scoop

Oh I see why you are repping the Gothenburg Eagles in your inferior sig. Jacob Stone has nothing to do with the Toledo Scorpions but I'm leaving that there. I did once have a failed player who came from a family of devout Madrid Thunder fans though, so I like what you're doing here.

I gotta say Prague, I'm a fan of what you've been doing lately

you're just lucky the league is too scared to bring back the Thunder

@leandrofg see I knew that recent Stockholm win over Cologne was going to be a big turning point in the match-up, you'd better hope you avoid us in the playoffs

wow, interesting someone had to say it

I feel like you are a little biased here. As someone who is rushing to get out of the VHLE as soon as possible, I was able to separate myself from the rivalry in writing this. My take is completely objective, and the outlook I have on the future of the teams is entirely reasonable.

The Cologne Express and Stockholm Vikings share the distinction of being the only franchises ever removed from the VHL when contraction took place following Season 57. They remained defunct for 22 seasons before both being a part of the inaugural VHLE season. This season, just part the mid-way point, they have already played each other eight times, including four matches in their first ten games of the season. The frequency with which they have faced off has provided ample fuel to ignite a rivalry. Both teams came into the season with high expectations, and with Cologne leading the VHLE and Stockholm in third, they have both lived up to the hype. The season series thus far has really been a tale of two halves: to begin, we saw Cologne win seven in a row, and since then Stockholm came out ahead in the last one game. The season series kicked off in dominating fashion for the Vikings, with Jarnno Lappi scoring the first goal. The Express managed to put up a fight, however, scoring more goals than the Vikings in each of the first seven games. Both sides saw production from several players, but Stockholm's depth got the better of Cologne as they had eight players score at least once, as opposed to just seven for the Express. While the wins are nice, Cologne's reliance on one player to score the most goals could ultimately be their downfall if the two teams face off in the playoffs. Stockholm, meanwhile, has three players tied for the team lead in goals. Arguably more important than all of the first seven games combined is the most recent game between these teams. After losing time and time again, it would have been easy for a weaker team to get dejected, but these Stockholm Vikings are not a weak team. They continued to fight, determined to take down Cologne. The Express, meanwhile, got complacent, and the Vikings immediately took advantage of it, scoring very quickly in the eighth meeting of the two teams. This game, more than any of the others, is indicative of what we can expect from the future match-ups between these two teams. While Cologne are atop the standings in the VHLE at the moment, the Vikings are surging. The victory over their heated rival has clearly sparked something in them. They have not lost a game since, outscoring their opponents 10-2. The blow that the Vikings dealt to the Express has left them rattled. They are 1-1 since then, needing a shootout to even secure that one win. This demonstrates the importance of winning these games against your rival, especially when you have evidently weak mental fortitude like the Cologne Express. A downward spiral would likely serve to deepen the rivalry between the two teams. With Stockholm responsible for their plummet down the standings and into irrelevance, the ire that the Express and their fans feel toward the Vikings will grow. It may be too early to tell, but this has the makings of one of the greatest one-sided rivalries in sports history if things go as expected.

1. Our goalie Travis Clark has been on fire recently- would you give the award for best goalie to them if the season ended now? I would, yes. It is an individual award, so I value save percentage over record and goals against. That's not to say I would just give the award to the player with the highest save percentage, but the difference between him and the next best is as big as the difference between second and fifth. 2. We've passed through the midway point of the season- do you think your player will heat up/cool down/stay the same in the second half of the year? I've already cooled down from my hot start to where I'm now at about a point-per-game. I wasn't even expecting to be a point-per-game player coming into the season, but now I'm thinking this is right around where I'll stay. 3. Do you think Rome will make it to 5 wins this year (they are currently sitting at two)? I don't think they will, but I think they have a shot. They have four games left against Bratislava, against whom they did get their only two wins thus far. They could possibly win three of those. But if they manage to win just two of those, could they steal a game against another team? Probably not. They've taken two games to shootouts against Vasteras, but they only have two games left against them. They have six games left against Istanbul, who seems like the other best bet to lose a game to Rome, but I wouldn't count on it. I think it's unlikely they get to five wins. 4. What, in your opinion, does Stockholm need to do better to give us a better chance to beat powerhouse teams like Oslo? Penalties have been a problem for us. If it weren't for our league-leading penalty kill, we could very well be a couple more spots down in the standings. We have the third most penalty minutes and the second post penalty kill attempts. Meanwhile, teams like Cologne and Oslo have done really well in that regard. 5. In general, do you prefer hot drinks or cold drinks more? Definitely cold. The only hot drink I ever have is hot chocolate, and that's not all that often. 6. Do you have an irl sports team that you follow? If so, who is it? I am unfortunately a Minnesota sports fan. I most closely follow the Twins, but I definitely pay attention to the Timberwolves, Vikings, and Wild as well.

The Stockholm Vikings and Geneva Rush have ten scheduled games against each other, five in each city. They have already played out all of the games in Geneva, and every single one of them went to a shootout. This just seems so ridiculously improbably that I deemed it worthy of a VHL.com article (note: literally anything can be a VHL.com article so that means nothing and I'm just filling words that I don't need to, because this will inevitably end up being like 400+ words like half of my VHL.com articles end up being). What a waste of words that last sentence was, huh? So anyway, let's take a look at how the players have fared in those shootouts. The goaltenders in all five shootouts were Jean Mercier for Geneva and Travis Clark for Stockholm. Mercier performed much better, stopped 12/15 while Clark stopped only 7/14. With that large of disparity in goals allowed, it's no surprise that Geneva won 4 of the 5 games. The leading scorer is Kobe Johnson, who scored on 3 of 5 attempts for the Rush. Jeffrey Bezos for the Vikings has found that money can't buy you a shootout goal, going 0 for 5 in his endeavors. Listed below are the stats for the shooters. Vikings Thor Odinsson (1/5) Jeffrey Bezos (0/5) Johnny Kalamazoo (2/4) Logan Foley (0/1) Rush Leonard Triller (2/5) Kobe Johnson (3/5) Luke Glendenning (1/3) Matt Rooster (1/1) The stats in the shootouts mean very little to me. It just seems bonkers to me that every Stockholm @ Geneva game ended in a shootout. Even though the matchups went 4-1 in favor of Geneva, it really doesn't get much closer than this.

undefeated in our last 1 game against Cologne, what a marvelous run we are on

1. This is where I expected to see us, so it's not a surprise to me. We lost some games early that I felt like we shouldn't have, and we had a lot of games against Cologne and Oslo early on as well. I saw those two teams as clearly the top two, and I think we stand alone in the second tier, or at least above Geneva in that tier. We're now winning almost all of the games I think we should win, which is important, but it would also be nice to show that we can beat Cologne. 2. It's the shootouts that are really getting us. All but one of our overtime games have gone to a shootout, so it would seem that we just need to perform better there. I think it's crazy that we've played all of our Geneva road games, and all of them have gone to a shootout. 3. I think they can, for sure. There isn't much separation in skill among the top goalies. 4. We're 1-1-1 against Oslo. Meanwhile, we are 0-6 against Cologne with a -13 goal differential. I think that says enough. We've been competitive in all of our games with Oslo, but Cologne has smoked us several times. 5. Saturday of course. I can sleep in, I can stay up late. I can makes plans for morning, afternoon, evening. If I don't get anything productive done, I don't have to feel bad because I still have Sunday for that before the work week starts. 6. "A lot of people" have negative opinions on baseball, so I guess that is a viable answer, yeah? I'll go with baseball. That counts.

As a highly rated draft prospect, I'm keeping a close eye on the VHL this season. While I may not go first or second overall, I do expect to be a lottery selection. Keeping that in mind, I'm watching especially closely the teams outside of the playoffs. A third of the way through the season, there are two teams that I am quite confident will not be making the playoffs, while even the current seventh place teams in either conference could potentially sneak in. Those two teams, the worst in the VHL, are Helsinki and Toronto. Here are my thoughts on them, specifically as they relate to my player and the chance that I get drafted by them. First off, a couple notes on the franchises and their GM's, because both of the two teams are in the same boat on this matter. Despite these being two of the teams that have been around since I first joined the league, and my combined 61 seasons in the VHL with all my players, I have not played a single game for either of these two teams. I wouldn't say that affects my desire to be drafted by either of them in any way; it's just an observation, really. Among the GM and assistant GM's for these two teams, animal74 is the only one of the four with whom I've really interacted much at all, that being when we were on Malmo together early in Taylor Mourning's career. Looking at their current roster, I don't really see Helsinki having much of an interest in drafting a defenseman, but if they can't get their hands on FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist, they might have to settle. They have some good, young defensemen already, so if they can extend those guys, they would probably be looking for forward help. The best players on their roster going forward, however, are two forwards (Daryl Dixon, Rick Grimes) and a goalie (Fuukka Rask), so they could opt for an elite defenseman. They definitely have some promise, so I wouldn't hate to be drafted by them. Likewise, Toronto has some very good pieces, though I think they are missing a bit more than Helsinki. Forwards Mac Atlas and Jimi Jaks are two of the top players from the S87 draft, and they are set at goalie for a while as well with Joel Castle. Beyond those players, they don't have any young players already in the VHL and only one other current prospect who will make be in the VHL next season. I do think I would fill a need for the team, but I think they really need everything other than a goalie at this point in time. Just as with Helsinki, I wouldn't have a problem with them picking me. I think I would fit their window pretty well.

Jacob Stone Scouting Report Position: Defenseman Age: 22 | Height: 6'6" | Weight: 222 lbs Current Team: Stockholm Vikings S88 VHL Draft Projection: Lottery Pick Jacob Stone is a highly-rated prospect in the upcoming VHL draft. After declaring for the draft during Season 86, he joined the Saskatoon Wild for the remainder of the VHLM season. He found immediate success with the team, though they were unable to pass the first round of the playoffs. In the off-season, he made the decision play out his pre-draft in the VHLE rather than spend more time in the VHLM. He signed with the Stockholm Vikings. He has continued to impress, showing no signs of struggling despite the higher level of competition. His play suggests that he may be able to have an impact sooner rather than later for whichever VHL team drafts him. He is currently projected to be an early pick in the draft, if not the first overall selection. Strengths Jacob Stone's greatest strength on the ice is his awareness. He is always cognizant of where he should be, making him a valuable asset on defense. His aptitude for disrupting plays makes him an exceptional part of any penalty kill unit. He has a great vision for making plays on the offense, as well. He knows what to do when he has the puck and where his teammates are. This has been shown in his assist totals at every level of the game thus far in his hockey career. He is also a durable player and has a high level of endurance. He almost never misses a game, and he is able to play hard every minute he is on the ice. He has always averaged a high number of minutes. Whatever VHL team drafts him will know that they are getting a very steady player who they can count on at any point in the game. Weaknesses As good as he has shown himself to be, Jacob Stone is not without flaws in his game. The greatest among those is his skating ability. It wouldn't be fair to say that he is a sub-par skater, it stands out as his biggest weakness relative to the rest of his game. While he has a good game sense, he's not always able to get to his spot. Even in the VHLE, this weakness has not been greatly exposed, but if he doesn't improve, the VHL will likely be a different story. Another weakness of his throughout his hockey career has been a lack of a physical game. He does not utilize his large frame as well as he could. He could stand to put on some more muscle in order to stand his ground a bit better and force more players off the puck.

That was my immediate thought

Dayum we got Cobbered good. Too many penalties

Looks like a pretty good day for my VHFL team there. Thanks for picking it up a bit after I complained about y'all.

1. I'm definitely scoring more than I was expecting to. With 18 points in 14 games, I'm on pace for over 90 points. The current VHLE point record before one's VHL draft is 74, so I'd be well over that mark. I don't necessarily expect to keep up this pace, but I was expecting a season more like 10 goals, 45 assists. Right now I'm at 5 and 13 with just under a fifth of the way through the season. 2. The team hasn't looked so great. I came in thinking we we'd be the third best team behind Cologne and Oslo, and while six of our losses have been to those teams that I thought were better than us, we're looking more like the best of the bottom half teams. Our shutout loss to a Bratislava team with two human skaters was particularly demoralizing; I had thought our 4-3 win against them was bad enough. I think while I'm overperforming, some of my teammates are underperforming. I'll take myself regressing if it means others get back to where I think they should be. 3. As someone who knows the league well, I personally don't need anyone teaching me things, so when I was in the VHLM, I didn't really pay attention to what my GM was or wasn't doing in that regard. And I don't know if other GM's aren't doing all they could, so I can't really speak to how well of a job they are doing. What I will say is that I think it's on the VHLM GM's more than the VHLE GM's to teach people the basics. By the time a player is in the VHLE, they should know what a point task is, so wouldn't blame a VHLE GM for assuming all of their players already know that. 4. They both have 70+ defense, which is very important. Other than those two and myself, the next highest we have is 62. That being said, I think they'll do a lot for the team in terms of puck control. They are both just good players all around, but Poremba in particular I expect to be one of the top players both for our offense and our defense. 5. I've just recently started playing the new Fire Emblem game, and in the spring there is the Mega Man Battle Network Collection, so I'll probably play through those games and relive a big part of my childhood with that. Maybe I'll play the new Breath of the Wild game as well. 6. I get that the VHL is a hockey league, but I don't think that means we need to do a ton of NHL fantasy zone stuff. I prefer the fantasy zone stuff to be more strictly VHL-related.

At the conclusion of the VHFL Group 17 draft, I was feeling good about the team I had drafted. To start things off, I selected Vasile Lamb and Bo Johansson with the 6 and 7 picks. Lamb is a player who is obviously going to put up a ton of hits, having 78 checking while all of his forward teammates have 40, but also he is one of two forwards on the Dragons who I saw with the potential to have a big offensive season. Thus far, Lamb has not disappointed, with 11 goals and 76 hits. Lamb has been the shining light of my team. Johansson has been a let down due to Chicago's inability to score goals. I knew BoJo wouldn't be scoring many himself, but I thought he could put up big enough assist numbers again (though looking at Chicago's roster, I don't know why I would have thought that). I was close to picking AirRig GoodBrandSun with this pick, who thus far has only been slightly better, and went completely undrafted in my group. With the 12/13 picks, I took Nezuko and Hari Singh Nalwa. Similar to my line of thinking with Lamb, I liked Nezuko's potential because he is bound to get a good number of hits, so if the scoring lags a bit, I can still count on for something. Nezuko has been fairly average this season, as Vancouver is unfortunately looking like a team that won't have standout players when it comes to scoring, but rather a balanced lineup. When I was able to get Hari Singh Nalwa, I thought I was getting a huge steal. Looking at the rest of the London roster, I could see a lot of shots blocked and a decent hit total on the way. Where I have been really disappointed is the goals total. 58 shots on goal is good for a defensemen, but just three goals on that many shots is not. I was expecting a 25-30 goal season, and right now, he is on pace for 15. In my final two, I needed a goalie and one more forward. Somehow The Board Game Clue On Skates was still available. Last season, I made the mistake of picking Clue early on. This time around, I was pleased to get them with the first pick of the final round, but they just continue to perform far worse than I really think they should. Clue has just six goals despite 90+ scoring, skating, and puck handling. As I typically do with forwards, I look for players who should get around 2 hits per game, and Clue is at least giving me that. In terms of attributes, I don't think there is a player who stands above the rest of their team more than Clue does (given that Johansson isn't going to be taking scoring chances away from Clue). For my goalie I took Oskar Lindbergh because I thought Calgary looked like one of the best teams and Lindbergh was a good enough goalie.

Stockholm may have lost to an elite team like the Cologne Express, but you guys lost to the lowly Vasteras Iron Eagles? Pathetic

wtf @Frank stop winning it's like you don't even want to draft me

G - Oskar Lindbergh F - The Board Game Clue On Skates @Vkobe-v