VSN Presents: S78 VHLM Power Rankings #2

[fromtheinside 1,290]

VSN Network

VHL Draft: All-Time Best 24-19  |  Under250: Breaking Down the Rush/Marlins Rivalry  |  S78 Season Preview: European Conference

 

 

Well it's been just over two weeks since the first VHLM Power Rankings came out and we are now a third of the way though the season. The VHLM landscape quickly took shape this season and it's abundantly clear which teams are competing and which aren't. The upper echelon of the league is quite exciting though, as seeds 3 through 6 are separated by only a handful of points. Each conference has a clear-cut front-runner, but between the two of them it's hard to say which one is superior. There's still plenty of time for teams to wheel and deal and mold their rosters to prepare for playoffs. There's always a team or two every season that make big trades ahead of the deadline in order to make a push for the Founder's Cup. It will be interesting to watch who is proactive ahead of the deadline in the next couple of weeks. Until then though, let's break down the teams and see how everyone stacks up!

 

 

Prev: 6  |  Current: 1 

Claiming the top spot is none other than the Halifax 21st who have come out of the gate this season absolutely on fire. Through 32 games the 21st are 28-3-1 which is good for 57 points. I'd say right now we have a 1A and 1B situation in the Power Rankings, but given the fact that Halifax just took the most recent contest with the Yukon Rush, they get the slight edge. Leading the way on offense for the #BOATGANG are a trio of wingers. @MikkoKoskinensMistress Kikko Moskinen and @GlowyGoat Baldur Paulsen both are averaging a pace of two points per game with 65 and 64 points respectively.  Not far behind them is @tylerwest who 58 points of his own. This top end offense has proven to be tough for teams to deal with. Halifax has also shown off some nice depth as well and get good production from their second and third lines as well. They recently made a deal seeing them move a package of picks (S79 4th, S80 1st+2nd) for Jlloyoid Biloyoiderson and veteran defenseman Kirby Pandora. This really signifies that Halifax is all in on this season. In goal @williamirc Johnathan Bustard has had the lions share of the starts so far and has posted a 21-3-1 record with a 2.84 goals against average and an .888 save percentage.  Not to be overshadowed though, rookie tender @Emi Emiko Spector has put up a tidy 7-0-0 with a 2.65 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. Though it's a smaller sample size, Spector's averages have been better than Bustard's. Should Spector continue to develop at a fast rate, we could be in store for a real good battle for the starting spot in the crease in Halifax! Either way, it's a great problem to have if you are the 21st. As of right now they are the team to beat in the M, and they take the top spot!

 

 Prev: 4  |  Current: 2 

Coming in just below Halifax are the Yukon Rush who currently lead the Western Conference with a record of 24-2-4 for a total of 52 points. The Rush have been a force to be reckoned with in the early stages of the season. They lead the league offensively with a massive 167 total goals scored which is an average of 5.21 goals per game. The Rush have one of the most complete rosters in the league and it shows in their stats. Currently they 9 players producing at least a point per game.  They have gotten great production from both their forwards and wingers. In the well-documented rivalry with the San Diego Marlins, they have managed to take both of the first two contests between the teams. With 6 contests remaining, Yukon only needs to win 3 in order for @Juice to win his bet with @thadthrasher. While San Diego seemed primed to dominate this season, they have fallen a bit down the pecking order thus far as teams like the Rush have gotten positive results a lot sooner than expected. The team's top point producer @ZetterbergTyler Reinhart has dominated with 27 goals and 37 assists for 64 points.  While the offense is clicking on all cylinders, goaltender and team overlord @Beketov Papa Emeritus continues to shut the door for the Rush. He has made sure that all the ghouls are working hard and improving so the team can make a run for a Founder's  Cup come playoff time!

 

Prev: 2  |  Current: 3 

Down one spot, but still a major threat in the VHLM this season are the Minnesota Storm. Sporting a 23-7-2 record with 48 points, they have a cushy lead in second place in the East with Philadelphia being 10 points behind them already. After coming up short in the playoffs the past couple seasons and limited draft picks in the S79 VHLM Dispersal Draft, It would seem that Minnesota is all in for this season. The newly-appointed General Manager @PatrikLaine was brought into a very good situation, as the Storm on paper can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league. They have depth on offense, they have a great core of four defensemen and they have a steady goaltender. All the pieces are in place to give Minny a shot at competing now.  The top end of Minnesota is down right scary as they have six players who have eclipsed the 40 point plateau already. The goal distribution has been very even amongst the team, but French winger @Garsh Henri le Massif leads the team with 22 goals and 41 points overall. Meanwhile on the blueline, @ThomasSyster Jocke Jockesson has been a playmaking machine having already amassed 40 assists on the year. In goal @Flames1Fan Dexter Vaughn continues his steady play. He currently has a 21-6-2 record with a tidy 2.79 GAA and a save percentage of .896%. While I don't see Minnesota moving down in the Eastern Conference much this season as they should be able to continue to rack up wins, I think it could be plausible that they catch Halifax at some point, but time will tell. 

 

Prev: 1  |  Current: 4 

The Marlins roll in at number 4 for this installment of the Power Rankings which might be a surprise to some. Going by records and placement in the standings, the Marlins could placed a bit lower, however I have them in the fourth spot because I feel they have one of the best rosters in the league. With no shortage on high-end talent, the Marlins have depth both up front and on defense. As previously noted, they have lost the first two tilts versus their rivals in Yukon. Coming into the year I had the Marlins as the undisputed number one team in the league. I am a bit surprised to see them down in the standings ever so slightly, but I don't think it really has a bearing on the big picture. The Marlins are a team that are built for the playoffs and will undoubtedly give any of the other teams in the league a run for their money in a seven game series. San Diego isn't as offensively potent as some of the other heavy hitters in the M, but what they lack in offense, they more than make up for defensively. They currently have allowed 85 goals which is an average of 2.74 goals per game. That's the lowest average in the league by quite a margin and can be attributed to their rock solid defensive core along with the stellar play of goaltender @Erik Morgan Karlsson. Karlsson is rocking a 20-9-2 record with a goals against average of 2.63 and a save percentage of .900.  He will most certainly be considered for the Benoit Devereux Trophy at the end of this season.

 

Prev: 3  |  Current: 5 

The Reapers have fallen a couple spots to 5 as a result of their subpar record, but overall they are still a very dangerous team and not to be taken lightly. They continue to be aggressive in their pursuit for the Founder's Cup this season as they made another trade to acquire high end talent. They opted to send their S79 1st Round Pick to Mississauga along with a prospect in exchange for two long time VHLM veteran left wingers in @inflastud Angel Wachiure and  @TownBizness Kid Frost. This trade should help compliment their already competent offense. Currently, @Alex_J32 leads his team with 21 goals and 29 assists for an even 50 points. The crease battle continues in Philly as reigning goalie of the year @Lspinelli Luke Spinelli duels it out with @Spaz Tobias Rienhart. Spinelli has had a handful more starts but so far Reinhart has the better numbers of the two. It's an interesting situation and I wonder if they will continue on with two goaltenders all season or if they will trade one of them away for assets. Either way, it's a good spot to be in if you are the Reapers. Philly's record doesn't match up with some of the other teams in the Power Rankings, but I feel the roster is top tier and they will surge as the season rolls on.

 

Prev: 9  |  Current: 6 

I feel like every season I do the Power Rankings I always sleep on the Wild and under rate them. This season seems to be no exception as they have moved up from the ninth spot to sixth. The big guns for the Sasky Bois have shown up once again and delivered. Third year player @HoneyBadger25 Griff Mackenzie is among one of the best centers in the VHLM and anchors a line with @124715 Duncan Montana @Craig Craig Martin. The trio have enjoyed a ton of success up until this point with all of them hovering right around the 50 point mark. They have also received a decent amount of supplemental scoring from their second line as well. With a record of 21-8-3, the Wild are quietly having another superb season. First round pick @Vkobe-v Leroy Johnson has been rock solid in net for Saskatoon as he's posted 20-7-3 record with an .897 save percentage and a 3.23 goals against average with one shutout to boot. If Johnson can keep up this level of play, the Wild are a dangerous team and will give other playoff teams a handful come the postseason. It will be interesting to see if Saskatoon opts to add any pieces when the trade deadline rolls around or if they just stand pat and roll with the team they have.

 

Prev: 5  |  Current: 7 

The Houston Bulls are the last of the teams that I consider to be in the upper tier of the league. Despite them being at 7, they are still competitive enough to beat the teams above them on this list. After the Bulls though, we see a dramatic drop off in competition. The Bulls are currently third in the Western Conference with a record of 20-9-3. While the depth isn't as apparent on the Bulls, they still have a core of 5 players that are difference makers. Top line center @AnthonyOuellet Cody Lachance is among one of the best playmaking forwards in the league thus far as he's put up 42 assisted helpers along with 9 goals of his own. The Bulls 5th overall pick @McKelvie Anze Miklavz is proving he was a great choice as he leads the team with 25 goals and 48 points overall. Meanwhile on defense, blueliner @NerdyCowz Milk Jugs has stood out with his performance so far on the campaign. He has already buried 22 goals, which is insane for a defenseman. He has also added 23 assists for 45 total points, but he's thrown in 62 blocked shots and 60 hits as well.  And of course, you can't bring up Houston without mentioning their keeper @enigmatic Aike van Giersbergen.  AVG has had himself another terrific campaign up to this point. He has an .894 save percentage and a 3.13 goals against average to go along with two shutouts. I think the Bulls could use a fourth defensemen to help out their goalie. If they could manage to land one via trade before the deadline, I could see Houston being a scary team for opponents in the playoffs.

 

Prev: 10  |  Current 8 

In a year that was meant to be a rebuild, the Kings have kind of stumbled their way into a playoff race with Ottawa for the final spot. Unfortunately this is kind of like a battle for being King Turd on Trash Island as the rest of the teams in the Power Rankings are quite a ways off from the rest of the field. Still, with that being said it's pretty early in the season and the Kings could make some moves if they wanted to make a run for it. Always remember the S74 Miami Marauders snuck in as an 8 seed and toppled the powerhouses of the league one by one and took home a Founder's Cup. It is possible. But there is a lot of work to be done. The Kings have a great young top line of Darth Kaprisov, Luke Pastrnak and Watson Stonebridge. The trio are all over 40 points and have given the Kings' faithful some hope for the future. I have a feeling this rebuild is going to be a quick turnaround more than a long climb back to the top.  I don't think the Kings compete this year but next year they could be dangerous. 

 

Prev: 7  | Current  9 

Coming into the season I had the Lynx pegged as a low-end playoff team. I seemingly set my sights a touch too high for them this season, but I still think it's great to see such a huge turnaround in that organization. The Lynx have a 9-21-2 record and are currently only one point back of Mexico City for the final playoff spot. With that being said though, they just shipped off two of their top players to Philadelphia for a package of draft picks, so clearly they have their focus set on the future. Players like @bRaidsz Zen Raider and @Edustava Julia Waffles could be major cornerstone players going forward into next season. Until then though I expect we see Ottawa on the outside looking in, but either way they have come leaps and bounds from where the franchise was last season.

 

Prev: 11  |  Current: 10 

Ranks 10-12 are all pretty much the same but I gave the Hounds a slight advantage because they field the most complete roster out of the rest of the teams on the list.  They just recently traded away Angel Wachiure and Kid Frost in exchange for a first round pick in the S79 draft plus a retainable player. Z will be stocking up on assets in order to reload and make another run. He is a competitive general manager and I definitely see the Hounds competing sooner rather than later.

 

Prev: 8  |  Current 11 
When the season was first starting, the Marauders had some pieces to be good enough to hang around to make the playoffs, but instead of opting to be a middle of the road team, Miami management decided to sell the assets they had and reload for the future. They've done a great job doing so though, as they already have three first round picks and three third round picks for the S79 VHLM Dispersal Draft.  Coming off of a Founder's Cup last season, Miami will take this season off and look to come back strong next year.

 

Prev: 12   |  Current:12 

Finally we come to the Aces who remain in the basement. They still have no defensemen signed which is certainly disappointing. Poor @Jericho Anime Protagonist is getting shelled left, right and center. The Aces will need to have a strong training arc followed by a lengthy redemption arc in order to get back to being the powerhouse they once were. They are already down a couple of third round picks in the next two drafts, so the management certainly has their work cut out for them. For the time being, it's going to be a long and painful season for everyone in Sin City. 

 

That's all for this installment of the Power Rankings. Thanks everyone for reading. There's still a ton of time left in the season and things will almost certainly heat up heading into the trade deadline! There is a ton of competition in the top half of the league and I think when the playoffs roll around it could be anyone's game! Comment down below if you agree or disagree with the rankings. Until next time stay safe and have a good day!

Edited June 4, 2021 by fromtheinside

[Beketov 9,101]

Poor Mississauga doesn't even get a write up; meanwhile poor Vegas fairs even worse and doesn't even get mentioned; RIP

[thadthrasher 1,692]

6 minutes ago, fromtheinside said:

@Erik Morgan Karlsson. Karlsson is rocking a 20-9-2 record with a goals against average of 2.63 and a save percentage of .900.  He will most certainly be considered for the Benoit Devereux Trophy at the end of this season.

Woooo go @Erik!

[fromtheinside 1,290]

1 minute ago, Beketov said:

Poor Mississauga doesn't even get a write up; meanwhile poor Vegas fairs even worse and doesn't even get mentioned; RIP

 

lmao I fat fingered and hit enter and it posted the whole thing, Hatter is gonna kill me. He's supposed to edit it first too. RIP Im so ashamed. I'm sorry I let you down oh great one.

[dlamb 1,328]

2 minutes ago, Beketov said:

Poor Mississauga doesn't even get a write up; meanwhile poor Vegas fairs even worse and doesn't even get mentioned; RIP

Even worse, our beloved commissioner fails to even mention Miami

[Beketov 9,101]

Just now, fromtheinside said:

 

lmao I fat fingered and hit enter and it posted the whole thing, Hatter is gonna kill me. He's supposed to edit it first too. RIP Im so ashamed. I'm sorry I let you down oh great one.

I say leave it, it's hilarious haha

[Beketov 9,101]

Just now, dlamb said:

Even worse, our beloved commissioner fails to even mention Miami

My name is blue, not green. #NotYourCommish

 

Also I miss-counted