VSN Presents: Under 250 - S77 VHLM Playoffs Preview

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Hey yo, what's poppin', VHL? We're back with another installment of the VHLM Report, also known as Under 250, where we cover everything VHLM. Before we get into it, make sure to check out some other fantastic VSN articles, graphics, and podcasts.

 

Around the VHL: Week of April 11th | VHLM Power Rankings #3 | Game 7 Stories 

 

 

S77 VHLM Playoffs Preview

 

 

                                       Wouldn’t you know it, it’s playoff time! Seems like the S77 drafts were not too long ago, but here we are. I do love me some playoff hockey, though, so let’s get into a little preview of what we have in store for us in the coming weeks!

 

                 On Friday, the VHLM playoff seedings were locked in with the end of the season. There was an astonishing 87 point difference between the first seed team, the Mississauga Hounds, and the twelfth seed, the Mexico City Kings (who now boast a sick new logo). There was little to no playoff race due to large gaps between the 4th and 5th seed in each conference, and it was easy to predict the postseason teams from even midway through the season. Although the leaders fluctuated, especially during the first twenty games or so, the franchises that established themselves as Founder’s Cup contenders did so swiftly.

 

 

Non-Playoff Teams

Ottawa Lynx, Philadelphia Reapers, Yukon Rush, Mexico City Kings

 

As previously emphasized, we knew pretty early which teams would be at the bottom of the standings by the end of the season. The Mexico City Kings, fresh off their S76 Founder’s Cup victory, suffered one mighty cup hangover. The vast majority of their players graduated to the big leagues, leaving them with a dearth of players and next to no draft selections since they went all in at the trade deadline, sacrificing as many futures as necessary to chase their championship goals. 

The Ottawa Lynx have been floating from the basement of the league to first round exits the last couple of seasons, and dlamb @dlamb will have a clean slate to make their mark on the franchise. Their pick supply is somewhat untouched, with a few extras in S79, and a few ‘clickers’ (users that routinely claim solely welfare and practice facility) that they took to the ice this season. 

The Yukon Rush are prepared to get down to business at the draft, with a plethora of picks and some key returning players. They are a great example of the contend-rebuild cycle adopted by many M GMs. Brand new GM Juice @Juice will have his first real opportunity to show the VHL world what he can do.

The Philadelphia Reapers still haven’t recovered from their astounding S75 playoff run which saw them emerge victorious. They did amass a shocking mountain of draft picks over the next two seasons, which should set them up very well for at least another few runs at the cup. With the resignation of legendary GM DMax @DMaximus, his successor will have their work cut out for them.

 

Series 1

Mississauga Hounds vs. Houston Bulls

 

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When the S74 Waiver Warrior Miami Marauders upset the massive juggernaut Halifax 21st in the first round a couple years ago, it proved the ruthlessness of Simon T and how it gives the nod to the underdog sometimes. This season’s edition of the Mississauga Hounds may not have quite as many points as that Halifax team, but their star power and depth are undeniable. The Bulls actually resemble the S74 Marauders….a few top tier guys, but for the most part filled with waiver signings. Personally, I wouldn’t think Mississauga will have a pleasant time going through the Bulls.

 

Prediction: Hounds in 6

 

Series 2

Saskatoon Wild vs. Las Vegas Aces

 

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The Saskatoon Wild are a bit of a puzzling case. They only have 4 players above 230 TPE, yet they dominated the VHLM this season. The simple answer? Ice time. Specifically, the ice time of Duncan Montana @124715, Griff Mackenzie @HoneyBadger25, and David Tavau @Ahma. Those 3 players are all under 215 TPE! But they all started out getting above 20 minutes of ice time, and their spotless builds kept feeding them points. Voila. 3 super scorers. The Wild are generally a team who are always in contention, very similar to their opponents, the Las Vegas Aces, who always seem to buy at the deadline yet come out with a reasonable number of picks. The Wild may have the clear advantage looking at regular season success alone, but I see two very alike squads here.

 

Prediction: Wild in 7

 

Series 3

Miami Marauders vs. San Diego Marlins

 

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With the Western Conference being much weaker than the East in general, the seedings are messed up and set the West teams up for disaster. However, they could still pull off upset after upset. In this case, the San Diego Marlins are coming off of a horrendous hangover season that GM thadthrasher @thadthrasher was able to turn around into a playoff bid. The Marlins have a team that is prepared to make a good run next season instead of this one, with a bunch of mid 100s TPE players. The Marauders, on the other hand, have been planning for this season for a long time. Their roster isn’t dominant, per se, but tinkering by Ricer @Ricer13 and recently InstantRockstar @InstantRockstar have made the Marauders into a powerhouse. The Marlins are good, but the South Beach boys are ready.

 

Prediction: Marauders in 5

 

Series 4

Minnesota Storm vs. Halifax 21st

 

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When I was lining up the seedings, I thought to myself that this series would be a hell of a lot of fun to watch progress. These teams are more or less equal, with Halifax maybe pulling ahead with some astute deadline deals. They have a pretty full roster, boasting more than a few 250 TPE players. The Storm, on the other hand, are extremely well balanced and look like they’ll be in the talk for a championship for the 3rd year in a row by this time next season. With both teams having different strengths and weaknesses, it will be a blast to see which one will go up against the highest seed in the second round.

 

Prediction: 21st in 7

 

That brings this season's VHLM Playoffs Preview to a close. Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more VSN content, and we'll see you next time.

[Mistxh J 186]

Sick article, was a really good read! Always looking forward to your stuff, but tbh i think you got the SDM wrong, Marlins in 7 baby!