VSN Presents: S94 VHL Preview

[Alex 3,247]

Hey everybody! Welcome to this season’s VHL Season preview, after a busy offseason, full of roster changes there’s been a considerable shift in team’s outlooks this season with a major shift towards the European Conference. So, without further to do, let’s jump right into it!

 

North American Conference

 

1 - Toronto Legion 

Forward Rank - 3rd
Defense Rank - 4th

Goalie Rank - 4th

Conference Rank - 2nd

League Rank - 2nd

 

Toronto’s window is quickly coming to a close and by that, this could be it for the team that has routinely been at or near the top of the conference over the course of the past 6 seasons. This is largely due to Joel Castle’s @animal74 imminent retirement. With that being said they do have some young pieces, namely Gul Dukat @MSouthworth and several other top prospects. While Castle retires following this season, their forward core is centered around two  of the best S87 players in Jimi Jaks @ke1vi and Mac Atlas @v.2 , both of whom will ensure that Toronto can contend for at least 1 more season after this one. For now Toronto is still one of if not the best team in the North American Conference.

 

2 - Vancouver Wolves 

Forward Rank - 6th
Defense Rank - 1st

Goalie Rank - 8th

Conference Rank - 1st

League Rank - 1st

 

Few teams can make the jump from outside the playoffs to one of the league’s best teams, however Vancouver just did exactly that! With no real holes in their roster either and a plethora of young players that will continue to improve over the course of the season. Currently the team will be driven by veterans The Frenchman @OrbitingDeath , Mark Calaway @Beketov, and Liv Slater @Subject056 while the younger players improve, which honestly seems inevitable. We could very well be about to see another era of Vancouver dominance.

 

3 - New York Americans 

Forward Rank - 9th
Defense Rank - 2nd

Goalie Rank - 5th

Conference Rank - 4th

League Rank - 6th

 

The New York Americans are a very interesting team this season, with the majority of their roster in their prime or just hitting it, their window is wide open! With one of the league’s best D-cores driven by a up and coming star in CGY Janser @Daniel Janser, and top forwards FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Analfist @STZ and Jesper Davis @Josh the time to win is now! The only real question for them is with their 6th forward spot remaining vacant, however time is on their side to find a solution.

 

4 - Seattle Bears 

Forward Rank - 5th
Defense Rank - 7th

Goalie Rank - 3rd

Conference Rank - 3rd

League Rank - 5th

 

The defending Continental Champion Seattle Bears are still a very good team this season. While their forwards and goaltending are near the top of the league, there are some question marks with their defense. With that being said there is no reason why Seattle can’t find their way to the top of the conference as it is very close among the best teams. Daryl Dixon @Ricer13 will be looking to have a career season to round things out, and propel Seattle back to the top of the VHL.

 

5 - Chicago Phoenix 

Forward Rank - 8th
Defense Rank - 5th

Goalie Rank - 7th

Conference Rank - 5th

League Rank - 9th

 

Chicago probably wins an award this season for just being in the most unique spot, they are a fairly solid team and should by all means make the playoffs, however they are a good step behind the rest of the competing North American teams. The additions of Francesco Mancini @GioSivo and YaBoi Oven @Doomsday should make a considerable difference to Chicago’s fortunes. Don’t be surprised if you see Chicago close the gap to the top teams over the course of the season.

 

6 - Calgary Wranglers 

Forward Rank - 13th
Defense Rank - 11th

Goalie Rank - 15th

Conference Rank - 6th

League Rank - 12th

 

The rebuild is on in Calgary, and with several other solid pieces we could very well continue to see them active in the trade market as other teams look to improve their rosters. Calgary potentially could challenge for the final playoff spot given their great top end talent with Raimo Tuominen @SlapshotWrangler, Catia Goncalves @cLoWn, and Moritz Stauffer @GoodLeftUndone, a lack of depth does hurt. Additionally, not having a starting caliber goaltender will likely limit their aspirations for this season. Calgary is very well locked into the 6th spot.

 

7 - D.C. Dragons 

Forward Rank - 15th
Defense Rank - 13th

Goalie Rank - 16th

Conference Rank - 7th 

League Rank - 14th

 

The D.C. Dragons finally went into a rebuild again following the retirement of their starting goalie. With that being said they already have their goaltender of the future with Herald Benson @Benson, who will be on the roster this season. Additionally, they do have a few other players who will help generate some offense, specifically Theo Allard @InstantRockstar and Lucas Grey @emidas. While D.C. won’t challenge for the playoffs, they should still pick up a few wins and maybe an upset or two along the way.

 

8 - Los Angeles Stars 

Forward Rank - 14th
Defense Rank - 15th

Goalie Rank - 11th

Conference Rank - 8th 

League Rank - 15th

 

I mean the Los Angeles Stars can only get better, with a solid goaltender, and younger players starting to make their way to the roster led off by the Phantom of the VHL @Hogan. Los Angeles is certainly on the right path, it’s just a question of how long it will take from here on out.

 

European Conference

 

1- Moscow Menace 

Forward Rank - 1st
Defense Rank - 6th

Goalie Rank - 5th

Conference Rank - 1st

League Rank - 3rd

 

Moscow is only getting better each season, and with plenty of young prospects they should be golden for some time. This season it is all about their offense and with every player having over 800 TPA, there really shouldn’t be any concerns as long as every player buys into the system as there’s a chance that players could fail to meet their individual expectations with so much depth. With that being said this season should be smooth sailing in Moscow this season, as the European Conference is really theirs to lose.

 

2 - Warsaw Predators 

Forward Rank - 7th
Defense Rank - 8th

Goalie Rank - 1st

Conference Rank - 3rd

League Rank - 7th

 

The Warsaw Predators improved a lot this offseason, specifically by improving their blue line so that Lachlan Summers @kirbithan does not have to stand on their head each night. Overall their roster is fairly well rounded, so Warsaw should be in good shape to challenge Moscow this season and with their forwards still improving things could very well go their way at the end of the day.

 

3 - Malmo Nighthawks 

Forward Rank - 4th
Defense Rank - 3rd

Goalie Rank - 10th

Conference Rank - 2nd

League Rank - 4th

 

I’ll be honest here, I struggled a lot with where to put Malmo. While on paper their roster is very solid, the long-term concerns around their goaltending do still exist, and their defense has always done a amazing job of minimizing scoring chances against, allowing Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro to win the S93 Greg Clegane Trophy. The concern with Malmo exists with their offense, in previous seasons the majority of Malmo’s offense has been driven by Jacob Stone @scoop, one of the league’s best defensemen. However, with Malmo’s top forward being a pass-first player, this has been seen to reduce defensemen production which in turn likely reduces Malmo’s offense. With that being said there’s a chance things work out well, and Malmo could potentially push for a 3rd Victory Cup.

 

4 - London United 

Forward Rank - 2nd
Defense Rank - 12th

Goalie Rank - 2nd

Conference Rank - 4th

League Rank - 8th

 

London is in a very interesting position as of right now, their forward group has proven that they can produce at remarkable levels, as both Leonard Triller @Triller and Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ are some of the best forwards in the league and with Sjin @Sjin improving there really isn’t a gap with their forwards. The main concern comes in two places, their defense core does lack overall quality and their is a massive question mark regarding if Merome Dilson @MexicanCow123 can fill the shoes left by Jesse Teno. The latter of which isn’t as much of a concern given that Dilson is a top goaltender in the league and did win top goalie honours and league MVP only 2 seasons ago. Assuming everything falls into place, London is set to be in good shape in what is a do or die season prior to a lengthy rebuild.

 

5 - Riga Reign 

Forward Rank - 11th
Defense Rank - 9th

Goalie Rank - 9th

Conference Rank - 5th

League Rank - 10th

 

Riga took some considerable steps forward this season, bringing in a true number one defensemen in Skor McFleury @Alex and adding Oreo McFleury @JB123 up front there’s a lot to like. However, Riga does still lack a true elite forward and a 4th defensemen, both of which could be limiting factors for the upstart team. In goal Red Panda @Lemorse7 is set for a potential breakout season, and could very well be set up for success. It is important to note that the European Conference is wide open from about 2nd to 5th, and realistically anything can happen here as the conference is very close among the playoff teams.

 

6 - HC Davos Dynamo 

Forward Rank - 10th
Defense Rank - 10th

Goalie Rank - 13th

Conference Rank - 6th

League Rank - 11th

 

Davos is very much in a similar spot to Calgary, they do have a solid roster, however find themselves significantly better than the lower teams, but also a good step behind the playoff contenders. The additions of Grimgor Ironhide @FrostBeard and Sadie St. Louis @sadie go a long way to improving their offense. The main spotlight in Davos this season will be on their rookies, specifically S93 1st overall pick Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica, who will likely be put directly in a position to succeed with Davos’s relatively solid forward group and good offensive defensemen.

 

7 - Helsinki Titans 

Forward Rank - 12th
Defense Rank - 14th

Goalie Rank - 12th

Conference Rank - 7th

League Rank - 13th

 

How the Titans have fallen, last season Helsinki was projected to be one of if not the best team in the European Conference, however due to a series of unfortunate sims and a lot of 1-goal losses led to the team being outside of the playoff picture and as a result selling their top players and sending the team into a rebuild. With that being said Helsinki is off to a great start with Adi Dassler @BOOM looking to be a great number 1 forward for some time to come, and Helsinki had a great draft by bringing in both Maple Dogwood and future starting goalie THE MIGHTY ICE WIZARD @Royski. Helsinki may only be rebuilding for a season or two and are well on their way to success.

 

8 - Prague Phantoms 

Forward Rank - 16th
Defense Rank - 16th

Goalie Rank - 14th

Conference Rank - 8th

League Rank - 16th

 

The tank is on in Prague! After the better part of a decade being very successful, the majority of their core retiring has left Prague in a difficult spot and forced them to go into a full rebuild. However, there is one considerable problem, while Prague is by far the worst team, they lack their own first round pick. Prague has a long road ahead, on the positive side of things they do have their starting goalie of the future with Ondrej Vencko @Mutti, and a future number 1 defensemen with Lazlo Holmes @Gustav .

[Berocka 2,263]

15 minutes ago, Alex said:

1 - Toronto Legion 

Forward Rank - 3rd
Defense Rank - 4th

Goalie Rank - 4th

Conference Rank - 2nd

League Rank - 2nd

What do these numbers even mean, how can someone be ranked 2nd in their conference but be the 1st placed team.

[Alex 3,247]

Just now, Berocka said:

What do these numbers even mean, how can someone be ranked 2nd in their conference but be the 1st placed team.

Forward/Defense/Goalie ranks are strictly driven by total TPE. For the other two I have a formula that I use that has been fairly accurate, however we have some discussions in the VSN server on adjusting teams up or down given previous performances, potential to improve, and general thoughts on roster composition.

[dstevensonjr 441]

Callahan and Machado flying under the radar with a combined 206 points last season for Toronto. Gonna have to up that number to get that respect 

 

Go Legion! 

[Banackock 8,134]

This just in: Doubting Seattle again.

 

Last season: 2nd last in NA. 

Reality: Won the cup.

 

Seattle missing playoffs this year, VSN. Mark my words.

 

[Banackock 8,134]

Just now, Banackock said:

This just in: Doubting Seattle again.

 

Last season: 2nd last in NA. 

Reality: Won the cup.

 

Seattle missing playoffs this year, VSN. Mark my words.

 

2 - Vancouver Wolves 

Forward Rank - 6th
Defense Rank - 1st

Goalie Rank - 8th

Conference Rank - 1st

League Rank - 1st

 

Few teams can make the jump from outside the playoffs to one of the league’s best teams

 

16th to cup win.

 

[dlamb 1,328]

Warsaw is so back

[Berocka 2,263]

4 hours ago, Alex said:

Forward/Defense/Goalie ranks are strictly driven by total TPE. For the other two I have a formula that I use that has been fairly accurate, however we have some discussions in the VSN server on adjusting teams up or down given previous performances, potential to improve, and general thoughts on roster composition.

It might help to include this somewhere so it makes sense to someone reading the information