VSN Presents: S90 World Cup Preview

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   S90 World Cup Preview   

 

Hello and happy World Cup to all of our readers! It’s an exciting time to be a fan of the international tournaments as the WJC just wrapped up with a threepeat victory for the Europeans! Now the big guns of the VHL are gonna face off against each other, representing their nations and continents on the biggest stage the VHL has to offer, the World Cup! In today’s article, we’re gonna preview what the S90 World Cup will likely have to offer, including teams and players to look out for! Without further ado, let’s get into this preview!

 

 Team World: 

 

Starting off with arguably the best team in the tournament, we have Team World! Carried by the best goaltending and defense the tournament has to offer, this team is going to be a significant challenge to score on. The only thing the team struggles with slightly is their offense, where they find themselves more middle of the pack competitively speaking. While it is still serviceable and able to get goals on the board, leaning heavily on the defense to protect the net should be Team Worlds priority going into the Round Robin. Should the likes of Hammar Voss @BOOM & Lachlan Summers @kirbithan be able to take over games, Team World should be expected to play very well, and be the “way too early to predict” favorites to take home Gold at this season's World Cup!

 

 Team Canada: 

 

Moving on, we have Team Canada! Statistically speaking, Canada bolsters the second best offense in the tournament, and it’s not hard to see why. When your first line is projected to consist of the likes of Todd Cooke @KRZY, Molly the Cat @JCarson, and Leonard Triller @Triller, you can expect goals on goals from those players should they play together. While the defense is good and will lock games down where they can, the biggest piece of the team might very well be Joel Castle @animal74, who’s already proven to be one of the best goaltenders in the VHL. Should Castle be able to steal games for Canada, they have an incredibly good chance at making their 3rd Gold Medal appearance in 4 tournaments, and outscoring the competition in every game they play.

 

 Team Western Europe:

 

Into the middle of the pack, we have Team Western Europe. Based on the statistics mentioned in the previous team preview, Team Western Europe has by far the best offense in the World Cup, and taking a glance at their forward roster goes to show exactly why they’re going to be a scary team to play against. Ronan Lavalle @Arce, John Jameson @Frank, Leandro Goncalves @leandrofg & The Frenchman @OrbitingDeath are all elite players in their own right, and will be looked upon to come in clutch during close games. The reason I say close games is because while they have good defense similarly to Canada, they certainly struggle between the pipes. Their starting goaltender isn’t even European, so let that go to show just how desperate the goalie situation in Western Europe is at the moment. Team Western Europe will live or die on the backs of Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro & Karl Herzlich @LastGoon007, and their performance will be the deciding factor on the teams success in the Round Robin.

 

 Team Eastern Europe:

 

Onto the second half of our preview, we have the other European team, Team Eastern Europe! A similar situation to Western Europe, East also has a strong cast of offensive tools at its disposal. The highlight of the team, though has to be defenseman Siyan Yasilievich @badcolethetitan, who aims to carry a defense that consists of mostly VHL newcomers, who might struggle against fully veteranized All-Stars. His leadership and elite two-way play will be make or break for Team Eastern Europe, and his play alongside the strong offense the team has, games between them and the rest of the tournament will likely devolve into slugfests. If you enjoy high scoring matches, make sure to catch Eastern Europe's games, as they are projected to be some of the most competitive and hard fought wins anybody in the tournament will fight. Should they be able to keep the puck out of their net, they could be a very serious Cinderella storyline in the making, so keep your eyes open for these guys!

 

 Team Scandinavia:

 

Nearing the end of our list, we move onto Team Scandinavia! A very well rounded team, they have everything a team could need to compete in the World Cup. Their biggest assets who will be relied on heavily include LW Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide & Fuukka Rask @Jubis. Having a strong number one forward & goalie to support your team and make clutch plays definitely helps, but I worry that Team Scandinavia lacks enough star power to compete with some of the top teams in the tournament with the likes of Team Canada and World having matched and beat them in every category statistically. However, numbers are only that, numbers, and once the puck drops, anything can happen. With that in mind, and Fuukka Rask in particulars game considered, Scandinavia has the potential to be a real upsetter in the Round Robin, and even another dark horse candidate for Medal contention should they pull out strong games against higher skilled opponents. Do not underestimate Scandinavia’s ability to take advantage of overconfidence from their competition, because anything can happen in the World Cup.

 

 Team USA:

 

Concluding our preview, last but certainly not least, we have Team USA! A very similar situation to Team Scandinavia, the All-Star power in Team USA is not as prevalent as seasons past, but don’t let that fool you. They’re an incredibly well rounded team, but just statistically on average have the lowest of the numbers you’d hope for in international competition. Lead by players such as Daryl Dixon @Ricer13, Mac Atlas @v.2 , & Brian Payne @Scurvy, Team USA has a wonderful mix of young and veteran presence on the roster. While it might not be the most competitive Round Robin for the Americans, the young guns will want to come out swinging and prove to the world that they have what it takes to compete on the international stage. Never underestimate the resolve and skill of players trying to prove they belong, because it’s usually a great opportunity to take advantage of and create a couple of upsets along the way. Whether this happens or not is yet to be seen, but I don’t see Team USA going quietly into the night whatsoever. They’re going to fight for every game, and give quite the run on anybody they face.

 

 

This concludes this VSN coverage of the S90 World Cup Preview! A lot to be excited for in this seasons iteration, and I personally can’t wait to see what happens. Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful evening. For VSN, Marcus Svedberg, signing off!

Edited October 26, 2023 by McLovin

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