CowboyinAmerica

Pssh, Wingate could have done that. No. No he could not.

I sense a Calgary rebuilding explosion on the horizon.

Welcome! Happy to have you here, hope you enjoy it.

STRAUSS DA GOD AGAIN (oh, and Savage too)

STRAUSS DA GOD

1. Koenig 2. Sinclair 3. Roy3 4. Barnstormer 5. Strauss 6. Campbell 7. Savage 8. Demko 9. Teibert 10. Gigga-Bijou I believe Seattle taking a goalie less than I believe Molholt leaving, although I do think that it's not necessarily Roy at that spot.

Turku, Finland (AP) -- There is no greater pain in life than the mistimed Z-piece, remarks Hans Wingate, goalie for the VHLM's Turku Outlaws. Although, given the situation, an L-piece could be even worse. And a square when you need a straight line - you better not get Sinclair started unless you have an hour to spare. Why is Sinclair such an expert at Tetris? Because, according to sources who have kept a close eye on the Turku bench during the team's first round series with Moscow, Wingate hasn't had much else to do. Starting goalie Callum Sinclair has played every minute of every game so far in the playoffs, and with a tough Bratislava team next, that's not likely to change. So, Wingate plays Tetris. "I'm not even sure the coaches notice," Wingate told the press after the clinching Game 5 against Moscow. "Heck, I'm not even sure they know I'm on the team. There's a reason I'm conducting this press conference in the parking lot, and the only reporter who showed up was bribed with free pizza." And that pizza, I must admit, was excellent. But even so, Wingate provided a worthwhile look into what is a dying breed in the VHLM: an active, engaged backup goalie. Will it ever happen again? Who knows, but let's enjoy the unicorn while we can. Who knows: We all may learn how exactly to navigate three L-blocks in a row.

As we enter the second round of the VHL Playoffs, we are now one step closer to the time of the year that all VHL fans look forward to... the draft! (No? Then just go with me here.) The league, by proxy of official scoutmaster Kendrick, has posted a series of popular articles seeking to separate one draftee from another. These articles are impressive, and multiple league general managers have already admitted to looking over them as they make their decisions. However, by the time draft day hits, and perhaps even now, these articles are about old. One month ago, I would have said that A.C. Savage or Jax Barnstormer had a chance at being the first overall pick. Neither of those things is now true, and it’s a testament to the fluidity of the draft process that you don’t really know who is favored until the name goes up on the draft board. But we can try. In the lead up to the draft, there are some players that are gaining steam on draft boards, while others could fall much further than they originally expected. This is Three Rising, Three Falling. Three Rising 1. G Blake Campbell – Minot Gladiators It’s a common refrain: Goalie is the most important position to building a strong team. And yet, there are so few teams that have a solid, long-term answer in place. Seattle is solid, and Toronto is likely to stick with Okranitz for a while. Outside of that, there won’t be a single team starting a goalie in his second through fourth seasons next season. That makes grabbing a solid goalie a tantalizing prospect this draft... which is why I’m surprised Campbell hasn’t made more waves. Campbell now sits tenth among draftees in TPE, although by draft day, he could very well be eighth. Furthermore, though, he is fully active, and he doesn’t leave much practice time on the table when he has a chance to earn them. To me, sixth to Stockholm (if not Sinclair) or seventh to Helsinki (if the pick falls there) is a very reasonable landing spot, although I wouldn’t even be surprised to see Davos take a look if they don’t select Sinclair at number one. 2. D Patrick Demko – Yukon Rush Defense may not be as much of a position of need as goalie for many VHL teams, but in most other respects, the case for Demko is much the same as the case for Campbell. At 141 practice hours following the most recent update, Demko is far and away the most polished defenseman product available, and he could very well be ready to play in the VHL about a month or two into the next VHL season if he keeps up his current practicing pace. And there’s no reason to believe that he will not — with an ability to score perfect grades on both graphics and media spots, Demko is a dual threat that runs less of the likelihood of being burnt out quickly. He is perhaps lost in the shuffle on a talented Yukon squad, but I expect his stock to rise dramatically in the week leading up to the draft. The only reason Demko could potentially fall is positional need, as the one team with the majority of late first round picks (Stockholm) is also the team that could least use a talented young defenseman. 3. LW Wolfgang Strauss – Turku Outlaws At this point, most mock drafts would agree that Koenig, Roy and Sinclair are the most likely top three selections in some order. I’m not one to disagree. However, who are going in those four and five slots? Well, if one of those picks is not Wolfgang Strauss, I would be positively shocked. Already showing more potential than previous Wastland agency prospect Jasper Hellkvist, Strauss seems to have come into his own while on the Outlaws, finishing with three hat tricks in five games in the first round of the playoffs against Moscow. Both Helsinki and Davos are teams with strong centers but lacking in playmaking wings to surround them, and Strauss could be an instant-impact piece to add to a team with playoff aspirations next season. Three Falling 1. C Sam Teibert – Bratislava Watchmen He started out so strong with 155 practice hours before the halfway mark of the VHLM season. In fact, those 155 practice hours still rank sixth in the latest Kendrick rankings. He has a solid league job, and he always maximized any practice that he performed. At the time, he looked like the second coming of Niklas Lindberg, which Stockholm’s management surely noticed. He was a surefire first rounder, if not a top five selection. So, what happened? Nobody knows. Sometimes, players just disappear from practice, and Teibert indeed has not put in any work for over one month. He was seen around the team’s facilities are recently as yesterday, but he has not even spoken to media since January 17. Stockholm may take a flier at the end of the first round due to his past production, but don’t be surprised to see him fall to the end of the first round. 2. C A.C. Savage – Turku Outlaws It’s the obvious selection, but it still deserves to be said. Let’s get one thing out of the way first: I fully believe Savage when he says that he has no intentions of being a top selection and of retiring at a predetermined time. Knowing Savage’s agency, he likely would continue to do so even if he changed his mind simply out of spite/hardheadedness/consistency/backbone (make your own selection). However, with that said, is a 250 practice hour baseline, with a potential three practice hours per week plus league giveaways and potential fantasy points, truly that bad of a haul? As a GM, I personally can see the value in that type of player as compared to a high-risk, high-reward selection. I’d even argue that Savage is one of the safest picks of the draft, since you know exactly what you’ll get. Savage himself criticized a recent mock draft placing him to the fifth slot at Davos, but I personally agree that he could very well be in play there, as well as the picks immediately after. For a team looking for a young, slow-developing wing that can keep cap down (looking at you, second Helsinki selection), you could do worse. 3. D Ken Anderson – Yukon Rush As recently as one week ago, I would have bet good money that Ken Anderson would be a first round draft selection. Knowing the work that Anderson’s agency has accomplished in other sports, as well as the strong start from Anderson so far in the VHLM, there was no doubt in my mind that he would have been one of the best young defensemen in the league. However, it was not meant to be, as Anderson announced earlier this week that he will not be returning to practice, having lost the love of the game. It’s unfortunate, although it was a kind gesture to general managers who may have looked strongly at him otherwise. At this point, I expect some team to take a flier on Anderson late in the second round or early in the third, but expecting a long VHL career – or any VHL career at all – may be farfetched.

Outlaws 3-2 GET AT ME

Rush Outlaws Rush Wild

Americans Reign Americans Titans

Reign 3-2

Totally missed this before now. Life happens unfortunately, but glad I got to be on a team with you. That was a fun experience, and I wouldn't trade my only GM job for anything. Best of luck with all going forward!

Lol, second knocked out with zero eliminations. Sounds about right for me in a real Royal Rumble. (Also, had zero idea that Olsen was third in all-time hits until this very moment.)

A Merry Christmas indeed. (Forward.)

BUT THEN WHY DO YOU HAVE THIS SMILEY? VHL obviously full of hypocrites IMHO. (For the record, I could not care any less about this entire thread if I actively tried.)

Express 3-2

Meute Titans Meute Express

I was always more of a Pepsi person anyway.

Vincent Vega hit free agency once or twice when I started here, think he was around 400 TPE. But there were no teams with real playoff aspirations who were in need of a goalie at those points, so he often was a fill-in for rebuilding teams. Think Rock Star might have been a free agent once too.

And yes, I know the irony of me saying those words. Shhhh....