VSN Presents: S93 Weekly Predictions (Mar 25 - Mar 31)

[Gaikoku-hito 1,990]

VSN Presents: S93 Weekly Predictions

 

Due to the league not paying the bills this week, these predictions are a bit later than normal but as you read through understand that some of the stats are three days old and some a bit newer due to not being able to collect them all at the same time. I will have more time in the coming weeks so should be able to produce these Predictions/reviews  a bit faster and should also be able to produce a bit different coverage of the VHL than the past two season so watch for some new articles coming in the next few weeks. Thanks for understanding and hopefully you enjoy the read.

 

 

 

 

Current Standings:

                    Standings                                        Record             Points                   Last Wk                          Prediction Last Wk                       

1.     D.C. Dragons                                       7-3-0              14pts                 (7-3-0)                            4th North American

2.     Toronto Legion                                   7-3-0              14pts                 (7-3-0)                           2nd North American

3.     Chicago Phoenix                                6-3-1               13pts                 (6-3-1)                            7th North American  

4.     Seattle Bears                                      6-4-0              12pts                 (6-4-0)                            6th North American

5.     New York Americans                          4-3-3              11pts                  (4-3-3)                            1st North American  

6.     Vancouver Wolves                              5-5-0              10pts                  (5-5-0)                            3rd North American  

7.     Calgary Wranglers                              4-6-0              8pts                    (4-6-0)                            5th North American  

8.     Los Angeles Stars                              1-9-0               2pts                    (1-9-0)                            8th North American  

 

 

Next Week Predictions:

 

      1.    

Defending Champions are showing that they are for real or is that the real deal? The Frenchman @OrbitingDeath (12-12-24pts) continue to domintate the league and Mark Calaway @Beketov(6-12-18pts) was happy being over looked at the awards last season and clearly has a goal to claim at least one this season. Henry Tucker Jr @NSG(2.32ga & 0.930%) showing that the old man still has some life left in his old bones. D.C. Dragons continue to roll and should maintain first in the North American conference.

 

 

     2.    

If the Dustin Funk was to be award at this point of the season say hello to Walter Fitzroy Jr @Moon (1-18-19pts), who has clearly found his step this season. Joel Castle @animal74 (2.47ga & 0.925%) continue to carry the Legion as Toronto is playing a strong team game at the moment. No reason to drop them this week but they might need to watch over their shoulder as New York is coming fast.

 

 

     3.    

New York will try to keep up with the two top team if they have any chance at winning the conference. Has Jasper Davis @Josh (4-14-18pts) re-found his S91 form? WWWWWWWWWWWW WWWWWWWWWWWW @rory (2.19ga & 0.940%) show that his rookie season was a fluke and New York should make up ground and move up to at least 3rd this week.

 

 

     4.    

Yaroslav Trunov @qripll (9-12-21pts) is trying to drag the Phoenix out of the ashes and should keep them within the playoff if he can keep this pace. Lionel Collberg @Masu Chan (0-16-16pts) is currently having a breakout season and showing that he will be a star defender for season to come but I still have Chicago falling back this week as I think they struggle to play five hundred hockey this week.

 

 

     5.  

Rookie Superstar Logan Ninefingers @Scurvy (2-3-5pts) continue to struggle to adapt to the VHL but luckily for Vancouver they add veteran forwards to carry the team as Left Alone @okochastar (10-13-23pts) has been caring the team on his aging back. Vancouver needs all their rookie firing on all cylinders or they will continue to spin their wheels. Five hundred hockey continues until they can figure it out but they should jump rival Seattle this week as it will remain close between Vancouver, Calgary, Chicago and Seattle.

 

 

     6.    

Calgary seems to be the same team as last season but worse, if that is possible, well, they did trade most of their roster away during the off-season. Either way Calgary is hunting for goals as Catia Goncalves @cLoWn (4-8-12pts) and Raimo Tuominen @SlapshotWrangler (7-5-12pts) led the team at only a point per game pace. Luckily for Calgary they are getting above average goaltending from Merome Dilson @MexicanCow123 (2.42ga & 0.938%) ; the understatement of the season. Calgary should continue to play around five hundred hockey but don`t make up much ground.

 

 

      7.    

Seattle Bears are currently led by Oreo McFleury @JB123 (9-13-22pts), Henry Eagles @Greg_Di(9-11-20pts) and Severus Targaryen @Banackock (6-11-17pts). Questions around the teams goaltender seems be ready to set the team back as Rookie Giorgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87 (3.68ga & 0.899%) has been having a tough time transitioning to the league and should see the Bears fall back this week in the standings should this continue.

 

 

    8.    

Rebuild is about to get ugly as I have Los Angeles running off a rather impressively bad record this week and will be lucky to win a game. Very hard to say anything about a team that I think a VHLE team could most likely beat at the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

Current Standings:

                    Standings                                        Record             Points                   Last Wk                          Prediction Last Wk                       

1.     Moscow Menace                                7-4-0               14pts                (7-4-0)                       1st European Conference

2.     Warsaw Predators                             7-3-0               14pts                (7-3-0)                       5th European Conference

3.     Prague Phantoms                              6-2-2               14pts                (6-2-2)                       6th European Conference

4.     Malmo Nighthawks                           6-3-0               12pts                (6-3-0)                        4th European Conference

5.     Helsinki Titans                                   6-4-0               12pts                (6-4-0)                        3rd European Conference

6.     London United                                   4-4-2               10pts                (4-4-2)                        2nd European Conference

7.     Riga Reign                                           4-5-1               9pts                  (4-5-1)                        7th European Conference

8.     HC Davos Dynamo                             0-9-1               1pts                  (0-9-1)                          8th European Conference

 

 

 

Next Week Predictions:

 

    1.      

Prague is simply rolling through most teams offensively as only two players as of writing are not at a point per game pace. Prague not surprisingly are led by John Jameson @Frank (12-16-28pts) and Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide (13-13-26pts) with new comer Skor McFleury @Alex (4-17-21pts) clearly returning to form as I expected. Add in amazing goaltending for Matt Murdock @Acydburn(2.26ga & 0.943%) and you have a team that won`t be losing too many games in the near future at least. Weird to say Prague will move up when really they tied for 1st last week so I have them either moving into sole first place or staying tied with Malmo Nighthawks (spoilers).

 

 

    2.    

Malmo doesn`t really have a player that really stands out as Star and the stats don`t really lie as Phillip Rave @tcookie(9-8-17pts) leds the offense for the Nighthawks and a goaltender that real has been only been serviceable in Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro (2.76ga & 0.905%) So how are they still ranked 2nd in the tough European Conference? Malmo Nighthawks is probably the most complete team in the league with depth through out the line-up and don`t rely on star power to win games. While this come back to hurt them a later in the season? I don`t know but for now they should continue their winning ways.

 

 

    3.    

London continues to heavily relay on Jesse Teno @aimkin (2.35ga & 0.931%) and the offensive duel of Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ (9-19-28pts) and Leonard Triller @Triller (7-13-20pts). The aging team continues to show that London will be a playoff team again this season but the question I guess on everyone lips; is this the last season before London needs to get younger or enter a long rebuild? London did complete a trade this week to get young by trading for Alexandros Mograine @sliceruser giving up a second to Moscow and should join the team as yearly as next season. This week I have London third but could be putting pressure on the top two teams by the end of the week.

 

 

   4.    

Moscow Menace have a tough schedule this week and I am not sure what really to make of it at the moment as it is too early in the season so I have Moscow splitting a lot of the games playing around five hundred but if continue to get solid goaltending from Olober Syko @Spartan (2.48ga & 0.916%) and continuing to play solid; as team as only two players are below a point per game pace similar to Malmo; Moscow might surprise everyone and finish higher up in the standing this week. Jarmo Ruutu @jRuutu (5-17-22pts) led the offense for the Menace with three or four players only three or four point back. (Axle Gunner @Steve, David Rashford @Knight, Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage @Grape, George Richmond @badcolethetitan and Jeff Lewis @nerji)

 

 

   5.    

Helsinki Titans are struggling at both ends of the ice at the moment as they are near the bottom of the league is goal scoring and while closer to mid table in goals against; this feels like it has more to do with Fuukka Rask @Jubis (3.16ga & 0.918%) than the team overall. Almost equal goals for and goals against usually means a five hundred record and that is what I am predicting for the Titans this week; boosted by HC Davos coming to town btw. Daryl Dixon @Ricer13 (10-12-22pts) and Owen Lazaro @traphag (7-14-21pts) continue to lead the offense but Helsinki needs to find some secondary scoring. Also of note YaBoi Oven @Doomsday (5-15-20pts) has also taken a huge step this season and might end up in the conversation for the Dustin Funk by season end.

 

 

   6.    

The Predators are hunting again and that is largely thanks to new goaltender Lachlan Summers @kirbithan (2.61ga & 0.934%) allowing the team to cheat more towards the offensive side of the puck with Maxim Anisimov @McLovin (12-16-28pts), King Kisslinger @Kisslinger (6-18-24pts) and Thor Reingaard @N0HBDY (8-13-21pts) ripping a part the other teams defensively. Similar to other teams down fighting for a wildcard spot I have concerns about secondary scoring and this keeps Warsaw playing just around five hundred hockey. If they can pull off a few upsets in close games they can easily be as high as maybe fourth or fifth, but I also feel it is just a matter of time before this team fall off the back of the other teams in Europe.

 

 

   7.    

Young Riga is clearly not ready to make the playoff this season but the Reign will continue to make life tough for any team that takes them lightly. Shubham Anand @Will3 (11-14-25pts) is clearly having a career season and Eric White Jr @Mysterious_Fish (8-14-22pts) looks more comfortable in his second full season in the VHL. Riga biggest issue at the moment is defensively as we would have liked to see Mina @Baozi (1-4-5pts) and Red Panda @Lemorse7 (3.60ga & 0.915%) take a larger step this season but that simply hasn`t happened.

 

 

   8.    

When your team consists of six players in total and two are VHLE caliber; it is really hard to find any bright spots to take about but rookie James MacAvoy @Enraged (4-12-16pts) was one of them as he was second in Rookie scoring at the end of first week. Does he stay there? No, I don`t think so as this feels more like a boost of due to playing time as in a cruel fate he can play a full sixty minutes, if the team wasn`t force to dress some fans or staff members to give the poor players a bit of a rest. Maybe a single win this week if they can upset someone but I would place any money on it.

 

 

 

 

 

Final Thought:

Six for sixteen in the first week isn`t that good but isn`t that bad right? 37.5% correct so I take it as the first weeks are always the hardest to predict since we have no visual data and points/standings tend to stay close. So hopefully the tends become clear and the teams start to break away from each other a bit more but I also don`t think that will happen too much since European Conference clearly has five teams fighting for the playoff with Warsaw looking to make it tough on anyone and sneak into the conversation. We are starting to see a bit of split in the North American conference with three teams clear at the top but it is leaving four teams fighting for the final two playoff spots. It could be a great season of unpredictability, which is good for the league but very bad for me the predictor of the weekly standings.

 

 

Edited March 28 by Gaikoku-hito

[N0HBDY 1,108]

Warsaw gets decently good just to be shit on as a fluke lmao

[Spartan 4,274]

2 hours ago, N0HBDY said:

Warsaw gets decently good just to be shit on as a fluke lmao