CowboyinAmerica

Inside Oslo/Saskatoon: The Other VHLM Semifinal Last week, I wrote on whether the Oslo Storm can break out of their 22 season funk and actually win a Founder’s Cup. I still think it’s possible—but it’s not only the Las Vegas Aces standing in their way. The semi-finals loom first, and there, the Oslo Storm will face the Saskatoon Wild. The Storm and the Wild are two teams with similar records, but that were built completely different ways. Many of Oslo’s top players were acquired via the draft - with Verner Reinholdt and Lyle Smallwood going fourth and sixth overall – and free agency, with Our Lady of Perpetual Motion giving the team a starting goalie. Saskatoon, meanwhile, leaned much more heavily on the waiver wire, with top performers Jake Scheel, Daring Do and Gabriel McAllister only joining fifth overall pick Bo Boeser midseason. The match-up promises to be a close one, particularly as it matches strength against strength: Saskatoon’s offense against Oslo’s defense. The Offensive Breakdown Advantage: Saskatoon In terms of pure talent, it would seem that Oslo should have the big edge here. After all, Verner Reinholdt is one of the most talented playmakers in the entire VHLM, and on a first line with two players right around the 100 TPE mark in Forsberg and Laflamme, it would seem that Oslo certainly has a first line that could compete with any other in the league. But herein lies the problem: Who’s actually going to put the puck in the net? Nobody on the team has above 70 Scoring; Reinholdt led the team with 32 goals in 72 games, but he’s much more adept at passing. Putting the puck in the net is not something that Saskatoon struggles with, though. Bo Boeser finished the regular season with 57 goals, tied for second in the entire VHLM, while second line forward Carlo Capitulo finished with 36 (seventh, and more than anyone on Oslo). Gabriel McAllister, with 13 goals in 17 games, adds another scoring threat from late in the season, and burgeoning defensive center Jake Scheel should be able to get them the puck with ease. It’s no wonder Saskatoon had 16 more goals over the course of the season. On the Defensive Side Advantage: Oslo It’s clear, though, that Saskatoon does not have nearly the defensive firepower that the Storm do. The Wild currently roster only two defensemen, neither of whom have put in any work in the practice facility: Ryan Hamilton and Trazan Apansson. Hamilton managed a measly 16 points in 55 games this year, and while Apansson finished third on the team in points with 63 (including 19 goals), the production seems to be luck as much as anything. Oslo, meanwhile, has real talent on the blue line, led by the aforementioned Smallwood leading the blue line. Smallwood’s 51 assists led Oslo this season and were good for seventh in the VHL, while his 74 points led all non-Vegas defensemen. He pairs with Christian McKenzie, a real bruiser who finished third in the VHLM in hits (237) and fifth in shots blocked (116). And unlike Saskatoon, Oslo has a second line, consisting of enigmatic new signees in Aackckqz Ky and Mr. Shakedown. Between the Pipes Advantage: Saskatoon This one is near a toss-up, but it ultimately depends what you want in your goalie: a well-rounded play style or a couple highly-specific sets of skills. Chet Manley of Saskatoon is the former; he’s not particularly good at any one thing, but over his time in the VHLM he’s worked at least a bit in every single skill you’d want in a VHLM goaltender. The stats reflect this overall balanced play, as his .900 save percentage is good for second in the VHLM, only behind Vegas’s von Axelberry. Oslo’s Our Lady of Perpetual Motion, meanwhile, finished dead last in the VHLM with an .880 save percentage, and that might be due to only having a particular set of skills. She’s the best in the entire league at rebound control, sitting at an 83 in that attribute, and she’s worked a bit on her agility and stick handling as well. But when it comes to every other attribute? Nada. And ultimately, what good is rebound control when you’re always letting in the first shot? Final Prediction: Saskatoon in 6

Oh hell yeah! The one we had to have to clinch second, and I get a hat trick with two assists. That's how to do it

Yeah, for this one I've got nothing. Just to hope the luck turns around.

The loss sucks, but I think that's my first First Star! That's cool.

Just can't get those shots on goal. Can't be outshot like that.

Oslo might be on the worst run in VHL history. Can the past predict the future? Oslo -- When the VHLM contracted to five teams this past offseason, it was clear that they left five of the teams with the most history. The Ottawa Lynx won last season, the Saskatoon Wild last won in Season 52, the Las Vegas Aces/Bern Royals won in Season 50, and the Yukon Rush made the last two finals while winning back-to-back in Season 38 and 39. And then there’s the last team – the Oslo Storm. Historically, Oslo has won five championships and made 15 finals, more than any other franchise. But these days, those totals seem like ancient history. Oslo last reached a finals all the way back in Season 44, and the team shockingly hasn’t won one since Season 32. Bratislava, a second-year team during that Season 32 campaign, won six championships then ceased to exist in the time it has taken Oslo to win another. If you asked many impartial observers, it’s not a trend that’s likely to change this season either. The Storm currently sit fourth out of five teams in the standings, with the Aces running away as the presumptive favorites. However, that doesn’t mean all is lost. And you just need to look back at that Season 32 team to figure out why. A Good Goalie Goes a Long Way The Season 32 Oslo Storm had a number of top prospects, including three players who would go in the first round of the next season’s VHL draft in Keiji Toriyama, Felix Zamora and Karsten Olsen. However, perhaps the unsung hero of that team was goaltender David Poulin, from the agency of a previously more active member. Previously the eighth overall pick of the Season 31 draft, he had not yet made the jump to the VHL by the time Season 32 rolled around. Soon after the season began, however, he became active once again and topped the 175 TPE threshold in short order. Although his VHL career would not amount to much, nobody could beat him at the VHLM level. Sound like a familiar refrain? Oslo’s current goalie, Our Lady of Perpetual Motion (OLPM for short), was a Season 52 draftee of a previously more active member, but he has not yet made the jump to the VHL. Even so, OLPM is still increasing her TPE count as the season rolls on, going up to 123 TPE with an update just two weeks ago. With an overall at 52, OLPM ranks third among starting VHLM goaltenders, not far behind Chet Manley’s 54. I’ll trust the raw attributes more than her current .880 save percentage. A Dominant Team Doesn’t Mean Everything The main case against Oslo this year probably has nothing to do with the team itself, and instead everything to do with Las Vegas. After all, how can a team reasonably be expected to compete with somebody who has amassed that talent? I mean, is there any precedent to compete with a franchise that has, say, seven of the first 11 draft picks, including four of the top five picks of next year’s draft, and a mass of 175 TPE players by the time the playoffs roll around? Oh yeah. Meet the Season 32 Ottawa Ice Dogs. The dominant team that season, Ottawa ran away from all other competitors during the regular season, easily earning the best record in the league and a bye in the first round of the playoffs. But in one of the shocking upsets in VHLM history, they wouldn’t even go to the finals – an upstart Brampton Blades team would beat them in the conference finals. If Oslo had played Ottawa in the finals in Season 32 then things may have been different, but a little luck goes a long way. I Mean, Things Have to Turn Around Sometime, Right? The longest stretch between VHLM championships for a single franchise is 23 seasons, set by the Bern Royals (now the Las Vegas Aces), who went between Season 20 and Season 43 without a title, and the Minot franchise that did not win one after Season 19 until it was contracted following Season 42. If you do some quick math, this means that if Oslo doesn’t win the championship this season, they would now be tied on that less than illustrious list. For the past 11 seasons before this one, there were only 8 VHLM teams, less than the 10 that were active during the bulk of those Bern and Minot runs. This season, there’s only 5. And again, if Oslo doesn’t make the finals this season, the franchise will have not reached the finals in the past 10 seasons. Especially because of the lessened competition, there’s a decent argument that could be made that this Oslo run is the single worst franchise stretch in all of VHLM history. And in a world where Stockholm can be considered Continental Cup favorites, everyone’s fortunes have to change sometime, right? Just like the Season 32 team overcame the odds, maybe the Season 54 one can as well.

Hah, appreciated. After leaving the hospital I went straight to the airport though - missed my initial flight back to Minnesota while in the ER, but Delta was nice enough to put me on a red-eye for free. Just wanted to be home.

IRL, stripper part's not real, but I did spend five hours yesterday in a Vegas ER with food poisoning. God I hate that city so much. (And I'll have to be back in August for work again.)

Saskatoon -- Adjusting to the VHLM is not particularly easy for many rookies, but often, the issue comes on the ice. That doesn't seem to be the case for Gabriel McAllister, however, who has already put up 10 goals and 6 assists in 15 games. Instead, the issues for the winger have come off the ice, particularly after a recent team trip to Las Vegas. Sources say that following a Wild 3-1 loss to the Aces, McAllister and few teammates went out to the Hustler Club off the Las Vegas Strip to blow off steam. Reportedly, a stripper at the establishment who goes by the stage name "Candy" enticed the young McAllister to use his teeth to grab a lollipop stuck inside of her lower regions, a request which he obliged. Some indeterminate time later, McAllister was treated for what is being called "food poisoning" at a local Las Vegas hospital. "Yeah, I guess I'm feeling better," McAllister told reporters upon arriving back in Canada. "Still feeling a bit queasy though. I feel like that might not have been one of my best ideas." According to team doctors, McAllister should be feeling better in time for the playoffs. The team, though, likely echoes the statement that McAllister had as he left the press conference in Saskatoon: "Fuck Vegas."

User Name: CowboyinAmerica EASTERN CONFERENCE (A2) Ottawa vs (M2) Pittsburgh Winner: Ottawa # of Games: 6 WESTERN CONFERENCE (P1) Anaheim vs (W2) Nashville Winner: Nashville # of Games: 6

3-2 Legion

Meute Riga Helsinki Wranglers

Hey @Frank @Higgins, this one good so I can be put back on the team?

Nvm, gonna post in the waiver thread

Lied, didn't know I already did this one.

Rather than write out a long explanation why this doesn't make sense that you won't read, I'll simply ask: What's your source for believing premiums will drop?

If that's the case, @TheLastOlympian07 wanna do them now and put me on first line? Also, yay two assists and the win!

30 seconds in and then... nope.

Hey, it's my first goal! Too bad it came in this sort of game, but we'll get there.

Welp, not a particularly great start.

I don't know whether I'm more impressed by the idea, happy about it was implemented (including the predictions), or pissed at having to copy/paste for every single article that includes him.

Weeee this draft is gonna be fun. Also, I think the Ron Mexico Trophy is something you actively try not to win?

That's pretty much where I'm at too. It's also a personal rule of mine to never take something like a commish/global mod/GM job that would allow me to be less flexible with my time - nothing against those that do, just how I enjoy sim leagues best myself.

I accept, let's go Saskatoon! @Higgins if there's any chance I could be put on for the next sim (with updates if you're feeling generous?) that would be cool.

Chicago -- As he sits at home preparing to sign with a VHLM team, Gabriel McAllister has had some time to think. Specifically, he's put some thought into areas he particularly wants to improve in practice. And, perhaps more notably, he's given some thought into areas he doesn't want to improve. "I don't want to be a player that hits somebody," McAllister said. "All that checking and being an enforcer and making plays from knocking people off the puck - it's not me. I'd much rather skate around guys than go through them." In that way, it's expected that McAllister will be a playmaker, with high skating and scoring marks, according to early scouting reports. With enough effort, he likely will be in contention for the Virkkunen Trophy many years. And, in fact, it's a recent Virkkunen winner that McAllister sees as his closest VHL comparison. "From what I've seen, I like Tom Lincoln's game a lot," McAllister said of the Season 47 forward. "He's near the top for points, he has one hit the entire season, and he's done it all in style. What's not to like?" With that in mind, VHL scouts should probably pair McAllister with a more physical forward; those personnel decisions are far in the future, though. For now, McAllister is content getting his scoring and skating to a serviceable level before anything else.