VSN Presents: S77 VHLM Power Rankings #3

[fromtheinside 1,278]

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Welcome all to another installment of the VHLM Power Rankings! We are past the halfway point in our season and the trade deadline is just around the corner in under one week. The playoff picture is starting to become a bit clearer and it will be interesting to see if any teams decide to bolster their rosters heading into the postseason. While the Mississauga Hounds seem to be running away with first place this season, their is still lots of intriguing jockeying for position happening throughout the rest of the standings. It was also be interesting to see if the Houston Bulls can maintain their respectable record amidst a large scale public meltdown this past weekend when a player demanded a trade, followed by the subsequent stepping down of their AGM. This developing story will definitely be something to keep an eye on going forward. Will cooler heads prevail in Houston or was this just the first domino that leads to an entire collapse? Enough preamble, let's get into the meat and potatoes you all came for! 

 

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To absolutely no one's surprise, the Hounds are back in the number one spot for the second consecutive time! Through just 48 games, the Hounds have a sterling 44-4-0 record and with 88 points, they already have a 15 point lead over the next best team. It's clear the Hounds are primed for a major run at the Founder's Cup this season. From top to bottom, they have a roster that can compete with anyone. A key contributor to their success has been free agent signing @inflastud Angel Wachiure. After four moderately successful seasons spent in Las Vegas, Wachiure signed with the Hounds right before the start of this season. Wachiure always had potential to be a stud in the VHLM, and while performing reasonably well, he never truly broke through with an elite season. This year however, he has already amassed 58 points through 48 contests, including 30 goals which is two shy of his career best. Clearly he has found some chemistry with his new linemates in Mississauga and if he can keep up this pace, he could earn himself some hardware at the end of the season. But of course, all of that is secondary to the Founder's Cup, which is the most coveted piece of hardware to capture. Wachiure is one of many players on the Hounds who make them lethal night in and night out.

 

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At number two for the second consecutive installment of the Power Rankings is none other than the Saskatoon Wild. While they certainly are quite back to their for of Seasons 68 and 69, the Wild are strong and poised to make a major push in the playoffs. They've maintained their threshold over the Western Conference with a dominating 35-12-3 record. Besides the Hounds, they are the only team to have surpassed the 200 goal plateau so far this year. A ton of credit has to be given to @Doomsday and @a_Ferk for having such a great eye for talent and also doing such a nice job with talent development. @HoneyBadger25 Griff Mackenzie was a 5th round pick (57th overall) from the S76 VHLM Dispersal Draft. Two seasons later he is on the verge of being a 200+ TPE player and is just 4 goals shy of hitting 100 in his career with the Wild. Then you have @124715 Duncan Montana, the 29th overall pick of this past Dispersal Draft. After falling to the third round, he has developed at a terrific rate and will probably also break the 200 TPE threshold by season's end. Both these players have 40 goals and are torching defenses all around the league. When you are averaging over four goals a game, your team always has a good shot to win night in and night out, so watch out for the #SaskyBois down the stretch!

 

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From first, to fourth, and now in third, the Miami Marauders have bounced around a bit in the Power Rankings this season, but I think this is right around where they'll be for the remainder of the year. It could be hard to stay motivated for Miami as realistically, they won't be moving up or down in the Eastern Conference standings. Barring a sudden collapse from Mississauga, they won't overtake the Hounds, and they also have built a nice lead over the rest of the teams below them. They have been red hot as of late. Since the last edition of the Power Rankings, they have put up a 17-3-1 record which is among the best in the league during that timespan. Much like the Hounds did with Wachiure, the Marauders re-signed free agent @Mashy  Noah Mashford right before the start of this season. The VHLM journeyman had been on four different VHLM clubs throughout his career, but he undoubtedly found the most success last season when he played for the Marauders. Mashford made the decision to return to South Beach for another season and it sure has paid off for both parties. Just under the 250 TPE cap, Mashford has become a full developed player and is enjoying a monster season. He leads his team with 28 goals and currently has 54 points overall. With 23 games left in the campaign, he is just one goal shy of his career best. After this season he could be off to Riga to play for his VHL club, but until then he looks to push the Marauders back into playoff glory.

 

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After flip-flopping places with Miami, Las Vegas finds themselves in the four spot. The Aces are a consistently formidable opponent and have an above average roster this season, which is more than alot of clubs can claim. While I think they lack the high-end talent to compete with the likes of Mississauga or Saskatoon, I do think they could win a series or two in the playoffs. The catalyst for most of the offense for the Aces this season has been sophomore Canadian-born winger Darryl McDagg. After being nabbed by the Aces in the second round of the S76 VHLM Dispersal Draft, McDagg has finally started to settle in and find his game in his second year of service with the club. With 38 goals and 31 assists already, McDagg is on pace for a 101 point season. It would be a heck of an accomplishment to break the 100 point plateau. I think if the Aces were to find another winger or a high end center to play with McDagg, the sky would totally be the limit and it could probably make Vegas more of a contender.  The Aces defense continues to provide offense, which is terrific, but I think some help up front is warranted. Will the Aces go all in for this season, or play it safe and keep some assets for next year too?

 

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I hesitatingly put Houston back into the fifth spot of the Power Rankings after a whirlwind of controversy surrounded the team this weekend after @RicoTheTrapGod Germano Henchoz came out and was vocally critical of his team. Citing a dead locker room and lack of communication from his peers, he demanded a trade. There's a lot to digest here, and the VHL community certainly was in an uproar over this one. It's never good to hear that a team LR is trending on the inactive side. Honoring the trade demands, the Bulls sent Henchoz to the Halifax 21st in exchange for defensemen @Wally Donne Taliferro and a fourth-round pick in the upcoming draft this offseason. Unfortunately for the Bulls, they only have one other defenseman on their roster, and eventually that is going to be problematic for them. While @Willy Myers has torn up the VHLM this season with 39 goals and 44 assists, he is less than a week away from going inactive, so hopefully Willy can get some work in this week to stay on the roster. It would be a major blow to Houston's playoff aspirations if they were to lose their leading scorer.

 

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The #BoatGang is back again holding down the number six spot, and they are slowly inching their way towards moving up higher in the future. While they've had middling results lately, I do think they are trending in the right direction, especially with the aforementioned acquisition of defenseman Germano Henchoz. Henchoz alongside blueliner @bluesfan55 Hadrian makes for one of the best 1-2 punches in the league on defense. Up front, highly skilled American winger @Tbeez99 Kyle Glass  leads his team offensively with 26 goals and 32 assists for 58 points. Not only has he been putting up points, but he also has added 148 hits. Having a player with this kind of versatility definitely helps your team compete, and Glass will need to keep it up for Halifax to a threat in the playoffs. For Glass it will be his last chance to compete for the Founder's Cup, as he will be off to Moscow next season to begin his pro career.  GM Rory has done a great job of taking control of this team and turning it around quickly, it should be interesting to see if he makes any more moves before the deadline on Monday. 

 

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Every time I look at the Storm roster, as find myself wondering how they are only a team that's hovering around .500 on the season. They find themselves back in the seventh spot for the second time in a row after being touted as one of the top teams in the original Power Rankings for Season 77. It's mind boggling to me that they aren't finding more success, as they have high TPE players across the board. After the draft, it seemed to me like GM Rayzor had put his team in a good spot to compete this season. I know players like @stevo Ron World Peace III are hoping the team can get hot down the stretch in time for the playoffs.  Peace III has been with the team since Season 75, back when the Storm was more like a light drizzle. In a forgettable down year, Peace III was a rookie and was one of the lone bright spots on the squad, putting up a respectable 54 points. The German defender has been with the team  for three seasons now, and he has already matched his 18-goal mark from his rookie season. Not only is he providing offense for his club from the blueline, but he's also bringing the pain on a nightly basis. Through 49 games he has 160 hits and 111 PIMs. Minnesota is another team that could potentially add via trade heading into the deadline next week, so keep an eye out for them to perhaps make a move.

 

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Up one spot from our last installment, and coming in at the eight spot is the San Diego Marlins. The Marlins continue to show steady growth and over the course of the year they've become a formidable opponent to play against. If they playoffs started today they would be the seventh seed and face off against Saskatoon. The 5-7 seeds are only separated by four points, so there is still lots of room to move up or down. If they could get into the sixth seed or higher, I could definitely see this team pulling off an upset in the playoffs. There has been a ton of players developing at a great rate for San Diego. One player who is worth noting is @KC15 Luc Tessier. After taking Loch Ness Monster first overall in the Season 77 VHLM Dispersal Draft, the Marlins were back on the clock at pick 11, and they took the lanky French center with their second pick of the first round. There sure hasn't been any buyer's remorse, as Tessier has developed at a fantastic rate, already approaching the 200 TPE mark. Additionally, he has managed to put up 20 goals and 25 assists in his rookie season already! With Tessier, and many other players on the Marlins who work as hard as he does, the Marlins continue to be a team to keep your eye on going forward.

 

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Unsurprisingly, down one to the ninth spot is the Yukon Rush. This should come as no surprise as Yukon has made some trades focusing on their future, rather than competing this season. While they still have a couple of reliable high-end assets such as @Jake Sumner The Great, their young roster is starting to show its weaknesses and the standings are an indication of that. While the Rush don't seem destined to make a push for the playoffs this season, there are still some positives to draw from. Rookie @Alex_J32 Alex Johnston is quietly making a name for himself  and surely will be a top target in the upcoming Dispersal Draft this summer.  Meanwhile, winger @hockeyis66 Jaromir Lemieux and defenseman @JB123 Nathan Powers both look to be great draft picks and will undoubtedly be key pieces to the Rush going forward into Season 78. You can be sure that Yukon management will be working the phones heading into the trade deadline to try and sell off any rental players they can in order to prepare for their promising future.

 

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Coming back in at number 10 is the Philadelphia Reapers. After stumbling out of the gate this season, the Reapers have at least stabilized themselves somewhat. Much like Yukon, and the other teams in the bottom four, the Reapers will be focused on rebuilding their team for the future. It may be tough, as they don't have a ton of players returning to the fold next season, however they do have three second round picks along with their first rounder as well. Additionally, they still have the league's leading scorer @glass Kjell Nilsson. As noted early throughout this article, there are some teams in dire need of some supplemental offense. Nilsson will provide that, and then some. If they manage to get some more assets before the deadline, they could put themselves in a much better place heading into Season 78, but they will still need to do their homerun and hit on their draft picks.

 

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Well well well, look who got themselves a goaltender. And just like that the Kings are rising through the VHLM Power Rankings! While they are up one spot this week, make no mistake, it's rebuild season in Mexico, but that's okay! Since the acquisition of goaltender @ThatsGreissy Bastian Greiss, the Kings have gone 7-10-2, and clearly have shown they are much more competent then their record indicates. Unfortunately, it's going to be too little, too late, as the roster still has glaring deficiencies. Rookie defenseman @v.2 Tui Sova continues to impress fans and front office executives alike, as his development has been nothing short of amazing. He seems poised to be a high-end draftee in both the VHL and VHLM drafts this offseason. Slovenian winger @McKelvie Anze Miklavz has also shown a ton of growth and isn't far behind Sova. 

 

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And finally we have the barren wasteland that is the Ottawa Lynx. From going to having multiple defensemen, to having none at all, the Lynx are going in the wrong direction yet again. While it can be hard to keep your team engaged and interested at times, seeing multiple players drop off a team to inactivity is never a good sign and at some point you have to wonder if there's a lack of management or leadership in Ottawa. There are currently six players on their roster, two of which are technically inactive and should be dropped, which would bring them down to four players. It's sad state of affairs, and what's worse is I have barely seen any attempts to even sign players over the past couple of weeks. I feel bad for the players that are there and still grinding away. They deserve better.

 

Well folks that's another Power Rankings in the books. Thanks for reading. Agree with the rankings? Disagree? Do you feel I did the #BOATGANG dirty again? Discuss below, I'd love to hear what everyone thinks. Until next time, stay safe out there and take care!

Edited May 19, 2021 by fromtheinside

[Ledge 1,131]

 

What a pleasant surprise

 

Great article