Christmas is right around the corner and the VHL/E/M are winding down to the playoffs. Teams are gearing up for a holiday playoff, scoring races are close, and a bunch of random stuff we can chat about for this week’s Around the League in 500 words.
VHLM Heating up
If you would have asked me at 20 games in who the favorite to get to a cup I would have said the Houston Bulls. Now at 66 games into the season I have no clue who I’d pick. Saskatoon has been on fire as of late, winning 9 straight.
Led by Alexandros Mograine @sliceruser with 34g 53a 87pts, Jacob Smith Jr @jacobaa19 37g 54a 91 pts, and Adi Dassler @BOOM 35g 36a 71pts they are looking tough. Lack of depth on defense hasn’t seem to hurt them at all and the two defenders they do have are top notch. At 51w 10l 5OTL 107 points they look a lock to win the Western conference.
In the east, Philadelphia and Ottawa are brawling for top spot. Phili has the two top scorers in the league, a stud defenseman in Kodie Curran @Battlepopcorn, a banging goalie in Amir Redzic, and the recent addition of Jean Pierre Devote @eagle_3450 and Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica, Philly looks poised to go for it all.
VHLE update:
The E is wrapping up nicely and my predicted cup winner Vasteras Iron Eagles are leading the league at 40-17-10. What makes this club so deadly is that not only can they score, leading the league with 216 goals for. But they stop them better than anyone, only allowing 156 goals. This team is stacked everywhere. On defense they have two rookies phenoms. Callum Gary Yannick @Daniel Janser comes from Hall of Fame lineage and is already doing amazing work for the club with 11g 34a 45 pts and a whopping 328 hits. Next to him is another E rookie Leif Reingaard @Zetterberg with 19g 50a 69 pts, #2 in total scoring for defenders.
Up front they have Eno Velvson @Nykonaxwith 31g 48a 7pts and VHLE veteran Ellis Woolfenden @D3X with 33g 32a 65pts. In net they have two great options in Olivier Gauthier @fonzigg and Karl Herzlich @LastGoon007 which gives Vasteras a 1a and 1b option.
They are going to be tough to beat in the playoffs. Just looking at the clubs I think the Cologne Express have the best chance at beating the Iron Eagles just based on personnel, but it will be a battle.
VHL’s DAVOS STREAK
As I surfed the stats today, I had completely not noticed the streak that Davos is currently on with 16 straight wins. Holy shit, great job. I root for Davos as my buddy Jake Thunder @Thunderis killing it still in his final season.
Leandro Goncalves @leandrofg is destroying goalies with 53g 51a 104 points, one point ahead of veteran Chicago Phenom, Scotty Sundin. It's exciting to see how Davos remains tough year in and year out. Hoping my buddy Thunder gets one more chance for another title.
I used to be a mentor, along with a few others but even I was unsure how helpful it was. I used to DM every new create, offer to help them however I could etc, but a majority of messages would go unanswered. Maybe someone could be designated as a "mentor" from within the team that claims them, besides the GM. Having a teammate helping you out instead of some random user with no affiliation to the new person might be more effective in retaining them?
I've always been fascinated by the nationalities of the VHL, both at a member level, but also in the countries that members have chosen for their players. There has been a dominance of Canada and the US as expected but also a lot of other traditional and non-traditional hockey markets, which has meant a very eclectic list of entries into the Hall of Fame, and also a very balanced World Cup which has recently become a particularly underappreciated tournament. I'm moving away from the most unusual locations for the purpose of this article but you can see the nationality of every single Hall of Famer in the linked thread below. In the meantime, here is an attempt to create all-time rosters (3 forwards, 3 defencemen, and 3 goaltenders) for the most popular nations in VHL history.
https://vhlforum.com/topic/63841-hof-players-builders/
Note: Blue = Hall of Famer. Italics = out of position (i.e. centers used as wingers)
Canada
Matt Thompson - Unassisted - Brett Slobodzian
Jardy Bunclewirth - Ethan Osborne - Zach Parechkin
Tom Lincoln - Andrew Su - Josh Vestiquan
Sterling Labatte - Daniel Braxton
Black Velvet - Aurelien Moreau
Elijah Incognito - Lincoln Tate
Aidan Shaw
Benoit Devereux
Rhett DeGrath
Canada's obviously #1 in this discussion. 46 Canadians have been inducted into the Hall of Fame to date, by far the most of any country, and nearly enough for 3 rosters exclusively made out of Hall of Famers. Strength in depth was never going to be an issue here but what I do find interesting is that Canada has almost not produced any player considered the best beyond dispute. Yes there's the award namesakes – Slobodzian, Labatte, Shaw – and for a time they would have been considered the pinnacle of their position, but all have been moved down the ranking with the passage of time. It's also curious that there's not really been an all-time great coming out of Canada since Matt Thompson retired in S68, evidenced by the fact only Su, Moreau, and Tate would be considered “modern” players and all three are a bit buried on the depth chart. Make no mistake, Canada would almost certainly win a hypothetical all-time tournament but it's nice that there is quite a bit of individual brilliance sprinkled across the other nations.
USA
Gabriel McAllister - Thomas O'Malley - Diana Maxwell
Jarvis Baldwin - Mike Szatkowski - Cam Fowler
John Locke - Kevin Brooks - Brannan Anthony
Conner Low - Ryan Sullivan
Hard Markinson - Jake Wylde
Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen - Brian Payne
Apollo Skye
Xavier Booberry
Benjamin Glover
The US might have only half of Canada's Hall of Famers but it's arguably got more bang for its buck. O'Malley and McAllister are two of the 3-4 names in VHL history who can challenge Scotty Campbell as the league's GOAT. Conner Low and Ryan Sullivan – that's basically your #1 and #2 in the all-time defencemen ranking. Any of the 3 lines could realistically be the first and rolling out the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th all-time top scorers as your 3 centers puts the recent Pittsburgh Penguins dynasty to shame. Defence has been historically a weak spot (behind Low and Sullivan) but Markinson and Smitty have bridged the gap as the best of their generations, and likely S91 inductee Brian Payne is building on an impressive recent legacy. Whisper but America could well knock Canada off its perch in a one-off playoff.
UK
Chris Hylands - Leeroy Jenkins - David Smalling
Brennan McQueen - Phil Rafter - Phil Gerrard
Dougie Daniels - Podrick Cast - Uhtred
David Walcott - Matt Bentley
Jeff Hamilton - Phil Hamilton
David Henman - Joseph McWolf
Hans Wingate
Adrian McCreath
Finn Davison
The streak of HOF-only rosters ends at 2. But the UK put up a very strong effort and is only 2 forwards and a goalie away from matching Canada and the US. Also, the UK as #3 in a hockey setting? The VHL's English speaking background has definitely had its impact here as has the influence of a handful of Builders. The Knight brothers account for 6 of the players on the team (hint: it's anyone named Phil or David) and as a UK resident I have also assisted with Cast and Bentley. Is it enough to challenge the top two? Probably not, despite a sprinkling of real VHL royalty in Jenskins, Smalling, and Rafter. Goaltending depth is where the team falls down (this will start to be a recurring theme from here), with McCreath widely considered one of the weaker goalies in the Hall, and Wingate's famous playoff heroics might not be enough to rescue the UK here.
@hylands @Knight @Phil @leafsman @McWolf
Switzerland
Scott Boulet - Scotty Campbell - Matt Bailey
Branden Snelheid - Daniel Janser - Leander Kaelin
Rudolph Schmeckeldorf - Jasper Davis - Tomas Ziegler
Tomas Jenskovic - Alexander Sauve
Petr Shirokov - Lars Intranquilo
Mike Kloepfer - David Tavau
Sandro Clegane
Matthew Pogge
Marius Henchoz
Probably the most unbalanced team of them all. Switzerland was a VHL superstar hotspot in its early days (see Campbell, Boulet, Jenskovic) and then after S20 or so stopped producing notable talent with any regularity at all. “Recent” Hall of Famers Clegane and Janser retired some 40 seasons apart. Tellingly, Jasper Davis makes the cut despite being in his third season at the time of writing. Tavau, Kloepfer, and Ziegler in the meantime might be the worst players on any of the teams being profiled although satisfyingly have a Davos connection as either cup-winners with the Swiss team (Kloepfer, Ziegler) or Dynamo lifers (Tavau). In a 6v6 tournament, Switzerland would be up there with the best of them. Even the second line can hold its own but it all falls apart after that and the production line doesn't seem to be getting any better.
Sweden
Mathias Chouinard - Anton Brekker - Theo Axelsson
Miles Larsson - Niklas Lindberg - Lasse Milo Ola Vikingstad - Sebastian Ironside - Scotty Sundin
Alexander Valiq - Mats Johnsson
Battre Sandstrom - Bo Johansson
Robin Galante Nilsson - Patrick Bergqvist
Torstein Ironside
Papa Emeritus
Oskar Lindbergh
Probably the team most expected to be third in the list, Sweden likely does occupy that spot based on quantity, but has not really provided the VHL's absolute cream of the crop over the years. The thing that does stick out here is the overall balance – take out Brekker and Valiq and there's not really much separating the Hall of Famers from the 3rd liners. Most of the players on the roster have been or currently are on the HOF ballot. In particular this is relevant in net where Emeritus and Lindbergh are still awaiting the call and could change the complexion of this Swedish team if they do get inducted. Overall, however, the verdict would have to be solid but unspectacular which definitely fits the stereotype.
Finland
Tukka Reikkinen - Mikka Virkkunen - Jukka Hakkinen Saku Kotkakoivu - Aleksi Koponen - Joel Jarvi Valtteri Vaakanainen - Mikko Lahtinen - Karsten Olsen
Sweden's neighbours and eternal rivals are hot on their tail and one thing stands out from the off – they love a center. 8 of the 9 forwards are centers by trade and fittingly the only winger, Karsten Olsen, was a defenceman to begin with. This means great depth in the middle (not quite US level but very possible second place) but less so elsewhere. This is particularly obvious on defence where Jokinen flies the flag alone in the Hall of Fame and the depth guys blend so much that I couldn't even pick one between Sixten of 30s Toronto fame and current Prague dinosaur Greg. But the contrast is clear in goal as well – Tukio is one of the greatest ever in contention with Shaw, Wingate, and the Cleganes yet somehow my first-gen who retired in S16 with 634 TPE is still the second-best Finland has managed to produce. Like Switzerland, we are top-heavy here and will struggle on the line changes.
@.sniffuM @Jubo @jRuutu @Spence King @samx @Higgins @Jubis
Denmark
Aloe Dear - Lars Berger - Max Molholt
Jerome Reinhart (GR) - Aksel Thomassen - Zach Arce
Tomas Sogaard - Venus Thightrap - Niels Skovgaard / Tyler Reinhart (GR)
Zeedayno Chara (GR) - Frans Spelman
Asher Reinhart (GR) - Reylynn Reinhart (GR)
Joe Madison (GR) - Sven Eightnine
Grekkark Gyrfalcon (GR)
Jakob Kjeldsen
Tobias Reinhart (GR)
The Danes have really put all their eggs in one basket. Six Hall of Famers is actually quite good going for a country that's not necessarily a hockey hotbed but each one has been a forward. Offense as a strategy is a pretty good one in the VHL and Dear, Berger, and Molholt is one of the higher-scoring first lines out there, but we shouldn't cut Denmark too much slack. They've been bailed out significantly by the VHL's Greenland and interlinked Reinhart epidemic and will soon need to worry about whether a stand-alone Denmark team could beat a stand-alone Greenland one. For now though, this is a well-balanced combined team which would hold its own in a Nordic tournament.
Germany
Tyson Kohler - Markus Strauss - Christian Stolzschweiger Ignatius Feltersnatch - Felix Peters - Shawn Muller
Marek Schultz - Lukas Muller - Wolfgang Strauss / Christoph Klose
Jochen Walser - Joey Kendrick
Erik Summers - Torsten Schwarz
Cole Hagstrom / Jaeger Stryker - World B. Free / Klaus Muller
Germany is definitely closer to the Swiss end of the range in that a lot of its strength comes from its past rather than more recent seasons. The majority of the roster had retired or at least debuted by S30 and talent has only trickled in since. There are two old names who continue to hold up well in modern discourse in Stolzschweiger and Walser and a strong trio of centers, while the 3 split decisions on the third line show that there is more than decent depth to call upon. Goaltending is definitely a weakness however, with one of the great first overall busts in VanCoughnett propping up two names more famous for their GM roles than their exploits on the ice.
@Kendrick @gregreg @TheLastOlympian07 @der meister @Erik Summers @stevo @Zero
Russia
Alexander Beketov - Daric Radmonovic - Pavel Koradek
Evgeni Fyodorov - Sergey Preobrazhensky - Nikolai Lebedev Bogdan Trunov - Igor Molotov - Yuri Grigorenko
Maxim Kovalchuk - Aleksei Federov
Radislav Mjers - Vladimir Boomchenko
Siyan Yasilievich / Vladimir Pavlov - Victor Grachev
Alexander Labatte
Maxim Desny
Rara Rasputin
Finally we close off this piece with the Russian team which is quite similar to the Swedes in 1) being quite balanced with no real standout superstar and 2) being pleasingly stereotypical. Russia's famous in the hockey world for producing individually brilliant players with good attacking instincts and little in the way of a two-way game – it is both their strength and often their downfall. The all-time VHL Russian team is no exception with pretty much everyone on the team focused on scoring (other than the goalies of course) and doing so well enough to be in the Hall of Fame or at least the Hall of Very Good. Everyone on the roster except Desny is also a cup winner which is quite impressive so if nothing else, team Russia would be entertaining.
After Russia the disparity grows, with no other country really providing a consistent stream of high quality VHL players. Ukraine is the only other nation with more than 2 Hall of Famers, with 4, and features prominently on the best of the rest roster I've put together below just for fun. Of course there are not many traditional hockey markets not covered above (and indeed the UK and Denmark are probably less traditional than others). The Czech and Slovak presence has also been low in the VHL with just 1 Hall of Famer between them, while Latvia actually does quite well with 2 but as expected doesn't really have the depth. Apart from that, lots of VHL members opted to bring in talent from eclectic destinations, from Asia to Australia, from South Africa to the Caribbean. It's provided a good deal of flavour to the overall list but does mean there are still gaps to fill on the more traditional teams which should be the main takeaway from this.... don't make Canadians and Americans.
Everyone else
Volodymyr Rybak (UKR) - Franchise Cornerstone (MON) - Odin Tordahl (NOR)
Lord Karnage (SOM) - Alexander Chershenko (UKR) - Duncan Idaho (SMR)
Pietro Maximoff (ROM) - Grimm Jonsson (ISL) - J.D. Stomwall (NZL) *Ronan Lavelle (IRL) could have a claim here
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BOOM got a reaction from kirbithan in HC Davos Dynamo Press Conference
BOOM got a reaction from Steve in The Course Needs to Be Changed
BOOM got a reaction from Victor in All-Time International Teams - From Canada to Denmark
