Alex

I apply (with rizz)

I apply!

I apply just to show my interest in coming back to the VHL but there are GMs who’ve been waiting patiently for their opportunity who should be chosen over me. 

Should have given himself a mutual option
 

DAVID!

CIA’s Early, Probably Wrong S94 Mock Draft
 
After actually being in the draft last season, you thought I would take a year off? Never! That’s for weaklings, wimps, and people that already have TPE banked in other ways (which to be fair, may very well be me next season). I’m here to tell you exactly what the draft will be.
 
… or I would, at least, had the draft lottery happened by now like I thought it would. But alas, the draft lottery may not happen until next week, and I need TPE this week. So I’m going to assume here that the VHL will do the same thing as the inferior NHL and have no teams move in its lottery at all. The odds of this happening are extremely slim, so by Simon T logic, it’s a near certainty.
 
How will this year’s draft shape up? It’s an interesting one, to be certain. There are more recreates than last season, but also fewer (but not none!) first generation players set to make a splash. There are also a few position differences, with more teams in need of defensemen in this draft, but also more blue liners available for selection in kind. I also wouldn’t be shocked by more trades than normal, with a rash of S85 players retiring (especially goalies) meaning we could see some rebuilds start in earnest with some real tear downs.
 
With all of that said, let’s get into some picks! I don’t really know who is friends with who or any of that jazz, so my predictions tend to be based solely on earning power and team need. All TPE levels are based on when I’m writing this on Thursday, May 9. And as always, if you’re not picked where you think you deserve, it’s because I dislike you personally and you should absolutely take offense.
 
 1. Los Angeles Stars: LW Maverick Goncalves - 385 TPE, Cologne Express, @leandrofg
 
What do you get for the team that needs everything? A defenseman like one of the Carson duo would certainly make sense, given the overall dearth of blue liners in the league and the fact that both currently on the Stars will retire this offseason. A goalie might also make sense, since Soju is the only option in the top 20 in this class by TPE and it would guarantee they fill a need. But I’ll say they go best player available with Goncalves. Already playing up a level in the VHLE, Goncalves would provide an offensive star to build around, and potentially a top-level player in terms of talent and growth for seasons to come. A lot of good options here, but nothing wrong with going with the safe one.
 
 2. HC Davos Dynamo: D Jillian Woods - 379 TPE, Ottawa Lynx, @jacobcarson877
 
The Dynamo began their rebuild in earnest last offseason, taking forwards Forum Content and Antonia Bucatini as well as goalie Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen in the first round. What hole does that leave on the ice? Why, a talented young defensive star of course! Sticking neck and neck with Goncalves in terms of TPE, Woods will be a candidate for the top pick in the draft depending on the team, including the Stars or the Dynamo themselves if the lottery falls that way. But even if Woods falls to number two, I wouldn’t imagine that she would fall much further due to her growth potential and the fact that just about every team could use another strong young player on defense.
 
 3. Riga Reign: D Felicia Hardy - 343 TPE, Saskatoon Wild, @JCarson
 
The Reign are in a very interesting position. First of all, they haven’t yet announced their first new general manager in more than 40 seasons, a position that would seemingly be important entering a draft. Second, a lot of their players are in the prime of their careers, but as evidenced by the fact they’re picking third in the draft, those prime players may not be the answer for the team. Third, while many teams are looking to upgrade at goalie and defense, goalie Red Panda may be the star of the team, and Riga took Lucy Leitner on defense with the third pick last season. Still, when all else fails, I don’t think best player available is a bad option. Hardy would pair with Leitner on what would become in the league’s strongest defensive pairing in a few season’s time, and Hardy provides a consistent player for a Reign team that may enter a rebuild if the new GM so wishes. Plus, as we’re about to explore, there are better landing spots for a few of the forwards available.
 
 4. Vancouver Wolves: C Pierre Marc Bouchard - 332 TPE, Halifax 21st, @Gaikoku-hito
 
Honestly, I think this pick might be more of a lock than either the first or second pick. Bouchard’s agency lives and breathes Wolves hockey, Bouchard is the best player available and fourth overall on the practice hours board, and they are a consistent earner and talented player. From the Wolves standpoint, the team also has a whole host of wings from the past couple of drafts, but the only center on the roster is S89 player Mikko Borisyuk. This combination simply makes too much sense, and I’d be fairly surprised if they go a different direction.
 
 5. Vancouver Wolves (from Calgary): G Soju - 284 TPE, Philadelphia Reapers, @Frank
 
Now this is where I’m going to start to get a bit spicy. The obvious pick here would be another forward, particularly with Left Alone set to retire after next season. A defenseman could also make sense, given that Liv Slater will be starting to show their age soon. And goalie Dalkr Vidarsson is on pace to be a future star. But with that said… if the Wolves could grab both their GM and AGM during this draft, could they avoid pulling the trigger? And especially given a potentially frothy trade market for goalies, where Vidarsson would fetch a major haul from a team like London or even D.C. looking to extend their window? I’ll go off the board here and say the Wolves steal a goalie from a number of other potential suitors.
 
 6. Helsinki Titans: LW Pombo - 317 TPE, Las Vegas Aces, @samx
 
Make it yet another team taking a GM player with their first round pick. Pombo is best player available at this point though, and I honestly wouldn’t be shocked if they go as high as #3 to Riga, depending on the new GM. In this breakdown though, Pombo steps in as the Titans prepare to potentially reload more than rebuild, given the young talent on their team like Adi Dassler and YaBoi Oven. Especially with some rebuilds coming in the European Conference, if the Titans are able to upgrade at goalie they could certainly come back to be a playoff team once again, even after last year’s trades.
 
  7. Chicago Phoenix: D Bollos de Trueno - 301 TPE, Saskatoon Wild, @Thunder
 
After jumping up to a wild card bid this season, the Phoenix are a team that are looking to win sooner rather than later. Ryan Artyomov may be one of the league’s best goalies next season following retirements and regression, Joshua Schwarzer is prepped to take the leap to be a star, and I wouldn’t sleep on last year’s fifth overall pick UghSike as a Rookie of the Year candidate next year. But even after drafting Lionel Collberg and Karol Lamb in the first round in recent years, there is still a place for a potential star defensive player to round out the roster. While de Trueno wouldn’t make an impact on next year’s team, they would arrive like a thunderbolt the following season in front of Artyomov on what should still be a team looking to contend for the next couple seasons.
 
 8. Moscow Menace (from Warsaw): D Lazlo Holmes - 286 TPE, Saskatoon Wild, @Gustav
 
When the Menace faced off against the Predators in the European Wild Card round, it turns out they would have gotten the eighth pick either way - they have both firsts. And with Warsaw’s selection coming first, it makes sense to me to take the best defensive player on the board in Holmes. From a talented and consistent agency, Holmes provides additional some protection against upcoming regression for Kronchy Kardashian and Nils Andersson, as well as potential upcoming free agency from Leif Reingaard, alongside last year’s first round pick Benjamin Abenduct. Plus, Moscow has so much young talent at forward that a player like The Phantom of the VHL or Maple Dogwood might struggle to find playing time on this roster without some major trades occurring.
 
  9. New York Americans: C The Phantom of the VHL - 312 TPE, Ottawa Lynx, @Hogan
 
The New York Americans are another team ready to win now, and particularly in the forward core it’s getting to be now or never. Every single forward from this past season’s team was S88 or older, and two of those players (Alfred Champagne and Vinny Lecavalier) are set to retire. And while the Americans do have two forwards in Wayne Gretzky and Chris Reynolds Jr. set to provide reinforcement from the VHLE, there’s room for even more youth in the forward corps. The Phantom dropped a bit down the board due to team need, but the Americans would be a great landing spot to perhaps play immediately and find a role on a winning team.
 
  10. Prague Phantoms: D Erik Thorvaldsson - 273 TPE, Mississauga Hounds, @Tetricide
 
It’s a draft full of GM players going to their teams! While Thorvaldsson isn’t quite the best player available here by practice hours (though very close), I’d be rather surprised if Prague passes on Thorvaldsson if they’re available. In this space last season, I said it’d be one more go until a rebuild for Prague, and now we’re here. Being able to snag a GM player provides a bit of stability for both a rebuilding team and a new front office, and a defensive star provides a bit of security to last year’s first round pick, goalie Ondrej Vencko, as well. A slam dunk selection if available.
 
 11. Toronto Legion: RW Maple Dogwood - 275 TPE, Halifax 21st, @dogwoodmaple
 
For years since being drafted first and third in the S87 Draft, Mac Atlas and Jimi Jaks have been the stars of Toronto’s dreams. But all dreams must end sometime, and indeed, both Atlas and Jaks enter this offseason facing some rough depreciation and only two seasons left in the league. The Legion focused last draft on defense with a great selection in Gul Dukat, but this time, an infusion of youth into the forward corps is well needed. Dogwood is not only best player available, but they also some real top-end talent upside that is rare to find with the 11th overall pick.
 
12. Los Angeles Stars (from Malmo): D Andrew Skilton - 248 TPE, Halifax 21st, @ace_five_
 
One of these picks, some team is going to take a chance on a first generation player. I think it happens here. Skilton has been extremely impressive since coming into the league last offseason, chasing down multiple notable recreated players on the practice hours charts with ease. They developed well under the watchful eye of Halifax, and I wouldn’t be shocked if Skilton ends up shooting into the top 10 when all is said and done. Here at the 12th pick, Skilton would be the stone that L.A. would rebuild their defense around and pair with the first overall pick Goncalves to really get the Stars rebuild going in earnest.
 
 13. Helsinki Titans (from D.C.): LW Wally Lose - 256 TPE, Ottawa Lynx, @youloser1337
 
The Titans would normally be another team that I’d expect to look at a first generation player. However, with last year’s first round pick Tyler Lawson having not shown up to practice for a few weeks, I’m wondering if they go with a more high-ceiling recreate, particularly at forward to pair with Pombo in the future. That almost perfectly describes Lose, whose agency has had plenty of success with past players in the VHL. While Lose’s practice hours do trail behind some peers that also entered the VHLM as the S92 Trade Deadline, as a consistent force, Lose would be sure to have a spot in Helsinki for seasons to come.
 
 14. Moscow Menace: RW Matteo Stefano - 208 TPE, Mississauga Hounds, @mmrs617
 
With two first round picks, the Menace can afford to take a few big swings. This is one that I think would connect. Despite only joining Mississauga about halfway through the VHLM season, the first generation player Stefano has already secured his promotion to the VHLE next season through maximum practice, an impressive record for a newcomer. As a passing-focused player, Stefano would also provide a bit of playmaking in a Menace forward corps that has a lot of scoring-focused players. Moscow is perhaps one of the best homes to develop new players, and the two would be a great match here. Similar to Skilton, don’t be shocked if a team falls in love with Stefano in the back half of the top ten.
 
 15. Riga Reign (from Seattle): C Johnny Tsunami - 234 TPE, Houston Bulls, @Vice
 
After so many Houston Bulls taken in the first round of last year’s draft, it’s a bit surprising to see the first one fall all the way to pick 15 in this mock. But the Reign wouldn’t mind, picking up a talented forward in Tsunami. Although a recreate, Tsunami didn’t actually join the Bulls until partway into the season, resulting in just 54 games played. During that time, however, Tsunami has been very consistent in showing up to practice and provides a lot of top-end upside to a Riga team in need of exactly that. No matter who the new GM is, they should be able to find a place for this type of center.
 
  16. London United: LW Eugene Ryanheart - 195 TPE, Las Vegas Aces, @jesse115
 
What I said about Prague last season applies to London this season - it’s probably one more year, then it’s rebuild time. And that rebuild may come even sooner if London doesn’t find a replacement for future Hall of Famer Jesse Teno in goal. That means London can really go any direction with this pick, because it’s expected that the player will be a part of the next generation of London rather than this one. So, why not go for a quick riser? After going just 50th in last season’s VHLM Draft due to some early welfare earning, Ryanheart has consistently put in the practice work in recent weeks, including even a Biography from his agency just this very week. That has gotten GMs’ attention in the top part of second round, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he even sneaks into the first with another week or two of strong practice before the draft.
 
If you weren’t mentioned here, remember: There’s still a lot to shake out! Make sure to chat with GMs as they reach out, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some second or third round picks in this draft become stars. Best of luck to all draftees, and happy drafting!
 

Oslo -- Coming into the season, the Oslo Storm had a single goal: Win a title. It was the reason they went through a multi-season rebuild, traded for multiple picks, went up in the draft to get who they wanted. For some teams, title or bust might be hopeful wishing by the fan-base. In Oslo, it was a mantra.
 
But now, the Storm have weathered the seas and accomplished their goal. Last night, Oslo won a home Game 5 against the Vasteras Iron Eagles, clinching the franchise's first title since S88. The win also capped a dominant 8-2 run in the playoffs, which extended a regular season streak that saw Oslo race from third to first in the final third of the season.
 
"We did it! This feels absolutely amazing. Like nothing else," an exalted Antonia Bucatini said through champagne-soaked glasses in the locker room after the game. "All the hard work, the Leadership, everything - it's amazing to see it pay off."
 
Indeed for Bucatini, who was the first pick in this past season's VHLE Draft, the championship provides some proof that Oslo made the right move in going for it all with a one season player. The title also provides a nice bookend for Bucatini's agency, whose first ever title was with the VHLM version of the Oslo Storm way back in S32.
 
There will be time to look towards what next season will mean for Bucatini and the rest of the Storm as many of them move up to the VHL. But for now, they're celebrating. "We've got a parade to plan," Bucatini added. "Get ready, we're coming for the streets of Oslo!"

https://imgur.com/SNarkPUhttps://imgur.com/SNarkPUhttps://imgur.com/SNarkPU

 
The Wind of Change: Goaltenders
As the season starts to come to a close for the teams in the VHL, the winds of change are starting to blow the pages of the book and the final chapters of some of the more dominate goaltenders are being written. At the end of the season three career starting goaltenders will retire and leave a huge whole in the crease for the teams that they played for; while another four goaltenders will also retire at the end of season 94 meaning that half of the league will be looking to a new goaltender for the first time in quite a while.  So, join me to take a look at the dominating goaltenders careers, stats etc.. and what might be next for each of these teams as they try to fill the void left between the pipe.
 
 
 
(S85) G - Henry Tucker Jr 

 
                              Regular Season Career Stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    515 278 184 46 2.66 0.925 24 14th most games played
Top 25 Wins
Top 25 Sav%,
S92 Continental Cup,
8th all time in Saves
 
Playoff Career stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    49 25 21 3 2.55 0.933 3 Top 5 Save Percentage
 
Awards:
S85 Florida Man Trophy
S85 Renaissance Cup
S92 Continental Cup
 
 
Career Overview
Not viewed as one of the best goaltenders in the league but provided solid goaltending for Riga Reign for years before Riga decided to give the net to Red Panda @Lemorse7 seeing HenryTucker Jr @NSG traded to D.C. Dragons; in a much needed move as D.C. was a contending team needing a goaltender. It was a steep price to pay as the trade included Eno Velvson @Nykonax and S93 DCD 1st (Ray Stanton @horoscope) but overall the trade worked out extremely well for D.C. as they won the Continental Cup in S92 and could be back in the finals if they can get past the Seattle Bears in the Conference finals.  
 
Tucker Jr will finish with a solid career with the 8th most saves, Top 15 in most games played, Top 25 in wins and save percentage.
 
 
What is next for D.C. Dragons?
D.C. Dragons last season made a controversial trade with Moscow Menace to acquire the 19th overall selection where they drafted goaltender of the future in Herald Benson @Benson, who should nicely fill the void left by Tucker Jr, but won`t really be ready for VHL action until season 95. So, D.C. will need to decide if they try to find a stop gap goaltender in the short term or stunt Benson development by bring him straight up from the VHLM Huston Bulls. Likely the Dragons will park Benson in the VHLE with the Cologne Express. Issue for the Dragons is the fact that their window is closing with four other players expected to retire in the next season or two so I am expecting a rebuild rather than D.C. looking for a stop gap goaltender this off season. Will Benson be given time to develop? Either way, D.C. Dragons look set once Benson makes his debut for the Dragons.
 
 
 
(S85) G – Matt Murdock

                                Regular Season Career Stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    456 257 147 42 2.54 0.927 22 Top 15 Save Percentage
Top 25 Saves
1st Prague Phantoms Games Played
1st Prague Phantoms Wins
2nd Prague Phantoms Save Percentage
3rd Prague Phantoms Goals Against Average
1st Prague Phantom Shut-outs
 
Playoff Career stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    52 27 21 4 2.82 0.921 1 2nd Prague Phantoms Games Played
1st Prague Phantoms Wins
1st Prague Phantoms Save Percentage
Top 5 Prague Phantoms Goals Against Average
T - 2nd Prague Phantom Shut-outs
 
Awards:
S84 Renaissance Cup
S87 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy
S90 Daisuke Kanou Trophy
                                Career Overview
Most like me probably won`t remember that Matt Murdock @Acydburn was a Moscow Menace 1st round selection in season 85 and played three season in the Moscow also being named the winner of Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy in season 86 as Rookie of the year. Most remember Murdock for his amazing playoff run with Prague Phantom in S90 where he went 12-2-2 with a 0.936% winning the Daisuke Kanou Trophy playoff MVP as Prague claimed their first Continental Cup. Again a solid goaltender that provided five season of good goaltending to Prague Phantoms.
 
 
What is next for Prague Phantoms?
Prague is heading for a rebuild like it or not and how quickly they come out of the rebuild will be partly determined by goaltending prospect Ondrej Vencko @Mutti. In a very similar situation as D.C. Dragons have with Benson, Prague faces with Vencko as he is still really another season away so could either be pushed into the VHL early or stay down into the VHLE to develop further. Sadly, I think Prague will bring him up early and it could be a ugly first season for the young netminder but as Prague improve so should Vencko numbers.
 
 
 
(S85) Jesse Teno

                                Regular Season Career Stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    462 253 160 47 2.42 0.928 32 Top 15 Save Percentage
1st London United Games Played
1st London United Wins
2nd London United Save Percentage
T-2nd London United Goals Against Average
1st London United Shut-outs
 
 
Playoff Career stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    74 43 25 6 2.34 0.938 9 Top 10 games played
Top 5 Wins
Top 20 Losses
Top 5 Save Percentage
Top 25 Goals Against Average
2nd All-Time Shutouts
1st London United Games Played
1st London United Wins
1st London United Goals Against Average
1st London United Save Percentage
1st London United Shut-outs
 
Awards:
S88 Daisuke Kanou Trophy
S88 Continental Cup
S91 Greg Clegane Trophy
S91 Aidan Shaw Trophy
S92 Daisuke Kanou Trophy
                                Career Overview
Jesse Teno @aimkin will simple become known for his playoff performances and should easily enter the HOF just based off his Playoff performances. He has been a great goaltender for the London United for the past eight season and most might not remember that he has also claimed Greg Clegane Trophy and Aidan Shaw Trophy outside of his overall playoff brilliance, two Daisuke Kanou Trophy but only one Continental Cup. Teno has stolen his far share of games for the United in the playoffs; he will try to claim a second and final Continental cup this season as London awaits the winner between Seattle (Rask) and D.C. (Tucker Jr). Could he win another Daisuke Kanou Trophy as his legend continue to grow?
 
 
What is next for London United?
I tend to look at everything as half full situation but London is staring down a ugly rebuild if they don`t move assets this off-season and get some prospects; as London had the worse prospect pool out of all teams when I completed my prospect pool rankings. With Teno retiring at the end of the playoff it is now time to sell everything, not to mention nine of the eleven players are set to retire over the next two seasons. While London United drafted Hugo Boss @Dil a few season ago, he will be a project to say the least. So, London will try to collect a few draft picks in the next few season and try to find a goaltender through the draft. In the short term they will likely look the UFA market to find a tender to play as the team rebuilds. How deep will London cut is now only the question remaining.
 
 
(S86) Joel Castle

                                Regular Season Career Stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    442 213 186 40 2.61 0.924 25 Top 5 Toronto Legion Games Played
Top 5 Toronto Legion Wins
Top 10 Toronto Legion Save Percentage
Top 15 Toronto Legion Goals Against Average
Top 10 Toronto Legion Shut-outs
 
Playoff Career stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    48 27 20 1 2.49 0.927 2 3rd Toronto Legion Games Played
Top 5 Toronto Legion Wins
Top 5 Toronto Legion Save Percentage
3rd Toronto Legion Goals Against Average
Top 10 Toronto Legion Shut-outs
 
Awards:
S84 Founder's Cup
S91 Daisuke Kanou Trophy
S91 Continental Cup
                                 
Career Overview
With a full season remaining in his career Joel Castle @animal74 has been a steady presence in the Toronto crease and will look to climb up the all time Toronto Legion goaltending leader board. Castle should be remember as one of the best goalies to play for the Legion behind names like Aidan Shaw and Greg Clegane. Caslte will also remember for his amazing S91 playoff run that lead to Castle winning the Daisuke Kanou Trophy on route to helping his team lift the Continental Cup, which I am sure most remember for a while at least in Toronto.
 
 
What is next for Toronto Legion?
Toronto has already started to transition to a new goaltender as (S91) Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly started backing up Castle starting last season and should see more playing time in S94 as this transition continues. Toronto overall has a decision to make this off season, either go for one more run or look to rebuild. I think they hold off a rebuild for one more season and make a huge push to win Castle his second Continental Cup and look to tear down the roster after Castle retires. Either way Bobbly will be ready for when Castle hangs up his skates for the final time at the end of next season.
 
 
 
(S86) Ash Sparks

                                Regular Season Career Stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    333 192 106 31 2.46 0.925 26 2nd Malmo Nighthawks Games Played
2nd Malmo Nighthawks wins
5th Malmo Nighthawks Save Percentage
3rd Malmo Nighthawks Goals Against Average
2nd Malmo Nighthawks Shut-outs
 
Playoff Career stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    13 3 6 4 3.01 0.917 0 Awards:
S92 Victory Cup
S93 Victory Cup
                                 
 
Career Overview
Ash Sparks has had a very interesting career as he looked set to claim the net in Seattle after two season as the back up in Seattle behind Dusty Wilson but the management in Seattle had different plans as team in compete now mode after losing a game seven in the Continental Cup finals to London United as Seattle would trade for Cole Pearce. Through whatever happened between player and management seen Sparks announce his retirement, only to see the Sparks unretire within days after finding out he had been traded to Malmo Nighthawks; good thing for Malmo. Sparks will also be known for his regualr season play with an impressive 58% winning percentage through the regular season and will be one of the all time great to every man the net for the Malmo Nighthawks; while so of being the face of the Malmo choke when it comes playoff time.
 
What is next for Malmo Nighthawks?
Malmo is in a rather good position at the moment to replace Sparks as Malmo has Karl Herzlich @LastGoon007 already on the roster in the back-up roll and could see more playing time next season. Malmo also have Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish, who could make the jump to the VHL next season but the team might be better off letting him develop for another season in the VHLE so that they can make sure that he can hit the ground running.
 
 
 
(S86) Lachlan Summers

                                Regular Season Career Stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    395 241 120 31 2.49 0.931 27 Top 10 Save Percentage
Top 10 HC Davos Dynamo Wins
Top 10 HC Davos Dynamo Save Percentage
Top 15 HC Davos Dynamo Goals Against Average
Top 10 HC Davos Dynamo Shut-outs
 
 
Playoff Career stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    49 26 17 6 2.87 0.923 1 3rd HC Davos Dynamo All time Games played
T-2nd HC Davos Dynamo Wins
Top 10 HC Davos Dynamo Save Percentage
Top 10 HC Davos Dynamo Goals Against Average
2nd HC Davos Dynamo Saves
 
Awards:
S88 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy
S89 Continental Cup
S90 Brett Slobodzian Trophy
S90 Greg Clegane Trophy
S90 Aidan Shaw Trophy
S90 Victory Cup
S91 Victory Cup
                                 
Career Overview
When a HOF goaltender is trade every expect to see a drop off from whoever tends the net the following few season but this wasn`t the case when HC Davos Dynamo traded Xavier Booberry to Seattle Bears in the off season of S88 after losing in the Continental Cup finals. Enter Summers, who simple posted an amazing 39-18-7 season with a 2.30 GAA and 0.938% to win the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy but failed to make the Continental Cup final for second straight season losing to eventual winners London United; but Summers put the league on notice. S89 HC Davos Dynamo would win the Continental Cup up ending the much better Vancouver Wolves as Summers simple said not today after HC Davos dropped the first two game of the finals; finishing with a 12-4 record, 2.47 GAA and an amazing 0.937% (0.943%) for one of the best goaltending playoff performances. How he didn`t win the Daisuke Kanou Trophy is beyond me!! Summers would continue to dominate while in the net with HC Davos over the next two season before Davos decided to start a rebuild, winning Brett Slobodzian Trophy, Greg Clegane Trophy, Aidan Shaw Trophy and two Victory Cup but never could get HC Davos back to the Continental Cup finals. Trade after tough season in S91 to Warsaw Predators were he was back to his dominate self taking the Predators to the playoff before being swept by Moscow Menace in the Wildcard round. Clear HOF when his career ends next season.
 
 
What is next for Warsaw Predators?
Lachlan Summers has a player option and controls if he will return to the Predators next season but luckily Warsaw already has their goaltender of the future in the back-up role to Summers this season in Pipo Popa @npuBeT but the biggest question facing Warsaw is around the defense. No signed defenders for next season and no prospect ready to join the back-end so they will need to prove to Summers that they can put together a good bunch of defenders in front of him or see him walk as UFA. Currently fourteen UFA defenders so Warsaw does have options.
 
 
 
(S86) Fuukka Rask

                                Regular Season Career Stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    430 194 179 40 2.79 0.922 24 2nd Helsinki Titans Game Played
Top 10 Helsinki Titans Wins
Top 15 Helsinki Titans Save Percentage
Top 10 Helsinki Titans Shut-outs
 
Playoff Career stats:
  GP  Wins  Losses  OTL  GAA  Sav%  SO    46 25 17 4 2.68 0.925 3 Top 5 Helsinki Titans Game Played
Top 10 Helsinki Titans Wins
2nd Helsinki Titans Save Percentage
Top 5 Helsinki Titans Goals Against Average
Top 5 Helsinki Titans Shut-outs
                                 
Career Overview
Fuukka Rask @Jubis is best described as the over-looked goaltender as he is always around the top of the league: at least the last few season but has not been able to claim any league awards. Played a huge role for Helsinki Titans for the past seven season before being traded to the Seattle Bears at this season trade deadline. S91 most will remember for the Helsinki Titan playoff run to the Continental Cup finals and the play of Rask. 13-6-3 with 2.31 GAA and an amazing 0.938%. Rask made the list of the best goaltender playoff performance three different times in the playoff run with an 0.954% in the first round against Malmo Nighthawks, followed by 0.948% against London United in the Conference finals and even an 0.934% in a losing cause against Toronto in the final. Great goaltender for Helsinki Titans but maybe under valued around the league; he will try to change that if the Seattle Bears can win the Continental Cup this season.
 
 
What is next for Seattle Bears?
Seattle Bears recognized Fuukka Rask as good option, as the Bears once again look to be a contender and hope to lift the Continental Cup at the end of the season. It gives the Bears some options next season as they could trade Rask to another team; if the price is right since Seattle has Giorgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87; who started the season as the Bears starter. Seattle is likely to keep Rask since it looks like most of the team roster will be back next season and Seattle should once again be in a position to contend.
 
 
 
Teams Looking for Goaltenders:
 

Merome Dilson @MexicanCow123 is currently set to become an UFA at the end of the season and could change the whole outlook for the Wranglers if he decides to sign elsewhere. Calgary doesn`t have a prospect or another goaltender behind Dilson so would either need to look to trade for a new tender or try to sign one of the remaining six that are UFA this season.
 
 

The Dragons will likely look for a stop gap as mentioned above but if unable to find one will likely see Herald Benson @Benson make his VHL debut for the team. Not a lot of pressure here to make a trade or sign a goaltender with Benson as the long term answer.
 
 

The rebuild seems to be entering another season but finally we are starting to see pieces joining the roster but Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen @Snussu; Davos goaltender prospect is in a similar situation as Benson at D.C. as he just isn`t ready and could develop better if he stays in another season in the VHLE with Stockholm. That means Davos will likely look at a stop gap for another season and not rush Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen.
 
 

The Titans shocked everyone when they traded Fuukka Rask @Jubis at the trade deadline and really entered a rebuild out of the blue. No Goaltending prospect heading into the off season means they must draft a goaltender. Helsinki will look for a stop gap until they can find their goaltender of the future.
 
 

Could London look to try to sign a goaltender and run it back for one final season? I don`t think so as the United are set to sell of all other assets this off season and much like Helsinki will be looking to draft a goaltender in the S94 draft. They could wait another season or two but it might be a long rebuild in the square mile city.
 
 

Rebuild is going to get very ugly as not only do they need a goaltender but they also need a team as currently Los Angeles has no players signed for next season and only one prospect ready to join the club. I am not sure where Los Angeles starts when it comes in their rebuild but I would be looking goaltender all day whatever selection they get in this draft. Could they wait? Yes as they have so many needs but I would draft a goaltender with one of their two first round picks in this season draft.
 
 

I have to write this since Olober Syko @Spartan  is currently an UFA but really Moscow is set in the net for the foreseeable future as Skyo will re-sign.
 
 

At the end of the day Prague is in better shape than some of the other teams in the league as they have Ondrej Vencko @Mutti; a season away from joining the team but what do they do in the short term. Sign a stop gap goaltender or bring the kid in early stunting his development slightly? It will be interesting to see what direction Prague goes this off season.
 
 
New Era
With the eight goalies looking to retire in the next two season we will see a new era of goaltenders in the VHL and a huge shift in power with six teams looking for goaltender this off-season. How will this effect the league this off season, during the up coming draft and into the future seasons? Either way it will be interesting dynamic to watch over the next few seasons to see which goaltenders start to put their stamp on the league and possible a future HOF career.
 
 

Just a heads up, we are about to start an offseason tournament with four teams made up of players in our minor league, many of which you'll play against in our next season!
 
I'm the GM of the Steel and would be happy if you joined up and got some games in! DM me if you want some more info!

Playoff Tree:
DC and SEA tied at 1
LDN leads Moscow 2 zip

Should be noted that we don’t have these, there’s a fraud among us!

Oslo Back In The Finals
 
The Oslo Storm have secured themselves a place in the Renaissance Cup final yesterday, with their 3-1 win over the Stockholm Vikings sealing a 4-1 series victory over the Swedish team. It marks the first time Oslo have made the final since Season 88, which was the last of four consecutive final appearances for the Norwegian side between Season 85 and Season 88. It will be interesting to see who will join them in the final; the Cologne Express are looking to make their fifth straight Renaissance Cup final appearance but they currently find themselves down 3-2 in their series with the Vasteras Iron Eagles.
 
The Spirit Of Competition
 
It sounds like LA are potentially looking at having their chances of winning first overall in the lottery slashed after starting LAS-G2 for 19 games this season. Those 19 starts are 11 starts over the current threshold for BOT goalies to start when a team already has a goalie over 250 TPE on their roster, which they have in the form of the active Matthew McCagg. I presume they’ll probably face similar punishments to that of Warsaw and Calgary following Season 90 and Seattle following Season 92, but an interesting note is the recurring problems that LA have had following this rule in comparison to the rest of the league. There have been nine instances since Season 83 of teams in the VHL breaking the spirit of competition threshold by three or more games and LA alone accounts for four of those instances (Six games over in Season 83, seven games over in Season 86, three games over in Season 89 and eleven games over this season). I don’t think there is any maliciousness here, but there does come a point where you need to figure out a system for submitting lines that makes your team compliant with the rules, especially given LA also has two Louth rule violations in that same timeframe.
 
Some Hidden Gems of The Season 94 Class
 
Figured I’d use the end of this article the same way I ended my last one by talking about the Season 94 class, but while last time focused more on the top guys, figured this time I’d highlight some players who could potentially be good value for a team later on in the draft. Ty Duke is currently sitting 29th in total TPE, but they’ve been displaying some good consistency recently in submitting for press conferences and trivia to help them consistently get around the 7-8 capped TPE mark each week. Dorji Khan currently sits in 25th place in TPE and, while they didn’t earn any capped TPE in their first four weeks in the league, they’ve more than made up for that over the last month, earning at least 9 capped TPE in each of the last four weeks. I’m also interested to see how high the highest earning First-Gen Andrew Skilton goes in this draft. Skilton has max capped in each of the last seven weeks, but this is a particularly strong top-end class as there are ten recreates in this class that have hit the 12 capped TPE mark every single week.

Don’t ask @frescoelmo this question…

Don’t ask @frescoelmo this question…

Davos knows all about this idea of sacrifices for Simon right @Ahma?

Let’s be honest here Davos>everyone

Davos knows all about this idea of sacrifices for Simon right @Ahma?

Thank you all for your nominations! Receiving more than 1 vote and therefore a place on the ballot are...
 
@Banackock
@LucyXpher
@Spartan
 
also receiving a vote each were...
@AJW @Ahma @Beketov @Joel Main @Tetricide @UghSike @ace_five_ @dlamb and @dstevensonjr
 
If you would like to know what you got nominated for, please PM me. I won't be able to respond promptly as currently travelling but I can let you know when I'm back next week.

https://imgur.com/0abbrjRhttps://imgur.com/0abbrjR
 
When I first started this project, I started out with the idea of rating every teams’ prospects and then grading the team on the selections that they made but the more I dove head first into collecting data the harder it was for me to justify grading only the Prospect Pool list on the team page since a majority of the teams had a failing grade due to some teams draft heavily in some drafts and not at all in other drafts. I then decided that a Prospect should be a player that is still in the prospect pool but also still on a rookie contract. While this moved some of the team into a positive position, I am still not complete sure that this is an accurate show case of a team’s prospect pool but rather more a show where a team currently stands or will stand in the next few seasons as it is only a small three season snap shot. Team in a competitive window of win now will not be drafting near the first round or at least not often enough to affect their score in a hugely positive manner. While a team rebuilding the past two or three seasons will show positive since they have collected or should have collected a good number of prospects and lastly a team just starting into a rebuild will have a hugely negative ranking since none of the prospect have either joined the team yet or been drafted yet.
 
Take the ranking at face value is what I am trying to say but could be a good indicator of what teams might be up and coming in the next few seasons while it could also indicate, which teams might be falling off slightly.
 
Either way let’s take a look at each teams’ prospects:
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  10 1st Round Picks:  0 2nd Round Picks:  3 3rd Round Picks:  4 4th Round Pick:  3 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  5  
Calgary Wranglers Prospects      (S93) LW - Miner vHLer (OSL)  @Rhynex Entertainment 17th (2nd Round) (S93) RW - Oliver Loo (SSK) (COL)  @Misty 23rd (2nd Round)  (S93) D - Wladyslaw Mintus (HOU) (OSL)  @mintusaurus 37th (3rd round)  (S93) D - Carson Tripp (SSK) (STO)  @Cartripp14 29th (2nd Round) (S93) LW - Hunter s (SDM)  @Hunter S 59th (4th Round) (S91) D - Hezeus Ohmontegue-Steinhardt X (VAS)  @Sisyphus 35th (3rd Round)  (S93) RW - Trimiskez Artav (STO)  @jake 60th (4th Round) (S93) D - Vanman Stein (COL)  @Vanman 55th (4th Round) (S91) C - Hershey McFleury  @YaBoiDuggie 44th (3rd Round)  (S91) D - Thickums Mcgillacutty  @Jer_Lefebvre 46th (3rd Round)   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 29.00)    
Calgary Wranglers prospect pool is rather shallow due to draft location in the past three season with only three 2nd round picks with (S93) LW - Miner vHLer (OSL) @Rhynex Entertainment the teams current best prospect ready to join the roster next season. (S93) RW - Oliver Loo (SSK) (COL) @Misty is still another season away and should join in season 96; with two other S93 Draft picks ready the season after in (S93) D - Wladyslaw Mintus (HOU) (OSL) @mintusaurus and (S93) D - Carson Tripp (SSK) (STO) @Cartripp14. So, how does Calgary have an F grade with four players joining their roster from their prospect pool in the next three seasons? This is due to the inactive players and the fact that the team doesn`t have a need for top prospects being VHL ready in the past three season this season or next thus the grading system hurts them more than other teams.
 
Calgary Wranglers have two player retiring at the end of the season in (S85) D - Phil Strasmore @Phil and (S85) LW - Larry Abass Jr @RileyL; (S93) LW - Miner vHLer (OSL)  should replace the retiring Abass Jr @RileyL nicely while Calgary will need to look for a temporary defender or two as the team waits on their top two defending prospects in (S93) D - Wladyslaw Mintus (HOU) (OSL) @mintusaurusand (S93) D - Carson Tripp (SSK) (STO) @Cartripp14; who won`t be ready until S97. Timing is also prefect for (S93) RW - Oliver Loo (SSK) (COL) @Misty as they should also replace the retiring (S86) RW - Adam Rage @MrMom at the end of next season should he resign this off season.
 
Overall, Calgary Wranglers are in an interesting position as they should be in a compete now situation but as if writing Calgary are tied for the final Wildcard spot and will hope that they can force their way into the playoffs. The team will need to re-tool or enter a rebuild in the next three or four season so should become larger players in future drafts and see their prospect pool become stronger.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  9 1st Round Picks:  4 2nd Round Picks:  3 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  1 Prospect in the VHL:  4 VHL Ready Prospects:  2 Inactive Prospects:  0  
Chicago Phoenix Prospects     (S91) RW - Bryce Woodworth  @SirRupertBarnes 22nd (2nd Round)  (S91) LW - Joshua Schwarzer  @Velevra 6th (1st Round)  (S91) D - Lionel Collberg @Masu Chan 11th (1st Round)  (S92) D - Karol Lamb  @dlamb 8th (1st Round) (S93) LW - UghSike (OSL)  @UghSike 5th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Jean-Pierre Devote (COL)  @eagle_3450 20th (2nd Round)  (S93) C - Vanuza Kolesinska (ROM)  @chikn 18th (2nd Round)  (S93) LW - Kevin OConnor (OTT) (VAS)  @Luke033 52nd (4th Round)  (S93) C - Micah Cederbaum (SSK) (COL)  @MicahC 46th (3rd Round)  
 
Grade: B +   (score: 78.33)    
Chicago Phoenix has rather impressive depth in their prospect pool aided by the fact that four of the prospects from the past three season have already made the jump to the VHL for the team. More impress is the fact that they took a risk on (S93) LW - Jean-Pierre Devote (COL) @eagle_3450; who if I remember correctly had shown signs of inactivity just before the draft and seen his draft stock fall to the second round; in which now looks like a rather smart pick; as he is ready for the VHL next season along with last season 5th overall selection (S93) LW - UghSike (OSL) @UghSike. Mean while (S93) C - Vanuza Kolesinska (ROM) @chikn is still another full season away but means we will see three of the five players in the Chicago prospect pool making VHL debut in the next two seasons.
 
Chicago forward core might look a lot different next season with (S85) RW - Babay Shrimp @Blazzer as the only player set to retire but both (S93) LW - UghSike (OSL) @UghSike and (S93) LW - Jean-Pierre Devote (COL) @eagle_3450 set to join the roster; something will need give!! Luckily for Chicago they have a single forward signed at the moment for next season so should easily have room for the two forward prospects and (S93) C - Vanuza Kolesinska (ROM) @chikn the season after.
 
Overall, Chicago Phoenix look like a team moving in the right direction but will need to follow last season strong draft by adding more VHL ready prospects to an already deep prospect pool.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  6 1st Round Picks:  1 2nd Round Picks:  2 3rd Round Picks:  2 4th Round Pick:  1 Prospect in the VHL:  1 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
D.C. Dragons Prospects     (S91) C - Theo Allard  @InstantRockstar 10th (1st Round)  (S91) RW - Tom Dufour (VAS)  @Cookie 29th (2nd Round)  (S89) LW - Justin Chen  @Jchin1604 33rd (3rd Round)  (S93) G - Herald Benson (HOU)  @Benson 19th (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Connor Hellebuyck (MEX)  @HockeyFan4Life 48th (3rd Round) (S93) RW - Brash Candicoot  @TrinityMonk 64th (4th Round)   
Grade: E (score: 41.67)  
D.C. Dragons are the defending Continental Cup champions and it shouldn`t be a huge surprise that the Dragons have one of the small prospect pools of all the team in the league but have some very key prospects starting with (S93) G - Herald Benson (HOU) @Benson, who like it or not is going to be the goaltender of the future for the Dragons. But there is a problem; (S85) G - Henry Tucker Jr @NSG retires at the end of this season and Benson is still a season away so D.C. has a huge problem and question mark around what they will do in the off season; to get a goaltender until Benson is ready. (S91) RW - Tom Dufour (VAS) @Cookie is ready to make the jump to the VHL next season but doesn`t seem to have a place within the current roster structure in D.C. so could be moved during the off season in either a deal to bring in another defender or a stop gap goaltender.
 
D.C. Dragons are still in contend now mode but will need to find a goaltender to cover off the development gap while they wait for goaltender of the future Benson to be ready and with an aging forward core could look to retool in the off season or the following off season as majority of the forward core will retire.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  18 1st Round Picks:  4 2nd Round Picks:  5 3rd Round Picks:  4 4th Round Pick:  3 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  3 Inactive Prospects:  1  
HC Davos Dynamo Prospects      (S93) C - Antonia Bucatini (OSL)  @CowboyinAmerica 1st (1st Round)  (S91) D - Sunset Moth (PHI) (VAS)  @McWolf 13th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Forum Content (BRA)  @frescoelmo 6th (1st Round)  (S91) G - David Slezak  @ShawnGlade 20th (2nd Round)  (S91) RW - Ivan Ivanov (VAS)  @KmaddFPS 32nd (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen  @Snussu 12th (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Steve French (ROM)  @Seabass 21st (2nd Round)  (S91) C - Piston Maicupp (ROM)  @MandyManiac 43rd (3rd Round)  (S92) LW - Dwight shcrute (STO)  @Jamomayo 17th (2nd Round)  (S93) D - Billy Joel (HOU) (ROM)  @The goat of hockey 27th (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Kendra Cavill (LVA)  @Firekiss 42nd (3rd Round)  (S93) D - Masa Akimoto (LVA) (STO)  @Hokikeijot 47th (3rd Round)  (S93) RW - Armas Jortikka (MIA) (OSL)  @Kavadar 50th (4th Round)  (S93) G - Da TypThond (SSK)  @Erik Undrafted  (S93) D - Russell Sprout (MIA) (ROM)  @betta57 45th (3rd Round)  (S93) G - Austin Goulet lll (SSK)  @Tuchy Undrafted  (S93) D - Blaze Thunderstrike (LVA)  @eaglesfan036 56th (4th Round)  (S93) D - Magni Jinn (PHI) (VAS)  @DontCallMeCarson 49th (4th Round)   
 
 
Grade: E (score: 40.56)  
HC Davos went with the quantity over quality aspect when it comes to their team’s overall prospect pool but that doesn`t mean that they don`t have quality within their prospect pool as Davos has three prospect ready to join the VHL next season in (S93) C - Antonia Bucatini (OSL) @CowboyinAmerica, (S91) D - Sunset Moth (PHI) (VAS) @McWolf and (S93) LW - Forum Content (BRA) @frescoelmo. Whom should be followed rather quickly by three more prospect the following season in goaltender of the future (S93) G - Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen @Snussu, (S93) RW - Steve French (ROM) @Seabass and (S93) D - Billy Joel (HOU) (ROM) @The goat of hockey. So, six prospect in the next two season joining your roster should sound great right? Not when you have nothing on your roster in the first place. These six players are the starting blocks of foundation of a building and will need to hold it together for another season or two. Expect to see Davos at the bottom of the league for at least another season or two unless they start to move prospect for veteran player to build a competitive team.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  13 1st Round Picks:  2 2nd Round Picks:  5 3rd Round Picks:  3 4th Round Pick:  2 Prospect in the VHL:  2 VHL Ready Prospects:  0 Inactive Prospects:  5  
Helsinki Titans Prospects      (S92) LW - Adi Dassler  @BOOM 3rd (1st Round)  (S91) LW - Isaac mclflopper  @sportexperts show 19th (2nd Round)  (S92) LW - Matthew Highmore (VAS)  @NineIQ v2 19th (2nd Round)  (S93) C - Tyler Lawson (ROM)  @Nyx 14th (1st Round)  (S90) RW - Barry McOckiner (COL)  @LanerDUST 33rd (3rd Round)  (S93) RW - Anthony Simmons II (MIS) (COL)  @Starchychaff 35th (3rd Round)  (S92) D - Dustin Moore (HFX)  @Maxx 24th (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Samuel Wazinski  @samthemancub 30th (2nd Round)  (S91) C - Keegan Vos (ROM)  @DDZ_44 39th (3rd Round)  (S93) D - Landon Flatt (OTT) (BRA)  @Lando10 62nd (4th Round)  (S93) C - Aiden Paige (MIA)  @Apaige131 Undrafted (S93) RW - Cole Stermer (HOU) (BRA)  @Bazeus 57th (4th Round)  (S93) LW - Filip Zinek (HOU) (BRA)  @FiZi 32nd (2nd Round)   
 
Grade: F (score: 30.77)  
With one of your best prospect being a player that you just traded for in (S92) LW - Adi Dassler @BOOM; who came over via a trade with Moscow Menace shows that the team might be heading in the wrong direction. No VHL ready prospect for a team that is outside of the playoff looking in and traded away their starting goaltender without having a goalie of the future in place means Helsinki looks to be in a tight spot, needing to either trade for a starting goaltender or draft a starting goaltender this off season but likely means if the team cannot get a starter next season; will once again be watching the playoff next season.
 
(S92) LW - Matthew Highmore (VAS) @NineIQ v2 and (S93) C - Tyler Lawson (ROM) @Nyx are two season away and should replace retiring pair (S87) RW - Ellis Woolfenden @D3X and (S87) LW - Jarkko Laakkonen @Xdjk93 at that time. After that Helsinki will need to hope that they hit on majority of their twelve picks this coming draft as the rest of the prospect are rather slim picking at the moment; not helped by five inactive prospects. Helsinki seems to be throwing as many darts at the board and hoping a few of them will stick; not the best way of building a prospect pool in my opinion. If I am correct Helsinki with have twenty-four prospect by the end of this season draft. Luckily for Helsinki; they don`t have any major needs to build a roster next season other than a starting goaltender.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  8 1st Round Picks:  1 2nd Round Picks:  3 3rd Round Picks:  2 4th Round Pick:  2 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  0 Inactive Prospects:  3  
London United Prospects    Drafted  (S90) D - Joseph Dubois (COL)  @Dubois 37th (3rd Round)  (S91) C - Alexandros Mograine (COL)  @sliceruser 42nd (3rd Round)  (S91) D - Scrungle Bungle (COL)  @Novanod 21st (2nd Round)  (S91) D - Arne Holmquist (BRA)  @axtron 25th (2nd Round)  (S92) D - Vanellope von Schweetz (COL)  @Arce 13th (1st Round)  (S92) G - Hugo Boss (OTT)  @Dil 22nd (2nd Round)  (S93) C - Jacob Longstreet (SSK) (COL)  @Dynamicmlb_42 51st (4th Round)  (S93) LW - Owen two (MEX) (BRA)  @do3bo1 63rd (4th Round)   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 12.50)  
By far the worse prospect pool in the VHL but should anyone be surprised when the team has been super competitive for the past six or seven season; if not longer. An aging roster in a season of either win or bust means that they have either traded away most of their future picks, prospects or selected late in the first round to be competitive. This team is set to enter a rebuild regardless of what happens during this season playoff and will look to see their prospect pool depth increase in the next few seasons.
 
Doesn`t help either when 40% of your prospect pool is also inactive and your top prospect in (S90) D - Joseph Dubois (COL) @Dubois is also inactive. (S91) C - Alexandros Mograine (COL) @sliceruser seems like a hidden gem grabbed in the 3rd round and could make the roster as early as next season; rather impressive from such a late pick. While (S91) D - Scrungle Bungle (COL) @Novanod is two season away at best still but could play a large role as part of the rebuild in London. It will be an interesting off-season in London to see how they start to retool or enter a complete rebuild like I think they are headed for.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  7 1st Round Picks:  1 2nd Round Picks:  3 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
Los Angeles Stars Prospects      (S91) RW - Nico Belique (STO)  @Syzygy 24th (2nd Round)  (S92) LW - Joe Shmo (BRA)  @matt sovick 15th (1st Round)  (S93) D - WWumbo (STO)  @Fire Tortorella 22nd (2nd Round)  (S91) LW - Leo Neelson III (SSK)  @silentnyrf31 Undrafted  (S93) C - Taylor Swift (MIS) (ROM)  @lilchrist 26th (2nd Round)  (S93) LW - Connor simard (HFX) (BRA)  @Alex99 36th (3rd Round)  (S93) D - Connor Mclaughlin (LVA)  @Connor Mclaughling Undrafted   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 28.57)  
Considering Los Angeles Stars took majority of their roster straight into retirement; they have done a fairly good job at starting the process of rebuilding their prospect pool by adding picks; which I am not reviewing and (S91) RW - Nico Belique (STO) @Syzygy via a trade from Vancouver Wolves. The Stars will need to hit on every pick in the next two drafts with limited draft picks and the fact that they have already missed on (S93) D - WWumbo (STO) @Fire Tortorella with their 22nd overall pick last season as he seems to have gone inactive. The only 1st round prospect in (S92) LW - Joe Shmo (BRA) @matt sovick has also gone inactive since being traded to Los Angeles from Vancouver. (S93) C - Taylor Swift (MIS) (ROM) @lilchrist and (S93) LW - Connor simard (HFX) (BRA) @Alex99 are still a few season away from joining the VHL and the Stars but should be joining the roster just as it starts to turn the corner.
 
The Stars have a large shopping list and they should be shopping this off season when the draft starts in a few more weeks. It will be interesting to see who they draft at either 1st overall or 2nd overall depending the outcome of the draft Lotto but with a very strong draft they should come out with three or four really strong foundational pieces to build their team around.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  7 1st Round Picks:  2 2nd Round Picks:  2 3rd Round Picks:  3 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  1 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
Malmo Nighthawks Prospects      (S91) C - Phillip Rave  @tcookie 17th (2nd Round)  (S93) G - Jorgen Lovstrom  @Pifferfish 7th (1st Round)  (S92) G - Olafur Gunnleifsson  @JartY 10th (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Ocean Codoller (OTT) (BRA)  @FreshOceanCod 39th (3rd Round)  (S91) G - Shaunca (MIS)  @shaun1979 48th (3rd Round)  (S93) C - Caleb Nowell (OTT) (ROM)  @PhoenixsPc 44th (3rd Round)  (S92) RW - Bjorn Ragnulf  @ng1291 26th (2nd Round)   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 37.86)  
S92 Draft was very unkind to the Malmo Nighthawks as the drafted two players in (S92) G - Olafur Gunnleifsson (10th overall) and (S92) RW - Bjorn Ragnulf (26th overall) @ng1291; both have since gone inactive meaning Malmo came away from the S92 draft with no prospects. This forced them to double down and select (S93) G - Jorgen Lovstrom (7th overall) @Pifferfish their only VHL ready prospect following season. (S93) G - Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish will join the team as the teams goaltender of the future just in time as (S86) G - Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro is set to retire of the second time in his career but with a season of transition means Malmo shouldn`t see any drop off in way of a team in the contention for the Continental Cup. With only one hole to fill due to surprise announcement that (S86) RW - Yaroslav Bogatyrev @Bojovnik was retiring a season early and no 1st round picks in the next two season; it looks like the prospect pool might remain rather slim pickings for at least a few more seasons. Not a huge concern since most of the team is still in the prime and a key piece already in place in (S93) G - Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  11 1st Round Picks:  6 2nd Round Picks:  5 3rd Round Picks:  0 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  4 VHL Ready Prospects:  2 Inactive Prospects:  4  
Prospects      (S91) LW - Grimgor Ironhide  @FrostBeard 7th (1st Round)  (S92) C - George Richmond  @badcolethetitan 2nd (1st Round)  (S91) D - Leif Reingaard  @Zetterberg 3rd (1st Round)  (S91) G - Olober Syko @Spartan 5th (1st Round)  (S93) D - Benjamin Abenduct (OSL)  @Schnee 9th (1st Round)  (S90) D - Didier Verhault (ROM)  @FTK 21st (2nd Round)  (S91) LW - Olumide Anderson (OSL)  @Theory 23rd (2nd Round)  (S92) D - Petit Hughie (LVA) (ROM)  @Sen 14th (1st Round)  (S92) D - Viktor Vyzovsky (STO)  @Vik 18th (2nd Round)  (S93) C - Walter Jinn (PHI) (VAS)  @Adrest245 31st (2nd Round)  (S92) C - Wernher von Braun (VAS)  @Prof. Zach Enron 20th (2nd Round)   
 
Grade: C (score: 59.54)  
Moscow has collected a lot of young talent over the past four or five season but I would have thought that they would have scored higher with four players already on the main roster in the likes of (S91) LW - Grimgor Ironhide @FrostBeard, (S92) C - George Richmond @badcolethetitan, (S91) D - Leif Reingaard @Zetterberg and (S91) G - Olober Syko @Spartan  but missing on four draft pick seems to have driven down the score; not to mention either rebuild really started in S90 and I am only going to S91 due to rookie contracts. This shows that Moscow really has transitioned or really should be transitioning into a win now situation. Scary to think not only does Moscow have (S93) D - Benjamin Abenduct (OSL) @Schnee and (S91) LW - Olumide Anderson (OSL) @Theory ready to join the roster as early as next season but they also currently hold two first round pick in this season strong first round draft. How likely are we to see some of these prospect trade to rebuilding teams?
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  5 1st Round Picks:  4 2nd Round Picks:  0 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  2 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  1  
Prospects      (S91) D - Callum Gary Yannick Janser  @Daniel Janser 1st (1st Round)  (S91) D - Rin Kagamine  @Rin 15th (1st Round)  (S92) C - Wayne Gretzky (OSL)  @MubbleFubbles 11th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Chris Reynolds Jr (OSL)  @Crstats23 11th (1st Round)  (S91) LW - Luna Everdeen (STO)  @Dee 34th (3rd Round)   
 
Grade: B (score: 75.00)  
S91 Draft was the last draft ran by the old management @thadthrasher before handing over the management duties to current Manager @STZ but set the team up for the future with (S91) D - Callum Gary Yannick Janser (1st overall) @Daniel Janser and (S91) D - Rin Kagamine (15th overall) @Rin late in the first round. These two prospects joined an already young developing core and have no helped push the Americans to two consecutive playoff appearances; which should continue to be the norm with one of the better, but smallest prospect pools. Add in (S92) C - Wayne Gretzky (OSL) @MubbleFubbles; who should be VHL ready next season and (S93) LW - Chris Reynolds Jr (OSL) @Crstats23; who will be VHL the following season allowing a steady stream of young prospect to continue to flow onto the teams’ roster. New York Americans are in a good place right now as they continue to improve!!
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  6 1st Round Picks:  2 2nd Round Picks:  2 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  0 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  1  
 
Prospects      (S91) C - Spanish Moon Moth  @Renomitsu 4th (1st Round)  (S93) D - Chuck E Cheese (LVA) (VAS)  @a_Ferk 24th (2nd Round)  (S93) RW - Jack Dickins (MIS) (OSL)  @Mystery_boy98 28th (2nd Round)  (S91) RW - Elle Aura Ashe  @Lynersify Undrafted (S93) C - Charlie klepacki (HOU) (STO)  @chuck.hockey7 40th (3rd Round)  (S93) G - Ondrej Vencko  @Mutti 8th (1st Round)   
 
Grade: E (score: 45.83)  
Prague Phantoms look all but set to be heading into a rebuild with (S85) C - John Jameson @Frank, (S85) LW - Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide and (S85) G - Matt Murdock @Acydburn retiring at the end of the season. Prague prospect pool isn`t the deepest or strongest but do have some key prospect in place with (S93) G - Ondrej Vencko @Mutti being the most important as he takes over the starting role from Murdock likely next season. Prague will look to build through what should be a deep draft this off season with four picks in the first two rounds; but they will need to really hit on their selections or they could be looking at a long rebuild. Another key prospect already in the VHL for the Phantom will be (S91) C - Spanish Moon Moth @Renomitsu as likely a key piece to build around. Prague is in for an interesting off season and draft but have put in enough effort to keep them from getting an F so far!!
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  12 1st Round Picks:  5 2nd Round Picks:  1 3rd Round Picks:  5 4th Round Pick:  1 Prospect in the VHL:  2 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  1  
Prospects      (S92) LW - Kimi Raikkonen  @mattyIceman 9th (1st Round)  (S91) G - Red Panda @Lemorse7 8th (1st Round)  (S93) D - Lucy Leitner (VAS)  @LucyXpher 3rd (1st Round)  (S90) RW - Stefan Nikolaev (VAS) @Is_thatok 46th (3rd Round)  (S91) C - Dan jr (STO)  @Danzo 26th (2nd Round)  (S93) RW - Yermolai Nabokov (VAS)  @fonziGG 15th (1st Round)  (S91) D - Bric Sheithaus (COL)  @Oldhead91 38th (3rd Round)  (S91) C - Caesar Monterrey (BRA)  @CaptainGatsby 40th (3rd Round)  (S93) C - French Fries (SSK) (ROM)  @solyom 33rd (3rd Round)  (S93) D - Ray Stanton (HOU) (ROM)  @horoscope 16th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Elf shoes (HOU) (COL)  @ELF_SH0ES 54th (4th Round)  (S93) C - Isaak Robinson (MIA) (ROM)  @isaak 38th (3rd Round)   
 
 
Grade: E (score: 47.08)  
End of an era in Riga as current GM @hedgehog337 will hand over the duties to a new manager at the end of the season; likely before this season draft. Hedge has done a good job collecting young roster just looking to breakout and collecting a steady stream of young talent that should give the new manager a few tools to help shape the team’s future. Three solid picks in the last three drafts (S91) G - Red Panda @Lemorse7, (S92) LW - Kimi Raikkonen @mattyIcemanand (S93) D - Lucy Leitner (VAS) @LucyXpher should make the team much better starting as soon as next season. All the other prospects are still another season or two away with eleven of the twelve prospects active tell you a lot about the scout effort put in by current so to be former management. Riga can afford to wait for these prospects to develop or use them to add pieces to improve the current roster moving forward since they have such a young roster. Add in two first round picks this season and they could really start to contend sooner than later; not to mention to see a strong prospect pool starting as soon as this season draft.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  10 1st Round Picks:  6 2nd Round Picks:  2 3rd Round Picks:  2 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  4 VHL Ready Prospects:  2 Inactive Prospects:  3  
Prospects      (S91) LW - Toby Kadachi  @ROOKIE745 14th (1st Round)  (S91) RW - Gustav Mattias  @Berocka 16th (1st Round)  (S91) D - Mina  @Baozi 12th (1st Round)  (S92) G - Giorgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87 5th (1st Round)  (S93) LW - Gianfranco Del Rocco (VAS)  @Victor 2nd (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Nathan Ecker (ROM)  @Nathan_8 10th (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Marek Nowaczyk (OTT) (OSL)  @Chillybro 34th (3rd Round)  (S92) LW - Alexis Laffayette (ROM) 
@DustyMclaren 21st (2nd round)  (S93) D - Enn Jinn (VAS)  @jhatty8 43rd (3rd Round)  (S92) C - Brent Pritchett  @Brent 30th (2nd Round)   
 
Grade: C (score: 61.50)  
The Seattle Bears are back after a strong S91 Draft that seen them select (S91) LW - Toby Kadachi @ROOKIE745, (S91) RW - Gustav Mattias @Berocka and acquiring (S91) D – Mina @Baoziin a trade; all playing in the VHL for the Bears. Mix in a few veteran players; acquired via UFA and at this season trade deadline; and the Bears won the North American Conference after starting the season as surprise team even fighting for a wildcard spot. With only one retiring player in (S85) RW - Henry Eagles @Greg_Di and two prospect ready to make their debut in the VHL next season in (S93) LW - Gianfranco Del Rocco (VAS) @Victorand (S93) RW - Nathan Ecker (ROM) @Nathan_8; the Bears will need to make a few rosters decision this off season to make room but that is always a nice situation to be in considering that Seattle should still be a contender next season. I haven`t even mentioed (S92) G - Giorgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87, the team goalie of the future who made his debut this season but could move into a back-up role to develop a bit longer behind (S86) G - Fuukka Rask @Jubis allowing the team to continue to contend without seeing a huge drop off. The VHL was hoping for a few season without being mauled by the Bears; yeah that won`t happen now!!
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  6 1st Round Picks:  2 2nd Round Picks:  1 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  2 Prospect in the VHL:  1 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
Prospects      (S91) G - Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly 30th (2nd Round)  (S93) D - Gul Dukat (COL)  @MSouthworth 13th (1st Round)  (S92) LW - Wayne Shotzky (STO)  @Kenamatic 16th (1st Round)  (S93) D - Phil Taylor (OTT) (STO)  @Legacy 61st (4th Round)  (S91) RW - Kel Varnsen (OSL)  @JayF 36th (3rd Round)  (S91) C - Rory Sullivan  @Odette.Boudreaux 45th (4th Round)   
 
 
Grade: E (score: 40.00)  
Toronto Legion have been contender for the past few seasons now after winning the Continental Cup in S91 so it shouldn`t come as much of surprise that Toronto doesn`t have the deepest prospect pool in the league but they have some very key prospect with (S91) G - Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly learning this season as back-up to soon to retire (S86) G - Joel Castle @animal74 and Toronto will hope he is ready to take over the net in the next season or two. Bobbly has looked good in his fifteen starts this season with an 7-3-1 record 2.84ga and 0.910sav%. (S93) D - Gul Dukat (COL) @MSouthworth should add some nice youth to the blueline next season and strength the team backend. (S92) LW - Wayne Shotzky (STO) @Kenamaticand (S93) D - Phil Taylor (OTT) (STO) @Legacy are still a few season away from joining the big club. Toronto still look to be competive for a few more season but that will depend on Bobbly transition to the starting role.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  9 1st Round Picks:  7 2nd Round Picks:  1 3rd Round Picks:  1 4th Round Pick:  0 Prospect in the VHL:  6 VHL Ready Prospects:  1 Inactive Prospects:  2  
Prospects      (S92) RW - Logan Ninefingers  @Scurvy 1st (1st Round)  (S92) RW - Riley Martin  @Smarch 4th (1st Round)  (S92) D - Guntis Gavilrovs  @Girts 7th (1st Round)  (S92) D - Vlad Von Carstein  @Dom 6th (1st Round)  (S92) D - DB IV  @wcats 12th (1st Round)  (S91) G - Dalkr Vidarsson @KaleebtheMighty 9th (1st Round)  (S93) RW - Annie Oaks (COL)  @Noodle Enjoyer 4th (1st Round)  (S92) LW - Loic Trepagoat (ROM)  @Trepagoat 23rd (2nd Round)  (S91) RW - Demko (ROM)  @Demko 41st (3rd Round)   
 
Grade: B +  (score: 76.67)  
Vancouver Wolves have no problem selecting in the first round with seven of the nine prospects being selected in the first round of the past three drafts, with S92 Draft being a huge turning point in the teams rebuild; where they selected five players in the first round. All seven first round picks should be in the VHL as of next season when (S93) RW - Annie Oaks (COL) @Noodle Enjoyer joins the roster. Overall score for the Wolves was hurt by later round picks both as both are currently inactive otherwise this would have been the only team with an A grade. Luckily for Vancouver they have a chance to increase their overall prospect pool and prove that they can draft in later rounds with three 3rds round picks in this season draft; not to mention adding two more highly rated players as Vancouver will select twice in the top 6 again!! Ugh!! This team should be an interesting team to watch as they have the talent to contend sooner rather than later.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 

Number of Prospects:  14 1st Round Picks:  1 2nd Round Picks:  9 3rd Round Picks:  3 4th Round Pick:  1 Prospect in the VHL:  3 VHL Ready Prospects:  0 Inactive Prospects:  6  
Prospects      (S91) RW - Thor Reingaard  @N0HBDY 2nd (1st Round)  (S91) LW - Behrens Minion  @UnknownMinion 18th (2nd Round)  (S91) G - Pipo Popa @npuBeT 31st (2nd Round)  (S91) C - Jacob Smith Jr (VAS)  @jacobaa19 27th (2nd Round)  (S90) C - Aeschylus Jigglejawns CXXXVII II (BRA)  @.sniffuM 34th (3rd Round)  (S90) RW - Joseph Jec (STO)  @Joseph Jec 32nd (2nd Round)  (S90) LW - Jorji Costova  @Hybrid1486 31st (2nd Round)  (S93) D - Cody Toland (OTT) (COL)  @ctoland102 25th (2nd Round) (S91) RW - Dietrich Reingaard (ROM)  @JigglyGumballs 28th (2nd Round)  (S93) RW - Leon Bruhmaninho (SSK) (OSL)  @BigBruhman 41st (3rd Round)  (S91) LW - Aanarsi Reingaard (HFX) (VAS)  @Laine 33rd (3rd Round)  (S93) C - Gavin Bebard (MEX) (STO)  @Gavin Bebard 53rd (4th Round) (S92) LW - Commander Doom (LVA)  @Mech hi 29th (2nd Round)  (S92) D - John Season (HFX) (ROM)  @dylanjj37 28th (2nd Round)   
 
 
Grade: F (score: 30.36)  
With only one first round draft pick in the past three season in their current prospect pool you would think Warsaw has been a contender but sometimes things just don`t work out as planned; no matter how good they actually look on paper. Also, when I look at Warsaw this shows the state of the prospect pool and the league ability to generate top end talent more than Warsaw’s ability to draft. With nine second round picks you would think Warsaw has a decent prospect pool but it has been rather hit or miss. Four of the nine second round prospect have gone inactive, retired or have large stretches of inactivity. Warsaw actually has been rather unlucky. Warsaw is still a young and developing team; that really needs (S91) G - Pipo Popa @npuBeT to take over the starting role in a season or two from newly acquired (S86) G - Lachlan Summers @kirbithan. Warsaw will also look for (S91) LW - Behrens Minion @UnknownMinion to take a larger step forward along with the other prospects; who are still a few seasons away. (S91) C - Jacob Smith Jr (VAS) @jacobaa19 at the moment is the next prospect to likely make the Predators roster but that won`t be until S95 unless fast tracked.
 
 
Overall Ranking of Teams Prospect Pools:
Team name  Score  International  Grade Chicago Phoenix 78.33 B + Vancouver Wolves 76.67 B + New York Americans 75.00 B   Seattle Bears 61.50 C Moscow Menace 59.54 C Riga Reign  47.08 E Prague Phantoms 45.83 E D.C. Dragons 41.67 E HC Davos Dynamo  40.56 E Toronto Legion  40.00 E Malmo Nighthawks 37.86 F Helsinki Titans  30.77 F Warsaw Predators 30.36 F Calgary Wranglers 29.00 F Los Angeles Stars 28.57 F London United 12.50 F

I might have been a bit unfair to (S91) LW - Isaac mclflopper @sportexperts show since he is also on the roster in Helsinki and should develop nicely and (S93) C - Tyler Lawson (ROM) @Nyx as he should develop into a star. When I read back what I wrote I think I was too much focused on the fact that Helsinki need to find a replacement for Rask @Jubis as he is going to be missed badly in Helsinki!!
 
Helsinki drafting twice in the first round and top 6 should really improve the teams future prospects but they need to find a goalie (Draft - Soju @Frank) or wait and pick with the second 1st rounder pick (S94) Jon Webber III @Webberj; maybe even steal (S94) THE MIGHTY ICE WIZARD @DaddyFizz as he is a fast develop tender in this draft that I think a ton of GM might be sleeping on; similar to (S93) G - Herald Benson (HOU) @Benson last season.

Welcome to VSN’s VHL playoff preview and predictions, in this article we’ll break down each series and discuss what players could be key to turning the tide of the series and potentially pulling off an upset.This was truly an incredible season and we could be in for a few upsets in the playoffs. While you’re here be sure to check out some of the other recent VSN articles.
 
Grading Teams Prospects
 
Wildcard
 
 New York (4) vs. Chicago (5)
 
Kind of a tale of two very different seasons, New York came into the season expected to be a top team in the conference, and while they were in the playoffs all season, not being near the top of the conference is rough. Chicago on the other hand, didn’t make the playoffs until the last game of the season! With that in mind, this series could be a quick one and New York is stronger in just about every position. We can expect Jasper Davis @Josh, and FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist @STZ to take over this round for New York. Standing in their way is Ryan Artyomov @Enorama, who will be looking to shut down the high-powered New York offense.
 
Prediction: New York in 3
VSN Vote: NYA 8, CHI 0
 
 Moscow (4) vs. Warsaw (5) 
 
This series is very similar to the NA Wildcard round as it features one top offensive team in Moscow, who had a very strong season and continues to improve each and every season. Warsaw did well this season by making the playoffs by a considerable margin. Moscow does have a considerable edge here with strong players in just about every position. Also similarly to Chicago, Warsaw’s playoffs will come down to goaltending with Lachlan Summers @kirbithan primed to steal a series.
 
Prediction: Moscow in 4
VSN Vote: MOS 7 WAR 2
 
Conference Semi-Finals
 
 Toronto (2) vs. D.C. (3) 
 
It’s rare that the two previous Continental Cup Champions meet in the playoffs, we have that in the first round this season. Both teams are closing in on the end of their window as both teams have goalies that are retiring this season or next. This series likely comes down to them as well, with Joel Castle @animal74 who will be tasked with shutting down The Frenchman @OrbitingDeath and company, and Henry Tucker Jr @NSG, who will be looking to get D.C. to the repeat. We’ve got Toronto taking what could be a real nailbiter.
 
Prediction: Toronto in 4
VSN vote: TOR 8, DCD 1
 
 Seattle (1) vs. New York (4) 
 
Seattle entered this season as a fringe playoff team, however with a series of massive trades, Seattle shot to the top of the conference. The main reason why is Fuukka Rask @Jubis, who came in and posted a remarkable 21-2-3 record with a 0.933 SV%! New York will probably has a bit of an uphill battle here, but with their offense and solid defense core, there’s no reason they can’t get it done, however, we've got to give the edge to Seattle.
 
Prediction: Seattle in 6
VSN vote: SEA 6, NYA 1
 
 London (2) vs. Prague (3) 
 
I honestly don’t know what to think of this series, it could easily become either a high-scoring affair or a defensive battle as both teams have strong offenses with Prague having a slight edge with Jameson @Frank, Kauppi @Tetricide, and McFleury @Alex, whereas Jesse Teno @aimkin does take the slightest of edge in goal and has built a reputation for stealing playoff series. We have London taking this one!
 
Prediction: London in 5
VSN vote: LDN 6, PRG 2
 
 Malmo (1) vs. Moscow (4) 
 
Malmo is coming off of their 2nd consecutive Victory Cup, Malmo will be looking to finally have some postseason success with their current core having never made the finals since S79 when they won their only Continental Cup. Moscow on the other hand has nothing to lose here, they’ll be a top team in the VHL soon, and have a very young roster. This series could very well go the distance, and while on-paper Moscow does have a slight advantage, we’ve got Malmo coming out just ahead here.
 
Prediction: Malmo in 7
VSN vote: MAL 6, MOS 3
 
Conference Finals
 
 Seattle (1) vs. Toronto (2) 
 
Seattle has had a great season and exceeded expectations, their offense has stepped up in a big way with the additions of Henry Eagles @Greg_Di, and Daryl Dixon @Ricer13 both breaking the 100 point mark! Toronto on the other hand has always had one of the league's most complete rosters, led by Jimi Jaks @ke1vi, Mac Atlas @v.2 and Bobby Bob @Baby Boomer. this series should be a very good one. In the regular season it was all Seattle with them winning 4 of the 5 games between the NA’s top two teams. We have Toronto just edging them out here, thanks to their experience and edge on the blueline.
 
Prediction: Toronto in 7
VSN vote: TOR 6, SEA 2
  
 Malmo (1) vs. London (2) 
 
Almost feels like the European Conference has been leading to this all season, as the league's top two defensive teams clash, if you like goalscoring, this might not be the series for you. It’s safe to say that London has a massive edge in goal with Jesse Teno who elevates their game in the playoffs and Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ who led the league in scoring with 127 points. Malmo will likely go as far as Victor Jensen @Advantage and Jacob Stone @scoop can carry them as they’ll have to led the charge if Malmo is to come out on top. We’ve got London taking the European Conference.
 
Prediction: London in 7
VSN vote: LDN 5, MAL 3
 
Continental Cup Finals
 
 Toronto (2) vs. London (2) 
 
London and Toronto is a fairly interesting final as Toronto boasts the league’s top offense, and London has one of the best defenses. In the regular season Toronto won three of the four matchups, in part due to Joel Castle finding their game and Toronto’s great offensive depth. As we know with London, it is Teno’s team, if they shut down Toronto it starts and ends with them. This series could be a great final, but we’ve got Toronto coming out on top and winning their second cup in three seasons
 
Prediction: Toronto in 6
VSN vote: TOR 4, LDN 2
 
Thank you to everyone for reading and best of luck to each and every team in the playoffs! If you have any predictions of your own feel free to post them in the comments.

When I created my first player, I wanted to keep the part of my French heritage so even if Quebec is not a country, seeing that France was one I had no choice but to create a player with a French name. 
I started with the family name first, so I thought what is iconic for this country and having a nice "ring" to it. Champagne is something that can be called that way only if it comes from the region of the same name and it represent luxury and good taste. My player role wasn't represented by that description as he was more physical than anything, but he at least got two really good season by his standards. For the first name, I wanted something French (no shit!) that would fit with the family name. It was far more harder to find than I thought at first, but a legendary character in the DC universe got my attention and here we are.
A total of nine season later, with like I said earlier some good and some really not that good seasons, it was time for the "old" Alfred Champagne to retire and invest in the alcohol industry! He got a bit lucky to be in a team that make the playoffs every season since New York will participate in the playoffs with the 3rd position in the North American Conference. In all those playoffs appearances, he got his second best performance in S89 while winning his only Continental Cup! Davos was still a powerhouse the next two seasons with winning the Victory Cup twice, but that came with the infamous curse that you can win both trophies in the same season. I'm still happy with the final result, even if I would have liked more offensive production earlier in his career.
 
With that career over and still having fun in the league, I decided to create another player! I wanted to try a different position than a winger and my player in the SHL is a goalie so i didn't wanted another one. Not sure if not being a max earner is a good idea for a center since he have to put tpe in faceoffs, so I went for defenseman. I used the same mindset for the name and went for a French one (yes again!). I found the family name first like the first time. I looked at the best defenseman who played in the NHL with a french name and Éric Desjardins is one of the few players who scored at hat trick in the Stanley Cup final, and probably the only one doing so being a defenseman. I don't really like the first name so had to find another one and the founder of the cooperative bank Desjardins (there is some outside of Quebec) is name Alphonse so everything fit perfectly. 
After creating my player, lot of people welcomed me back and to finish the season in the VHLM, I got a message from the San Diego Marlins that I also know in the SHL to offer me a contract to play a couple of games. My player did really well and with only 2 games to play , he's almost a point per game player with 9 points in 10 games!
 
I think the S94 VHLM draft is soon, so if you are a GM, just hit me up, I'm open to play anywhere!

1. We’ve only got a few regular season sims left, who do you predict will be the Continental Cup champion?
I've still got Toronto. Europe is going to be a slog to get through, and the Legion have had such a strong team from day one.
 
2. Our beauty of a captain, David Jokinen, has had a career year! Any words to commend him on this feat? 
Oh captain my captain! And assistant captain! And other assistant captain! Here's to hoping it continues next season when I'm also up.
 
3. What do you believe we can learn from this season that we can carry onto the next? Any bold predictions or suggestions?
To be honest? Not really. There's going to largely be a new roster next season, so while it's been great to get a few wins, I think a lot of the game planning will start from square one.
 
4. If you had a chance to add a new award to the VHL, what would it be and what would you name it?
You say people don't build players with fighting? Then let's change that - most fights won now gets an award. We're calling it the Rocky Award until we get a good VHL legend to name it after.
 
5. Regarding fighting in hockey, do you believe it is a staple of the sport? Or is it something that should be phased out of the game entirely?
I swear I didn't see this question before answering the last one. Honestly, the reason that a lot of people play sports is to get some aggression out. As long as it's not causing lasting injuries, then yeah, let them have at it.
 
8. Since this debate has flared up again recently: is a hot dog a sandwich?
People focus too much on this question and not the alternative: I think every ham sandwich should be called a hot dog. Think about it - contains a pig-based meat, you typically want to eat it with condiments for flavor, comes within some sort of bun. Real geniuses have been saying this.

1. We’ve only got a few regular season sims left, who do you predict will be the Continental Cup champion?
 
Moscow
 
2. Our beauty of a captain, David Jokinen, has had a career year! Any words to commend him on this feat? 
 
He’s my hero.
 
3. What do you believe we can learn from this season that we can carry onto the next? Any bold predictions or suggestions?
 
Win more, lose less
 
4. If you had a chance to add a new award to the VHL, what would it be and what would you name it?
 
The Ray Bourque Trophy.  Player who wins the most fights
 
5. Regarding fighting in hockey, do you believe it is a staple of the sport? Or is it something that should be phased out of the game entirely?
 
Ouch.  You serious?  Whoever is suggesting that fighting be phased out is not a hockey player.  You cannot participate in playoff hockey without hitting hard and that sometimes flares up into a fight.  Now, the fighters can decide how hard to punch.  
 
6. The Stanley Cup playoffs have begun! Which team has impressed you most thus far?
 
It’s easier for me to tell you which team has not impressed me.  That would be the Bruins, my team.  They cannot maintain 60 minutes of playoff hockey.  I thought Big Rig would help motivate them, but thus far, they soften up too soon.
 
7. In terms of playstyle and build, which NHL player is yours most similar to?
 
Radko Gudas.  Love that Gudas hip check!!
 
8. Since this debate has flared up again recently: is a hot dog a sandwich?
 
It can be when it’s called a polish sandwich, ie. the hotdog is split in half and placed on two slices of bread with pickles mustard ketchup and onion.  Other than that, no.  Especially when a hot dog is cut up and put in spaghettiios.  Oh, now I’m hungry.
 

1. We’ve only got a few regular season sims left, who do you predict will be the Continental Cup champion?
Long Live The King! London got this.
2. Our beauty of a captain, David Jokinen, has had a career year! Any words to commend him on this feat? 
Thanks
3. What do you believe we can learn from this season that we can carry onto the next? Any bold predictions or suggestions?
Our rookies will dominate.
4. If you had a chance to add a new award to the VHL, what would it be and what would you name it?
We could try and bring back Top Leader award and name it The Annual @Phil Award.
5. Regarding fighting in hockey, do you believe it is a staple of the sport? Or is it something that should be phased out of the game entirely?
Personally I don't like fighting in hockey, but I understand why it's there. I hope there will be less of it in the future, doesn't need to be fully phased out of the sport though
6. The Stanley Cup playoffs have begun! Which team has impressed you most thus far?
McDavid, 5 assists in the first game of Oilers playoffs. For a team it's too early to say imo
7. In terms of playstyle and build, which NHL player is yours most similar to?
Brady Skjei?
8. Since this debate has flared up again recently: is a hot dog a sandwich?