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VHLM Rundown with Joe Smith - 10 Games In

TheNeonShaman

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*Show’s theme song plays as the camera fades in to show Joe Smith sitting at a new desk in about the center of the room. New guest Smitty Joseph sits in an armchair next to him.*

 

Smith : Folks welcome back to the show, and today I’m with Smitty Joseph, an analyst on our broadcast team. Today I’m here with him to break down how the teams in the VHLM are looking after the first 10 games of the season. Smitty how’s it going brother? (Smith really draws out the R in brother)

Joseph : (In one of the most fake sounding Southern accents) I’m doing just fantastic Joe! I’m so excited to take a look at all 10 of the VHLM’s finest.

Smith : Well we’ll see how many of them are fine, and who’s on the decline! (Joe looks pretty proud of himself for that rhyme)

Joseph : Yes. (awkward pause)

Smith : So starting with the 10th place team, the Saskatoon Wild are in the basement. What’s going wrong for this team Smitty, and is there anything they can do to fix it?

Joseph : Well Joe, Sasky has had just about everything go wrong so far. However nobody can be called out of the game at this point, and that was proved when their 11th game they finally got their first win, and it was against the powerhouse San Diego team, so if 4th overall pick Stefan Norris @Elman Diablo can steal some games, their better forwards can keep up production, and the depth steps up, this team could be competitive.

Smith : It does beg the question Smitty, do they even want to be competitive this year?

Joseph : Well Joe, with that record I’m really not sure. (Both laugh in a very white way)

Smith : Looking to the next team, in 9th, the Reapers lay buried in their own grave.

Joseph : Well they are an interesting situation. On offense, they own an extremely talented top line on paper. Strangely enough they’ve had some key players with struggles, highlighting Timothy Swearingen @Timmy30 , who only has 9 points in 12 games. I’m sure he’ll find his pace, however even if he does, Philly may not climb up the table. They don’t have the defense to make a huge impact, and between the pipes also is not the strongest, with veteran Dylan Dubnyk @ThatsGreissy . This is looking like more of a rebuild year for the Reapers.

Smith : Well Dubnyk is quite the story, he took a 6 season break before returning to hockey. Big respect to him despite the on ice performance not being what he might have wanted. Maybe he’ll be part of a feel good story throughout the year!

Joseph : That certainly would be a spectacle. Now how about we move away from the bottom teams and into where the competition heats up.

Smith : Yes! It’s what makes the VHLM so interesting, much of the league is able to be competitive through the year, and it makes for some very entertaining hockey. These next three teams are all floating around the same tier right now, but which should be moving higher in the standings, and which deserve to be here?

Joseph : Well first off Joe, I think it’s obvious to me and everyone else that Houston is the best team of the bunch, and has a better roster than at least half of the teams above them. Now a good roster on paper does not always translate to success on the ice, however Houston is just too good to be stuck at .500, and should start racking up wins sometime soon as long as the 5 skaters can support rookie goalie Sage Barclay @Waffleboard39 . As for Halifax and Las Vegas, I believe both could be decent, Halifax with more of a chance than Las Vegas, though this is around where I feel many of us on the broadcast team thought the two would be this year. They are bottom 5 teams in the league, not that they are bad teams, but the weaknesses in their rosters are greater than the ones on teams higher up the list. 

Smith : After those two teams, we have break into the top 5, with two teams who are fighting for a spot higher up.

Joseph : Right you are, and fascinatingly enough, Miami and Ottawa have the two best goalies of the top five, and are stuck on the outside of the top 3. Both have very strongly built teams. Ottawa has a lot of talent, some which is not meshing, but that is where goalie Matthew McCagg @Jack kidd comes into play to help win games. McCagg is not only winning games, but leading the league in SV%, GAA, and shutouts. Leading the way on offense in Ottawa is rookie and 9th overall pick Gregger McKeggegger @TheNeonShaman , with 15 points in 10 games. You also just gotta expect the 1st overall pick FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist @STZ to challenge for the team lead at some point soon though. Once the rest of the top talent joins McKeggegger and McCagg and plays up to their potential, this will be a scary team. Ottawa does need wins against big teams however, as 3 of their 6 have come against the struggling Saskatoon squad.

Smith : And how about Miami?

Joseph : Well their situation is not really the same, as the top end talent on Miami is performing at a very high level. Wingers Swinsola @Swinsola and Keita Kourou @woog lead the way with 21 and 18 points in 10 games respectively. They are playing exactly how Miami fans should expect them to. The rest of the team has been alright, there’s two other point per game players, one being defenseman… (checks paper) @Ninjadude. If I say that name, I risk hurting people’s feelings, so I will just say it’s a very impressive season from the rookie. The rest of the team does need to come alive a bit for the Marauders to make strides up the standings.

Smith : Well, if either of those teams want to make it into the top three, they’ve got quite a challenge getting past any of the teams already there. San Diego and Mississauga both are powerhouses, and Mexico City is yet to lose a game. What’s behind these teams’ dominance?

Joseph : Well Joe, each team has something different going for them. I love the offensive and defensive depth that San Diego has. They can roll 3 full effective lines, one of which is elite. On defense, their top D pair is one of the best in the league, and the Marlins may have the best 3rd defenseman in the league with Admir Bala @Tyler . In goal they are a little weak, however there’s no doubt rookie Olivier Gauthier @fonziGG will improve throughout the season. On Mississauga, a decent second year goalie and one very good second year defensemen are joined by the best offensive core in the league. The Hounds have a ridiculous top 6 that is a threat to any team in the league, and if they pick up some more defensemen, I fully expect them to take first place.

Smith : Even over the 10-0-0 Mexico City Kings?

Joseph : Yes Joe, especially over the Kings. It’s actually a very strange situation in first place. Looking at that Mexico City team on paper, they are debatably the 6th best team in the league behind all the other teams in the top 5 and Houston. But when their skates touch the ice, it’s like seeing a whole new beast. The scariest first line in the league has all three players at over 2 points per game, and make up 3 of the top 5 scoring spots. Their top defenseman Colton Heffelfinger @heffcolton is also having a fantastic season, and takes another of the top 5 scoring spots, along with leading all defensemen by 4 points. These players have just elevated their game to a new level, and third year goalie Ross Glagau @Zetterberg has been lights out, and is currently undefeated. The strange thing is that many of the players on Mexico City are depth players on most teams. But on this team? Only 1 of 9 skaters is not a point per game. And that player has 9 points in 10 games. The work done by GM team @badcolethetitan and @Thunder is incredible, all the players mesh so perfectly together and have helped to create this storybook start to the season.

Smith : So Smitty, after all that, who do you think is going to take home the Founders?

Joseph : Joe I believe that it’s going to be an intense year, but the Mississauga Hounds just won’t be denied with their amazing forward core. I believe a few defensive pickups will be the key to a Cup for the Hounds. Do you have a pick Joe?

Smith : I have a feeling it’s gonna be one of the teams not in the top 3 currently. I don’t have an exact pick, but Miami, Ottawa, and Houston. One of those three is winning the Cup.

Joseph : I like it. Thanks for having me on the show man!

Smith : Of course! And to all you watching or listening, I hope you’ve enjoyed our rundown! Big thanks to Smitty Joseph for being here, and he will probably be back on soon. Until next time, Joe Smith signing off!

 

*Show’s theme song plays as the screen fades to black.*

 

Word Count : 1551

For Weeks of : 1/29, 2/5, 2/12

Edited by TheNeonShaman
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