Jump to content

VHLM Power Rankings: Week 1

JB123

By JB123
in Archived Media Spots

 Share

Recommended Posts

JB123

JB123 728

Posted
Posted (edited)

Word Count: 1505
Believe it or not, we are already a week in to the 77th season! That means 13 or 14 games played per club (as I am writing this). I have decided to do some power rankings, based on this past week. A number of variables will be taken into account, including: record (of course), streaks (winning or losing), and goal differential. I will also take a look at top performers for each team. Without further ado, here’s what I came up with: 

 

12. Mexico City Kings 

Record: 2-12-0 

Streak: L12

Goal Differential: -34 

 

The Kings are currently last in the league. They won their first two games before losing the next 12. Their goal differential is by far the worst in the league. Key players for Mexico City this season have been right wing Anze Miklavz, with 15 points in 14 games, left wing Watson Stonebridge, scoring at a point per game pace, including 10 assists, and defenseman Big Mortie with 13 points in 14 games and 24 shots blocked. 


11. Halifax 21st

Record: 5-7-1 

Streak: L1

Goal Differential: -10 

 

At the moment Halifax sits in 5th place in the East. You may be asking why I put them here instead of someone like Yukon or Philly, etc. The reasoning is that Halifax is on a losing streak (even if it is one game), they have the third worst goal differential in the league, the second least goals scored, and the fourth most goals against. However, I am not here to insult any team, so I will point out some of the positives. Goalie Jonathan Bustard has been on fire as of late, going 1-1 with a shutout, a stellar .941 save percentage, and 1.50 GAA. Right wing Kyle Glass has also been playing quite well, with 18 points in 13 games played. Left wing Baldur Poulsen has been unbelievable, scoring 9 goals and 16 points, WITH A +9 RATING. 

10. Yukon Rush 

Record: 5-9-0 

Streak: W1 

Goal Differential: -5 

 

Next up we have the Rush. Currently second last in the league, the Rush have won three of their last 4 games. Although they are trending upwards, they still have given up the second most goals (which is partly my own fault). That being said, the scoring has been there for the Rush. Currently tied for second in the league in terms of scoring, the offense has picked up a lot of the slack for Yukon. As it stands, the Rush have two of the top three scorers in the league. Key performers for the Rush this season have been: left wing Gaspar Zakrevsky, with a league leading 33 points in 14 games played, and center Lorgo Pompronkimishkonov, with 26 points, tied for second league-wide. The dynamic duo are one and two in goals, respectively, with 18 and 13. 
 

9. Philadelphia Reapers 

Record: 5-8-1

Streak: W2 

Goal Differential: -12 

 

Although towards the bottom of the standings, Philly is on the rise with a win in each of their past two contests. They do still have the second worst goal differential in the league, though, and the third most goals given up (56). Their scoring is middle of the pack, with 44 goals scored this season. The Reapers are lucky to have the second best player in terms of points, center Kjell Nilsson, with 26. Left winger Genghis Khan has also been excellent, with 13 goals and 24 points. Further, the club has defenseman Zeljko Ranogajec, the league leader in assists, with 19. Ranogajec is a Nighthawks prospect. Not only is Ranogajec’s offensive game superb, his defense is arguably even better. So far this season, he has 39 hits and has blocked 20 shots. Forgot to mention: he is 49 and is adamantly defying Father Time. 
 

8. San Diego Marlins 

Record: 6-5-2 

Streak: L3 

Goal Differential: +2

 

On to the Marlins. They enjoyed a pretty good start (6-2-2), but have yet to regain their form. They are right around the middle in both goals scored and goals given up. Defenseman Arvid Johansson has been incredible, scoring at a point per game pace, while adding 22 shot blocks and a +5 rating. Just ahead of Johansson with a +6 is The Loch Ness Monster, also a defenseman. The LNM has 19 shot blocks and 35 hits, and 13 assists in 13 games. 
 

7. Minnesota Storm 

 Record: 5-7-1 

Streak: W1 

Goal Differential: -8 

 

The Storm have not been great, but they did earn a boost with a win in their last game. The first thing to mention here is without a doubt, defenseman Barron Kruulenstien. Blocking an INSANE 37 shots, Kruulenstien has added 7 assists. Right wing Grapes has been great too, with 11 goals and 19 points. 
 

6. Ottawa Lynx 

Record: 7-6-0 

Streak: L1 

Goal Differential: -7 


The Lynx are an interesting story. On the one hand, they have a winning record and are in a playoff position. On the other, they score the least goals in the league (36). Their defense and goaltending has managed to save them most of the time. They have some hard-hitters on the back end, with three players combining for 67 hits. Defenseman Kirby Pandora in particular has been playing good, with 4 goals and 7 assists for 11 points in 13 games, while adding 16 blocked shots and a game-winning goal. 
 

5. Las Vegas Aces 

Record: 7-4-3 

Streak: L1 

Goal Differential: +4 

 

What’s happening in Vegas right now is mostly staying in Vegas, and that is winning. The Aces are a solid all-around team. Left wing Darryl McDagg leads the team in points with 23. Defenseman New Player has blocked 27 shots and has 22 hits. On offense, New Player has 18 points. Fellow D-man Sven Reikkinen has 30 hits and 20 blocked shots. 


4. Miami Marauders 

Record: 7-6-0 

Streak: W1 

Goal Differential: +10 

 

Miami has scored 50 goals thus far this season, good for fourth in the league. They have allowed only 40 goals, also fourth in the league. Center Alexander The Great has  17 assists and 25 points in 13 games. Right wing Trevor Wallace has 10 goals and 18 points. Center Napoleon Bonaparte has provided a great physical presence on offense, with 30 hits. 
 

3. Houston Bulls 

Record: 10-3-1 

Streak: W1 

Goal Differential: +9 

 

The Bulls have played extremely well this season. Currently second in the league and first in the West, Houston has given up the second least amount of goals (34). The first shoutout goes to goaltender Aike van Giersbergen, who has been their MVP. Van Giersbergen is 10-3-1 with a .912 save percentage and 2.33 GAA and a shutout. The defense isn’t too shabby, either. Defenseman Germano Henchoz has 16 points in 14 games, 38 hits, 32 blocked shots, and 3 game-winning goals. All the makings of an elite, franchise defenseman. It doesn’t stop there though. Defenseman Drakon Zabastovka has 11 assists and 13 points, and 19 hits along with 26 shots blocked. It’s also hard to ignore center Bradley Senjo, who has 18 assists and 25 points, with 33 hits. 
 

2. Saskatoon Wild 

Record: 10-4-0 

Streak: L1

Goal Differential: +20 

 

I was tempted to put the Bulls here, but the Wild’s goal differential was too much to overlook. Saskatoon leads the league in goals with 59. They have given up the third-least amount of goals (39). They are a complete team. Center Griff Mackenzie has been terrific, scoring 11 goals and dishing 13 apples for 24 points. Just like Mackenzie, left wing Duncan Montana has 24 points. Defenseman Tanky plays a very physical game, handing out 66 hits. Offensive-minded defenseman David Tavau has 18 assists and 20 points. 
 

1. Mississauga Hounds 

Record: 12-1-0 

Streak: W1 

Goal Differential: +31 

 

I’m sure for most of you this comes as no surprise. The Hounds have been the powerhouse of Season 77 so far, and rightly so. They are tied for second in goals with the Rush (56) and have only surrendered 25 to their opponents. Goalie Luke Spinelli has been DOMINANT, posting the same great record of Mississauga, a .910 save percentage, and a 1.92 GAA. Center Guy Lambert has 21 points, left wing Angel Wachiure has 10 goals and is shooting at a prolific 25% rate, and defenseman Hard Markinson has 6 goals, a +11 rating, and 43 hits. 
 

I hope you all enjoyed my first article of this length! I certainly had fun analyzing all the VHLM teams and top players. Some of you are insanely good! Many, many good players were not mentioned, just keep in mind there are more great players than could be mentioned. Don’t take it personal if your team was ranked low (because so was mine!). I hope to keep this up in the future and want to try to cover some different topics too. Let me know if you have any suggestions, comments, etc. and feel free to review honestly. Best of luck to everyone in the league the rest of the way! There are a lot of contenders for the cup and it’ll be interesting for sure. 

Edited by JB123
Word Count
Link to comment
https://vhlforum.com/topic/101418-vhlm-power-rankings-week-1/
Share on other sites
LilHCorny

LilHCorny 55

Posted
Posted

9/10, great read (glad to see Miami in the top 5).  I like how it isn't purely based on standings.  Maybe might be a bit too much emphasis on winning and losing streaks though?  I'm not sure how much affect those have on STHS.  A good amount written for each team.  It would be interesting to see a graphic with it maybe, that'd look amazing.  I'd also include a word count to go along with it, just to make it a bit easier for updaters.  Grammar all looks good along with formatting (aside for light mode smh).  Anyways, amazing read.  Looking forward to more in the future from you!

JB123

JB123 728

Posted
  • Author
Posted
20 minutes ago, LilHCorny said:

9/10, great read (glad to see Miami in the top 5).  I like how it isn't purely based on standings.  Maybe might be a bit too much emphasis on winning and losing streaks though?  I'm not sure how much affect those have on STHS.  A good amount written for each team.  It would be interesting to see a graphic with it maybe, that'd look amazing.  I'd also include a word count to go along with it, just to make it a bit easier for updaters.  Grammar all looks good along with formatting (aside for light mode smh).  Anyways, amazing read.  Looking forward to more in the future from you!

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I think a graphic or two would go great in the future. I’ll actually add the word count, good idea.

Prout

Prout 373

Posted
Posted

Review: awesome article!! Great stuff here and well written and formatted. You definitely took your time and research and it shows here. I like the each team reviews. You bolded words and made it nice to follow along. Great stuff and overall something to be proud of and already engaging with good content. Well done ! :) 8/10

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...