A way too early prediction of the S98 VHL Standings

[badcolethetitan 984]

A way too early prediction of the S98 VHL Standings

 

NA Conference

 

 

Position: 1st

Description: Coming off an exceptional season in NA and being the best team in NA in S97, I have Vancouver retaining their spot at the top. Vancouver had a rough playoffs, as they unfortunately fell to the cup winners, but they'll be back this time and hopefully STHS won't screw them over. They've got 6 players (currently) at 1000+ TPE (without regression in yet) and look to be insanely good. They're stacked everywhere and have a very good F and D core, with an exceptional goaltender. This team should be the favorites in NA and one of the favorites to win the cup, barring any massive moves that would make their roster much worse.

 

 

Position: 2nd

Description: Calgary last season fell to Toronto in the first round, but this year they'll be back with a vengeance. Their roster is essentially set, barring a move or two and they should be ready to roll in the stacked NA conference. They've got a great forward core in Dassler, Tuominen, and Reingaard who should be able to carry most the scoring. The D core currently is a bit weak, but with a strong forward core and a good goalie, it shouldn't be a problem. Calgary has an outside shot at winning it all, but they've got the roster that can create some chaos.

 

 

Position: 3rd

Description: The New York Americans are essentially bringing back the team, except a slightly different D core. They've got a strong D core in Janser and Gavilrovs and are focusing on protecting their goalie first. This team might struggle offensively, as they've really only got a single forward above 1000+ TPE, however, they will be a team that can score little goals and keep pucks out of their net. They should easily make the playoffs, whether that be wildcard or as a 3 seed, but they're going to have a tough time against the top two teams in CGY and VAN. I think they have a chance to go far, but it will be interesting to see how the defensive experiment will work out.

 

 

Position: 4th

Description: Toronto decided to keep the roster together last year and honestly, they had a good run. They ran into a red hot Seattle and made it all the way to the conference finals, which is impressive in the NA conference. As for their team this season, they are going to be much worse, as they lost a lot of their firepower on offense. However, they were able to add Reno who should be able to fill some of the gaps offensively, and they still have a good D core with a great goaltending duo. Toronto I think can take down NYA in a series, but without more moves it's going to be difficult for them to punch towards the top. Regardless, Seattle showed any wildcard can win and this could be what Toronto was planning for!

 

 

Position: 5th

Description: Seattle is coming off a cup run, and while they are ranked 5th in my rankings for NA, they could potentially make another run, you never know. However, they are lacking two defenseman currently (which they'll probably address if they haven't), but their firepower overall is lacking a bit. They've got some "great" players, but not those X-Factor players that VAN and CGY have. However, they have amazing goaltending in Costanzov and he'll be looking to carry the load this season. I could again see this team being a dark horse team and potentially taking games, even series off of teams. However, like Toronto, it will be difficult to take down the top two unless they get some luck. 

 

 

Position: 6th

Description: I was going back and forth between LA and DC for the sixth spot, but I'll give it to LA. Both of these teams are currently in a spot where their younger players are starting to be be called up and they'll start to make somewhat of an impact at the VHL level. This also doesn't count the insane amount of prospects they have in the system that could eventually make the roster and fill out the team for the long run. Players like the LaFleur brothers, Tuomala, and Eagles seem to be their most impactful players. Although I don't think LA will make the playoffs, they have a solid young core and should be able to start punching towards the wildcard and giving teams a scare moving forward.

 

 

Position: 7th

Description: DC is in a spot just like LA, where some of their younger players are starting to move up and make an impact. On top of that, DC has a lot of prospects that will eventually crack the lineup and with an insane amount of first round picks in the next two drafts, DC could turn into a very scary team for NA. Aldgard, and Petan Jr are already in the lineup and starting to develop which is great news for DC fans. The only issue is that Benson, while he's S93, is essentially stuck on the team with a NTC until the last season of his career, so basically they cannot get any other goalie. Regardless, DC is on the up and I give it a season or two before they're slotting into the wild card position.

 

 

Position: 8th

Description: Chicago has finally decided to blow it up after failing to achieve a cup with their core. They've brought in a lot of picks for the upcoming draft(s) and have little prospects in the system currently, so this will take a bit before Chicago can rebuild. The good news is, they should stand alone at the bottom of the standings, as Chicago is clearly tanking while other teams are either on the up swing or competing. They should easily be able to secure a top 5 pick moving forward and for a couple of seasons, this is where they'll sit.

 

EU Conference

 

 

Position: 1st

Description: The Moscow Menace are ready to roll and have one of, if not the best team in EU. Ruutu and Goncalves lead the charge, with defensive members like Woods and Bocage who are going to be absolute monsters for Davos. In net, they've got Deadpanda who is a great starting goalie for them and they should be one of the favorites to win the cup. Moscow should be locked into a playoff spot no matter what, as I don't see any way how they could miss, so they're just going to have to beat the curse that is the wildcard curse. 

 

 

Position: 2nd

Description: HC Davos Dynamo has a roster that rivals Moscow's, with great forwards and defenseman and a slightly weaker goalie. They've got players like Bucatini, Rocco, Hardy, and Mina who will all be key players for their team this season. Davos should be very happy with the roster they've assembled, as I believe they find themselves in the contender category with Moscow, Vancouver, and Calgary in my eyes. Calgary is for sure the weakest out of the four, but it shouldn't matter. Davos will easily be in the playoffs and they should be very happy with their season to that point.

 

 

Position: 3rd

Description: With those two teams out of the way, the EU conference opens up for almost any team to make it in honestly. However, as things stand right now, I'm going to actually go with Prague making it in. On paper, their roster is actually not that bad, with Tetricide and Leitner who will be leading the charge for them. They're not the most stacked team, but in a weaker conference, they should be able to slide in to the playoffs and I think Prague would be extremely happy with 3rd place in EU. However, I don't see how Prague would be able to take down any of the top two teams, so unfortunately, their run would stop there. However, this is a huge step in the right direction and regardless if you agree with the trades made (this article is not meant for that) they are pushing towards a winning team.

 

 

Position: 4th

Description: Up next, we have Helsinki going into the wildcard. I know people are questioning Helsinki's trades and all that, but again, this article is not meant for that, I'm just predicting where team's will finish. Helsinki added a ton of players this off-season in a weaker EU conference and in my eyes, they should be a playoff team. They've got Tcookie and Frostbeard (who should sign) to lead their forward core. Defensively, they are a bit weaker, but they still should be able to make it into the post-season. They lack a number one goalie which will hurt them, but with not many teams competing, they should make it in like I said. I believe this team vs Prague will be interesting to see, as those were two teams that bought this off-season and it'll be super interesting to see their trajectory this season and how they perform. Regardless, Helsinki will finally make it into the post-season and could go on a run!

 

 

Position: 5th

Description: This position could be flip flopped with Riga, as I feel like both teams are essentially in the same spot where they are starting to look towards the future, but also are fine sitting with what they have. Malmo this off-season had a lot of critique, where people questioned their moves and such, but they've at least been able to dig themselves out with zero assets and could find themselves still somewhat competitive. I think this last spot will be between either Malmo or Riga, but regardless, if you make it into the playoffs you could go on a crazy run like Riga/Seattle did. I think Malmo has started to turn the ship at least in the right direction, but it will take some time.

 

 

Position: 6th

Description: Riga is further down as I believe whoever takes over will sell the assets, however, it might be too late for that. Honestly, this team with Targaryen, Gunner, and Raikkonen could make some massive noise in EU, especially with their stud goaltender in Panda. They also have their S99/S100 picks as well, so this team is in a spot where if they wanted to buy a couple depth pieces and try to compete, they easily could and they would slide up to third in the conference no question. However, I think whoever is going to take over this will most likely attempt to sell their assets off and tank to start a rebuild, but it might be too late. I don't know how many more teams are willing to buy, so we'll see. Regardless, this is for sure one of the question mark teams and we'll see what they decide to do when the GM is named.

 

 

Position: 7th

Description: Ok, honestly, I can see London becoming 5th place. This team is actually starting to take shape and the only reason they are down here is due to lower TPE, however, if Malmo is not going to acquire anymore players and Riga is selling, London could sneak into the playoffs as a wildcard. At first glance, this team was actually much better than I anticipated and they've got some good young pieces moving up. Carti, and Bolivar should be great for this team and they've got a really good young goalie in Michaels on the way as well. This is a sneaky team that is for sure going to cause some problems for the wildcard race, but I think the furthest they'll go is to the first round of the playoffs. They're too young and need some more time, but a great step in the right direction for London.

 

 

Position: 8th

Description: There's not really much to say here as Warsaw is like Chicago, probably tanking for the next season. Warsaw has 4 1sts in S98 which will help them with their rebuild and they've essentially kept all their picks moving forward. They've got some young prospects in the system, but I think there is some work to do for N0h if he wants to get Warsaw competitive again. I believe they'll be battling it out with Chicago for the toilet bowl and we'll see who takes it home at the end of the day.

 

Overall Standings Rankings

 

1 - Vancouver Wolves (NA)

2 - Moscow Menace (EU)

3 - HC Davos Dynamo (EU)

4 - Calgary Wranglers (NA)

5 - New York Americans (NA)

6 - Toronto Legion (NA)

7 - Prague Phantoms (EU)

8 - Seattle Bears (NA)

9 - Helsinki Titans (EU)

10 - Los Angeles Stars (NA)

11 - Malmo Nighthawks (EU)

12 - DC Dragons (NA)

13 - Riga Reign (EU)

14 - London United (EU)

15 - Chicago Phoenix (NA)

16 - Warsaw Predators (EU)

 

Overrated/Team most likely to fail to meet expectations

 

 

Position: 3rd

Description: The New York Americans are an interesting team, it feels like the team is always built on defensive hockey and struggles to score as many goals as the other team's for some reason. They've usually had pretty good teams in the past, but are never able to get over the hump and actually get it done when it's needed the most. This team could be a very good defensive team and shut down other teams, or they could struggle with penalties and essentially be a wildcard again and lose in the wild card matchup. It will be interesting to see how they sim, because this team has big boom/bust potential in my eyes. They could be a contender potentially, and sneak games off of VAN/CGY or they could be the 2nd wildcard spot in NA and bomb out round one.

 

Underrated/Team most likely to surpass their expectations

 

 

Position: 7th

Description: I don't necessarily think placing them 7th does them justice with their roster and having them be a bottom 3 team in the league, but it all depends on the other teams and what they do. London in my eyes could easily be a playoff team in EU if things shake out how they are currently going, which is why I believe they could surpass expectations. I don't think coming in London expects to be a playoff team, but just continue to build on their young core moving forward. However, like I said, the playoffs could be a reality if the cards play into their hands. I have high hopes for London and I hope looking back at this article at the end of the regular season, I was correct and they did end up making the post season.

 

2000+ words

 

[Grape 811]

Riga will be 1st if I am granted the role

[STZ 5,421]

VSN will be nicer to us than our own players

[badcolethetitan 984]

1 minute ago, STZ said:

VSN will be nicer to us than our own players

 

Have to be over critical of the teams I'm on compared to other teams so they know I'm not just singling other teams out. Regardless, NYA a playoff team

[badcolethetitan 984]

9 minutes ago, Grape said:

Riga will be 1st if I am granted the role

 

Already coming for Spartan's spot?

[Hogan 1,429]

Seattle predicton: yea those guys fucking suck and they can NOT beat Vancouver!! Haha imagine howmuch luck they would need for that to happen. fucking losers.

[Gaikoku-hito 2,232]

I thought of it more as set the bar low so when you reach the bar the season looks like it was successful!!

 

[Banackock 8,316]

bears winning again bud

[LucyXpher 1,770]

4 hours ago, Grape said:

Riga will be 1st if I am granted the role

Are you gonna buy?

[Grape 811]

26 minutes ago, LucyXpher said:

Are you gonna buy?

I hear there is a franchise level defenseman that I can get for a 4th

[LucyXpher 1,770]

26 minutes ago, Grape said:

I hear there is a franchise level defenseman that I can get for a 4th

Not if Malmo gets them first

[dlamb 1,330]

15 season rebuild

[BOOM 8,944]

Nice write-up @badcolethetitan Articles like this are great.