I was tagging member about TPE opps yet I still claimed 0 this week so far. Time to change stuff. Here's a short regular season prediction for each VHL team.
If only they still had Riley. I think he had a decent season and he could've been a good scoring option for this team. Now when he was traded, I'm not sure. The first player who would pop in our minds is Luke Thornton, but will he score or try to push 400 hits mark? Also that 90/99 build that I never liked and some players were struggling with this exact ratio. I just don't think he can carry Calgary offensively, but neither will any other forward. The defense and goaltending is decent, but there's too little firepower to fight for the post season. My prediction: 7th place in NA.
Pretty much an ideal team for the regular season. Stacked teams are usually doing very good at that stage of the season. The other question is, can they actually go back to back? I certainly won't bet on it as there were moments when too stacked team totally failed in the playoffs and that could be the case for Chicago as well. But I think they're one of the favorites for the Victory Cup here and probably can make to the finals at least. Also, perhaps Kyl Oferson for HOF? Get him some personal awards please. My prediction: 1st place in NA.
When Eno paid a good price for Letang I thought he will go for forwards hard. And even if he would fail top grab the bigger ones he'd just make a cheap trade or two for some decent forwards. And then he comes in with...Jeffie, Yakovlevsky and MAGNUM??? Bruh. The Riley trade was a saving grace as he will be one of main forwards for this team and I do think this player has a potential. Basically this team is going to rely heavily on couple of players - Letang, Dood, Riley and Wolski. Sometimes Jeffie as well. I think it will be just enough to squeak into the playoffs. The irony is I think this is one of two teams that actually could upset Chicago in playoffs. This team has that S64-65 Devise Toronto vibe. Not the best depth, but the upside was so strong it carried this team to the high of the highs. As for the regular season...My prediction: 5th place in NA.
I think this season will give LA fans something to cheer for: the first playoff appearance in this team's history. Adding Davis was a big move. Yes Josh had to give a first overall, but I think he couldn't wait longer before this team would fell into the rebuild after not even competing once. This team looks nice, but something still isn't there yet. I think winger talent isn't up to the elite status to carry this team. Even having Pines and Merrick in same lineup wasn't enough to elevate this team past the last place in S76. Adding Calia was nice, but I don't see him solving this issue completely. The Davis deal is enough to get them into the playoffs, but will this be enough to win something? Unlikely. My prediction: 4th place in NA.
Neutral fans were enjoying their games and their flamboyant offense style. The same may happen this season, but I there are also doubts. First of all, Strong Jr. decided to not spend his prime in a non playoff team and took his talents to Prague. Secondly, don't they have too many forwards? If main guys will get less playing time, that's not gonna be pretty. Also, the defense is still in shambles as always. Chicken Wing is the sole bright spot as of this moment on the blue line. Well, at least they drafted a very promising defenseman this time, here's to hope Jubis will like it in the Big Apple. My prediction: 8th place in NA.
I have one word that describes this team: solid. But are they something bigger than that? I'm very unsure about that. Their offense may rely too much on Campbell and Brown and if they won't pop off, this may not go like Bana envisioned. Some of other forwards either too green or guys who may not get enough help, like Strauss. The defense? Yet another definition of solid, but not flashy. Their defensive game will be on point, but there is a question if they can help forwards with scoring chances. Rasputin seems another Victor's goalie who could join into HOF and already shows that he can steal games. For this reason and potential Campbell-Brown connection I see this team as another team that could throw Chicago out of the championship race. My prediction: 2nd place in NA.
Well, slowly and maybe surely Peace has assembled the team of youngins who could carry this team back into the relevance in the near future. Their defense is already looking cool and they still have Hextall. But I think this team will still have the same problem as last season: I don't see them scoring a lot. I was interested to see the news when Smarch went into the center...and then I saw he turned into a pass first guy which in my opinion wasn't needed. The other guys are gonna try, but who is really ready to carry them? Oh Sens...maybe Odinsson? Could be cool, but I don't think it would be enough for making the post season. They will be a fighting team for sure. But also this is that ''one season away from'' type of squad. My prediction: 6th place in NA.
Beaviss lost an interest to VHL and suddenly this team became stagnant. 440 TPE goalie? Very bold statement, but too risky in a conference with Chicago and Seattle. The defense also lacks depth, but Adrienne can carry this team for sure. The offense is still a force to be reckon with despite of losing Venus Thightrap. I do think they still have enough firepower to make the post season and I don't agree with people who puts this team to 6th or something place. Although this also depends a lot from Sandstrom, this guy will need to step up big time. I still think they can be a playoff team, but they will also need to think about refreshing this team soon. And I don't see them being close to the cup stage. My prediction: 3rd place.
Let's head to Europe now. And what do we have? Immediately here pops in a team that lots of members are predicting for the last place (from every VHL team). I tend to agree with this one. They don't have much offense - whole lotta of welfare low TPE dudes besides Tsujimoto and kinda Vlad Imir. I have to admit that their defense isn't the worst in the league, lead by almost 900 TPE Walker. And the goaltending is also a decent one. At least they won't let in a lot. My prediction: 8th place in EU.
Hard to evaluate. Before that, I was ready to put them somewhere at 2 or 3. But when Emi turns into a scoring defenseman, things could change in favor of this team. Their offense was already good and then they added Venus whiich is a big plus. Their defensive depth is concerning and may screw them, but they will be a dangerous team to play against, no doubt here. I can't tell where exactly they will end up, but somewhere high on standings. Just don't think they will be in the leadrship position as I see another team that is better suited for the regular season. But for sure could make the finals from EU confrence. My prediction: 2nd plance in EU.
Last season wasn't a success for a Royal team and Wolf had to do something. And he did something - Lahtinen and Tonn. That's big and should certainly get this team back into the playoff contention. There are several guys who are able to carry this team: Lahtinen, King, Trivium, Killinger, Tonn. Kankkunen is somewhere close as well. The issue is, what about after them? Forward wise, there are either guys are good at something, but not at giving direct results or straight up rookies. At defense...two 240 TPE players, that's just not what's up. They are relying very heavily on their main players which may be their downfall at the end of the day. They shouldn't be concerned about the regular season though. Playoff wise, they could make it far, but I do not see them as the EU champs this season. My prediction: 3rd place in EU.
This team is very similar to Davos. One stand out forward, decent defense and also a fine goalie. But I think their forward potential is higher and Hylands > Tsujimoto. Also Dayne is better than Vlad Imir. Not a playoff team, but may be annoying to everyone due to Hylands effect. My prediction: 6th place in EU.
Malmo and Moscow rivalry is gonna be contuinued outside the playoff spots. This will be an epic battle for the 6th place in the EU conference I'd tell ya. They have some potential forward wise, like Scwarz and Angellini may have good season and most of other forwards are also far from terrible. The defense is aight, lead by Fat Paloon and then there's yet another decent goalie in Malone. I wasn't sure where to put this team tbh. However, unless Schwarz can pop off, I see them below Malmo this time. My prediction: 7th place in EU.
They lost Jungkok to FA, but also brought LeFlammant and Strong Jr. from the same market. They are not as flashy as Fong's player and will rather serve as the player who can make Prague's offensive depth even more dangerous. Gotta say, they indeed do have a serious forward lineup and Landry II is still there as well. Lots of guys who can score from that team. But then we will turn our attention to the defense and here comes the problems. Knight is already regressed and Sandstrom isn't ready yet for big defensive plays imo. It wouldn't be a big of an issue if the conference wasn't strong. But despite of not having lots of intrigue about the playoff spots, the other 4 teams may be too strong for Prague's defensemans. This would also put a stop on their dreams about the lengthy playoff run as well. My prediction: 5th place in EU.
We had a decent ending last season, but I also had to fix the issues with the defense to get us to the next level this season. So here is it, James Rose and General Zod. The forward core stayed pretty much as it is except we welcomed two new guys in the roster so we will have 9 forward setup. Do we have a chance? I think yes, although I don't know if that could translate into the regular season. We may not be a proven enough team to be considered as the top of the crop. Also some may not see our offense as flashy enough outside of Sheilds. But I think we're a well rounded team. I'm just going to careful with prediction our spot and put as at 4. But we could give a serious fight to any EU team and maybe even make into the finals from EU. My prediction: 4th place in EU.
Well, they tried to copy Chicago and make their own version of stacked team. Only to see Venus joining Jubo's squad. Will it suck for them? LR wise, maybe. But I still think this team is hella legit. The offense is there and having regressed Penny's inactive guy won't slow them down a lot. The defense is there. Krishna is inactive and that will suck for Muff for the future, but for now he is still the guy who can steal games from any team. I wouldn't worry about this team in the regular season. The playoffs though? I mean, nobody is feeling safe there so I don't need to tell you that Warsaw chances for the cup is far from 100%, just as other team's chances in this league. My predcition: 1st place in EU.
So yeah here it is. Short prediction for every single VHL team and I will claim for the next 4 weeks for this stuff. Nice.
That's it and I'm out.
15/03 - 21/03
22/03 - 28/03
29/03 - 04/04
05/04 - 11/04
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@Matt thunder snubbbed
