Doug's VHL/VHLE/VHLM Season 89 Preview

[dstevensonjr 446]

Hello, and welcome to what will hopefully be a start of season tradition!

 

Here we'll look at strengths and weaknesses for the teams heading into the season, as well as a projected finishing order for each league, plus a one line thought for everybody! This post will focus on the VHL, with the VHLE and VHL to come! Without further ado, let's get into the good stuff!

 

VHL

 

Projected finishing order by conference:

 

North American Conference

1) Vancouver Wolves

2) Seattle Bears

3) Los Angeles Stars

4) Calgary Wranglers

5) New York Americans

6) Chicago Phoenix

7) Toronto Legion

8) D.C. Dragons

 

Vancouver Wolves

S88 Regular Season Rank: 10th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 1st

Strength: Top line players, mid-level players. The entire first line, both up front and on the back end is exceptionally strong. With an average TPA of 1157.4 on the top line, Vancouver's first group (Maple, Eagles, Pearce, Payne, Bouchard) will be a tough matchup for anybody this season.

Weakness: The second d-pairing? Not much to choose from here for the Wolves, they're solid all over the place. 

One line thought: It's going to be a dominant season for Vancouver this year, I see a lot of awards, both individual and team coming to them.

 

Seattle Bears

S88 Regular Season Rank: 2nd

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 3rd

Strength: Above average top players, solid depth players. The Bears possess the best second forward line (DeGroot, Bobandy, Justice) in the VHL, along with a solid third defense (Gregor). Though the top line isn't quite as elite as a couple of teams, it looks to be very capable of holding its own.

Weakness: Goaltender. Seattle has the 13th ranked starting goaltender, which definitely hurts the overall ranking. Despite that, they still grade out well enough elsewhere to cause quite a headache for the rest of the VHL.

One line thought: Can Seattle overcome their concerns in net?

 

Los Angeles Stars

S88 Regular Season Rank: 8th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 8th

Strength: Goaltender and First Line Forwards. Los Angeles boasts the best goaltender in the North American Conference (Vandelay), along with a solid group of first line forwards (Cooke, Nezuko, Miglaskems) that should keep them solidly in the mix for a locked in playoff spot to avoid the play-in.

Weakness: Defense. The Stars blueline grades out mid-pack in the VHL, which could use some improvement, but should still be good enough to stay competitive.

One line thought: LA leads the fight for the rest of the pack in NA, can they topple the top 2 teams?

 

Calgary Wranglers

S88 Regular Season Rank: 7th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 9th

Strength: Top Line Forwards. Calgary boasts the best group of 1-3 Forwards in the VHL with Goncalves, Wolanin, and Janser. This group should allow them to score their way out of a good bit of trouble this season.

Weakness: Goaltender. The Wranglers have gone young in net with 2 goalies who have combined for 26 games of VHL experience. Both goalies have played well in small sample sizes so far in the VHL, but they hold the lowest TPA in the league at the position, so it may be an uphill climb at the moment.

One line thought: Will Calgary's elite forwards be enough to carry this team to a playoff spot?

 

New York Americans

S88 Regular Season Rank: 13th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 12th

Strength: Above average top 2 Forwards. Dynamite and Puk both sit above the league average at their forward ranks of F1 and F2. These top forwards might be enough to keep New York ahead of the other teams vying for one of the play-in spots in the NA Conference.

Weakness: Top end Defense. The Americans are missing a big blueliner to carry the back end this season, as the D1 ranks 14th of the 16 teams in the VHL in terms of TPA.

One line thought: Can New York stay afloat in the bottom half of the weaker North American Conference and stay in a playoff spot?

 

Chicago Phoenix

S88 Regular Season Rank: 4th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 13th

Strength: Veteran Presence. Chicago has a lineup full of experience, with 7 of their 9 roster players holding S81-S84 draft designations. Can they continue to squeeze production out of these players?

Weakness: Top end Talent. The Phoenix are well below average at the F1, F2, and F3 positions, which will make it difficult to put up some scoring this year.

One line thought: Chicago is paying the price for being competitive with some older players, do they sell off the vets at the deadline?

 

Toronto Legion

S88 Regular Season Rank: 15th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 14th

Strength: Youth, Depth on the Blueline. On the opposite end of the age spectrum from the previous entry, the Legion's top 2 forwards, 3 defense, and starting goaltender all are from the S84-S88 drafts. This will help the future as they continue to develop, but it will mean a tougher present. The blueline has one of the best second pairings in the league, which is where we see a bright future with S88 draft pick Bobby Bob. 

Weakness: Current top end Talent. In terms of a future build, there is hope. That comes at the cost of the current roster, which is well below average in all 5 top line positions.

One line thought: With 4 players from the S86 draft or later and a deep prospect pool, how long does it take Toronto to get into the mix at the top?

 

D.C. Dragons

S88 Regular Season Rank: 16th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 15th

Strength: Goaltending, Youth. D.C. has a midpack starting goaltender in Bubbles Utonium which will help them stay afloat in some games. There are a few players on the current roster from the S87-89 drafts (Kourou, Calaway, Queefson) that should see some development this season to provide some excitement.

Weakness: Forwards. It's going to be tough to see a lot of scoring right now with a forward group that's first line is roughly 300-350 TPA in arrears to the league average at their positions.

One line thought: The Dragons should help bolster their already deep prospect pool this season with the most draft picks in the S90 draft.

 

European Conference

1) Moscow Menace

2) Riga Reign

3) London United

4) HC Davos Dynamo

5) Prague Phantoms

6) Helsinki Titans

7) Warsaw Predators

8) Malmo Nighthawks

 

Moscow Menace

S88 Regular Season Rank: 5th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 2nd

Strength: First line talent, goaltending. Similarly to the other projected Conference winner, Moscow looks solid all over the place. The top group of Lavelle, Sogaard, Jason, Voss, and Nesbitt are an elite bunch. The biggest difference between the Menace and some of the other contenders is that Moscow has the second highest rated starting goaltender in the league (Wallob).

Weakness: Depth? The 6th forward and 3rd defense are lower than league average.

One line thought: Can Moscow's elite goaltending be the difference this season and propel them to the top of the league standings?

 

Riga Reign

S88 Regular Season Rank: 9th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 4th

Strength: Above average talent virtually across the board. F1, F4, F5, F6, D1, D2, G1 are all above the league average at their position, allowing for a balanced lineup throughout. This balance in the lineup will help the Reign not have to rely on one or two players to carry them throughout the season, which should make them a very consistent team.

Weakness: A bit of a lack of true gamebreaking talent. While Riga is above average at most positions, they lack the separation from the average at each position to potentially elevate them.

One line thought: With the projection where it is, can Riga make the jump into the league's elite in a very tough Conference after being mid-pack last season?

 

London United

S88 Regular Season Rank: 6th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 5th

Strength: Goaltender, Forwards. London is loaded at multiple positions, with the best goaltender in the VHL (Teno), and a solid 1-2 punch on both forward lines. They should be able to hold their own well in any high scoring games this season, and the goalie could win a goalie battle on any given night.

Weakness: Defense. The United will need the goaltending to hold up, because it's a bit of a one man show on the blueline at the moment. Siyan Yasilievich is a solid top defense with the 6th highest TPA in the VHL this season, but it's lean behind them. 

One line thought: London has the elite talent to be competitive in the tough European Conference, will the lack of defensive depth hold them back?

 

HC Davos Dynamo

S88 Regular Season Rank: 3rd

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 6th

Strength: Defense, Overall Depth. The blueline is a big plus for HC Davos, as they have a stud blueliner with the second highest TPE in the VHL (Thunder), along with a solid pair of S87 defenders who have developed well in McFleury and Jokinen. On the right side of the ratings at the average for every position except F6 and D4, this is a roster with a lot of solid talent across the board.

Weakness: Lack of a true gamebreaking Forward. While the forward group is deeper at the F4 and F5 spots, the F1 (10th) and F2 (8th) slots are midpack, which could hurt the top production for the Dynamo.

One line thought: With a team that is slightly above average at most positions, will that be enough to make HC Davos a playoff team in Europe?

 

Prague Phantoms

S88 Regular Season Rank: 1st

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 7th

Strength: Goaltender, Top Forwards. Prague's biggest asset is in net, with the third highest rated goaltender in the VHL in Daredevil...err, Matt Murdock. The top 2 forwards (Jameson, Laperriere) are both well above average at their slots as well, giving Prague some punch up front and a brick wall in net.

Weakness: Depth Forwards, Top Defense. The F3-F6 forward spots, as well as the D1 and D2 defense spots are either right around or a little below the league average at their position, which could make the offense a little one dimensional. 

One line thought: Can Prague recapture the magic from last season to be the best team in the regular season in the VHL again?

 

Helsinki Titans

S88 Regular Season Rank: 11th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 10th

Strength: Young Forwards, Top D Pairing. Helsinki has 3 young forwards from the S86-88 drafts, including the Walking Dead twosome (Dixon, Grimes). They're definitely the future of the franchise up front. On the blueline, the pairing of Maellard and Probert represents the 4th best pairing by average TPE. That combination likely puts Helsinki in the middle of the play-in race in Europe.

Weakness: Forwards overall. While the young players show promise for the future, it leaves the Titans below average at every single forward slot from F1-F6. That's going to make it tougher to score in a tough Conference.

One line thought: Can Helsinki defend their way to a playoff spot with some opportunistic scoring?

 

Warsaw Predators

S88 Regular Season Rank: 12th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 11th

Strength: Blueline, Holy Draft Picks Batman. The third best rated D pairing in the VHL (Sakamoto and Wit da Hoodie), along with a decent second pairing should allow Warsaw to defend well this season. Warsaw has also stockpiled a truckload of draft picks in the next 2 seasons, holding 7 picks in each year (14 overall, 7 of which are in the first 2 rounds).

Weakness: Goaltending, Forwards. The 14th ranked starting goaltender and a forward group that's below average at each slot means that this is probably a rougher year for the Predators in the loaded European Conference.

One line thought: With a tough Conference battle for the playoffs, does Warsaw sell off their S81/82 forwards at the deadline for even more picks?

 

Malmo Nighthawks

S88 Regular Season Rank: 14th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 16th

Strength: Lots of Prospects and Picks, Team Colours. 5 players on the current roster are S87-89, with another 8 prospects in that time range. Combine that with the 4 picks in the first 2 rounds in the S90 draft, and the Nighthawks could add more young talent. The colour combination with the neon green is still the coolest colour combo in the VHL.

Weakness: The Current Roster. Below league average at every roster slot except for D3, this is going to be a long year for Malmo, but potentially a short rebuild.

One line thought: This is a rough Conference to be at the bottom because there are a lot of good teams, but that might help lock up the first overall pick.

 

Overall thoughts for the VHL

There is definitely a disparity in team rank this season in the VHL between the European Conference and the North American Conference. Europe boasts 5 of the top 7, and 7 of the top 11 ranked teams, so it should be interesting to see how that plays out in terms of inter-Conference matchups. Will Vancouver and Seattle run away with North America? As the 1st and 3rd ranked teams overall, having a gap between them and the rest of NA certainly seems likely. With 10 teams making the playoffs overall (including play-ins), somebody in the European Conference that is ranked in the top 10 overall is going to end up missing the playoffs.

[dstevensonjr 446]

Here we'll look at strengths and weaknesses for the teams heading into the season, as well as a projected finishing order for each league, plus a one line thought for everybody! This post will focus on the VHLE, with the VHLM to come! 

 

VHLE

 

1) Cologne Express

2) Oslo Storm

3) Rome Gladiators

4) Istanbul Red Wolves

5) Bratislava Watchmen

6) Geneva Rush

7) Vasteras Iron Eagles

8. Stockholm Vikings

 

Cologne Express

S88 Regular Season Rank: 2nd

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 1st

Strength: Second Line, Blueline, Goaltender. The best second line (Laakkonen, Lewis, Dover, Sanderson, Dudzinska) and the second best goaltender (Lion) in the VHLE propel Cologne to the top of the rankings. It's not particularly close in terms of TPA ratings for the second line relative to other teams, as Sanderson would be the best defender on 6 other VHLE teams, but is playing on the second pair for Cologne.

Weakness:  First Forward Line. Hard to classify this as a weakness, but it is a little concerning. The first forward group ranks 4th out of the 8 teams in terms of average TPA. While that's not terribly low, it is a little surprising with a team as loaded elsewhere as the Express.

One line thought: Will Cologne's impressive depth and goaltending help them overcome potential top of the lineup scoring shortages?

 

Oslo Storm

S88 Regular Season Rank: 3rd

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 2nd

Strength: Forwards, Top D Pairing, Goaltender. The forward group for Oslo boasts 6 players who are all above average at their roster slot. This overall depth of the group will help Oslo win a lot of hockey games this season. The top D pairing of Jeckler and Bala is the best pairing in the league, ensuring that scoring isn't all this team will do. Behind that strong roster of skaters is the only maxed out goaltender in the VHLE, Ross Glagau.

Weakness: 2nd D Pairing. Much like the other teams at the top of the projections here, this is not so much a glaring weakness as it is a minor concern. The Storm's second D pairing is below average overall by roster slot and ranks 4th in the league.

One line thought: Another powerhouse team, can the balance across this roster help Oslo win a title?

 

Rome Gladiators

S88 Regular Season Rank: 4th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 3rd

Strength: Top Forwards, Goaltending. Rome has 1 forward who is maxed out (BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson), and another who is almost maxed out (Dirk Diggler). These two forwards help keep Rome competitive with the 2nd ranked first forward line in the VHLE. Combine that with the 3rd ranked goaltender in the league (Matthew McCagg), and Rome has a decent shot to do some real damage this season.

Weakness: Blueline. The first D pairing ranks 6th of the 8 teams in the league, which will hurt the Gladiators when going up against some of the potent offenses out there. Can Pope Francis continue to develop into the number one that this blueline sorely needs?

One line thought: Does Rome have the ability to outscore their defensive woes and turn the Top 2 into the Big 3?

 

Istanbul Red Wolves

S88 Regular Season Rank: 5th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 4th

Strength: Forwards, Goaltender. Istanbul boasts the best Forward trio in the VHLE with Lattimer, Withers, and Gaming. Lattimer is maxed out, Withers is almost maxed, and Gaming looks like they'll be maxed before the end of the season. The second line matches up decently as well, grading out as the 3rd best second line in the E. This group is going to put up some numbers. Their ability to do so will be backstopped by the fourth best goalie in the league, Evan Bihler. Though ranked fourth seems a bit harsh, considering they're much closer to first than fifth.

Weakness: Blueline. The 4th best first pairing and 5th best second pairing is what hurts the Red Wolves. Room for growth for consistent earners Yvel (S88) and Laas (S89) could absolutely strengthen this group to get where they need to go.

One line thought: Much like Rome, can Istanbul use their forward talent to cover for their defense and make the jump to the top group?

 

Bratislava Watchmen

S88 Regular Season Rank: 7th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 5th

Strength: Blueline. Bratislava sports the 3rd ranked first D pairing and 2nd ranked D pairing, as well as an S89 prospect coming up (Tobias Weiss). This group is a mix of veterans (3 players from S81-82) and newer players (S86 and S89). This blueline will be tasked with keeping Bratislava in the mix for the play-in spot to get into the playoffs this season.

Weakness: Forwards, Goaltender. The F1-F6 spots on the roster are all predominantly hovering at or below the league average slot for each, resulting in a lack of a top end scorer to carry the group. At the goaltender position, a changing of the guard as S87 goaltender Jonny Elgar comes in to continue to develop into a number one goalie for the Watchmen.

One line thought: A team caught in the middle between the past and the future, does Bratislava have enough youth to develop throughout the season and surprise this year?

 

Geneva Rush

S88 Regular Season Rank: 1st

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 6th

Strength: Youth, Forward Depth. The Geneva roster is littered with skaters who are all developing, having 6 on the roster from S87-89. If these players continue to develop consistently, it could see Geneva rush up the standings this year quickly. The forward depth is a bit of strength, where the second forward line ( ranks 4th in the league in average TPA. 

Weakness: Top Line Scoring, Goaltending. At the moment, the Rush have the 6th best first forward line and 5th best first D pairing. The lack of a true number one at those spots for now leaves the Rush in a tough spot to compete with the top of the VHLE. 

One line thought: After finishing with the best record last season, is this a rapid retool for Geneva that could get them competitive again quickly?

 

Vasteras Iron Eagles

S88 Regular Season Rank: 8th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 7th

Strength: Youth, Prospect Pool. The top 3 forwards (Rice, Burns, Anand) and top defense (McGryer) for Vasteras are all very active and are developing quickly, which will help them improve the first line and top d rankings. There are also plenty of prospects who could make the jump next season to look forward to as well in Barbaslov, Simmons, and Walker Jr.

Weakness: Current Roster Depth. With only 5 forwards and 1 defense on the roster, as well as an inactive goaltender, it will be difficult for the Iron Eagles to improve this season.

One line thought: Can the active younger players on the roster develop fast enough this season to play a bit of spoiler by the end?

 

Stockholm Vikings

S88 Regular Season Rank: 6th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 8th

Strength: Nice City. The Capital city of Sweden, Stockholm is a picturesque city with lots of water, and a fantastic ABBA museum. It will host the IIHF World Championships in 2025 for the 11th time.

Weakness: Current Roster. With 3 players on the current roster, none of which who are active, it's difficult to get excited about this season's Vikings team. 

One line thought: Can Stockholm turn it around moving forward by adding to their prospect pool and bringing more players up?

 

Overall thoughts for the VHLE

It really feels like the VHLE has teams paired together across the standings. Cologne and Oslo seem pretty stacked at the top, Rome and Istanbul feel like they're just a little behind that first group, Bratislava and Geneva could join that pairing with the right development across the season, and Vasteras and Stockholm are hoping for some magic. I think it will make for a fascinating season to see if it does indeed play out in clumps like that, or whether there is a shakeup throughout the season. Lots to be excited about in the E!

Edited June 17, 2023 by dstevensonjr
Stupid emoji.

[dstevensonjr 446]

Here we'll look at strengths and weaknesses for the teams heading into the season, as well as a projected finishing order for each league, plus a one line thought for everybody! This post will focus on the VHLM! 

 

VHLM

 

Projected finishing order by conference:

 

Western Conference

1) Houston Bulls

2) Mexico City Kings

3) Las Vegas Aces

4) San Diego Marlins

5) Saskatoon Wild

 

Houston Bulls

S88 Regular Season Rank: 6th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 2nd

Strength: Forwards. Houston is going to score a lot of goals this season. The best top line in the VHLM (Stan-dingyouup, Toms, Zilla) with an average TPA of 188, and the 2nd best second line (Tuominen, Kemp, Targayen) is about to net Houston a windfall of goals. The entire top line could be maxed out weeks into the season, setting up a season of terror for everyone tasked with stopping them from scoring.

Weakness: Blueline. The best top defense in the VHLM (Joe Block) isn't enough to pull the Bulls rankings for the blueline up, as they rank 3rd in the first pairing and 5th in the second pairing rankings. The Bulls will need another blueliner to make the jump this season from a development standpoint to secure the back end.

One line thought: Could be the most entertaining team in the M to watch this season, should be a few high scoring games.

 

Mexico City Kings

S88 Regular Season Rank: 2nd

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 3rd

Strength: 2nd Line Forwards. Mexico City boasts the best second line in the M currently, and it should allow them to spread out the offense between the 6 forwards well. All three members of the second line (Mcdard, Sanzone, Chen) are above average for their roster slot at F4-F6. When your sixth best forward is as good as some teams third or fourth forwards, you know that you have decent depth.

Weakness: Goaltending. The Kings could see a stumble in net with the 9th ranked starter out of the 10 teams. A roster that is solid if not flashy across the board up front and on the blueline will need to get work done to protect the goalie.

One line thought: Can Mexico City's depth and above average roster give everybody a battle at the top of the West?

 

Las Vegas Aces

S88 Regular Season Rank: 7th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 4th

Strength: 1st Line Forwards, Goaltending. Las Vegas has a solid 1 through 4 up front, thanks to two maxed out player slots (Barbaslov on lines 1 and 2), ShaunYoungca at 196 TPA, and Maxim Anisimov at 168 TPA. This ensures that offense should not be in short supply in Vegas. If the offense does dry up on a night though, Vegas can rely on the highest ranked goaltender in the VHLM, Jeffrey Blake.

Weakness: Blueline. With only 2 defense (Fitzroy Jr. and Dingdong Jr.), the Aces are thin on the blueline. Averaging 100 TPA for the pairings will make for some long nights trying to defend leads until the blueline develops a bit more.

One line thought: Maximizing the opportunities for their best forwards is a recipe for success for Vegas, can they defend well enough to capitalize?

 

San Diego Marlins

S88 Regular Season Rank: 3rd

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 7th

Strength: 1st Line Forwards. San Diego possesses the 3rd best first line in the M currently, thanks to 2 maxed out players (Tzesar and Sjin). They are grouped with Baby Moo Moo to start the season, forming a strong top line to cash in offensively for Saint Diago. Another maxed out player lands on the second line in Brad Marchand to help keep the line afloat behind the top line.

Weakness: Blueline, Goaltending. Unfortunately for the Marlins, the riches up front don't translate to the back end of the rink. A top pairing of Marty Byrd and a bot will have to hold teams at bay, while a young pairing of rookies (Lee and Kozlov) find their way and continue to develop on the second pair. These units will need to protect goaltender Clark who comes into the season with the 8th lowest TPA.

One line thought: Can the young rookies develop quick enough to make San Diego's top talent even better?

 

Saskatoon Wild

S88 Regular Season Rank: 9th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 9th

Strength: Depth Forwards, Goaltending. A few decent depth forwards in the F5 and F6 (Jokinenegg, Leblanc Jr.) slots relative to league average help this young forward group comprised entirely of S89 and S90 players.They'll get help in the crease from the 5th best ranked goaltender in the M, Joseph Reed. If they can develop quickly, Saskatoon might surprise a few teams this year.

Weakness: 1st Line Forwards, Blueline. The young forwards are still currently below average relative to their roster slots for the F1-F4 spots, but that can change over time with proper development. The blueline on the other hand is in need of some depth, as Stan Par is all alone at the moment. Being forced to roll out a bot on every shift locks the Wild firmly in the 10th spot for D1 and D2 ranks.

One line thought: Can the young group develop fast enough to hang around the playoff race?

 

Eastern Conference

1) Philadelphia Reapers

2) Mississauga Hounds

3) Ottawa Lynx

4) Halifax 21st

5) Miami Marauders

 

Philadelphia Reapers

S88 Regular Season Rank: 4th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 1st

Strength: Blueline, Goaltending. The luxury of being able to roll out the best blueline (Swift and Johnson) in the VHLM in front of the 2nd highest rated goaltender (Karl Herzlich) in the league means that it is going to be very difficult to score on Philadelphia this year. The combination of that shut down back half of the ice and the talent up front for Philly makes them an imposing team for everybody in the VHLM to face this season.

Weakness: Forwards? Difficult to find a true weakness for the Reapers at the moment, so we'll settle on the first forward line grading out as the 4th best in the league by average, and the second forward line grading out as the 3rd best. Not a true weakness with the defensive ability here, but something has to go in this spot.

One line thought: Will Philadelphia give up fewer goals in a month than some teams do in a week?

 

Mississauga Hounds

S88 Regular Season Rank: 1st

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 5th

Strength: Forwards. Mississauga grades out above average in all 6 forward roster slots, which allows them to insulate some of the rookies playing in the lineup this year. With the talent spread out on the top 2 lines, it puts Mississauga in a good spot to get offensive contributions from everybody.

Weakness: Top Blueline, Goaltending. The top blueliner for the Hounds (Howdy Doody) sits at a 133 TPA currently, showing a lack of a true elite #1 on the blueline. The ability to continue to develop the pieces along will be imperative to push the top teams in the East.

One line thought: Is the solid forward group enough to put Mississauga in the conversation with Philadelphia for best in the East?

 

Ottawa Lynx

S88 Regular Season Rank: 10th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 6th

Strength: Blueline. Ottawa holds the 2nd spot in blueline ranks in the VHLM thanks to the top pair of Oven and Pereira, as well as the second pair of Oven and Sleeves. With Oven pretty much maxed out, it gives the 2 pairs an average TPA of 175, which gets them right near the top. That group will likely get a heavy workload to deal with this season, one that they are equipped to handle.

Weakness: Goaltending, Forwards. The great blueline for the Lynx is offset by their league worst ranking in net. With a rookie goaltender who is continuing to develop, there will definitely be some growing pains in the crease early on this season. The Lynx are also lacking in scoring up front, with a first line ranked 7th and a second line ranked 8th in the league in average TPA.

One line thought: A team with 6 S90 draft picks in the lineup, if they can develop quickly they could do some damage this year.

 

Halifax 21st

S88 Regular Season Rank: 5th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 8th

Strength: 1st Line Forwards. Halifax enters the season with some talent up front that is a few good development weeks away from being very competitive. Whopper, Miroslav, and Borisyuk all sit between 157 and 163 TPA, and could enter the top tier of forwards in the M this season with some good work.

Weakness: Blueline, Depth Forwards. All by their lonesome on the 21st blueline is Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage, an S90 draft pick who is up to 137 TPA early in their career. It is imperative that the 21st get them some help on the back end so that they don't have to roll a bot out on every shift. The 21st also need their forward draft picks from the S90 draft year to continue to develop into their role up front for some added offense.

One line thought: A lot of good on the Halifax roster, can they turn into great with a solid development run and an add on the blueline?

 

Miami Marauders

S88 Regular Season Rank: 8th

S89 Projected Overall Rank: 10th

Strength: Top Defense, Goaltending. Miami has a couple of elite pieces on the roster in the persons of their top defender, Darko Alexander Malkovich (195 TPA) and their top goaltender, Ryan Artyomov (175 TPA). Developing around these pieces will be a good start for Miami.

Weakness: Forwards, Defense Depth. With only 4 forwards on the roster, and the use of multiple bots at forward and on the blueline, it drags the Marauders down to the 10th ranked first forward line, second forward line, and second defense pairing.

One line thought: A couple of pieces and this roster would be much closer to average, but as it stands right now, it's going to be a tough one in Miami.

 

Overall thoughts for the VHLM

Much like the VHLE, it feels like there are clusters of teams in the VHLM. I believe that there are three distinct tiers in the league, with Philadelphia/Houston/Mexico City in the first tier, Las Vegas/Ottawa/Mississauga/San Diego in the second tier, and Halifax/Saskatoon/Miami in the third tier. I'm sure that there will be shuffling throughout those groups this season, especially with the likely high level of development that is usually seen in the VHLM and potential trades. It should be an entertaining year to see who can drag somebody out of that top tier.

[Pifferfish 597]

Great read, great format, didn't want to comment before and ruin it being in order lol... 

[dstevensonjr 446]

6 hours ago, Pifferfish said:

Great read, great format, didn't want to comment before and ruin it being in order lol... 

Haha, I appreciate that! Thought about doing one post for all 3, but I figured that would have been too long.

[AJW 2,200]

I've only read Houston's part so far but the details you go into for such small paragraphs is amazing! Will definitely continue reading the VHLM post