VSN Presents: S78 VHLM Power Rankings #1

[fromtheinside 1,290]

 

Welcome back for another season of the VHLM Power Rankings, brought to you by your good friends at Victory Sports News! Today marks the first day of the new season and there's a ton of excitement in the air as we prepare to kick off our 78th season of VHLM hockey. As noted in our VHLM Playoffs Review, the Miami Marauders pulled off another Founder's Cup stunner and upset the Mississauga Hounds in a four game sweep of the finals. The Hounds were the perennial favourites to go the distance all season, but in true Miami fashion, the Marauders came out of nowhere to stun the entire league, and the hockey gods denied the Hounds of the title. After a lengthy offseason, we held our VHLM Dispersal Draft this past Sunday night. In traditional VHLM fashion, new teams have emerged as contenders for this season while others are back to the drawing board and starting to rebuild from the ground-up again. With all that in mind, let's get right down to business. I present to you, the first edition of the S78 VHLM Power Rankings!

 

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To put things into perspective a bit, the last time the Marlins found themselves in the upper echelon of the Power Rankings was all the way back in Season 75 when they had a season where they went all-in. Two long seasons have passed, and GM @thadthrasher has endured some hard times, but heading into Season 78, this could finally be the Marlins time to shine. Thad picked up the pieces of a franchise that had next to no assets and slowly and methodically planned his rebuild. The Marlins went from a crawl to a limp, and then from a limp to a walk. Now in Season 78, the Marlins will be in full sprint. Building off of a fantastic Season 77 that saw San Diego breakthrough with their young core and make the playoffs, the Marlins have bolstered their lineup even further heading into this season. San Diego owned the seventh pick in the draft on Sunday, and when it was time for them to draft, they announced a blockbuster trade. They opted to ship off their seventh overall pick, as well as their first and third round picks in next season's draft off to Miami in exchange for defenseman @Deee.Geee Damien Salducci and forward @MrShark Declan Wolf. Both these players just celebrated winning the Founder's Cup just last season, so bringing in two high-end TPE players with playoff experience is a massive boost to a team that was already looking dangerous. The Marlins will also be welcoming back top Prague prospect @Mistxh J Nicholas Mariani, as well as the reigning Matt Bentz Trophy winner @Eldredman Aldwin Craig. They are also solid in between the pipes this season as they acquired top-tier goaltender @Erik Morgan Karlsson in the offseason in a trade with Las Vegas. To summarize, the Marlins are elite in all areas of the ice this season, and look to be a major threat to any teams vying to contend for the Founder's Cup. 

 

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Coming in at number two, we have the Minnesota Storm who are in a very peculiar spot at the moment. At the start of the offseason a vacancy opened up in VHL management. Longtime VHLM General Manager @Rayzor_7 was given the nod to become the new GM of the Helsinki Titans. It was also announced that he would be bringing his Assistant GM @Mr_Hatter along with him in his new venture. First off, congrats to them, as both these users have been long time pillars in our community and are deserving of the promotion. With that being said though, there is now a vacancy in Minnesota that is yet to be filled. For the meantime, Rayz is pulling double duty, but when the position does in fact get filled, the new management will be coming into a great situation. The storm are coming off the heels of a disappointing first round exit at the hands of the Halifax 21st. While it surely wasn't the outcome the Storm had planned for, they still are in great shape as they brought back a number of returning players. The G+G connection of @Garrett Gary Tarantino II and @Garsh Henri le Massif are back together once again and will look to lead the way up front for the Storm. Meanwhile @stevo Ron World Peace III is back for his fourth season with Minnesota and will look to anchor their blueline. In addition, the Storm drafted @ROOKIE745 Jonathan Ori with the ninth overall pick in the draft. This could be a player to watch going forward and I could see him being the team's first line center sooner rather than later! Returning to the crease this season is controversial goaltender @Flames1Fan Dexter Vaughn. Being nearly at the maximum TPE cap, this will be the final season for alot of the Minnesota mainstays, so if they want to compete, this is the year for them to do it. On paper they can hang with the best of the best, but that's why we play the games!

 

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Taking the third spot to start the season are none other than the Philadelphia Reapers who are coming off a down year in Season 77. With Reaper alumni @glass Kjell Nilsson retired, it is a new chapter in the city of Brotherly Love. The Reapers hired @Alex_J32 to be the team's new Assistant General Manager, while @KaleebtheMighty was promoted to full-time GM. Things seemed to get off to a strong start in the offseason when the Reapers won the draft lottery. To nobody's surprise, they took their own AGM, Alex Johnston with their 1st overall pick. Johnston is a product of Yukon from last season and looked to be poised to have a dominant year in the M before moving up to Calgary for Season 79. Johnston will join carryovers @caltroit_red_flames Genghis Khan and @ColeMrtz Zeljko Ranogajec to form a very steady core for Philly. The area of interest to me however, seems to be in net as we have a developing story right at the time of writing this piece. In the second round of the draft, the Reapers selected @Spaz Tobias Reinhart and it appeared like they had locked up their goaltender for the season. Reinhart was one of the best goalies available in the draft and it seemed like slam dunk pick. Merely an hour or so ago, we have word that the Reapers have come to terms on a one year contract with goaltender @Lspinelli Luke Spinelli, the reigning Benoit Devereux trophy winner. Acquiring a near-max TPE goalie right before the puck drop on the opening season creates many questions. Could this be a platoon-type situation where the goalies were share time? Or perhaps this will give the Reapers a trade asset if they were to look for an upgrade at another position? Regardless it is a major signing and this move alone was enough for me to elevate Philly into the third spot of this installment of the Power Rankings.

 

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Yukon is coming off the heels of a strange season in Season 77. While they had a team that could definitely make the playoffs, they didn't really have enough balance in their roster to make a real run for a championship. Identifying that fairly early in the year, Yukon made a series of deals to prepare themselves for this upcoming season. On two different occasions last year the Rush opted to trade away a Top 3 scorer in the league for picks. Yukon had a busy offseason and has overhauled their roster significantly. Before the draft they dealt a package of picks to Mississauga for highly touted defenseman @diamond_ace  Tynan Sylvester.  The draft lottery then happened and confirmed that Yukon would pick third in the draft. With that pick the Rush wasted no time in drafting the explosive winger @Zetterberg Tyler Reinhart. The Rush weren't done there though as they had a second pick in the first round at 12. Instead of waiting for pick 12 though, they traded up in order to get the very next pick in the draft. With that selection, they took @Beketov Papa Emeritus, the ice cold Swedish goalie who will send shivers down your spine! The Rush went on to make six total picks in the Dispersal Draft. They weren't done there though. Right at midnight when waivers opened, they announced the signing of Tyler Reinhart's brother, @MexicanCow123 Jerome Reinhart. Jerome will look to play on the same line as his older brother and the two should bring some natural chemistry to Yukon. Still not content, the Rush pursued more players. After lengthy negotiations, Yukon came to terms with rookie @jRuutu Erlantz Jokinen, a feisty Finnish blueliner that will bolster the team's defense. Finally, the last move of their relentless team facelift came last night when they brought back @Pythonic Gaspar Yakrevsky, an ex-Rush player who spent a season and half in Yukon previously. He is back for a shot at the Founder's Cup and the management was over the moon to have him back on the squad.  All these players are joining an already strong core of players with the likes of @JB123 Nathan Powers and @hockeyis66 Jaromir Lemeiux. These ghastly ghouls might shock you this season, so be on the lookout for them!

 

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The Bulls start off their season in the same spot they were at the end of last season's Power Rankings- in the fifth spot. Houston brought in @Mistxh J as the new acting Assistant General Manager late during last season, and he wasted no time in making his mark on the team. Just a few days before the draft, Houston traded down from the 2nd overall pick down to 8th. They were able to add some future draft stock. plus they still owned the 5th pick in the draft as well. With their two picks in the first round, they selected  right-winger @McKelvie Anze Miklavz and one of the top defenseman in the draft, @NerdyCowz Milk Jugs. These two players perfectly addressed the needs Houston had coming into Season 78. Miklavz should compliment returnees @AnthonyOuellet Cody Lachance and @Ryan Li nicely on the top line. Meanwhile, in goal the Bulls have perhaps the best tender in the league this season as @enigmatic Aike van Giersbergen has returned for one more season as he looks to refine his skills for just a little longer before heading up to the VHL and joining the Vancouver Wolves. With a steady core of players in place, the Bulls should most definitely compete for a playoff spot this season, and it will be interesting to see if they make any additions via trade to load up for a Cup run. 

 

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Halifax enjoyed a little taste of playoff success last season when they knocked out the Minnesota Storm in an exciting six game series. While they were outmatched against the Mississauga Hounds in the Semi-Finals, they still could hang their heads high for getting as far as they did. Many of the key players from last years team are back again for this season. Among them are a trio of high-TPE wingers that the 21st will rely heavily on for offense this season. @tylerwest Tyler Steel could see a boost in production this season as he should get more opportunities and better deployment for offensive chances. He finished last year with 40 points and I think if things go his way, he could double that total easily. I also expect @MikkoKoskinensMistress Kikko Moskinen and @GlowyGoat Baldur Paulsen to enjoy solid seasons as well as they will lead the young crop of up-and-comers around them. Back on the blueline, VHLM veteran Roger Jone will be the leader defensively. He will take in @Lefty_S Mr. Duk and @Lilith_Lunar under his wing and help them develop into a deep and reliable defensive core. In goal, the 21st have @williamirc Johnathan Bustard back in the saddle for another season. Interestingly, they also signed big-time recreate @Emi Emiko Spector as well, so they have a dual threat in net. I wonder if perhaps one of the goalies are traded in time or if they stick with both for the whole season. Regardless, Halifax boasts decent depth across the board that many other teams simply can't match. I can see them returning to the postseason again this year, and who knows, maybe they could make a run at the Founder's Cup!

 

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Let me start off by saying how amazed I am that Ottawa is in the Top 8. At the end of last season, the Ottawa Lynx finally hit rock bottom. With two active players on their entire roster, the decision was finally made to find new management for this franchise. @dlamb was chosen to be the heir to the flaming shitpile that was the Lynx, and he quickly sought out the services of @JB123 to be his Assistant GM. What those two have accomplished in just a couple short weeks has been amazing. On draft night the management team furiously worked the phones trading up and down the board all over the place as they scratched and clawed to get every ounce of value they could get out of their assets. With a solid draft and a refreshed presence on the waiver wire, Ottawa looks to be back in the game in Season 78.  While they have some holes in their roster, they've made some incredible leaps and bounds to get to this point. They will be led be their Russian center @qripll Bogdan Trunov. In his rookie season with San Diego, he only saw limited playing time but I think in an expanded role with a new team, Trunov could be in for a massive season. They were able to nab @Shane Laz Shane Lazeski with their first pick of the draft, and the highly coveted right-winger should slot in nicely on the team's top line. On defense, third year player @PandaBearD25 Kirby Pandora will anchor the Lynx defense alongside @Edustava Julia Waffles. These two are highly capable defenders, but the Lynx will need to remain vigilant in signing more players so they can give some support to their blueline. In goal @BostonBruinsFan1806 Jacob Rask will have full reigns as he is the teams lone goalie. If Rask stays committed and develops himself into a reliable player, the Lynx have a shot a being a competitive team this year. A lot does ride on Rask though. With a thin blue line already, he will have to come up big.

 

 

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Coming in at number eight is none other than the defending Founder's Cup champs, the Miami Marauders. After a long summer of partying and celebration, it should be interesting how Miami performs in Season 78. Marauders fans might need their programs this season though, as a ton of the former roster was shipped out in the offseason in order to reset and prepare for their next title run down the road. I think that Miami did a great job in both stocking up on future draft assets, while still maintaining a competitive roster for this season. Up front, @Jurell Yurki Delving Mackey will  be leaned on for alot of the team's offense. The European winger is a veteran of the VHLM and the past two seasons has been around 60 points each year, so hopefully along with first round pick @JetsFan81 Mikey Markov, the two can find some chemistry . Like Ottawa, the Marauders don't quite have a full defensive unit quite yet, but the players they do have are solid. Back for his third season in Miami is @Noxalpha Vasiliy Grigorev, and the Russian defenseman could be in store for a big year. He is right up against the TPE cap and he will get a ton of minutes to boot. Meanwhile, there is a position battle in the crease for starting goaltender. The Marauders drafted @InfraRedlate in the draft, but early on in waivers this week they managed to land God's great gift to the VHL, 97 TPE goalie @oilmandan Em Em Flex! The two will duke it out for the starting gig, but both will need to improve their games to avoid being shelled.

 

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Well... it was a sudden end to a magnificent regular season for the Wild. After running away with the best record in the Western Conference last season, they suddenly met their swift demise with a five game defeat by the hands of the Las Vegas Aces. This was a tough pill to swallow for Saskatoon, but on the bright side they quietly still have a formidable team. This is one of the teams I could easily see rising through this list over time, but for now they are at number nine. @HoneyBadger25 Griff Mackenzie is back for another season and is touted to be one of the top centers in the league this season. Alongside him on the first line will be another returnee, @124715 Duncan Montana aka my boy "numbers". These two will provide a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of the Wild lineup, but after the first line there isn't much depth. One thing I will say about Saskatoon though, is that they know how to develop players. They have 5 prospects under 100 TPE this season, but I wouldn't be shocked if a couple of them blossom into steady players sooner rather than later. I really like what they did with their first round pick this season. Going out and drafting @Vkobe-v Leroy Johnson to be their starting goaltender was a great choice at pick 11, and he should fit in nicely as the franchise says goodbye to Andrew Bowman. The Wild are a tough team, and you should never count them out, but they will be in tough when they are matched up against some of the stronger teams in the West this season.

 

 

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The rebuild continues in Mexico City this season, but it's easy to see that things continue to trend in the right direction. While the Kings didn't make a ton of noise at the draft, I really liked the picks they did make. Taking @ThatsGreissy Bastian Greiss at number six was a great pick, as he already is looking to surpass the 200 TPE threshold. They will need a good goalie though as they currently are only rostering one defenseman. While defense is clearly a work in progress, Mexico took @Darth Kaprizov early in the second round and they will depend on him to lead the team's first line on offense. Along with @duckberg32 Watson Stonebridge, who they drafted in the third round, these two will be doing a lot of the heavy lifting this season. Depending on their development, they could both be back next season just under the TPE cap. This would give them a respectable duo for the next two seasons, and Kings fans should be hyped for that! For this year it will be another down year though, but I fully expect Mexico City to be back in playoff form by Season 79.

 

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From the penthouse to the dog house. It's been quite a fall from grace for the Mississauga Hounds in the past month or so. They went into the playoffs as heavy favourites to capture the Founder's Cup last season and then all of sudden they got Miami'd. Not only did they lose in the finals, but they got swept. It certainly wasn't the outcome many were expecting to say the least. For Mississauga management it was back to the drawing board to plan their next best course of action. It's pretty crazy to see the team go from eight active defensemen to zero in the blink of an eye, but here we are and that's a big part of how the Hounds are number 11 on the list. Winger @Anomalijs Miks Sunish returns from last years team and finds himself surrounded by a very new group of players. While they do boast a bit of offensive depth, their lack of any defense and their lower-end TPE goalies just doe not bode well for their immediate future. It's quite clear the tank is on for this season, but I imagine they will try to bounce back for a playoff run as early as next year.

 

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Coming in at the bottom of the barrel are the Las Vegas Aces. I can't remember a time since joining this league that the Aces have been in such bad shape. Much like the Hounds, the Aces have nobody on their blueline and are in dire shape. I put the Aces below Mississauga because I feel they made a series of bad decisions that really set their team back leaps and bounds. I'm sure Papa Spartan is looking at this mess and cringing to himself quietly. Shame on you Jiggs! It will be a long back to prominence for Las Vegas, and they aren't even loaded up on future picks. I think it could be until Season 80 until we see a "full house" back in Sin City.

 

And with the Power Rankings are done! If you made it to the end, thank you very much for reading. It is an interesting season we are embarking on and it's very different landscape then what we've been accustomed to seeing. I think we finally have gotten a full group of engaged general managers here in the M, so competition will be tighter than ever and that makes for a fun league!  Until next time, all the best! 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by fromtheinside

[thadthrasher 1,692]

10 minutes ago, fromtheinside said:

 

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This is something I'm so happy to see. I remember coming into management in S76 thinking I would never get here. I'm so thankful for my team and my amazing AGM @Eldredman!

San Diego, let's make sure @fromtheinside is absolutely right about this!

[Mistxh J 186]

Damn right Marlins on top, LETS GO

[Hank 67]

GO MINNY!

 

Edit: My trade not mentioned though.

Edited May 20, 2021 by Hank

[JigglyGumballs 1,056]

59 minutes ago, fromtheinside said:

I'm sure Papa Spartan is looking at this mess and cringing to himself quietly. Shame on you Jiggs!

This is for trading Hank for pick no. 69 and drafting Shrek isn't it?

[Mr_Hatter 1,608]

Gonna be weird seeing someone else at the helm of the Storm. GODSPEED

[124715 40]

top 9

[MexicanCow123 914]

Smh Yukon's to low and San Diegos to high.

[Juice 641]

5 hours ago, MexicanCow123 said:

Smh Yukon's to low and San Diegos to high.

This man gets it.

RUSH RUSH RUSH RUSH RUSH

[BostonBruinsFan1806 24]

no presser tho right