Power Rankings of VHLM at the (almost) Halfway Mark

[DankTurtle 54]

I am by no means an expert in hockey or predicting how teams will perform, these are just my opinions on how the season has been going so far. Please dont take anything personal if I rated your team low, I just want everybody to have fun!

 

1. Ottawa Lynx: Ottawa has been on a tear since about 15 games ago, scoring a bunch of goals and not letting a lot in. Matthew McCagg has been lights out this entire season, leading all goalie with a .927 save percentage and 2.02 goals against average. Led offensively by Gregger McKeggegger they seem to be shutting down any goalie they play against and eliminating any opportunities for goals to go against them. They don’t have a whole bunch of players but who they have are performing at alarming rates. If the offense is able to keep up at the rate they are going and McCagg is able to hold this form for the rest of the season I don’t know who would have the possibility of beating them in a playoff series.

2. Mexico City Kings: After starting the season like 18-0 they are now 24-8-0. The Kings looked like they were shot out of a cannon in the early part of the season but as time has gone on some cracks in the armor have appeared. With the most potent offense in the league they lead in goals for on the season and have the highest goal differential but they have seemed to slow down and the gap between them and the rest of the league has become smaller and smaller. Defensively they aren’t as much of a powerhouse but are still the second-best team in fewest goals against on the season. With players like Captain Nuggets, Tim Riggins, and Grizz Tazzo however, they should still be one of the favorite contenders for a championship at the end of the season.

3. Mississauga Hounds: The Hounds have gone for a very different approach to try to win in the minors. While they don’t have an astounding number of players, their players are insanely good and very dangerous with the puck. Their player with the lowest TPA (excluding the goalie) has 131 which still beats some of the lower teams best. I think their weakest link again is probably the goalie but they also don’t have any true centers on the roster. If they were ablet o pick up one or two solid face-off guys they could really be something dangerous.

4. San Diego Marlins: San Diego has on of the most complete rosters in the league, running with 5 defensemen and 3 full lines of forwards. They play a heavy defensive style of hockey and prefer low scoring games. Their weakest link currently is their goalie Olivier Gauthier, who can’t seem to keep up with the rest of the team. If San Diego want to really step it up to the next level they’ll need to trade for a solid starter between the pipes and minimize what they give up for it.

5. Miami Marauders: Miami has by no means been a bad team throughout this season but they are just missing something to put them into the top contenders category. They score often and have a solid defense and goalie to ensure the other teams can’t score. The Marauders just can’t seem to kick it into next gear and really dominate on the other teams in the league. My only complaint about them is that they only have 2 defensemen that actually improve, if they were to offload some of the lower scoring wingers, they could become a team that’s others hate to play.

6. Halifax 21^st: Halifax has been pretty mediocre so far at the near halfway point but recently their play has been a little more solid going 7-3 in their last 10 games. They aren’t the most dangerous offensive team but they score when it matters and they’ve done a decent job at keeping the puck out of their own net. Stefan Norris has been very solid for the two teams he’s played for this season, posting over .915 for each after 32 starts. If they are able to find a way to score more goals Halifax could be on of the scariest teams in the league

7. Houston Bulls: The Bulls have been a solid team for the majority of the season but recently they have seemed to struggle a little bit. They have lost their last 4 in a row and don’t really have any outstanding stats on their scoresheet. They have solid players that have the potential to dominate but for some reason they don’t really seem to click on the ice. Goaltending this season has been on par and they have a luxury that most other teams don’t; they have multiple goalies. Houston has the option to rest their goalies and play whichever one is hotter but it hasn’t seemed to do much help so far. Shadow Thompson has just recently joined the team but hasn’t performed well in the 3 games he has started. We’ll have to see if he can find his stride but I wouldn’t count Houston out of the race just yet.

8. Las Vegas Aces: The Aces have been a lower tier team all season with a 12-20-0 record. The old adage that defense wins championships still applies here with Vegas not being able to stop the other teams from putting the puck into their net. Vegas has the second highest goals against in the league but they still have found ways to win a few games, scoring when it matters. They have shown signs that the offense has the potential to dig them out of their rut but it doesn’t look like it’s consistent enough to hold them above the water and get them into a contending spot. One of the true questions on the team is goalie Igor Vezina, who has been in the minors for a few seasons now but hasn’t really been able to find his footing. I would probably put them into the “Looking forward to next season” category.

9. Philadelphia Reapers: The Reapers have had a pretty tough season. They are currently suffering the same fate as most of the other lower tier teams in which the defense has been very underperforming. Their star player so far this season is Timothy Swearingen with 42 points in 32 games. Even he isn’t immune to the poor defensive performance on the team, posting a -3 for his +/- on the season. In net, Jeffrey Blake has been struggling with his first season in the minors but he’s got plenty of time to develop his skills before getting a chance to play in the big leagues.

10. Saskatoon Wild: Unfortunately for Saskatoon this season has not gone the way they hoped. With a record of 1-29-2. Unsurprisingly they also have the fewest amount of people on the team meaning most of their roster is bots and fillers. This is definitely not helping in any regards. Saskatoon is at the bottom of the standings with a goal differential of -92, leading the league in the wrong direction. On the bright side, the actual players (at least the forwards) are almost on a PPG pace throughout their careers. Definitely not the season they were looking for but hopefully next season will be better.

 

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[badcolethetitan 938]

Kings going all the way  

[DankTurtle 54]

Claiming for week ending 2/19/23