CowboyinAmerica

New York -- With 16 games left in the regular season, the playoff race is close to being all but over for the New York Americans. While the team was fighting with Toronto just a short while ago, the Legion going 7-0-3 in their last 10 has created a gulf that's just too large to cross. New York is now 10 points down in the playoff race -- surprisingly, to the Wolves, who fell below the Legion during that stretch. Can New York still make the playoffs? It'll be tough, even for a team that was expected to improve as the season went along. One thing going in their favor may be the schedule: Among those 16 games left, 2 are against the Wolves, and the Americans would pretty much need to win both. They play the expansion teams twice a piece, and they'd likely need to sweep those games as well. Finishing .500 among the other scheduled games would put the Americans at 11-5-0 among the remaining games, and they'd need Vancouver to finish with 12 points (or less) in their other 13 games remaining. A pipe dream? Likely. But even having an outside chance is more than many expecting from this young team coming into the season. For defenseman Lance Flowers, it was always going to be a building year. "I knew coming in that we were building something here," Flowers recently told the media. "There have been a few losses I feel like we should have taken, but that's OK. That's going to happen to young teams. What matters is we learn from these mistakes and keep growing, and when we're really ready to compete in a season or two, we apply everything we've learned to the best of our ability."

This really is the most bipolar team.

Just curious, the wording is "a" first round pick then? So hypothetically, a team gets #1 in the lottery, trades down for #3 and #12 then uses #12 to claim the GM's player, and that's above board?

Flowers +5

1. A recent string of losses, being outscored 16-6, how do you keep morale high? Just have to keep into perspective that it's a long season. Those games will happens, but in other games we'll inexplicably kill Helsinki. There's always highs and lows. 2. 47 games into the season defenseman Guy LeGrande leads the Americans in points, does this push forwards to perform better or is LeGrande just that good? Both? Sometimes you just have a talented player, and if LeGrande's performing then he's performing. But I would like to see all of our players on his level, and I hope we all get there soon. 3. VHL rookies Dalton Wilcox and Lance Flowers lead both Goals and Assists respectively (not counting LeGrande), do you think one of them takes home Rookie of the Year? I'd like to think I'm in play, especially considering my hits and shots blocked. But just need to continue my strong play through the rest of the season. 4. A Red Guy has recently stepped up to the plate at goaltender, with nearly identical SV% and GAA to Gunnarsson, does his improved game garner confidence for the rest of the roster? I suppose, but just like with the rest of the team, we're all young and growing. What I really am confident in is that one, or both, will be there when we're really contending. 5. With such a young, inexperienced core, who shows the most leadership on and/or off the ice? It seems like a cliche to say the coaching staff and management, but especially in the absence of many veterans, it's incumbent on them to keep everyone else in line. And I think they've done a good job of that. 6. With 11 roster players eligible for WJC, are tensions higher than usual as national competition picks up? Not really. It's a fun distraction, but I wouldn't really say it's contentious at all. New York is my top priority, and I think it is for most others, too.

I'm not mad that I'm not here, I'm just disappointed

3-2 Helsinki

260 Vancouver Wolves @ Helsinki Titans 261 Moscow Menace @ New York Americans 262 Prague Phantoms @ Seattle Bears 263 Calgary Wranglers @ Toronto Legion

After that last big win you could say we... hit a Wahl.

Lol. Sure.

New York (AP) -- Heading into the season, New York Americans rookie defenseman Lance Flowers had modest expectations for his personal stats. Despite being the second pick in the VHL Draft, he knew he didn't have the experience of other defensemen, and especially on a young New York team, it'd be tough to stand out league-wide. If he could sneak onto a top ten list by the end of the season, that'd be the mark of a season well done. Instead, how Flowers has produced has surpassed even his expectations. Through 40 games of the season, Flowers currently stands just outside the top 10 in assists, 9th among defensemen in points, 3rd in shots blocked, and the killer, tied for the league lead in total hits. In that category, he's alongside the properly named Sven Hitz with 154, or an average of almost 4 per game. It's easy to believe he'll finish the season in the top 3 in the category, as 4th place Leph Twinger is a full 20 hits behind. Some would point out that a high hits and shots blocked total isn't necessarily a great thing - that could mean more time with the opponents having the puck, after all. But for Flowers, it's a representation of what his goal was entering the season: Establishing himself as a defensive blue line presence that can be a pest for other teams to deal with. "I've been all over the ice, and it feels good," Flowers said after the team's recent win over Seattle. "Not only are we in the playoff hunt, but I'm doing well personally. I know it might all fall off in the second half - I've only played one season this long - but I'm riding the wave while it's here. At the very least, it's nice that some people are already learning my name when I'm only a rookie."

Playoffs just might not be in the cards this year, unfortunately. Still growing for the future though.

A great game by Wilcox, LeGrande and Guy, I'll take it even with the loss

1. How do you expect us to place at the end of the season? The way we're trending, it seems like 5th in North America is reasonable. We're a building team though, still don't think that's necessarily a bad thing right now. 2. Which team looks the most dangerous on the ice? Helsinki's obviously leading the league, but I'd watch out for Malmo. A team with something to prove, still-growing young guys and a lot of depth. 4. Gunnarson and A Red Guy are out with the flu, who straps on the pads? You know how dark and ominous and tough to navigate a forest is? Yeah, try putting a (Boris the) Forest in net and see what happens. 5. If there was a NYA Fight Club who would be the defending champ? Lol, I'm currently second in the league in both hits and penalty minutes. Try me. 6. Who are the real surprises in terms of performance this season league wide? They've come back to earth a bit, but I am impressed with Seattle's performance so far this year. It's tough to go from the bottom to the top of the standings. 7. How are you doing? I'm solid. Chilling. Getting back in the swing of things after a three day weekend and personal trip.

Flowers +5

In the league that I'm also in, ironically. I'll take that loss.

175 Vancouver Wolves @ Riga Reign 176 D.C. Dragons @ New York Americans 177 Toronto Legion @ Helsinki Titans 178 Prague Phantoms @ Malmo Nighthawks

Riga 3-2

Lol. I got nothing else

Manhattan, NY -- Nearly a third of the way into the VHL season, we’re beginning to see some clarity into some of the league’s biggest trophy races. Following a stacked draft class, one of the most watched is the Rookie of the Year race. Unfortunately, there’s currently no easy way to see who is a rookie on the league’s statistical leaderboards, particularly for S67 and older players making their VHL debuts. But among S68 draftees in the VHL, New York Americans defenseman Lance Flowers is rising to the top. So far this season, only three S68 rookies have more than 11 points: Prague teammates Willie Dredge (18) and Wolf Stansson Jr. (16), and Flowers’ 19 in 22 games. Both Dredge (-6) and Stansson (-16) have a negative +/-, while Flowers’ +5 puts him far ahead in that category. Comparing apples to apples, Flowers also tops fellow defenseman Stansson in both hits (77 to 13) and shots blocked (44 to 41). While it’s not a perfect picture of the Rookie of the Year race, given the prevalence of other, older rookies, Flowers’ early play has him feeling good early in the season. There are surely areas to improve upon—sitting second in overall penalty minutes is not a good look—but he’s happy being part of a New York team that is improbably currently tied for third in North America and 2 points behind second. “I actually thought this year would be more of a struggle than it has been, so I’ll take it,” Flowers told reporters after the team’s recent win over Moscow. “I know some regression to the mean is likely coming, but still, I’m glad the work I’ve put in is being reflected on the ice. Especially with my linemate [Guy LeGrande] playing out of his mind as well, I think there’s bright times ahead in the New York defensive core.”

1. After a relatively good start to the season we've been in a bit of a skid, what do you think we need to change to get out footing back? Not going to be a popular answer, but I suggest to stay the course. Ups and downs are part of any season, and we're only going to improve with hard work off the ice. 2. What's one area of your game you think you need to improve? Well, as it currently stands, I'm second in the league in penalty minutes. So what I need to improve is my bribes to officials to not be penalized as much. 3. With 19 games under our belts, S68 2nd overall pick Lance Flowers has shown his ability to hang with the pros. How does it feel playing with one of the most prolific picks of the S68 draft? Well, this is an awkward question. And I don't think anybody wants to hear about me playing with myself (in a fashion) so perhaps I'll move on... 4. Who do you think has been our season MVP so far? It has to be LeGrande, and I'm not sure it's really close. He's taken both the offense and defense on his back, and he should be up at the top of the convo for Most Improve Player. 5. The D.C. Dragons and the Prague Phantoms have been scraping the bottom of the bowl all season, do you think they will break out of the bottom 2 spots by the end of the "year"? I don't, mostly because I think that placement is by design. One of the best ways to build is through top draft picks, and they'll have them. 6. The program recently tacked on a new AGM to upper management, is there anything the players want to see from him? Just being responsive and keeping up with weekly tasks such as this. Think you're doing a great job thus far.

Flowers +5

Russian bots can't call this one fake news

Oh. Well in that case, I'll be over here...

Hell yeah, that's a good win