Around the League

[Scurvy 1,391]

It’s time for the dreaded off-season and it gets harder and harder to find 500 meaningful words for a post.   The World Cup, WJC, and Pro-Am are in full effect and the draft is on the horizon so at least there is something to divert my attention while we wait for another year of battling for a Cup.  I am also going on vacation tomorrow with wifey and daughter to Victoria Island, so my head isn’t in the game.  So, for this weeks Around the League I will probably jump around and chat a mish mash of random shit.  

 

DRAFT

 

The draft is always and exciting time for players in the VHL, especially first gens.  The Calgary Wranglers have the first two picks and have already made a few moves this off-season to improve their club such as the addition of cup winner, Leif Reingaard @Zetterbergand 49 goal scorer, Adi Dassler @BOOM. When I first joined the VHL in S82 it seemed Calgary was always a formidable foe with amazing talent so I predict they will be back to their deadly ways soon.  

 

Davos is another team with an already great group of earners and now two picks in the top 10 which could make them daunting for years to come.  The only other team with two picks is LA who is in the midst of a re-build with some very good young talent in the Phantom of the VHL @Hogan, Erik Thorvaldsson @Tetricide, Pombo @samx, and Wally Lose @youloser1337.  

 

The top 10 picks in the draft are as follows:

1.     Calgary

2.     Calgary

3.     LA

4.     DC

5.     Helsinki

6.     Davos

7.     LA

8.     Davos

9.     DC

10.  Chicago

 

A quick look at the top 10 draft prospects shows a pretty good list of talent with histories of good players.  

1.     Roger Eagles @Greg_Di-   421 TPE.  This is about as certain of a perfect pick as you can get.  Huge earner and proven lineage.  Highest TPE in the draft and guaranteed top 3 pick. 

 

2.     Konstyantyn Shevchenko @der meister.  367 TPE. Huge Right Winger who put up 50 goals in VHLM this season.  

 

3.     Ahsoka Tano @Aimee . 355 TPE.  First defensive player on the board and an easy top 5 pick.  Tano will fill out a roster nicely as a long term anchor on the defensive side.

 

4.     Phil Sakic @PhilPhil. 352 TPE.  Another proven VHL member who makes exciting players that are usually punching my player in the face in box scores. 48 goals for Miami last season and a guaranteed all-star for years to come.

5.     Spider Panda @Ricer13 332 TPE. The second goalie on the board and easily a future brick wall for whomever drafts him.  Has history in Calgary so be interesting to see if they go with him with the top two picks.  Either way I don’t see Panda making it past #3 in draft. 

 

6.     Samsayz-I-Smell @CaptainSB. 323 TPE.  Second defensive player and a First-Generation player which is awesome.  Can hit and block shots and over a point a game for Mexico he should find a home in the top ten picks.

 

7.     David Pastanap @Jubis 319 TPE.  Ranked as one of the top names in the VHLM by me earlier this season Pastanap had 39 goals for Houston and 398 shots.  Gifted scorer who can throw his weight around he will be a solid pickup.

 

8.     Tim Robinson @Tim RobinsonTim. 308 TPE. Huge scoring potential and overall great locker room guy, TR had 97 points for Miami and was a +44, showing he doesn’t hurt his team on the defensive side either.  A team would be lucky to get TR in their LR.

 

9.     Einar Mathiesen @xsjackXS. 273 TPE.  Another imposing dman who had over a point a game in VHLM and triple digits in hits and shots blocked.  One thing is certain, a VHL team can never have enough quality defensive players so EM should have a good draft night.

 

10.  Alphonse Desjardins @Anthique 270 TPE. The final player on the top ten in TPE is a Dman who had 209 bone crushing hits last season on his way to a Cup. Can block shots, hit, fight, and plays a very tough game in front of the net.  Can’t wait to see AD get to the VHL and lock horns with Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts.

 

On the Vancouver front we are gearing up for the season.  We have three of our top prospects in Bollos de Trueno @Thunder, Pierre Mac Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito, and Soju @Frankall up in the big league now and hungry to win.  Award winning defender, Liv Slater @Subject056 has made the move to forward so the league should look out.  Liv was deadly offensively in the back end so it will be exciting to see now up front. 

 

Everyone has grown in experience and the team has remained intact.  Riley Martin @Smarch, Logan Ninefingers, Owen Lazaro @traphag, and Rip “the Dip” Wheeler @ScottyPScott are all eager to come back and crush the NA conference.  Depreciation hurt a few players, but the Wolves are a team that earns hard and has a pretty fun vibe so other players will step up to fill the void that depreciation hurts. 

 

A quick look at the potential strengths and weaknesses of the Wolves this season:

 

Strengths:

Grit-This team has high checking and loves to impose their will on opposing teams. 

 

Goalies-  With Dalkr @KaleebtheMightythe might and the addition of Soju  the Wolves have a tough tandem that can gift some wins to the club throughout the season.

 

Scoring-  Lazaro, Ninefingers, Martin, Wheeler, PMB, and Slater can all put the puck in the net so I look for both lines to be deadly.

 

Weaknesses:

Defensive depth- With Slater moving to forward, the Wolves are sporting 3 dmen with rookie Bollos de Trueno being asked to play big minutes early in his career.  Veteran Mark Calaway @Beketov and enforcer Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts are great mentors though.

 

Simon-  Simon seemed to hate the Wolves last season so were hoping all the bourbon and gifts we bought this season change this for us!! 

 

Well done rambling for my 1000 words.  Off to vacation 

 

Going to claim for 

08-04

08-11

[Anthique 217]

I can do a bit more than that, but yeah a top 10 position is almost a lock. Good luck for all the draftees tomorrow!

[CaptainSB 117]

Bottom 10 pick hopefully a lock for me!

[Scurvy 1,391]

Claiming week 2 08/11