Alex

There's one main issue with your numbers here, specifically that they include seasons where starting goalies weren't in their prime, while ONLY including Sparks' prime seasons. While this is in part due to getting buried in Seattle prior to the Malmo trade, it only paints a small part of the picture. Also, BASED OFF OF TPE, WHICH IS HOW THE PREDICTIONS HAVE TO BE MADE, SPARKS IS STILL ONLY THE 9TH BEST GOALIE IN THE LEAGUE! While they typically do over perform their ranking, as a unbiased source that makes their rankings strictly from roster composition it's nearly impossible to put much weight behind them. Given how unpredictable STHS really is, could Sparks have a great season? yes. Do the underlying numbers lead towards that, conclusion? no. Malmo's roster for the most part is built to shelter Sparks, they have always had a top defensive group, and are typically one of the better offensive teams. While, there is not much to go off of for goalies, SV% is really all we can use, which does help Sparks' case as a top goalie in the league. However, they have never truly been in the conversation of elite goalies/franchise players from a completely objective standpoint.

Probably because they are the top goalie in the league and their numbers completely dwarf Sparks...

Please use the index to check stats... Sparks had the 6th best SV% last season, and is 5th among starting goalies this season as Seattle is running a 1A/1B. I was off by one spot on S92, which I do apologize for. However, the point stands that for their entire career Sparks has been a good starting goalie, but never in that elite group. Also Sparks was third in S89, which was their best individual season compared to other goalies. My point is simple, Sparks while a good starting goalie, just isn't in the conversation as a top goalie. It's nothing personal, I try to just look at stats/numbers. Given how having a strong goalie is crucial to playoff success as has been seen in just about every season since S84, it's hard to have Malmo as a favourite to compete against top teams. While back-to-back Victory cups is impressive and a great feat, the lack of playoff success speaks volumes. Could Malmo compete and win the cup? Yes, Sparks is a solid enough goalie and the rest of the roster is very good and in the top 5 in the league.

So two kind of points here: Sparks is 500 TPE behind the top goalie in the league, and for their entire career been a good step behind the league's top goalies in terms of TPE, think Starter vs. Elite/Franchise potential. Also, there's a reason why GAA is barely taken into account for awards, given that it is a team stat that just gets attributed to the goalie. If you look at SV% (as close to only true pure goaltending stat we have), Sparks is still usually in the top half of the starting goalies, but never really in striking range of being considered the top goalie of the season. Overall, Sparks has had a good career, and has usually exceeded expectations. S94 (so far): 0.926 (5th) S93: 0.924 (6th) S92: 0.930 (6th) S91: 0.923 (12th) S90: 0.921 (11th) So, I do think that Malmo is an interesting case regarding the viability of top passing forwards. Typically, a elite passing forward will cause any defensive production to drop and in a hurry as a majority of defensemen points do come from assists. However, Stone is still scoring goals at a high rate, and I do think that this could be due to Malmo not really having a elite (1000+ TPA) scoring forward. Ironically, the statement does still hold true given that Stone's production has dropped off from previous seasons, given that their assist numbers are well under their previous pace. Malmo has very well met expectations this season, and their offense has very well be clicking, and getting it done.

Cue @KaleebtheMighty starting his backup 20 times to actively avoid winning the victory Cup.

Yes, let’s fire Hedge!

What is sleep…

@Lemorse7 quickly putting S87/88 Riga back together!

Welcome to Davos @Chillybro and @Is_thatok! We’re very happy to have you joining us! @sadie, thank you for your time in Davos! Best of luck in Riga! @Lemorse7 thank you for the trade talks!

@Beketov @Josh this hasn’t been done yet, doesn’t make the biggest difference. Since I can just play them as a D anyways.

DAVID!

Just healthy scratch them

Forward/Defense/Goalie ranks are strictly driven by total TPE. For the other two I have a formula that I use that has been fairly accurate, however we have some discussions in the VSN server on adjusting teams up or down given previous performances, potential to improve, and general thoughts on roster composition.

Hey everybody! Welcome to this season’s VHL Season preview, after a busy offseason, full of roster changes there’s been a considerable shift in team’s outlooks this season with a major shift towards the European Conference. So, without further to do, let’s jump right into it! North American Conference 1 - Toronto Legion Forward Rank - 3rd Defense Rank - 4th Goalie Rank - 4th Conference Rank - 2nd League Rank - 2nd Toronto’s window is quickly coming to a close and by that, this could be it for the team that has routinely been at or near the top of the conference over the course of the past 6 seasons. This is largely due to Joel Castle’s @animal74 imminent retirement. With that being said they do have some young pieces, namely Gul Dukat @MSouthworth and several other top prospects. While Castle retires following this season, their forward core is centered around two of the best S87 players in Jimi Jaks @ke1vi and Mac Atlas @v.2 , both of whom will ensure that Toronto can contend for at least 1 more season after this one. For now Toronto is still one of if not the best team in the North American Conference. 2 - Vancouver Wolves Forward Rank - 6th Defense Rank - 1st Goalie Rank - 8th Conference Rank - 1st League Rank - 1st Few teams can make the jump from outside the playoffs to one of the league’s best teams, however Vancouver just did exactly that! With no real holes in their roster either and a plethora of young players that will continue to improve over the course of the season. Currently the team will be driven by veterans The Frenchman @OrbitingDeath , Mark Calaway @Beketov, and Liv Slater @Subject056 while the younger players improve, which honestly seems inevitable. We could very well be about to see another era of Vancouver dominance. 3 - New York Americans Forward Rank - 9th Defense Rank - 2nd Goalie Rank - 5th Conference Rank - 4th League Rank - 6th The New York Americans are a very interesting team this season, with the majority of their roster in their prime or just hitting it, their window is wide open! With one of the league’s best D-cores driven by a up and coming star in CGY Janser @Daniel Janser, and top forwards FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist @STZ and Jesper Davis @Josh the time to win is now! The only real question for them is with their 6th forward spot remaining vacant, however time is on their side to find a solution. 4 - Seattle Bears Forward Rank - 5th Defense Rank - 7th Goalie Rank - 3rd Conference Rank - 3rd League Rank - 5th The defending Continental Champion Seattle Bears are still a very good team this season. While their forwards and goaltending are near the top of the league, there are some question marks with their defense. With that being said there is no reason why Seattle can’t find their way to the top of the conference as it is very close among the best teams. Daryl Dixon @Ricer13 will be looking to have a career season to round things out, and propel Seattle back to the top of the VHL. 5 - Chicago Phoenix Forward Rank - 8th Defense Rank - 5th Goalie Rank - 7th Conference Rank - 5th League Rank - 9th Chicago probably wins an award this season for just being in the most unique spot, they are a fairly solid team and should by all means make the playoffs, however they are a good step behind the rest of the competing North American teams. The additions of Francesco Mancini @GioSivo and YaBoi Oven @Doomsday should make a considerable difference to Chicago’s fortunes. Don’t be surprised if you see Chicago close the gap to the top teams over the course of the season. 6 - Calgary Wranglers Forward Rank - 13th Defense Rank - 11th Goalie Rank - 15th Conference Rank - 6th League Rank - 12th The rebuild is on in Calgary, and with several other solid pieces we could very well continue to see them active in the trade market as other teams look to improve their rosters. Calgary potentially could challenge for the final playoff spot given their great top end talent with Raimo Tuominen @SlapshotWrangler, Catia Goncalves @cLoWn, and Moritz Stauffer @GoodLeftUndone, a lack of depth does hurt. Additionally, not having a starting caliber goaltender will likely limit their aspirations for this season. Calgary is very well locked into the 6th spot. 7 - D.C. Dragons Forward Rank - 15th Defense Rank - 13th Goalie Rank - 16th Conference Rank - 7th League Rank - 14th The D.C. Dragons finally went into a rebuild again following the retirement of their starting goalie. With that being said they already have their goaltender of the future with Herald Benson @Benson, who will be on the roster this season. Additionally, they do have a few other players who will help generate some offense, specifically Theo Allard @InstantRockstar and Lucas Grey @emidas. While D.C. won’t challenge for the playoffs, they should still pick up a few wins and maybe an upset or two along the way. 8 - Los Angeles Stars Forward Rank - 14th Defense Rank - 15th Goalie Rank - 11th Conference Rank - 8th League Rank - 15th I mean the Los Angeles Stars can only get better, with a solid goaltender, and younger players starting to make their way to the roster led off by the Phantom of the VHL @Hogan. Los Angeles is certainly on the right path, it’s just a question of how long it will take from here on out. European Conference 1- Moscow Menace Forward Rank - 1st Defense Rank - 6th Goalie Rank - 5th Conference Rank - 1st League Rank - 3rd Moscow is only getting better each season, and with plenty of young prospects they should be golden for some time. This season it is all about their offense and with every player having over 800 TPA, there really shouldn’t be any concerns as long as every player buys into the system as there’s a chance that players could fail to meet their individual expectations with so much depth. With that being said this season should be smooth sailing in Moscow this season, as the European Conference is really theirs to lose. 2 - Warsaw Predators Forward Rank - 7th Defense Rank - 8th Goalie Rank - 1st Conference Rank - 3rd League Rank - 7th The Warsaw Predators improved a lot this offseason, specifically by improving their blue line so that Lachlan Summers @kirbithan does not have to stand on their head each night. Overall their roster is fairly well rounded, so Warsaw should be in good shape to challenge Moscow this season and with their forwards still improving things could very well go their way at the end of the day. 3 - Malmo Nighthawks Forward Rank - 4th Defense Rank - 3rd Goalie Rank - 10th Conference Rank - 2nd League Rank - 4th I’ll be honest here, I struggled a lot with where to put Malmo. While on paper their roster is very solid, the long-term concerns around their goaltending do still exist, and their defense has always done a amazing job of minimizing scoring chances against, allowing Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro to win the S93 Greg Clegane Trophy. The concern with Malmo exists with their offense, in previous seasons the majority of Malmo’s offense has been driven by Jacob Stone @scoop, one of the league’s best defensemen. However, with Malmo’s top forward being a pass-first player, this has been seen to reduce defensemen production which in turn likely reduces Malmo’s offense. With that being said there’s a chance things work out well, and Malmo could potentially push for a 3rd Victory Cup. 4 - London United Forward Rank - 2nd Defense Rank - 12th Goalie Rank - 2nd Conference Rank - 4th League Rank - 8th London is in a very interesting position as of right now, their forward group has proven that they can produce at remarkable levels, as both Leonard Triller @Triller and Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ are some of the best forwards in the league and with Sjin @Sjin improving there really isn’t a gap with their forwards. The main concern comes in two places, their defense core does lack overall quality and their is a massive question mark regarding if Merome Dilson @MexicanCow123 can fill the shoes left by Jesse Teno. The latter of which isn’t as much of a concern given that Dilson is a top goaltender in the league and did win top goalie honours and league MVP only 2 seasons ago. Assuming everything falls into place, London is set to be in good shape in what is a do or die season prior to a lengthy rebuild. 5 - Riga Reign Forward Rank - 11th Defense Rank - 9th Goalie Rank - 9th Conference Rank - 5th League Rank - 10th Riga took some considerable steps forward this season, bringing in a true number one defensemen in Skor McFleury @Alex and adding Oreo McFleury @JB123 up front there’s a lot to like. However, Riga does still lack a true elite forward and a 4th defensemen, both of which could be limiting factors for the upstart team. In goal Red Panda @Lemorse7 is set for a potential breakout season, and could very well be set up for success. It is important to note that the European Conference is wide open from about 2nd to 5th, and realistically anything can happen here as the conference is very close among the playoff teams. 6 - HC Davos Dynamo Forward Rank - 10th Defense Rank - 10th Goalie Rank - 13th Conference Rank - 6th League Rank - 11th Davos is very much in a similar spot to Calgary, they do have a solid roster, however find themselves significantly better than the lower teams, but also a good step behind the playoff contenders. The additions of Grimgor Ironhide @FrostBeard and Sadie St. Louis @sadie go a long way to improving their offense. The main spotlight in Davos this season will be on their rookies, specifically S93 1st overall pick Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica, who will likely be put directly in a position to succeed with Davos’s relatively solid forward group and good offensive defensemen. 7 - Helsinki Titans Forward Rank - 12th Defense Rank - 14th Goalie Rank - 12th Conference Rank - 7th League Rank - 13th How the Titans have fallen, last season Helsinki was projected to be one of if not the best team in the European Conference, however due to a series of unfortunate sims and a lot of 1-goal losses led to the team being outside of the playoff picture and as a result selling their top players and sending the team into a rebuild. With that being said Helsinki is off to a great start with Adi Dassler @BOOM looking to be a great number 1 forward for some time to come, and Helsinki had a great draft by bringing in both Maple Dogwood and future starting goalie THE MIGHTY ICE WIZARD @Royski. Helsinki may only be rebuilding for a season or two and are well on their way to success. 8 - Prague Phantoms Forward Rank - 16th Defense Rank - 16th Goalie Rank - 14th Conference Rank - 8th League Rank - 16th The tank is on in Prague! After the better part of a decade being very successful, the majority of their core retiring has left Prague in a difficult spot and forced them to go into a full rebuild. However, there is one considerable problem, while Prague is by far the worst team, they lack their own first round pick. Prague has a long road ahead, on the positive side of things they do have their starting goalie of the future with Ondrej Vencko @Mutti, and a future number 1 defensemen with Lazlo Holmes @Gustav .

S94 HC DAVOS DYNAMO CAPTAINS The rebuild is coming to an end this season, leading the way is... Captain - David Jokinen @Ahma! Now in his 8th season with the team, and 7th as captain, Jokinen embodies everything a captain should be and leads by example on and off of the ice! Jokinen will look to inspire the next generation of Davos players and continue to build off their 100+ point season that they had in S93! Alternate Captain - Grimgor Ironhide @FrostBeard! Acquired in a blockbuster trade with Moscow, Ironhide has been a vocal member in the locker room and provides a great veteran presence. On the Ice Ironhide will be looking to set some new career highs and maybe pick up an award! Alternate Captain - Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica! The S93 1st overall pick will be making their long awaited VHL debut this season! Bucatini will be looking to build off their strong VHLE campaign and just maybe be crowned the VHL's top rookie come the end of the season!

First All-VHL Team Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ - John Jameson @Frank - Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide Skor McFleury @Alex - Jacob Stone @scoop Lachlan Summers @kirbithan Second All-VHL Team King Kisslinger @Kisslinger - Vincent Laroche-Gagnier @vincentlg2007 - Maxim Anisimov @McLovin David Jokinen @Ahma - Mark Calaway @Beketov Matt Murdock @Acydburn All-Rookie Team Theo Allard @InstantRockstar - Logan Ninefingers @Scurvy - James MacAvoy @Enraged Vlad Von Carstein @Dom - Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts Giorgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87

Daisuke Kanou Trophy (Playoff MVP): These next players really shined in the playoffs, propelling their teams on spectacular runs, all while proving themselves invaluable to their teams: Severus Targaryen @Banackock - Led Seattle in scoring with 9 goals and 23 points in 19 playoff games! Lloyd Braun @Toast - Led all defensemen in scoring with 23 points in 16 games, also led the league in assists with 16! Daryl Dixon @Ricer13 - Tied for the Seattle lead in goals with 9, Dixon stood out on the defensive side of things with 53 hits! Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ - Led the league in points and goals with 27 and 12 respectively! And the winner is... Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding): The only award that is voted on by everyone, the Brett Slobodzian Trophy is awarded to the league’s most outstanding player, these were the nominees: Skor McFleury @Alex - Was one of the league’s best defensemen in almost every statistical metric! John Jameson @Frank - Tied for the league lead in points, also spectacular defensively! Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ - Led the league in goals and points! Lachlan Summers @kirbithan - Was the league’s best goalie by a significant margin! And the winner is... Scotty Campbell Trophy (MVP): Now the award we’ve all been waiting for, these players not only had spectacular seasons, they all were instrumental to their team’s success and exceed all expectations: Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ - Had 19 more points and 14 more goals than their next closest teammate! John Jameson @Frank - Was the best player on their team at both ends of the ice! Lachlan Summers @kirbithan - Carried Warsaw into a playoff spot, while facing more than 2600 shots, the most by a goalie on a contending team by a massive margin! And the winner is... Next up: The All-VHL teams! Stay tuned!

Frederick Elmebeck Trophy (VHL Community Contribution) Possibly the most important award we will discuss this evening, the Fredrik Elmebeck Memorial Trophy is sometimes referred to as the ‘top member award’ as it is awarded to the member that goes above and beyond each season to make the league a better place for everyone involved. This season we had 3 nominees; @Banackock - Has been driving the recruitment effort of late, continues to be a vocal leader in the league! @LucyXpher - A very active first-gen who has been inspiring new members, and is one of if not the most active player in the VHL! @Spartan - Realistically keeps the league moving and has just about every job! And the winner is...

David Knight Trophy (Top GM): Teams wouldn’t be the same without their GMs, these GMs went above and beyond to propel their teams forward throughout S93: @Banackock- Took Seattle from last in the league to a Continental Cup Victory @Spartan - Consistent and smart drafting has Moscow looking like they are about to enter a dynasty! @Tetricide- Brought in pieces to strengthen Prague’s aging core for one final run at a cup! @Frank - Made some huge trades to try and contend, while displaying excellent asset management! And the winner is...

Aidan Shaw Trophy (Best Goaltender): Despite changes to the sim sliders to nerf goalies this season, some goalies seemed unphased by it, they were: Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro - Led the league in GAA, and was instrumental to Malmo’s Victory Cup! Matt Murdock @Acydburn - Instrumental to Prague’s success, had the 2nd best SV%! Lachlan Summers @kirbithan - Had the league’s best SV% all while facing the most shots of any contending goalie! And the winner is...

DEFENSEMEN AWARDS: Alexander Valiq Trophy (Offensive Defensemen): This season saw defensemen scoring increase considerably, as we had a couple 100+ point scorers and multiple others that found the net fairly often, the nominees are: Mark Calaway @Beketov - Led defensemen in goal scoring with 32! David Jokinen @Ahma - Had a career high 103 points, to led defensemen offensively! Skor McFleury @Alex - Returned to form in a big way recording 102 points! Liv Slater @Subject056 - Matched their point total from last season which saw them take home this very award! And the winner is... Jake Wylde Trophy (Defensive Defensemen): A defensemen’s first priority if defending their own goal, these players put their body on the line every game, blocking shots, and punishing the opposing team’s players: Tord Yvel @Trazan - Took a massive step forward this season to finish 6th in shots blocked and had over 150 hits! Jacob Stone @scoop - Won this award last season and put up even better numbers this time around! Phil Strasmore @Phil - One of the few players to consistently have over 150 shots blocked and over 200 hits, Strasmore did it again this season! Skor McFleury @Alex - Finished 2nd in hits by a defensemen and 2nd in shots blocked! And the winner is... Sterling Labatte Trophy (Overall Defensemen): These next defensemen stole the show at both ends of the ice, all of which have been nominated previously tonight: Skor McFleury @Alex - Was a significant contributor on a powerhouse Prague offense, all while being responsible defensively! Jacob Stone @scoop - Was arguably Malmo’s MVP last season and was spectacular at both ends of the ice! David Jokinen @Ahma - Had a season that came out of nowhere, led defensemen in points and shots blocked! And the winner is...

Scott Boulet Trophy (Two-Way Forward): Every season we take a look at players who changed the game not just offensively, but at the defensive end too, these players demonstrated spectacular play at both ends of the ice: John Jameson @Frank - Tied for the league lead in points and led all players in +/-! Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ - Also tied for the league lead in points, also had 58 goals and relatively low PIMs! Vincent Laroche-Gagnier @vincentlg2007 - Had a career best season in almost every offensive stat, while maintaining physical play! / Daryl Dixon @Ricer13 - Broke 100 points while playing for both Helsinki and Seattle! And the winner is...

Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved): A lot of players took massive steps forward this season, the players nominated for the Funk are: S92: Spanish Moon Moth @Renomitsu (PRG) - 14G, 11A, 25P, -19, 34PIM, 97HIT, 25SB S93: Spanish Moon Moth (PRG) - 44G, 43A, 87P, 16, 54PIM, 85HIT, 34SB S92: Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ (LDN) - 37G, 43A, 80P, 17, 99PIM, 196HIT, 18SB S93: Wann Kerr (LDN) - 58G, 69A, 127P, 31, 101PIM, 247HIT, 29SB S92: Diego Machado @Dadam30 (TOR) - 25G, 37A, 62P, -6, 84PIM, 106HIT, 27SB S93: Diego Machado (TOR) - 44G, 58A, 102P, 12, 86PIM, 152HIT, 41SB S92: Tord Yvel @Trazan (NYA) - 5G, 35A, 40P, 20, 43PIM, 74HIT, 136SB S93: Tord Yvel (NYA) - 8G, 67A, 75P, 13, 121PIM, 149HIT, 185SB S92: David Jokinen @Ahma (DAV) - 22G, 46A, 68P, -35, 118PIM, 203HIT, 216SB S93: David Jokinen (DAV) - 25G, 78A, 103P, -20, 40PIM, 80HIT, 251SB S92: King Kisslinger @Kisslinger (WAR) - 17G, 33A, 50P, -9, 33PIM, 49HIT, 22SB S93: King Kisslinger (WAR) - 41G, 70A, 111P, 43, 91PIM, 140HIT, 22SB And the winner is...