Around the VHLM

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Around the VHLM

Interview with Asher Donovan

 

Hello all! Welcome to another installment of around the VHLM. In this article we will once again turn to interviews with VHLM players to try and get these up and coming players’ voices out into the media. Today with us is the leasing VHLM scorer and S50 top prospect Asher adonovan of Yukon!

 

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Hello Mr. Donovan, thank you for agreeing to do this interview with me. You have surprised the league by leading the VHLM in scoring. What do you think is the main thing that has helped you to separate yourself from the other VHLM draft prospects?

 

Honestly I don't think it can be narrowed down to just one thing. I have great teammates and a great manager in Yukon that support me and allow me to be the best player I can be. I spend countless hours in the gym and on the ice working on the physical tools that allow me to thrive in the league. I have great coaches who help me with so many things, whether it is improving my foot speed or going over game footage to learn new plays, I am always learning.

 

On top of being one of the best offensive forwards in the VHLM, you are also a premiere defensive forward. Do you think you have a good shot at being named the top 2-way forward at year's end?

I honestly didn't know there was a trophy for the best two way forward but I have always prided myself on being a complete player. My first coach told me that defence wins championships and I have tried to play championship calibre hockey ever since. I don't know which way the award voters will lean but I would proud to win this trophy if they choose me.

 

You started your VHLM career in Yukon but were notably traded to Saskatoon after just 4 games. What is different from the Rush then and the Rush now?

 

When I first got to the Yukon they were in the middle of a full rebuild under GM Daniel and I was shipped away to bring in some picks. Daniel stepped down and Victor took over and drafted a bunch of true rookies and we've been playing with a lot of energy and we're having fun. We're the top team in the VHLM and playing loose and fast and scoring goals like crazy.

 

You share a team with Sterling Archer, renowned super spy and lacrosse champion. Is he ever a distraction in the locker room?

 

Maybe at first but once you get to know him you can figure out his tendencies and it becomes easier to ignore his antics. Pretty much the only thing he does that bothers me now is he insists on wearing a turtleneck sweater during each game, like wtf dude they are hot as shit and we're playing sports. "They're tactical you idiot, why do you think I'm so good at this?" is always his response.

 

Yukon is sitting at first place in the North American conference right now, but Brampton is hot on your tail. What do you think will be the key to staying above them in the standings?

 

We just have to keep playing our way, we're an incredibly talented team and if we stick to doing what we do best then it doesn't matter what Brampton does because we're better. I don't think there is a lot of pressure to stay in first though, we're here to win a cup and if we do it from the first seed or the last seed it doesn't make a difference.

 

If you had to pick between banging Rihanna, Beyoncé, or Shakira, which one would you choose and why?

 

Hmmm well I don't want to get shot so Beyoncé Z is out. Rihanna was a lot more desirable to me before she was naked in every single one of her music videos, like thanks but I've already seen you naked 1000 times. That leaves Shakira who is a stone cold fox at 39.

 

Do you have any preference at the moment for which team you want to be drafted by in the VHL?

 

No, I haven't spent much time looking at the VHL teams because I don't want to build up any pre-conceived notions about where I want to play. I am just excited to get drafted and join my new team and get my career started.

 

Ok Asher, that's all the time we have left for today, thank you!

Thank you, can't wait to read this.

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Around the VHLM

2nd Annual Loser Awards

 

Hello all, and welcome to another edition of Around the VHLM. Last year we listed some of our own awards. Unlike most awards, however, these highlighted the players that had bad seasons to remember! So without further ado, Let's take a look at our second annual issue of these awards.

 

The Green Jacket: Guntis Petenis, Moscow, Rene Bergeron, Saskatoon (-31)

Three players are in a tight race to win golf’s most coveted prize. Unfortunately, no one told these players they were playing hockey! Latvian defenseman Guntis Petenis and center Rene Bergeron have been playing on poor teams, but their resultant -31 plus/minus is still unacceptable. Petenis is even an active member, making this stat all the more humiliating. Bratislava defenseman Hector De La Riva is very close behind in second with -29.

 

The Stoner Award: Rene Bergeron, Saskatoon (297 Hits Taken)

Bergeron’s second award shows what kind of skill he brings to the table. Bergeron is safely in the lead for this award, with 42 more hits taken than second place Axelsson. Bergeron is the second consecutive player on the Wild to win this award.

 

The Patrik Stefan Memorial Trophy: Surly McGrath, Yukon (0.00 Shooting Percentage)

When you play every game for your team and score no goals, maybe you need to rethink your life decisions. McGrath has played 61 games, 125 minutes, and fired 22 shots on net. For his effort, he has gotten 1 assist and 0 goals. I wouldn't expect McGrath to stay employed much longer with this performance.

 

The One Shift Wonder Award: P.J. Jackson, Yukon (1.88 Minutes Per Game)

McGrath is close to getting his second award here as well, ith 2.04 minutes per game, but his teammate P.J. Jackson has played an even less significant role in his team. Jackson has scored all 5 points he has (1 goal, 4 assists) on the power play, and has 5 hits and 8 shots. It must be hard to do that little.

 

The Leaky Faucet Award: Sam Wall, Brampton (.869 Save Percentage)

Brampton is a great team, and has done a lot to be in first place in the league, but that's in no way because of the play of Sam Wall. The league's worst goaltender has faced the second least shots out of any goalie, but somehow has still been outperformed by three bot players, and has managed a measly 2 shutouts.

 

The Monica Lewinsky Trophy: Moscow Red Wolves(34 points)

Just when it looked like they were going to turn it around, Moscow looks to win their third straight Monica Lewinsky trophy, being 5 points in last place behind the Bratislava Watchmen. If anyone truly embodied the dedication to sucking that Monica Lewinsky did, it's the Moscow Red Wolves. Great work, team.

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Around the VHLM

Comparing S48 to S49

 

Hello all, welcome again to Around the VHLM. This week we will be looking at the similarities and differences between the S48 and S49 VHLM seasons. I would try and justify this, but the fact of the matter is that im just making this article so i can talk about my player more. Anyways, here it goes:

 

Similarities:

Clear MVP Candidate-Just like last year, there is a forward who is the clear favorite for MVP. Asher Donovan is first in goals, assists, points, and plus/minus, and has solidified himself as a top prospect in the upcoming S50 draft. He has 15 more points than the player in second place, Theo Axelsson. Last year, Bogdan Podarok was first in goals, points, and shots. He had 14 more points that the player in second place, Sean Blacker. Podarok garnered 6 of the 7 votes for MVP. Podarok also was voted as the co-winner for top Two-way forward, an award that Asher Donovan is the frontrunner to win.

 

Bratislava in the Playoffs, Moscow out-Last year the Bratislava Watchmen won their second straight Founders' Cup. This year the Watchmen were projected to finish outside of the playoffs, as most of the team's core woulde be gone. Thanks to the incredible tanking abilities of the Moscow Red Wolves, however, Bratislava will make the playoffs once again, and Moscow will be getting a top 2 pick. This time, however, Bratislava will be a longshot to win three in a row.

 

Differences:

Goalies Converted-Last year Sven Wolf and AK47 were key pieces in net for the teams they played on. This year they are both top players in the league.....but as forwards! AK47 made the wild and controversial transition in the offseason this year, and has since been Ottawa's leading scorer. Sven Wolf, on the other hand, turned out to be an identity thief, and was actually just Blake Campbell trying to play past his retirement and get another 8 years. After that the real Sven Wolf, who was a forward, stepped onto the VHLM scene

 

More Forward Talent-This year the league's second leading scorer had more points than last year's leading scorer. On top of that, The number of 100-point scorers tripled this year, after Bogdan Podarok and Sean Blacker were the only ones to reach the mark last year. The VHL is hoping that these new forwards will help boost their teams scoring in the future. 

 

Less Goalie Talent-Why has scoring jumped in the league? maybe its because goaltending has become much worse. 4 teams operated with inactive goalies this year, after none were used last year. VHLM legend Coca Cola retired, as well as Chris Fekete and Cooper Supernaw. Dmitri Dadonov and Ilya Kopralkov went to the VHL. Sven Wolf and AK47 converted to forwards. That leaved the four user goalies to be Sam Wall, Jacob Worboy, Ivars Klajums, and Joanna Akerfeldt. Surely you can see the dropoff in talent.

 

The Fall Of Cian Mercer-This is kindof an ironic statement, since the reason Mercer is on this list is because he got called up to the pros. But after two years of being the top playmaker in the league, Cian Mercer posted 41 assists in 42 games, putting him at 25th in the league. Will he be back next season to try and reclaim his title? We will just have to wait and see.

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Around the VHLM

Conference Finals Preview

 

Hello all, the S49 VHLM Conference finals are upon us. Oslo swept Bratislava like everyone expected and will face the Bern Royals in the conference finals. North America, Yukon took the series 4-2 over Ottawa to end the Lynx's hopes of 4 straight finals appearances, and sent them to the conference finals against Brampton. So enough messing around, lets get right into the matchups!

 

North American Conference Finals

Yukon: A Scout's take - Look out VHL, Asher Donovan is here, and he's the whole package. Hes the leading scorer AND plays a dominating physical game....Not sure what the Yukon GM said to Sterling Archer, but its working....Izidors Balders is shaping up to be a pretty solid defensive prospect, could go right after the lottery picks....I guess the city of Yukon lit a fire under Mario Lee, he's been a much better player with the Rush....John Syeschel, what a dumb name! Bet that guy never succeeds in life....J.J. Dynamite is another solid two-way player for Yukon that should help a lot.

Brampton: A Scout's take - Theo Axelsson and Diana Maxwell are getting taken in the lottery rounds, no doubt about it....Jack Kraken is more proof that Moscow is toxic, almost .5 PPG with the Red Wolves, almost 2 PPG with the Blades....Sven Wolf has made a nice transition from goalie to forward, and he could be the difference maker in this game....This is the matchip we've been waiting for. Sterling Archer v. Nikolai Jakov. Its gonna be legendary....Its sad to see Stabby McFullO'Schmidt not do well in Brampton after such a storied career in Saskatoon.

Keys for the Rush - Two Way Play. Yukon boasts some of the best two way forwards in the league. If they show up to play and dominate physically in both zones, this could be over before it begins.

Keys for the Blades - Special Teams. The Blades have the second best power play and penalty kill in the league. If they stay performing at a high rate, they could dominate the Rush and their 6th ranked penalty kill.

Prediction - This should be a good series, both teams are tops in the league and have some real solid strengths. But we here at the ESSN(Entertainment and Simulation Sports Network) feel that the decision will be Brampton in 7.

 

European Conference Finals

Oslo: A Scout's take - Sebastian Laine has been the best player on this team, which may be cause for worry....Jim Lahey, Alexander Kachur II, and Elijah Dotran are the core of this team, and will determine how well the storm do....The fact that β-OSL G1 is the goalie for the Storm is probably the biggest reason that the STorm arent going to win this series....Dope Fiend joined midway through the season and has been a huge factor so far this season, imagine if he started out the year here.

Bern: A Scout's take - Travis Gowecny gives it his last shot in the VHLM before going pro and sucking at hockey, like all Gows do....Josh Merica just has a terrible personality, he can play hockey but hes an absolute LR cancer....Essian Ravenwing's draft stock is soaring right now, and could fly even higher if he helps his team t the Founders' cup....Nikki Kissanen has brought his stellar play from Saskatoon to Bern and is making another solid case for defenseman of the year....Looks like Kendrick E. Tsbagsuph-Diks has slowed down since joining the league and making serious noise....Thor Odinsson is one of the rare players that has actually seen his production drop after being traded from Moscow.

Keys for the Storm - Special Teams. Just like Brampton, this team's play will revolve around their special teams play. With the best power play in the league, and the third best penalty kill, they will need to convert to get the win in this series

Keys for the Royals - Shot Differential. Bern generates the third most shots in the league, but also allows the second least. The more they can take the pressure off of Jacob Worboy, the better

Prediction - This series shouldn't be close to be honest. A team with a leading scorer below 100 points and a bot goalie versus a team that allowed the least goals and had the third best goal differential. For that reason we are going to be generous and say Bern in 5

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Around the VHLM

S49 Champions

 

Hello everyone, and welcome to the final S49 edition of Around the VHLM. There's only one thing left to talk about folks, and that's the VHLM finals! If you haven't been paying attention, here's where you can get caught up. Lets look at this series' surprising outcome:

 

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Game 1

 

After Bern had a tough time beating a team they were highly favored against, and Yukon upset the first seed Brampton Blades in 6 games, Game 1 at Bern was considered far from anything certain for the Royals.  Yukon struck first as Asher Donovan scored 5 minutes into the first, but Bern wouldn't let momentum slip out of their hands, as Nikki Kissanen and Travis Gowecny scored back to back goals to take the lead. Donovan scored later to tie it back up. The second was a whole different story, however. Bern came out strong and outscored the Rush 3-1 thanks to Gowency and Thor Odinsson. In the third it was goalie Apollo Skye who showed his worth. Despite getting outshot 8-4, Skye kept the Rush from scoring and led the Royals to take a 1-0 series lead at home.

 

Game 2

 

The Royals came into game 2 with a sense of confidence, but neither team's offense could get their offense going in the first period, with Yukon and Bern getting 3 shots apiece. After that Bern came out strong, and Zach Gagnon II took a beautiful feed by Essian Ravenwing and put in in the back of the net. Just 9 minutes later, however, budding defensemen Izidors Balders evened the score at 1-1. After another scoreless period in the third, albeit with a little more offense, the game went to OT for the first time in the series. It didn't last very long, however, as Thor Odinsson scored thirty seconds into OT on the first shot of extra time to give Bern a 2-0 lead heading to Yukon.

 

Game 3

 

In the third game in Yukon, the defensive strategy of last game flew out the window for both teams. Both teams got 27 shots, team highs for the series. In the first Yukon ran the show, with JJ Dynamite scoring his first of the season and Donovan adding two tallies. Bern wasn't totally absent from scoring, however, as they added two goals, including Tony Pellerin’s first of the playoffs. In the second only two goals were scored, one each by team, and they were from two of the worst players in the VHLM, John Syeschel and Josh Merica. In the third, however, Bern took charge again, scoring three straight goals. Markus Muller scored two minutes in, and Elias Forsberg scored his first two goals 5 minutes apart. Super spy Sterling Archer tried to start a comeback by scoring to bring the game back within one, but no more scoring would take place, and the Royals would take home a 6-5 victory and take a 3-0 series lead

 

Game 4

 

Yukon felt the pressure, down three games to one playing at their own rink. Once again like in game 2, defense took charge. JJ Dynamite drew first blood again after a feed from Izidors Balders. However the Rush made a last minute push and Joe Shenaningans made some shenanigans happen and put the puck past Skye and into the net. After the second period ended scoreless, one of the biggest controversies happened in the VHLM ever. Nik Dufresne, a player who many thought was retired, somehow sneaked onto the ice and scored a goal for the Royals. The Rush management was in outrage, shouting that he wasn't eligible for VHLM play, but after an hour and 17 minute stoppage in play to debate the ruling, the goal stood. After that, everyone was too tired to do much on the ice, and the game ended in a 2-1 Royal victory, giving Bern a sweep of the series and the return of the Founders’ Cup to their storied team!

 

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THREE STARS OF THE VHLM FINALS

1. Travis Gowecny (BER) - 3 G, 4 A, 18 S, 8 H, 0 SB

2. Essian Ravenwing (BER) - 0 G, 7 A, 3 S, 6 H, 1 SB

3. Nikki Kissanen (BER) - 1 G, 5 A, 8 S, 12 H, 6 SB

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We’re already looking forward to Game 4 of the VHLM Finals but let’s take a step back and check out the action from the Conference Finals. We had the Moscow Red Wolves falling to the Bern Royals by way of a sweep in the European Conference Finals while the Yukon Rush pushed the Brampton Blades to six games though they ultimately fell short in the North American Conference Finals.

 

Looking at the European Conference, it’s no surprise the Bern Royals took this one, and in dominating fashion, too. They outscored the Red Wolves 15-4 on their way to the VHLM Finals. During their 5-1 Game 1 rout of the Red Wolves, defenseman Maksym Barnyashev put up two goals and two assists and took home the game’s first star. Game 2’s first star went to another defenseman in Hector de la Riva who also put up two goals but failed to put up any helpers. Bern’s Barnyashev and Josh Merica also each put up their third goal of the series in this game.  Game 3 saw many of the usual suspects light up the score sheet with Barnyashev scoring his fourth goal of the series and tacking on another assist to boot. Game 4 saw de la Riva score a goal and two helpers while Barnyashev was held out of the stat column for the first time in the series. Prospect goaltender Our Lady of Perpetual Motion was perfect in the closeout game stopping all nine shots the Red Wolves were able to get on net.

 

In the North American Conference, the Yukon Rush took Game 1 by a score of 4-3. Yukon’s Izidors Balders took home the game’s first star with three assists, Logan Xylon and his two goals took the second star. Game 2 was all Brampton Blades as they outshot Yukon 27-7 while winning 2-0. There weren’t any standout performances in this game but it was a balanced attack from Brampton. Alexander Kachur II and Jack Kraken scored the two goals for the Blades. Brampton took Game 3 to overtime with a power play goal at 18:44 in the third period. Then, about halfway through the first overtime period, Misha Tobolsk sealed the deal for Brampton to give them the 2-1 series lead.  Game 4 ended 3-2 in favor of the Blades with Kraken tacking on a goal and assist to add to his post season point total. The Rush really had their backs against the wall traveling to Brampton for Game 5 down 3-1 in the series and they responded perfectly. After going down 2-0 less than six minutes into the first period it looked like the Blades were going to run away with this one. Judocus Dermaux, however, had something to say about that when he started the scoring halfway through the first. The Rush scored took the lead when they scored two more goals within 30 seconds of each other to go up 3-2. “Judo” tacked on an assurance power play goal early in the second and they coasted to the 4-2 victory from there and came within one game in the series now 3-2 for the Blades. The Blades came out firing in Game 6 when they outshot the Rush 21-11. The score was 1-0 Blades through the first two periods. Early in the third Kraken made it 2-0. The Rush’s Xylon scored halfway through the third but it was too little, too late for the Rush. The Blades took the series 4-2 and advanced to take on the Bern Royals.

 

By now, the VHLM Finals have already begun.  The Royals’ Merica, de la Riva, and Barnyashev picked up right where they left off combining for four points in the first game of the Finals to lead Bern to a 4-2 Game 1 victory.  Game 2 was a very similar story. The Royals had a 5-2 lead through two and it was a big enough lead to hold on to as they only allowed one more goal in the third. de la Riva added to his impressive points total with a goal and two assists. The Blades finally got in the W column with a 5-4 victory in Game 3. Misha Tobolsk opened the scoring with two power play goals less than 40 seconds apart. Elijah Dotran scored his second goal of the game three minutes into the third period which was good for the game winner despite the Royals scoring three unanswered goals to closeout Game 3, falling just short of pushing it to overtime.

 

The playoff leaders don’t appear to have changed too much yet. Moscow’s Bobby Boucher still leads in goals with eight in nine games but de la Riva and Tobolsk is right on his heels with seven. Merica and Kraken aren’t far behind with six goals each. Barring a massive goal drought, Boucher is destined to be passed but his goal total is impressive nonetheless. Yukon’s Balders is atop the assists leaders list with 11 but Dotran is at 10 and counting with at least two games left in the series. Ottawa’s Petenis’ 52 hits is still on top of the list while Dotran and Daryl Dorth of Brampton are trying to play catch up at 38 and 39 hits, respectively.

 

The two remaining goalies actually have the bottom two save percentages of the post season. Bern’s Our Lady of Perpetual Motion has a save percentage of 88.0% and the Blades’ Rhett DeGrath has a lowly 83.2%. OLMP has the better save percentage through the seven games he’s played at 2.00 while DeGrath is allowing almost three goals per game with a 2.83 GAA. They both have one shut out a piece. It looks like this series will not be decided in the net but rather who gets the last goal of the night. Game 4 is quickly approaching so I ask you, who do you have winning it all?

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Early Season Trade Reviews

 

The Deal:

Bern receives LW Jack Kraken from the Brampton Blades for their Season 53 1st round pick.

 

The Impact:

Bern is getting talent now in exchange for potential talent later. With the second round of Project Player Two, that pick should be very valuable. Kraken had a great season last year. The only player to score more goals was Josh Merica who played for Bern last year. Kraken scored 53 goals and added 47 assists to be one of only six players to eclipse 100 points in Season 50.  He also managed to outshoot everyone with 545 shots on goal, almost 60 shots more than second place.  Bern replaces their offensive leader, Josh Merica but gives up some decent value in the Season 53 draft.  They might still take a big step back from last season as players like Hector de la Riva, Nikki Kissanen, and Phill Shankly have all left the team.

 

The Deal:

Bratislava receives Keith Sampson III from the Brampton Blades in exchange for Lee King Snatch.

 

The Impact:

Rumor has it Lee King Snatch refused to practice unless he was playing for Brampton so really this had to happen one way or another. The Watchmen might as well get whatever they could in return for such a player. Sampson had a pretty decent season last year accumulating 49 points, 103 hits, 115 shots, and 75 PIMs last year while seeing 19.59 minutes per game. Bratislava gets to add some depth at the blue line in return for a player who wouldn’t practice for them anyway so they really couldn’t go wrong here.

 

The Deal:

Bratislava trades away their Season 53 1st and 2nd round pick and get Misha Tobolsk and Alexander Kachur II from Brampton in return.

 

The Impact:

Bratislava is definitely making a run at the cup this season. They have traded away two very valuable picks for a 70 and 60 point defenseman. Neither of these guys are very physical defensemen but they should be able to add some firepower from the blue line.  With Dermaux and Sampson already on the squad, this gives the Watchmen several options for defensive pairings and depth is always a good thing when trying to win in this league. Bratislava adds more depth to the defense they had been lacking to start the season.

 

The Deal:

Moscow receives Joanna Akerfeldt and Aeschylus Jigglejawns CXXXVII from the Ottawa Lynx in exchange for their Season 52 1st round pick and the first and 2nd round pick in Season 53.

 

The Impact:

Again, these are valuable picks but Akerfeldt was one of the best goalies in the league while playing for the Lynx while Moscow’s goaltender had a sub 89% save percentage. Interestingly, Akerfeldt has a worse goals against average than their current goalie but that should change when she gets a few more games under her belt. The Red Wolves are currently 7-0-1 on the season and with the addition of Akerfeldt they should be able to continue that success. There’s a very small sample size with Jigglejawns, he’s just about a point per game player in his 19 career games but he should be a great addition to an already successful Moscow team.

 

The Deal:

Yukon’s Izidors Balders goes to Saskatoon for a Season 52 1st and 3rd round pick.

 

The Impact:

Saskatoon’s GM has made it clear he wants to compete and he thought he was a player or two away from the cup.  He has now added one in Balders. He was Yukon’s leading scorer with 11 points in eight games. It appears Yukon is okay with mediocrity in exchange for a brighter future. They have a decent roster so it’s a little surprising to see them trade away their top scorer. Saskatoon is looking to go from zero to hero in one offseason after adding the number one overall pick in Fabio Jokinen. Balders will more than likely be in the VHL next season so this is a one and done situation in Saskatoon.

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Last week, we took a few minutes to sit down and talk with Bogdan Podarok, GM of the Saskatoon Wild, and Phil Shankly, starting right wing for the Bratislava Watchmen. Now before everyone gets all excited that these two happened to be in the same place at the same time, no, this does not mean there is a potential deal to bring Shankly to Saskatoon, as far as I know anyway. The questions for this interview were very loosely hockey related or not hockey related at all. In any event, here we go.

 

VHLM Mag: “Thanks for sitting down with us this evening, we’ll get right into it as I know you two are busy guys. First question: Who is your celebrity crush? Please don’t pick the obvious few like Taylor Swift or… I don’t know who else, I guess I’ve lost touch with the popular celebrity crushes.”

 

PS: “Hayley Williams!”

 

BP: “Natasha Kamensky is a f*$&#^g bombshell.”

 

VHLM Mag: “Excellent choice, Phil. Bogdan, I have no idea who Natasha Kemensky is but I’ll take your word for it.”

 

BP: “She’s a Russian singer and she’s hot af!”

 

VHLM Mag: “That can be a discussion for another time, let’s continue along here. What’s a pregame song that really gets you pumped and ready to go?”

 

PS: “Machinehead by Bush”

 

BP: “[My] favorite song is definitely Цок-Цок by Успешная Группа”

 

VHLM Mag: “Do either of you guys have hockey idols? In any league, who inspired you to play the game?”

 

PS: “David Smalling inspired me to play hockey. He's the best power forward the VHL's ever seen and he comes from my homeland (England) I grew up watching him and fantasizing about being as good as him. Hopefully I can achieve that.”

 

BP: “Pavel Datsyuk was my idol, but I wouldn't be where I was in life without my father Ibrahim.”

 

VHLM Mag: “Both great choices from different leagues. Alright, switching gears here, we’ll mix it up with an off-topic question. What is your guilty pleasure TV show?

 

PS: “Before I go to the gym or the rink for a training session, I watch Jersey Shore to pump myself up for it. It's terrible. Absolutely terrible TV, but it gets the job done.”

 

BP: “I low key love One Tree Hill”

 

VHLM Mag: “I can honestly say I’ve never seen a second of the Jersey Shore, One Tree Hill, on the other hand, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the whole series. I must admit, it’s pretty decent, all things considered. Alright, you've won the Founders Cup, what do you do with it when it's your turn to have it for the day?”

 

PS: “I take it around the world and take selfies with it at popular landmarks.”

 

BP: “Fly to Bratislava and rub it in their faces!”

 

VHLM Mag: “Alright, alright, let’s not get carried away here. We all know the Wild is going to choke come playoff time. Okay, next question: If a deli named a signature sandwich after you, what would it be called and what’s on it?”

 

BP: “They’d call it BP because I'm so slick. Get it? DO YA GET IT??? Not sure what would be on it. All I know is that I live Reubens!”

 

VHLM Mag: “The Chicago Diner, in of course, Chicago, has a great Reuben, I mean award worthy, if you ever find yourself in the area. And get this, it’s actually vegan. I know you’re probably thinking there’s no way it could be any good but I implore you to try it. This isn’t just personal opinion, it’s well established that it’s great despite not having any meet. Anyway, if you were able to replace the current GM of your team, Phil that would be Bratislava, Bogdan that would be Seattle, with an actor, what actor would you choose and why?”

 

PS: “I would choose Emilio Estevez, because well, come on. You saw what he did on screen with the Mighty Ducks as Gordon Bombay.”

 

BP: “I think Tom Cruise. Our GM has a flair for the dramatic, and is pretty good at it, so I think that's a good comp.”

 

PS: “quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACKQUACKQUACKQUACKQUUACK GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DUCKS!!!!!”

 

VHLM Mag: “Is your GM also very short, Bogdan? That reminds me of the Family Guy episode with Tom Cruise, funny stuff, but I digress. What actor would you want to play you in a movie of your life?”

 

PS: “I think Rob Lowe would play me in a movie. The guy still looks 20 something and is a very flexible actor. Yea. He'd do well”

 

BP: “Bruce Willis, because who doesn't want that!”

 

VHLM Mag: “That’s disregarding the fact that Rob Lowe is 60 and still has his boyish good looks, eh, Phil? Well, that’s all the time we have for this interview, thanks to both of you for taking the time to answer a few questions.”

 

[evrydayimbyfuglien 600]

Can you bold and format appropriately? I don't have the time right now to do it.

[evrydayimbyfuglien 600]

VHLM Leaders:

 

Goals:

 

 

Jack Kraken of the Bern Royals is currently leading the VHLM in goals. He has scored a staggering 38 goals in 37 games surprisingly he’s managed to do so with only the fourth most shots on net in the league. Last season saw Kraken score the second most goals, 53, through 70 games. This season he’s on pace for nearly 72 goals this season, surely that would be some sort of VHLM record.  Converting on over 16% of his shots it is unlikely he can continue at this pace and he’ll regress back to a shooting percentage closer to last season’s 9.72%. Regardless, he’s playing spectacularly, earning 1.55 points per 20 minutes, for the Royals and replacing Josh Merica splendidly so far, exactly what the Bern GM was hoping for when he gave up their Season 53 first rounder for him.

 

Assists:

 

 

Again, from Bern, Maksym Barnyashev is leading the VHLM in assists with 50 through 37 games, nine more than second place. Barnyashev is also leading all defensemen in points with 81.  Last year he had 113 points (36 goals, 77 assists) and he’s well on his way to blow those numbers out of the water.  On a bit of a side note, he has scored 16 power play goals this year. He’s on pace for nearly 95 assists but if Kraken regresses to his average shooting percentage, Maksym’s assist numbers may drop slightly as a result. Again, this is a great year for this Bern Royals offense but I’m not sure it’s sustainable.

 

Penalty Minutes:

 

 

Daryl Dortch of the Bratislava Watchmen is sitting atop the PIM leader board with 66 penalty minutes, all earned on minor penalties. Maybe this isn’t a category to be proud of but Dortch prides himself on his physical game and with that comes a few penalties. He’s not a total goon, though, sitting in sixth place for right wing points. Last year’s leader, Guntis Petenis, had 166 PIM in 70 games, Dortch is only on pace for 125 so it appears Petenis’ high from last season will stand up.

 

Hits:

 

 

Daryl Dortch of Bratislava leads in this category, too. Accumulating 156 hits in 37 games. R Truth of Oslo, however, has 153 hits in 35 games, 4.37 per game to Dortch’s 4.22. R Truth has earned his hits more efficiently while earning 22 fewer penalty minutes. He’s also leading the Storm in points with 44. All around a very good performance from Truth despite the mediocrity of the Storm as a whole. Truth is on pace for 306 hits while Dortch is on pace for 295 hits, both of which fall short of Petenis' 400 hits last year, a very high standard to meet. 

 

Next time we’ll take a look at the VHLM leaders in goalie statistics so keep an eye out for that next edition of the VHL Mag.

[evrydayimbyfuglien 600]

Sorry it's kinda short but it's all I had time for today...

[evrydayimbyfuglien 600]

S51 VHLM Redraft (Based strictly on TPE count)

Round 1:

1. SASKATOON WILD: Fabio Jokinen, TPE: 100

2. BRATISLAVA WATCHMEN: Phil Shankly, TPE: 82
3.  OSLO STORM: Edwin Threencarnacion, TPE: 91
4.  OTTAWA LYNX: Aeschylus Jigglejawns CXXXVII, TPE: 83
5.: BRATISLAVA WATCHMEN : Daryl Dortch, TPE: 65
6.  SASKATOON WILD : Rhett DeGrath, TPE: 80

7. SASKATOON WILD :  Die Domi, TPE: 60
8. OSLO STORM : Brent Hardy, 57 TPE

 

Round 2:

9.  YUKON RUSH : Francis Zach Morgan, TPE: 44

10.  SASKATOON WILD: Sami Zayn, TPE: 66

11. OSLO STORM: Grigory Kopralkov, TPE: 50

12. SASKATOON WILD : Johnny Styles, TPE: 43

13.  BRATISLAVA WATCHMEN : Judocus Dermaux, TPE: 48

14.  SASKATOON WILD : Conrad Jenkins, TPE: 41

15.  BRATISLAVA WATCHMEN : Our Lady of Perpetual Motion, TPE: 32

16. BRATISLAVA WATCHMEN : Lee King Snatch, TPE: 30

 

Round 3:

17.  BRATISLAVA WATCHMEN: Alexander Thrower, TPE: 30

18.  SASKATOON WILD: Austin Hickey V, TPE: 30

19.  OSLO STORM: Buddy Nielsen, 42 TPE

20. OTTAWA LYNX:  Miguel Pettyfer: 30

21. MOSCOW RED WOLVES : Josef Adeline, 30 TPE

22.  MOSCOW RED WOLVES: Ryan Nichollson, TPE: 30

23.   BERN ROYALS: Angus Mustang, TPE: 30

24.   BRAMPTON BLADES: Jakub Karlsson, TPE: 30

 

Round 4:

 

25.  BRATISLAVA WATCHMEN: Kaylan Noffke, TPE: 30

26.  SASKATOON WILD: Crash McClannahan, TPE: 30

27.  OSLO STORM: Kyle Kasper, TPE: 30

28. OTTAWA LYNX: Lasse Koskela, 30 TPE

29. YUKON RUSH: Roy Marshall, TPE: 30

30.  MOSCOW RED WOLVES: Maximillian Ferrero, TPE: 30

31.  BERN ROYALS: Augusto Perez, TPE: 30

 

 

Now, if we were to redraft based strictly on current TPE, the first round of picks would look pretty different.

 

1.      Saskatoon Wild: RW – Phil Shankly (+1 Draft Position)

 

Phil entered the draft at 82 TPE and is currently sitting at 171. He would have jumped up one spot in the draft from second to first overall.  He is third in points for right wings with a 28-30-58 stat line. 

 

2.      Bratislava Watchmen: D – Fabio Jokinen (-1 Draft Position)

 

It’s hard to say that Saskatoon made a mistake taking Jokinen first overall when he 18 TPE more (100 TPE) than Shankly at the time but since then he has earned 45 dropping him down one spot in this redraft. Jokinen has managed 17 goals and 17 assists on the year and is also top ten in penalty minutes and oddly enough penalty shots in the league this year.

 

3.      Oslo Storm: G – Rhett DeGrath (+3 Draft Positions)

 

DeGrath entered the draft as the second ranked goaltender on the board. He has since prove he should have maybe been the first off the board improving his TPE total from 80 to 134 since the draft. His .904 save percentage, 1.38 goals against average, and 17 shutouts aren’t too bad either.

 

4.      Ottawa Lynx: RW – Daryl Dortch (+1 Draft Position)

 

Dortch would move up one spot in the redraft. He entered the draft with 65 TPE and has now earned 102. He has ended up being as advertised on his way to 2nd place in the league in hits as well as penalty minutes to go along with 26 goals and 22 assists this year.

 

5.      Bratislava Watchmen: RW – Sami Zayn (+5 Draft Positions)

 

Sami Zayn is actually the second highest mover in this redraft, we’ll discuss the biggest mover later. He entered the draft with 66 TPE and is now sitting at 100 TPE. He has been pretty quite in the league but has a decent stat line with Saskatoon. He was a bargain pick at 10th for the Wild.

 

6.     Saskatoon Wild: LW - Austin Hickey V (+12 Draft Positions)

 

Austin Hickey V has been the biggest mover in this redraft by far. Entering the draft with 30 TPE he has now earned a whopping 95 TPE total since being chosen at 18th. He still ends up on the same team, he just hears his name called a lot earlier. Despite his improvement in TPE, it hasn't translated to success during the season as he's currently 10th in left wing scoring with 29 points behind guys like Kraken with 119 points. 

 

7.     Saskatoon Wild: G - Edwin Threencarnacion (-4 Draft Positions)

 

Edwin Threencarnacion has earned no TPE since being drafted and it shows with his dismal season, only winning 19 games in 55 appearances so far. His save percentage of .909 is probably due to high shot totals the Oslo Storm allow (He's facing over 38 shots per game).  The lack of wins can't all be pinned on Edwin, though, he needs some goal support as well.

 

8.     Oslo Storm: LW - Die Domi (+1 Draft Position)

 

Die Domi entered the draft at 60 TPE and has gone up to 91 since then. He is a player very similar to Dortch in that he's towards the top of the list when it comes to penalty minutes and hits. He hasn't quite developed the scoring ability Dortch has shown flashes of just yet but it's definitely something he's capable of. 

[evrydayimbyfuglien 600]

VHLM Draft Preview

 

The VHLM Draft is fast approaching and there are several big names that will be looking to make an instant impact.

 

The Forwards:

 

 

Franchise Cornerstone – One of the biggest names heading into the draft, Cornerstone already has 15 games under his belt with the Bern Royals. In those 15 games he scored 18 points in the form of four goals and 14 assists. He is used heavily with the man advantage and will look to build upon his success over the next season.

 

 

SkateFast McChunky – Possibly over-hyped, SkateFast played the final 15 games of the season with the Saskatoon Wild and only managed one goal. In his defense, he was only seeing 3.23 minutes per game.  Look for an increase in ice time production for the 5-foot, 400-pound left-winger.

 

 

Brock Dragonslayer – Yet another player from the Bern Royals’ roster who is eligible for the draft, Brock is another offensive guy but only managed 5 points in his 15 appearances on the season. The speedy winger has quick feet and a strong shot but it hasn’t translated into the score sheet yet. He’ll be a great addition to any VHLM team despite his early struggles.

 

The Defensemen:

 

 

Syndergaard Brothers – We have Tomas and Aksel Syndergaard who appeared in 42 games each for the Saskatoon Wild. They both had respectable seasons on the blue line with 18 and 14 points respectively as well as 47 hits apiece. These two could make very valuable assets, especially if they can manage to stick together through the draft. Defensemen need to have a connection with each other and what better connection than brothers?

 

 

Roman Sokolov – Another Saskatoon blueliner, Sokolov is a lanky defenseman hailing from Russia. He’s a defensive first defenseman with a good stride and great awareness. He’s not going to light the lamp very often but he won’t let you down in his own end. He’s not afraid to lay down and block a shot as he blocked 12 in 15 games with the Wild despite being stuck behind the Syndergaard brothers on the depth chart.

 

The Goalies:

 

 

Jacob – Skater-turned-goalie prospect, Jacob, is a bit of an unknown. Much like when quarterbacks switch to receiver to fit in better to the NFL schemes, Jacob will be entering the VHLM draft with little to nothing known about his goalie tendencies. As a forward, he earned four points in six games with the Royals but only had one blocked shot. We will have to see how he fairs following the draft.

 

 

Rubber Band – A goaltender looking to move his way up the draft board, Rubber Band started 15 games with the Bern Royals last season with a 6-7-2 record, 0.846 save percentage, and 2.78 goals against average with two shutouts. He usurped the previous starter, Jacob Worboy, and never looked back playing the last 15 games of the season for Bern.

 

 

Mist4ke – The last prospect we’ll cover today is goaltender prospect, mist4ke. He played backup to the number two overall pick in the most recent VHL draft, Rhett DeGrath. In his three starts he won all three with a .903 save percentage and a 1.00 goals against average with one shutout for the Saskatoon Wild. DeGrath had 19 shutouts so we’ll have to see if mist4ke’s numbers are just a product of the system or if those numbers are sustainable throughout an entire season.

 

 

 

[STZ 5,376]

No need for pics going forward man

[evrydayimbyfuglien 600]

On 11/24/2016 at 11:13 PM, STZ said:

No need for pics going forward man

I know, but it was fun. lol

[evrydayimbyfuglien 600]

The VHLM draft is now in the rearview mirror and the results weren’t overly shocking. Let’s take a look at the top picks and see what we can expect from each player.

 

The first overall pick in the draft was M.T. Power to the Oslo Storm. The Oslo Storm had a rough go last year finishing with a 22-41-9 record and the fewest points in the VHLM. Last year, their starting goalie, Edwin Threencarnacion, put up good numbers despite not getting much assistance from the guys in front of him. He had a 0.908 save percentage and a 3.05 goals against average with three shutouts. M.T. Power is farther along in his development than Edwin was last year so Storm fans should see an improvement in goalie performance this year, not to knock Edwin who did very well considering the circumstances.

 

The second pick was Franchise Cornerstone to the Ottawa Lynx. The Lynx had a 4-64-4 record this year in a fairly stacked North American Conference. Assuming the locker room is just as barren as last year, Cornerstone will see a ton of ice time his official rookie year, for better or for worse. Last season, he had a very good debut during the last few games with the Bern Royals. Unfortunately, he’s not on Bern anymore and he’ll have to do it all on his own. Will this push him to put up stellar numbers or will he crack under the pressure? Only time will tell with Franchise Cornerstone but if his name is any indication, he’ll continue his great play from last year.

 

The third pick was Xander Finn also going to the Oslo Storm. Finn finished up last season with the Saskatoon Wild and saw decent ice time but was not very effective out there earning four points in 14 games on the blue line. He also only put up nine hits and blocked zero shots in his 14 appearances. Using a third overall pick on a guy like this is questionable at best but maybe the GMs know something that doesn’t show up on the score sheet. It’s perfectly reasonable and in all actuality, very likely.

 

Fourth overall saw Rubber Band going to the Bern Royals. He returns to the Royals after going 6-7-2 with them last year after taking over from Jacob Worboy. He posted a .846 save percentage and 2.78 goals against average even though he had a pretty good supporting cast in front of him. Actually, calling them pretty good would be selling them short. Barnyashev and Kraken combined for 289 points this season and they had several highly touted prospects playing on the team to end the year. Rubber Band is going to step up his game this season to improve his standing amongst young goalies. It looks to be a battle between several very capable ‘tenders this year. Bern will be losing quite a few key players and Rubber Band's numbers could suffer as a result. Of course, his save percentage might benefit from a ton of shots against. We'll have to wait and see.

 

Fifth overall sent Brock Dragonslayer to the Oslo Storm as well. The Storm were busy this draft picking three times within the top five selecting a goaltender, defender, and now a forward. Dragonslayer is another Bern product who managed 5 points in 15 appearances with the Royals. He also tacked on 24 hits. He’s definitely a sniper but didn’t really perform up to snuff with the Royals despite seeing plenty of time (26.36 minutes per game) with the first line and on the power play. Another slightly questionable pick this early but there’s no telling what the GM knows that the rest of us don’t. He should see plenty of ice time alongside Cornerstone. Seeing as though they played together in Bern, this could be a match made in heaven. However, with both of them being shoot first forwards, it could be more like a nightmare if they don't have a playmaker to keep them both happy.

 

Next season should see a lot of top talent squaring off and make for a very interesting VHLM, something that the league really needs.

[evrydayimbyfuglien 600]

VHLM League Leaders

Goals:

Franchise Cornerstone – Ottawa Lynx:

Franchise Cornerstone picked up right where he left after finishing last season with 18 points in 15 games. This season he has 20 goals through 24 games. He is also shooting at a rate of just under eight shots on goal per game. He has a pretty commanding lead over second place Brock Dragonslayer who has 16 goals in 25 games. We’re a third of the way through the season so Cornerstone is on pace for 60 goals. A very respectable number but not enough to eclipse any of the top goal scorers since Season 2 saw Mike Szatkowski lead the VHLM with 53.

 

Assists:

Robert Jelen – Bratislava Watchmen:

Robert Jelen has amassed 29 assists in 24 games with the Watchmen. Last year with the Moscow Red Wolves, Jelen managed 59 points from the blue line including 52 assists helping Max von Hohenzollern capture sixth place in the goals race with 42. This year, with the Watchmen, he has three players with double digits in goals he can dish it to in Daryl Dortch (15 goals), Alexander Thrower (13 goals), and Roman Sokolov (11 goals). Jelen is also having a good year in terms of plus-minus rating at plus-21, and hits with 83.

 

Face-Off Percentage:

Franchise Cornerstone – Ottawa Lynx:

The Jack-of-All-Trades, Cornerstone also leads the league in face-off percentage at 71.91%. Now, when I first saw this stat, I wrongfully assumed that he had only taken a handful of face-offs. Well, that assumption would be wrong as Cornerstone has taken 802 face-offs, that’s good enough for the third most in the league and he still maintains nearly a 2% lead over second place Lukas Muller with 70.13%. Cornerstone has proved he’s consistently capable of taking important face-offs which could help account for the number of scoring chances he gets.

 

Save Percentage:

BER G1 – Bern Royals:

BER G1 has a .917 save percentage but we’ll take a look at second place M.T. Power of the Oslo Storm. In 25 games, Power has managed to stop 90.7% of the 525 shots against him. That’s 21 shots against per game. I have always thought that save percentage was a stat skewed in favor of teams with bad team defense. The more shots you allow, the more goals you can allow before it begins to decrease your save percentage. This is still an accurate statement but not the case for M.T. Power. A good example of this would be Ediwn Threencarnacion for the Storm last season. He had a league leading .908 save percentage despite having a league worst 3.05 goals against average and only 21 wins in 70 appearances. If that’s not an argument against this statistic then I don’t know what is.

 

Goals Against Average:

Our Lady of Perpetual Motion – Saskatoon Wild:

OLoPM has maintained a 1.44 goals against average through 20 games with the Wild. Newcomer Chet Manley may usurp Our Lady but even when she’s in net, he give Saskatoon a great chance to win. Helping his case for best goals against average is her five shutouts so far this season meaning she’s allowed zero goals in a quarter of her appearances this season. I'll keep this section short since she appears to be a goalie on her way out of the starting position in favor of Manley.

 

Wins:

M.T. Power – Oslo Storm:

Probably the most important of the goalie stats is Wins. As I said with the save percentage, usually this statistic is skewed in favor of teams that allow a lot of shots against. While this may be the case, Power breaks the mold and leads the league with 18 wins as well as second in save percentage. Unlike Threencarnacion of last year’s Storm, M.T. Power has proved that his save percentage isn’t a product of facing 40+ shots on a nightly basis.