgary believes that it was just the fit in Helsinki that was holding Tarantino back. Finally, there is the pick. Early second round picks hold some amount of value, but late-seconds are risky. So which is it likely to be? Well, Helsinki is theoretically at the low point of their rebuild/retool and will be back on the upswing next season. Will they be cup favourites? Probably not, but a deep playoff run is certainly possible, which makes this pick rather risky.
 
So, considering the market, it seems like the Titans got a bargain, but there is one big question that will likely determine who this trade is remembered. How does Okada slot into the Helsinki roster? Currently a centre, Hiroshi would certainly find himself third in the depth chart at the position on the Titans. However, with a change to left-wing, he could find himself on the top line. Receiving passes from players like Ben Hafkey, Brian Strong, Erik Draven, or Kronos Bailey could make a big difference in returning Okada to his form from last season.

Get-to-Know the Players

Hiroshi Okada

After his first twenty-two games with the Ottawa Lynx, Hiroshi Okada looked like a big gamble even for a VHLM team. Because of that, he ended up falling to the third round, going 25th overall to the Philadelphia Reapers. That gamble paid off big time as he put up ninety-eight points in the following season. Now proven, he went 9th overall to the Calgary Wranglers who had very successful drafts in S69 and S70 with the likes of RJ Jubis, Kris Rice, and Mikko Lahtinen. Now a leader on a very young roster, Okada had a successful sophomore season with thirty-eight points. He now appears to be in a bit of a slump, but there is still great potential for this player.
 
Gary Tarantino

Long-time VHLMer, Gary Tarantino found great success, playing for two championship-winning teams. After a rough start with the San Diego Marlins, he was drafted by the Saskatoon Wild super team that won the S69 cup. The following season he was traded to the Minnesota Storm and helped lead them on their cup run as well. The only knock against Gary is that his development has been slow, but it has been consistent, so there is good potential for the future. He hasn’t seen a ton of ice time on the third line in his rookie season, so it will be exciting to watch the player he becomes as he gets more opportunities to prove himself.
 

 

Helsinki Titans Receive:
 
C Hiroshi Okada
 
 
 Calgary Wranglers Receive:
 
RW Gary Tarantino
S73 HSK 2nd
 
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
| VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | Weekly Review |

Analysis

When analyzing any trade, I think there are three important aspects to consider, the market, the price, and the return. The biggest story as we approach the trade deadline this season has been the market. When looking at other blockbuster trades, teams have been paying exorbitant prices to “get their guy”. We have also seen that most trades aren’t just happening as an exchange of players for picks. This is because most teams are struggling to stay under the cap at the moment and have to move contracts to make room for the new players. So, with that market in mind, let's take a look at what each team got out of the deal.
 
Helsinki was the clear “buyer” here, acquiring a proven player coming off a solid sophomore season who seems to be experiencing a bit of a regression this season. However, the Titans have struggled offensively all season, so it is clear that they were in need of someone with the potential of Hiroshi Okada. I think the bigger question is what did Calgary get out of the deal? 
 
Calgary is among the frontrunners to be the cup favourite at the moment, so it is hard to imagine that they are selling off pieces to build for the future. Their time to win is now. In that light, my first thought about this trade was that it was a simple cap dump. Calgary has another trade lined up that was just waiting for the cap space to open up to close the deal. Then I saw that they retained more than a third of Okada’s salary, freeing up just $250,000 in cap space. Maybe that is all they needed, but that doesn’t seem likely. What about the player they received? Gary Tarantino might pan out as a solid bottom-six forward, but he has had an incredibly rough rookie season so far. But maybe the leadership in Calgary believes that it was just the fit in Helsinki that was holding Tarantino back. Finally, there is the pick. Early second round picks hold some amount of value, but late-seconds are risky. So which is it likely to be? Well, Helsinki is theoretically at the low point of their rebuild/retool and will be back on the upswing next season. Will they be cup favourites? Probably not, but a deep playoff run is certainly possible, which makes this pick rather risky.
 
So, considering the market, it seems like the Titans got a bargain, but there is one big question that will likely determine who this trade is remembered. How does Okada slot into the Helsinki roster? Currently a centre, Hiroshi would certainly find himself third in the depth chart at the position on the Titans. However, with a change to left-wing, he could find himself on the top line. Receiving passes from players like Ben Hafkey, Brian Strong, Erik Draven, or Kronos Bailey could make a big difference in returning Okada to his form from last season.

Get-to-Know the Players

Hiroshi Okada

After his first twenty-two games with the Ottawa Lynx, Hiroshi Okada looked like a big gamble even for a VHLM team. Because of that, he ended up falling to the third round, going 25th overall to the Philadelphia Reapers. That gamble paid off big time as he put up ninety-eight points in the following season. Now proven, he went 9th overall to the Calgary Wranglers who had very successful drafts in S69 and S70 with the likes of RJ Jubis, Kris Rice, and Mikko Lahtinen. Now a leader on a very young roster, Okada had a successful sophomore season with thirty-eight points. He now appears to be in a bit of a slump, but there is still great potential for this player.
 
Gary Tarantino

Long-time VHLMer, Gary Tarantino found great success, playing for two championship-winning teams. After a rough start with the San Diego Marlins, he was drafted by the Saskatoon Wild super team that won the S69 cup. The following season he was traded to the Minnesota Storm and helped lead them on their cup run as well. The only knock against Gary is that his development has been slow, but it has been consistent, so there is good potential for the future. He hasn’t seen a ton of ice time on the third line in his rookie season, so it will be exciting to watch the player he becomes as he gets more opportunities to prove himself.
 

 

Helsinki Titans Receive:
 
C Hiroshi Okada
 
 
 Calgary Wranglers Receive:
 
RW Gary Tarantino
S73 HSK 2nd
 
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
| VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | Weekly Review |

Analysis

When analyzing any trade, I think there are three important aspects to consider, the market, the price, and the return. The biggest story as we approach the trade deadline this season has been the market. When looking at other blockbuster trades, teams have been paying exorbitant prices to “get their guy”. We have also seen that most trades aren’t just happening as an exchange of players for picks. This is because most teams are struggling to stay under the cap at the moment and have to move contracts to make room for the new players. So, with that market in mind, let's take a look at what each team got out of the deal.
 
Helsinki was the clear “buyer” here, acquiring a proven player coming off a solid sophomore season who seems to be experiencing a bit of a regression this season. However, the Titans have struggled offensively all season, so it is clear that they were in need of someone with the potential of Hiroshi Okada. I think the bigger question is what did Calgary get out of the deal? 
 
Calgary is among the frontrunners to be the cup favourite at the moment, so it is hard to imagine that they are selling off pieces to build for the future. Their time to win is now. In that light, my first thought about this trade was that it was a simple cap dump. Calgary has another trade lined up that was just waiting for the cap space to open up to close the deal. Then I saw that they retained more than a third of Okada’s salary, freeing up just $250,000 in cap space. Maybe that is all they needed, but that doesn’t seem likely. What about the player they received? Gary Tarantino might pan out as a solid bottom-six forward, but he has had an incredibly rough rookie season so far. But maybe the leadership in Calgary believes that it was just the fit in Helsinki that was holding Tarantino back. Finally, there is the pick. Early second round picks hold some amount of value, but late-seconds are risky. So which is it likely to be? Well, Helsinki is theoretically at the low point of their rebuild/retool and will be back on the upswing next season. Will they be cup favourites? Probably not, but a deep playoff run is certainly possible, which makes this pick rather risky.
 
So, considering the market, it seems like the Titans got a bargain, but there is one big question that will likely determine who this trade is remembered. How does Okada slot into the Helsinki roster? Currently a centre, Hiroshi would certainly find himself third in the depth chart at the position on the Titans. However, with a change to left-wing, he could find himself on the top line. Receiving passes from players like Ben Hafkey, Brian Strong, Erik Draven, or Kronos Bailey could make a big difference in returning Okada to his form from last season.

Get-to-Know the Players

Hiroshi Okada

After his first twenty-two games with the Ottawa Lynx, Hiroshi Okada looked like a big gamble even for a VHLM team. Because of that, he ended up falling to the third round, going 25th overall to the Philadelphia Reapers. That gamble paid off big time as he put up ninety-eight points in the following season. Now proven, he went 9th overall to the Calgary Wranglers who had very successful drafts in S69 and S70 with the likes of RJ Jubis, Kris Rice, and Mikko Lahtinen. Now a leader on a very young roster, Okada had a successful sophomore season with thirty-eight points. He now appears to be in a bit of a slump, but there is still great potential for this player.
 
Gary Tarantino

Long-time VHLMer, Gary Tarantino found great success, playing for two championship-winning teams. After a rough start with the San Diego Marlins, he was drafted by the Saskatoon Wild super team that won the S69 cup. The following season he was traded to the Minnesota Storm and helped lead them on their cup run as well. The only knock against Gary is that his development has been slow, but it has been consistent, so there is good potential for the future. He hasn’t seen a ton of ice time on the third line in his rookie season, so it will be exciting to watch the player he becomes as he gets more opportunities to prove himself.
 

 

Helsinki Titans Receive:
 
C Hiroshi Okada
 
 
 Calgary Wranglers Receive:
 
RW Gary Tarantino
S73 HSK 2nd
 
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
| VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | Weekly Review |

Analysis

When analyzing any trade, I think there are three important aspects to consider, the market, the price, and the return. The biggest story as we approach the trade deadline this season has been the market. When looking at other blockbuster trades, teams have been paying exorbitant prices to “get their guy”. We have also seen that most trades aren’t just happening as an exchange of players for picks. This is because most teams are struggling to stay under the cap at the moment and have to move contracts to make room for the new players. So, with that market in mind, let's take a look at what each team got out of the deal.
 
Helsinki was the clear “buyer” here, acquiring a proven player coming off a solid sophomore season who seems to be experiencing a bit of a regression this season. However, the Titans have struggled offensively all season, so it is clear that they were in need of someone with the potential of Hiroshi Okada. I think the bigger question is what did Calgary get out of the deal? 
 
Calgary is among the frontrunners to be the cup favourite at the moment, so it is hard to imagine that they are selling off pieces to build for the future. Their time to win is now. In that light, my first thought about this trade was that it was a simple cap dump. Calgary has another trade lined up that was just waiting for the cap space to open up to close the deal. Then I saw that they retained more than a third of Okada’s salary, freeing up just $250,000 in cap space. Maybe that is all they needed, but that doesn’t seem likely. What about the player they received? Gary Tarantino might pan out as a solid bottom-six forward, but he has had an incredibly rough rookie season so far. But maybe the leadership in Calgary believes that it was just the fit in Helsinki that was holding Tarantino back. Finally, there is the pick. Early second round picks hold some amount of value, but late-seconds are risky. So which is it likely to be? Well, Helsinki is theoretically at the low point of their rebuild/retool and will be back on the upswing next season. Will they be cup favourites? Probably not, but a deep playoff run is certainly possible, which makes this pick rather risky.
 
So, considering the market, it seems like the Titans got a bargain, but there is one big question that will likely determine who this trade is remembered. How does Okada slot into the Helsinki roster? Currently a centre, Hiroshi would certainly find himself third in the depth chart at the position on the Titans. However, with a change to left-wing, he could find himself on the top line. Receiving passes from players like Ben Hafkey, Brian Strong, Erik Draven, or Kronos Bailey could make a big difference in returning Okada to his form from last season.

Get-to-Know the Players

Hiroshi Okada

After his first twenty-two games with the Ottawa Lynx, Hiroshi Okada looked like a big gamble even for a VHLM team. Because of that, he ended up falling to the third round, going 25th overall to the Philadelphia Reapers. That gamble paid off big time as he put up ninety-eight points in the following season. Now proven, he went 9th overall to the Calgary Wranglers who had very successful drafts in S69 and S70 with the likes of RJ Jubis, Kris Rice, and Mikko Lahtinen. Now a leader on a very young roster, Okada had a successful sophomore season with thirty-eight points. He now appears to be in a bit of a slump, but there is still great potential for this player.
 
Gary Tarantino

Long-time VHLMer, Gary Tarantino found great success, playing for two championship-winning teams. After a rough start with the San Diego Marlins, he was drafted by the Saskatoon Wild super team that won the S69 cup. The following season he was traded to the Minnesota Storm and helped lead them on their cup run as well. The only knock against Gary is that his development has been slow, but it has been consistent, so there is good potential for the future. He hasn’t seen a ton of ice time on the third line in his rookie season, so it will be exciting to watch the player he becomes as he gets more opportunities to prove himself.
 

 

Phil for Dustin Funk looks pretty good though

Phil for Dustin Funk looks pretty good though

Welcome to the third edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 133-216).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 

Recap
 
It has been a week of big trades around the league and one already seems to be paying off. After acquiring goalie Greg Eagles, the Riga Reign have shot up through the standings and now sit atop the European conference. This looked like a good move for the future, but it is paying off greatly already. On the other side, Vancouver also seems to have improved after receiving Finn Davison in return. It is not often that you see two teams who have a real chance of facing each other for the cup make a trade of this calibre.
 
In the North American Conference, Seattle has jumped up out of the pack to take the lead, but only by a point. In fact, the top four spots are each separated by just one point each. Calgary leads the league in goals for and Vancouver leads the conference in goals against, so it is impossible to make an airtight case for any of these top four teams as the best in the group. Regardless, one thing we know for sure is that it is going to be a gauntlet to get out of the North American Conference this season.
 
In the European Conference, that span of three points separates the top three teams, but they have started to pull away from the bottom half. The Riga Reign now leads the conference, but Moscow and Prague are close behind them. Riga also has the second-fewest goals allowed in the league, beat only by the Helsinki Titans who are narrowly hanging on to the fourth playoff spot at the moment. The biggest shock of the season might be the struggles of Malmo. It will be interesting to watch and see if they can turn it around and reclaim a playoff spot.

3-Stars
 
First Star
Cinnamon Block (PRG) - 4 G, 15 A, 24 SB
Second Star
Ambrose Stark (SEA) - 11 G, 11 A
Third Star
Jacques Lafontaine (CGY) - .921 SV%, 2/57 GAA
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - They are clinging onto first in my power rankings, but just barely. Riga Reign - (+3) A huge surge in the standings this week. They look significantly better after their big trade. Prague Phantoms - (-1) They have been pretty consistent all season. They can still compete for first. Helsinki Titans - (-1) Currently holding forth by a tight margin. Will we see any moves to sure things up before the deadline? Malmo Nighthawks - (-1) Still a lot of potential, but their offence fell apart this week. HC Davos Dynamo - They’ve slowed the bleeding some, but it looks like too little too late.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - Ranking the top teams in this conference is near impossible, but they have been good throughout the season so far. Vancouver Wolves -  (+1) A little post-trade bump. I still think they are a serious contender. Seattle Bears - (+1) Another surging team. After a slow start, it took a lot for them to get here. D.C. Dragons - (-2) This was a disappointing week, but they are still within striking distance of the lead. Toronto Legion - (+1) They actually went on a good run this week, but it is going to be very hard to find room in the playoff picture. New York Americans - (-1) They were tied for last in the league at one point. They sold early, time to tank for the future.
User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - I’m interested to see if this drops at all this week  Prague Phantoms/HC Davos Dynamo -  (+2) Okay, I know they tied in votes, but one of these things is not like the other. Helsinki Titans - Holding on, just like in the standings. Malmo Nighthawks - (-2) Public favour turned against them before the standings did. You called it. Riga Reign - Really? This is just cruel.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - (+1) They continue to make the case for cup favourites. D.C. Dragons - (+1) Trading away Frostbeard? Really? Seattle Bears - (+2) Could they make it to first this week?  New York Americans - (+1) After the recent trade, this is now the greatest team in the league. Vancouver Wolves / Toronto Legion - (-4/-1) I’m not sure what Vancouver is doing here.   
Notable Games
 
Game 140 - D.C. Dragons vs. Vancouver Wolves
Finn Davison has gotten off to a great start with his new team, but this was actually one of his lesser games this week. Instead, the wolves turned to their consistent safety valve, Julius Freeman, who scored two goals and an assist on the night. The Dragons managed to tie the game up late, with two goals in the third period, but they got swept out of the shootout after just two rounds. Mikko Aaltonen also had a three-point game with a goal and two assists. This included an assist on the tying goal with less than two minutes to go by John Frostbeard, in one of his last games with D.C.
 
Game 157 - Seattle Bears vs. Calgary Wranglers  
We didn’t know it at the time, but this game would end up deciding who leads the conference at the end of the week. It will be a very exciting series if we get this matchup in the playoffs because these teams have very different compositions. Seattle’s star-studded roster is very similar to the one that won those back to back cups just a couple seasons ago. Meanwhile, Calgary has some of the most exciting young talents in the league without having a clear superstar. Seattle edged them out in this one, but I am eagerly looking forward to the rematch.
 
Game 193 - Riga Reign vs. D.C. Dragons
These two teams were on opposite trajectories this week. As Riga rocketed up the standings, D.C. slowly got passed by teams in their conference until they were holding onto the last playoff spot. Riga started the week outside of playoff qualification, but after a rather surprising trade for possibly the hottest goalie in the league, they began to dominate teams left and right. Domination isn’t what happened in this game, but Eagles definitely played a large role in keeping them in it, making thirty saves on the night. It wasn't until the second half of the third period that Riga would score a power-play goal to put them back in the lead, a lead they would manage to hold to the end.
 
Events of the Week
 
Fights
 
Game 137 - Stark draws with Gritty
This fight was impactful in a different kind of way. Going into the final minutes of the third period tied 2-2, Ambrose Stark looked to spark something in his team and propel them to victory by dropping gloves with Gritty. However, that didn’t work out so well as Stark was ejected for instigation and the Bears went on to lose in overtime, where they certainly could have used their top scorer.
Game 148 - Telker draws with Frobe
It was a quiet first period with just a single goal scored by the Phantoms. However, after a fight between a couple of bottom-sixers, the game exploded. Nate Telker got called for instigation and drew an ejection as he went after Gert B Frobe. This was in retaliation for a pretty dirty trip committed by Frobe a few minutes earlier. But once their fight was over, the scoring was blown wide open with six goals in the next sixteen minutes.
Game 164 - BRAWL!
In the final minute of a scoreless second period that would drag on into a scoreless third, we got a flash of excitement. John Madden and Lewis Dawson fought to a draw and Lewis Dawson was ejected for instigating this whole mess. Milos Slavik took the opportunity to beat up Nate Wright and several players game in a sword fighting match with their sticks. Walter Clements, Pierre Persson, Aleksander Rodriguez, Jerry Garcia, and Fernando Jokinen each got either slashing or high-sticking calls for the reckless swinging.
Game 196 - Nygren draws with Nolan
How do you know there is a beef between two players? One way to tell is when they get into a fight just nine seconds into a game. Despite never playing in the same conference, let alone for rivals, something has been brewing between Lucas Nygren and Owen Nolan that just couldn’t wait. Although the fight had no clear winner, Nolan clearly won the night, scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout.
 
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 139 - Thomas Landry II
This is several levels of impressive and might go down as one of the top highlights of the season. First, a hat-trick is always a major feat, even more so from a rookie. It takes it to a whole other level when you consider the scoring drought we saw from rookies last year. Then, to cap it all off, Thomas Landry II went a step above and made it a four-goal game as well. He could have stopped at just his second and still won the game, but he was hungry this game and there was nothing the Titans could do to deny him.
Game 153 - Zeno Miniti
Coming into this season, Zeno Miniti’s career had been on an unfortunate trajectory. After an impressive showing as a rookie, Zeno’s scoring has declined every season since. However, he seems to have entered some sort of renaissance and this hat-trick is the icing on the cake. For the first three-quarters of the game Zeno was the only thing keeping Toronto in it, matching Davos’ three goals with three of his own. Finally, after he had finished his hat-trick, the rest of the legion stepped up to seal the victory.
Game 155 - Brian Strong
Brian Strong had some huge shoes to fill this season, and so far he has done an excellent job. After several key retirements on Helsinki’s roster, it is now Strong’s turn to lead the team in scoring. Getting one goal in each period, it was the same small cast of actors terrorizing the Nighthawks all game. Guillaume Fontenette had assists on each of Strong’s goals and Cody Smith contributed to two of them. This is the type of scoring Helsinki needs right now.
Game 182 - Jet Jaguar
Maybe we are finally out of the league-wide scoring drought with our fourth hat-trick of the week. Jet Jaguar showed that he still has the ability to put his team on his back and carry them to victory, scoring all three of Moscow’s goals against Helsinki. Rookie, Kyle Anderson, tried to get the Titans back in it with two goals of his own, his first of the season, in the third period, but it was too little too late.
Game 189 - Joel Ylonen
This was a rough one for the Phantoms, despite being their second hat-trick of the week. Joel Ylonen scored his entire hat-trick in the first period and Prague left the period down 5-3. They would end up down 7-3, less than three minutes into the third, causing them to swap goalies. Despite a valiant effort, they were only able to draw within one, leaving the comeback incomplete.
Game 200 - Kris Rice
Leading the amazing run the Calgary Wranglers have been on is their unbelievable young talent. Kris Rice is second in scoring on the Wrangler’s roster and just behind a point per game pace. That might be the most interesting thing about Calgary, the way they spread the scoring around. However, in this one, it was all Rice. Scoring four of their five goals to lead them to a win over their rival Americans, Rice completes his first hat-trick of the season.
Game 215 - Ryan Busser
Riga has been seeing the top-level play from unexpected places all week, and this game it came in the form of Ryan Busser. I don’t want to disparage Busser’s earlier play in any way, but he has taken a huge step forward this season and it is good to see him get rewarded with this hat-trick.
 
Shutouts

Game 143 - Calgary vs. H.C. Davos
The offence isn’t Davos’s thing this season, but this was a new low. Facing the Wrangler’s sophomore goalkeeper, Jacques Lafontaine, the Dynamo only managed six shots all game. At the very least, they managed to avoid getting held to zero shots in any period, but that is a very very small victory. This was just ugly.
Game 155 - Malmo vs. Helsinki
Two of the hottest goalies in the league going into this week, Virgil Ligriv got the better of this matchup. Getting some assistance from the strong offensive play of Brian Strong and company, Helsinki dominated possession and only allowed fifteen shots from Malmo. With that, Ligriv records his third shutout of the season.
Game 191 - Malmo vs. Seattle
While the majority of the league seems to have figured out at least some of their scoring issues, Malmo continues to struggle offensively. Rayz Funk has faced a lot of shots this season, so I am sure he was thankful for this seventeen shot reprieve and his first shutout of the season.
Game 197 - Davos vs. Prague
The Dynamo had a better performance in this one, forcing Solomon Crawford to make nineteen saves, but that wasn’t enough to get one past him. By the end, the Phantoms were in absolute control, holding Davos to just a single shot in the third period. It has been a hard week for the lower half of the European conference.
Game 198 - Seattle vs. Vancouver
Seattle continued their rise up through the standing this week, but someone forgot to tell Finn Davison and the Vancouver Wolves. Davison seems to be adjusting well to his new team with an amazing twenty-nine saves to capture his third shutout of the season. It will be hard to compete with Riga’s post-trade success, but Finn is certainly keeping the conversation going about who won this trade.
Game 201 - Malmo vs. H.C. Davos
It has been a rough week for both of these teams, but one of them had to win this game. They actually both managed reasonable offences, despite struggling in that regard all week. Samuel Ross stopped twenty shots in this 3-0 game to earn his second shutout of the season.
Game 204 - Vancouver vs. Moscow
Moscow had plenty of opportunities in this game, but Finn Davison was outstanding. Davison is meshing very well with his new team and shutting out the reigning champs should prove to everyone that Vancouver got exactly what they wanted from this trade.
Game 206 - New York vs. Helsinki
Another matchup between two teams that struggled this week, New York looked stronger defensively than they have all season. After two quick powerplay goals in the second, this game was in the bag and A Red Guy had his first shutout of the season.

Rookie Spotlight
Kyl Oferson 

Probably the most explosive rookie to enter the league this season, Kyl Oferson started his career with the Mississauga Hounds. However, it was after being drafted by the San Diego Marlins that his explosive playstyle took off. Scoring one-hundred and fifty-three points and carrying an absurd +126, it was no surprise that he went first overall to the Riga Reign.
 
It has taken some time for Oferson to adjust to the speed of the VHL, but he seems to have gotten it all figured out at the right time. Riga was dominant all week, and Kyl played an important part in that. He is currently third in goals scored on the Reign roster and I wouldn’t be surprised if he climbed even higher.
 
There was some question as to whether Riga would be heading into a rebuild in the next couple seasons, but with top-notch talent like this, it seems like they have pushed that further into the future. It has to be fun to play for a real contender as a rookie, but it is likely even better when you are playing a significant role in getting them to that point.
 
 

Here's the full message:

 
 
---
 
If you'd like further context, there have been a handful of discussions that have happened - I've stayed out of them for the most part and let the BOD handle them, or the people that Beketov has reached out to. With that being said, we've gone in circles for a few months, like Beketov said, and I never saw anything that warranted a serious revisit of our decision. So I decided to save everyone the time. 
 
Let's be honest - there is no partnership here, and there wasn't before. We weren't working together - we were just giving people credit for being on the other site. I championed the partnership to begin with in the hopes of building something bigger than all of our individual leagues, a true community and not just a collection of separate parts. We're focusing on actual partnerships that benefit both sides. 
 
The VHL made a lot of good decisions in the aftermath of the split and I commend them for that. But, Beketov is being a bit disingenuous to say that we didn't come to actually discuss the situation. We were clear about the things we saw as issues and were repeatedly told that identifying them meant we weren't willing to negotiate. Well, that's just not true. We just thought, given the situation, that people shouldn't be going around the VHL's own code of conduct and continuing to make a mockery of the entire situation. 
 
In fact, I sent this message as a direct response to a message we received from Beketov, in which he expressed a similar sentiment. Specifically, he said "I think it might just be time to accept our differences and say we’ll revisit this far down the line but right now it just doesn’t seem likely. I don’t like it but I can’t keep knocking just to have a door slammed in my face and I don’t think it’s reasonable to assume everyone is gonna play nicely when they are constantly told it’s not enough and isn’t going to be." For context: a couple of SBA admins had identified a number of members (including VHL admins) continuing to mock the SBA and our position around the use of slurs as problems we wanted to resolve before resuming any sort of affiliation. As I understand it, Bek asked to be notified of instances when this occurred.
 
SBA admins pointed out these instances and received the above response (original is much longer), which essentially told us that doing what he had asked meant we'd clearly never change our decision (again, not true). Given that this type of "discussion" has been going on for months, I agreed that it wasn't worth either side's time. We felt like the VHL shouldn't have administration publicly shitting on a potential partner, Beketov thought that was unreasonable to ask. That's why we are where we are.
 
I'm not here to admire my handy work @Beketov, just providing some context for those curious. As a member with a HoF player, a spectacular run as GM (a three-peat, the first and only of it's kind) and long-time relationships with a lot of the members here (some of which aren't even in the SBA), my goal was never to sever this relationship for some personal issues. I'd have thought better of those of you who seem to believe that. I've built and ran leagues with @Doomsday and you Bek. I got my start in leagues with @Advantage. I guess your opinion of me is much lower than mine was of you. I'm sorry to hear that. 

Welcome to the third edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 133-216).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 

Recap
 
It has been a week of big trades around the league and one already seems to be paying off. After acquiring goalie Greg Eagles, the Riga Reign have shot up through the standings and now sit atop the European conference. This looked like a good move for the future, but it is paying off greatly already. On the other side, Vancouver also seems to have improved after receiving Finn Davison in return. It is not often that you see two teams who have a real chance of facing each other for the cup make a trade of this calibre.
 
In the North American Conference, Seattle has jumped up out of the pack to take the lead, but only by a point. In fact, the top four spots are each separated by just one point each. Calgary leads the league in goals for and Vancouver leads the conference in goals against, so it is impossible to make an airtight case for any of these top four teams as the best in the group. Regardless, one thing we know for sure is that it is going to be a gauntlet to get out of the North American Conference this season.
 
In the European Conference, that span of three points separates the top three teams, but they have started to pull away from the bottom half. The Riga Reign now leads the conference, but Moscow and Prague are close behind them. Riga also has the second-fewest goals allowed in the league, beat only by the Helsinki Titans who are narrowly hanging on to the fourth playoff spot at the moment. The biggest shock of the season might be the struggles of Malmo. It will be interesting to watch and see if they can turn it around and reclaim a playoff spot.

3-Stars
 
First Star
Cinnamon Block (PRG) - 4 G, 15 A, 24 SB
Second Star
Ambrose Stark (SEA) - 11 G, 11 A
Third Star
Jacques Lafontaine (CGY) - .921 SV%, 2/57 GAA
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - They are clinging onto first in my power rankings, but just barely. Riga Reign - (+3) A huge surge in the standings this week. They look significantly better after their big trade. Prague Phantoms - (-1) They have been pretty consistent all season. They can still compete for first. Helsinki Titans - (-1) Currently holding forth by a tight margin. Will we see any moves to sure things up before the deadline? Malmo Nighthawks - (-1) Still a lot of potential, but their offence fell apart this week. HC Davos Dynamo - They’ve slowed the bleeding some, but it looks like too little too late.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - Ranking the top teams in this conference is near impossible, but they have been good throughout the season so far. Vancouver Wolves -  (+1) A little post-trade bump. I still think they are a serious contender. Seattle Bears - (+1) Another surging team. After a slow start, it took a lot for them to get here. D.C. Dragons - (-2) This was a disappointing week, but they are still within striking distance of the lead. Toronto Legion - (+1) They actually went on a good run this week, but it is going to be very hard to find room in the playoff picture. New York Americans - (-1) They were tied for last in the league at one point. They sold early, time to tank for the future.
User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - I’m interested to see if this drops at all this week  Prague Phantoms/HC Davos Dynamo -  (+2) Okay, I know they tied in votes, but one of these things is not like the other. Helsinki Titans - Holding on, just like in the standings. Malmo Nighthawks - (-2) Public favour turned against them before the standings did. You called it. Riga Reign - Really? This is just cruel.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - (+1) They continue to make the case for cup favourites. D.C. Dragons - (+1) Trading away Frostbeard? Really? Seattle Bears - (+2) Could they make it to first this week?  New York Americans - (+1) After the recent trade, this is now the greatest team in the league. Vancouver Wolves / Toronto Legion - (-4/-1) I’m not sure what Vancouver is doing here.   
Notable Games
 
Game 140 - D.C. Dragons vs. Vancouver Wolves
Finn Davison has gotten off to a great start with his new team, but this was actually one of his lesser games this week. Instead, the wolves turned to their consistent safety valve, Julius Freeman, who scored two goals and an assist on the night. The Dragons managed to tie the game up late, with two goals in the third period, but they got swept out of the shootout after just two rounds. Mikko Aaltonen also had a three-point game with a goal and two assists. This included an assist on the tying goal with less than two minutes to go by John Frostbeard, in one of his last games with D.C.
 
Game 157 - Seattle Bears vs. Calgary Wranglers  
We didn’t know it at the time, but this game would end up deciding who leads the conference at the end of the week. It will be a very exciting series if we get this matchup in the playoffs because these teams have very different compositions. Seattle’s star-studded roster is very similar to the one that won those back to back cups just a couple seasons ago. Meanwhile, Calgary has some of the most exciting young talents in the league without having a clear superstar. Seattle edged them out in this one, but I am eagerly looking forward to the rematch.
 
Game 193 - Riga Reign vs. D.C. Dragons
These two teams were on opposite trajectories this week. As Riga rocketed up the standings, D.C. slowly got passed by teams in their conference until they were holding onto the last playoff spot. Riga started the week outside of playoff qualification, but after a rather surprising trade for possibly the hottest goalie in the league, they began to dominate teams left and right. Domination isn’t what happened in this game, but Eagles definitely played a large role in keeping them in it, making thirty saves on the night. It wasn't until the second half of the third period that Riga would score a power-play goal to put them back in the lead, a lead they would manage to hold to the end.
 
Events of the Week
 
Fights
 
Game 137 - Stark draws with Gritty
This fight was impactful in a different kind of way. Going into the final minutes of the third period tied 2-2, Ambrose Stark looked to spark something in his team and propel them to victory by dropping gloves with Gritty. However, that didn’t work out so well as Stark was ejected for instigation and the Bears went on to lose in overtime, where they certainly could have used their top scorer.
Game 148 - Telker draws with Frobe
It was a quiet first period with just a single goal scored by the Phantoms. However, after a fight between a couple of bottom-sixers, the game exploded. Nate Telker got called for instigation and drew an ejection as he went after Gert B Frobe. This was in retaliation for a pretty dirty trip committed by Frobe a few minutes earlier. But once their fight was over, the scoring was blown wide open with six goals in the next sixteen minutes.
Game 164 - BRAWL!
In the final minute of a scoreless second period that would drag on into a scoreless third, we got a flash of excitement. John Madden and Lewis Dawson fought to a draw and Lewis Dawson was ejected for instigating this whole mess. Milos Slavik took the opportunity to beat up Nate Wright and several players game in a sword fighting match with their sticks. Walter Clements, Pierre Persson, Aleksander Rodriguez, Jerry Garcia, and Fernando Jokinen each got either slashing or high-sticking calls for the reckless swinging.
Game 196 - Nygren draws with Nolan
How do you know there is a beef between two players? One way to tell is when they get into a fight just nine seconds into a game. Despite never playing in the same conference, let alone for rivals, something has been brewing between Lucas Nygren and Owen Nolan that just couldn’t wait. Although the fight had no clear winner, Nolan clearly won the night, scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout.
 
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 139 - Thomas Landry II
This is several levels of impressive and might go down as one of the top highlights of the season. First, a hat-trick is always a major feat, even more so from a rookie. It takes it to a whole other level when you consider the scoring drought we saw from rookies last year. Then, to cap it all off, Thomas Landry II went a step above and made it a four-goal game as well. He could have stopped at just his second and still won the game, but he was hungry this game and there was nothing the Titans could do to deny him.
Game 153 - Zeno Miniti
Coming into this season, Zeno Miniti’s career had been on an unfortunate trajectory. After an impressive showing as a rookie, Zeno’s scoring has declined every season since. However, he seems to have entered some sort of renaissance and this hat-trick is the icing on the cake. For the first three-quarters of the game Zeno was the only thing keeping Toronto in it, matching Davos’ three goals with three of his own. Finally, after he had finished his hat-trick, the rest of the legion stepped up to seal the victory.
Game 155 - Brian Strong
Brian Strong had some huge shoes to fill this season, and so far he has done an excellent job. After several key retirements on Helsinki’s roster, it is now Strong’s turn to lead the team in scoring. Getting one goal in each period, it was the same small cast of actors terrorizing the Nighthawks all game. Guillaume Fontenette had assists on each of Strong’s goals and Cody Smith contributed to two of them. This is the type of scoring Helsinki needs right now.
Game 182 - Jet Jaguar
Maybe we are finally out of the league-wide scoring drought with our fourth hat-trick of the week. Jet Jaguar showed that he still has the ability to put his team on his back and carry them to victory, scoring all three of Moscow’s goals against Helsinki. Rookie, Kyle Anderson, tried to get the Titans back in it with two goals of his own, his first of the season, in the third period, but it was too little too late.
Game 189 - Joel Ylonen
This was a rough one for the Phantoms, despite being their second hat-trick of the week. Joel Ylonen scored his entire hat-trick in the first period and Prague left the period down 5-3. They would end up down 7-3, less than three minutes into the third, causing them to swap goalies. Despite a valiant effort, they were only able to draw within one, leaving the comeback incomplete.
Game 200 - Kris Rice
Leading the amazing run the Calgary Wranglers have been on is their unbelievable young talent. Kris Rice is second in scoring on the Wrangler’s roster and just behind a point per game pace. That might be the most interesting thing about Calgary, the way they spread the scoring around. However, in this one, it was all Rice. Scoring four of their five goals to lead them to a win over their rival Americans, Rice completes his first hat-trick of the season.
Game 215 - Ryan Busser
Riga has been seeing the top-level play from unexpected places all week, and this game it came in the form of Ryan Busser. I don’t want to disparage Busser’s earlier play in any way, but he has taken a huge step forward this season and it is good to see him get rewarded with this hat-trick.
 
Shutouts

Game 143 - Calgary vs. H.C. Davos
The offence isn’t Davos’s thing this season, but this was a new low. Facing the Wrangler’s sophomore goalkeeper, Jacques Lafontaine, the Dynamo only managed six shots all game. At the very least, they managed to avoid getting held to zero shots in any period, but that is a very very small victory. This was just ugly.
Game 155 - Malmo vs. Helsinki
Two of the hottest goalies in the league going into this week, Virgil Ligriv got the better of this matchup. Getting some assistance from the strong offensive play of Brian Strong and company, Helsinki dominated possession and only allowed fifteen shots from Malmo. With that, Ligriv records his third shutout of the season.
Game 191 - Malmo vs. Seattle
While the majority of the league seems to have figured out at least some of their scoring issues, Malmo continues to struggle offensively. Rayz Funk has faced a lot of shots this season, so I am sure he was thankful for this seventeen shot reprieve and his first shutout of the season.
Game 197 - Davos vs. Prague
The Dynamo had a better performance in this one, forcing Solomon Crawford to make nineteen saves, but that wasn’t enough to get one past him. By the end, the Phantoms were in absolute control, holding Davos to just a single shot in the third period. It has been a hard week for the lower half of the European conference.
Game 198 - Seattle vs. Vancouver
Seattle continued their rise up through the standing this week, but someone forgot to tell Finn Davison and the Vancouver Wolves. Davison seems to be adjusting well to his new team with an amazing twenty-nine saves to capture his third shutout of the season. It will be hard to compete with Riga’s post-trade success, but Finn is certainly keeping the conversation going about who won this trade.
Game 201 - Malmo vs. H.C. Davos
It has been a rough week for both of these teams, but one of them had to win this game. They actually both managed reasonable offences, despite struggling in that regard all week. Samuel Ross stopped twenty shots in this 3-0 game to earn his second shutout of the season.
Game 204 - Vancouver vs. Moscow
Moscow had plenty of opportunities in this game, but Finn Davison was outstanding. Davison is meshing very well with his new team and shutting out the reigning champs should prove to everyone that Vancouver got exactly what they wanted from this trade.
Game 206 - New York vs. Helsinki
Another matchup between two teams that struggled this week, New York looked stronger defensively than they have all season. After two quick powerplay goals in the second, this game was in the bag and A Red Guy had his first shutout of the season.

Rookie Spotlight
Kyl Oferson 

Probably the most explosive rookie to enter the league this season, Kyl Oferson started his career with the Mississauga Hounds. However, it was after being drafted by the San Diego Marlins that his explosive playstyle took off. Scoring one-hundred and fifty-three points and carrying an absurd +126, it was no surprise that he went first overall to the Riga Reign.
 
It has taken some time for Oferson to adjust to the speed of the VHL, but he seems to have gotten it all figured out at the right time. Riga was dominant all week, and Kyl played an important part in that. He is currently third in goals scored on the Reign roster and I wouldn’t be surprised if he climbed even higher.
 
There was some question as to whether Riga would be heading into a rebuild in the next couple seasons, but with top-notch talent like this, it seems like they have pushed that further into the future. It has to be fun to play for a real contender as a rookie, but it is likely even better when you are playing a significant role in getting them to that point.
 
 

Welcome to the third edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 133-216).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 

Recap
 
It has been a week of big trades around the league and one already seems to be paying off. After acquiring goalie Greg Eagles, the Riga Reign have shot up through the standings and now sit atop the European conference. This looked like a good move for the future, but it is paying off greatly already. On the other side, Vancouver also seems to have improved after receiving Finn Davison in return. It is not often that you see two teams who have a real chance of facing each other for the cup make a trade of this calibre.
 
In the North American Conference, Seattle has jumped up out of the pack to take the lead, but only by a point. In fact, the top four spots are each separated by just one point each. Calgary leads the league in goals for and Vancouver leads the conference in goals against, so it is impossible to make an airtight case for any of these top four teams as the best in the group. Regardless, one thing we know for sure is that it is going to be a gauntlet to get out of the North American Conference this season.
 
In the European Conference, that span of three points separates the top three teams, but they have started to pull away from the bottom half. The Riga Reign now leads the conference, but Moscow and Prague are close behind them. Riga also has the second-fewest goals allowed in the league, beat only by the Helsinki Titans who are narrowly hanging on to the fourth playoff spot at the moment. The biggest shock of the season might be the struggles of Malmo. It will be interesting to watch and see if they can turn it around and reclaim a playoff spot.

3-Stars
 
First Star
Cinnamon Block (PRG) - 4 G, 15 A, 24 SB
Second Star
Ambrose Stark (SEA) - 11 G, 11 A
Third Star
Jacques Lafontaine (CGY) - .921 SV%, 2/57 GAA
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - They are clinging onto first in my power rankings, but just barely. Riga Reign - (+3) A huge surge in the standings this week. They look significantly better after their big trade. Prague Phantoms - (-1) They have been pretty consistent all season. They can still compete for first. Helsinki Titans - (-1) Currently holding forth by a tight margin. Will we see any moves to sure things up before the deadline? Malmo Nighthawks - (-1) Still a lot of potential, but their offence fell apart this week. HC Davos Dynamo - They’ve slowed the bleeding some, but it looks like too little too late.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - Ranking the top teams in this conference is near impossible, but they have been good throughout the season so far. Vancouver Wolves -  (+1) A little post-trade bump. I still think they are a serious contender. Seattle Bears - (+1) Another surging team. After a slow start, it took a lot for them to get here. D.C. Dragons - (-2) This was a disappointing week, but they are still within striking distance of the lead. Toronto Legion - (+1) They actually went on a good run this week, but it is going to be very hard to find room in the playoff picture. New York Americans - (-1) They were tied for last in the league at one point. They sold early, time to tank for the future.
User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - I’m interested to see if this drops at all this week  Prague Phantoms/HC Davos Dynamo -  (+2) Okay, I know they tied in votes, but one of these things is not like the other. Helsinki Titans - Holding on, just like in the standings. Malmo Nighthawks - (-2) Public favour turned against them before the standings did. You called it. Riga Reign - Really? This is just cruel.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - (+1) They continue to make the case for cup favourites. D.C. Dragons - (+1) Trading away Frostbeard? Really? Seattle Bears - (+2) Could they make it to first this week?  New York Americans - (+1) After the recent trade, this is now the greatest team in the league. Vancouver Wolves / Toronto Legion - (-4/-1) I’m not sure what Vancouver is doing here.   
Notable Games
 
Game 140 - D.C. Dragons vs. Vancouver Wolves
Finn Davison has gotten off to a great start with his new team, but this was actually one of his lesser games this week. Instead, the wolves turned to their consistent safety valve, Julius Freeman, who scored two goals and an assist on the night. The Dragons managed to tie the game up late, with two goals in the third period, but they got swept out of the shootout after just two rounds. Mikko Aaltonen also had a three-point game with a goal and two assists. This included an assist on the tying goal with less than two minutes to go by John Frostbeard, in one of his last games with D.C.
 
Game 157 - Seattle Bears vs. Calgary Wranglers  
We didn’t know it at the time, but this game would end up deciding who leads the conference at the end of the week. It will be a very exciting series if we get this matchup in the playoffs because these teams have very different compositions. Seattle’s star-studded roster is very similar to the one that won those back to back cups just a couple seasons ago. Meanwhile, Calgary has some of the most exciting young talents in the league without having a clear superstar. Seattle edged them out in this one, but I am eagerly looking forward to the rematch.
 
Game 193 - Riga Reign vs. D.C. Dragons
These two teams were on opposite trajectories this week. As Riga rocketed up the standings, D.C. slowly got passed by teams in their conference until they were holding onto the last playoff spot. Riga started the week outside of playoff qualification, but after a rather surprising trade for possibly the hottest goalie in the league, they began to dominate teams left and right. Domination isn’t what happened in this game, but Eagles definitely played a large role in keeping them in it, making thirty saves on the night. It wasn't until the second half of the third period that Riga would score a power-play goal to put them back in the lead, a lead they would manage to hold to the end.
 
Events of the Week
 
Fights
 
Game 137 - Stark draws with Gritty
This fight was impactful in a different kind of way. Going into the final minutes of the third period tied 2-2, Ambrose Stark looked to spark something in his team and propel them to victory by dropping gloves with Gritty. However, that didn’t work out so well as Stark was ejected for instigation and the Bears went on to lose in overtime, where they certainly could have used their top scorer.
Game 148 - Telker draws with Frobe
It was a quiet first period with just a single goal scored by the Phantoms. However, after a fight between a couple of bottom-sixers, the game exploded. Nate Telker got called for instigation and drew an ejection as he went after Gert B Frobe. This was in retaliation for a pretty dirty trip committed by Frobe a few minutes earlier. But once their fight was over, the scoring was blown wide open with six goals in the next sixteen minutes.
Game 164 - BRAWL!
In the final minute of a scoreless second period that would drag on into a scoreless third, we got a flash of excitement. John Madden and Lewis Dawson fought to a draw and Lewis Dawson was ejected for instigating this whole mess. Milos Slavik took the opportunity to beat up Nate Wright and several players game in a sword fighting match with their sticks. Walter Clements, Pierre Persson, Aleksander Rodriguez, Jerry Garcia, and Fernando Jokinen each got either slashing or high-sticking calls for the reckless swinging.
Game 196 - Nygren draws with Nolan
How do you know there is a beef between two players? One way to tell is when they get into a fight just nine seconds into a game. Despite never playing in the same conference, let alone for rivals, something has been brewing between Lucas Nygren and Owen Nolan that just couldn’t wait. Although the fight had no clear winner, Nolan clearly won the night, scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout.
 
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 139 - Thomas Landry II
This is several levels of impressive and might go down as one of the top highlights of the season. First, a hat-trick is always a major feat, even more so from a rookie. It takes it to a whole other level when you consider the scoring drought we saw from rookies last year. Then, to cap it all off, Thomas Landry II went a step above and made it a four-goal game as well. He could have stopped at just his second and still won the game, but he was hungry this game and there was nothing the Titans could do to deny him.
Game 153 - Zeno Miniti
Coming into this season, Zeno Miniti’s career had been on an unfortunate trajectory. After an impressive showing as a rookie, Zeno’s scoring has declined every season since. However, he seems to have entered some sort of renaissance and this hat-trick is the icing on the cake. For the first three-quarters of the game Zeno was the only thing keeping Toronto in it, matching Davos’ three goals with three of his own. Finally, after he had finished his hat-trick, the rest of the legion stepped up to seal the victory.
Game 155 - Brian Strong
Brian Strong had some huge shoes to fill this season, and so far he has done an excellent job. After several key retirements on Helsinki’s roster, it is now Strong’s turn to lead the team in scoring. Getting one goal in each period, it was the same small cast of actors terrorizing the Nighthawks all game. Guillaume Fontenette had assists on each of Strong’s goals and Cody Smith contributed to two of them. This is the type of scoring Helsinki needs right now.
Game 182 - Jet Jaguar
Maybe we are finally out of the league-wide scoring drought with our fourth hat-trick of the week. Jet Jaguar showed that he still has the ability to put his team on his back and carry them to victory, scoring all three of Moscow’s goals against Helsinki. Rookie, Kyle Anderson, tried to get the Titans back in it with two goals of his own, his first of the season, in the third period, but it was too little too late.
Game 189 - Joel Ylonen
This was a rough one for the Phantoms, despite being their second hat-trick of the week. Joel Ylonen scored his entire hat-trick in the first period and Prague left the period down 5-3. They would end up down 7-3, less than three minutes into the third, causing them to swap goalies. Despite a valiant effort, they were only able to draw within one, leaving the comeback incomplete.
Game 200 - Kris Rice
Leading the amazing run the Calgary Wranglers have been on is their unbelievable young talent. Kris Rice is second in scoring on the Wrangler’s roster and just behind a point per game pace. That might be the most interesting thing about Calgary, the way they spread the scoring around. However, in this one, it was all Rice. Scoring four of their five goals to lead them to a win over their rival Americans, Rice completes his first hat-trick of the season.
Game 215 - Ryan Busser
Riga has been seeing the top-level play from unexpected places all week, and this game it came in the form of Ryan Busser. I don’t want to disparage Busser’s earlier play in any way, but he has taken a huge step forward this season and it is good to see him get rewarded with this hat-trick.
 
Shutouts

Game 143 - Calgary vs. H.C. Davos
The offence isn’t Davos’s thing this season, but this was a new low. Facing the Wrangler’s sophomore goalkeeper, Jacques Lafontaine, the Dynamo only managed six shots all game. At the very least, they managed to avoid getting held to zero shots in any period, but that is a very very small victory. This was just ugly.
Game 155 - Malmo vs. Helsinki
Two of the hottest goalies in the league going into this week, Virgil Ligriv got the better of this matchup. Getting some assistance from the strong offensive play of Brian Strong and company, Helsinki dominated possession and only allowed fifteen shots from Malmo. With that, Ligriv records his third shutout of the season.
Game 191 - Malmo vs. Seattle
While the majority of the league seems to have figured out at least some of their scoring issues, Malmo continues to struggle offensively. Rayz Funk has faced a lot of shots this season, so I am sure he was thankful for this seventeen shot reprieve and his first shutout of the season.
Game 197 - Davos vs. Prague
The Dynamo had a better performance in this one, forcing Solomon Crawford to make nineteen saves, but that wasn’t enough to get one past him. By the end, the Phantoms were in absolute control, holding Davos to just a single shot in the third period. It has been a hard week for the lower half of the European conference.
Game 198 - Seattle vs. Vancouver
Seattle continued their rise up through the standing this week, but someone forgot to tell Finn Davison and the Vancouver Wolves. Davison seems to be adjusting well to his new team with an amazing twenty-nine saves to capture his third shutout of the season. It will be hard to compete with Riga’s post-trade success, but Finn is certainly keeping the conversation going about who won this trade.
Game 201 - Malmo vs. H.C. Davos
It has been a rough week for both of these teams, but one of them had to win this game. They actually both managed reasonable offences, despite struggling in that regard all week. Samuel Ross stopped twenty shots in this 3-0 game to earn his second shutout of the season.
Game 204 - Vancouver vs. Moscow
Moscow had plenty of opportunities in this game, but Finn Davison was outstanding. Davison is meshing very well with his new team and shutting out the reigning champs should prove to everyone that Vancouver got exactly what they wanted from this trade.
Game 206 - New York vs. Helsinki
Another matchup between two teams that struggled this week, New York looked stronger defensively than they have all season. After two quick powerplay goals in the second, this game was in the bag and A Red Guy had his first shutout of the season.

Rookie Spotlight
Kyl Oferson 

Probably the most explosive rookie to enter the league this season, Kyl Oferson started his career with the Mississauga Hounds. However, it was after being drafted by the San Diego Marlins that his explosive playstyle took off. Scoring one-hundred and fifty-three points and carrying an absurd +126, it was no surprise that he went first overall to the Riga Reign.
 
It has taken some time for Oferson to adjust to the speed of the VHL, but he seems to have gotten it all figured out at the right time. Riga was dominant all week, and Kyl played an important part in that. He is currently third in goals scored on the Reign roster and I wouldn’t be surprised if he climbed even higher.
 
There was some question as to whether Riga would be heading into a rebuild in the next couple seasons, but with top-notch talent like this, it seems like they have pushed that further into the future. It has to be fun to play for a real contender as a rookie, but it is likely even better when you are playing a significant role in getting them to that point.
 
 

Welcome to the third edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 133-216).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 

Recap
 
It has been a week of big trades around the league and one already seems to be paying off. After acquiring goalie Greg Eagles, the Riga Reign have shot up through the standings and now sit atop the European conference. This looked like a good move for the future, but it is paying off greatly already. On the other side, Vancouver also seems to have improved after receiving Finn Davison in return. It is not often that you see two teams who have a real chance of facing each other for the cup make a trade of this calibre.
 
In the North American Conference, Seattle has jumped up out of the pack to take the lead, but only by a point. In fact, the top four spots are each separated by just one point each. Calgary leads the league in goals for and Vancouver leads the conference in goals against, so it is impossible to make an airtight case for any of these top four teams as the best in the group. Regardless, one thing we know for sure is that it is going to be a gauntlet to get out of the North American Conference this season.
 
In the European Conference, that span of three points separates the top three teams, but they have started to pull away from the bottom half. The Riga Reign now leads the conference, but Moscow and Prague are close behind them. Riga also has the second-fewest goals allowed in the league, beat only by the Helsinki Titans who are narrowly hanging on to the fourth playoff spot at the moment. The biggest shock of the season might be the struggles of Malmo. It will be interesting to watch and see if they can turn it around and reclaim a playoff spot.

3-Stars
 
First Star
Cinnamon Block (PRG) - 4 G, 15 A, 24 SB
Second Star
Ambrose Stark (SEA) - 11 G, 11 A
Third Star
Jacques Lafontaine (CGY) - .921 SV%, 2/57 GAA
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - They are clinging onto first in my power rankings, but just barely. Riga Reign - (+3) A huge surge in the standings this week. They look significantly better after their big trade. Prague Phantoms - (-1) They have been pretty consistent all season. They can still compete for first. Helsinki Titans - (-1) Currently holding forth by a tight margin. Will we see any moves to sure things up before the deadline? Malmo Nighthawks - (-1) Still a lot of potential, but their offence fell apart this week. HC Davos Dynamo - They’ve slowed the bleeding some, but it looks like too little too late.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - Ranking the top teams in this conference is near impossible, but they have been good throughout the season so far. Vancouver Wolves -  (+1) A little post-trade bump. I still think they are a serious contender. Seattle Bears - (+1) Another surging team. After a slow start, it took a lot for them to get here. D.C. Dragons - (-2) This was a disappointing week, but they are still within striking distance of the lead. Toronto Legion - (+1) They actually went on a good run this week, but it is going to be very hard to find room in the playoff picture. New York Americans - (-1) They were tied for last in the league at one point. They sold early, time to tank for the future.
User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - I’m interested to see if this drops at all this week  Prague Phantoms/HC Davos Dynamo -  (+2) Okay, I know they tied in votes, but one of these things is not like the other. Helsinki Titans - Holding on, just like in the standings. Malmo Nighthawks - (-2) Public favour turned against them before the standings did. You called it. Riga Reign - Really? This is just cruel.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - (+1) They continue to make the case for cup favourites. D.C. Dragons - (+1) Trading away Frostbeard? Really? Seattle Bears - (+2) Could they make it to first this week?  New York Americans - (+1) After the recent trade, this is now the greatest team in the league. Vancouver Wolves / Toronto Legion - (-4/-1) I’m not sure what Vancouver is doing here.   
Notable Games
 
Game 140 - D.C. Dragons vs. Vancouver Wolves
Finn Davison has gotten off to a great start with his new team, but this was actually one of his lesser games this week. Instead, the wolves turned to their consistent safety valve, Julius Freeman, who scored two goals and an assist on the night. The Dragons managed to tie the game up late, with two goals in the third period, but they got swept out of the shootout after just two rounds. Mikko Aaltonen also had a three-point game with a goal and two assists. This included an assist on the tying goal with less than two minutes to go by John Frostbeard, in one of his last games with D.C.
 
Game 157 - Seattle Bears vs. Calgary Wranglers  
We didn’t know it at the time, but this game would end up deciding who leads the conference at the end of the week. It will be a very exciting series if we get this matchup in the playoffs because these teams have very different compositions. Seattle’s star-studded roster is very similar to the one that won those back to back cups just a couple seasons ago. Meanwhile, Calgary has some of the most exciting young talents in the league without having a clear superstar. Seattle edged them out in this one, but I am eagerly looking forward to the rematch.
 
Game 193 - Riga Reign vs. D.C. Dragons
These two teams were on opposite trajectories this week. As Riga rocketed up the standings, D.C. slowly got passed by teams in their conference until they were holding onto the last playoff spot. Riga started the week outside of playoff qualification, but after a rather surprising trade for possibly the hottest goalie in the league, they began to dominate teams left and right. Domination isn’t what happened in this game, but Eagles definitely played a large role in keeping them in it, making thirty saves on the night. It wasn't until the second half of the third period that Riga would score a power-play goal to put them back in the lead, a lead they would manage to hold to the end.
 
Events of the Week
 
Fights
 
Game 137 - Stark draws with Gritty
This fight was impactful in a different kind of way. Going into the final minutes of the third period tied 2-2, Ambrose Stark looked to spark something in his team and propel them to victory by dropping gloves with Gritty. However, that didn’t work out so well as Stark was ejected for instigation and the Bears went on to lose in overtime, where they certainly could have used their top scorer.
Game 148 - Telker draws with Frobe
It was a quiet first period with just a single goal scored by the Phantoms. However, after a fight between a couple of bottom-sixers, the game exploded. Nate Telker got called for instigation and drew an ejection as he went after Gert B Frobe. This was in retaliation for a pretty dirty trip committed by Frobe a few minutes earlier. But once their fight was over, the scoring was blown wide open with six goals in the next sixteen minutes.
Game 164 - BRAWL!
In the final minute of a scoreless second period that would drag on into a scoreless third, we got a flash of excitement. John Madden and Lewis Dawson fought to a draw and Lewis Dawson was ejected for instigating this whole mess. Milos Slavik took the opportunity to beat up Nate Wright and several players game in a sword fighting match with their sticks. Walter Clements, Pierre Persson, Aleksander Rodriguez, Jerry Garcia, and Fernando Jokinen each got either slashing or high-sticking calls for the reckless swinging.
Game 196 - Nygren draws with Nolan
How do you know there is a beef between two players? One way to tell is when they get into a fight just nine seconds into a game. Despite never playing in the same conference, let alone for rivals, something has been brewing between Lucas Nygren and Owen Nolan that just couldn’t wait. Although the fight had no clear winner, Nolan clearly won the night, scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout.
 
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 139 - Thomas Landry II
This is several levels of impressive and might go down as one of the top highlights of the season. First, a hat-trick is always a major feat, even more so from a rookie. It takes it to a whole other level when you consider the scoring drought we saw from rookies last year. Then, to cap it all off, Thomas Landry II went a step above and made it a four-goal game as well. He could have stopped at just his second and still won the game, but he was hungry this game and there was nothing the Titans could do to deny him.
Game 153 - Zeno Miniti
Coming into this season, Zeno Miniti’s career had been on an unfortunate trajectory. After an impressive showing as a rookie, Zeno’s scoring has declined every season since. However, he seems to have entered some sort of renaissance and this hat-trick is the icing on the cake. For the first three-quarters of the game Zeno was the only thing keeping Toronto in it, matching Davos’ three goals with three of his own. Finally, after he had finished his hat-trick, the rest of the legion stepped up to seal the victory.
Game 155 - Brian Strong
Brian Strong had some huge shoes to fill this season, and so far he has done an excellent job. After several key retirements on Helsinki’s roster, it is now Strong’s turn to lead the team in scoring. Getting one goal in each period, it was the same small cast of actors terrorizing the Nighthawks all game. Guillaume Fontenette had assists on each of Strong’s goals and Cody Smith contributed to two of them. This is the type of scoring Helsinki needs right now.
Game 182 - Jet Jaguar
Maybe we are finally out of the league-wide scoring drought with our fourth hat-trick of the week. Jet Jaguar showed that he still has the ability to put his team on his back and carry them to victory, scoring all three of Moscow’s goals against Helsinki. Rookie, Kyle Anderson, tried to get the Titans back in it with two goals of his own, his first of the season, in the third period, but it was too little too late.
Game 189 - Joel Ylonen
This was a rough one for the Phantoms, despite being their second hat-trick of the week. Joel Ylonen scored his entire hat-trick in the first period and Prague left the period down 5-3. They would end up down 7-3, less than three minutes into the third, causing them to swap goalies. Despite a valiant effort, they were only able to draw within one, leaving the comeback incomplete.
Game 200 - Kris Rice
Leading the amazing run the Calgary Wranglers have been on is their unbelievable young talent. Kris Rice is second in scoring on the Wrangler’s roster and just behind a point per game pace. That might be the most interesting thing about Calgary, the way they spread the scoring around. However, in this one, it was all Rice. Scoring four of their five goals to lead them to a win over their rival Americans, Rice completes his first hat-trick of the season.
Game 215 - Ryan Busser
Riga has been seeing the top-level play from unexpected places all week, and this game it came in the form of Ryan Busser. I don’t want to disparage Busser’s earlier play in any way, but he has taken a huge step forward this season and it is good to see him get rewarded with this hat-trick.
 
Shutouts

Game 143 - Calgary vs. H.C. Davos
The offence isn’t Davos’s thing this season, but this was a new low. Facing the Wrangler’s sophomore goalkeeper, Jacques Lafontaine, the Dynamo only managed six shots all game. At the very least, they managed to avoid getting held to zero shots in any period, but that is a very very small victory. This was just ugly.
Game 155 - Malmo vs. Helsinki
Two of the hottest goalies in the league going into this week, Virgil Ligriv got the better of this matchup. Getting some assistance from the strong offensive play of Brian Strong and company, Helsinki dominated possession and only allowed fifteen shots from Malmo. With that, Ligriv records his third shutout of the season.
Game 191 - Malmo vs. Seattle
While the majority of the league seems to have figured out at least some of their scoring issues, Malmo continues to struggle offensively. Rayz Funk has faced a lot of shots this season, so I am sure he was thankful for this seventeen shot reprieve and his first shutout of the season.
Game 197 - Davos vs. Prague
The Dynamo had a better performance in this one, forcing Solomon Crawford to make nineteen saves, but that wasn’t enough to get one past him. By the end, the Phantoms were in absolute control, holding Davos to just a single shot in the third period. It has been a hard week for the lower half of the European conference.
Game 198 - Seattle vs. Vancouver
Seattle continued their rise up through the standing this week, but someone forgot to tell Finn Davison and the Vancouver Wolves. Davison seems to be adjusting well to his new team with an amazing twenty-nine saves to capture his third shutout of the season. It will be hard to compete with Riga’s post-trade success, but Finn is certainly keeping the conversation going about who won this trade.
Game 201 - Malmo vs. H.C. Davos
It has been a rough week for both of these teams, but one of them had to win this game. They actually both managed reasonable offences, despite struggling in that regard all week. Samuel Ross stopped twenty shots in this 3-0 game to earn his second shutout of the season.
Game 204 - Vancouver vs. Moscow
Moscow had plenty of opportunities in this game, but Finn Davison was outstanding. Davison is meshing very well with his new team and shutting out the reigning champs should prove to everyone that Vancouver got exactly what they wanted from this trade.
Game 206 - New York vs. Helsinki
Another matchup between two teams that struggled this week, New York looked stronger defensively than they have all season. After two quick powerplay goals in the second, this game was in the bag and A Red Guy had his first shutout of the season.

Rookie Spotlight
Kyl Oferson 

Probably the most explosive rookie to enter the league this season, Kyl Oferson started his career with the Mississauga Hounds. However, it was after being drafted by the San Diego Marlins that his explosive playstyle took off. Scoring one-hundred and fifty-three points and carrying an absurd +126, it was no surprise that he went first overall to the Riga Reign.
 
It has taken some time for Oferson to adjust to the speed of the VHL, but he seems to have gotten it all figured out at the right time. Riga was dominant all week, and Kyl played an important part in that. He is currently third in goals scored on the Reign roster and I wouldn’t be surprised if he climbed even higher.
 
There was some question as to whether Riga would be heading into a rebuild in the next couple seasons, but with top-notch talent like this, it seems like they have pushed that further into the future. It has to be fun to play for a real contender as a rookie, but it is likely even better when you are playing a significant role in getting them to that point.
 
 

Welcome to the third edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 133-216).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 

Recap
 
It has been a week of big trades around the league and one already seems to be paying off. After acquiring goalie Greg Eagles, the Riga Reign have shot up through the standings and now sit atop the European conference. This looked like a good move for the future, but it is paying off greatly already. On the other side, Vancouver also seems to have improved after receiving Finn Davison in return. It is not often that you see two teams who have a real chance of facing each other for the cup make a trade of this calibre.
 
In the North American Conference, Seattle has jumped up out of the pack to take the lead, but only by a point. In fact, the top four spots are each separated by just one point each. Calgary leads the league in goals for and Vancouver leads the conference in goals against, so it is impossible to make an airtight case for any of these top four teams as the best in the group. Regardless, one thing we know for sure is that it is going to be a gauntlet to get out of the North American Conference this season.
 
In the European Conference, that span of three points separates the top three teams, but they have started to pull away from the bottom half. The Riga Reign now leads the conference, but Moscow and Prague are close behind them. Riga also has the second-fewest goals allowed in the league, beat only by the Helsinki Titans who are narrowly hanging on to the fourth playoff spot at the moment. The biggest shock of the season might be the struggles of Malmo. It will be interesting to watch and see if they can turn it around and reclaim a playoff spot.

3-Stars
 
First Star
Cinnamon Block (PRG) - 4 G, 15 A, 24 SB
Second Star
Ambrose Stark (SEA) - 11 G, 11 A
Third Star
Jacques Lafontaine (CGY) - .921 SV%, 2/57 GAA
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - They are clinging onto first in my power rankings, but just barely. Riga Reign - (+3) A huge surge in the standings this week. They look significantly better after their big trade. Prague Phantoms - (-1) They have been pretty consistent all season. They can still compete for first. Helsinki Titans - (-1) Currently holding forth by a tight margin. Will we see any moves to sure things up before the deadline? Malmo Nighthawks - (-1) Still a lot of potential, but their offence fell apart this week. HC Davos Dynamo - They’ve slowed the bleeding some, but it looks like too little too late.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - Ranking the top teams in this conference is near impossible, but they have been good throughout the season so far. Vancouver Wolves -  (+1) A little post-trade bump. I still think they are a serious contender. Seattle Bears - (+1) Another surging team. After a slow start, it took a lot for them to get here. D.C. Dragons - (-2) This was a disappointing week, but they are still within striking distance of the lead. Toronto Legion - (+1) They actually went on a good run this week, but it is going to be very hard to find room in the playoff picture. New York Americans - (-1) They were tied for last in the league at one point. They sold early, time to tank for the future.
User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - I’m interested to see if this drops at all this week  Prague Phantoms/HC Davos Dynamo -  (+2) Okay, I know they tied in votes, but one of these things is not like the other. Helsinki Titans - Holding on, just like in the standings. Malmo Nighthawks - (-2) Public favour turned against them before the standings did. You called it. Riga Reign - Really? This is just cruel.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - (+1) They continue to make the case for cup favourites. D.C. Dragons - (+1) Trading away Frostbeard? Really? Seattle Bears - (+2) Could they make it to first this week?  New York Americans - (+1) After the recent trade, this is now the greatest team in the league. Vancouver Wolves / Toronto Legion - (-4/-1) I’m not sure what Vancouver is doing here.   
Notable Games
 
Game 140 - D.C. Dragons vs. Vancouver Wolves
Finn Davison has gotten off to a great start with his new team, but this was actually one of his lesser games this week. Instead, the wolves turned to their consistent safety valve, Julius Freeman, who scored two goals and an assist on the night. The Dragons managed to tie the game up late, with two goals in the third period, but they got swept out of the shootout after just two rounds. Mikko Aaltonen also had a three-point game with a goal and two assists. This included an assist on the tying goal with less than two minutes to go by John Frostbeard, in one of his last games with D.C.
 
Game 157 - Seattle Bears vs. Calgary Wranglers  
We didn’t know it at the time, but this game would end up deciding who leads the conference at the end of the week. It will be a very exciting series if we get this matchup in the playoffs because these teams have very different compositions. Seattle’s star-studded roster is very similar to the one that won those back to back cups just a couple seasons ago. Meanwhile, Calgary has some of the most exciting young talents in the league without having a clear superstar. Seattle edged them out in this one, but I am eagerly looking forward to the rematch.
 
Game 193 - Riga Reign vs. D.C. Dragons
These two teams were on opposite trajectories this week. As Riga rocketed up the standings, D.C. slowly got passed by teams in their conference until they were holding onto the last playoff spot. Riga started the week outside of playoff qualification, but after a rather surprising trade for possibly the hottest goalie in the league, they began to dominate teams left and right. Domination isn’t what happened in this game, but Eagles definitely played a large role in keeping them in it, making thirty saves on the night. It wasn't until the second half of the third period that Riga would score a power-play goal to put them back in the lead, a lead they would manage to hold to the end.
 
Events of the Week
 
Fights
 
Game 137 - Stark draws with Gritty
This fight was impactful in a different kind of way. Going into the final minutes of the third period tied 2-2, Ambrose Stark looked to spark something in his team and propel them to victory by dropping gloves with Gritty. However, that didn’t work out so well as Stark was ejected for instigation and the Bears went on to lose in overtime, where they certainly could have used their top scorer.
Game 148 - Telker draws with Frobe
It was a quiet first period with just a single goal scored by the Phantoms. However, after a fight between a couple of bottom-sixers, the game exploded. Nate Telker got called for instigation and drew an ejection as he went after Gert B Frobe. This was in retaliation for a pretty dirty trip committed by Frobe a few minutes earlier. But once their fight was over, the scoring was blown wide open with six goals in the next sixteen minutes.
Game 164 - BRAWL!
In the final minute of a scoreless second period that would drag on into a scoreless third, we got a flash of excitement. John Madden and Lewis Dawson fought to a draw and Lewis Dawson was ejected for instigating this whole mess. Milos Slavik took the opportunity to beat up Nate Wright and several players game in a sword fighting match with their sticks. Walter Clements, Pierre Persson, Aleksander Rodriguez, Jerry Garcia, and Fernando Jokinen each got either slashing or high-sticking calls for the reckless swinging.
Game 196 - Nygren draws with Nolan
How do you know there is a beef between two players? One way to tell is when they get into a fight just nine seconds into a game. Despite never playing in the same conference, let alone for rivals, something has been brewing between Lucas Nygren and Owen Nolan that just couldn’t wait. Although the fight had no clear winner, Nolan clearly won the night, scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout.
 
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 139 - Thomas Landry II
This is several levels of impressive and might go down as one of the top highlights of the season. First, a hat-trick is always a major feat, even more so from a rookie. It takes it to a whole other level when you consider the scoring drought we saw from rookies last year. Then, to cap it all off, Thomas Landry II went a step above and made it a four-goal game as well. He could have stopped at just his second and still won the game, but he was hungry this game and there was nothing the Titans could do to deny him.
Game 153 - Zeno Miniti
Coming into this season, Zeno Miniti’s career had been on an unfortunate trajectory. After an impressive showing as a rookie, Zeno’s scoring has declined every season since. However, he seems to have entered some sort of renaissance and this hat-trick is the icing on the cake. For the first three-quarters of the game Zeno was the only thing keeping Toronto in it, matching Davos’ three goals with three of his own. Finally, after he had finished his hat-trick, the rest of the legion stepped up to seal the victory.
Game 155 - Brian Strong
Brian Strong had some huge shoes to fill this season, and so far he has done an excellent job. After several key retirements on Helsinki’s roster, it is now Strong’s turn to lead the team in scoring. Getting one goal in each period, it was the same small cast of actors terrorizing the Nighthawks all game. Guillaume Fontenette had assists on each of Strong’s goals and Cody Smith contributed to two of them. This is the type of scoring Helsinki needs right now.
Game 182 - Jet Jaguar
Maybe we are finally out of the league-wide scoring drought with our fourth hat-trick of the week. Jet Jaguar showed that he still has the ability to put his team on his back and carry them to victory, scoring all three of Moscow’s goals against Helsinki. Rookie, Kyle Anderson, tried to get the Titans back in it with two goals of his own, his first of the season, in the third period, but it was too little too late.
Game 189 - Joel Ylonen
This was a rough one for the Phantoms, despite being their second hat-trick of the week. Joel Ylonen scored his entire hat-trick in the first period and Prague left the period down 5-3. They would end up down 7-3, less than three minutes into the third, causing them to swap goalies. Despite a valiant effort, they were only able to draw within one, leaving the comeback incomplete.
Game 200 - Kris Rice
Leading the amazing run the Calgary Wranglers have been on is their unbelievable young talent. Kris Rice is second in scoring on the Wrangler’s roster and just behind a point per game pace. That might be the most interesting thing about Calgary, the way they spread the scoring around. However, in this one, it was all Rice. Scoring four of their five goals to lead them to a win over their rival Americans, Rice completes his first hat-trick of the season.
Game 215 - Ryan Busser
Riga has been seeing the top-level play from unexpected places all week, and this game it came in the form of Ryan Busser. I don’t want to disparage Busser’s earlier play in any way, but he has taken a huge step forward this season and it is good to see him get rewarded with this hat-trick.
 
Shutouts

Game 143 - Calgary vs. H.C. Davos
The offence isn’t Davos’s thing this season, but this was a new low. Facing the Wrangler’s sophomore goalkeeper, Jacques Lafontaine, the Dynamo only managed six shots all game. At the very least, they managed to avoid getting held to zero shots in any period, but that is a very very small victory. This was just ugly.
Game 155 - Malmo vs. Helsinki
Two of the hottest goalies in the league going into this week, Virgil Ligriv got the better of this matchup. Getting some assistance from the strong offensive play of Brian Strong and company, Helsinki dominated possession and only allowed fifteen shots from Malmo. With that, Ligriv records his third shutout of the season.
Game 191 - Malmo vs. Seattle
While the majority of the league seems to have figured out at least some of their scoring issues, Malmo continues to struggle offensively. Rayz Funk has faced a lot of shots this season, so I am sure he was thankful for this seventeen shot reprieve and his first shutout of the season.
Game 197 - Davos vs. Prague
The Dynamo had a better performance in this one, forcing Solomon Crawford to make nineteen saves, but that wasn’t enough to get one past him. By the end, the Phantoms were in absolute control, holding Davos to just a single shot in the third period. It has been a hard week for the lower half of the European conference.
Game 198 - Seattle vs. Vancouver
Seattle continued their rise up through the standing this week, but someone forgot to tell Finn Davison and the Vancouver Wolves. Davison seems to be adjusting well to his new team with an amazing twenty-nine saves to capture his third shutout of the season. It will be hard to compete with Riga’s post-trade success, but Finn is certainly keeping the conversation going about who won this trade.
Game 201 - Malmo vs. H.C. Davos
It has been a rough week for both of these teams, but one of them had to win this game. They actually both managed reasonable offences, despite struggling in that regard all week. Samuel Ross stopped twenty shots in this 3-0 game to earn his second shutout of the season.
Game 204 - Vancouver vs. Moscow
Moscow had plenty of opportunities in this game, but Finn Davison was outstanding. Davison is meshing very well with his new team and shutting out the reigning champs should prove to everyone that Vancouver got exactly what they wanted from this trade.
Game 206 - New York vs. Helsinki
Another matchup between two teams that struggled this week, New York looked stronger defensively than they have all season. After two quick powerplay goals in the second, this game was in the bag and A Red Guy had his first shutout of the season.

Rookie Spotlight
Kyl Oferson 

Probably the most explosive rookie to enter the league this season, Kyl Oferson started his career with the Mississauga Hounds. However, it was after being drafted by the San Diego Marlins that his explosive playstyle took off. Scoring one-hundred and fifty-three points and carrying an absurd +126, it was no surprise that he went first overall to the Riga Reign.
 
It has taken some time for Oferson to adjust to the speed of the VHL, but he seems to have gotten it all figured out at the right time. Riga was dominant all week, and Kyl played an important part in that. He is currently third in goals scored on the Reign roster and I wouldn’t be surprised if he climbed even higher.
 
There was some question as to whether Riga would be heading into a rebuild in the next couple seasons, but with top-notch talent like this, it seems like they have pushed that further into the future. It has to be fun to play for a real contender as a rookie, but it is likely even better when you are playing a significant role in getting them to that point.
 
 

Welcome to the third edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 133-216).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 

Recap
 
It has been a week of big trades around the league and one already seems to be paying off. After acquiring goalie Greg Eagles, the Riga Reign have shot up through the standings and now sit atop the European conference. This looked like a good move for the future, but it is paying off greatly already. On the other side, Vancouver also seems to have improved after receiving Finn Davison in return. It is not often that you see two teams who have a real chance of facing each other for the cup make a trade of this calibre.
 
In the North American Conference, Seattle has jumped up out of the pack to take the lead, but only by a point. In fact, the top four spots are each separated by just one point each. Calgary leads the league in goals for and Vancouver leads the conference in goals against, so it is impossible to make an airtight case for any of these top four teams as the best in the group. Regardless, one thing we know for sure is that it is going to be a gauntlet to get out of the North American Conference this season.
 
In the European Conference, that span of three points separates the top three teams, but they have started to pull away from the bottom half. The Riga Reign now leads the conference, but Moscow and Prague are close behind them. Riga also has the second-fewest goals allowed in the league, beat only by the Helsinki Titans who are narrowly hanging on to the fourth playoff spot at the moment. The biggest shock of the season might be the struggles of Malmo. It will be interesting to watch and see if they can turn it around and reclaim a playoff spot.

3-Stars
 
First Star
Cinnamon Block (PRG) - 4 G, 15 A, 24 SB
Second Star
Ambrose Stark (SEA) - 11 G, 11 A
Third Star
Jacques Lafontaine (CGY) - .921 SV%, 2/57 GAA
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - They are clinging onto first in my power rankings, but just barely. Riga Reign - (+3) A huge surge in the standings this week. They look significantly better after their big trade. Prague Phantoms - (-1) They have been pretty consistent all season. They can still compete for first. Helsinki Titans - (-1) Currently holding forth by a tight margin. Will we see any moves to sure things up before the deadline? Malmo Nighthawks - (-1) Still a lot of potential, but their offence fell apart this week. HC Davos Dynamo - They’ve slowed the bleeding some, but it looks like too little too late.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - Ranking the top teams in this conference is near impossible, but they have been good throughout the season so far. Vancouver Wolves -  (+1) A little post-trade bump. I still think they are a serious contender. Seattle Bears - (+1) Another surging team. After a slow start, it took a lot for them to get here. D.C. Dragons - (-2) This was a disappointing week, but they are still within striking distance of the lead. Toronto Legion - (+1) They actually went on a good run this week, but it is going to be very hard to find room in the playoff picture. New York Americans - (-1) They were tied for last in the league at one point. They sold early, time to tank for the future.
User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - I’m interested to see if this drops at all this week  Prague Phantoms/HC Davos Dynamo -  (+2) Okay, I know they tied in votes, but one of these things is not like the other. Helsinki Titans - Holding on, just like in the standings. Malmo Nighthawks - (-2) Public favour turned against them before the standings did. You called it. Riga Reign - Really? This is just cruel.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - (+1) They continue to make the case for cup favourites. D.C. Dragons - (+1) Trading away Frostbeard? Really? Seattle Bears - (+2) Could they make it to first this week?  New York Americans - (+1) After the recent trade, this is now the greatest team in the league. Vancouver Wolves / Toronto Legion - (-4/-1) I’m not sure what Vancouver is doing here.   
Notable Games
 
Game 140 - D.C. Dragons vs. Vancouver Wolves
Finn Davison has gotten off to a great start with his new team, but this was actually one of his lesser games this week. Instead, the wolves turned to their consistent safety valve, Julius Freeman, who scored two goals and an assist on the night. The Dragons managed to tie the game up late, with two goals in the third period, but they got swept out of the shootout after just two rounds. Mikko Aaltonen also had a three-point game with a goal and two assists. This included an assist on the tying goal with less than two minutes to go by John Frostbeard, in one of his last games with D.C.
 
Game 157 - Seattle Bears vs. Calgary Wranglers  
We didn’t know it at the time, but this game would end up deciding who leads the conference at the end of the week. It will be a very exciting series if we get this matchup in the playoffs because these teams have very different compositions. Seattle’s star-studded roster is very similar to the one that won those back to back cups just a couple seasons ago. Meanwhile, Calgary has some of the most exciting young talents in the league without having a clear superstar. Seattle edged them out in this one, but I am eagerly looking forward to the rematch.
 
Game 193 - Riga Reign vs. D.C. Dragons
These two teams were on opposite trajectories this week. As Riga rocketed up the standings, D.C. slowly got passed by teams in their conference until they were holding onto the last playoff spot. Riga started the week outside of playoff qualification, but after a rather surprising trade for possibly the hottest goalie in the league, they began to dominate teams left and right. Domination isn’t what happened in this game, but Eagles definitely played a large role in keeping them in it, making thirty saves on the night. It wasn't until the second half of the third period that Riga would score a power-play goal to put them back in the lead, a lead they would manage to hold to the end.
 
Events of the Week
 
Fights
 
Game 137 - Stark draws with Gritty
This fight was impactful in a different kind of way. Going into the final minutes of the third period tied 2-2, Ambrose Stark looked to spark something in his team and propel them to victory by dropping gloves with Gritty. However, that didn’t work out so well as Stark was ejected for instigation and the Bears went on to lose in overtime, where they certainly could have used their top scorer.
Game 148 - Telker draws with Frobe
It was a quiet first period with just a single goal scored by the Phantoms. However, after a fight between a couple of bottom-sixers, the game exploded. Nate Telker got called for instigation and drew an ejection as he went after Gert B Frobe. This was in retaliation for a pretty dirty trip committed by Frobe a few minutes earlier. But once their fight was over, the scoring was blown wide open with six goals in the next sixteen minutes.
Game 164 - BRAWL!
In the final minute of a scoreless second period that would drag on into a scoreless third, we got a flash of excitement. John Madden and Lewis Dawson fought to a draw and Lewis Dawson was ejected for instigating this whole mess. Milos Slavik took the opportunity to beat up Nate Wright and several players game in a sword fighting match with their sticks. Walter Clements, Pierre Persson, Aleksander Rodriguez, Jerry Garcia, and Fernando Jokinen each got either slashing or high-sticking calls for the reckless swinging.
Game 196 - Nygren draws with Nolan
How do you know there is a beef between two players? One way to tell is when they get into a fight just nine seconds into a game. Despite never playing in the same conference, let alone for rivals, something has been brewing between Lucas Nygren and Owen Nolan that just couldn’t wait. Although the fight had no clear winner, Nolan clearly won the night, scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout.
 
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 139 - Thomas Landry II
This is several levels of impressive and might go down as one of the top highlights of the season. First, a hat-trick is always a major feat, even more so from a rookie. It takes it to a whole other level when you consider the scoring drought we saw from rookies last year. Then, to cap it all off, Thomas Landry II went a step above and made it a four-goal game as well. He could have stopped at just his second and still won the game, but he was hungry this game and there was nothing the Titans could do to deny him.
Game 153 - Zeno Miniti
Coming into this season, Zeno Miniti’s career had been on an unfortunate trajectory. After an impressive showing as a rookie, Zeno’s scoring has declined every season since. However, he seems to have entered some sort of renaissance and this hat-trick is the icing on the cake. For the first three-quarters of the game Zeno was the only thing keeping Toronto in it, matching Davos’ three goals with three of his own. Finally, after he had finished his hat-trick, the rest of the legion stepped up to seal the victory.
Game 155 - Brian Strong
Brian Strong had some huge shoes to fill this season, and so far he has done an excellent job. After several key retirements on Helsinki’s roster, it is now Strong’s turn to lead the team in scoring. Getting one goal in each period, it was the same small cast of actors terrorizing the Nighthawks all game. Guillaume Fontenette had assists on each of Strong’s goals and Cody Smith contributed to two of them. This is the type of scoring Helsinki needs right now.
Game 182 - Jet Jaguar
Maybe we are finally out of the league-wide scoring drought with our fourth hat-trick of the week. Jet Jaguar showed that he still has the ability to put his team on his back and carry them to victory, scoring all three of Moscow’s goals against Helsinki. Rookie, Kyle Anderson, tried to get the Titans back in it with two goals of his own, his first of the season, in the third period, but it was too little too late.
Game 189 - Joel Ylonen
This was a rough one for the Phantoms, despite being their second hat-trick of the week. Joel Ylonen scored his entire hat-trick in the first period and Prague left the period down 5-3. They would end up down 7-3, less than three minutes into the third, causing them to swap goalies. Despite a valiant effort, they were only able to draw within one, leaving the comeback incomplete.
Game 200 - Kris Rice
Leading the amazing run the Calgary Wranglers have been on is their unbelievable young talent. Kris Rice is second in scoring on the Wrangler’s roster and just behind a point per game pace. That might be the most interesting thing about Calgary, the way they spread the scoring around. However, in this one, it was all Rice. Scoring four of their five goals to lead them to a win over their rival Americans, Rice completes his first hat-trick of the season.
Game 215 - Ryan Busser
Riga has been seeing the top-level play from unexpected places all week, and this game it came in the form of Ryan Busser. I don’t want to disparage Busser’s earlier play in any way, but he has taken a huge step forward this season and it is good to see him get rewarded with this hat-trick.
 
Shutouts

Game 143 - Calgary vs. H.C. Davos
The offence isn’t Davos’s thing this season, but this was a new low. Facing the Wrangler’s sophomore goalkeeper, Jacques Lafontaine, the Dynamo only managed six shots all game. At the very least, they managed to avoid getting held to zero shots in any period, but that is a very very small victory. This was just ugly.
Game 155 - Malmo vs. Helsinki
Two of the hottest goalies in the league going into this week, Virgil Ligriv got the better of this matchup. Getting some assistance from the strong offensive play of Brian Strong and company, Helsinki dominated possession and only allowed fifteen shots from Malmo. With that, Ligriv records his third shutout of the season.
Game 191 - Malmo vs. Seattle
While the majority of the league seems to have figured out at least some of their scoring issues, Malmo continues to struggle offensively. Rayz Funk has faced a lot of shots this season, so I am sure he was thankful for this seventeen shot reprieve and his first shutout of the season.
Game 197 - Davos vs. Prague
The Dynamo had a better performance in this one, forcing Solomon Crawford to make nineteen saves, but that wasn’t enough to get one past him. By the end, the Phantoms were in absolute control, holding Davos to just a single shot in the third period. It has been a hard week for the lower half of the European conference.
Game 198 - Seattle vs. Vancouver
Seattle continued their rise up through the standing this week, but someone forgot to tell Finn Davison and the Vancouver Wolves. Davison seems to be adjusting well to his new team with an amazing twenty-nine saves to capture his third shutout of the season. It will be hard to compete with Riga’s post-trade success, but Finn is certainly keeping the conversation going about who won this trade.
Game 201 - Malmo vs. H.C. Davos
It has been a rough week for both of these teams, but one of them had to win this game. They actually both managed reasonable offences, despite struggling in that regard all week. Samuel Ross stopped twenty shots in this 3-0 game to earn his second shutout of the season.
Game 204 - Vancouver vs. Moscow
Moscow had plenty of opportunities in this game, but Finn Davison was outstanding. Davison is meshing very well with his new team and shutting out the reigning champs should prove to everyone that Vancouver got exactly what they wanted from this trade.
Game 206 - New York vs. Helsinki
Another matchup between two teams that struggled this week, New York looked stronger defensively than they have all season. After two quick powerplay goals in the second, this game was in the bag and A Red Guy had his first shutout of the season.

Rookie Spotlight
Kyl Oferson 

Probably the most explosive rookie to enter the league this season, Kyl Oferson started his career with the Mississauga Hounds. However, it was after being drafted by the San Diego Marlins that his explosive playstyle took off. Scoring one-hundred and fifty-three points and carrying an absurd +126, it was no surprise that he went first overall to the Riga Reign.
 
It has taken some time for Oferson to adjust to the speed of the VHL, but he seems to have gotten it all figured out at the right time. Riga was dominant all week, and Kyl played an important part in that. He is currently third in goals scored on the Reign roster and I wouldn’t be surprised if he climbed even higher.
 
There was some question as to whether Riga would be heading into a rebuild in the next couple seasons, but with top-notch talent like this, it seems like they have pushed that further into the future. It has to be fun to play for a real contender as a rookie, but it is likely even better when you are playing a significant role in getting them to that point.
 
 

Welcome to the third edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 133-216).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 

Recap
 
It has been a week of big trades around the league and one already seems to be paying off. After acquiring goalie Greg Eagles, the Riga Reign have shot up through the standings and now sit atop the European conference. This looked like a good move for the future, but it is paying off greatly already. On the other side, Vancouver also seems to have improved after receiving Finn Davison in return. It is not often that you see two teams who have a real chance of facing each other for the cup make a trade of this calibre.
 
In the North American Conference, Seattle has jumped up out of the pack to take the lead, but only by a point. In fact, the top four spots are each separated by just one point each. Calgary leads the league in goals for and Vancouver leads the conference in goals against, so it is impossible to make an airtight case for any of these top four teams as the best in the group. Regardless, one thing we know for sure is that it is going to be a gauntlet to get out of the North American Conference this season.
 
In the European Conference, that span of three points separates the top three teams, but they have started to pull away from the bottom half. The Riga Reign now leads the conference, but Moscow and Prague are close behind them. Riga also has the second-fewest goals allowed in the league, beat only by the Helsinki Titans who are narrowly hanging on to the fourth playoff spot at the moment. The biggest shock of the season might be the struggles of Malmo. It will be interesting to watch and see if they can turn it around and reclaim a playoff spot.

3-Stars
 
First Star
Cinnamon Block (PRG) - 4 G, 15 A, 24 SB
Second Star
Ambrose Stark (SEA) - 11 G, 11 A
Third Star
Jacques Lafontaine (CGY) - .921 SV%, 2/57 GAA
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - They are clinging onto first in my power rankings, but just barely. Riga Reign - (+3) A huge surge in the standings this week. They look significantly better after their big trade. Prague Phantoms - (-1) They have been pretty consistent all season. They can still compete for first. Helsinki Titans - (-1) Currently holding forth by a tight margin. Will we see any moves to sure things up before the deadline? Malmo Nighthawks - (-1) Still a lot of potential, but their offence fell apart this week. HC Davos Dynamo - They’ve slowed the bleeding some, but it looks like too little too late.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - Ranking the top teams in this conference is near impossible, but they have been good throughout the season so far. Vancouver Wolves -  (+1) A little post-trade bump. I still think they are a serious contender. Seattle Bears - (+1) Another surging team. After a slow start, it took a lot for them to get here. D.C. Dragons - (-2) This was a disappointing week, but they are still within striking distance of the lead. Toronto Legion - (+1) They actually went on a good run this week, but it is going to be very hard to find room in the playoff picture. New York Americans - (-1) They were tied for last in the league at one point. They sold early, time to tank for the future.
User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - I’m interested to see if this drops at all this week  Prague Phantoms/HC Davos Dynamo -  (+2) Okay, I know they tied in votes, but one of these things is not like the other. Helsinki Titans - Holding on, just like in the standings. Malmo Nighthawks - (-2) Public favour turned against them before the standings did. You called it. Riga Reign - Really? This is just cruel.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - (+1) They continue to make the case for cup favourites. D.C. Dragons - (+1) Trading away Frostbeard? Really? Seattle Bears - (+2) Could they make it to first this week?  New York Americans - (+1) After the recent trade, this is now the greatest team in the league. Vancouver Wolves / Toronto Legion - (-4/-1) I’m not sure what Vancouver is doing here.   
Notable Games
 
Game 140 - D.C. Dragons vs. Vancouver Wolves
Finn Davison has gotten off to a great start with his new team, but this was actually one of his lesser games this week. Instead, the wolves turned to their consistent safety valve, Julius Freeman, who scored two goals and an assist on the night. The Dragons managed to tie the game up late, with two goals in the third period, but they got swept out of the shootout after just two rounds. Mikko Aaltonen also had a three-point game with a goal and two assists. This included an assist on the tying goal with less than two minutes to go by John Frostbeard, in one of his last games with D.C.
 
Game 157 - Seattle Bears vs. Calgary Wranglers  
We didn’t know it at the time, but this game would end up deciding who leads the conference at the end of the week. It will be a very exciting series if we get this matchup in the playoffs because these teams have very different compositions. Seattle’s star-studded roster is very similar to the one that won those back to back cups just a couple seasons ago. Meanwhile, Calgary has some of the most exciting young talents in the league without having a clear superstar. Seattle edged them out in this one, but I am eagerly looking forward to the rematch.
 
Game 193 - Riga Reign vs. D.C. Dragons
These two teams were on opposite trajectories this week. As Riga rocketed up the standings, D.C. slowly got passed by teams in their conference until they were holding onto the last playoff spot. Riga started the week outside of playoff qualification, but after a rather surprising trade for possibly the hottest goalie in the league, they began to dominate teams left and right. Domination isn’t what happened in this game, but Eagles definitely played a large role in keeping them in it, making thirty saves on the night. It wasn't until the second half of the third period that Riga would score a power-play goal to put them back in the lead, a lead they would manage to hold to the end.
 
Events of the Week
 
Fights
 
Game 137 - Stark draws with Gritty
This fight was impactful in a different kind of way. Going into the final minutes of the third period tied 2-2, Ambrose Stark looked to spark something in his team and propel them to victory by dropping gloves with Gritty. However, that didn’t work out so well as Stark was ejected for instigation and the Bears went on to lose in overtime, where they certainly could have used their top scorer.
Game 148 - Telker draws with Frobe
It was a quiet first period with just a single goal scored by the Phantoms. However, after a fight between a couple of bottom-sixers, the game exploded. Nate Telker got called for instigation and drew an ejection as he went after Gert B Frobe. This was in retaliation for a pretty dirty trip committed by Frobe a few minutes earlier. But once their fight was over, the scoring was blown wide open with six goals in the next sixteen minutes.
Game 164 - BRAWL!
In the final minute of a scoreless second period that would drag on into a scoreless third, we got a flash of excitement. John Madden and Lewis Dawson fought to a draw and Lewis Dawson was ejected for instigating this whole mess. Milos Slavik took the opportunity to beat up Nate Wright and several players game in a sword fighting match with their sticks. Walter Clements, Pierre Persson, Aleksander Rodriguez, Jerry Garcia, and Fernando Jokinen each got either slashing or high-sticking calls for the reckless swinging.
Game 196 - Nygren draws with Nolan
How do you know there is a beef between two players? One way to tell is when they get into a fight just nine seconds into a game. Despite never playing in the same conference, let alone for rivals, something has been brewing between Lucas Nygren and Owen Nolan that just couldn’t wait. Although the fight had no clear winner, Nolan clearly won the night, scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout.
 
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 139 - Thomas Landry II
This is several levels of impressive and might go down as one of the top highlights of the season. First, a hat-trick is always a major feat, even more so from a rookie. It takes it to a whole other level when you consider the scoring drought we saw from rookies last year. Then, to cap it all off, Thomas Landry II went a step above and made it a four-goal game as well. He could have stopped at just his second and still won the game, but he was hungry this game and there was nothing the Titans could do to deny him.
Game 153 - Zeno Miniti
Coming into this season, Zeno Miniti’s career had been on an unfortunate trajectory. After an impressive showing as a rookie, Zeno’s scoring has declined every season since. However, he seems to have entered some sort of renaissance and this hat-trick is the icing on the cake. For the first three-quarters of the game Zeno was the only thing keeping Toronto in it, matching Davos’ three goals with three of his own. Finally, after he had finished his hat-trick, the rest of the legion stepped up to seal the victory.
Game 155 - Brian Strong
Brian Strong had some huge shoes to fill this season, and so far he has done an excellent job. After several key retirements on Helsinki’s roster, it is now Strong’s turn to lead the team in scoring. Getting one goal in each period, it was the same small cast of actors terrorizing the Nighthawks all game. Guillaume Fontenette had assists on each of Strong’s goals and Cody Smith contributed to two of them. This is the type of scoring Helsinki needs right now.
Game 182 - Jet Jaguar
Maybe we are finally out of the league-wide scoring drought with our fourth hat-trick of the week. Jet Jaguar showed that he still has the ability to put his team on his back and carry them to victory, scoring all three of Moscow’s goals against Helsinki. Rookie, Kyle Anderson, tried to get the Titans back in it with two goals of his own, his first of the season, in the third period, but it was too little too late.
Game 189 - Joel Ylonen
This was a rough one for the Phantoms, despite being their second hat-trick of the week. Joel Ylonen scored his entire hat-trick in the first period and Prague left the period down 5-3. They would end up down 7-3, less than three minutes into the third, causing them to swap goalies. Despite a valiant effort, they were only able to draw within one, leaving the comeback incomplete.
Game 200 - Kris Rice
Leading the amazing run the Calgary Wranglers have been on is their unbelievable young talent. Kris Rice is second in scoring on the Wrangler’s roster and just behind a point per game pace. That might be the most interesting thing about Calgary, the way they spread the scoring around. However, in this one, it was all Rice. Scoring four of their five goals to lead them to a win over their rival Americans, Rice completes his first hat-trick of the season.
Game 215 - Ryan Busser
Riga has been seeing the top-level play from unexpected places all week, and this game it came in the form of Ryan Busser. I don’t want to disparage Busser’s earlier play in any way, but he has taken a huge step forward this season and it is good to see him get rewarded with this hat-trick.
 
Shutouts

Game 143 - Calgary vs. H.C. Davos
The offence isn’t Davos’s thing this season, but this was a new low. Facing the Wrangler’s sophomore goalkeeper, Jacques Lafontaine, the Dynamo only managed six shots all game. At the very least, they managed to avoid getting held to zero shots in any period, but that is a very very small victory. This was just ugly.
Game 155 - Malmo vs. Helsinki
Two of the hottest goalies in the league going into this week, Virgil Ligriv got the better of this matchup. Getting some assistance from the strong offensive play of Brian Strong and company, Helsinki dominated possession and only allowed fifteen shots from Malmo. With that, Ligriv records his third shutout of the season.
Game 191 - Malmo vs. Seattle
While the majority of the league seems to have figured out at least some of their scoring issues, Malmo continues to struggle offensively. Rayz Funk has faced a lot of shots this season, so I am sure he was thankful for this seventeen shot reprieve and his first shutout of the season.
Game 197 - Davos vs. Prague
The Dynamo had a better performance in this one, forcing Solomon Crawford to make nineteen saves, but that wasn’t enough to get one past him. By the end, the Phantoms were in absolute control, holding Davos to just a single shot in the third period. It has been a hard week for the lower half of the European conference.
Game 198 - Seattle vs. Vancouver
Seattle continued their rise up through the standing this week, but someone forgot to tell Finn Davison and the Vancouver Wolves. Davison seems to be adjusting well to his new team with an amazing twenty-nine saves to capture his third shutout of the season. It will be hard to compete with Riga’s post-trade success, but Finn is certainly keeping the conversation going about who won this trade.
Game 201 - Malmo vs. H.C. Davos
It has been a rough week for both of these teams, but one of them had to win this game. They actually both managed reasonable offences, despite struggling in that regard all week. Samuel Ross stopped twenty shots in this 3-0 game to earn his second shutout of the season.
Game 204 - Vancouver vs. Moscow
Moscow had plenty of opportunities in this game, but Finn Davison was outstanding. Davison is meshing very well with his new team and shutting out the reigning champs should prove to everyone that Vancouver got exactly what they wanted from this trade.
Game 206 - New York vs. Helsinki
Another matchup between two teams that struggled this week, New York looked stronger defensively than they have all season. After two quick powerplay goals in the second, this game was in the bag and A Red Guy had his first shutout of the season.

Rookie Spotlight
Kyl Oferson 

Probably the most explosive rookie to enter the league this season, Kyl Oferson started his career with the Mississauga Hounds. However, it was after being drafted by the San Diego Marlins that his explosive playstyle took off. Scoring one-hundred and fifty-three points and carrying an absurd +126, it was no surprise that he went first overall to the Riga Reign.
 
It has taken some time for Oferson to adjust to the speed of the VHL, but he seems to have gotten it all figured out at the right time. Riga was dominant all week, and Kyl played an important part in that. He is currently third in goals scored on the Reign roster and I wouldn’t be surprised if he climbed even higher.
 
There was some question as to whether Riga would be heading into a rebuild in the next couple seasons, but with top-notch talent like this, it seems like they have pushed that further into the future. It has to be fun to play for a real contender as a rookie, but it is likely even better when you are playing a significant role in getting them to that point.
 
 

Welcome to the third edition of VSN’s S71 Weekly recap (Games 133-216).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 
Also, make sure to check out the wide variety of content here at VSN. There are in-depth weekly updates and an award tracker for the VHL, a great podcast, and daily WJC coverage when it starts up, among other informative articles. Check out our latest installments here:
 | VSN Radio | Under 250 | VHL Award Tracker | Deep Rewind | 

Recap
 
It has been a week of big trades around the league and one already seems to be paying off. After acquiring goalie Greg Eagles, the Riga Reign have shot up through the standings and now sit atop the European conference. This looked like a good move for the future, but it is paying off greatly already. On the other side, Vancouver also seems to have improved after receiving Finn Davison in return. It is not often that you see two teams who have a real chance of facing each other for the cup make a trade of this calibre.
 
In the North American Conference, Seattle has jumped up out of the pack to take the lead, but only by a point. In fact, the top four spots are each separated by just one point each. Calgary leads the league in goals for and Vancouver leads the conference in goals against, so it is impossible to make an airtight case for any of these top four teams as the best in the group. Regardless, one thing we know for sure is that it is going to be a gauntlet to get out of the North American Conference this season.
 
In the European Conference, that span of three points separates the top three teams, but they have started to pull away from the bottom half. The Riga Reign now leads the conference, but Moscow and Prague are close behind them. Riga also has the second-fewest goals allowed in the league, beat only by the Helsinki Titans who are narrowly hanging on to the fourth playoff spot at the moment. The biggest shock of the season might be the struggles of Malmo. It will be interesting to watch and see if they can turn it around and reclaim a playoff spot.

3-Stars
 
First Star
Cinnamon Block (PRG) - 4 G, 15 A, 24 SB
Second Star
Ambrose Stark (SEA) - 11 G, 11 A
Third Star
Jacques Lafontaine (CGY) - .921 SV%, 2/57 GAA
 
Power Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - They are clinging onto first in my power rankings, but just barely. Riga Reign - (+3) A huge surge in the standings this week. They look significantly better after their big trade. Prague Phantoms - (-1) They have been pretty consistent all season. They can still compete for first. Helsinki Titans - (-1) Currently holding forth by a tight margin. Will we see any moves to sure things up before the deadline? Malmo Nighthawks - (-1) Still a lot of potential, but their offence fell apart this week. HC Davos Dynamo - They’ve slowed the bleeding some, but it looks like too little too late.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - Ranking the top teams in this conference is near impossible, but they have been good throughout the season so far. Vancouver Wolves -  (+1) A little post-trade bump. I still think they are a serious contender. Seattle Bears - (+1) Another surging team. After a slow start, it took a lot for them to get here. D.C. Dragons - (-2) This was a disappointing week, but they are still within striking distance of the lead. Toronto Legion - (+1) They actually went on a good run this week, but it is going to be very hard to find room in the playoff picture. New York Americans - (-1) They were tied for last in the league at one point. They sold early, time to tank for the future.
User-Voted Rankings
 
European Conference
Moscow Menace - I’m interested to see if this drops at all this week  Prague Phantoms/HC Davos Dynamo -  (+2) Okay, I know they tied in votes, but one of these things is not like the other. Helsinki Titans - Holding on, just like in the standings. Malmo Nighthawks - (-2) Public favour turned against them before the standings did. You called it. Riga Reign - Really? This is just cruel.  
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers - (+1) They continue to make the case for cup favourites. D.C. Dragons - (+1) Trading away Frostbeard? Really? Seattle Bears - (+2) Could they make it to first this week?  New York Americans - (+1) After the recent trade, this is now the greatest team in the league. Vancouver Wolves / Toronto Legion - (-4/-1) I’m not sure what Vancouver is doing here.   
Notable Games
 
Game 140 - D.C. Dragons vs. Vancouver Wolves
Finn Davison has gotten off to a great start with his new team, but this was actually one of his lesser games this week. Instead, the wolves turned to their consistent safety valve, Julius Freeman, who scored two goals and an assist on the night. The Dragons managed to tie the game up late, with two goals in the third period, but they got swept out of the shootout after just two rounds. Mikko Aaltonen also had a three-point game with a goal and two assists. This included an assist on the tying goal with less than two minutes to go by John Frostbeard, in one of his last games with D.C.
 
Game 157 - Seattle Bears vs. Calgary Wranglers  
We didn’t know it at the time, but this game would end up deciding who leads the conference at the end of the week. It will be a very exciting series if we get this matchup in the playoffs because these teams have very different compositions. Seattle’s star-studded roster is very similar to the one that won those back to back cups just a couple seasons ago. Meanwhile, Calgary has some of the most exciting young talents in the league without having a clear superstar. Seattle edged them out in this one, but I am eagerly looking forward to the rematch.
 
Game 193 - Riga Reign vs. D.C. Dragons
These two teams were on opposite trajectories this week. As Riga rocketed up the standings, D.C. slowly got passed by teams in their conference until they were holding onto the last playoff spot. Riga started the week outside of playoff qualification, but after a rather surprising trade for possibly the hottest goalie in the league, they began to dominate teams left and right. Domination isn’t what happened in this game, but Eagles definitely played a large role in keeping them in it, making thirty saves on the night. It wasn't until the second half of the third period that Riga would score a power-play goal to put them back in the lead, a lead they would manage to hold to the end.
 
Events of the Week
 
Fights
 
Game 137 - Stark draws with Gritty
This fight was impactful in a different kind of way. Going into the final minutes of the third period tied 2-2, Ambrose Stark looked to spark something in his team and propel them to victory by dropping gloves with Gritty. However, that didn’t work out so well as Stark was ejected for instigation and the Bears went on to lose in overtime, where they certainly could have used their top scorer.
Game 148 - Telker draws with Frobe
It was a quiet first period with just a single goal scored by the Phantoms. However, after a fight between a couple of bottom-sixers, the game exploded. Nate Telker got called for instigation and drew an ejection as he went after Gert B Frobe. This was in retaliation for a pretty dirty trip committed by Frobe a few minutes earlier. But once their fight was over, the scoring was blown wide open with six goals in the next sixteen minutes.
Game 164 - BRAWL!
In the final minute of a scoreless second period that would drag on into a scoreless third, we got a flash of excitement. John Madden and Lewis Dawson fought to a draw and Lewis Dawson was ejected for instigating this whole mess. Milos Slavik took the opportunity to beat up Nate Wright and several players game in a sword fighting match with their sticks. Walter Clements, Pierre Persson, Aleksander Rodriguez, Jerry Garcia, and Fernando Jokinen each got either slashing or high-sticking calls for the reckless swinging.
Game 196 - Nygren draws with Nolan
How do you know there is a beef between two players? One way to tell is when they get into a fight just nine seconds into a game. Despite never playing in the same conference, let alone for rivals, something has been brewing between Lucas Nygren and Owen Nolan that just couldn’t wait. Although the fight had no clear winner, Nolan clearly won the night, scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout.
 
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 139 - Thomas Landry II
This is several levels of impressive and might go down as one of the top highlights of the season. First, a hat-trick is always a major feat, even more so from a rookie. It takes it to a whole other level when you consider the scoring drought we saw from rookies last year. Then, to cap it all off, Thomas Landry II went a step above and made it a four-goal game as well. He could have stopped at just his second and still won the game, but he was hungry this game and there was nothing the Titans could do to deny him.
Game 153 - Zeno Miniti
Coming into this season, Zeno Miniti’s career had been on an unfortunate trajectory. After an impressive showing as a rookie, Zeno’s scoring has declined every season since. However, he seems to have entered some sort of renaissance and this hat-trick is the icing on the cake. For the first three-quarters of the game Zeno was the only thing keeping Toronto in it, matching Davos’ three goals with three of his own. Finally, after he had finished his hat-trick, the rest of the legion stepped up to seal the victory.
Game 155 - Brian Strong
Brian Strong had some huge shoes to fill this season, and so far he has done an excellent job. After several key retirements on Helsinki’s roster, it is now Strong’s turn to lead the team in scoring. Getting one goal in each period, it was the same small cast of actors terrorizing the Nighthawks all game. Guillaume Fontenette had assists on each of Strong’s goals and Cody Smith contributed to two of them. This is the type of scoring Helsinki needs right now.
Game 182 - Jet Jaguar
Maybe we are finally out of the league-wide scoring drought with our fourth hat-trick of the week. Jet Jaguar showed that he still has the ability to put his team on his back and carry them to victory, scoring all three of Moscow’s goals against Helsinki. Rookie, Kyle Anderson, tried to get the Titans back in it with two goals of his own, his first of the season, in the third period, but it was too little too late.
Game 189 - Joel Ylonen
This was a rough one for the Phantoms, despite being their second hat-trick of the week. Joel Ylonen scored his entire hat-trick in the first period and Prague left the period down 5-3. They would end up down 7-3, less than three minutes into the third, causing them to swap goalies. Despite a valiant effort, they were only able to draw within one, leaving the comeback incomplete.
Game 200 - Kris Rice
Leading the amazing run the Calgary Wranglers have been on is their unbelievable young talent. Kris Rice is second in scoring on the Wrangler’s roster and just behind a point per game pace. That might be the most interesting thing about Calgary, the way they spread the scoring around. However, in this one, it was all Rice. Scoring four of their five goals to lead them to a win over their rival Americans, Rice completes his first hat-trick of the season.
Game 215 - Ryan Busser
Riga has been seeing the top-level play from unexpected places all week, and this game it came in the form of Ryan Busser. I don’t want to disparage Busser’s earlier play in any way, but he has taken a huge step forward this season and it is good to see him get rewarded with this hat-trick.
 
Shutouts

Game 143 - Calgary vs. H.C. Davos
The offence isn’t Davos’s thing this season, but this was a new low. Facing the Wrangler’s sophomore goalkeeper, Jacques Lafontaine, the Dynamo only managed six shots all game. At the very least, they managed to avoid getting held to zero shots in any period, but that is a very very small victory. This was just ugly.
Game 155 - Malmo vs. Helsinki
Two of the hottest goalies in the league going into this week, Virgil Ligriv got the better of this matchup. Getting some assistance from the strong offensive play of Brian Strong and company, Helsinki dominated possession and only allowed fifteen shots from Malmo. With that, Ligriv records his third shutout of the season.
Game 191 - Malmo vs. Seattle
While the majority of the league seems to have figured out at least some of their scoring issues, Malmo continues to struggle offensively. Rayz Funk has faced a lot of shots this season, so I am sure he was thankful for this seventeen shot reprieve and his first shutout of the season.
Game 197 - Davos vs. Prague
The Dynamo had a better performance in this one, forcing Solomon Crawford to make nineteen saves, but that wasn’t enough to get one past him. By the end, the Phantoms were in absolute control, holding Davos to just a single shot in the third period. It has been a hard week for the lower half of the European conference.
Game 198 - Seattle vs. Vancouver
Seattle continued their rise up through the standing this week, but someone forgot to tell Finn Davison and the Vancouver Wolves. Davison seems to be adjusting well to his new team with an amazing twenty-nine saves to capture his third shutout of the season. It will be hard to compete with Riga’s post-trade success, but Finn is certainly keeping the conversation going about who won this trade.
Game 201 - Malmo vs. H.C. Davos
It has been a rough week for both of these teams, but one of them had to win this game. They actually both managed reasonable offences, despite struggling in that regard all week. Samuel Ross stopped twenty shots in this 3-0 game to earn his second shutout of the season.
Game 204 - Vancouver vs. Moscow
Moscow had plenty of opportunities in this game, but Finn Davison was outstanding. Davison is meshing very well with his new team and shutting out the reigning champs should prove to everyone that Vancouver got exactly what they wanted from this trade.
Game 206 - New York vs. Helsinki
Another matchup between two teams that struggled this week, New York looked stronger defensively than they have all season. After two quick powerplay goals in the second, this game was in the bag and A Red Guy had his first shutout of the season.

Rookie Spotlight
Kyl Oferson 

Probably the most explosive rookie to enter the league this season, Kyl Oferson started his career with the Mississauga Hounds. However, it was after being drafted by the San Diego Marlins that his explosive playstyle took off. Scoring one-hundred and fifty-three points and carrying an absurd +126, it was no surprise that he went first overall to the Riga Reign.
 
It has taken some time for Oferson to adjust to the speed of the VHL, but he seems to have gotten it all figured out at the right time. Riga was dominant all week, and Kyl played an important part in that. He is currently third in goals scored on the Reign roster and I wouldn’t be surprised if he climbed even higher.
 
There was some question as to whether Riga would be heading into a rebuild in the next couple seasons, but with top-notch talent like this, it seems like they have pushed that further into the future. It has to be fun to play for a real contender as a rookie, but it is likely even better when you are playing a significant role in getting them to that point.