VHL Standings Breakdown

[der meister 3,248]

Obviously the D.C. Dragons are not off to a great start. With only 4 wins in 18 games, they're certainly well in line to repeat last season's forgettable performance. Their 8 points are almost doubled up by the second-to-last place Los Angeles Stars in the North American Conference. Perhaps the Dragons should be grateful that Europe is even more lopsided, with both the Prague Phantoms and London United somehow managing fewer points so far in this young season. Prague has but 2 victories and 3 overtime/shootout losses for 7 points, while London is rocking an absolutely dreadful 1-15-1 record. It should also be noted that the Warsaw Predators are a single point ahead of D.C. in the standings with a 4-13-1 record.

 

Perhaps most interesting, however, is the Helsinki Titans, who at 6-10-2 for 14 points find themselves 5th in Europe, whereas they would be 8th in the North America. The imbalance between the Conferences is stark; the European Conference playoff picture is all but set, with Moscow leading the charge with a 15-1-2 record. Behind them, H.C. Davos Dynamo, the Malmo Nighthawks, and the Riga Reign are separated by 2 points. And as already mentioned, Helsinki is at 14 points on the season, a full 10 points out of 4th place.

 

On the North American side of the pond, the picture is considerably muddier, and that makes for excitement. The separation from 1st to 6th in North America is 8 points, with a remarkable three franchises tied for first with 26 points. Chicago has the top spot by virtue of having played only 17 games versus Vancouver and Calgary's 18. The Seattle Bears sit in 4th in the Conference, a single point out of 1st place, and the New York Americans are but 2 points behind Seattle. Toronto finds themselves as the "best of the worst" with an 8-8-2 record, good for 18 points, or 5 points behind New York.

 

Back to D.C. and the Dragons, first year General Manager Qripll and his Assistant, PacifistKit17, are clearly just waiting for prospects to develop into stars. Center Theo Allard leads the team in scoring with 16 points in 18 games. Trailing him is second-year forward Konstyantyn Shevchenko, who has 12 points. DB IV and Eurydyka Sklodowska Dudzinska both have 11 points to share the lead in defensive scoring, and netminder Herald Benson has a 4-6 record with a 0.921 save percentage, clearly the highlight of the squad so far. 

 

When asked what can be done to improve the Dragons' fortunes this season, Shevchenko did not mince words, and it's clear his grasp of the English language has grown significantly since we last heard from him. "I know I need to be better, and I need to produce more. But all of us in the locker room know that we're not ready to compete yet. This is another development year, and I think some of the guys in here expect to finish this season with a different sweater on their chests."

 

Who will be left wearing a Dragons' crest remains to be seen, but it's hard to not see what Shevchenko sees coming out of the nation's capitol.

 

Hard work and a talent showcase could lead to a change of scenery for some Dragons