Riggsy's Articles

[Riggsy 72]

Edition 41-

 

We, here at VHLM Mag will be discussing the top 3 left wingers in this next draft class. The left wingers in this draft class have no top end talent and not enough depth as well, but there are some names that would fit in great on the 2nd line the VHL, if they do develop properly.

 

1. Christopher Klose

Christopher is the best left winger in this draft class, but that's not really saying much, as no one in this position will match up well with other forwards or even most defensemen. Klose, however, is a very strong skater, it is easily his strongest suit, but he doesn't have many of those strong suits. He is not responsible defensively and tends to float a lot if he is the one that causes the turnover, usually hanging around until his team regains possession. Chris doesn't check often, or even fight, but his discipline still remains low. Chris needs to work on his upper body strength, but his lower body strength for a hockey player is good, but may need some more work. Chris's puck handling seems to be getting better and better each time the scouts eye him out on the ice. Klose's pass could be worked on, but it doesn't need to be. Chris's shot is average, but if he continues to work on it, it could be a lethal weapon for his team to use for secondary scoring in the VHL.

 

2. Rami Jakobssen

Rami Jakobssen is a close second to Klose in the left wingers department. Like Klose, he is a strong skater, although not better, he has a strong, smooth stride. His pass is also much more worked on than Klose's and with a touch, it could be a great pass. However, that is where the positives end. Rami at 6'0 is not a huge body, hence why he does not hit guys very often, or fight as much as tough guys would. His strength is also a lacking part of his game, but his skating is strong, and he is the more skilled guys on his team, so that can be passed on. His puck handling for a playmaker needs a lot of work. He may have a great pass, but without better puck handling, he may not be able to get it off in time. His shot, if he ever does shoot, is not the best, actually, it's below average. It'll need work to be a scorer at the VHL level. His defense is also not the greatest, as like Klose, he is not defensively responsible and does not understand his defensive assignments well.

 

3. Superbman

What a name, on the list just for the name. Superbman's checking could use work, along with his fighting skill and strength. His skating looks worse because of his lack of strength, he has the technique, but not the talent. His puck handling isn't the greatest, but his pass is superb, and the best pass from the Top 3. His shot is just as good as Rami's, which isn't very good. Superbman is the first one of them that is defensively responsible however. His defense still may need some work, but it's good enough for the VHLM level.

 

Honourable Mention: Marcus Hurley

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5) Minot Gladiators

 

The Gladiators from Minot led by GM Zach Gagnon have not finished very high in the standings having only 25 points in the season so far. With goaltender TotallyNotA Bear posting 11 wins, 17 losses, and 3 overtime losses. With a 0.883 Save percentage and a 4.10 GAA, Bear may be the weak link of the team. Offensively, the team is led by Matt Reilly who posted 19 goals and 39 assists for 58 points. With Ashton Galbraith posting 46 points and Marcus Hurley chipping in with 41 points. Despite these efforts, the Gladiators remain at the bottom of the conference with no chance at playoffs. 

 

4) Yukon Rush

 

The Rush led by GM Austin Gow are just 5 points away from a playoff spot and you can tell that the players are playing for the coach despite there not being much talent on the team. The star of the team, Vincenzo Valentini posting a 50 goal season already and 24 assists to go with that for 74 points. Jihoon Park pitched in with 47 points and Eti Yoman, Shadu Rathod and Alexander Adams getting low to high numbers in the 30's for points. Goaltender, Santeri Heikelä posted 17 wins, 9 losses and 6 overtime losses posting a 0.874 save percentage and a 5.07 GAA with no shutouts. Goaltending needs to improve as well as team defense if they want to be competitive in the playoffs.

 

3) Ottawa Lynx

 

The Lynx led by GM Jim Gow place 3rd in the conference standings with 45 points and 21 wins 5 losses and 3 overtime losses record. With plenty of stars on the team, the team should be atop the standings. O'Malley posting 37 goals and 39 assists for 76 points. Erikson posting 24 goals and 48 assists for 72 points. And James Faraday getting in the 50's for points with 22 goals and 28 assists. It has depth scoring as well with Dazzle, Thomassen, and Poole all scoring above 40 points. Goaltender Soren Douffet posted 21 wins, 5 losses and 3 overtime losses for a 0.851 save percentage and a 3.35 GAA with no shuouts. The team has potential to go higher up in the standings and will do so, having won 7 of their last 8 games and they're on a roll.

 

2) Brampton Blades

 

The Blades led by GM Terence Fong have been battling with the WIld for the top spot in the Conference and in the league. The Blades posting 26 wins and 4 losses for a total of 52 points have been amazing so far this season. Led by Tyrone Williams with 44 goals and 34 assists for 78 points and trade acquisition Lukas Nykvist for 33 goals and 44 assists for 77 points, 64 of those points in a Blades' jersey. The depth is also there, with both the Backenbauer brothers scoring over 60 points, and Leskonnen and Cook scoring over 40 points. Goaltender Ikier Manushez has also been solid ith 21 wins, and 7 losses on the seasn with a 0.895 Save Percentage and a 3.70 GAA. Manushez was acquired by Brampton in a trade earlier this season with Nykvist coming along as well. 

 

1) Saskatoon Wild

 

The Wild led by GM Brett Slobodzian have been the best team in the league this season with 54 points in the season. Not a lot of super studs up front but plenty of depth with stars. With Richardson scoring 63 points and Salvador with 54 points. Rubin, Svensson and Jakobssen also all scored over 30 points in the season. The main reason for why they've been so good is because of their goaltender, Gunnar Skovsgard who posted 27 wins and only 3 losses so far with a 0.909 Save Percentage and a 2.45 GAA and 1 shutout. If he keeps this up, and Richardson keeps his scoring up, they'll be atop the league for a long time to come.

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Power Rankings for European Conference

 

5) Bratislava Watchmen

 

The Bratislava Watchmen led by GM Seth Plaut are the worst team in the entire VHLM with only 3 wins in 33 games, they've earned an "outstanding" amount of 8 points this season and are currently on a 6 game losing skid. Although, they are the worst team in the league, there are a few bright spots as King Czar III leads the league in shots blocked and minutes played and is very reliable defensively. Offensively, they are "led" by Leo Dalton who is almost a point a game player with 32 points in 33 games, with Matt Gilbert and Andersson both scoring in the mid 20's for the season. They will look to improve as the season goes on.

 

4) Turku Outlaws

 

The Turku Outlaws led by GM Sergey Brovalenko are just out of the playoff spot and are far ahead Bratislava. They have 11 wins, 17 losses and 1 overtime loss on the season for 23 points and are just 2 points out of the playoffs with 2 games in hand on the Storm. The Outlaws are led by Magnus Hertzberg who has 28 goals and 19 assists for 47 points on the season. Antoine Sauve, acquired early in the season has 42 points, 36 of those coming in an Outlaws' jersey. Bo Reinhart the rookie also has 37 points. Goaltender Matti Auvinen hosts a 0.878 Save Percentage and an outrageous 4.67 GAA and also has a 9-13-1 record on the year.

 

3) Oslo Storm

 

The Oslo Storm led by GM Don Draper are in a playoff spot with the last seed in the European Conference. They have 11 wins, 17 losses and 3 overtime losses on the season for 25 points and are just in a playoff spot, but also tied for 2nd in the Conference. Guy Lukovski has 25 goals and 24 assists for 49 points on the season. Christopher Klose is really close to Guy in the points race, just one point away as he garnered 20 goals and 28 assists for 48 points. Lloyd Light also chips in usually with 43 points on the season. Goaltender Lebron King Gonzalez hosts a 0.866 Save Percentage and a 5.20 GAA on the season.

 

2) Bern Royals

 

The Bern Royals led by GM Alex Staal are 2nd in the European Conference with 12 wins, 17 losses and 1 overtime loss for 25 points on the season and are looking to close in on 1st seeded Moscow Red Wolves. Devin Sundberg leads the team in points with 31 goals and 41 assists for 72 points on the season. Earl Parker is not far behind with 19 goals and 42 assists for 61 points, and Sam Keeler in 3rd with 26 goals and 43 points. The Royals played 2 goalies this season with Ondrej Cajanek who posted a 0.867 Save Percentage and a 4.78 GAA. Vladimir Bodnar also had a few starts with a 0.907 Save Percentage and a 4.01 GAA.

 

1) Moscow Red Wolves

 

The Moscow Red Wolves led by GM Bruce Wayne are the best team in the European Conference but would be average in the North Ameican Conference. The Red Wolves had 14 wins, 13 losses and 4 overtime losses with 32 points on the season and have the best Goal Differential in the conference but still in the negatives with a -1 Differential. The recently acquired Mike McGrattan has 30 goals and 33 assists for 63 points, but only 3 point with a Red Wolves' jersey in 11 games and has been a bit of a disappointment. Kai Randal also has 20 goals and 59 points on the season, but only 8 points with Moscow as he was also acquired from Yukon. The Red Wolves will be the best team in the Conference for a long time to come if they can keep this up.

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Edition 45

 

VHLM Rumors

 

The VHLM market has experienced a sudden "crash", we asked a few GMs what was going on with the trades. Almost all of them agreed that it was because of everybody trying to "sell" but no one would be willing to buy anything. 

 

The Moscow Red Wolves were reported to be phoning every team in the league trying to sell their own team, basically throwing away the season for entry draft picks in the next season. It was reported by "Ryan Rishaug Moscow TSN" that everyone on the Red Wolves was available to trade except for super star potential player, Percy Miller, who GM Bruce Wayne thinks very highly of Percy. Percy is a superstar potential, but players who are reported to be available include Tyler Cote who would take a lot to acquire, but also cheaper options in Danny Schneider, Griffon Simons, and Mike McGrattan are just some names that were mentioned by my sources who are very unlikely to be accurate.

 

The Turku Outlaws were reported to be trying very, very hard on the market to try and trade Kez Kincaid, who would likely be called up to his VHL team after this season. GM Sergey Brovalenko has been trying to get picks in the upcoming Entry Draft for Kincaid, the scoring winger. The Moscow Red Wolves are initial targets for them, but Brovalenko cannot strike up a deal. Other names Brovalenko has put up for trade are Alistar Graves and Ryan Cattrall, rookies who are new to the team but actually agreed to being traded for S41 Entry Draft picks. 

 

The Yukon Rush team were reported to trade away Vincenzo Valentini, the hot winger who has recently posted 9 goals in just 3 games and is seemingly getting even hotter as the season progresses. In the past season, Valentini is proven and has gotten 53 goals and 42 assists in the regular season. He was a free agent signing by the Rush, but for some reason, he may not have worked out as he has reportedly been moved down to the second line and has been mentioned in trade talks all year long according to my sources. GM Austin Gow has been selling him hard, but other GMs are waiting to drive down the price as Gow has not yet traded him, although pushing him very hard in the trade blocks.

 

These are just some names that have been in the rumor mill, but the thing is, we most likely will not see a trade due to the market being very "shitty" one GM said. Each team looking to sell and not buy could be very good for contending teams, but it may seem like there are not many of those around, most of the teams in the VHLM are either set in stone, or are looking to pick up "shiny" new picks in return for "rusty" old players. If your team was contending, a market like this would be very beneficial, but if not, it could be very frustrating.