CowboyinAmerica

I mean. If I'm a top team and I'm capped out, defense is probably the first thing to go. I like playing the position personally, but STHS has shown me too many defense-heavy teams that can't do much else.

How have you dealt with the pressure to keep up this recent strong run of results? What pressure? I'm just jamming like I always do, my friend. Things happen more naturally when I don't put any pressure on at all.Which unit on the team do you think would be the reason the team wins the cup, and why? I'm saying this as a defenseman, remember: It's gotta be the offense. I've seen great teams with excellent fundamentals who can't score, and it doesn't mean much if you're losing 1-0. Who has stepped up as a real leader in the locker room down the stretch for Yukon? I'm guessing you mean player, but I think it's worthwhile to give the coaching staff and Josh some props too. They've put together an excellent young team that has allows us to gell down the stretch. If you could add any player currently on another VHLM roster to the Rush, who would it be and why? Our offense is great, but I wouldn't mind another top scorer like Underyew on our side. There's also the added benefit of taking him off of Ottawa and slowing down that attack. How important is the team's impending 4-game stretch against Philadelphia and Ottawa to our playoff momentum? Know what? At this point, I feel like we've showed what we can do. Even if it doesn't go spectacularly, as long as we're the four seed, I think we can do some damage. Which team would you want to face in the Cup Finals the most and why? Give me Philadelphia. We've beaten them already this season, and I want to earn this thing.

This will be claimed the week ending 8/25, since I still have a week on my other one. But claiming the Theme Week bonus this week, +8 for this and my VHL.com article.

There’s a lot of speculation about what expansion means for an inevitable expansion draft, but so far there are few details about what that draft would entail. For me, though, the non-at-all-biased more interesting aspect is the rookie draft – especially since whatever rookies the expansion teams take would be more the team’s core moving forward. Of course, there is no info yet about where the teams would draft either, be it at the top of the lottery, the middle of the lottery, after the lottery, or some other mechanism. Because of that, a mock is kind of pointless. Still, I think it’s worth taking a look at what positional strategies would make sense for the new expansion teams in the draft, from least worthwhile to most worthwhile. 3. Goalie – A good goalie is the centerpiece of a title squad, and by the time they are contending, the expansion teams would certainly want one. However, there are currently more good goalies in the league than there are starting spots. If the expansion teams are looking for value, the best way to go would be to pick one up in the expansion draft, or simply wait and trade for/sign one when it’s time to contend. 2. Defense – There’s something to be said for having a top-flight defenseman as the first pick, and the best argument is probably scarcity: There simply aren’t as many “great” defensemen as there are the other two positions, and you’re definitely going to want one when it’s time to contend. But on the flip side, the reason there aren’t as many is because it’s the least important position from a team-building standpoint, and some GMs may not see a high defenseman pick as a good value. 1. Forward – There’s a reason that a top-flight forward, and particularly a center, is often seen as the centerpiece of a rebuilding team. For an all-VHL scorer, you’re not going to regret paying them the big bucks when it’s time to contend, and they can help attract other talent to your team is well. It’s no surprise to me that both expansion GMs have created centers as GM players, and adding another forward would mean a dangerous power duo for years into the future.

Dammit, now I'm actually hungry. (Thanks for reaching out!)

What's Old is New Again Since announcing the two newest VHL expansion general managers, the media has been abuzz with different potential team locations and names. These have ranged from the reasonable (Milwaukee, Prague) to, well, whatever the hell the London Phils is supposed to be. But there’s one idea that I haven’t seen get much traction so far, and it’s one that I think is absolutely worth consideration. It’s an idea with precedent in other North American-based sports leagues, for one. In the MLS, teams like Minnesota United and FC Cincinnati retained all of their old branding, and thus their old fan bases, when jumping from the minors to the majors. In baseball, the Los Angeles Angels were first in the minors’ Pacific Coast League before jumping to the MLB in the ‘60s. In football, many of the teams that joined the NFL from the AFL didn’t not change their branding; same with the NBA/ABA merger. So, what makes hockey any different? If you can’t tell by now, the VHL shouldn’t be adopting teams in Amsterdam or Chicago or the moon at all. They should be promoting pre-existing VHLM franchises. And there’s two that I think make sense above any others. Ottawa Lynx – It’s been noted since @diamond_ace became a VHL GM that one of his qualifications for the job was as one of the most successful VHLM GMs in history, including three titles and three GMotY trophies. Fun fact, all of those came with one franchise: This very same Ottawa team, both in its previous incarnation as the Ice Dogs and in its current form as the Lynx. For fans in Ottawa, it allows them to not only see top-flight professional hockey (which is a distinct departure from, say, the Senators), but allows the team to enter the league with a general manager that a lot of the fanbase already knows and trusts. If there’s a downside to Ottawa making the leap, it’s that it does make the VHL particularly Canada-heavy; there’s a reason that many of the suggestions have been largely U.S.-based. Still, it’s certainly a large enough market for that to matter slightly less, and if the VHL is largely located in Canada and northern U.S. states of Washington and New York, it makes travel sense. Plus, it gives another rival in the east with Toronto and New York to counter the western trio of Seattle, Calgary and Vancouver. Minnesota Oslo Storm – Really, there are only four VHLM teams left at this point that have had a long enough legacy to be considered historic: Ottawa, Saskatoon (which isn’t large enough to hold a VHL team), Bern/Las Vegas, and the franchise that is now in Minnesota. Before the VHLM became entirely North America-centric, though, the Storm spent a long time holding down the fort in Oslo, where it won five total titles—including, selfishly, the S32 team that housed my first active player. It’s a natural fit for @Enorama's franchise in the reconstructed European conference. That’s not to say that process of elimination is the best reason to promote the Storm, however. Again, it’s about the rule of 3’s: there are currently three franchises that are associated with central/eastern Europe (Riga, Davos, Moscow) and two that are based in Scandinavia (Helsinki, Malmo). Placing another team in Scandinavia – in the one Scandinavian country that is not yet represented in the VHL, to boot – would allow the VHL to consolidate another base of power and create more natural rivalries. There would be some who wouldn’t be happy with this method, particularly those who like the speculation of new teams. However, I think there would still be some fun introductions – it would just be in the VHLM, where two excellent GMs in @Acydburn and @Rayzor_7 could build their own legacies from scratch in a way that bolsters the VHLM itself. Either way, I don’t think this will actually happen, but it’s what I’d be for, just because I really enjoy the legacy aspect of the VHL and like to lean into it.

The Welfare changes of a few seasons ago also mean I don't write much anymore, my apologies for the disappointment

Sad, but I'll still take the 7-1 start

Yukon's Stock on the Rise Yukon (AP) -- One could argue that in the first half of the season, Yukon had underperformed a bit. For a team that had multiple high-level picks, sitting sixth or seventh in the standings was not what they expected, even with a team full of young players. But now, times have changed. The Rush have now won 12 of their last 14 games, including a recent nine game winning streak that saw them vault up the standings. Included in that run are three wins over Houston and a win over Halifax, the two other teams fighting in the middle of the VHLM standings, and even the one loss to Halifax was an OT loss that still allowed Yukon to pick up a point. As it stands, Yukon is now solidly in fourth with 76 points, 6 points clear of Houston and only 7 points back of Minnesota for third. According to defenseman Lance Flowers, a slow start wasn’t great, but this recent run was always part of the plan. “It just took some time for everything to come together, but we’re here,” Flowers recently told the media. “We have a bunch of S68 draftees, of course we’re going to grow over the season. I’ll tell you this: nobody wants to face us right now.” The immediate schedule will indeed be harder though. Over their next ten games, the Rush will face the top three teams five times, with two a piece against Philadelphia and Ottawa. Those games will tell a lot about whether the Rush are pretenders, or whether they should be counted among the VHLM’s elite.

1) With the trade deadline on Monday, what type of moves do you think the team requires to compete? Well, we're way past this now, but I'm fine with the trade deadline we had. Our improvement was always going to come from younger players getting better anyway, and we've shown that recently. 2) Which team do you predict to win the WJC and why? Well, it has to be Europe, because I'm on it. I could give a more detailed explanation, but that's all you need. 3) Have you performed up to your expectations so far this season? Before this week I might have said underachieving a bit, but we've been on a roll recently. Third or fourth was what I expected for the end of the season standings coming into the year, and we're now right there. 4) Who would you say the MVP of the team has been for the first half of the season? It has to be A Red Guy. Goalie was the huge question mark heading into the season, and he's not only filled that hole (phrasing), he's got the best GAA and second best save percentage in the entire VHLM. 5) What has been your favorite game so far this season? Beating Philadelphia is fun, especially the one where they were like 17-1 and we gave them their second loss. It proves that we can hang with the top teams, and in the playoffs, anything can happen. 6) What is your favorite pass time other than hockey? Well, typically I like to pass around rush hour, because that's the time of day when passing actually helps me get home sooner.

3-2 Calgary

291 Vancouver Wolves @ Calgary Wranglers 292 Riga Reign @ Toronto Legion 293 Malmo Nighthawks @ HC Davos Dynamo 294 Helsinki Titans @ Moscow Menace

Gold - Europe Silver - Canada Bronze - Asia MVP - Ambrose Stark

Happy to be a part! Let's do this thing

Honestly? I think it's annoying as hell that Higgins has made this his crusade. Boubabi was an edgelord who multiple times said racist and inflammatory things for the sole purpose of getting a rise out of people. He made enemies of people with fights for no reason, continually escalating even when he made no sense. He made the boards a toxic place to be on a regular basis, and I would have seriously thought twice about coming back if he were still here. Fuck that guy, I wish I could vote no twice.

3-2 Toronto

231 Moscow Menace @ Seattle Bears 232 HC Davos Dynamo @ Riga Reign 233 Calgary Wranglers @ New York Americans 234 Toronto Legion @ Helsinki Titans

Yeah definitely, the rebuild comment was just me writing quickly, my bad on that. But what I meant to say more is that particularly when there are so many players in the league, depth is necessary, and depth is most easily acquired on rookie deals. That's where infusion of youth helps, and I still maintain that Vancouver would be helped mixing in younger players to prolong the period of contention.

I mean, Chyrnoble hasn't updated in a month, he's already got more TPE than Ligriv, and Pouta could surprise me but think the value's there with a goalie three seasons younger.

The one where S65 players are about to be off rookie deals, one non-goalie on the squad from last draft, and the teams picking before Vancouver were particularly loaded up with young guys. A team that will have primarily third and fourth year players is more Win Now than a young team to me, just by nature of getting whipped in terms of cap in the very near future.

This is for the weeks ending 8/4, 8/11 and 8/18. This is also my VHL birthday doubles, haven't claimed it yet.

A Very Early S68 VHL Mock Draft As we reach the two-thirds mark of the VHL season and descend upon the Trade Deadline, this would normally be the time where I write that the pack has separated into haves and have nots. But this season, that isn’t really the case. The last team in the lottery (Riga) is just six points behind the third team overall (Calgary). Last place in the league (New York) is just nine points behind a playoff spot. Really, anything can happen. So that means that projecting a draft order right now – not even taking into account the flat lottery odds – is a fool’s errand. Luckily for you, I’m a fool. Here’s an early look at the way the draft could potentially fall, with the caveat that even a 10% success rate on these picks is purely coincidental. There’s a lot that goes into draft picks, including personal friendships and alliances. I’m ignoring all of that – this mock largely bases itself on TPE and team fit. If you think your player is listed too low, then it is absolutely because I dislike you personally, and not because I’m just throwing darts at a board. Now, let’s get down to business. A big thank you to @rjfryman as well, whose rankings were invaluable for putting this together. 1. New York Americans – D Condor Adrienne @Green There’s only a 25% chance that the team with the worst record actually ends up with the first overall pick, but if that’s the case for New York, then this pick would seem to be a slam dunk. Adrienne has run away with the most TPE in this class, and looks to be engaged that his agency perhaps hasn’t been since all the way back with O’Malley. New York, meanwhile, has loads of talented, young forwards but not as much on the blue line. It’s a perfect match. 2. Malmo Nighthawks – D Lance Flowers @CowboyinAmerica Malmo already has talent pretty much across the board, including at forward (led by rookies Lucas Nygren and Phil Marleau), defense (Rusty Shackleford and Jerry Garcia) and goalie (Michael Johnson). They can afford to go best player available at this spot, and by pure TPE, it would seem to be Flowers. Alongside fellow upcoming rookie – and former Halifax linemate – Hugh Chan, Flowers would be a stabilizing force on the second line for years to come. Four active, young defenseman is a luxury not many other VHL teams have. 3. HC Davos Dynamo – C Thorny Underyew @jack Davos has a glut of young defensive talent with Werbenjagermanjensen, Paddywagon and LeGrande, but while their forward core is slowly growing with recent additions like Martin and Scoringsonn, there’s room for more top-shelf talent. Underyew, Eller and Lehtinen should all be names that are in consideration here, but one thing that Davos’ recent picks have in common is that they’re pure playmakers – not a single checking point among them. Out of the three potential draftees, Underyew’s play is the most physical, which adds a different element to the Dynamo squad. 4. HC Davos Dynamo (via Riga Reign) – G A Red Guy @.sniffuM Finn Davison has been the goalie of the future for Davos for a while, but slowly but surely, that’s evolved into the goalie of the present. By the time the draft occurs, Davison will be entering the back half of his career. And given that the Dynamo’s timeline seems to coincide with more of a rebuild – Crimson and Davis aren’t getting any younger – it makes sense to grab a goalie of the future for the next time the team’s in contention. Guy is the best goalie available and has rocketed up draft charts; it wouldn’t surprise me if that continues over the coming weeks. 5. Seattle Bears – C Frans Eller @Ace Last draft was all about stopping the puck for the Bears, with defenseman Hogan and Jenton and goalie Funk all selected in the first 11 picks, alongside GM player Stark. The Bears did pick up Burn at #7 and had three second round forwards, alongside its S66 forward class, but it makes sense to me to pick up more top flight offensive scoring talent. Eller is exactly that, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him slot into the team’s second line sometime during his rookie year. 6. Vancouver Wolves – D Jeff Downey @JeffD It’s getting close to pure rebuild time for the Wolves, and outside of goalie (where they may have gotten a steal in Eagles), they could use an injection of youth in just about every position. Downey has shot up draft rankings since he declared, and given that Vancouver only has one current defenseman younger than S65 and over 200 TPE, it’s clear to see that he’d be a defensive cornerstone for years to come. Lehtinen and Gunnar would also be reasonable picks here if they decided to go offense instead. 7. Helsinki Titans – LW Teemu Lehtinen Jr. @Sixersfan549 Helsinki’s an interesting one to project for me. The Titans only have one pick in the first three rounds, and given their recent success, the inclination may be to trade this pick for one last go in Thompson’s final season. But if they do keep the pick, they have a few young players, mostly S66, that would form a nice future core. Adding Lehtinen would allow Helsinki the best of both worlds – keeping a cornerstone for the future and a potential rebuild, while adding a high TPE player that can contribute depth right away for another run. 8. Calgary Wranglers – LW Sigard Gunnar @Big Mac We’re getting very close to rebuild time in Calgary, and I bet the team’s management knows it. As a result, this pick could easily be on the block for a future first or as part of a rebuild package. But if it’s kept, the goal should be for a standout player that will still be around as part of a contending squad three or four seasons down the road. Gunnar is exactly that type of player – a pure scorer that can help get through the lean times – and also represents the best value on the board. The forward market takes a bit of a dip from here. 9. Moscow Menace – G Raymond Bernard @Mr_Hatter For the Menace, their time is now – with so many players on the roster, it’s not only win or bust, but the salary cap situation is going to start to look very sticky when those S66 rookie contracts run out in a year. That’s why a future piece like Bernard makes sense to me: In the short term, he replaces the elder Sterling as the team’s second goalie, a must-have when every game is crucial. But if everything goes right, he also could be a challenge to incumbent Owen May in the long-term, given that Bernard has racked up a higher TPE rate as of late. 10. New York Americans (via Toronto Legion) – D Luciano Valentino @Kekzkrieg As noted above, it makes sense for New York to be particularly defense-heavy in this draft. There’s a potential for it to be too defense-heavy – in this scenario, they’re adding not only Adrienne but GM player Keven Foreskin. Still, Valentino is easily the best talent currently available on the board, and he’s shot up the draft rankings in recent weeks. He’s a great value with the final selection in the first round, and in the actual draft, I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually ends up a bit higher. 11. New York Americans – LW Micha Sage @AcousticKazoo 12. HC Davos Dynamo (via Malmo Nighthawks) – D Wolf Stansson Jr. @Cornholio 13. New York Americans (via HC Davos Dynamo) – RW Ryo Yamazuki II @Donno100 14. Riga Reign – G Fang Flashback @uphillmoss 15. Moscow Menace (via Seattle Bears) – LW Justin Rushmore @street 16. Vancouver Wolves – RW Bud Knight @Dilly Dilly 17. New York Americans (via Helsinki Titans) – D Aamon Grim @aCrypticPancake 18. Calgary Wranglers – RW Case Martell @Shaka 19. Vancouver Wolves (via Moscow Menace) – D Ricky Johnson @Midnite 20. New York Americans (via Toronto Legion) – G Samuel Ross @Brrbisbrr

Yeah I'd actually argue the current level of randomness is pretty spot on, honestly. Sometimes weird things happen, but then again that also happens in real life (as another Lightning fan bursts into tears). Good teams win more often than not, but not always. Still feel pretty solid about this take.

Ah damn, got all three stars too. Good game.

Mock Has Flowers New York-Bound Yukon -- As the VHL season has reached its mid-point, draft analysts have begun to come out with not only their own rankings of prospects, but even mock drafts. One of the first was posted this morning from @TheFlash, and even though only three players were featured, Yukon defender Lance Flowers was excited to see his name. And in that mock, Flowers was projected to go second to the New York Americans. Speaking with the media after practice, Flowers noted that second seems reasonable, though a lot can happen. His camp has believed for weeks that Philadelphia defender Condor Adrienne would likely be selected before him, and there's a distinct possibility that whoever selects high will have their eyes on a forward like Lehtinen or Eller instead of a defenseman. But if the prediction were to come to pass, Flowers could certainly see himself on the team. "One of my agency's main goals is to experience something new, and surprisingly, they've never had a player on the Americans," Flowers noted. "With that in my mind and with the young team New York's assembling, I'd love to join that team and bring another title to the Big Apple." There's still a lot of season left to go, and even the final VHL standings will likely look drastically different - the bottom four teams in the standings are separated by just 4 points. But for now, Flowers will continue to work hard, and the chips will land where they may.