VHLM Power Rankings: Week 1 (9/11-9/17)

[TopTiddee2 186]

Finally able to complete Power Rankings for the first time this season! It's already shaping up to be an exhilarating race to the playoffs, as some teams have surprised and others have disappointed. Let's get to it, shall we?

 

(Reminder: This is an open discussion, please mention anything I may have made a mistake on or if I just suck at these in general.)

(All movement up/down is based on the post-draft rankings I made last week. Go check it out if you haven't.)

↑       ↓

 

#1: MIAMI MARAUDERS (6-1-2), 14 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↑4

 

Out of no where, Miami has pulled ahead early in what seems to be a rebound season for the Marauders. @nurx owes a lot of compliments to Rick Grimes, as he currently heads the team in most departments. So far, Miami has loads of active, low TPE players who are eager to develop and this can only spell good things for them. With only 1 D-man away and a couple of forwards for nearly a full roster could translate to a potential Founder's Cup run in the playoffs. The problem Miami faces is that down the stretch, which teams are going to develop to a point to where they dominate the rest of the league? All signs are pointing towards Vegas and Houston. We'll see if Miami can keep this dominance going throughout the season and be a legit contender for the championship (at this point last year, they were clear favorites for the basement).

 

#2: HOUSTON BULLS (7-2-0), 14 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↑1

 

Houston continues to impress, as they fit into the #2 spot to start the S85 campaign. They currently head the very competitive Western Conference, which features the likes of Vegas and Mexico City. Something that has benefitted the Bulls is the numerous names they have filling the league leaders in each category. We saw something like this last year with the Aces, and it translated to a championship winning season for them. This most likely means big things for Houston, as they have 5 players in the Top 5 in points. Quite a good start for them. The concern I have for Houston is the recent acquisition of G Shadow Thompson. While Thompson does show a good record to start the season, the goaltender is still a Welfare earner, meaning as the league continues to get stronger, they'll get crushed by the stronger teams. Thompson was drafted by Las Vegas in the 7th round and was sent to Houston in exchange for a 6th. 

 

#3: LAS VEGAS ACES (5-4-0), 10 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↓1

 

Las Vegas dropped a spot this week, as they currently sit #3 in the power rankings to being the season. Don't let the current record distract you, this team is very active. As mentioned above, down the stretch this team will be dominant once again. One player to watch down the stretch is C Antoine Barksdale, who currently leads the team in points. This team seems to be built for the last half of the season, but that could mean they get a middle spot in the playoffs if they don't right the ship soon enough. We also aren't sure how long Vegas's contending window will be open, considering @Shindigsis rumored to retire at the end of the year. AGM Reid Johnson (myself) is rumored to be the current favorite as his replacement, but there are possible other candidates as well who have not shown interest as of yet. We'll see if Shindigs has anymore magic left in that wizard hat of his.

 

#4: MEXICO CITY KINGS (5-3-1), 11 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↓3

 

Mexico City has had a rather slow start to the season. I still don't think that they'll be near the bottom by the mid-late portion of the season. Several players to look out for include Sin Bin professional Womp x5 Jr. and Nikolas Kauppi, current leader in points. Similar to Las Vegas, this team is gonna have to develop to reach near the top of the standings. The Kings seem to be very active in FA, meaning they could grab some players and develop into a powerhouse. Knowing this team's past, @badcolethetitancan lead them there. It just matters when.  

 

#5: OTTAWA LYNX (6-2-1), 13 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↑1

 

Ottawa fits into the #5 spot in my power rankings. While it may seem low for the currently-dominant Lynx, this team is going to have many questions down the road in terms of keeping up with the more powerful teams. A player to watch down the road is Carlos Heinz II, their current leading scorer. They still need to grab D in FA or via trade, instead of relying on bots down the road. 

 

#6: SASKATOON WILD (5-3-1), 11 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↑2

 

Saskatoon has had a nice start to the season. Mats Zuccarello currently leads the team in points and is Top 15 in the league as well. Saskatoon needs to invest in forward help in order to maximize the offensive side of the puck. Saskatoon seems they'll be at most a first round exit at this pace. But the ceiling is 2nd round appearance.

 

#7: PHILADELPHIA REAPERS (4-5-0), 8 PTS

Movement since Last Week: -

 

Philadelphia remains in the #7 spot, mainly due to a middle-of-the-road performance through the first week of play. They added Rex Wolffe Gregor to the roster, a well-known player who is earning at a nice rate, something they needed at D. We'll see how they progress throughout the season.

 

#8: SAN DIEGO MARLINS (4-4-1), 9 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↑1

 

San Diego has begun the season on a decent track. They still need to add several players to their roster, which it seems as if they've been active in the FA market when a new create comes in. 

 

---------------- PLAYOFF CUTOFF LINE --------------

 

#9: HALIFAX 21ST (3-5-1), 7 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↓5

 

Halifax has started very slow. Not very sure why, they haven't made any moves that would cause them to perform so poorly in the first week. Hopefully this is something they can fix quickly.

 

#10: MISSISSAUGA HOUNDS (0-9-0), 0 PTS

Movement since Last Week: -

 

Mississauga has become the new Miami. They completely scrapped everything and are building anew. Officially in rebuild mode.

[nurx 914]

22 minutes ago, TopTiddee2 said:

Out of no where

I've been saying it the whole time. Miami has a good squad. There is still work to do, but this team not only looks good this season, but has the draft picks to essentially buy this championship or continue competing next season. The future is bring in Miami.

[nurx 914]

thought I'd also add that I love how spread out the points have been. It has felt like every single game I have seen a different name getting a goal. That is huge for a championship aspiring team. If every line is scoring every game you have the depth already. Now you just need everyone to develop. I'm not even entirely sure if major holes will occur in this team. Only time will tell as the TDL comes.

 

[nurx 914]

SDM could be 5 TBH. Shutting out LVA and taking MIA to shootouts plenty of times. That SDM team is surprisingly good.

[animal74 1,808]

34 minutes ago, nurx said:

SDM could be 5 TBH. Shutting out LVA and taking MIA to shootouts plenty of times. That SDM team is surprisingly good.

But then they were shutout by LVA twice so...

[animal74 1,808]

Houston's numbers are inflated by playing the Hounds 7 of the first 9 games. They will fall back to earth.

[TopTiddee2 186]

5 hours ago, nurx said:

SDM could be 5 TBH. Shutting out LVA and taking MIA to shootouts plenty of times. That SDM team is surprisingly good.

I kinda factored in team talent, not just performance alone. SDM still has a lot they can do.

[TopTiddee2 186]

4 hours ago, animal74 said:

Houston's numbers are inflated by playing the Hounds 7 of the first 9 games. They will fall back to earth.

I figured, I kinda gave them the benefit of the doubt but that’s also why these are weekly. Some teams might fall off at certain spots of the season, hence they move down.

[CrookedAnt 78]

The news that Shindigs will be retiring had an unhealthy amount of sad, cope from me. Dude is very active, and I will miss him (even though I'll be departing the aces to go into the VHLE most likely.)

[Boaty 139]

On 9/12/2022 at 7:26 AM, TopTiddee2 said:

Finally able to complete Power Rankings for the first time this season! It's already shaping up to be an exhilarating race to the playoffs, as some teams have surprised and others have disappointed. Let's get to it, shall we?

 

(Reminder: This is an open discussion, please mention anything I may have made a mistake on or if I just suck at these in general.)

(All movement up/down is based on the post-draft rankings I made last week. Go check it out if you haven't.)

↑       ↓

 

#1: MIAMI MARAUDERS (6-1-2), 14 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↑4

 

Out of no where, Miami has pulled ahead early in what seems to be a rebound season for the Marauders. @nurx owes a lot of compliments to Rick Grimes, as he currently heads the team in most departments. So far, Miami has loads of active, low TPE players who are eager to develop and this can only spell good things for them. With only 1 D-man away and a couple of forwards for nearly a full roster could translate to a potential Founder's Cup run in the playoffs. The problem Miami faces is that down the stretch, which teams are going to develop to a point to where they dominate the rest of the league? All signs are pointing towards Vegas and Houston. We'll see if Miami can keep this dominance going throughout the season and be a legit contender for the championship (at this point last year, they were clear favorites for the basement).

 

#2: HOUSTON BULLS (7-2-0), 14 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↑1

 

Houston continues to impress, as they fit into the #2 spot to start the S85 campaign. They currently head the very competitive Western Conference, which features the likes of Vegas and Mexico City. Something that has benefitted the Bulls is the numerous names they have filling the league leaders in each category. We saw something like this last year with the Aces, and it translated to a championship winning season for them. This most likely means big things for Houston, as they have 5 players in the Top 5 in points. Quite a good start for them. The concern I have for Houston is the recent acquisition of G Shadow Thompson. While Thompson does show a good record to start the season, the goaltender is still a Welfare earner, meaning as the league continues to get stronger, they'll get crushed by the stronger teams. Thompson was drafted by Las Vegas in the 7th round and was sent to Houston in exchange for a 6th. 

 

#3: LAS VEGAS ACES (5-4-0), 10 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↓1

 

Las Vegas dropped a spot this week, as they currently sit #3 in the power rankings to being the season. Don't let the current record distract you, this team is very active. As mentioned above, down the stretch this team will be dominant once again. One player to watch down the stretch is C Antoine Barksdale, who currently leads the team in points. This team seems to be built for the last half of the season, but that could mean they get a middle spot in the playoffs if they don't right the ship soon enough. We also aren't sure how long Vegas's contending window will be open, considering @Shindigsis rumored to retire at the end of the year. AGM Reid Johnson (myself) is rumored to be the current favorite as his replacement, but there are possible other candidates as well who have not shown interest as of yet. We'll see if Shindigs has anymore magic left in that wizard hat of his.

 

#4: MEXICO CITY KINGS (5-3-1), 11 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↓3

 

Mexico City has had a rather slow start to the season. I still don't think that they'll be near the bottom by the mid-late portion of the season. Several players to look out for include Sin Bin professional Womp x5 Jr. and Nikolas Kauppi, current leader in points. Similar to Las Vegas, this team is gonna have to develop to reach near the top of the standings. The Kings seem to be very active in FA, meaning they could grab some players and develop into a powerhouse. Knowing this team's past, @badcolethetitancan lead them there. It just matters when.  

 

#5: OTTAWA LYNX (6-2-1), 13 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↑1

 

Ottawa fits into the #5 spot in my power rankings. While it may seem low for the currently-dominant Lynx, this team is going to have many questions down the road in terms of keeping up with the more powerful teams. A player to watch down the road is Carlos Heinz II, their current leading scorer. They still need to grab D in FA or via trade, instead of relying on bots down the road. 

 

#6: SASKATOON WILD (5-3-1), 11 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↑2

 

Saskatoon has had a nice start to the season. Mats Zuccarello currently leads the team in points and is Top 15 in the league as well. Saskatoon needs to invest in forward help in order to maximize the offensive side of the puck. Saskatoon seems they'll be at most a first round exit at this pace. But the ceiling is 2nd round appearance.

 

#7: PHILADELPHIA REAPERS (4-5-0), 8 PTS

Movement since Last Week: -

 

Philadelphia remains in the #7 spot, mainly due to a middle-of-the-road performance through the first week of play. They added Rex Wolffe Gregor to the roster, a well-known player who is earning at a nice rate, something they needed at D. We'll see how they progress throughout the season.

 

#8: SAN DIEGO MARLINS (4-4-1), 9 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↑1

 

San Diego has begun the season on a decent track. They still need to add several players to their roster, which it seems as if they've been active in the FA market when a new create comes in. 

 

---------------- PLAYOFF CUTOFF LINE --------------

 

#9: HALIFAX 21ST (3-5-1), 7 PTS

Movement since Last Week: ↓5

 

Halifax has started very slow. Not very sure why, they haven't made any moves that would cause them to perform so poorly in the first week. Hopefully this is something they can fix quickly.

 

#10: MISSISSAUGA HOUNDS (0-9-0), 0 PTS

Movement since Last Week: -

 

Mississauga has become the new Miami. They completely scrapped everything and are building anew. Officially in rebuild mode.

As a Halifax player I'm mad ad the spot 9 I can say that the team is starting slow you guys run but we walk til you are out of stamina than we sprint faster up the ranks so to every team that sees it be prepared