Where should the new teams go?

[mattyIceman 1,139]

So, there was an announcement a few weeks back, so if you've been living under a rock or have had a poopy interweb connection, there's going to be a new mid-tpe-tier league that's going to slot between the VHL and the VHLM.  It's VHL Europe and so much hype has followed since.  No rules have been set in stone, and neither have the franchise locations.

 

So let's discuss where the SIX new teams should/could go.

 

Heavy speculation says the the Vasteras Iron Eagles will be making a return, along with all the lore.  That makes a Swedish team in the VHL (Malmo Nighthawks) and a second in the VHLE.  Some have said that the Stockholm Vikings should return as well, being the Swedish capital and largest city; but that would occupy two of the six landing spots for teams.

 

Another defunct franchise that could return is the Cologne Express.  So let's drop a hockey club in Germany, it would be a very cool idea to revive this franchise.   A recent poll revealed that Berlin could be a possible spot to start up a VHLE club, which would be another cool idea, except with Cologne already representing Germany, that could fill up four of the six spots.  So far, two Swedish clubs and two German clubs would have teams, leaving only two more destinations.

 

Along with the speculation that followed Vasteras and Cologne making comebacks, was another former franchise from the VHL's past, the Bratislava Watchmen.  Czechia already supports the Prague Phantoms franchise, but Czechia has a large hockey following, so they could most definitely support a second club.  Does it have to be Bratislava, though?  I mean, there's Kosice, Trencin and Zvolen of the Slovak side, and there's Kladno, Brno, Pardubice and Ostrava from the Czech end as well, so there are options there.  That leaves one spot left.

 

The same poll that revealed Berlin as a destination also showed that Rome and Paris would be favorable spots.  While hockey is more popular in France than it is in Italy (hockey still doesn't hold a candle to football in Europe), the locations are more interesting to bring hockey there.  The Madrid Thunder did have a franchise in the past, although quite brief and without much notable history, but it's a bit of a stretch to make it happen, compared to more notable locations.  At this point, there's only one spot left for a hockey club though, so in my personal opinion I'd place a club in Paris.  Does it have to absolutely be Paris, though?  Chamonix has had enormous success in French hockey history, so why not drop a club there?  Amiens, Rouen, Grenoble, Lyon, Nice, Marseilles and Strasbourg could also be viable spots to represent France.

 

So to sum up:

Vasteras Iron Eagles

Stockholm Vikings

Cologne Express

Bratislava Watchen

Berlin x

Paris x

 

Two squads in Germany and Sweden, one in Slovakia and France.  Personally, more important hockey markets have been ignored and should be adressed for some variety.

 

Finland needs a VHLE team.  With a huge hockey market and a VHL franchise that has stood the test of time, the Helsinki Titans have been a successful success story for the VHL.

 

Let's do some speculating of our own shall we?

 

Finland has produced many talented players in the NHL and the VHL, so lets put some popular larger towns on the table and get Finland some recognition.  Tampere and Turku are the first that come to my mind, but Pori, Mikkeli, Karpat and Lahti are all hockey hotbeds in Finland.  Don't count any of these towns out, one of them deserves a hockey team in my mind.

 

Another country without a team is Norway.  Oslo had the Screaming Seamen (oh gawd please fuck no) and the Olso Storm, which was relocated to Minnesota with the nickname staying the same.  Olso could be a great option and quite possibly the only good Norwegian option, but please FFS NOT THE SCREAMING SEAMEN.  That sounds gross, simply put.

 

Very few have mentioned Belarus and Ukraine to be a home for a franchise.  Latvia has a VHL team in Riga, so let's open the doors to these countries in the vicinity.  Kyiv (or Kiev), Kharkiv and Odessa should also be considered, although Ukraine has had marginal success developing talent.  Belarus has had a bit more success and could be the more suitable destination, with a larger market in the city of Minsk.  They have KHL team, so why not?  Name one of the teams the Cossacks and there you go, Eastern Europe is well represented.

 

Other more interesting spots include Austria, Hungary, Poland with a second franchise.  Perhaps Vienna, Budapest and Krakow are interesting locations, although hockey doesn't rank highly in their national sports.  If Madrid had a squad in the past, why not any of these locations?

 

As far as Rome is concerned, it would be the prime location in Italy.  I personally like the Rome Senators, Centurions or Legion (sorry Toronto), but I mean, Milan, Torino, Naples, Venice, Florence, heck, even Palermo in Sicily could be a cool location.  Who wouldn't want to play hockey in these (more) exotic locations?

 

So, to consider any of these other teams, you would have to scrap at least one of the Swedish and German clubs to include variety.  If this is what the VHLE is aiming for, it should be considered and implemented. Let's take a look at what it could look like:

 

SWEDEN: Stockholm Vikings (I'd scratch out Vasteras altogether, Stockholm being the much larger city and Vasteras just being a suburb or whatever it is)

GERMANY: Cologne Express (sorry Berlin, you were a great candidate)

FINLAND: Turku / Tampere

BELARUS: Minsk

SLOVAKIA: Bratislava Watchmen

FRANCE: Chamonix (sorry Paris, you don't have that much hockey history compared to Chamonix)

 

There you go, you have my picks for the VHLE franchise locations.  Most of you will probably disagree and that's fine, it's human nature to speculate and have other ideas, so let's hear your suggestions!  Comment down below with your ideas for nicknames and choices!  It sure will be a surprise to see what others come up with and what will be announced in the coming months!  See ya folks!

Edited June 13, 2021 by MattyIce
Bratislava is in Slovakia

[Victor 10,682]

All good but Bratislava is in Slovakia...

[mattyIceman 1,139]

2 minutes ago, Victor said:

All good but Bratislava is in Slovakia...

I know, I just refer to it in the same region, kinda like former Czechoslovakia in short lol.

 

Edited

Edited June 13, 2021 by MattyIce

[Ahma 1,319]

Karpat = Kärpät, is not a city... it's the team name.

 

Oulu is the city.

[scoop 3,312]

Definitely Ukraine over Belarus in my opinion. Belarus may be more hockey relevant in the real world, but in the VHL, Belarus has been laregly irrelevant while Ukraine has produced a good bit of talent. That's why I prefer one of those Ukrainian cities for the eastern European representation.

 

In my mind, the first Nordic city to get a VHLE team would be Copenhagen. I don't necessarily think Sweden and/or Norway can't have a VHLE team simply because they have a VHL team, but Denmark has been represented enough among VHL players past and present that Copenhagen is my top choice among new locations. Denmark over Norway as well. Oslo has already had a team, and Denmark has had more of a presence in the VHL.

Edited June 13, 2021 by scoop

[JB123 722]

Minsk Evergreens for the W

[mattyIceman 1,139]

On 6/13/2021 at 1:50 PM, scoop said:

Definitely Ukraine over Belarus in my opinion. Belarus may be more hockey relevant in the real world, but in the VHL, Belarus has been laregly irrelevant while Ukraine has produced a good bit of talent. That's why I prefer one of those Ukrainian cities for the eastern European representation.

 

In my mind, the first Nordic city to get a VHLE team would be Copenhagen. I don't necessarily think Sweden and/or Norway can't have a VHLE team simply because they have a VHL team, but Denmark has been represented enough among VHL players past and present that Copenhagen is my top choice among new locations. Denmark over Norway as well. Oslo has already had a team, and Denmark has had more of a presence in the VHL.

 

Norway doesn't have a team here.  Used to, but relocated to Minnesota

[scoop 3,312]

1 minute ago, MattyIce said:

 

Norway doesn't have a team here.  Used to, but relocated to Minnesota

I meant to say Sweden and/or Finland.

 

And while Norway did have a team, Denmark never has, despite Denmark having a larger presence in the VHL.

Edited June 19, 2021 by scoop