Overrated and Underrated Teams from VSN Pre-Season Poll

[scoop 3,447]

Prior to the season, VSN ran a poll questioning members of the league on how they would rank each team. You can see the results of the poll here. At just under halfway through the season, there is still plenty of time for things to change, but the standings are starting to take shape. I'm going to be taking a look at the teams which we as members of the league have seemingly been the most incorrect about. In determining how incorrect a ranking was, I'm simply taking each teams' current points percentage and comparing it to the points percentage of that team's pre-season ranking. Also, note that I used the league rank for each team, which is an important note because the VSN rankings for the North American Conference don't seem to be in order for some reason. Anyway, here are the teams that I found either overrated or underrated enough to be worth writing about.

 

 

Helsinki Titans - Underrated
Pre-season ranking: 13

Current position: 4

 

By far the team that the league was the most incorrect about, the Helsinki Titans have shocked the VHL thus far. Seen as a young team with a very bright future, the Titans were expected to be a competitive team for a while, starting maybe in Season 89. The biggest impact for the team has come from veterans that they acquired in the off-season, so it is somewhat understandable why people who weren't paying attention might be surprised by how well they are doing. Even still, those particular players are having a bit of resurgent swan songs. I'm referring in particular to Nils Godlander and Matty Fire. Godlander has a second-best 23 goals and Fire has 28 assists. Another newcomer, Mo Probert, has been one of the best defensemen in the league. The Titans did well to bring in these veterans to speed up their timeline without sacrificing the future.

 

 

HC Davos Dynamo -  Overrated
Pre-season ranking: 2

Current position: 9

 

The Dynamo were coming off of a loss in the Continental Cup Finals, so it is understandable that the team would be ranked fairly high. Understandable or not, it is not looking correct, as thus far they have been the most overrated team. Should we be surprised, though, when we saw them trade away two of their best players in Xavier Booberry and Siyan Yasilievich during the off-season? To be fair, Lachlan Summers has been doing great in net. However, they have struggled to properly replace Yasilievich, who led the team in points last season. They do still have most of the roster from a season ago, and with time to figure things out, we perhaps shouldn't be too worried about the team. They do need their forwards, particularly James Teekirque and Mason Jones, to get back on track.

 

 

Vancouver Wolves -  Overrated
Pre-season ranking: 7

Current position: 13

 

A team that was previously known for their strict adherence to the meta prior to the introduction of hybrid attributes, the Vancouver Wolves made a surprising move in acquiring the definitively non-meta Ryuji Sakamoto during the off-season. Perhaps management thought Sakamoto was partially to blame for their early season struggles, as he was dealt 20 games into the season. They are 8-6 since trading Sakomoto, which I suppose is an improvement, but not much. Brandt Fuhr's struggles in net are a big part of why this team is doing worse than expected, as well as poor defensive play. The Wolves had the top ranked defense on the VSN poll and the fifth ranked goaltenders, but they have allowed the most goals and the fifth most shots against. Management has shown that they are willing to make changes, so we will see if their moves will pay off.

 

 

Seattle Bears -  Underrated
Pre-season ranking: 8

Current position: 2

 

If the last 20 seasons have taught us anything, it's that we should not doubt the Bears. Even with their huge off-season acquisition in Xavier Booberry performing like a below-average goalie, the Bears still find themselves in second place at the moment thanks to their league-leading offense. Having Vasile Lamb for a full season will be a huge boon for their offense, but the real noteworthy performances are the breakout seasons that Yaroslav Bogatyrev and Chip Stone are having. Bogatyrev has 42 points and Stone has 17 goals, both of which are numbers within four of their respective career highs. If the offense can keep it up, this team will be dangerous in the playoffs, as you will never be able to count out Booberry, even if he hasn't been at his best.

 

 

Riga Reign -  Overrated
Pre-season ranking: 10

Current position: 14

 

The Reign were not expected to be great, but they have not even been good. The teams has some promising young players, but they have not really shown any progression on the ice this season (I'm particularly looking at Skor McFleury, The Frenchman, and Sadie St-Louis). Henry Tucker Jr, meanwhile, has taken a step back, having the worst save percentage among starting goaltenders. Similar to Helsinki, Riga brought in some veterans during the off-season that should have in theory helped them improve, but the likes of Sergey Preobrazhensky and Max Torq just haven't had enough of an impact. This team does look on paper like they should be doing better, but the component pieces just don't seem to be coming together as they had expected.

 

 

Moscow Menace -  Overrated
Pre-season ranking: 1

Current position: 5

 

The Menace got off to a poor start this season, losing their first four games and seven of their first 11, but they have been climbing in the standings since then. Maybe it is me continuing to overrate them (they were my personal prediction to win the Victory Cup), but I do still believe they could end up in first and that they are the most likely of this list of over-and-underrated players to not appear on an end-of-season list. The biggest issue has been Matt Murdock, who has not been meeting expectations in the season following his Top Rookie campaign. The Menace do have the league lead in goals scored and have by far the most shots for, but the defense has not played up to their second-best ranking from the pre-season.

 

 

Malmo Nighthawks -  Underrated
Pre-season ranking: 15

Current position: 10

 

The Malmo Nighthawks have been an interesting team this season. They came in ranked second-to-last and have not only exceeded that expectation, but they have shown to be quite capable against the top teams in the league. If we just exclude Helsinki for a second, their combined record against the other teams in the top five is 6-3. However, we can't include Helsinki; nor can we exclude the London United. Against those two teams, Malmo is a combined 1-8-1. Given that this is simply a case of a team being thought to be near the worst simply being slightly below average, there are not really any standout performances. No one individually seems to be doing much better than expected. They are just somehow getting it done as a team, and while they probably won't make the playoffs, it is making the season a bit more fun.

[scoop 3,447]

1194 words, for weeks ending 4/23 and 5/7 (assuming I can skip a week for theme week)