Current State of Affairs: A Sneak Peak (1/2)

[Arce 742]

Current State of Affairs: A Sneak Peak

 

 

VHL Season 81 is out of the gates, and the bottleneck in the standings is starting to kink out in both conferences. The Moscow Menace are currently leading the European Conference, as well as the whole VHL with 27 points in 15 games played. They are riding a 6 game winning streak and have shown no signs of stopping. On the other side of the world, the Calgary Wranglers are right behind them with 24 points in 14 games which leads the North American Conference. Calgary is riding a 3 game win streak of their own and have only lost once in regulation. With it still being so early, the middle of the pack in each conference is still jumbled up and up for grabs as these teams all fight to be in the top 5 of their respective conference. We will take a more in depth look at each conference here in the first quarter of the season.

 

European Conference

 

 

 

As mentioned, the Moscow Menace have taken the start of the season by storm. They have 73 goals forced and a +36 goal differential. Both league leading! It is clear they are on a revenge tour this season, after falling short against the Vancouver Wolves in last year's Continental Cup final. Duncan Idaho leads the team in points (33), and his chemistry with center Paul Atreides, who has 30 points of his own has been a force to be reckoned with. It seems when those two are on the ice, the other team's goal light is roaring off. They wouldn't have this production if not for offensive defenseman Aurelien Moreau, who leads the league in assists with 28. Moreau's quick breakout passed from zone to zone has led to odd man rushes the other way. Not to be overshadowed by the stellar goaltending of Papa Emeritus. He is making teams calling him their daddy with a 2.47 GAA and .929% save percentage. At this rate, Moscow just has to keep their foot on the gas, ride Big Papa, and have their top guys keep producing and they could definitely find their way back to the cup final.

 

 

The pristine Riga Reign find themselves in a tight knit early race for second place with 18 points in 14 games played. They are holding that spot by two points, as they hope they can gain some distance from the Malmo Nighthawks. Cetner Isau DaMoose has been paving the way for Riga as he leads the team in points (27), goals (8) and assists (19), and puts him just below the top 10 in the league in scoring. The most impressive feat for DaMoose other than his last name and scoring, has been 5 of his 8 goals are game winners. Showing he is not just a flashy player, but is the team's go to man in the clutch. His line mate, RW Declan Wolf has definitely contributed towards that success. Wolf has put up 19 points of his own (6 goals, and 13 assists). Like DaMoose, Wolf likes to pass the puck which is why neither have more goals than assists on the season thus far. Perhaps that has been Riga's biggest fault thus far, not having that definitive goal scorer. One thing they have to make up for it is they have a pair of defensemen who like to be on the scoresheet. Defenseman Ove Dydrdahl has 6 goals, and 12 assists to tally for an impressive 18 points. Drydahl is not afraid to put the puck on net. On Riga's other defense pair, they have Linus Zetterstrom who also has 18 points of his own. 17 of those are assists, so we can see where Zetterstrom's head is at when he has the puck. He knows how to get it to the team's playmakers to get himself and his team on the scoreboard. Tobias Reinhart is posting a solid 8-4-2 record and a .912% save percentage. He is allowing just over 3 goals a game, which is not bad but is one that he says will get under 3 as the season progresses. The Riga Reign have a solid squad, which could be a tough out come playoff time.

 

 

 

The Malmo Nighthawks have found themselves in third place in the early quarter of the season with 16 points in 14 games played. They are right on Riga's tail, only needing one sim to try to jump ahead. They are led by LW Bendan Telker who has a very balanced 26 points with 13 goals and assists on the season thus far. Telker plays a very patience, and disciplined game. This has shown up on the score sheet, and lack of presence in the penalty box as Telker has 0 penalty minutes. Behind him is RW Taylor Mourning. Mourning also pretty balanced with 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists). Mourning on the other hand is more of a grinder, and has posted up 20 penalty minutes to start the season. Defenseman Kevin Wu has posted up an impressive 37 shots blocked to compliment his 19 points of production on the blue line. Overall, Malmo's production from all of their players has been solid as their lowest producing player has 15 points in 14 games. Something very encouraging to see. The Malmo's problems appears to be as productive as they have been, they have also been on the ice for quite a few goals as well. The team leader in +/- is just a +4.  Goaltender Artem Tretiak has a 7-6 record, but just a .890% save percentage and is allowing over 4 goals a game. This recipe will lead to losses, but can be cleaned up.

 

 

The Prague Phantoms find themselves in 4th place with a .500 7-7 record and 14 points in 14 games played. Not a bad place to be, as they are only 4 points behind the second place Riga Reign. They are just one point ahead of the last playoff spot Warsaw Predators. They have had solid production from their big three which consist of LW Dominic Gobeil, center Asher Reinhart, and defenseman Battre Sandstrom. All are at least a +16, indicating when they are on the ice far more good occurs. Gobeil leads the team in points (26) and goals (14) which also has him in the top 15 in the VHL scoring wise. On top of scoring, Gobeil shows grit in his game with 58 hits and 23 penalty minutes. Line mate Asher Reinhart has posted up 20 points of his own (9 goals and 11 assists) and plays a more puck carrying style of hockey. Defenseman Battre Sandstrom has 20 points and leads the team in assists with 17. Sandstrom has been an impressive puck moving defenseman, who is known to carry the puck into the zone to line up the play even during even strength. Davis Davis who many wonder is from Davidson is in his rookie year in between the pipes. Davis has a 5-6 record, a .884% save percentage, and a 4.65 GAA. Davis expects more of himself, but it has to be noted he has only appeared in 11 games so far. He has a lot of skill, and the future is expected to be bright of Prague with him in net. The Phantoms are a winning streak away from trying to gain that second place chair from Riga.

 

 

The Warsaw Predators currently hold the 5th, and final playoff spot in the European Conference. They are tied with the Helsinki Titans, but hold the tie-breaker at this time. They have 13 points in 15 games played and find themselves just 1 point back of Prague and 5 points back of the second place Riga Reign. Leading the Preds is LW Chris Reynolds who leads the team in points (28), goals (11), and assists (17). It is the trifecta and Reynolds has played up to expectation so far in S81. The team's other LW Brian Moreau has a solid 23 points (9 goals, and 14 assists) which also includes a game winning goal.  Although Brian Moreau is a left wing, he was placed on the first line's right wing so he could play with Reynolds and Bogdan Trunov. Defenseman Hadrian has put up a solid 19 points with 4 goals and 15 assists so far on the season. Hadrian has been impressive on the score sheet, but maybe even more so throwing his body around with his 62 hits so far this season. Goaltender Andrew Bowman has had the puck thrown at him this season for sure, and has saved .902% of them. He has a GAA of 4.05, which the team hopes can be improved with the combo of him and his defensemen. A team with L and Chicken Wing on defense, anything is possible! Warsaw is right in the playoff mix. They could end up as high as second, or miss the playoffs completely.

 

 

The legend of the Helsinki Titans continues into S81 as Zero's legacy goes on yet another season. Helsinki finds themselves tied with Warsaw with 13 points in 15 games. The Titans are just a tie-breaker outside of the playoff line, and there is still an unbelievable amount of hockey left. RW Alex Johnston leads the team in points (24) and goals (13) with 20 shots blocked to add to his totals. Johnston has led the way by example for the Titans, and has lit a fire under his squad as they look to push further up the standings. Line mate Magnus Verlander is second on the team with 17 points (6 goals, 17 assists). Verlander is coming off a career high 71 point season, and is hoping he can build off that and take the next step in his career. Defenseman Damien Salducci comes in with 16 points and a team leading 13 assists. Salducci's playmaking ability at the blue line has helped Helinski tremendously as they find themselves in the middle of the pack. On top of that Sladucci has also blocked 41 shots for his team in front of netminder Xaiver Booberry. Helsinki's favorite boo' has a 6-6-1 record, .911% save percentage and a 3.24 GAA. A very solid start to Booberry's rookie season. Booberry will have to stand tall for the Titans, as they look to climb up in the standings.

 

 

HC Davos will always have a place in my heart from my glory days. The Dynamo have gotten off to a rocky start, but they find themselves just 2 points out of the final playoff spot. HC Davos' players have found themselves on the ice for more goals against than for and that is a big problem. Goaltender Kunibuni UnGuri is not at fault with a .910% save percentage and a 3.55 GAA. UnGuri has held HC Davos in games. Each of the Dyanamo players find themselves in the minus section. Center Taro Tsujimoto leads the team in points (23) and assists (13) which are very productive offensive stats. He is followed by Luc Tessier who has a team leading 12 points and 22 total points. Tessier finds himself as a -9, a stat he is looking to improve upon. Tessier also has two game winning goals for HC Davos. He is not someone to shy away from the game's big moment. Yet another Reinhart! Defenseman Reylynn Reinhart has 14 points, 12 of which are assists. Reinhart has done a great job moving the puck, but has made some faulty plays which led to the puck in the back of the Dynamo net. The team is also expecting more of Poopy Peepants, who they need to make the next step in their game. Perhaps too much soiling of the pants has factored into his play.

 

 

The London United play has not been anything short of as the fans described "bloody rubbish". However, the United are just 3 points back of the final playoff spot with 2 games in hand. The United have 10 points in 13 games played. This was expected with the United's small roster, but they are far from out of the race. That Dude has been just that leading his team in points (27), goals (10), and assists (17). Dude also has 55 hits, 23 shots blocked and two game winners. He has done everything possible to give London the chance to win games. Dude also finds himself in the top 15 of league leaders in points. Shane Lazeski has posted up 15 points himself, 10 of those being helpers. Lazeski won't muscle you off the puck, but he will blow by you to try to set up a play. Vasiliy Grigorev is one of two defensemen actively on the team. Grigorev has 11 points in 13 games, and 23 blocked shots. Meanwhile goaltender Tater Tot has had a lot of shots thrown his way, and has stopped .930% of them, which is very solid. Unfortunately for Tot, the 4.15 GAA is not, and he will need more help up front to win some more games. Overall, the Untied are not in a bad spot at all. They could use some more help all around, especially on the defensive front. Can That Dude, be the one that leads them to the post season?

 

 

Coming next time: A sneak peak into North America's current state of affairs!

 

Words: 2226

For Weeks: 12/12, 12/26, 1/2, 1/9 (12/19 is my free week from donation)

Edited December 9, 2021 by Arce

[Lemorse7 898]

that's a pretty nice article, the information of each team are pertinent and clear. Its a well mix of stats, descriptions and what the team is good at or need to improve. Its kind of like a power ranking. Its almost  a perfect article, can maybe be more appealing to the eyes, that can also be just my eye (they are fragile). 8/10  

[Arce 742]

6 minutes ago, Alexandre said:

that's a pretty nice article, the information of each team are pertinent and clear. Its a well mix of stats, descriptions and what the team is good at or need to improve. Its kind of like a power ranking. Its almost  a perfect article, can maybe be more appealing to the eyes, that can also be just my eye (they are fragile). 8/10  

 

I will definitely look to improve the structuring of my articles going forward, still shaking off the 60 season rust. I appreciate you reading and your input!

Edited December 1, 2021 by Arce

[Ahma 1,288]

[Spartan 3,997]

7 hours ago, Arce said:

The Moscow Menace are currently leading the European Conference, as well as the whole VHL with 27 points in 15 games played. They are riding a 6 game winning streak and have shown no signs of stopping

oh good I can blame the two losses today on your jinx

Edited December 2, 2021 by Spartan

[Arce 742]

12 minutes ago, Spartan said:

oh good I can blame the two losses today on your jinx

I may or may not have put a curse on Moscow as a rambled on in this article…

[Shindigs 1,771]

Really enjoyed the read @Arce. It gave a quick and dirty insight into the VHL. I'm just focusing on the M right now, as that's where I'm playing. So if you keep these reports up over the season, I'll for sure keep reading them.

 

20 hours ago, Arce said:

Cetner Isau DaMoose has been paving the way for Riga

First missed typo "Cetner"

 

20 hours ago, Arce said:

Overall, the Untied are not in a bad spot at all.

To be fair their defense does need to be untied. But second typo still.

 

Which still puts you at fewer typos past proof-reading than all but 1 novel that I read this summer. So if it's above pro level it's good enough, really.

 

The one thing I would note, but this might just be a me thing. Is that around the last 2 team reports the format started feeling slightly too formulaic to the point that I started to speedread it instead of hanging at every word, like I did in the first 3 or so team reports. That being said, it's spreadsheet hockey. It is going to get formulaic at some point, so what can you do? The fact that I even need to bring up something that minor is, if anything, a sign of how high the overall level was.

 

Also technically not a review, just liked the article enough to want to give feedback. Besides I usually give my review scores in the form of math problems, so you likely don't want one.

[Arce 742]

Hello, don't mind me. Just collecting for week of 12/26.

[Arce 742]

Claiming for week ending in 1/2.

 

Doubles Week via VHL Donation

 

 

https://vhlforum.com/topic/2451-vhl-donation-index/?do=findComment&comment=898800

Transaction ID: 20881159526871200

Edited December 30, 2021 by Arce

[Arce 742]

Claiming my 4th and final week allowed for this PT. Week ending in 1/9.