VSN Presents: S77 Power Rankings #2

[fromtheinside 1,290]

 

Welcome back to another addition of the VHLM Power Rankings! We are nearing the halfway point of the season and one thing has become certain this season, and that is nothing is certain. Aside from one team, 11 of our 12 teams are at least in playoff contention in some way or another. A couple teams have certainly pulled ahead overall, but it's been a pretty interesting season and there's potential for a decent amount of movement both in the standings, and in the Power Rankings. Because of this, I expect there could be a very interesting trade market leading up to the trade deadline this year, as many teams may feel like they have a shot at contending for the Founder's Cup. This makes for an exciting finish down the stretch of the regular season, so buckle in, it's going to be a wild second half!

 

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Led by the expert leadership of Assistant General Manager @tcookie, Mississauga has exceeded all expectations this season, and vaulted themselves solely into the top position of the Power Rankings. Having already found themselves in a good spot heading into the start of the season, the Hounds opted to make additions to their squad to solidify themselves as one of the major threats going into this year's playoffs. The Hounds welcomed in longtime Yukon Rush forwards @jpach Johnny Pacheco and @Pythonic Gaspar Yakrevsky to give themselves even more firepower up front.  While these moves undoubtedly strengthen their team, it also means they are all in for this season seeing as how they shipped off alot of future assets to accommodate these trades.  Pacheco and Yakrevsky join their old Rush teammate @Spartakiller2 Guy Lambert, who is having quite a year for himself thus far. Through 28 games Lambert has 10 goals and 35 assists. The Hounds are solid from top to bottom and have a balanced attack. The defense has been great, and goaltender @Lspinelli Luke Spinelli is having a career year with a 23-2-0 record with a 1.99 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. If Spinelli continues to play like this, it would be hard to imagine many teams contending with the Hounds this season. Again, with the timely trades and the solid draft, I commend tcookie for doing a great job with his squad this season, way to go Trevor!

 

 

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Coming in at two is none other than the Sasky Bois! The Wild have come flying out of the gate this season and currently sit atop the Western Conference with a record of 22-5-2.  Saskatoon currently leads the entire league in scoring, having already amassed a whopping 130 goals. Even more incredibly, 30 of those goals have come at the hands of winger @124715 Duncan Montana. Not far behind him has been his linemate @HoneyBadger25 Griff Mackenzie who has 25 goals of his own! And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one of the major catalysts for the team's offense. Defenseman @Ahma David Tavau has been the ultimate dishmaster so far this season with a mind-boggling 46 assists already. If he keeps it up, he will be on pace for 100 assists this season!  Apart from scoring in heaps, the Wild have also done a great job of keeping the puck out of their own net so far this year. Up to this point they have only allowed 71 goals against which is the second best total in the league. While the defense should definitely get credit for shutting down the opposing offense, goaltender @BrutalBoost Andrew Bowman has looked stellar so far in the campaign. With an .898 save percentage, a sparkling 2.36 goals against average, and 3 shutouts already, Bowman looks poised to take the Wild deep into the playoffs!

 

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The Aces currently sit at 17-9-3 and have been red hot as of late, riding a five game win streak heading into this weekend. Vegas is one of four teams that have scored into the triple digits so far this year, but when you look at the scoring breakdown for the team, it's very odd. Leading the way is left winger @Wolverine Darryl McDagg who currently has enjoyed an amazing start to his season with 21 goals, 22 assists for 43 points. From there it gets a little wacky. Including McDagg, they have 5 total skaters with 30 or more points, which is great to have that kind of offense spread out amongst your team. The weird part is that the other four players are all defensemen. It's great to get offense for your blueline, but it's pretty odd that 4 d-men are in your top 5 for scoring. Newly acquired defensemen @Jakefufu Shaggy Tipton is among those who have chipped in on defense. He has himself 31 points but also sports a tidy plus-13 to boot. The Aces gave up a couple of high end draft picks to acquire the services of Tipton, so hopefully he can keep up the good work. Meanwhile, the Aces will need to get more from their forwards if they want to compete in the playoffs. Goaltender @Erik Morgan Karlsson has started in all 29 games and went 17-9-3 with a 2.69 GAA and an .890 save percentage.  If he can keep up his stellar play, the Aces will be a legit threat going forward.

 

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In the first installment of the S77 Power Rankings, I penned Miami in as the number one team in the VHLM. This time around they are down to the fourth position, but they still seem to be a strong club who could do some damage this season.  Miami sits in second in the Eastern Conference with a 15-11-2 record and have a 3 point cushion on Halifax. Right winger @LilHCorny Trevor Wallace leads the team with 17 goals thus far and has found real good chemistry with linemate @Shiny Alexander the Great.  Alex the Great has put up 41 points in total, which is best on the team, and has proven to be a solid playmaking center. The Marauders have been decent offensively, but could definitely use a little extra firepower from other players. @CptSquall Napoleon Bonaparte is a player to watch in that respect. Although he has a respectable 26 points through 28 games, he is a max capped player and has already produced at more than a point per game pace in his past, so there's definitely room for improvement. Defensively the Marauders have been very efficient, only allowing 79 goals against thus far which is second best in the league. The defensive core as a whole has been terrific. Czech checker @Bojovnik Jan Hlozek has chipped in 25 points and leads the team with 37 blocked shots, while Swedish blueliner @ThomasSysterJocke Jockesson has 22 points (all assists) and tops the team in hits with 53. Between the pipes @ClapbombsRus has started all games for Miami has sports an .872 save percentage with a 2.77 GAA. While these numbers are respectable, there is still some room for improvement. I predict Miami to float around second in the East for most of the remainder of the season, but Halifax will be right there every step of the way so they will need to stay vigilant. It will be interesting to see if management opts to add any pieces ahead of the trade deadline.

 

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Previously coming in at #10, the Bulls have moved up five spots to fifth. Their surge up the power rankings is largely thanks to their 18-9-2 record. While they have been winning games a great clip, I still don't believe the Bulls are built for success this season. With only six forwards and two defensemen, they are getting a lot from their meager roster. Center @Senjo1706 Bradley Senjo and winger @Willy Myers lead the way offensively with 56 and 50 points respectively. On the blueline @RicoTheTrapGod has posted a very impressive 38 points (16G, 22A) through 29 points. Their high-end players certainly have produced the way they had hoped, but they are just way too lean and lack the roster depth needed to compete with the stronger teams in the league. I think they would be better off selling their high end assets at the deadline and reloading for next season, but we will have to see how Bulls' management wants to play things. Goalie @enigmatic Aike van Giersbergen continues to develop nicely. He's started all games for Houston and has an .884 save percentage and a 3.03 GAA. Despite his strong development, his numbers may not improve since the Bulls only roster 2 defensemen and are forced to play bot defensemen who are a huge deficiency. If the Bulls were able to sign a couple of defensemen to plug up those holes, their team would be a lot better for it.

 

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While the Halifax 21st find themselves down a spot from where they were previously, it's only be the slimmest of margins and overall, I still think they have a great squad. They currently sit just above the .500 mark with a record of 13-12-3, which places them third in the Eastern Conference. The 21st feature four full lines of forwards ranging in skill and experience. Leading them statistically is American right winger @Tbeez99 Kyle Glass, who has 19 goals and 20 assists for 39 points. His 19 goals matches his total from last year in just 28 games, so there is no denying the fact he is having a massive breakout sophomore season. He's also chipped in 83 hits, making Halifax that much tougher to play against. Another sophomore to watch is winger @GlowyGoat Baldur Poulsen. Poulsen has averaged just under a point per game with 26 points (12G, 14A) through 28 games. While Halifax hasn't gotten a ton of scoring from their back end, defenseman @bluesfan55 has played very solid and leads the team with 95 hits and is a plus-1. Halifax has split duties between two goalies this season, but @williamirc Johnathan Bustard seems to have emerged as the teams starter. In 15 appearances so far, Bustard has posted a record of 8-6-1 with a tidy 2.61 GAA, an .897 save percentage and two shutouts to boot. The Warsaw prospect has played very well thus far. If the players on Halifax continue to develop throughout the season, I think they could be a major player come playoff time.

 

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For whatever reason, the Minnesota Storm haven't found what made them so dominant in Season 76. Their offense has struggled, and although there's been some bright spots, they find themselves in the bottom half of the league for goals scored so far this year. A good sign your offense may be underachieving is when two of your defensemen are in your top three for goals scored.  @VOID Stiles Markuss Puhovs currently leads the team in points with 37 (11 goals, 26 assists). While right winger @Grapes-Tophat_Clan- Grapes has performed admirably with 20 goals and 16 assists, the rest of the forward core has really come up short. I expected more from the likes of @2hawkCalvin Hobbes and @Patrik Tallinder Nils Tallinder, but for whatever reason they just can't seem to get any momentum this season. I think they have the pieces in place to be a great team, and I definitely wouldn't count them out yet. I could see Minnesota management making a trade to bolster their lineup before the trade deadline. In goal, @Flames1Fan Dexter Vaughn has faired so-so, but he will need to find another gear in order to help carry his team to success.

 

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In the previous edition of the Power Rankings, I had Yukon ranked dead last, but that was solely due to the fact they were without a goalie heading into the start of the season. Shortly after that article was posted, the Rush management were able to come to terms with free agent goalie @Tropicalfire Darcy Cat. Having Darcy Cat in net changes alot for Yukon, but at the end of the day the Rush are focused more towards next season than the current one. As previously mentioned, they dealt away two of their top forwards for draft picks and players that will be under contract for future seasons. That being said, they still have center @Jake Sumner The Great who is tied for the league lead in goals with 30, and fourth in league scoring with 54 points. So for now, the Rush still have a major offensive weapon. If they choose to move him before the deadline, the Rush will undoubtedly fall out of the Top 8 of the Power Rankings. For now they are still a pretty solid team and as far as "the war" is concerned with San Diego, the Rush are the better team. If they finished behind the Marlins it's purely because they moved out their assets to focus on a strong Season 78. For the time being though, young rookies like @Alex_J32 Alex Johnston and @JB123 Nathan Powers have gave Rush fans a reason to keep cheering and have been developing at a great rate!

 

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Down one spot, and notably one spot below the aforementioned Yukon Rush, we have the San Diego Marlins coming in at number nine! San Diego is a young squad brimming with potential and enthusiasm and they've already made leaps and bounds from last season. Thad has his squad working hard and developing and that's what the M is all about. Left winger @Mistxh J Nicholas Mariani has enjoyed a solid campaign thus far and leads the team with 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points. Meanwhile his teammate and also Assistant GM @Eldredman Aldwin Craig continues to bring the pain as he's already amassed 125 hits this season. On the blueline, Swedish defender @Gwdjohnson Arvid Johansson has been the Marlins best player, leading all d-men in points with 27. Additionally the Swede leads his entire team in blocked shots with 50. His development has been solid this season and he could get himself on the radars of some VHL executives if he continues working hard. In between the pipes netminder @Jericho Anime Protagonist continues to work on his game and is getting ample opportunity to show what he is made of. It will be fun to watch how Anime progresses through his San Diego story arc. NANI?

 

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Much like how Yukon was rated towards the bottom of the Power Rankings, Philly also found themselves on the bottom of the heap mostly due to the fact they were goalie-less heading into the start of the season. Since then they have picked up goaltender @Kuba-Fleury. That being said, they still have a ways to go , but they are certainly trending in the right direction. It should be interesting what they decide to do heading into the trade deadline as they have some moveable assets should they choose to defer to competing in next season. The Reapers have been active in waiver claims and have been able to scoop up a decent number of bodies to help round out their roster. Props to @KaleebtheMighty for his successful waiver recruitment design that certainly caught the eye of many.  On the ice there's not many surprises at @glass Kjell Nilsson continues his dominance of the M with 26 goals and 29 assists for 55 total points. Not far behind him is winger @caltroit_red_flames Genghis Khan who has 48 points of his own, including 25 goals, four of which are game winners.  @ColeMrtz Zeljko Ranogajec continues to show he is a high level playmaker as he already has 39 assists which is best on the team. On top of his assists, Ranogajec has also laid out 98 hits and blocked 53 shots. Philadelphia is currently 10-16-3 which is last in the Eastern Conference, but if they kept their team together or even added a player or two,  they could still make a run to make the playoffs.

 

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I admit, putting Ottawa as high as seven last Power Rankings was a blunder. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, and I thought maybe they could build off an okay foundation that they had started with. Many of the teams at the start of the season were around the same spot as Ottawa. The problem is Ottawa hasn't done anything to improve themselves. With just 8 players on their roster, they are still 13-15-0 which is is technically the seventh best record in the league. But do not be deceived. Their 66 goals scored is the lowest total in the league, and their minus-29 is the second worse in the league. At least the team in last place is clearly in tank mode. I'd take that over this Lynx squad that just seems dormant and lacking any direction at all. It's very disappointing as I was hoping the Lynx would finally turn the corner this season and start competing again, but alas, it was not meant to be. 

 

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And last, and absolutely least we have the Mexico City Kings who have went full tank mode. And to be honest, I respect it. New management come in and assessed things. It's time to blow up what's left and start fresh. The Kings are coming off three seasons of successful hockey, highlighted by a Founder's Cup win last season. No better time then now to start fresh. This is also a great example of what your team will look like without a player goalie.  2-29-0 and a goal differential of -109. Yikes, On the plus side, rookie players like @McKelvie Amze Miklavz and  @duckberg32 Watson Stonebridge have showed great promise and  will surely go high in next season's VHLM Dispersal Draft. Keep up the good work lads!

 

Well there you have it folks! Another edition of the Power Rankings in the books. Mississauga has clearly distanced themselves from the field and seem like the clear-cut favorite to be a cup contender right now. Saskatoon also has alot of great things going for them and should not be overlooked either. After that I'd say teams 3 through 10 all have a legitimate shot at being playoff bound. It's going to be truly fascinating to watch how the VHLM execs handle the new couple of weeks leading into the trade deadline. Who are the contenders and who are the pretenders? Thanks for reading and until next time, happy Easter, and stay safe out there!

[Zetterberg 863]

Great job @tcookie

[rory 1,943]

wrong sorry

[bluesfan55 103]

sleepin on the boats

[animal74 1,855]

Amazing Power Rankings @tcookie! Nice to see my two former teams in the Top 2 spots!

[tcookie 927]

14 hours ago, animal74 said:

Amazing Power Rankings @tcookie! Nice to see my two former teams in the Top 2 spots!

I appreciate the sentiment but this was written by @fromtheinside... its a great article though I do agree! haha

[animal74 1,855]

2 hours ago, tcookie said:

I appreciate the sentiment but this was written by @fromtheinside... its a great article though I do agree! haha

Oh, sorry! @fromtheinside Great stuff!

[fromtheinside 1,290]

22 hours ago, animal74 said:

Oh, sorry! @fromtheinside Great stuff!

No worries thanks!