VSN Presents: S91 VHLM Power Rankings: Trade Deadline Edition

[McLovin 470]

VSN Presents: S91 VHLM Power Rankings: Trade Deadline Edition!

 

Hello, and welcome back to the VSN’s S91 VHLM Power Rankings! We’re a little past the midway point of the season now, and a lot has changed since our last rankings! With that in mind, let’s get into who’s risen and fallen in this edition of VSN’s VHLM Power Rankings!

 

 1. Las Vegas Aces | 36-8-6, 1st in Western Conference, 1st in League Standings +2

 

Starting off our trade deadline rankings, we have the Las Vegas Aces! Having a stellar midseason, the Aces are actively on a 11 game winning streak, and this kind of performance has shot them up to first place in the league once more! Bolstering the best offense in the league still, the likes of Stinky @taylorherd, Jean-Marc Lemieux @Gorth & Piston Maicupp @MandyManiac have been well over a point per game pace the entire season, and have been putting the team on their backs with their offensive production. Being tied for third least goals against also helps a great deal, with players like aforementioned JML & Bric Sheithaus @Oldhead91 putting up massive defensive numbers on top of both of their point per game performances. The team is set for a deep playoff run, and anything short of a Cup victory will be seen as a failure to them.

 

 2. Ottawa Lynx | 36-9-5, 1st in Eastern Conference, 2nd in League Standings +2

 

Up next on our rankings, we have the Ottawa Lynx! The Lynx are a remarkably strong and well rounded team, and it shows in their games since our last rankings. They have not lost a single game in regulation since our previous rankings, and this sort of performance has helped them maintain their first place position in the Eastern Conference, while propelling them up the league standings to be only a point behind the hot streak Aces. The team's offense has been solid this season, being led by George Richmond @badcolethetitan at center with 32 goals already in S91, with his linemate Thijs @Thijs not too far behind with 24 goals, and 40 helpers to match Richmonds 41. Vlad Von Carstein @Domhas had an incredible season thus far as well, with 61 points in 50 games, with 91 hits and 95 shots blocked to help. Andrew Cobberson @BrandyAndy & Olafur Gunnleifsson @JartY have almost split starts this season down the middle, and both goalies have been strong in keeping the puck out of the net for the Lynx, constantly giving them a fighting chance in any game they play. The Lynx are a dangerous team, considering their ENTIRE roster has nearly been a point per game at this point in the season, and should they maintain their current pace, they have a strong chance of taking first place in the league and becoming a serious playoff juggernaut.

 

 3. Houston Bulls | 35-12-3, 3rd in Western Conference, 4th in League Standings -2

 

Onto the next team, we have the Houston Bulls! Having dropped a bit since our last standings, they’re still a strong team, and shouldn’t be discounted as a true threat despite their power ranking. Pipo Popa @npuBeT has been the star of the team, being arguably the best goaltender in the league at this point of the season. His elite play has helped the Bulls maintain the lowest goals against in the league, as well as the lowest GAA for a goalie in the starter category. With players like Luna Everdeen @Dee & Vanellope von Schweetz @Arce keeping their strong point per game pace as well, the Bulls have everything they need to contend for a Founder’s Cup. Will the goaltending and defense be able to hold strong enough against some of the high scoring juggernauts of the league is the question, and could make or break a deep playoff run for the Bulls until they get a player to truly take over offensively. Things are looking great for the bulls at it stands however, so we’ll see if they can keep the strong pace into the playoffs!

 

 4. Saskatoon Wild | 35-10-5, 2nd in Western Conference, 3rd in League Standings -2

 

Pushing onwards, we have the Saskatoon Wild! Despite only having one rostered defenseman, the Wild have managed to keep the goals out with strong goaltending and an impressive top 6 forward core. Four of their players are over 60 points already this season, with Alexandros Morgraine @sliceruser & Stefan Nikolaev @Is_thatok being the headliners of the offense. The big piece of this team, however, definitely has to be their goaltender in Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly. Going 35-10-5 with a .920 save percentage and a 1.88 goals against average, Bobbly is still a strong contender for goalie of the year, and should he maintain pace, he’s got a strong chance against Houston's Pipo Popa for the award at season's end. Overall, the Wild have a fantastic team, and have a solid shot at making something happen in the playoffs should the defensive core not have too many long term issues for them.

 

 5. Philadelphia Reapers | 31-14-5, 2nd in Eastern Conference, 5th in League Standings +1

 

At the halfway mark of our power rankings, we have the Philadelphia Reapers. This is by far the biggest wildcard team in our rankings, and they have the best chance of being the upsetter/Cinderella story of this season. This section of the power rankings should be called the Bear/Ninefingers section though, because we’d be crazy to not cover what they’ve been doing this season in detail. Caring Bear @thecaringbear has 115 points this season, including 46 goals and 69 (nice) assists. Logan Ninefingers @Scurvy has 107 points with 46 goals as well, and 61 assists on the season. It’s simply incredible what these two players are contributing to their team, and to league history itself. In my years as a writer, I’ve never seen two players absolutely dominate every single game they play on such a consistent basis, and they are more likely than not the sole reason why Philly is up here in the rankings and the standings. They’re definitely helped by kodie Curran’s @Battlepopcorn two-way play on the blueline, and Olumide Anderson’s @Theory strong season as well. The only thing to be worried about is if Bear and Ninefingers get shut down by a strong goalie like Saskatoon and Houston bolster, do they have what it takes to close out a series? Amir Redzic @Slav_Sloth gives them a fighting chance each night he’s in net, but he can’t be solely relied on to keep pucks out of the net. Should the depth prove to be an issue for the Reapers, you might see them get booted early in the playoffs, but at this point, I don’t have any doubt that Bear and Ninefingers can single handedly carry the Reapers to a deep run. 

 

 6. Mississauga Hounds | 24-21-5, 3rd in Eastern Conference, 6th in League Standings -1

 

Onto the latter half of our rankings, we have the Mississauga Hounds! The Hounds have struggled a bit with getting goals on the board, and it’s burned them in the standings quite a bit in the halfway point of the season. With no all-star forward to really pitch in on offense, the defense and goaltending has been leaned on heavily to break ties and close games, and they’ve done pretty well in this endeavor. Pierre-luc Dutil @Pierre-Luc Dutil has had a solid season, posting a .918 save percentage, and a 2.28 goals against average. With these numbers, the addition of a lethal scorer on the forward core would pay off greatly with this team, and likely propel them much higher in the standings, in our VSN Power Rankings too. Until that happens, however, the lack of offense might be the achilles heel that takes down the Hounds in the long run. 

 

 7. Miami Marauders | 22-25-3, 4th in Eastern Conference, 7th in League Standings =

 

Pushing onward, we find ourselves at the Miami Marauders! A bit of a reverse problem for Miami as opposed to Mississauga, they have elite scoring available on their team, but suffer in the depth and defensive categories. Matthew Highmore @NineIQ v2, Petit Hughie @Sen, & Demko @Demko have all been putting up stellar seasons offensively, and have definitely been the saving graces of the Marauders. The biggest issue however, appears to be their lack of all-star talent to compliment the already exceptional offense, mostly in the form of an elite defenseman. Shaunca @shaun1979 has suffered in net because of it, but his play has also contributed greatly to keeping the Marauders above water. Should they go out and acquire a high end defenseman to ease the workload of Shaunca, the Marauders do still have a strong chance at making something happen in the playoffs, but time will tell if this move is made or not. 

 

 8. San Diego Marlins | 17-32-1, 4th in Western Conference, 8th in League Standings =

 

Nearing the end of the list, we start entering the more difficult to salvage teams, starting with the San Diego Marlins. While they’re still in, and most likely a lock for a playoff position, the Marlins struggle greatly in their positional offense and team depth, and it has cost them dearly in the standings. Factor Lee @Hockeywizard676 is the leading scorer of the Marlins as a defenseman, but unfortunately bolsters a -29 +/- rating to snuff. Jake Dunzapp @Dunzapp has taken over the starter position in between the pipes for the Marlins, but has initially struggled to maintain an above .500 win percentage as the depth continues to prove problematic. While that problem cannot most likely be solved this season, it does put the Marlins in a unique position to still at least compete in the playoffs while still holding onto a top 3 draft position. Should they be able to maintain their current roster and bolster the depth more, the Marlins should be a lethal team for S92. 

 

 9. Mexico City Kings | 7-37-6, 5th in Western Conference, 9th in League Standings +1

 

Onto the Tank Bowl teams, we have two teams nearly neck and neck in the standings fighting for last place, the first up being Mexico City! On paper, the Kings aren’t that bad of a team in all honesty. All the rostered players of the Kings, consisting of Trey Daniels @Tdan04, Nathan Doh @TheJaguarGod, and Hezeus Ohmontegue-Steinhardt X @Sisyphus are about a point per game pace right now, but it truly comes down to the fact that they ONLY have 3 rostered skaters on their team at the moment. Inactivity seems to have been the biggest contributor to their lack of players, with a handful of others being traded to the Bulls earlier in the season. Mexico City is truly embracing the rebuild, and we’ll see what happens at the end of the season whether the Kings will win the lottery, or if they’ll be edged out by our final team of our VSN Power Rankings!

 

 10. Halifax 21st | 7-39-4, 5th in Eastern Conference, 10th in League Standings -1

 

As we enter our final team of these rankings, we find ourselves in a rather familiar place. Very little has changed with the 21st, besides the few players remaining on the team having improved individual skills a bit. Bubba Tree @Bubba is still their leading scorer with 44 points on the season so far, but the big story lies in their goaltender Girgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87. Having such an elite goalie playing for a last place team is remarkable, and considering the numbers he’s put up this season, I’m impressed he hasn’t stolen more games than he has so far. Despite his record of 7-41-4, he bolsters an incredible .921 save percentage, and a goals against average just under 3, at 2.96. Those kinds of numbers would make a couple teams near the top of our list an almost immediate lock for a Founder’s Cup championship, but instead he finds himself spending his final year in the VHLM helping the 21st fight for the last place spot in the league. If the 21st truly wanted to, he would be a very easy asset to move to one of those contender teams for big pieces coming back, but whether or not Halifax pulls the trigger on a trade of that caliber remains to be seen. The tank is truly rolling out in Halifax, however.

 

 

That concludes this edition of VSN’s coverage of the S91 VHLM Power Rankings! Tune in next time when we cover end of season rankings and give predictions as to playoff matchups and an eventual Cup winner! Thank you for reading, this has been Marcus Svedberg of VSN, signing off!

[sliceruser 28]

lets go wild!

 

[McLovin 470]

also claiming week 2/2 cause i was lazy and didn't write this earlier in the week like i should've