VSN Presents: Prospect Pipeline S85 Edition 3: Playoffs Edition

[nurx 908]

S87 All-VHLM Teams 

 

Hello again folks, Todd Ripley here with an edition of Prospect Pipeline presented by VSN. Today I’m going to give you hockey fans the Way Too Early, S87 All-VHLM Teams!!! Right now there are currently 20 rostered prospects set to be in the S87 VHL and VHLE draft classes. 

 

Let’s start with some notable names that miss the list this year. Most of these names may be playing great hockey, but we just haven’t seen it long enough to cast any doubt or praise definitively on their games. Lets just get some quick thoughts on those players.

 

Felix Sobek- Being saddled with the task of being a star for a 0-63 team is tough. Its tough to really gauge the game of a forward who plays on a team that averages 50+ shots against per game. Felix did manage 4 points in his 9 games.

 

Tyler Swift- Swift immediately got 2nd pair minutes and has been all-in-all impressive. They’ve averaged .5 points per game over a 10 game stretch and been a major part of their teams postseason run. They do average the most penalties of the whole class. They have, however, also gotten the most blocked shots per game with 2 and the fourth most hits per game among the defensemen. 

 

Braeden Panarella- Braeden has been solid for the Reapers. He has worked hard to garner 2nd line 5v5 and powerplay ice time despite only appearing in 12 games thus far. Iit hasn’t translated to monster numbers and he does need to work on that 5% shooting percentage. He has managed to keep up clean hockey and not be a detriment to his team game after game.

 

The Rest- Whether it was a lack of games and opportunity or a lack of production just some names couldn’t make the cut. To those names, its okay… You still have so much room to grow and grind and this time next season I could be projecting you to go first overall. Keep up all the hard work.

 

 

With those mentions out of the way let’s get to the real list. 

 

The All-S87 VHLM 2nd Team 

F - OTT Yaroslav Trunov

F - SDM Steve Lattimer

F - MEX George Costanza

D - MEX Skor McFleury

D - SDM Jack Jeckler

 

Now for a little analysis. 

 

First off is the Otttawa Lynx’s Yaroslav Trunov. His shooting percentage is abysmal at 4.55% but he makes up for it with volume and solid defensive hockey. His trigger happy style has led to openings for teammates all over the offensive zone. Helps a ton that Trunov is a dominant physical presence in the defensive end to get those pucks off unsuspecting opponents. The plus/minus is currently negative but most of that has come by way of the tough series the Lynx are in with Philadelphia. 

 

Next interesting member of this group is San Diego’s Steve Lattimer. Lattimer was one of the most efficient offensive players of the S87 prospects. Why is he on the second team then? Well, his defense we can’t speak too highly of. He was a -8. Being a weapon on offense only works if you are scoring more than the other teams. 

 

Costanza was a very close candidate for the first team, but he just didn’t produce quite at the level of some Kings teammates. The main thing bringing him down is that +15. Weird to say but considering the +/- of his teammates, this leaves a bit to be desired. 

 

The most shocking part of the second team is the fact that Skor is here instead of fellow McFleury, Reese. I know, I know… Skor has a marginally better plus minus and takes way less penalties. Another factor is the lack of playoff production, being good in the games that matter most is important. It's early in the postseason but as of writing we haven’t seen it from Skor. 

 

Again, we find a Marlin with Jack Jeckler. I couldn’t believe the number this guy put up in 26 games. He hits and blocks shots in the top percentiles of this group of defensemen, part of that could be the situation but I’m not here to speculate whether or not top tier production is just a matter of situation. 

 

Now the moment we all have been waiting for…

The All-S87 VHLM 1st Team

F - MIA Mac Atlas

F - MEX Randy Bobandy

F - MEX Oreo McFleury

D - MEX Reese McFleury

D - HFX David Jokinen

 

 

Mac Atlas has not played quite as many games as most S87 prospects, but he has produced with limited chances. He is the only guy sniffing anything close to point per game numbers among eligible players. HE does a good job staying out of the box despite a willingness to throw his weight around. Can’t wait to see what Atlas does in round 2 of the VHLM playoffs.

 

Randy Bobandy’s game looks so much like Atlas but he was just slightly less efficient. The plus minus was a ton better but every Mexico City player in consideration was at least a +15. All that said, Randy is on fire during his debut run. I will also note that Randy is the sole reason these teams don’t have a separation of centers and wingers. A guy doing this well on the second team would have been criminal.

 

Here is the second McFleury to grace us with their presence on this list. While it's not quite on the level of Bobandy, Oreo is having a solid run. He has done well in the postseason and the only knock on him is that the points just haven’t come flying in like we expected.

 

Next the last McFleury before the machine broke, Reese. Reese’s shooting percentage is insane. Will it come down in the future? I would say probably. That said however, these teams aren’t about future projections, they are about what you are doing now. Right now, Reese pots the puck 25% of the times he shoots. That is amazing. The other reason we liked Reese better for the first team is his just all around better defensive presence. The penalties are a concern but those are just part of the game for guys who are willing to try and lay others out on the ice. 

 

The biggest surprise of the first team will end this piece. David Jokinen of the Halifax 21st. This player has been fantastic in his 24 appearances. 16 points, 75 hits, and 42 blocked shots. Those numbers are good for the second, first, and third best per game rates respectively among the S87 defensemen class. It did not matter what end of the ice Jokinen was on, he was having a major impact on the play. He also had the second lowest amount of penalties per game for this year’s defenders. Simply put, Jokinen is so far the best two-way defenseman in this group and it frankly isn’t close.

 

Writer: @Pifferfish

 

Mentions: @G2019 , @lilchrist , @ThatCasual , @qripll, @pugsood , @fonziGG , @Alex , @Uncommon , @v.2 , @AJW , @JB123 , @Spaz , @Ahma

 

 

VHLE Playoff Predictions

 

 

Last week, before the start of the playoffs, I was invited to write an article for this week's edition of the Prospect Pipeline magazine. Little did I know that the whole point of this was to jinx the Express.

 

To the predictions, we go! They were made by the Prospect Pipeline and the VSN team, so you already know they're not so good...

 

I, personally, didn't vote, so keep that in mind.

 

First up, we have the Wildcard Round. A matchup between the Stockholm Vikings and the Vasteras Iron Eagles, who have finished 4th and 5th, respectively.

 

Fortunately, we already know the result of this series, as the Vasteras team swept the Swedish team with two victories. The predictions, you ask? Well... they weren't correct.

 

The Prospect Pipeline and VSN teams voted in a landslide towards the Stockholm team. 9 votes were cast. All of them were for the Vikings.

 

So, we start blatantly wrong, and as the series has already come and gone, I will not bore you with a preview of the matchup.

 

As the Vasteras team advances to the semi-finals, they will meet the almighty Oslo Storm. The Norwegian side took the VHLE by storm this season (yes, pun intended), finishing at the top and with many players at the top of their respective categories.

 

We could share with you the predictions, but they were for an Oslo Storm and Stockholm Vikings matchup. Spoiler alert, we had Oslo beating Stockholm. And when this article was being written, Oslo had the advantage over Vasteras too. 2-0 is how the series is going. And the final result isn't going to differ too much. Chances are slim for the Vasteras team at the moment, but it's hockey! Anything can happen!

 

So, Oslo is doing everything right. We can't really point at something they are not. What about Vasteras? What would be the key to turning this series around?

 

Vasteras' Centers will have to step up to the task of going against spectacular players like Juan Sano III and Todd Cooke. Oslo has so many weapons on offense that these players' numbers may be overlooked, but their impact isn't. Vasteras will have to find a way to stop Oslo's offensive prowess to level the team's offensive output with their opponent.

 

This is easier to say than do, but that's the key for Vasteras.

 

In the second semi-final series, we have the 2nd and 3rd place teams on the regular season standings. The Bratislava Watchmen and the Cologne Express. As the series has already begun, we can share the result of 2-0 in favor of the Slovakian side. But although the result is the same, this has been a far different series than the former. A far closer battle that has seen the Watchmen take the victory by only one goal in both games.

 

The preview for this series is that we continue to see some great hockey on display. Some hard-fought games. And in the end, we know that a worthy winner will come out of it. 

 

Well, what about our predictions? 8-1. Only in favor of Cologne.

 

Remember when I wrote about how this article had been created with the sole purpose of jinxing the Express? Well... you might think we are at that point, but we are not there yet.

 

Let's move on with our predictions!

 

We are in the Renaissance Cup Finals. We have the first-placed Oslo Storm against the third-place Cologne Express. The two best goal-differential records in the league, but a clear victor of the regular season in the form of the Oslo Storm.

 

Looking at the pre-season power rankings, these teams finished exactly where the Prospect Pipeline team put them. But Oslo was the clear favorite since the beginning of the season.

 

Then, evidently, the predictions will mirror that favoritism. 

 

5-1... reasonable.

 

To Cologne.

 

You got it! Now, we're there! The Express was jinxed all the (rail)way through Europe.

 

Let's look at the teams and what a series between Oslo and Cologne could look like. Once you start analyzing both teams, you see some similarities in how they were built by their respective GMs. And in the end, it's not easy to extrapolate an answer on how one team has the edge over the other. 

 

Therefore we will have to wait and see, and that's the beauty of the playoffs. The best teams are here, and anything can happen!

 

Writer: @leandrofg

 

Philadelphia Reapers: An Underdog Story

 

Hello again readers, Todd Ripley here with some deep cutting analysis on a big time underdog in the upcoming VHLM playoffs. Philadelphia had the unfortunate scheduling of ending their year with four games in one week. Three of the top four teams in the whole league awaited them and this squad did not let the competition deter them. The Reapers snuck out of this gauntlet with a 1-1-1 record which while not totally impressive, shows the grit of this club against even the big dogs. Every contest here was decided by a 3-2 score. Let’s take it one game at a time and break down what happened on the ice.

 

Philadelphia first took on the Miami Marauders and the theme of this game was lockdown defense for Philly. They faced down 45 shots and had to endure six penalty kills. Most of the credit has to go to Evan Bihler but how about a quick shoutout for debuting rookie Tyler Swift. Despite being the the ice for both of Miami’s goals for, Tyler was left out to dry by Rex Wolffe Gregor heading to the sin bin a whopping three times. Locking things down when it mattered on those double shifted penalty kills was key to the Reapers success tonight. While Swift didn’t receive any of the three star honors, he gets a gold star from me after a promising start to what shapes up to be a good career. Also of note, the Reapers only needed 12 shots to thwart backup Justin Lion and the Marauders but still a solid showing overall.

 

In the first game of a season ending road trip, Philadelphia flew south to meet the Mexico City Kings in a back and forth affair. This game got chippy quickly. Mexico struck early on the powerplay after Gregor tripped Mediocre One ten seconds into the contest. Then later, the Kings found the twine after another penalty from another Reapers defender. This would be enough to seal away a 3-2 win for the Kings. The teams combined for thirteen penalties and three powerplay goals on them. 

 

In their final contest of the year with the 7th seed on the line, the Reapers had to face down the league leading Las Vegas Aces. This contest had everything a fan could dream of; back-and-forth offense, big hits, flashy saves, a bare knuckle fight and extra time. Let’s start with some positives for Philadelphia. Through two periods they contained a pretty high power offense to less than 20 shots. Despite having their two best defenders combine for 10 penalty minutes, they didn’t allow a single powerplay marker to the Aces. The team managed some contributions from Jeannot and Aky in the form of clutch passes that lead to the game tying goal. Overall, the first two periods looked like a well rounded club playing a tough game. The third despite mistakes was pure heart to push through and eek out that point for the 7th seed. While they couldn’t finish off the Aces, they showed that they are a team worthy of Founders’ Cup contention.  

 

Mentions: @Eb14, @lilchrist , @oilmandan , @Emperor_Fun, @Lucas anton, @Ben_Reformed .

 

VHLM Playoff Predictions 

 

In typical VSN fashion it is time to jinx some VHLM teams. It is playoff time in the M and teams are fighting for the Founder's Cup. Las Vegas is looking to secure the first ever three-peat in VHLM history while some teams are trying to break their curses or developing curses. Let's get right into these playoff predictions. All of the predictions were made by both the VSN and the Prospect Pipeline teams with voters asked to refrain from voting in matchups involving their teams.

 

(1)Las Vegas Aces vs (8) San Diego Marlins

 

Las Vegas wins series by vote 10-0.

 

Las Vegas is an easy favorite in this matchup with Lachlan Summers being the only hope of San Diego stealing this series. We have seen 8 seeds beat 1 seeds, but those 8 seeds were deeper squads. Unfortunately this San Diego team doesn't have the depth to compete against this Las Vegas squad.

 

(2) Ottawa Lynx vs (7) Philadelphia Reapers

 

Philadelphia Reapers wins series by vote 9-2

 

This Philadelphia team is the team to pull off the upset. They are facing the weakest defensive team in the top 4. The scoring depth Philadelphia possesses will lead this team to what could be a very close series edged out by Philadelphia.

 

(3) Miami Marauders vs (6) Halifax 21st

 

Miami Marauders wins series by vote 7-3

 

Miami holds onto one of the best forward squads in the VHLM, but defensively struggles. Bill Nye has become a stronger goalie as the season has aged, but has shown that he has weaknesses. Halifax is a very good squad who unfortunately fell apart late in the season to become the 6 seed. This will be a close series won be the deeper team. Depth goes towards Miami, but all games will be close with likely a nail biting 6 or 7 game series.

 

(4) Mexico City Kings vs (5) Saskatoon Hounds

 

Mexico City wins series by vote 9-1

 

Mexico City has rapidly become a top 3 team, but did not have the time to recover from their very slow start to climb up to their rightful spot. Saskatoon is a team that struggles heavily defensively and will allow shot upon shot to reign upon a MVP candidate in Alexander Minion. Mexico City should be able to take this series with ease.

 

Semi Finals

 

(1 Las Vegas Aces vs (4) Mexico City Kings

 

Las Vegas wins series by vote 7-5

 

This is a clash of titans in the 2nd round. Las Vegas won this regular season by a fairly wide 7-2 margin, but Mexico City has added greatly since these games concluded. It will be an exciting matchup from the first pick drop, but Las Vegas will succeed because of how strong their defense is. It will be close, but Las Vegas will win the series.

 

(3) Miami Marauders vs (7) Philadelphia Reapers

 

Miami wins series by vote 8-4

 

In all honesty Halifax likely is a better team than Philadelphia is. However, coming off a good upset over the 2 seed Ottawa Lynx it will be an exciting time in Philadelphia. If they can hold their momentum into this round Philadelphia can and will steal games. Offensively they are similar teams with advantages towards Miami, but defensively is where these teams differ with Miami being the much better team. Interestingly if Miami plays Ottawa they are playing a team they are cursed against. In franchise history Miami has never beaten an Ottawa team in a playoff series.

 

Finals

 

(1 Las Vegas Aces vs (3) Miami Marauders

 

Las Vegas wins series by vote 9-2

 

With a dynasty at stake Las Vegas can finish their three-peat. Against them a Miami team that before this season hasn't won a single playoff series since their championship run in S79. Las Vegas has similar depth offensively, but prospers defensively. Bill Nye likely will be a better goalie, but if Miami has hope of winning this championship they need their brother pairing of Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon to perform to the highest degree. In the regular season Miami did win the series 4-2, but all of these games were very early in the season which likely means they are outdated. In the end Las Vegas will win this series in what will likely be a 5 or 6 game series completing the three-peat.

 

Mentions: @Big Newff @Ricer13 @tinafrombobsburgers @kirbithan

@Mini Muu

 

Edited October 19, 2022 by nurx

[kirbithan 1,348]

Amazing job, y’all! Another stellar edition and a great read.

[Pifferfish 345]

i hear the guy who wrote the first and third articles is very gross and ugly... 1 star.

 

[UnknownMinion 726]

On 10/19/2022 at 4:57 AM, Pifferfish said:

i hear the guy who wrote the first and third articles is very gross and ugly... 1 star.

 

You did leave out the goalies

[UnknownMinion 726]

But Greta article none the least 

[Pifferfish 345]

7 minutes ago, UnknownMinion said:

You did leave out the goalies

There are no S87 goalies... at least none that played enough Games to properly grade.

[JardyB10 4,834]

Yes Greta would approve indeed!

 

I enjoyed the articles, my one suggestion would be to add at least a bit more formatting. Even just some colour or bolded titles/section breaks, just so it doesn’t present as much as a wall of text.

 

Fine work all around though.