Around the VHLM

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Around the VHLM
WRITTEN BY ADWYER87
 
This article will cover various aspects of the VHLM.

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Around The VHLM

0 to 192/The Catch Up

 

     Hello everyone! Welcome to a new section in the VHL magazine called ‘Around the VHLM.’ Today’s article we will be focusing on the S47 season so far, summarizing the small stuff and addressing any major events that have happened. Since this is our inaugural issue, let's look at a summary of each team’s performance so far this season.

 

Bern Royals: Bern is currently sitting in first place in the European Conference, but their future is hard to figure out. After sending Sam Weaver, Benjamin Tumack, and Adam Holmstrom to Bratislava for Randy Savage and picks, the Royals have lost 69 points worth of production and are looking for ways to replace those holes in their roster. Kol Mikaelson is the remaining standout on Bern’s roster, leading the team in points(59), goals(22), shots(265), and power play points(19). Midseason waiver pickup Gorlab B. Fuddruckers has been a solid performer, scoring 35 points in 35 games and leading the team in power play goals. R Truth hasn't had the scoring touch this season, but his defensive presence has been felt, compiling a team leading 140 hits. If the Royals want to hold on to the top spot in the conference, they are going to need Vincent Virtanen and Sean Blacker, who have combined for just 57 points in 98 games, something that will not do from the team's top two stars.

 

Brampton Blades: Well, not much can be said about Brampton. Sitting in a distant last place in the North American Conference, the Blades shipped Saul Hackett, Mikhail Gribov, Zach Voss, and their combined 78 points to Bratislava in exchange for picks. Without a star player, Brampton has struggled to put much together on the ice. The offensive struggles aren't helped by the fact that Cooper Supernaw has been arguably the worst goaltender in the VHLM. The coaching staff can only hope that waiver acquisition Sterling Archer continues to make a smooth transition from lacrosse to hockey.

 

Bratislava Watchmen: At third place in the European Conference but with a lot of new players via trades, the Watchmen are easily the most confusing team in the league. With nine new players on the roster after three blockbuster trades, it's finals or bust for the Watchmen. Some players like Bobby Boucher and Saul Hackett have acclimated well, while players like Sam Weaver and Tanner Hynes have been less than stellar. The biggest beneficiary of these trades is Artom Zhumbayev. He has faced a lot of shots and performed valiantly, it will be interesting to see how he looks with an improved squad in front of him. Vincent Adultman has also played well, and has the most points in a Bratislava jersey this year. One player that has done poorly under the new system is RW Bogdan Podarok. His production has stalled, his efficiency gone down, and his previously prolific shot blocking has disappeared. There's no word as to whether Podarok has been clashing with the new members in the locker room, but he needs to get back to form if the Watchmen want to go all the way in S47

 

Moscow Red Wolves: The current first overall pick champions don't have much to celebrate, as they don't even have control of that first rounder. After sending Tanner Hynes, Bobby Boucher, and Pavel Ovechkin to Bratislava in a big trade, the whole team consists of Travis Willcox, a very solid right winger, Coca Cola, who could be the league's best goalie, and no one else. With the worst record in the league and having not been able to get more than 10 shots in a game since the trade, we could see them lose every one of their remaining games this season.

 

Oslo Storm: Look at the roster of Oslo and no one really jumps out and says ‘star player’. That hasn't stopped the Storm from being second in the European Conference, and now that Bern has sold off some of their best players they hope to earn the first week bye. Six players have scored over 40 points, something only two other teams can claim. Defenseman Supa Hot Fire leads the way with 58 points, as well as leads the league in PIM(80), and is third in hits(159). A pair of Pavels, Varushkin and Komarov, have proved to be integral parts of this Oslo roster, scoring 100 points in 98 games. New waiver wire pickup, Xavier Laine, has only played 5 games but has scored 5 points in those games, and has been a huge physical presence on the ice as well. He will need to develop into a solid pairing with Supa Hot Fire if the Storm hope to take first in the European Conference.

 

Ottawa Lynx: The defending VHLM champs are currently sitting in second into the ultra-competitive North American conference. Goalie Atticus Von Braxton IV and forward David Hamilton, two carry-overs from the S46 champion team, have put together great performances this season. Cian Mercer may not have the scoring touch, but his passing is second to none, as he leads the league with 60 assists. Kendrick Cole and Maximum Lock have been in the Lynx supporting cast, both being high volume shooters and adding more physicality to the team. Ottawa can only hope that new acquisition Adrian Kharlamov can add a new level to their offense and lead them to a second straight Finals appearance

 

Saskatoon Wild: Being in third isn't a great thing, but in the North American conference that means they're only six points out of first. Saskatoon is led by center Sir William Covington III and defenseman Felipe Rodriquez, who are second and third in the VHLM in scoring, respectively. Josh Merica and Stabby McFullO’Schmidt have proved to be invaluable free agent signings, combining to get 110 points in just 80 games. Rock Soapwart may not add much offensively, but defensively he is a stalwart, and currently tied for the league lead with 190 hits. Jakab Holik has struggled this year, but since new GM Austin Dwyer took over, he has responded well and has been spectacular, and is currently second in the league with 5 shutouts. The Wild will need Holik to continue his upward trend if they hope to make it to the finals.

 

Yukon Rush: The preseason favorite and current team in first place in the standings is playing great with a roster dominated by star power. The first overall pick in the S47 VHLM dispersal draft, Black Velvet, leads the league in goals(46), points(97), and shots(394). Legendary center Unassisted is also making noise around the league, currently is in fourth with 84 points, but health may be an issue moving forward, as he has been hit 241 times, most in the league. In net, Dmitry Dadonov has put up numbers better than anyone, posting a 33-12-2 record and a league-leading six shutouts And 2.14 goals against average. A little added production from Tyson Kohler would help out Yukon a lot, but for now they are the clear Founders’ Cup favorites.

 

     That's all for the inaugural installment of ‘Around the VHLM’, stay tuned as we look at great weekly performances moving forward, and get exclusive interviews with the next wave of VHL superstars!

 

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This is just a summary of the action that's happened in the VHLM so far, in the future I hope to either highlight important events/performances from the week or have an interview with a player, but since this is the first article I figured I should do a summary of the S47 season so far

 

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Around The VHLM

Interview with VHLM First Star of the Week Sir William Covington III

 

     Hello everyone, and welcome to another issue of ‘Around the VHLM’. This last week(Feb. 1-7) was cut short due to the All-Star weekend. We had a great Young Stars game take place, where Team St. Pierre beat Team Velvet by a score of 13-9. Niels Skovgaard was named MVP.

 

     Three trades took place around the deadline. Oslo shipped a S48 second round pick, which is basically a first, for Brampton for Michael Burch. Brampton, clearly in rebuild mode, also shipped off their waiver pickup Kai Roberts to Yukon for Ottawa's S48 second rounder. Lastly, and definitely the biggest, Saskatoon shipped Berns S48 first and second pick, as well as their own S49 second round pick to Bern in exchange for top players Vincent Virtanen and Sean Blacker.

 

     In this shortened week of play, Saskatoon’s Sir William Covington III was named VHLM’s player of the week. I went to get an interview with Covington to ask him a few questions.

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Hello, Sir William, thank you for agreeing to do this interview with me. VHL Magazine has named you the VHLM’s first star of the week, posting 6 goals, 4 assists, and 34 shots. Would you say that you're playing the best hockey of your life right now?

 

Well let's put it this way. Last season was my first season ever. So is this the best hockey of my life? maybe. Don't have much to compare it to, but if you want to call it that then let's go with that

 

Currently you are second in the VHLM in points with 102 points. Are you confident that you will be able to overtake Black Velvet for the scoring title by season’s end?

 

This is a easy question. FUCK YES!... can I swear in this?  wait! no I don't care. So FUCK YES! If I did not think I could "overtake" some defense man in the scoring race then what am I doing playing hockey? so no I don't think I can overtake him I KNOW that I can overtake him. I am rightful king of England after all and he is just some peasant. 

Your team, Saskatoon, has been on a roll, winning 9 of their last 12 games, but had two heartbreaking losses to Bratislava. Currently the Wild sit at third in the North American Conference, but are only ten points out of first. Do you think Sask can claim that top spot?

 

Let's put it this way. I am here to play hockey not worry about if have the talent to beat other teams. I go out there and dominate because that's just what I do. I try my best to keep this team where it is and help it going forward. The GM said he will try to swing some trades to get better, if not well... I may not be in Saskatoon much longer. It's win win for me

 

Speaking of trades, Saskatoon GM Austin Dwyer send a first and two seconds to Bern in exchange for Vincent Virtanen and Sean Blacker. How do you think that will affect you moving forward?

 

Sure they make the team better. Now that I know they are on the team. The trade happened not even two days ago, I really did not even notice the two new people in the locker room. I do my own thing and people leave me be. Maybe it's because i'm an ass or is it because my security detail that does not allow anyone near me. But to your question. Of course adding two good players to the fold while not subtracting any player is good for the team. It may take some time to get a hang of playing with these two but I'm sure we can do some damage.

 

This offseason you were selected 4th overall by HC Davos Dynamo. They seem to be going through a bit of a rebuild right now. Do you see yourself as the key piece to that rebuild?

 

don't really know actually. I don't really know what the plan is there. There is a reason I demanded a player option on my 3rd year. We will see what happens. I mean that's all we can do right now. If I stick around then yes I will be the Franchise Player everyone hopes I'm not. But that's if I stay

 

Many people seem to have taken offense at how you act, such as having the list of teams you refused to play for going up to the S47 draft. Does this bother you at all, or does that extra attention just give you more energy for you to feed off of?

 

I love the hate, the hate is what I love. If people loved me and loved what I did then I wouldn't really have anything to love. I made that list because those teams had the right to know I would never play for them and I had the right to make that list. If you want to hate me because of it then fuck you asshat.  It's a fine line between love and hate and I am proud to say I am well on the hate side of that line. So of course it gives me extra energy or motivation to play better and harder. There is nothing I want more then me becoming the player that they all know I can be but don't want me to be. If that makes any sense. To me that would be the ultimate fuck you to them all.

 

Your play in the Young Stars game was dominating, notching six assists, but for some reason you were not named one of the three stars of the night. Any idea what was up with that?

 

They did not want to give me a star. That's like promoting being an asshole. They wanted to give the stars to more "respectable" players. All of my six assists were key assists and they don't even acknowledge it. Well guess what? Once I enter the league next season I will show them not to fuck with me and that I will be a force to be reckoned with.

 

This may only be your second season, but you've had a lot more experience than most players in the VHLM, do you have any wise words of advice to give some of the younger members of the league?

 

Don't be stupid. Have fun while you can. When you stop having fun you stop playing hockey good and you just glide around and take up a roster spot. Be more like me and not like the ass kissers of the world.

 

Davos plans to call you up next season to play in the VHL, should I already pencil you in to win Rookie of the Year?

 

If you have to ask that then you don't know hockey. The question really should have been "When you win Rookie of the Year next year how will you feel?" to which I would have said "Like a billion bucks" and probably would have gone on to say something along the lines of "It would be the biggest fuck you to the league to have me the Rookie of the year. I mean they can not vote me it and screw me, but I will have such a epic season that they will be forced to give it to me or faced being called riggers" But you didn't ask that question. You asked your dumb question. But I gave you my answer for both because I'm a nice guy at times.

 

Alright, that's all the time we have, thank you very much for the interview!

 

I'd say thank you, but the only person that deserves a thank you for this is me. So I will leave with this quote from Super Bowl 50 Crybaby Cam Newton "I'm done"

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VHLM THREE STARS OF THE WEEK

1. Sir William Covington III - SSK - 6 G, 4 A, 34 S, 5 SB

2. Saul Hackett - BRT - 4 G, 4 A, 20 S, 15 Hits, 7 SB
3. Cooper Supernaw - BRP - 1-2-0, 111 Saves, 120 SA, .925 Sv%

 

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I love doing interviews, the player practically does the article for you! Lol. Speaking of which, Robbie wanted to know if he gets points for this too since he wrote a lot of this with his responses. I figured the answer was no, but I told him I would ask. This is what I hope to do more often, interviews, big news stories, or team profiles when they are on a hot/cold streak. Also, I don't endorse any of the things that Robbie says in his responses! I am simply the messenger. Just letting you know.

 

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Hello all, welcome to another issue of Around the VHLM! This week VHLM playoff action has kicked off, and both Yukon and Oslo swept their opponents to move on to the next round. In this week's issue, however, we will be looking at a team that did NOT make the playoffs. In this special edition, we will be documenting the Moscow Red Wolves, their rise to the finals in S45 and S46, their cellar dwelling in S47, and the uncertainty that awaits in S48 and beyond

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To begin our story, we have to look back to S46. The Moscow Red Wolves had just made it to the VHLM finals for the second year in a row, with a roster that included three future first round picks as well as current number one draft prospect Black Velvet. They would be squaring off against The North American champions, the Ottawa Lynx. Despite their great roster, Ottawa took down the Wolves in 6 games to claim the trophy.

 

Now let's look back to the present. Moscow ends the season with only three (you heard me, three) players on their roster, and while one of those players was Coca-Cola, easily the best netminder in the league, the other two combined to put up just 82 points the whole season as Moscow limped to a 12-59-1 record. What happened to Moscow? I went to take a closer look at what happened to this storied franchise of the VHLM.

 

One big reason was the fateful Lincoln trade. Moscow, needing to make a playoff run, but without much in the way of picks left, they sent Bratislava a S48 first in exchange for Lincoln’s rights. This has turned out to be a very costly trade, as that pick is now the first overall pick in the draft! So while that trade helped out a lot in the short term, it's after effects can be clearly seen now

 

The only other big reason that our team was able to find is the amount of people the team lost to the draft or the VHL. Those three S47 first round picks, Artom Zhumbayev, Vincent Adultman, and Mikhail Gribov, all were lost in the VHLM Dispersal draft, and with no picks themselves, Moscow was not able to replace these key players. On top of that, top S48 prospect Black Velvet was taken with the 2nd overall selection, losing Moscow yet another key player. Moscow didn't just lose players from the dispersal draft, however, but also lost many to the VHL. Jory Rose and Shawn Muller were both called up to play for Seattle, the Meute called for the services of Tom Lincoln, and the Stockholm Vikings required the help of Lukas Zhukenov on their pro team. To top it off, inactive free agent Josh Merica left, and would later sign with Saskatoon. In all, 9 players from the squad that made the finals in S46 departed the next year, leaving a hole in the lineup that would be very hard to fill.

 

Now that we've figured out what went wrong in S47, let's look ahead to the next season. With only one S48 pick in the VHLM Dispersal Draft, the immediate future of the Wolves is murky. To get clarification, I talked to Moscow GM Shawn Howard to get his full plans on the future. Stamkos made it very clear he would not be tanking. “I like to put out a competitive side and try to win every game” He said. So let the VHLM know that Moscow will NOT be mailing it in this year! “I want to see what I can do in terms of competing.” Howard told me, “Depending on what I can get with my two free agent signings”. That's the key to Moscow's season this year: Free Agency. The Red Wolves don't have enough picks this year to compete via drafting, but if they can get a few key free agents, we could see the Red Wolves back in the playoffs this year!

 

I also discussed the S49 season with Shawn Howard. With a first round pick and two seconds, Moscow looks like they could come back to Founder’s Cup form if they keep it up. “I'm thinking this is a two step plan in Moscow.” Howard relayed to me, “Season 48 we will try to compete but hopefully by Season 49 we will be back challenging for the Founders Cup. I will try to make picks come in as we start building towards S49.”

 

Howard's plan makes a lot of sense, to make the most of what he has and build up his team over time until he has a contender. Moscow's future is uncertain, but Shawn Howard is a decorated and well respected GM, with him watching over the rebuilding of Moscow, one can't help but see another finals appearance coming soon.

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VHLM THREE STARS OF THE WEEK

1. Black Velvet - YUK - 17 G, 11 A, 145 S, 39 Hits, 14 SB

2. Coca Cola - MOS - 1-13-0, 735 SA, 690 Sv, .939 Sv%

3. Josh Merica - SSK - 13 G, 12 A, 139 S, 29 Hits, 9 SB

THREE VHLM STARS OF THE FIRST ROUND

1. Black Velvet - YUK - 6 G, 7 A, 23 S, 14 Hits, 4 SB

2. Dmitry Dadonov - YUK - 4-0-0, 108 SA, 100 Sv, .926 Sv%

3. Unassisted - YUK - 4 G, 7 A, 21 S, 7 Hits

 

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Sorry for the wait, I had 3 tests this week, plus my original idea was an interview with Higgins, but he didn't answer all of the questions I had, so I had to go with my backup plan on short notice

 

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Hello again, everyone! Welcome to a special playoff issue of Around the VHLM! In this article I will take a look at the VHLM playoff action so far, as well as have an exclusive interview with VHLM First Star of the Week, Yukon Defenseman Black Velvet!

 

The VHLM playoffs weren't that eventful in the first round! As both Yukon and Oslo swept their opponents. Yukon, led by Black Velvet and Dmitri Dadonov, took what should've been a tough match in the first round of the playoffs against the Wild and dominated them throughout. As far as the Oslo-Bern series, Bern has had a hard time winning games ever since trading away most of their top players, so this sweep comes as much less of a surprise

 

Now without further ado, let's have a look at the interview I had with one of the best rookie prospects the VHL has seen in awhile, Yukon defenseman and projected first overall pick Black Velvet
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Hello, Black Velvet, thanks for giving me this time to talk to you. You had a season to remember: ranked 7th most goals and points all-time in a season, as well as 10th most all-time in assists. Can we expect the VHL record book to get rewritten as well?

 

Get the erasers out because I'm definitely coming to make changes to a few VHL records. I will be specifically aiming for the power play goals and goals by a defenseman records. As a power play specialist it is my job to quarterback the team and get as many  pucks on net, just like I did this season in the minors.

 

Yukon unfortunately was not able to secure the first round bye in the playoffs. However, your team has two of the best players in the VHLM with Unassisted and yourself. Do you think that this is a big setback, or should it be easily overcome?

 

It would have been nice to get to skip the first round, but this is great. We get to stay sharp on the ice and will be coming into the semi-finals on a  hot streak if we can beat Saskatoon. I also think our team has improved the most with the new updated attributes for the playoffs, either way I enjoy the competition, and to prove we are the best we gotta beat everyone.

That first round matchup between Yukon and Saskatoon will be crazy. Two clubs that play a very similar style of hockey, Yukon behind yourself and Unassisted versus Saskatoon and their stars Rodriquez and Covington. What are the keys to that series?

 

The key for us will be goaltending. Saskatoon has one of the best goalies in the VHLM with Jakab Holik, but I think if Dmitri Dadonov can at least match him in the net we could sweep this series. You mentioned the top players for each club, which is basically a wash. It will come down to the second line players to be the difference in this series. Players on the Rush like Nikki Kissanen and Titan Kronos on defense, as well as Kai Roberts on forward could push us really far into the post-season.

 

What do you think of the European Conference? The top three teams in North America would all have a first round bye in that conference, but both Bratislava and Oslo made some offseason moves that make their teams look pretty dangerous. 

Like you said, the best teams are all in the North American conference. If we somehow outlive both Saskatoon and Ottawa, I think we have a great chance of cruising in a beat down of the European team. Same goes for Ottawa and Saskatoon. North America, best continent confirmed.

 

Toronto Legion just won the VHL Draft Lottery. You being the consensus #1 prospect, how do you think you fit in there?

 

Well they have a big need for a goaltender, so I'm not sure I'm guaranteed the first overall spot in the draft. I'm definately the best player in the draft, but goaltending, in my opinion, should come first for any team. If I'm playing defense in front of no goaltender, it will be really demotivational, but I will be able to focus 100% on offense. Of course I have no idea what Toronto is planning, but if I were to be selected by the Legion I am sure I would be able to find success playing behind the top notch forwards they have with Molholt, Parechkin, and Free.

 

Scouts see you and they just can't believe their eyes. A defenseman of sound technique and an elite scoring touch comes around once a generation, if we're lucky. How do you do it?

 

I was lucky to grow up playing alongside my best friend from Toronto, Unassisted. We would practice whenever we could and he would constantly work on his deflections as I took slap shots and wrist shots from the blue line. I think this has really helped me become an elite shooter from long range. I am also very vocal on the ice, constantly calling for the one-timer. Some people may call me a puck hog, and they wouldn't be wrong.

 

Velvet, you aren't just a budding hockey talent, but also an up and coming rapper. I've heard some of your songs, and to be honest man, they're fire. Could you tell us about your new EP that you plan on dropping?

 

I appreciate that, I was actually lucky enough to have the league play my first single, Real, right before the draft lottery. The response from the song was mostly positive vibes from the community. I feel like I cannot be defined as just a hockey player, and I need to showcase my creativity through music and art. I had to put the EP on hold for a bit for the playoffs,  but I'm always mixing new beats.

 

Last week we interviewed Sir William Covington III, and he said he is the clear favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award in S48. Obviously that race between you and him will be interesting to watch. What are your thoughts on Covington’s comments?

 

He must have forgotten that I will be a rookie, a simple mistake.

 

Thank you very much Velvet for that excellent interview. I hope to hear much more about you in the future.

 

No problem can't wait to see my name in the mag

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VHLM THREE STARS OF THE WEEK
1. Black Velvet - YUK - 17 G, 11 A, 145 S, 39 Hits, 14 SB
2. Coca Cola - MOS - 1-13-0, 735 SA, 690 Sv, .939 Sv%
3. Josh Merica - SSK - 13 G, 12 A, 139 S, 29 Hits, 9 SB
VHLM THREE STARS OF THE FIRST ROUND
1. Black Velvet - YUK - 6 G, 7 A, 23 S, 14 Hits, 4 SB
2. Dmitry Dadonov - YUK - 4-0-0, 108 SA, 100 Sv, .926 Sv%
3. Unassisted - YUK - 4 G, 7 A, 21 S, 7 Hits

 

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Around the VHLM

S47 Finals Preview

 

Welcome, everyone, to the last issue of Around the VHLM for the S47 season! The second round of the VLLM was much more exciting, including an exciting game 7 in Ottawa. Today we will be looking at this year's VHLM finals participants and be breaking down each team to figure out what they need to do to win! So let's get started!

 

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Ottawa summary: Two things stood out to us in the 7 game series against Yukon. One was that Atticus Von Braxton IV has been tragically left out of S48 Rookie of the Year consideration. Another is that Ottawa has possibly the top left winger core in the VHLM. Pietro Maximoff and David Hamilton combined for 13 goals and 10 assists in the aforementioned matchup. They could use some help from their elite winger Kendrick Cole though. So far this playoffs Cole has yet so put a puck in the net, despite piling up assists. Cian Mercer has been a great option for the Lynx on defense so far. His goal scoring ability is pretty weak, but he is a top VHLM playmaker and plays fundamentally sound defense. Mercer could be called upon to control the pace in both the the offensive and defensive zone in this finals. Yannik Zug has simply not lived up to expectations this playoffs. He hasn't added much offensively to the team, and besides his shot blocking abilities, he's actually been a liability defensively. The Lynx might be better off replacing him with someone else for the finals.

 

Bratislava summary: Bratislava has made an incredible transformation from where they were midseason. Saul Hackett has been a great fit in the Watchmen’s system so far and is the team’s leading scorer in the playoffs so far. Vincent Adultman has been a huge beneficiary of these new teammates and the great chemistry has continued to show in the playoffs. S48 draftee Bogdan Podarok struggled the last half of the season, but he has shined throughout the playoffs so far, leading the team in goals with 5. Benjamin Tumack has stepped up and is adding nice scoring ability on top of his always solid physical game on defense. Alexander Davidson was sent down to the VHLM around the trade deadline. He's added some high volume shooting to the team and has been very good on offense. Artom Zhumbayev has been an enigma these playoffs. While he was one of the top players in the regular season, and boasts an excellent 4-0-2 record so far, his save percentage has been a measly .883%, something he must improve to keep the Watchmen in the finals.

 

Keys to victory for the Lynx: Beating the defense. Bratislava easily boasts the top defensive squad in the VHLM. They have so much talent at D that some even play on the forward lines! If Ottawa is going to have any chance at winning the series, they are going to have to figure out a way to get behind the Watchmen defense. If they can manage to go through the, and get shots on net, they can hope to capitalize on the struggling goalie Zhumbayev.

 

Keys to victory for the Watchmen: AVB4. The Ottawa goalie is a big reason that the Lynx made it past Yukon in the conference finals. He's looked excellent in the playoffs so far and it won't be easy for Bratislava to get pucks behind him. In order to score, quality of shot will most likely matter more than quantity. Waiting for a perfect opportunity and risking a play being broken up should be more effective than sending a sub-par shot toward Braxton that he should easily stop

 

Prediction: There's much to like in this matchup. The defending champion Ottawa Lynx will definitely be excited to win back to back, but the Bratislava Watchmen, with two players(Adultman and Zhumbayev) on last year's Moscow squad, could be hoping for a last minute chance at revenge! Ottawa has a superior main core and goaltender, but Bratislava is drowning in depth and have an incredible defensive unit. Taking that in mind(and definitely not the fact that my player is on the Watchmen), I predict for the S47 VHLM Founders’ Cup finals to be won by Bratislava in 6 games.

 

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VHLM THREE STARS OF THE CONFERENCE FINALS
1. Unassisted - YUK - 9 G, 8 A, 41 S, 14 Hits, 6 SB
2. Black Velvet - YUK - 7 G, 10 A, 75 S, 20 Hits, 18 SB
3. David Hamilton - OTT - 6 G, 6 A, 60 S, 18 Hits, 7 SB

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    Around the VHLM

S47 Champions

 

Hello everyone, and welcome to the final S47 edition of Around the VHLM. There's only one thing left to talk about folks, and that's the VHLM finals! Let's take an in-depth look at how the 7-game series unfolded

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Game 1

    The two first seeds from each conference met in Ottawa for the first game of the finals. Bratislava took no time getting started, scoring three goals in eleven minutes during the first period. Tanner Hynes assisted on two of those goals. With only six shots on net, the Watchmen had an impressive 50% shooting percentage in the first period. The second period was a goalie battle, with each team firing lots of shots but no team getting one in the net. The third period was when the Lynx turned it on. Thomas Andersson netted two goals in two minutes to bring the Lynx to within one. Unfortunately that was all that they could muster, and they fell to the Watchmen 3-2

 

Game 2

    Ottawa started where they left off in game one, when Kendrick Cole scored the lone goal goal in the first. Ottawa was feeling the turnaround, but in the second Bratislava dashed their hopes with three unanswered goals, two of which from Saul Hackett. Pietro Maximoff was able to tally another one one for the Lynx to bring it back within one. However they weren't able to get anything going for them the rest of the game, and a third period goal by Alexander Davidson put the nail in the coffin. Bratislava went up 2-0 in the series with a 4-2 game two victory

 

Game 3

    It would be hard for most people to figure out the difference between game one and game three. First period brought about three Watchmen goals in nine minutes. Unlike previous efforts, Bratislava’s lower lines started getting into the scoring action. The second period was once again quiet, despite 20 total shots on goal. In the third the Lynx offense heated up. David Hamilton managed to have two goals in the period, one on the powerplay, as Ottawa generated 16 shots on net. Unfortunately that was all they could muster, and a second goal by Bobby Boucher put the game at 4-2 in favor of Bratislava, who took a commanding 3-0 leaned and looked to sweep.

 

Game 4

    The stadium in Bratislava was loud the night of game four. Every home fan expected a sweep, but the Lynx came into the game determined to pull it off. In the first Ottawa started great, tallying two goals. It was a defensive battle, with only six shots for each team. In the second, Bratislava decided enough was enough. The Watchmen fired a whopping twenty five pucks on net, more than the Lynx would have the whole game, but it was the AVB show that dominated the action, stopping all of them. On top of that David Hamilton scored his second goal of the night. The third period was more of a defensive battle, with only 11 total shots. With the shutout by Von Braxton, the Lynx took confidence, momentum, and a 3-1 deficit back home to Ottawa

 

Game 5

In game five everyone came prepared, Bratislava to get the easy win, and Ottawa to stay alive and gain momentum. Much like the previous game, game five was a defensive battle. In the first, the Lynx took a quick two goal lead with the help of Kendrick Cole and David Hamilton. In the second the Watchmen came back with avengence, more than doubling their shot totals from the period. Unfortunately none of those shots hit the back of the net. The trend continued in the third, Bratislava dominance but to no avail, until with seven minutes left Bogdan Podarok netted the Watchmen's first goal of the game. Sadly it was also their last of the game, as both teams left the ice one game apart in the series.

 

Game 6

    The Watchmen were very nervous coming into game six. Giving up the last two games after going 3-0, and facing the defending champs took its toll, and everyone watching the game could tell. Alex Davidson scored a goal for Bratislava just 19 seconds into the game. After that, however, the Watchmen played a very safe style of defensive hockey, just trying to hold on to the slim lead they had. The Lynx pounced on this in the second period when Pietro Maximoff took advantage on the powerplay and evened it up. After that, Bratislava played a frantic style of offence, causing lots of turnovers, including one in the third period that Kendrick Cole used to score the game winner and send the series to a decisive game seven.

 

Game 7

    Game seven was in Ottawa, and both teams were hyped. Three days ago no one in the Lynx locker on expect to be here, and the same could be said for the Watchmen. Ottawa was feeding of momentum and the home crowd, while Bratislava was fueled by revenge. As GM Banack said in the locker room pre game, “You don't want to go into the books as the team that blew a 3-0 finals lead,” And they wanted to make sure they wouldn't. Both teams came out with a conservative, defensive minded strategy, feeling out their opponents. Finally Mikhail Gribov put a well placed shot past AVB to put the Watchmen up 1-0. In the second Bratislava dominated. Despite not enervating a goal, they shot nineteen picks on net, and Artom Zhumbayev continued to stay perfect on his end. The momentum had clearly shifted to the Watchmen’s side, and this was shown early in the third when new acquisition Saul Hackett scored a goal to put them up by two goals. The score would remain that way for the rest of the game and Bratislava would be named S47 Founders’ Cup champions.

 

    After the game I was fortunate to get a quote from a few players from the Watchmen locker room after the celebrating was over:

 

Bogdan Podarok on the tough series and having to go to seven games:

 

(With a thick Russian accent)”You know, it was tough, we give up lot of game, almost blow lead, but in the end we win, goalie gets shutout. It was hard to prepare for game seven, lots of nerves, everyone worried that we lose four straight, not get cup. But I have experience with playoffs, come down to game seven in KHL conference final, and we win and go on to claim Gagarin Cup. So I was prepared and I think that we play confident and very well, and now we champions of VHLM!”

 

Artom Zhumbayev on beating Ottawa after losing to them last year on Moscow:

 

“Ottawa had us down 3-0 last year and we came back to win a couple before they finished it off. This year we got them down 3-0 and they came back to tie it. I'm not gonna lie, I was really nervous before game 7 but it was such a relief to get that win. Last year i sat on the bench following game 2 so that sweet redemption is that much sweeter, i feel on top of the world now!”

 

    Well, that's all I have folks! Tune in next week to see our first issue of S48, where we will analyze the VHLM dispersal draft for each team.

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THREE STARS OF THE VHLM FINALS
1. Saul Hackett - BRT - 3 G, 4 A, 15 S, 16 Hits, 12 SB
2. Artom Zhumbayev - BRT - 4-3-0, 118 Saves, 129 SA, .915 Sv%, 1 SO
3. Atticus Von Braxton IV - OTT - 3-4-0, 140 Saves, 152 SA, .921 Sv%, 1 SO

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Around the VHLM
S48 Dispersal Draft Rankings

 

    Hello again, faithful readers! It's me, your VHLM correspondent, back for another season of hockey! Want to get all the info on the up and coming VHL stars? Well you've come to the right place! The S48 season is just about to start, and you can't start a season without a draft, can you? So without further ado, let's look at all 8 teams and see how well they drafted

 

Bratislava Watchmen

 

    In a stroke of luck, due to a trade 2 seasons ago, Bratislava came into the draft with the first overall pick, as well as being defending champions! With that pick they took the consensus first overall prospect, LW Pietro Maximoff. Maximoff will be a great fit with the Watchmen, and should help form a dangerous first line along with Podarok and Boucher. With their next pick at 12th, GM Campbell selected Tobias Klingberg, a solid defensemen that should help shore up the already solid crew. Many had Klingberg slotted to go in the first round, so to have him fal to Bratislava’s lap mid second round was a steal! Without a pick in the third round, the Watchmen had to wait till the last pick in the draft to select again. Mr. Irrelevant became center Josiah Kleveland. Not much is expected from him, if anything at all, and he should start the season on the lower lines, though he may end up as the second line center, depending on what Banackock has in mind.

 

Grade: A+

 

Oslo Storm

 

    Oslo came into the draft after a disappointing season, despite finishing second in their conference. With the second they had acquired from Brampton, they chose to select defenseman Bobby Digital, one of the first players to declare for the S49 draft. He's still developing his offensive abilities, but without a doubt from day one Digital will be the best defender in the VHLM. After moving down with their other first round pick in the draft, Oslo selected a forward, Sebastian Laine, a Finnish product making some noise as of late. His natural position is LW, so it will be interesting to see if he or Dope Fiend move to the other side so they can be on the same line. Late in the second, LeAndre St. Pierre decided Olso needed more defense, and Jim Lahey joined Digital in putting on a red Storm jersey. With their final pick in the fourth round, forward Sid Crosby got the call. He was quiet last year in Saskatoon, where he played limited minutes, but he may benefit from extended playing time and new scenery.

 

Grade: A-

 

Brampton Blades

 

    With 7 draft picks, five of which in the third round, Evans was most certainly the busiest GM on draft day. His first pick, Titan Kronos, was no surprise to anyone. Kronos and the Brampton GM were inseparable going up to the draft, and it was hinted that Brampton had already prepared Kronos jerseys for sale before the draft. Whether he was the best player to pick is yet to be determined. Then came the third round, where Brampton had the 17th through 21st picks. With those they selected Sam Wall, KYLO, Ryan Bucheler, Alokin Alset, and Adrian Kharmalov. These picks may have been wasted, however, as rumor has it only KYLO has made any attempt to practice with the team. Lastly, in the early fourth round, Brampton selected Nikolai Jakov at 26th. Rumor has is that he wishes for the team to ride for Saskatoon left winger Sterling Archer, but sources have not confirmed any trade talks yet.

 

Grade: C

 

Saskatoon Wild

 

    After a late championship push fell flat on its face in the first round, the Wild wound up with the fourth overall pick. With it they selected Nikki Kissanen, a defender GM Bogdan Podarok had second on his draft board. Shortly after that pick was made, Saskatoon traded the sixth overall pick, high they had acquired earlier for a S49 first and two thirds, along with a S50 third rounder, to move up one spot and select the top goalie in the draft, Ilya Kopralkov. Rumor has it that so far in practice, the young Russian has looked even better than advertised in team practice, so Podarok may have gotten a good report from his Russian sources. Eight picks later, Saskatoon welcomed Kevin Jalopski to the team. A sleeper pick by Podarok, so far he has paid off, checking in with team doctors and being cleared for play. But whether he lives up to expectations is unsure as of yet. With the third rounder, like most, in the hands of Brampton, the Wild had to wait till the fourth round to make their final pick, 8-time Lacrosse All-Star Sterling Archer, who is struggling to make the transition to hockey. Archer has yet to show up in the Saskatoon locker room, and has not been seen heard from since GM Podarok told him they would have a pre-season scrimmage against the Louisiana IceGators of the SPHL.

 

Grade: A

 

Ottawa Lynx

 

    GM Sandro Clegane did not have a fun draft, as he clashed with Bern GM Jeff Hamilton many times. Despite that, Clegane was able to put together a very respectable draft class. With the 7th pick he was able to net Philly product Shayne Gow, who has quite the VHL pedigree. If the new Gow plays like the old ones have, this should be a great pick. Two picks later, Clegane grabbed his replacement for long time Lynx goalie, Atticus Von Braxton IV, in the form of AK47, an eccentric goalie who had many question marks on draft day, but has so far looked solid in camp. As one of only three teams with a third round pick, Ottawa selected newbie Roope Toivanen in the back end, and also selected defenseman Robert E. Lee(no relation) with their fourth. So far, neither of these guys have really showed anything at camp, and should fill depth roles for most of their career.

 

Grade: B+

 

Bern Royals

 

    GM Hamilton had no picks above 8th, but still managed to have one of the best drafts of this year. With back to back picks to start out his night, Hamilton selected two new players, Ted Doughty and James Worboy. These prospects flew under the radar, but Doughty has already put himself in top 5 S49 draft pick position, and Worboy is showing speed that scouts didn't pick up on their first trip to see him play. Just two picks later, the Royals selected Kai Roberts. His personality issues he showed last year scared many GMs away from picking him in the first round, but there is no doubt that he has first round talent, and if Roberts flies right, then Bern has a great steal on their hands. With the last pick in the second round, Hamilton picked another solid new player, Tony Pellerin, who is a risky pick for sure, but if he comes to practice regularly, this could be yet another Bern bargain. With their final pick at 27th, Viljo Metsala was taken. Like most fourth rounders, this player is nothing more than a projected depth player.

 

Grade: A+

 

Moscow Red Wolves

 

    GMs had actually forgotten to invite GM Shawn Howard to the draft this year, forgetting he actually used draft picks, but luckily he found his way there in time. It took a while to get there, but when the 14th pick rolled around, Moscow used its first pick in two years on center Mario Lee. Lee isn't projected to have a high ceiling, but Howard has said that the young center is “showing improvement”, and he could become a staple on the Red Wolves lineup if he keeps it up. With one last pick, courtesy of the addition of a fourth round, Moscow selected the second Laine in the draft, Xiavier, who Howard hopes will become a solid top line producer, but so far his inability to show up to team meetings shows that he may not have the drive it takes to be a great player in this league

 

Grade: B-

 

Yukon Rush

 

    Before you read this, I'll let you guess what type of draft class Yukon had this year, based on the picks they held: 22nd, 24th, and 30th. Yeah, it wasn't very good. To GM Dmitri Dadonov’s credit, he got the best players he could. But all three of his draft picks, LW Pavel Ovechkin and D Sean Connery and Matthew DeLong, didn't even receive and invite to the Rush training camp, and they project to have minimal effect on the team’s performance, if any at all. It will be a long year in Yukon

 

Grade: F

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Around The VHLM
First Takes

 

Hello, faithful readers! We're back with yet another installment of Around the VHLM. The S48 season has finally kicked off and we are now 12 games in. It's still too early to tell how this season will go, but we can take a look at some weird things that have happened so far this season, as well as see what teams could do to improve their Founders’ Cup chances. Let's get started.

 

Bratislava is a Goalie Away

All you need to do is look at the stats. Good old BRT G1 has compiled a .874 Sv% while facing the least shots in league. Despite this, Bratislava has still compiled a 10-2-0 record, have the second lowest GA, and even lead the league in shutouts. If the Watchmen had even a below average tender in net, besides the random fan they pick up off the street, they would have an easy time defending their title.

 

Oslo and Saskatoon: Peas in a Pod

Oslo and Saskatoon have a couple pretty big similarities so far this season. The first one is their special teams dominance. The Storm lead the league in PP% by a massive margin with 34.09%, while the Wild have the best PK in the league with 85.37%. They are also the the only two winning teams that generate less shots than their opponents. They can thank their goalies (Oslo’s Dmitri Dadonov and Wild’s Ilya Kopralkov) for picking up the extra -4 shots a game deficit.

 

Moscow Waits One More Year

Not much more to report here. Coca Cola and Travis Willcox will try their best again to carry this team to the playoffs.

 

Yukon Missing Velvet and Unassisted

Yukon has sunk to the bottom of the standings in S48 after being the preseason cup favorites last year. Clearly they are missing the presence of Black Velvet and Unassisted. They should be in for a nice rebuild come next season, though.

 

What's Wrong With Bern?

Coming into this season Bern was a team projected to be a contender after a great draft and some solid returning pieces. But coming into this issue, they're 2-9-1 and only one point ahead of Moscow. The team should get better as Ted Doughty and Jacob Worboy continue to develop, but Bern needs to get itself in gear asap.

 

Early 2-Way Award Prediction

RW Pete Stockton has started the season as one of the most valuable players in the VHLM, and he is certainly the best 2-way forward so far. Currently he leads the league in hits and is tied for third in points. He has been a big reason for Brampton’s early success so far.

 

Still the Best Passer in the VHLM

Currently leading the league with 18 assists, Cian Mercer looks to repeat as the leading VHLM assister. This year without Black Velvet and and Felipe Rodriguez, he could also make a run at top defenseman. He's been a very important piece to the Lynx puzzle, serving as a sound defensive player as well as a feeder to Roope Toivanen and Kendrick Cole.

 

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VHLM STARS OF THE WEEK
Pavel Varushkin - OSL - 15 G, 10 A, 62 S, 19 Hits, 13 SB
Dmitri Dadonov - OSL - 10-2-0, 27 GA, 326 Sv, .924 Sv%
Pete Stockton - BRP - 12 G, 9 A, 97 S, 53 Hits, 5 SB

[STZ 5,360]

Great work! Perfect format for some quick notes on the minors!

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11 hours ago, STZ said:

Great work! Perfect format for some quick notes on the minors!

Thanks! I was worried this article was too short haha

[STZ 5,360]

I actually really like this as a format. While the spotlight is good in depth read, this is pretty effective getting info out to guys out of the VHLM.. Plus I think the quick notes look good in the mag

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Around the VHLM

Tribute to the Great One

 

Hello, Coca Cola, thank you so much for doing this interview with me. You've played in the VHLM for 8 seasons, surely you have lots of memories about your time there. What's the best one?

 

My best memory would be winning the Benoit Devereux award for best Goaltender. I won 60 game, had a .921 save percentage, and counted 9 shut outs. It was a great season, but sadly one of my least favorite times as we couldn't win the cup losing 2-4 to the Blades. Nothing else after quite lived up to that wonderful run of a season.

 

I'm just gonna throw some stats out there: 443 games played, 239 wins, 52 shutouts, and a career 90.3% save percentage. You are easily the greatest VHLM goalie of all time, and probably the best VHLM player of all time. Any words of advice for the young players coming through the system now?

 

That stats mean nothing if you didn't enjoy what you did to get to that point. Though I never cracked an actual VHL roster I enjoyed doing what I could for who I played with. And though I was tossed around from team to team like a game of Twister with a drunk Jala I like to think I helped make people happy despite my quiet nature. 
 
My advice is to do the best you can, and the team is always more important than the individual. 

 

One more stat for you: 13,921 shots faced in your career. How have you managed to keep your body in a good enough condition to withstand that type of workload?

 

An old buddy of mine named Slappy McDoodle told me about this great post game ritual that does wonders for not just your physique but your soul.
 
It starts off by stripping off all of your clothes. You then step into a human sized capsule with your arms spread out. The jello mixture begins to pour automatically as you close your eyes and breathe in the cherry flavored dust. Be sure to bring a snorkle, of course, because the jello will soon start to harden.
 
Some Albanian grapplers in very revealing wrestling attire then show up and start eating the Jello. They don't have to be Albanian, but it's highly recommended. The jello reaches places you didn't know you had on your body, and they'll know that.
 
Afterwards, wash off in a nice relaxing bath. The other thing that helps my condition stay in top peak shape is my enormous junk.

 

Albanian? That doesn't sound cheap. How much does that cost? Is the pay hourly or is it per jello mold?

 

Well, it's the cheaper option. The Lebanese just wanted way too much money. And if you don't know how much it costs... you can't afford it.
 
Let's just say you don't get into that kind of profession without a degree from an Ivy league school.

 

Very…….interesting. So, you’ve played for many teams over the years. Which team was the most enjoyable to be a part of and why?

 

I'll send you a business card afterwards. I'd describe it as trauma-mazing.
 
I'd probably say Moscow. It was early on in my career, I was a fresh young kid full energy ready to train my way to the big leagues. The people were fun, and the games were good. We lost pretty convincingly, but it was great hanging around all of those guys.

 

You missed the S46 season for an undisclosed reason. Would this have anything to do with the aforementioned Albanians or drunken Twister party?

 

S46 was an odd time in my life. I:

• Became a professional male gymnast and lost a testicle on day 1.
• Traveled to China to tryout for their hockey league, but hockey in China involved making a lot of shoes.
• Divorced my wife of 3 years after finding out she was just an iPhone app.
• Gained (and eventually lost) 100 lbs. Twice.
• Made an unreleased duo album with Weird Al before he eventually called the police.

But I would have probably skipped all of that if I was just contacted by any of the GM's.

 

Lastly, there are some people out there that say Pepsi is better. What words of wisdom do you have for these poor, misguided souls?

 

I consider myself a very tolerant person. I'm accepting of all races, genders, sexual preferences, religious beliefs, nationalities, disabilities, and species. If you want to be a transvestite, go for it. You want to jerk off to cartoons, well that's gross but not my business. There's really nobody I'd even consider hating or having prejudice towards without knowing anything about them. But Pepsi drinkers deserved to be shot, beheaded, and paraded through the streets while children sing Ding Dong the Witch is Dead. If you see somebody drinking a Pepsi, make the world a better place and knock that shit out of their hands. Spit on their shoes if you can.
 
Sorry, got a little riled up there. Pepsi is just really bad.
 
*Cola’s agent runs into the interview booth and hurriedly drags him out of the room*

 

DONT LET THEM DESTROY USSSSS.......

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Around the VHLM
The Russian Revolution

 

Welcome to another entry of Around the VHLM. Since my half-hearted attempt at getting people to write article for me because I was lazy failed, we will be looking at the top three contenders for VHLM MVP so far this season. Due to either the nationality or team they play for, the dominance of these three front runners has been dubbed “the Russian Revolution” by many VHLM analysts, as a duo of young S48 draftees from the motherland and an experienced vet in his final year with the Red Wolves are clear frontrunners to take home the Mitch Higgins trophy.

 

3. Dmitri Dadonov, OSL(28-10-2, 2.09 GAA, .915 Sv%, 3 SO)

 

The 6th pick in the S48 draft has been an integral part of this Oslo team and has put up great numbers. Oslo isn't a team filled with top scorers, but they have gotten far thanks to the heroics of the young Russian netminder. If you need to be convinced, just look at Oslo’s past game against the Saskatoon Wild. The Storm were outshot 13-35, but Dadonov stopped all but one of those pucks as Oslo took home a 3-1 victory.

 

Reasons he will win the Mitch Higgins Trophy: Goalie Dominance/Well-Rounded. Scoring in the VHLM has had a major drop off as of late. The leading scorer is only projected to have 114 points, and he is the only skater who is projected to break the 100 point mark. Clearly this is a league dominated by goaltending. Another thing working for Dadonov is how well rounded he is. You would be hard pressed to find a stat that Dadonov isn't above average in.

 

Reasons he won't: Lack of Top Skill. The same well-rounded style that is Dadonov’s strength may also be his weakness. He is skilled at much, but master of none, as there is no goalie category that he is first in besides minutes played.

 

2. Bogdan Podarok, BRT(31 G, 32 A, 78 Hits, 309 S)

 

The 5th pick in the S48 draft has been tearing up the league as of late. Part of the S47 Bratislava championship team, he is back at it again and has helped the team to a first place showing so far despite playing most of the season without a goalie.

 

Reasons he will win the Mitch Higgins Trophy: Total Forward Domination. Last year at season's end, eventual MVP Black Velvet had a 14 point lead on Sir William Covington III for the scoring title. Now only 40 games into the S48 season, Podarok already has a 14 point lead on second place Sean Blacker, and his projected 114 points is 26 more than anyone else's. The young Russian winger is first in goals, second in assists, first in points, and first in shots. Podarok is clearly the best skater in the VHLM.

 

Reasons he won't: Off Year for Forwards. Like previously stated, forwards have not performed as well as in previous years. Unless he picks up his pace, Podarok will finish 31 points off of Velvet’s S47 total. That may open up a door for our other two candidates to get the nod

 

Coca Cola, MOS(7-30-3, 2.71 GAA, .926%, 3 SO)

 

The veteran netminder many consider to be the best to ever play in the VHLM will be closing out his illustrious career this season with another spectacular and possibly MVP-worthy season. Despite playing on lowly Moscow he is compiling the best goalie stats of the year

 

Reasons he will win the Mitch Higgins Trophy: First in the Most Important Category. It's very simple, the best way to tell a goalie’s value is by his save percentage. Coca Cola has the best save percentage in the league by a wide margin. Therefore, Coca Cola is the best goalie in the league by a wide margin

 

Reasons he won't: Last in the Next 2 Most Important Categories. With a 7-30-3 record, Cola has the least wins and most losses of any goalie in the VHLM. While his other stats are very solid, it will be a big obstacle for Cola to overcome if he wants to be the league MVP. He will probably have to get his winning percentage closer to .500 if he wants to have a shot at getting the hardware

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Around the VHLM
The Awards You Don't Want To Win

 

Hello all, and welcome to another edition of Around the VHLM. A lot of people are talking about the All-Star week, the awards races, and the upcoming S49 draft, but we here at this newspaper have decided to take a break from these topics that we will surely discuss later and look at a different kind of awards race! Instead of award you have to be good to win, we will be looking at awards that involve not just being bad, but being the worst! Let's take a look.

 

The Green Jacket: Brandon Lapham Jr.(-34) Yukon
With the Masters coming up, many golfers will be competing for a chance to win the Green Jacket by having the lowest combined score. In the VHL however, we will be looking at whoever has the lowest +/- rating! Currently we have a tight race, with Rush teammates Lapham and Pavel Ovechkin(-33) fighting to see who can be responsible for more goals against. Yukon has had some bad luck this year, as third and fourth place are also members of the Rush(Matthew DeLonge and Sean Connery both have -27)

 

The Stoner Award: Sean Blacker(289 Hits Taken), Saskatoon
Sean Blacker is having a spectacular season, as he is second in the league in points. That doesn't excuse him from our list, however. Blacker takes more hits than a pot head on payday, and his 289 Hits Taken is 61 more than anyone else in the VHLM. We raise our ice bags to you, Sean

 

The Patrik Stefan Memorial Trophy: Mattias Thieb(2.38% Shooting), Ottawa
Just like the great Patrik Stefan, this player couldn't score if you gave him an empty net. Thieb has played all 54 games for the Lynx, and out of the 42 shots he has generated, only one has found twine. The really sad part about this is, even if he scores on his next shot, the resulting 4.65% shooting percentage would still be last place in the league.

 

The One Shift Wonder Award: Josiah Kleveland(5.77 MPG), Bratislava
Hockey's new fast paced nature has led to shifts being shorter and shorter, but some players may be taking these new short shifts a little too extreme. Josiah Kleveland, the 32nd and final pick in the S48 VHLM Dispersal Draft, has been helping the Bratislava Watchmen compete for a second straight cup. He just happens to be doing so 5.77 minutes at a time.

 

The Leaky Faucet Award: Chris Fekete(.877 Save PCT), Yukon
Goaltenders main job is to stop shots, and well, this goalie is the worst at doing that. Chris Fekete, the apparent legend, has the lowest save percentage in the entire league. His performance has been so bad that even ß-BRT G1 has a better save percentage than him. The Yukon GM would be better suited by putting some fat guy from the crowd in net.

 

The Monica Lewinsky Trophy: Moscow Red Wolves(25 points)
In the NHL, the team with the most points at the end of the regular season gets the Presidents Trophy. Well, in the VHLM, the team with the least points at the end of the regular season gets the Monica Lewinsky Trophy, to award their determination for sucking. Moscow is looking to take home this trophy for the second consecutive year, but they will have some steep competition from the Yukon Rush, who are only at 27 points.

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Around the VHLM
An Author’s Editorial

 

Hello folks. This is a special edition of Around the VHLM. This week was slotted to cover the Young Stars game. But due to there being a delay, that will happen later. Instead, this will serve as more of a second editorial by me, the author.

 

How many members of the VHLM go inactive? I'd like to know the stat. Seems quite depressing. This is a great league, but it's one in a terrible crisis. Seems like people talk all the time about how there's not enough active people on this site. There's been a ‘big’ recruitment drive, and that hasn't exactly done much. As far as I know, since I have joined the VHL late season 46, there really hasn't been another active first gen player in the league. Am I wrong in that? If not, why could that be?

 

There is a general disdain of the minors in this league. Seems like a lot of people hate the VHLM. What's the reason for this? You would think a league that's struggling for recruits would never do something like that. Yet I know of more than a few people who have bashed the minors. “Nobody cares about the VHLM” isn't an odd thing to hear around the site. It's a very depressing thing to hear.

 

I always think of the SBA as an example of what the VHL should do with their minor league system. They have great ADs who go above and beyond to make the NCAA exciting. I am trying to do the same thing with Saskatoon. When I mentioned something like this, however, I was told, once again(albeit jokingly)that no one cares about the VHLM. I don't know of a first gen active player I have claimed off waivers. In the SBA I have claimed three. One is a semi-active point guard, one is a power forward who is a great presence in the locker room, and the other has promised to join next season when he is less busy.

 

I, as a member, don't get it. What is the hate about the VHLM? Do you guys just want to play ‘real’ games? Do you just not care about developing in those early seasons? I'm not sure why you wouldn't. But why must you make that spill over into public conversation constantly? As a hard working VHLM GM, and a very proud S47 Founders’ Cup champion, it's a huge slap in the face. I try to keep my LR active. In fact, I have posted 70 of the 159 messages in my team LR, a little over 44%. I know in the Bratislava LR Banackock has put a similar effort in. The Bratislava LR is filled with posts of Banack telling us what he's doing. That ranges from talking about his future plans with the team, going in depth about every line change he does, and just generally talking about his day and asking how we are. It's a very nice experience, I don't get why people wouldn't want that?

 

Whatever it is, it needs to change. Fixing the VHLM and making it exciting to new recruits may needed. The SBA college level is always exciting because of the bidding wars over star players, that is something the VHLM should maybe adapt to. But it has to start with the current members. We need people to care about the minors. If we don't, how are we ever going to get new members to stick around? If we continue to talk about how the VHLM is ‘bad’ and how no one cares about it, how can we expect to retain quality VHLM GMs if they aren't valued at all? Seems like we are always looking for a way to get more recruits. Well, this is one way. The question is, are you going to help it happen or not?

Edited April 17, 2016 by ADwyer87

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Around the VHLM
Takes From the Young Stars Game

 

Hello all! Welcome to another episode of Around the VHLM. After a long wait and much anticipation, the Young Stars game finally arrived! So without further ado, let's look at what takes we can gather from the results of the game.

 

Podarok is VHL ready

The Russian winger was named first star of the Young Stars game, getting 4 goals and 4 assists on the night. Podarok was on fire that night, recording 13 shots and scoring the most points out of all the participants that night, as he finished an impressive +5. On top of that, the next two players closest to Podarok in scoring, Felipe Rodriguez and Vincent Adultman, are already VHL rookies, marking Podarok as the man to beat for the S49 VHL Rookie of the Year award.

 

The no-point wonders

Four players in this year's young stars game did not generate a point. On team Boom Goes The Dynamite, Bern defenseman Joe Shenanigans and Saskatoon defenseman Nikki Kissanen were both held scoreless. Kissanen not scoring was a big surprise, as he is a veteran of the VHLM and would have been expected to contribute, not to mention that he has the most TOI for his team. The poor play of Shenanigans can be excused, however, due to his linemate being the infamous S44 draft bust Unknown Player. On team Thor’s Avengers, Moscow forward Mario Lee and Bern defenseman Ted Doughty were not able to get anything going. Mario Lee had a terrible Young Stars game, garnering a -3 and not even generating a shot on goal. Doughty had a solid game despite scoring no points. He was a plus player, and tied for the most blocked shots in the game.

 

S47 Bratislava Reunion

At least, that's what it seemed like the other night, when Podarok, Vincent Adultman, and Artom Zhumbayev all took the ice to start the first period. The last time they were on the ice together was when they were hoisting the Founders’ Cup a season ago. Reportedly the three players were very happy to play together again. Podarok and Adultman were once again dynamic together, as they showed up on the scorecard together five times. Zhumbayev was the best goalie for his team, stopping 5 of the 6 shots he faced, and even adding an assist on a goal by J.J. Dynamite.

 

Holik the playmaker?

Goalie assists are a rare feat, and rightfully so, as it takes skill for a goalie to set up a rush so well that they get a point out of it. just over five minutes into the third period, goalie Jakab Holik had not one, but two assists! After the game, Holik joked that he may try moving to forward. At goalie, Holik stopped 9 of 14 shots he faced

 

Winners for the S49 VHL Draft

So, whose draft stock when up after this game, and whose went down? Let's start with up. Center Kai Roberts scored a hat trick for Thor’s Avengers, raising his stock. Goalie AK47 surprised everyone by having the best save percentage out of all the goalies invited. That could give him a big jump on the draft boards. Lastly, two first overall pick contenders, Pietro Maximoff and Titan Kronos, each had 4 point nights, and should get GMs out of playoff contention to be really excited.

 

Losers for the S49 VHL Draft

Despite these great performances, some players took a definite hit in their draft stock. Defenseman Bobby Digital was considered by many to be the top prospect in this year's draft. However, with his poor two point showing, he was overshadowed by fellow S49 defenseman Titan Kronos, and he could fall in the draft as a result. Ted Doughty, as already mentioned above, was one of the four players in the young stars game who was held scoreless. Despite having a sound defensive game, the lack of points in a game that is historically high scoring could worry many GMs.

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Around the VHLM
Finals Preview!

 

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the final Around the VHLM! If you're looking at the S48 Founders’ Cup matchup right now, you may have thought that you accidentally clicked on the S47 games folder, but you would be wrong(maybe)! This year the Watchmen and the Lynx will square off again for a hence to take home the cup! Let's look at the two team and see who has the upper hand.

 

NA Conference Champion: Ottawa Lynx

 

Strengths: Kendrick Cole. The forward who was sent down to the VHLM after a cap discrepancy has been playing spectacularly for the Lynx this season, and scored 6 goals in the Ottawa-Saskatoon series. He will need to continue to lead this team as they go into the finals.

 

Weaknesses: Offense. The Lynx made easy work of the Wild, but on paper the 5 game win looks much less dominating. Ottawa only outscored the Wild by 3 goals, and were outshot 172-126 to have a -46 shot margin, an incredible anomaly for a winning team, especially one that wins so soon in the series. The Lynx will need to add more offence if they expect to get past the Watchmen.

 

Keys To Victory: AK wizardry and Jardy riggery. Just as we said before, with the Wild out shooting the Lynx by nearly 50 shots in the series and still losing in 5 games, either goaltender AK47 was performing at the top of his game, or GM Jardy hacked into the STHS file for the VHLM and changed the scores. We’ll let you decide which one happened.

 

EU Conference Champion: Bratislava Watchmen

 

Strengths: Defensive Depth. Just looking at the Watchmen’s defensive core can give opposing offenses nightmares. Tobias Klingberg, Ken Anderson, Tanner Hynes, Bobby Boucher, and Izidors Balders have combined to have 3 goals, 10 assists, 41 hits, and 3 shot blocks in the 5 game Oslo series.

 

Weaknesses: Where's The Offense? The team that led the league in the regular season in goals scored, and has the league's 1st and 5th leading scorers, has not been able to get things going yet in the playoffs. Only two players are scoring at a points per game pace, with Alexander Davidson and Tobias Klingberg each having 5 assists. GM Campbell needs to tell those top forwards of his to start getting their production up

 

Keys To Victory: Sven Wolf. This finals could turn into a goalie battle. AK47 is easily the biggest reason the Lynx are in this matchup, and the play of Sven Wolf since he got here has elevated the Watchmen’s play even higher. Wolf has been putting a lot of work in of late. If Sven gets his game on and gets hot, then Bratislava will be in very good shape

 

Bratislava v. Lynx: Regular Season

 

In the 10 games these two teams played this year, Bratislava easily ran away with the series 7-3. The Watchmen scored 8 more goals than the Lynx, and also generated 77 more shots. The Powerplay was a big factor in these matchups, too, as Bratislava scored on 27.66% of opponents power plays, while Ottawa only scored on 8.33% of their chances

 

Final Prediction

 

These teams are set for a rematch that everyone is hoping will be as exciting as the last one. However, all of the stats have been pointing to a Bratislava blowout. With that in mind, the experts here with Around the VHLM are predicting…..Bratislava in 5!

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Around the VHLM
Back2Back

 

Hello all, and welcome to the final issue of the S48 Around the VHLM! The S48 finals have just finished, and Bratislava has won their second straight Founders’ Cup. Let's take an inside look at just how it happened.

 

Game 1

Game one started the S47 rematch between the Lynx and the Watchmen. It wasn't much to see offensively, but it was a goalie match for the ages! Only one shot made it in the net out of 45, as AK47 stopped all 26 shots he faced and out-dueled Sven Wolf to get the 1-0 victory for Ottawa. Oddly enough, Diana Maxwell scored the lone goal for Ottawa shorthanded.

 

Game 2

If Game one was goalie fan’s dream, then game two was a gift to all the fans who love to see the lamp get lighted up. The game started with an Ottawa onslaught, as Loune Beaver, Diana Maxwell, and Jake Steel scored within the first 4 minutes. Each goal was assisted by Kendrick Cole and Benjamin Tumack, oddly enough. After that, though, Bogdan Podarok started playing like a man possessed. He started with an answering goal in the first period, then made a great move to score 12 seconds into the second period, and finally he set up Tobias Klingberg with a beautiful backhand pass on the powerplay. Shortly after, FA signee Yannick Zug was able to put one past Wolf to put the Lynx back on top. In the third, it was none other than Podarok again who lit the lamp to tie the game back up, celebrating as hats rained down on the ice. No one else was able to score in the third, and the game went to OT. After 16 minutes of bonus hockey and only 8 extra shots, Ottawa forward Patrick Brumm netted an OT winner, his first of the playoffs, to give the Lynx a 2-0 series lead.

 

Game 3

Ottawa felt very confident coming back home after winning both road games. Bratislava, however, wasn't about to get into a 3-0 hole. Pietro Maximoff was able to get the second Watchmen hat trick in as many days. After a first period that ended 2-2, Tanner Hynes, Maximoff, and Jack Kraken were able to get three more to give Bratislava the lead. In the third, Bratislava played a commanding defense and only allowed 6 shots, while the offense was able to generate three times that! Each goalie was perfect in that period, however, as the Lynx series lead was cut down to 2-1

 

Game 4

Game four started off with the most excitement of the whole night. After a tie up on the opening faceoff, Tobias Klingberg found a way to sneak past the defense, took a pass from Kai Roberts, and scored glove side on AK47, all within 14 second of the opening puck drop. After that not much happened, though Diana Maxwell was able to score in the second. Since 60 minutes wasn't enough, the series went into OT for the second time. Ottawa made up for a lackluster regulation by outshooting the Watchmen 9-4. However, Sven Wolf was at the top of his game, while AK didn't play like the rest of the game, and Alokin Alset was able to put a puck through his 5-hole to win the game after 13 minutes of OT.

 

Game 5

Bratislava came into game 5 confident, and it showed out there on the ice. The Watchmen were able to score three unanswered goals to start the game, until the Lynx’s Shayne Gow was able to answer on the powerplay in the second. In the third, Kai Roberts scored a goal to put the Watchmen up 4-1. After apparently chirping something to AK47 afterwards, the goalie charged out to meet the center to fight, however the referees broke up the fight before it could start. After that AK stopped every shot he faced, and Roope Toivanen was able to score another goal, but it wasn't enough as Bratislava took the 3-2 series lead

 

Game 6

The heated series came back to Ottawa with the Bratislava Watchmen having a chance to take home their second straight Founders’ Cup. The first started off with Bratislava domination, as they generated 2 goals(by Alexander Davidson and Pietro Maximoff) and 15 shots, while holding Ottawa to 2 shots. The second was very quiet, with only 9 combined shots and no goals. In the third Ottawa came out with the season on the line, and quickly answered with a Yannik Zug goal on the power play. In the end, however, it wasn't enough, and Maximoff put the killing blow in the net with 4 minutes left. With the 3-1 victory, Bratislava was able to win their second cup in the Campbell era!

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Around the VHLM
VHLMers in the World Cup

 

Hello All! Welcome to the ACTUAL last issue in the S48 edition of Around the VHLM. This week the World Cup of Hockey has been taking place. A few bright stars from last year’s VHLM have made the cut! let's take a look at how they have been performing.

 

Team Canada
Ted Doughty was the third defensemen selected to be on Team Canada, and has been playing alongside John Sleeman. He has only garnered 2 assists so far, but his defensive impact has been noticeable. Doughty has the most hits of any Canadian defensemen, and is tied for the team lead in blocked shots.

Team USA
Titan Kronos has played much like Doughty has. While his offensive production isn't great(1 goal and 1 assist), his defense has shine through, with 24 hits and 20 blocked shots. AK47 hasn't had much to work with, with Team USA having the second fewest goals scored, but his 49 goals allowed are 16 more than the second worst team. Meanwhile, goalie Cooper Supernaw has not let a goal in yet this tournament

Team Scandinavia
Team Scandinavia has a very deep forward core, so it's a really big deal that Theo Axelsson was selected to be on the team’s second forward line. So far this tournament he has scored 1 goal and had 3 assists. Both the teams goalies are also from the VHLM. Sven Wolf has had his struggles in the tournament, with a 2-3-1 record and a .881 Sv%. On the other hand, Joanna Akerfeldt has been a huge surprise, winning in all 4 of her starts with a .897 Sv% and a shutout

Team Europe
Team Europe is lame and has no VHLM players

Team World
Pavel Komarov and Pietro Maximoff were both selected to play on the second forward line for Team World. Sadly, both of these guys have had a hard time transitioning to official international play. Komarov has 1 assist, and hasn't shown his usual physical presence. Maximoff on the other hand does not yet have a point, and has seemingly disappeared on the ice sometimes

Team Mercenaries
The Mercs have had a trio of forwards skating for them at this tournament. Kai Roberts has assumed the role of second line Center for the team. He only has 2 assists in the tournament, but he has shown some much-welcomed tenacity on the ice. VHLM MVP has predictably been the best performer from the minors in the World Cup, playing on the first line. His 2 goals and 4 assists are great and he leads the team in +/-, but the team needs him to step up more if they hope to medal. Kendrick Cole was a mid season send down to the VHLM. While his passing has been pretty poor this whole tournament, his sniping ability has earned him 3 goals.

 

[BOOM 8,746]

Odinsson was robbed!

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10 minutes ago, boom said:

Odinsson was robbed!

You're a lock for next time though!

[BOOM 8,746]

 

Good read.

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Around the VHLM

Painting the Playoff Picture

 

Hello all, welcome to this S49 installment of Around the VHLM. Its only a bit into the S49 season, but the playoff picture is already set. After two straight cups, Bratislava has the worst record in the league and is clearly in rebuild mode. Saskatoon has hung around in the North American conference for a while, but after trading Nikki Kissanen its clear they aren't going to be competing this year. So our playoff teams are just about set! Lets look into each playoff team so far this season.

 

6. Moscow Red Wolves(8-10-2, -9 Goal Differential)

The last team in the playoffs for the European conference isn't in good shape. Overall they are currently tied with Saskatoon, who is last in North America. They have been on a lengthy rebuild ever since going to back to back cup appearances a few seasons ago. The team doesn't have much to write home about, with Thor Odinsson leading the team in offense. New members Jack Kraken and Guntis Petenis could inject some spark into this team, however. Forward Mario Lee also seems ready to take the next step in his development and could become a factor. Veteran members Travis Willcox and Xavier Laine will continue to bring their physical play to the motherland. Despite this lineup, they just dont have the depth to compete, and they've been getting an uncannily good performance from their bot goalie, something they shouldn't expect in the future. seems like a first round exit is on the way.

 

5. Ottawa Lynx(11-7-2, +13 Goal Differential)

This team is coming off their third straight finals appearance, and despite being ranked 5th in the league, they look to be in fairly good shape. Ottawa has a trio of young players, F AK47, D Shayne Gow, and G Joanna Akerfeldt, who will only get better as the season goes on. On top of that core is a trio of veterans, as R Truth brings a great two way game, Maximum Lock who has pure sniping skills, and Cian Mercer who complements lock with his great puck vision and passing abilities. They still have a ways to go, but dont count this Ottawa team out of making it 4 straight finals appearances.

 

4. Oslo Storm(11-5-4, +3 Goal Differential)

Olso is second in the European conference, but doesnt look too good in actuality. Jim Lahey has promise, but hasnt seemed to deliver on it as of yet. Sebastian Laine is beasting it up so far, but lack of time in practice has worried some scouts. Other than that, the team will be relying on rookies Elijah Dotran and Maksim Barnyashev to help carry the team to another level. Without a goalie, and with a strong Bern team, it seems like Oslo will face an uphill battle to make it to the Founders' cup finals.

 

3. Yukon Rush(12-5-2, +12 Goal Differential)

Yukon is another team in a strong North American conference. The team has a ton of great players, with Sterling Archer making a return to the site and leading the team in scoring. blue chip prospect Ashed Donovan is making a great early claim for 2 way forward of the year. Izidors Balders has been a great offensive defenseman and exceptional playmaker. S49 draftee J.J. Dynamite is also making an impact, and making defenders pay when they focus on the Rush's other forwards instead of him. The only thing holding Yukon back is the terrible play of goalie Ivars Klajums. If the new Yukon GM can get the goalie to not suck a ton, the Rush might just be the favorites to win the North American conference.

 

2. Bern Royals(13-6-1, +20 Goal Differential)

This team looks to take over for Bratislava as the clear favorites in the European conference. Their goaltending is still not up to par, but the rest of their team has been showing out. Travis Gowency is making heads turn and could take home the MVP trophy when its all said and done. FA signing Josh Merica has also been playing well, which is uncharacteristic of him. draftee Essian Ravenwing continues to impress, though he still leaves a lot to be desired on defense. on top of this they have great depth, and have done all this before adding reigning defenseman of the year Nikki Kissanen in a trade. Bern looks like a definite threat to keep the cup in Europe

 

1. Brampton Blades(14-5-1, +23 Goal Differential)

Brampton is leading the VHLM right now, and somehow in the same situation as Ottawa. Maxwell, Axelsson, and Wolf, the teams core, will have plenty of chances to improve. Maxwell and Axelsson have an amazing knack for putting the puck in the net, while Wolf and the rest of Brampton's depth has a penchant for getting the puck to them. And this is all while goalie Sam Wall has been underperforming. So while Bern is trying hard to gain ground, and the North American conference is stacked Brampton at the moment still looks to be the cup favorites.

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Around the VHLM

The VHLM Goalie Crisis

 

Hi and welcome to another Around the VHLM. Today we will be looking at a very serious topic: the VHLM goalie crisis. Let's break down this terrible phenomena.

 

The Problem

The problem is simple, Goalies in the VHLM this year are terrible. After a year that saw most teams have solid goalies, G Joanna Akerfeldt may be the only reliable one left. The leader in Sv% in the VHLM doesn't even have above a .900 save percentage. Four goalies are bots, two are inactive FA signings, and one other is an inactive with Bern. Goaltending has been atrocious, and now scoring is slightly higher. Why could this be?

 

The Cause

One cause of this could be a discussion had in the offseason about raising the settings on offence in the VHLM to have more scoring. After Podarok dominated the VHLM despite being the lowest scoring leading scorer ever, admins were in discussion for a bit about raising the offense. One of the biggest causes, however, could be what we have deemed the Campbell Effect. As many of you know, Brian Campbell had just come off a year in the VHL where he won a Continental Cup and was named top goaltender. When he hit free agency after that year, however, no one offered him a contract. There was simply too many goalies in the VHL. The contending teams all had their man, and the rebuilding ones had their young replacement. This major event in VHL history marked a point where very few new creates were goaltenders.

 

The Effect

The most obvious effect is the one on scoring. It's only a slight rise in production, but the leading scorer in the VHLM is projected to have 8 more points than last year’s leader. Also instead of last years pitiful count of 2 players over 100 pts, 8 players are on pace to hit that mark this year. But what else could we see in the VHL as far as effects go? The most obvious is that soon there may be an opposite Campbell Effect. Not many players saw what happened with Campbell coming. So there could easily be a time when no goalies are coming up to the VHL, and many netminders are regressing, and suddenly everyone is rushing to get goalies and we will once again be stable in the net. It will definitely be interesting however, and the fate of Joanna Akerfeldt may very well be a deciding factor in this crisis

 

The Questions

Why are the bot goalies performing better than the non-bot goalies? The top three goalies in save percentage are all bots, which is very odd. Why do winning teams have the worst goaltending? It’s very interesting that the save percentage rankings is almost an exact inverse of record. Besides Bern goalie Jacob Worboy being 1st in wins but 6th in save percentage, each goalie has less wins as they stop a higher percentage of shots. Lastly, what will happen to the VHLM with goalies? Will inactive free agent goalies rule the market, even if they aren't as good as inactive skaters? Many questions are left unanswered.