hylands

I can vouch for rory, he's an excellent candidate for the position!

Hey Cole, I'll apply. I'm active in the Mexico City locker room and can dedicate a consistent amount of time of week for the foreseeable future. Would love the opportunity to work with you.

Through 22 games the Mexico City Kings have a name not may expected to be leading their team in points. Arthur Dayne leads the squad with 12 goals and 17 helpers. Dayne’s current scoring display was certainly a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. Recently, Dayne was given a new line mate, King’s captain Chris Hylands. The duo has been off to quite the start, they have amassed 11 points in their first four games together. Hylands who in his mind has been struggling as of late hopes he can find his scoring touch. “I think he’s playing fine, sometimes he can be a bit too hard on himself” Dayne told the media. The Kings are currently tied for fourth with 29 points, having an identical record to the Mississauga Hounds. The team also showed their desire for winning it all this season by acquiring Viktor Mjers and Jeremy Lin. “They’re great players and the really want to win so I think they’ll ft right in.”
 
@Hylands33

Mexico City - Lines from practice today suggest that captain and S72 dispersal draft first overall selection, Chris Hylands (S72 2nd - MAL), has been demoted to the second line following a slow start to the season. Blake Bridges (S71 3rd - VAN) will be taking over in the first LW slot, and Jeffrey Pines will move to the right wing. Bridges has 8-9-17 so far this season, however his early success could be accredited to second line center, Arthur Dayne (S72 3rd - NYA), who leads the team with 29 points. This shakeup in the lineup could help Hylands heat up, and with Dayne's help to return him to the scoresheet more consistently. 

With scoring being an issue in Mexico City, it's not surprise GM Motza acquired offensive defenseman Viktor Mjers in a trade earlier today. Mjers 25 points immediately ties Pines for the third highest point total for the Kings. Mjers elite skating and puck handling will slot him nicely on the top pairing with Viktor Kamenov (S72 1st - MAL). The Viktor duo will have a new netminder behind the pipes occasionally, as waivers goaltender JoDuckets LaPimpin signed a one year deal with Mexico City to join the Kings as their backup goalie. Zamboni Driver has played all 22 games for the Kings thus far, giving him a much earned break.

219 words - I named lots of people: @Hylands33 @Blake Bridge @Infernal @InstantRockstar @BigTittySmitty @Tape-to-Tape @deweyshot89 @Motzaburger

We had a lot of quality applicants this season and it was a difficult decision and wasn't taken lightly. I encourage everyone who didn't get the position to not be frustrated and to keep applying for the World Juniors and other positions in the league. We notice names who keep applying. 
Without further adieu.... 
 
 
 
Congratulations to those selected.
If you did not get the job don't be discouraged and please apply again next season.

Overall I am whelmed with how Driver is performing. Mexico is playing good and has a record of 14-7-1. It is a good record but being 40 goals ahead of their goals against I would have thought the record would be stronger. Driver is going along with 2.13 goals against but is just a tad below the 90% mark for saves. Mexico late in the week signed a backup goalie so Driver is starting to feel the pressure to keep his crease. Driver believes he has the most skill of the current string of minor league goaltenders and has high expectations of his abilities. Mexico has been a welcoming team to play for and he is thankful for the trade that moved him over from San Diego. Next season he will be with the Titans and the next story in his career will begin. For now Driver has his eyes on winning a championship with the Mexico City Kings.

Saskatoon receives:
S73 HFX 3rd
Timothy Brown

Halifax receives:
S74 SSK 6th
S74 MEX 3rd
S74 SSK 1st


This trade has been accepted by all parties and is pending league approval.

Continuing my series with none other than Jeffrey Pines (@rory)
 

After a few months off, I decided to re-join with VSN. I joined them in February or so of 2019, and I decided to write historical articles mostly because I couldn't think of anything else. I wasn't even around for most of the things I talked about so I still have no idea why I decided to pick that. But, after nearly nine months of working with VSN, writing historical articles became my thing. I liked learning about the past, and telling interesting stories that most people never would of known about, or bringing back memories to all the old members. In my long time at VSN, three different people became the head of VSN. For a long time, specifically over the summer, VSN became pretty much my own writing platform because I was the only one doing anything for a while. Then, everything changed, and Bana and Frostbeard took over. Around this time my activity started to decline, and I stopped being a VHLM GM. Eventually I had to leave VSN because of that and take a break as a whole, but now I'm back and wanted to get back with VSN. When they announced they had five spots opening, I was pretty confident I would get re-hired and it's good to be back.

Welcome to the first edition of VSN’s S72 Weekly recap (Games 1-119).  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.
 
But first, make sure to check out the other great work from the greater VSN family! Here are a few handy links to check out, from our weekly podcasts to in-depth history articles, scouting reports, and more!
 | The Talent Behind the Trophies | S72 Top 25 | Future Watch | Under 250 |

Recap

 In the process of on-boarding tons of new staff at VSN, our first edition of Weekly Review is slightly delayed. We will be covering ten days of sims instead of the usual seven, but that just means we will be reviewing a quarter of the season in a single post. I would like to introduce @Hylands33, who will be joining me to write Weekly Review this season. We will be trading off which segments we write, but every issue will be a collaboration. In addition to that change, there are some minor format changes as well. Power rankings will be a little more fleshed out and will have amazing graphics from our graphics team to illustrate them. Similarly, Rookie Profile has been updated to Rookie Spotlight and will sometimes include interviews and flashing personalized graphics for each highlighted player. Anyway, there are lots to cover so let’s get to it!
 
Offences around the league are lighting it up and many goalies are suffering the consequences. Of course, it is early to make this type of proclamation, but is it possible that the VHL may finally be seeing the end of the low-scoring “dead puck” era of the last several seasons? With six hat-tricks and only eleven shutouts this week we have seen a lot of high-paced, high-scoring, exciting hockey games.
 
To add to that excitement, we had an extremely close field for most of the week. Calgary began to pull away and D.C. began to fall back, but the middle ten teams are all within six points. It is still very early to tell how things will shake out, but there are teams at the bottom of the table at the moment with a lot of highly talented stars. Presumably, some of those stars will be looking at hunting a cup this season, which could mean we will get an action trading block this season.

3-Stars
 
First Star
Condor Adrienne (MAL) - 17 G, 22 A, 1 Hat Trick
Second Star
Jacques Lafontaine (CGY) -  0.935 SV%, 1.89 GAA, 2 SOs
Third Star
Hunter Hearst Helmsley (VAN) - 13 G, 19 A, 32 P
 
Power Rankings
 
A huge shoutout to @Pengu for this amazing graphic.
 
European Conference
 
Week 1 of S72 has come to a close and the European Conference couldn’t be more of a toss-up. Just 6 points separate the 6th placed Malmo Nighthawks and the 1st placed Helsinki Titans. Earning our top spot in the power rankings for this week, boasting an impressive 7-3-0 record on the road, the Helsinki Titans are off to a very strong start after having the leagues 2nd worst record just a season ago. The rest of the conference is simply too close for comfort! We have 4 teams sitting within two points of each other occupying 2nd through 5th place, and as it stands right now Moscow is the unlucky team sitting outside of the playoffs. With a game in hand, HC Davos Dynamo have been given 2nd in the power rankings, and if they take advantage of that game in hand they can put a little bit of distance between them and the rest of the pack. Coming in at 3rd and 4th respectively are the Riga Reign and Prague Phantoms. Both of these clubs are neck and neck right now but will find themselves amidst a losing streak as we head into the start of week 2. Moscow has a game in hand on both Prague and Riga but ultimately are on the outside looking in as they are just one point shy of the Phantoms, and tied with the lowly Nighthawks. A slower start than what GM Victor Alfredsson would have hoped for, but their +4 goal difference, which is good enough for second-best in the conference, and riding on the back of some great goaltending by Raymond Bernard, paints a happier picture than what the standings suggest. Taking our last spot at 6th place will be the Malmo Nighthawks. Perhaps a bit of a surprise to much of the league the Nighthawks are keeping right on pace with the rest of the conference. An impressive 39 points in only 20 games by star defenseman Condor Adrienne has the rebuilding team right in the thick of the playoff race so far. Is this an early indicator of things to come this season? If so, buckle up your seatbelts, because this is going to be a wild ride to the playoffs.

North American Conference 

Somewhat of a different picture is being painted in the North American Conference compared to the European. Rightfully earning top spot, Calgary has managed to jump out as early favourites with a 5 point lead, +24 goal difference and a stellar 9-0-1 home record. Currently, on a 7 game winning streak they have managed to propel themselves right to the top of the standings not only here in the power rankings, but, they also sport the league's best overall record. In 2nd on the power rankings, the Seattle Bears are currently hot on the trail of 1st placed Calgary. With a similar, but not quite as impressive home record of 7-3-0, the Bears find themselves sitting 5 points back and have to be looking towards making another deep playoff run after last season’s success. Coming in at 3rd, the Toronto Legion find themselves tied with Seattle on points. After an otherwise strong start to the season, things have cooled off slightly in Toronto, but that’s not to say they are on a downward spiral. Currently occupying the final playoff spot in the conference, and 4th in the power rankings we have the Vancouver Wolves. Their record is just slightly above .500 right now, having gone 10-9-1 through the opening 20 contests. Perhaps their time at the top of the league is up? Sitting by themselves in 5th place this week we have the New York Americans, who have seen a bit of a turnaround as of late after having a poor start to the season, and they now find themselves hot on the heels of Vancouver. With 20 points and 3 wins in a row, they are 4 points clear of the last-placed D.C. Dragons. 6th spot this week will go to none other than the D.C. Dragons. Not at all the start that GM Eno Rama was hoping for, but not all hope is lost yet. Looking at their roster, you cannot help but notice just how solid it is and you would think the Dragons. will be able to find their feet over the coming weeks. Things can turn around quickly in the VHL and you may find yourself on the right side of a long winning streak. With one week played, some may be jumping on the Calgary bandwagon right away, but a strong week from the defending champs has kept them within reaching distance.

Notable Games
 
Game 19 - Calgary Wranglers vs. Seattle Bears
When the top two teams of the North American Conference meet, you don’t expect the type of shellacking we saw in this game. Calgary held the Bears to just fifteen shots while putting up forty of their own. Charlie Paddywagon showed why he is among the best defensemen in the league right now with involvement in each Wranglers scoring play and a three-goal game. Other Calgary stars also made an appearance on the scoreboard, such as Mikko Lahtinen and Tyler Barabash Jr. The only extremely notable Wrangler missing from the scoresheet was RJ Jubis. For Seattle, you couldn’t really ask more from Rayz Funk. He stopped thirty-seven of thirty-nine while being pummelled by double-digit shots in every period.
 
Game 94 - Helsinki Titans vs. Toronto Legion 
A culmination of three games played between these teams this week, this game presents us with two of the biggest surprises this season. Toronto was counted out by most and Helsinki by many coming into the year, but they each find themselves in the top five in the standings. Out of the three games played against each other, you can’t get much closer than walking away with four points to three in the standings. The Titans outshot the Legion in every period until overtime, but Toronto was efficient and regulation ended 2-2. Once in extra time, the Legion turned it on with six shots in two and half minutes and Chad Magnum closed it out with a magnificent goal.
 
Game 96 - Moscow Menace vs. HC Davos Dynamo
Last season’s punching bag, the HC Davos Dynamo against the European Conference Champions and cup finalist Moscow Menace. The tables seem to have turned dramatically this season as Davos holds a three-point lead and second place in the conference at the end of the week. Built on an extremely young core, the youth showed up with SS Hornet, Robin Winter, Alex Bridges, and Roque Davis all making significant contributions. It is hard to mention them, however, without also mentioning the great veteran leadership they are receiving from the likes of ACL TEAR and Acyd Burn.

Events of the Week

Fights
 
Game 25 - Helmsley beats up Stark Coming into the season, many expected these to be the best two players in the league, so we can’t ignore it when such talents drop gloves with each other. Just as in the stat sheet, Hunter Hearst Helmsley got the better of Ambrose Stark in the fight. However, Seattle did walk away with the win, so it wasn’t a total victory for HHH. Game 55 - BRAWL! Our first line-brawl was perhaps a bit small to call that, but we did have two sets of combatants, Nethila Dissanayake beat up Owen Nolan and Chad Magnum beat up Micheal Gary Scott, as well as three related minors to Erik Killinger, Lance Flowers and, Bjorn Scoringsonn. MGS was also given a game misconduct for instigation, but it was a dirty period all around as Leon Gutzwiler was still in the box for Unsportsmanlike Conduct when the fight broke out. Game 57 - Drumm beats up Gritty and Su Sometimes winning one fight isn’t enough for a player. After Charles Drumm beat up Gritty less than six minutes into the game, he picked another fight with Andrew Su just five minutes late. Once again handing out a beating, the refs decided they had seen enough of Drumm and ejected him from the game. Game 63 - BRAWL! This fight was a little larger than the last brawl, but the fights were far less decisive. Gritty and Blake Laughton went to the ice quickly after dropping the gloves, Gino DiGiannantonio and Kefka Palazzo fought for a while but landed few punches, and Brock Louth and Alex Pearson fought to a draw despite each landing solid blows. Andrew Su, Griff Manzer, and the rest of the skaters on the ice received minors for their involvement as well.  
Hat-Tricks
 
Game 17 - Jerry Garcia This is the Davos team we saw brewing last season, just shy of being a contender but with s handful of high picks to fill the holes. Jerry Garcia had been a Malmo Lifer with consistently underwhelming numbers and brief glimpses of greatness. On this Dynamo roster, he appears to be the centre of attention and primary scoring outlet. With three assists from David OQuinn, Garcia has earned our first hat-trick of the season. Game 24 - Ben McGirr In the rematch of our first hat-trick, Ben McGirr heard that hattys were on the menu. It would have been difficult to come out of this 8-6 barn burner without at least one hat-trick, but it is always surprising when the player scoring thrice is on the losing side. McGirr scored all three during Prague’s five-goal first period before HC Davos answered with five unanswered to take back the lead. This game could only be described as a goalie’s worst nightmare. Game 49 - Killy Foilen Killy Foilen had a slow first season and a decent sophomore year, but I can not overstate how much scarier Moscow becomes if Foilen develops into a serious offensive weapon this season. With three of the Menace’s four goals this game, Killy had their opener, the game-winner, and the nail in the coffin eight minutes into the third. Game 82 Scott Greene In what was one of the least disciplined games we’ve seen in some time, with fourteen powerplay opportunities between the two teams, scoring chances abounded. Scott Greene took advantage in the first period, scoring three in a row for his hat-trick. Two of the three came on the powerplay in a crazy period that saw four powerplay goals. Game 105 - RJ Jubis RJ Jubis got off to a hot start in this one, bringing the Wranglers out of the first period with a lead after giving up a goal in the opening minutes. Then, it was Jubis again who was called on when Prague was surging to try to time the game in the third to put a nail in the coffin and finish his hat-trick and the game. Game 110 - Condor Adrienne Picking it up in the final seconds on an empty netter, Condor Adrienne already had a three-point game before finishing his hat-trick. In fact, he had a three-point period in the first, with two goals and an assist. Prague did claw back to within one, allowing Condor the shot at the empty net, but Adrienne and the Nighthawks held them off for the win.  
Shutouts
 
Game 15 - Moscow vs. Helsinki Our first shutout of the season comes at the hands of Raymond Bernard and the Moscow Menace. It looks like this team is setting out early to put to rest any questions about whether they can maintain their pace from over the past two seasons. With an impressive twenty-nine save performance, Bernard is quickly silencing any detractors.  Game 26 - D.C. vs. Toronto It hasn’t been a great start for the Dragons, but a shutout against a top-five team is a good way to show that you can still hang with the best of them. Stone Wolski put up twenty-nine saves in his first shutout of the season. This goal-starved game was scoreless until early in the third when D.C.’s powerplay unit came through with the game-winner. Game 27 - Helsinki vs. Riga Perhaps a little upset with being the first team of the season to be shutout, Helsinki showed us that they were capable of holding an opponent scoreless as well. I believe a shoutout is in order to Nicolas Fomba, Riga’s backup goalie, who actually saved one more shot than Michael Johnson, on a great twenty-seven save performance. However, it was Johnson who remained perfect, stopping all twenty-six for his first shutout of the season. Game 29 - Calgary vs. New York None of our shutouts so far have come easily, but goalies keep stepping up to the task. In this match, Jacques Lafontaine faced twenty-eight shots, stopping them all. He did have one advantage provided by his team, their excellent discipline. Calgary spent only four minutes on the penalty kill the entire game compared to just over eleven minutes with the man advantage. Game 42 Seattle vs. Toronto There may be nothing sweeter in the VHL than when your backup goalie earns a shutout. Thorvald Gunnarsson stopped twenty-seven shots to make Toronto the first team this season to be shut out twice. Seattle dominated the first two periods but allowed Toronto some offensive opportunities in the third. A backup goalie with a three-goal cushion would receive no grief for letting one in that scenario, but Gunnarsson stood firm. Game 65 - Riga vs. Toronto In a little bit of payback for their own scoreless games, the Toronto Legion decided to bring someone else to their level by handing Riga their second shutout. Actually being outshot by the Reign, Jaxx Hextall stopped twenty-six pucks in what looked like it would be a scoreless regulation game. However, in the seventeenth minute, Kristopher McDagg finally managed to put one past Greg Eagles to win the game. Game 66 - Moscow vs. Helsinki In a repeat of their first meeting, Raymond Bernard has shutout the Helsinki Titans for the second time this season. This time, it was an incredible performance with forty-one saves, which has a good chance of standing the test of the season as the most saves in a shutout. Moscow produced a goal in each period to complete the eerie similarity to these teams' first meeting this season. Game 107 - New York vs. Moscow Although Bernard has been excellent so far this season, A Red Guy got the better of him in this match. This was the first shutout we’ve seen this season where the goalie faced less than twenty shots. With nineteen saves, Guy came in just under that mark. He did face some challenges in the first and third periods but only saw one shot throughout the entire second. Game 108 HC Davos vs. Riga Both Greg Eagles and Samuel Ross had eighteen saves in this one, but it was Eagles who was flawless. This was certainly a slower game, but those can be challenging for goalies as well when you go long stretches without facing a shot. Greg did a great job of staying on his toes between high-danger situations and keeping the pucks out when it mattered. Game 112 Calgary vs. D.C. Becoming the second goalie to record two shutouts this season, Jacques Lafontaine joins our string of sub-twenty save shutouts in the latter part of this week. Calgary struggled to maintain any offensive pressure after the first twenty-four minutes, but by then the damage had been done and they had a four-goal lead. From there, it was just a game of keep-away to close out the game. Game 115 - Seattle vs. Toronto Riddle me this, the team that everyone doubted is now tied for second in the league and yet, somehow, they have still been shutout more than any other team. Seattle managed a crushing fifty shots, but, lest you think they kept the puck in their opponents’ zone all game, Rayz Funk still had to make thirty-four saves to earn his first shutout of the season.
Rookie Spotlight
SS Hornet

Another huge shoutout, this time to @Motzaburger for these great graphics.
 
Being drafted #1 overall in the VHL doesn’t always mean you’re destined for greatness. The spotlight that inevitably comes with the first selection can sometimes eat away at a young player’s career. In an exclusive interview with the hottest rookie talent in the VHL, SS Hornet opened up about the pressure that comes along with the first pick. “I know I'm expected to perform right from the start of the season, so yes, it adds a bit of pressure. It pushes me to try and do my best on the ice every shift; I want Davos to be proud of their first selection”. The robot’s algorithm has managed to synthesize a voice that can now answer any questions we have and has made a statement that it is ready to perform at the highest level. 
 
 SS Hornet first started its career with the Houston Bulls in S70 and put up a respectable 20 points in 22 games as well as 3 points in 8 playoff games. S71 saw it selected 4th overall in the VHLM by the Las Vegas Aces where it managed to produce at over a point per game pace with 87 points in 72 regular games, evenly split with 41 goals and 41 assists. The playoffs were more of the same where it racked up 17 points in 12 games and helped lead its team to the Conference Final which the Aces lost to the Yukon Rush.
 
However, it’s been a somewhat rocky start to Hornet’s career in the VHL. Its point production has been very good, it is currently leading all rookie scoring at the time of writing. Having said that, when you look further down the stat line, Hornet has amassed 29 PIMs in 19 games. When asked about its high penalty minutes, it had a rebuttal to the critics, saying “You can look at my 29 penalty minutes and think I'm a senseless goon, but really I have only put my team in a shorthanded position twice. 25 of these 29 minutes are from fights and ejections. About these though, I'm really unsure about what happened. I'm not really a fighter, these just kind of happened. It's hard to explain”. Perhaps it is not discipline that is the problem, but maybe lack of a proper enforcer on Davos that leaves Hornet having to defend itself. Its first fight in the big leagues was in its debut, drawing with Kyl Oferson, which shows it’s ready to be a physical force, but some finesse is needed to keep it on the ice and out of the sin bin considering the same fight had it ejected half-way through the game. Perhaps the algorithm is having a hard time fine-tuning the necessary aggressiveness that will give it an edge on the ice. Having said that, you simply cannot look past the pure scoring ability of this sentient android, and it would not surprise me to see it continue its amazing point production.
 
HC Davos is currently sitting on a plethora of young talent and they find themselves right in the middle of a playoff battle. Time will tell if these young stars can build a strong core for Davos to be contenders for many seasons to come and you would have to assume that SS Hornet will be right at the forefront leading the way. “I wouldn't be too surprised if we made the Continental Cup finals out of the European Conference this season. We have a balanced crew of veterans and rookies. Every season, some veterans will leave and new rookies will take over their spot in the league. We'll be good for a while”. Hornet seems to be under the impression that the window of opportunity is open for Davos right now and they are ready to make a surprise run to the Continental Cup finals. 
 
 

@joeg I tried my best

Welcome back to Future Watch! Since last season, we have seen many graduations, trades, and most importantly, we’ve had a draft to restock our VHL teams back up with talent. In this series, we take a look at all of the VHL prospect pools and rank them by conference, and by the league as well. This time around, our focus is on the North American Conference. 
 
Before we begin, I’d like to make it known that VSN has some new content coming! VSN Scouting is starting up with myself and @Spence King, as well as more coverage of both leagues from @Hylands33 and @diamond_ace! With @Matt_O returning to deliver some more great history articles too, VSN’s new changes are going to lead to some amazing results. That being said, let’s see what North America has to offer!
 

 
CALGARY WRANGLERS | 6th in NA | 12th Overall
Top Prospect: John Poremba - S72 3rd Round (31)
 
Calgary’s prospect pool doesn’t budge in our rankings, but it has gotten significant upgrades since our last checkup. What keeps them down here is the lack of positional variety. Both of the Wranglers top prospects are goaltenders, and they don’t have much else to offer. Forward Justin Goatman claimed practice facility weekly for a long time but has recently fallen inactive. Their two goalie prospects, John Poremba and Nils Friedriksen have been nearly identical in terms of TPE their entire careers, and look to be potential fringe-starter goalies at the VHL level. They consistently earn in the neighbourhood of 8-12 TPE every week, on top of occasional weeks of higher productivity. Overall, Calgary has themselves a group with some value, but little variety.
 
 

 
DC DRAGONS | 5th in NA | 11th Overall
Top Prospect: Liam Flaten - S72 2nd Round (16)
 
With leFlamant graduating from the VHLM this season, the Dragons really didn’t have anyone to replace him in their prospect pool, until the draft came around. They found themselves a new top gun, by the name of Liam Flaten. Flaten is a defenseman with an unbelievable ability to shoot the puck, which he has frequently displayed this season. His 11 goals in 18 games is a sneak peek of what the 19-year-old could become. He is fantastic offensively, but no slouch defensively either.
 
A bit of a wildcard in this organization is S72 4th round pick Alek Andreshnikov. After being a player who solely claimed practice facility for just about his entire career up to the draft, Andreshnikov immediately posted a week of 26 TPE following the draft. So far this week, he has earned 6, but there is time for more. If the Kings’ centre can maintain this recent advancement in his development, D.C. could find themselves with another solid player.
 
 

 
NEW YORK AMERICANS | 4th in NA | 10th Overall
Top Prospect: Arthur Dayne - S72 3rd Round (34)
 
Once again, we find ourselves with a team who hasn’t moved in the rankings since last season. Like the previous two, they have also made notable improvements. There are three pretty interesting prospects here, with the top one being Arthur Dayne in my opinion. The Canadian is putting up some solid numbers this season, with 10 goals and 23 points in just 18 games with Mexico City. A few weeks ago, he had a week of inactivity, but since then, his production of TPE has been pretty good. He usually earns about 6 TPE a week, though that has gone up lately.
 
I considered making John Brewitt the top prospect, as his TPE earning has been quite good, earning from 8-12 TPE per week on most occasions. His 50 points on a weaker Hounds team last season was nice to see too. However, Brewitt’s 42 defence rating is a bit concerning. But despite this, he is still an exciting prospect who could very well end up as the best of the bunch.
 
The last prospect to discuss here is goalie prospect Bacon. He has seen his TPE production rise lately, but his capped TPE production has also gone down. Now, this is not a big deal if the 18-year-old Bacon starts earning more capped TPE once the uncapped opportunities start to fade, but it is a small concern for the time being. A combined 4 capped TPE over the last 2 weeks isn’t ideal, but 30 total TPE is great to see from him. All of the New York prospects seem to have a little bit of risk attached to them, but their potential is undeniable.
 
 

 
SEATTLE BEARS | 3rd in NA | 8th Overall
Top Prospect: Timothy Brown - S72 1st Round (12)
 
Seattle drops one spot since last season, with the graduation of Sheilds, and the trade of Zyrok12 stinging quite a bit. Returning from last season’s group are Bo Burrows and Erik Hjalmarsson. The latter has been claiming practice facility fairly consistently for a while but hasn’t taken any steps to show much VHL potential so far in his career. Burrows is likely in his last VHLM season, sitting at 221 TPE right now. He earns an average of about 8 TPE per week, with it often ranging from 6-10. He is a physical defender with a powerful shot from the blueline, and will almost surely be a solid defenseman at the next level.
 
The high-profile newcomer this season is Canadian winger Timothy Brown, whom Seattle selected in the first round this past offseason. Averaging an astounding 27 TPE over his last 6 full weeks, Brown is a prospect on the rise and one who is just about ready for the big leagues. One quarter into the S72 season and he’s already quickly approaching last season’s totals. The other player that the Bears elected for in the league’s latest draft was Connor Tanner, who is an interesting case. After a 2 month absence from the league, Tanner came back to claim 6 TPE a couple of weeks ago. He hasn’t updated again since then, unfortunately. He did show some promise early on in his career, but it didn’t sustain for long. Seattle’s group has the star power that was lacking in the groups before them and has some added depth with Burrows.
 
 

 
TORONTO LEGION | 2nd in NA | 6th Overall
Top Prospect: Joseph Gainer - S72 2nd Round (22)
 
Toronto made some huge additions to their prospect pool in the S72 Draft, including their top prospect, Joseph Gainer. Gainer has missed out on only 2 capped TPE since joining and has earned plenty of uncapped along the way as well. Being a late joiner, he had the task of catching up to the others in his draft class, which he has done incredibly well to this point. His build is very balanced, making him quite useful in any situation you put him in.
 
Selected the pick prior to Gainer, was Michael Mac. While Mac likely would’ve been the top candidate for Toronto’s top prospect at the time of the draft, he has since seen his production of capped TPE go down significantly, with just 4 in the last two weeks. Despite this, his overall TPE earning has stayed at a nice level, and his upside as a sniper is tremendous. He is a great shooter with some shifty hands, and could definitely end up an extremely important piece for this team.
 
Two more players were picked by the Legion in that draft, and I would consider both of them wildcards. First off is Adam Frence, whose potential looked to be pretty high, with his activity in the community, and job with VHL Twitter. Seemingly out of nowhere, he disappeared shortly before the draft and hasn’t come back since. The other is Ziarie Anigbogu. While definitely not as big of a wildcard as Frence, Anigbogu is an interesting case because of unpredictability in earning TPE. The Reapers’ defender has gone through periods of earning moderate amounts of TPE, low amounts, and most recently, high amounts. This positive trend has been great to see and will result in a fine player one day if maintained. Anigbou moves the puck very well and has demonstrated that so far in S72 with 15 assists in 18 games.
 
The last two to speak on from Toronto are the returnees from last season. Jeff Blaze was the team’s top prospect last time we checked in, and now he has surrendered that title. He is still producing around the same rate, with about 6 TPE per week most of the time. Blaze won’t be a superstar but will add some quality depth for the Legion in the future. S70 draftee Dick Cheezy also returns, after slowing the momentum that he had at the time of our last article. Cheezy has had his fair share of inactive weeks lately, and whenever he’s active, it’s just a practice facility claim. Yet, he is still close to being a VHL calibre player. If he could pick it back up to where he was in early-mid April, this is another quality depth piece for the team.
 
Toronto has a great prospect pool. Star potential and depth in abundance are a wonderful duo, and the Legion definitely has them.
 
 

 
VANCOUVER WOLVES | 1st in NA | 5th Overall
Top Prospect: Gregg Stallion - S72 2nd Round (15)
 
Vancouver’s ranking has dropped quite a bit in the overall standings, but they remain on top of the North American Conference. They have lost two significant prospects since last season, but have kept a lot of them as well, and even added a new face to the group.
 
Let’s start off by returning to the three players who were picked with consecutive picks in the S71 Draft. Xavier Hills and Blake Bridges still struggle with inconsistency but show flashes of VHL potential. I said this last time, and my point still stands; If Hills could claim his 6 TPE welfare every week, he would be a very solid prospect. Bridges has moments of brilliance but often dips in activity as well. The third pick, Raiens Grasis, is the opposite. He has been consistent his whole career, but only with claiming practice facility. To this point, he still hasn’t earned one capped TPE, and for that reason, I can’t see him in the VHL unless something changes.
 
Next up we have another returning pair from the S71 Draft. Second-round pick Squirrely dan has progressed nicely and is at a point now where he is fully ready for the VHL. Currently playing for Minnesota, he has provided a well-balanced forward option who seems to fit in wherever he plays for the team. A few picks later, Vancouver selected Kazimir Komarov, who was trending upwards at the time of the last article. For the most part, he has kept up his higher TPE production, besides one slip-up a couple of weeks ago. Komarov has had an amazing start to his season, with 39 points in only 18 games.
 
We also took a look at an undrafted prospect in last season’s North American Future Watch, being Hunter Harrison. He went inactive for a couple of weeks, but is back in business now, with 45 TPE in his last 4 full weeks. Harrison is a massive defenseman with a physical edge and could end up a nice depth piece on the Wolves’ blueline.
 
The last player we’ll cover is the best of them all. Picked in the latest draft at 15th overall, Gregg Stallion seems to be on the road to becoming a star in the VHL. He has never earned below 14 TPE in any given week, and has had some really good numbers in the VHLM as well. His 56 goals in 86 career games is outstanding, and his 117 points are also impressive. I expect Stallion, dan, and Komarov to be VHL players in S73, and some of the others will get there with time.
 
 
In the next article, we will come back to the European Conference’s prospect pools. I wish the best for all of these players, and hope you can make an impact for whichever VHL team you’re trying to make!
 
Players mentioned: @Goatman @CrlineDijohn14 @Biggreen10 @flatl99 @PuckPushers @Infernal @JBrew42 @Bacon @Walter Fizz @Erik @a_Ferk @Keygan @joeg @LastOneUp @Kachur @ngine4 @NyQuil @goldenglutes @inflastud @Blake Bridge @raiens @jacobaa19 @Gooningitup @I'll change this later @SweatyBeaver

Today's topic is going to be deep within the realm of the VHLM. A team, pretty much filled with first generational players. Players that have never played in the VHL before. They have never felt true glory nor have they felt true pain (I still cry about my only finals appearance). We're diving into the Mexico City Kings organization. Mexico City has been a fun destination for new members and this is why it's such a fun time to break down their current team construct.
 
When I say that this team is full of first generation players, I'm not joking at all. Seriously, this is going to be a fun ride into the sunset, are you ready to take the journey?
 
Goalies
 
Let's start off with their goalies. This season, Zamboni has been running the show with 17 starts and 18 games played which is a mouth watering amount. Of those 17 starts, he's had 11 wins and 6 losses on his record. What makes Zamboni so special is that he's posting a very solid 90% save percentage and a 1.88 goals against average. He's among one of the best goalies in the league at the moment and is currently tied with Grekkark Gyrfalcon (goalie of the Saskatoon Wild). What really helps his case is the fact that he's faced 352 shots so far however, he's been right there when called upon for Mexico City.
 
Defensemen
 
Viktor Alexei Kamenov. At a whopping 6'8" and staggering 210 lbs. This man is built like a truck and has been doing so in Mexico. What a load of hunk. He's come back to Mexico City as a blue chip prospect (rights belong to Malmo) and he's been doing everything right on the ice so far. He's at exactly a point a game with 8 goals and 10 assists in 18 games. In 18 games, he's been incredible responsible with 10 penalties as well. What he truly excels at is being an anchor on the power play as well with 8 goals (2nd in the league to do so far) and 1 assist. Seriously, Viktor has been doing some work so far in Mexico and has been a huge star on their defensive core. Mr. Clutch has also put in 3 game winning goals as well which puts him 4th in the league for that.
 
The next big defensemen they have is Chance Rust. The 6'5" 225 lb monster of a defender has been a defensive anchor on the roster. While he's not in the top charts for anything this season, he's been such an important piece for this roster. With 1 goal and 12 assists for 13 points in 18 games has been a great secondary scorer on the blue line for the team. He's also had 22 hits and 23 shots blocked so he's truly working on both sides of the ice.
 
Surrounding these 2 main anchors on the are Nolan McNalley and Joe Jacks. Each of these two have been growing at a very steady rate and have been such a huge part of this defense as well. This defense will be strong for years to come, especially since these two are committed to the organization and could be apart of the team for a while!
 
Forwards
 
Chris Hylands. The main man, the star forward of this team. He's racked up 8 goals and 7 assists for 15 points in 18 games with a +/- of 9. Chris has the star ability to make for a brilliant player in the VHL and while he's not the lighting the league on fire, he has the fire in his belly and potential to make him an absolute stud for years to come. It looks like he'll be joining his teammate, Viktor Alexei Kamenov, over in Malmo after this season as well!
 
Blake Bridges is another top young man on the Mexico City Kings. With 15 points as well, he's put up 6 goals and 9 assists so he's been a great source of scoring and offense. Blake has been a huge physical presence with 21 hits as well. He could be a bit better, however he's been showing a strong presence to improve every single day and game. He's looking to be a strong member of the team for years to come.
 
Another big anchor on the offensive anchor is Arthur Dayne. Arthur Dayne has been an absolute lick, in my personal opinion. Arthur has put up a solid 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points, being the main anchor on this team, offensively speaking. Arthur has also dished out a lot of hits for his size (25 hits on the season) considering his stature sits at around 6 foot tall at 203 lbs. Arthur has the mold to be an offensive weapon for the future and reminds me of a younger and a bit smaller version of Mikko Aaltonen. 
 
Summary
 
All of which have been working well within the system. The entire team has been awesome to see playing to well defensively. With around 102 shots blocked and 410 hits, this team has been extremely strong on the ice and has been supporting Zamboni Driver quite a bit. I think they need to work on their special teams however as they have a 79.78 penalty kill % (ranks them at 5th in the league) as well as a 22.06 power play % (ranks them 7th in the league). This could prove to be the pivotal factor in driving them higher in the ranking.

I will apply to be GM of Team Europe! Would be a great opportunity to learn.

ESPN.mx -- It's been a remarkable start to the season in Mexico City when you consider the results of last season. A last place finish with a mere 12 wins had fans of the Kings wondering if their players were even good enough to play in the VHLM. Well, the fans have their answers and it seems that the rebuild in Mexico is paying off; with their team sitting in a playoff spot and keeping right on pace with the top teams in the league, things are starting to look up for the Mexico City Kings. One player that we would like to focus on is the Captain of the team Chris Hylands. Mexico City selected Hylands with the 1st overall selection in the VHLM dispersal draft, to the somewhat surprise of some others, and it may be working against the Kings.
 
  Sitting at 14 points through 14 games, Hylands is off to a slower start than the Kings would have hoped. In fact, if you look at players taken after him, you will find everyone up until the 11th selection currently has more points than the #1 choice. Comparing his production to his previous season you can see clear improvement, however the Kings have to be asking of more from their top choice and current Captain.

ESPN.mx -- It's been a remarkable start to the season in Mexico City when you consider the results of last season. A last place finish with a mere 12 wins had fans of the Kings wondering if their players were even good enough to play in the VHLM. Well, the fans have their answers and it seems that the rebuild in Mexico is paying off; with their team sitting in a playoff spot and keeping right on pace with the top teams in the league, things are starting to look up for the Mexico City Kings. One player that we would like to focus on is the Captain of the team Chris Hylands. Mexico City selected Hylands with the 1st overall selection in the VHLM dispersal draft, to the somewhat surprise of some others, and it may be working against the Kings.
 
  Sitting at 14 points through 14 games, Hylands is off to a slower start than the Kings would have hoped. In fact, if you look at players taken after him, you will find everyone up until the 11th selection currently has more points than the #1 choice. Comparing his production to his previous season you can see clear improvement, however the Kings have to be asking of more from their top choice and current Captain.

HUGE Titty Smitty

I will apply to be GM of Team Europe! Would be a great opportunity to learn.

I will apply to be GM of Team Europe! Would be a great opportunity to learn.

I will apply to be GM of Team Europe! Would be a great opportunity to learn.

I will apply to be GM of Team Europe! Would be a great opportunity to learn.

I'd be honoured to be selected for any team, but I'd love a nod to control team Canada. 

1. The Kings are currently tied for 3rd, how do you think the season's going so far?
So for we are playing quite well, but the season has just started and there is still a long way to go. We just want to get better and better and prove ourselves against tougher competition.
 
2. How have your stats been? Are you doing as well as you wanted this season?
I think I've been playing, I am definitely   surprising myself. I'm just gunna play my game and hopefully I keep it up.
 
3. Who do you think is going to be the star player for the Kings this season?
Chris Hylands
 
4. Who do you think is going to be the King's biggest rival this year?
Ottawa, they are coming in to the season as defending champs and they're the team to beat.
 
5. Tag a teammate and what random skill they bring to the team?
@Hylands33Along with being a great player he is a real good looker room guy as well.
 
6. How has your Memorial day weekend been?
Don't do that in Canada.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Using my PT over the next few weeks to show off the leadership group of the S72 Mexico City Kings. Starting with the Captain Chris Hylands