Smarch Articles

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Episode 57: Bye, Bye, Bye

 

As the VHLM saw the regular season come to a close, two teams stood above everyone else in the league. Those teams are the Saskatoon Wild in the North American conference, and the Oslo Storm of the European conference. Both teams will now get a much deserved bye week, while four other teams compete for the chance to face the two conference champions in the next round. In this week’s edition we’ll take a look at those two teams and how they got in the sweet position they are currently in.

 

The Saskatoon Wild have been a two season work in progress, which is finally starting to pay off. General Manager Joey Kendrick was an assistant with the club last season, taking over the reins at the beginning of the season from departing General Manager Brett Slobodzian. The Wild started their Season Forty cup run at the Season Thirty-Nine VHLM dispersal draft. With eleven selections in the draft, the Wild brass possibly saved some of their best picks for the later round steals. Jarome Iginla, and Joshua Rubin the current top scorers on the Wild were chosen with the twentieth pick and twenty-ninth pick overall. The rest of the roster also speaks volume to the way management has been setting up the club, with only two First Round VHLM draft picks on the roster. While the management have made all the right moves off the ice, the players have also held up their own part of the bargain, with some great work ethics that are paying off on the score sheet. Iginla is one of those that have shown up each and every game leading the Wild in goals with sixty-five, and points with 120. While Iginla has had a great season offensively, the biggest story coming out of the Bridge City is the play of sophomore defenseman Joshua Rubin. Rubin finds himself sitting pretty amongst the league’s top defenseman with 107 points on the season, including an impressive team leading eighty-nine assists.

 

The Wild and their management have worked hard to get to door-step of the Founder’s Cup championship this season, but the work for the Saskatchewan club has just begun.

 

The other franchise taking a deep breath before resuming their on ice workout is the Oslo Strom, led by General Manager Don Draper. Like their counterparts in the North American conference, the Storm started building for a cup run at the Season Thirty-Nine VHLM draft. All five of the teams draft picks from that draft two seasons ago are still with the Storm today, including the team’s top three scorers in Chirstoph Klose, Lloyd Light, and Vladimir Komarov. Klose had an amazing season after coming into this year with a new sense of focus. Klose currently sits third in the VHLM with an amazing 108 goals on the season, while also leading the Storm in points with 158. Much like the Wild though the bigger story of the season would have to be the play of Light and Komarov on the Storm’s blue-line. Light and Komarov are line-mates whose styles of play complement each other nicely. Light sits second on the roster with 113 points, while Komarov finds himself leading the Storm in assists with ninety-three with a total of 105 points. Combine that potent offensive output with the stellar play of sophomore goaltender Niklaus Mikaelson and the Storm are going to use their homegrown talent to hopefully take a shot at hoisting the Founder’s Cup for the first time in eight seasons.

 

As we highlighted in this week’s article, both the Wild and Storm started building for Season Forty two seasons ago and it currently is doing wonders for each franchise. Hopefully other VHLM General Managers take note of these two franchises and use their formula for success in the season’s to come. 

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Episode 58: Graduation Day

 

Graduation Day

 

As the day closes in on many VHLM players, their graduation from the minors is just the first step in hopefully what will become a superstar VHL career. With just four teams remaining in the Founder’s cup race, we’ll fast forward a little bit and look ahead to those names that will not be on a VHLM stat sheet come next season.

 

Shadhu Rathod Jr. (Toronto)

 

Rathod will be moving on from the Minot Gladiators after just one season with the North Dakota based franchise. Rathod joined the Gladiators via this season’s VHLM dispersal draft, after spending over half of last season with Yukon after being claimed on waivers by the Rush. Rathod quickly established himself as an offensive powerhouse for the Gladiators, putting up forty-one goals and ninety-assists. Rathod was a major component to the Gladiators playoff run this season as well and continued with his playmaking abilities during the post-season, posting nine assists so far in Minot’s nine games. A veteran of 124 VHLM regular season games, Rathod will be making the jump and joining the Toronto Legion come Season Forty-One.

 

Joshua Rubin (Davos)

 

The stud defender for the Saskatoon Wild, Rubin will be making the jump into the big leagues come the end of the season. Rubin spent both of his VHLM seasons in the bridge city with the Wild, putting up superstar numbers both of those seasons. This last season saw the young Canadian defenseman take his game to the next level offensively, sitting second on the entire Wild roster with eighteen goals and eight-nine assists. Rubin has continued his dominance for the franchise during the Wild’s four playoff games this year as well, putting up a team high nine assists and one goal. After being a force on the blue-line for the past two seasons the Wild and their fans will miss Rubin no end, but hopefully they will be seeing him soon enough if he continues to turn heads in the next level.

 

Sachimo Zoidberg (Toronto)

 

The best forward in the VHLM this past season will also be making the jump to the big leagues come seasons’ end. Sachimo Zoidberg has been a force to be reckoned with over his season and a half in the VHLM. This season will be one the fans in Bratislava along with Zoidberg himself will remember for a long, long time. 113 goals to go along with seventy-seven assists was good enough to lead all players in points in the VHLM this season, and his 113 goals was second best in the league behind 116 put up by Brady Stroke. Zoidberg will be joining Rathod Jr. in Toronto next season, and fans of the Legion hope that Zoidberg and Rathod will easily transfer their superstar VHLM game into a powerhouse VHL game.

 

Lloyd Light (Seattle)

 

The second highest scorer for defenseman in the VHLM, Light will be taking his offensive style of play to Seattle next season. Light has spent two seasons in the VHLM during his young hockey career, spending both seasons in Oslo with the Storm. With 144 VHLM games under his belt, Light will be one of the eldest VHLM players to graduate from the league next season. Light showed fans around the league what he was capable of when the puck was in his possession, with thirty-two goals and eighty-one assists in seventy-two goals this season. Light will look to help the Bears who are one year into their rebuild and really need a player like Light to help build a new winning foundation in Seattle. 

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Episode 59: Title: Looking Back

 

Well folks the Victory Hockey League’s Minor System has just finished up another stellar campaign, with the Bratislava Watchmen taking home the Founders Cup, in a hard fought six game series against the Saskatoon Wild. First off I would like to congratulate to the Watchmen and Wild on their incredible seasons and to the other eight teams on another spectacular season. In the upcoming week or so, the league will see the number of important off-season events take place for the VHLM, but I wish to take you all back into the season that just was with a look back at some of the more interesting headlines from Season Forty.

Joey Kendrick and Mario De Rossi probably are not household names to casual fans that followed the VHLM and for good reason. The General Managers from the two Founder’s Cup finalists in Season Forty weren’t even leading their respective clubs heading into the past season, with Kendrick was appointed from within the organization, while De Rossi was given the interim General Manager tag halfway through the season. Both managers showed a great deal of care and interest in their respective franchises following their appointment into the front office, and now fans are looking ahead to see if they can continue this success for many more seasons to come.

 

Every season we see some characters come and go in the VHLM and this season was no different. This year we meet a young man by the name of Jody 3 Moons. Like many before him that were characters, he quickly separated himself from the pack by attacking league policy. While 3 Moons may have had a justified argument in his corner, many around the league were upset with the manner he took up his “beef”. Just after the dust settled from that event, 3 Moons name would be a headline once again when he was traded from Bern to the Bratislava Watchmen. The big issue with this wasn’t the trade itself but with what took place because of 3 Moons heading to Bratislava. At the time of the trade 3 Moons was near the top of the league in assists, sitting closely behind new team-mate, Oskars Harumpf. Word began to spread of discontent in the Watchmen locker-room caused by the newly acquired 3 Moons. Next year the VHLM will be without the character that was Jody 3 Moons, as he is graduating to the big league, so the VHL best watch out.

 

Three championships, the amount that Bratislava has since joining the league via expansion back in Season Thirty-One. Bratislava and the Yukon Rush have been dominating the league since entering together in Season Thirty-One, winning seven out of the last nine Founders Cup championships. With is a crazy statistic considering the amount of turn-over year to year in the VHLM. With another good chance of hoisting another Founders Cup with the picks they possess heading into the upcoming draft, Bratislava could see four championships very soon. 

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Episode 60: Winners and Losers

 

Last week the VHLM held the yearly entry draft for the new crop of hockey superstars. Many teams came out of the draft as clear winners with the talent they picked up, while some franchises left with their tail between their legs with the choices they made on draft day. This week we’ll take a look back at those picks’ to see who won and who lost at the draft.

 

Bratislava Watchmen; Winners

 

The Watchmen at going to be in the thick of things again this season when it comes to the European Conference playoff race. After taking home the Founders Cup this past season, many would think that Bratislava would have a hard time icing another competitive team, but management left the team in great position, with three first round draft picks. The team picked up goaltender Jax Barnstormer, defender Lord Karnage, and winger Kyle Kingma with their three first round selections, who in themselves might be able to compete for a championship. Before the night was over the Watchmen took a chance on what could possibly be the biggest steal of the VHLM draft. The Watchmen took winger Jakub Rhinehart in the third round, who could very well be a wasted pick if he enters the VHL this season with the Seattle Bears. The Watchmen will head into the season as heavy favorites with the roster they intend to ice, but time will tell if they can win back to back Founders Cup in Season Forty-Two.

 

Yukon Rush; Winners

 

The Rush weren’t quite the success story the Watchmen were last season, but with the players they picked up in the draft this year they could very well meet the Watchmen come finals time.  The Rush were able to pick up the two best centers to anchor their offensive game. While their drafting went great during the actual draft, right after the big day Rush General Manager was able to scoop up superstar forward Dirk Firkley from Bern for just two second round picks. Although the Rush didn’t have many picks outside the first round they were able to select Patrick Demko and Alex DeLarge to round out their roster for next season. The Rush did a great job at the draft and certainly head into the season as favorites in the North American Conference.

 

Saskatoon Wild; Losers

 

After a great playoff run that saw the Wild make it all the way to the Founders Cup before failing at the hands of the Watchmen, the Wild were held off the scoreboard during the draft. With only a fourth round pick to show after their cup chase last season, the Wild were unable to restock the cupboards heading into Season Forty-One. While the fans will give management a reprieve this season the clock will start ticking from the playoff run hangover very quickly in the bridge city.

 

Moscow Red Wolves; Losers

 

Since moving to the Russian capital from Vasteras before the beginning of Season Thirty-Seven, the Red Wolves have finished with more than seventy points just once. Moscow has been a failure since day one on the ice and it is starting to show throughout the entire organization.  Moscow experienced another failure on the ice this season and again at the draft table, where the team possessed only two picks in the entire draft. Something is going to have to change in Moscow if the team plans on competing any time soon. 

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Episode 61: VHLM Rookies: Up-incoming Superstars

 

Year one, such a terrible movie even more terrifying experience in the VHLM. Many players have come before the generation we have now in the VHLM, while many of those VHLM players have gone on to have decent careers, there are also those who might never see the light of day that is the VHL. In this week’s edition of the magazine we’ll take a look at those first year VHLM players that should make an impact at the next level.

 

Vogon Jeltz: Vogon Jeltz is heading into his first season in the VHLM, after being picked up off the waiver wire by the Yukon Rush. The first year right winger is lucky to have such great talent around him to lessen the load the rookie will have to carry for the Rush this season. Jeltz has only dressed for three games this season, but he has looked impressive in those three games with three assists and a plus one rating.  With a full season ahead to develop before the Season Forty-Two VHL Entry Draft, Jeltz has the skill set to become a top three draft choice if he continues on his current pace, but time will tell if his commitment towards the league is there. With Jeltz being a waiver pick up this season his rights will not be retained by the Rush at the end of the season, so if Jeltz lands in the VHLM next year the experience of this season will do him wonders in Season Forty-Two.

 

Callum Sinclair: Another waiver pick up choice, Sinclair is also headed to the North American conference to back-stop for the Brampton Blades. General Manager Terence Fong decided to bring in the young American goaltender, even though current goaltender Ikier Manushez has won all five games the blades have played this season. Sinclair is the latest goaltender to join the VHLM corps, but this one comes with something different. Sinclair comes from the same agency that introduced Willem Janssen, one of the most underrated forwards of all time in the VHL.  Sinclair will be entered in the VHLM draft next season, if everything goes as planned with his development he could be looking at going first overall in possibly two drafts in the same season. If he can learn from the steady Janssen and put forth the same work ethic, Sinclair could become a great VHL goaltender for many seasons to come.

 

 Joseph Roy III:  Although Roy may look like an exception on the list, but seven games at the end of the season last year shouldn't be considered as a rookie season. Roy was picked up the Bern Royals in the second round of the draft that took place this off-season, the subsequently traded to the Saskatoon Wild before the start of the season. The Wild are looking to make another run towards the Founder Cup in Season Forty-One, and Roy could very well help the team make it there. The young Canadian center is playing out of position for the Wild right now, so the low point total out of the gate could easily be contributed to adjusting to playing the wing. Roy is another top prospect early before the Season Forty-Two draft, but will the relatively unknown player be able to commit full time to take his game to the next level. 

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Episode 62: Where are they Now?

 

In the VHLM many players come through the system for one or two quick seasons, then move on to their dream of becoming a full-time VHL player, never to been seen again in the VHLM. In this week’s edition of the VHLM Magazine, we’ll take a look at some of those players and what they are doing with their lives after the VHLM.

 

Ethan Osborne- A superstar forward that quickly passed through the VHLM with Saskatoon, Bern, and Kolari. Osborne would leave the VHLM after being drafted by the Helsinki Titans, First Overall in the Season Thirty VHL Entry Draft. Osborne would make such an impact on the VHL after his grooming in the minors to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the Season Thirty-Eight class. Since leaving the VHL ice surface, Osborne has made it widely known that he has started a family and moving on with things after a great hockey career. Although things look to be going great for Osborne, many around the league including everyone around the Titans, were surprised to find the dark secrets that were recently revealed about Osborne. Osborne was recently revealed as a “Bronie”. Bronies are grown men who are obsessed with the children’s show, my little pony. The weird obsession has led many to question what happens to VHL superstars that don’t have much on their plate after their very fulfilling hockey career.

 

Till Lindemann- Lindemann was a very durable and reliable defenseman in his time in the VHLM with Oslo Strom and Minot Gladiators. Lindemann was drafted into the VHL by the Helsinki Titans, and became somewhat of a journey man during this tenure in the big leagues. While many already know about the music career that Lindemann had before coming to the VHLM with the German based recording artist Rammstein, but few knew about a side project he began brainstorming during his final few years in the VHL. Lindemann began writing songs for a duet with a very secret artist, which was later leaked to the media during the recent Sony hacking incident. Lindemann and British sensation Susan Boyle will be bringing their vastly different styles of music to the world, with a 20 songs Christmas duet album. The news shocked the world and went under the radar during the Sony leaks as many assumed it to be a hoax, but Lindemann himself released a clip of one song on his twitter account just days ago. So for all you music fans out there reading this, don’t forget to pick that one up for your Grandmother this holiday season.

 

Evgeni Chekhov- The man that was supposed to help lead the expansion Cologne Express from the blue paint, Chekhov saw action in the VHLM for the Bern Royals and Brampton Blades. Chekhov had a decent career in both the VHL and VHLM, but forgot the golden rule of managing your own finances. Chekhov assumed his friend that was in charge of his finances was the right man for the job, but after Chekhov’s long VHL career he had nothing to show for it financially. Chekhov had a few run ins with the law during his low days right after his VHL career, but recently he has started to turn his life around, thanks to the help of his new job at, Night Flight, Moscow’s largest gentlemen’s’ club. A restaurant, strip joint, and cigar lounge, which usually caters to men clients, Chekhov has found his home in the basement ladies section. Tough times call for tough measures, but as Chekhov stated to the media that came calling, “Ii sure beat’s sitting in jail, or in a box in the ground.”

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Episode 65: 

 

Halfway Stars    

 

Although were already past the halfway point in the VHLM season, I couldn’t resist the urge to write about the players that are currently tearing up the league, so I can c=have something to compare to when I write about the year-end stars. Today well look at those active players that are having career years in the VHLM.

 

A.C. Savage:

 

The Turku Outlaws centerman has lit the VHLM on fire this season. Savage leads the league in goals with an impressive seventy-seven, as well as points with 158. We haven’t witnessed offensive fire-power in the VHLM like this since the days of VHLM legend Tyler Vassell. Savage will most likely walk away with the Hull Trophy this season for most goals in the VHLM, but he will need to continue his strong play to have a chance to also take home the Sakic Trophy for league MVP. Savage’s mind is currently on helping lead the Outlaws to the playoffs, hoping everything else will fall in place.

 

AIM-11:

 

The biggest threat to take the MVP crown away from Savage, AIM-11 had been a passing machine, literally. The non-human has easily picked up the game of ice hockey in his year and a half in the league, but really has shown his worth over the past fifty-five games. With 101 assists on the season, Mr. Roboto currently has the lead for the Oates Trophy over Borje Samelsson by five assists. Like Savage fans are wondering if AIM-11 can continue his torrid pace over the final seventeen games that after left in the VHLM season.

 

Jax Barnstormer:

 

The only goalie to make it on our list at this point of the season, the Watchmen’s goalie has been having a banner year. Barnstormer is currently sitting second in most categories behind VHLM journeyman Gunnar Skovsgard. Barnstormer currently has a record of 44-6-2, but most impressively is his .905 save percentage with a +900 save percentage being rare for many goalies in the VHLM. The Watchmen sit in second place in the VHLM with fifty-five games played his season, and Barnstormer is a big reason that Bratislava finds themselves in the hunt for another Founders Cup.

 

Ryan Cattrall:

 

Here is another players that is a big reason why the club they play for is in the position they currently hold in the VHLM standings. Cattrall had a tough season offensively with the Oslo Storm trying to adjust to the style of play in the VHLM, but that year of seasoning has really paid dividends for the young Vancouver native. Cattrall has played a well-rounded game all season long putting up fifty-seven points and eight-one assists in fifty-fives games with the Yukon Rush this season. Although you may not see Cattrall bring home any personal hardware this season, the Cattrall lead Rush has a very good chance at playing for a Founders Cup this season, which Cattrall would take any day over a Hull or Oates Trophy. 

[Smarch 3,196]

Episode 66:

 

Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys

 

At the end of the season, VHLM players around the league will graduate and head towards the start of a hopefully long and eventful VHL career. Some have spent more time than others in the VHLM, but all have left their mark in one way or another. In this week’s edition of the VHLM Magazine, we’ll look at some of those players that will be wearing a VHL sweater come Season Forty-Two.

 

Borje Samuelsson (SEA)

 

Samuelsson first saw action in the VHL back in Season Thirty-Nine with the Moscow Red Wolves. Samuelsson played nineteen games after being claimed off waivers that season before entering the Season Forty VHLM Dispersal Draft. In what would be a very deep draft Samuelsson feel back into the Red Wolves hands to begin Season Forty. With Moscow on the outside looking in near the trade deadline, Samuelsson found himself being traded to the North American powerhouse Saskatoon Wild. Samuelsson went on to experience the VHLM playoffs for the first time with the Wild after the trade, playing admirably on the blue-line during the Wild’s eleven game playoff run. Coming into the current season Samuelsson came into the season as a grizzled veteran for the first time in his career and he surely hasn’t disappointed. Samuelsson has been lights out in his final season in the VHLM, putting up an amazing eighteen goals and 102 assists. The young defenseman from Malmo, Sweden will hope to light the lamp at the same pace when he makes the jump with the Seattle Bears.

 

Jakob Ackerman (DAV)

 

Ackerman made his debut in Season Forty with the Minot Gladiators after being drafted in the VHLM by the Gladiators that season, playing on the second line defensive pairing, putting up eleven goals and forty-seven assists. Ackerman and the Gladiators qualified for the playoffs in the North American Conference and Ackerman continued his strong play during Minot’s ten games in the playoffs. Ackerman put up twelve points while also being one of the only plus players on the Gladiators roster. Ackerman started the season as one of the on ice leaders for the Gladiators, but that quickly changed when he was dealt midseason to the offensively talented Turku Outlaws. The Outlaws will be heading to the playoffs this season as the second seed in the European Conference, so the playoff experience Ackerman got last season with come in very handy for Turku in the next coming weeks. The Dynamo backend is in good hands in Ackerman continues to develop like he has the past two seasons in the VHLM.

 

Bismarck Koenig (Draftee)

 

A highly touted draft prospect out of South Africa, Koenig introduced himself to the VHLM with the Moscow Red Wolves after the trade deadline last season. Koenig saw action in only thirteen games with the Red Wolves last season and really wasn’t able to showcase much of his talent with the lowly Red Wolves. This season has been a totally different story for Koenig, who has helped the Rush vault to the top of the VHLM standings. Koenig has been spectacular offensively putting up sixty-two goals and sixty-five assists. Koenig has done everything in his power to assure General Managers in the VHL that he indeed ready to be the face of a franchise right out of the chute. With the draft another few weeks away, Koenig’s stock is sure to go through the ceiling if he continues the tear he’s been on since the beginning of the season. 

[Smarch 3,196]

Episode 67:

 

The Fight for the Founders Cup

 

Each season in the VHLM, six teams find themselves in the race for the ultimate prize in the league. After a long seventy-two game season, the post-season starts where teams will then have to win either eight or twelve games to take home the Founders cup. The past decade of hockey in the VHLM has been dominated by the Bratislava Watchmen, Yukon Rush, and Ottawa Lynx. With Bratislava and Yukon on top of the league again this season, can they two expansion franchises continue their decade long dominance or will Saskatoon finally figure out how to get past their bridesmaid phase this season?

 

Since the announcement was made that the VHL and VHLM would be expanding to ten teams, the management for the Watchmen and Rush have done an amazing job sustaining a quality hockey team year in and year out. Bratislava and Yukon have combined for seven of the last ten VHLM championships, including four of the last five. Bratislava comes into the season forty-one playoffs as the reigning VHLM champions, which they have a good chance as repeating as again this year. The Watchmen secured the top seed in the European conference, so they currently await the winner between Turku and Moscow. Whoever gets the chance to take on the Watchmen in the next round will be meet by an impressive all-around game that smaller Watchmen roster brings to the ice. The Watchmen are led offensively by AIM-11 and Mario De Rossi, who combined for 379 points throughout the regular season. The Watchmen have little depth behind winger Kyle Kingma which could hurt in the playoffs, but the Watchmen hope if offense gets stifled that their elite goalie will help carry the load. Jax Barnstormer is finishing his second and last VHLM season, hoping to top of is illustrious VHLM career with another VHLM championship. Barnstormer sits in the top four of most VHLM goalie categories, in a year that VHLM goalies have been the best the league has seen in many seasons. Barnstormer only played in sixty-four games this season, but put up an impressive .903 save percentage and a 2.61 goals against average. Barnstormer and the Watchmen will need to throw everything they have on the ice for at least their next eight games if they wish to lift that cup again this season.

 

The Yukon Rush have been even more dominate since joining the VHLM. The Rush have won four Founders Cup championships, including back to back wins in season thirty-seven and season thirty-eight. The Rush again fond themselves on top on the VHLM and the North American Conference with fifty-one wins and 105 points. The Rush were another team in the VHLM that played an all-around game that produced impressive offensive numbers. Second year VHLM forward Ryan Cattrall, led the way for the Rush this season with an impressive sixty-eight goals and 116 assists. Cattrall was helped by the arrival of elite prospect Bismarck Koenig. Koenig who is playing in what is likely to be his only VHLM season, put up seventy-two goals and seventy-six assists, while also leading the Rush with a plus minus rating of plus 105. The Rush also benefited from second year VHLM goaltender Fedir Okranitz, who won sixty of his seventy games his started this season. Okranitz put up a .903 save percentage and a 2.54 goals against average.  The Rush have the first round bye in the North American conference and await the winner of the Saskatoon Blades and Brampton Blades, for the beginning of what the fans in Yukon hope is another long VHLM playoff run.

 

The Saskatoon Wild are the other favorite to represent one conference in the Founders cup finals. Saskatoon has been a consistent team in the VHLM the past three seasons, but unfortunately their season ended in semi-finals in season thirty-nine and in game six last season of the Founder cup finals. The Wild are back to the playoffs again this season, but this time it may be their last chance at a Founder Cup. With an again roster that is likely to see a ton of graduation to the big leagues next season, the Wild all know their time is now, but that doesn’t always guarantee a championship. Saskatoon is led by journeyman goaltender Gunnar Skovsgard, who led all goaltenders in save percentage and goals against average this season. While the blue paint was well protected this season in Saskatoon, Skovsgard has the luxury of the top defenseman patrolling the blue-line in front of him. Borje Samuelsson led all defenseman in points with 137, including an impressive 116 assists which was good enough for third in the league. The Wild and their fan base hope that this year is the season that the fight for the Founders cup falls their way. 

[Smarch 3,196]

Episode 68: 

 

End of an Era

 

In life all good times must come to an end, regardless of the situation. People’s time as a VHLM General Manager is no different, but this year we saw some major players in the VHLM GM game step down. In this week’s edition of the VHLM magazine we’ll look at the career of some of those General Managers that will no longer be in the respective team front offices come seasons' end.

 

In the largest city in Saskatchewan, the SaskTel Center sat quiet as Joey Kendrick sat in his office for the final time. Kendrick announced his attentions to the VHLM league brass at the beginning of the season about stepping down come season’s end, and those who followed the Wild knew his loss will be felt throughout the entire league. Saskatoon has been a North American powerhouse in the few seasons that Kendrick has been at the helm. Although the team has failed to win a Founders cup with Kendrick at the helm, the team has constantly been in the North American Semi-Finals or Founders Cup finals for the last three seasons. Under Kendrick the Wild have seen a huge amount of their roster player’s break into the VHL at one point or another in their career, thanks in large part to the atmosphere that is present in the Saskatoon locker-room.  Time will only tell if the successful atmosphere and brand that Kendrick has created will be sustained in the seasons to come.

 

The Oslo Storm will be without their long time General Manager after Don Draper accepted a similar role with the Helsinki Titans in the VHL. While the VHLM is proud to always see their own graduate to the next level, Draper will be missed in the Oslo front office and locker-room. Like Saskatoon under Kendrick, Oslo was unable to win the ultimate prize in the VHLM under Draper, but nonetheless his stamp has been placed on the Storm. During his tenure, Oslo produced many capable VHL quality players, which is a huge part of the VHLM. Oslo seems to be in good hands already with the phone chatter that has gone on behind closed doors in Oslo since Bluesboy71 took over, but time will tell if he can follow in the footsteps of Mr. Don Draper.

 

The last General Manager that we will be touching upon that will be stepping down this off-season in the current Yukon Rush head honcho Austin Gow. The Rush under the guidance of Gow has been one of the best VHLM units to ever grace the league. Yukon has been a choice destination for many blue chip VHLM prospects as they are known to always find themselves in the playoff mix in the North American conference. The on ice success is one thing for Gow to hang his hat on, but for those who follow the VHLM we all know of the off-ice presence that Gow and the entire Rush roster seems to bring to every game. Yukon 2 gud has been such a stable around the league, that it is sometimes the first thing a new member sees when entering the league. George Patton will be handed the reins after the Founders Cup from Gow, but hopefully for the Rush and their followers it will come after one more championship on Gow’s resume. 

[Smarch 3,196]

Episode 69: Night Moves

 

With the Bratislava Watchmen and New York Americans wrapping up their respective playoff series, the moves quickly started in the Victory Hockey Leagues Minor Leagues. General Managers of the other eight teams that were out of the playoffs, were working the phones for the past few week, so it wasn’t surprise when some deals started rolling out of the league office. Six deals in total have been filed so far with the league and with the draft coming up this week, more is sure to follow. In this week’s edition of the VHLM magazine, I’ll look at some of the buyers and sellers heading into Season Forty-Two.

 

Saskatoon Wild:

 

The Wild were making night moves with the intention of being basement dwellers in Season Forty-Two. All the trades this off-season were made by exiting General Manager Joey Kendrick, who wheeled and dealed his way to one of the top teams in the VHLMs North American conference the past two seasons. Saskatoon will now take a back seat in the conference as they will graduate most of their veteran players to the VHL this upcoming season. Jakob Karlsson will take over the General Manager role this off-season, but with bare cupboards for this season, the Wild will likely we quiet from here on out.

 

 

Oslo Storm:

 

The Storm were a quiet team last season on and off the ice, but with new management coming in this off-season, deals were made to improve the club at an alarming rate. Griffin Simons will add another duty to his busy schedule as he breaks in with the Davos Dynamo next season, but has proven already he is clearly paying attention to the Storm, as he showed he isn’t afraid to pull the trigger to improve the roster. Simons brought in three 100 TPE players for three drafts picks, including his first round pick in the upcoming and following drafts. The move will hopefully pay off with the first championship for Oslo since Season Thirty-Two.

 

Moscow Red Wolves:

 

Since moving to Moscow the team really hasn’t made much noise in the European conference, but fans are hoping with the new management announced before the start of the Founders Cup that the stalemate will end. Chris Raymond has made two moves so far in the off-season, one that saw an active goalie head to Oslo in exchange for a first round pick in Season Forty-Two, while the other saw the Red Wolves pick up an inactive goalie and inactive center for a first and second round pick in Season Forty-Two. While no one may understand the moves that were made by Raymond, no one can argue that he is putting his fingerprints all over the Russian club.

 

Brampton Blades:

The often quiet Blades were the other VHLM franchise came out to the trade party in the most recent days. General Manager Terence Fong is sometimes hard to connect with throughout the season, but this off-season he was been making waves throughout the VHLM with the trade for the First Overall pick. Brampton found a deal that let them take the pick from the Ottawa Lynx, for two later first round picks. Brampton has been a fringe team for the past few seasons, but this season maybe the year that the Ontario based hockey club takes the next step. Time will tell if that First Overall pick will bring the cup home to Brampton in Season Forty-Two.

[Smarch 3,196]

Episode 70:

 

Brampton Bound

 

Is this the season that General Manager Terence Fong finally brings a Founders Cup to the former flower town of Canada. Brampton has been playing a secondary role the past few seasons with the likes of powerhouses Yukon Rush and Saskatoon Wild running the table in the North American Conference. With those two franchises taking a back seat this season it’s time for the Blades to take their game to the next level and bring the first Founders Cup to the city since Season Twenty-Six.

 

Brampton showed their hand early on in the off-season when they traded with the Ottawa Lynx for the First Overall pick in the Season Forty-Two VHLM Entry draft. The Blades used that pick to select winger E’Twaun Delicious, who is a blue chip prospect that is expected to be a top three pick in next year’s VHL draft. Delicious played in fifty-four games last season with the lowly Ottawa Lynx after being claimed on waivers, but still managed to put up a point per game on the worst team in the VHLM. Delicious will be looked upon to lead the way for the Blades when it comes to scoring this season, and the team hopes thee seasoning he received last season will help him become that elite goal scorer every VHLM team needs on their path to the Founders Cup.

 

Brampton then pulled on what could possibly considered the steal of the draft when they picked up Bronson Faux with the Sixth Overall pick. Faux declared for the draft just over an hour before it was set to begin, but the credentials of the agency that represents the player gives this prospect very high hopes. Current VHLer Brennan McQueen was brought to the VHL but the agency that is also representing Faux and while they have had a few duds in the past McQueen more than makes up for that with his hall of fame career. Faux who hails from Montreal Quebec will look to bring the same work ethic and attitude that McQueen has brought during his eight years in the VHL, and if he can match both of those I’m sure he can help Brampton this season on their quest for the cup. Although Faux is a rookie in the VHLM this season look for him to be near the top in scoring come seasons’ end.

 

The only question mark for the Blades heading into the season will be the goaltender position. Currently the Blades are deploying the three headed monster of Ikier Manushez, Kristers Daugavins, and Ivars Klajums. With Training Camp currently taking place all three goalies have reported to camp and are entrenched in a battle for the starting position heading into a very important season for the club. Klajums seems to have the inside track early on in the race for the crease, but we all know that anything can and will happen in the next seventy-two games. Fans and management are excitingly awaiting the VHLM season to finally see if their team can finally end their fifteen year cup drought.