The Beat

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Me like.

 

You should recover a rebuilding team next season imo

 

Oh did I mention Calgary is rebuilding? Oh that's a coincidence

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

 

Fourth Time's a Charm?

 

The Beat is a weekly article series giving a focused look on one VHL franchise. This week, and for the rest of the season, this space will focus on the Helsinki Titans – the team’s run for the playoffs, how the past has shaped its present, and what it will look like into the future.

 

 

So, this funny thing happened on the way to Helsinki’s coronation as the first ever third time champion in VHL history. Somewhere along the way, perhaps lost among the Koenig accolades and the Shaw GM praise and the Hamilton nice guy-ness is a simple, yet particularly important fact: Helsinki lost.

 

It wasn’t a particularly graceful loss either. It was in the conference finals, against a Stockholm franchise that hadn’t been to the finals since Season 26, featuring a whole host of inactive and semi-active players. And the kicker? The series didn’t even reach a Game 7.

 

How do you recover from that? It will be tough for the Titans, but they certainly seem to be one of the favorites in a league going through a bit of a power vacuum following the departures of O’Malley, Light, Klose, Richardson, Koenig, and numerous other stars. That’s why they will be featured as this year’s focus of The Beat, to see if they can surmount the mountain once again.

 

However, if the early retirement isn’t on their side, then history really isn’t on their side. Before Helsinki in Season 45 and 46, there had only been four back-to-back champions in VHL history. None of them won the championship the season after. But two seasons after? We decided to scour the history books to find out.

 

Season 5 Calgary Wranglers

 

The Winning Seasons: Winning in Seasons 2 and 3, the second two of their three straight Finals appearances to kick off the league, dispatching Vasteras and Helsinki. It wasn’t exactly tough either, as the team featured original stars such as Scott Boulet, Brett Slobodzian, Sterling Labatte, Doug Schneider, and in Season 3, Joey Kendrick and Robert Sharpe.

 

The Third Season: Notice I didn’t say four straight Finals appearances to kick off the league. Calgary didn’t even make the playoffs in Season 4, the only time in the league first nine season’s they missed. New York took their spot instead – the only time New York would make it in the league’s first 11 seasons – and rival Seattle would go on to win it all (more on that later).

 

The Fourth Season: Calgary made it back to the playoffs. That’s the good news. The bad news, though, is that the Seattle train just kept on rolling. Calgary was able to push the reigning champs to six games, but that was it, and Seattle went on to win yet another championship.

 

So What Happened? Unfortunately, many of the specific game logs from that era are lost to the ether. However, Hall of Fame logs may provide a few clues. Remember Slobodzian, who I mentioned earlier? He dominated the first three seasons, winning a host of individual awards, but after what one writer calls “reconstructive surgery” before Season 4, he was never the same. Kendrick, well, he had a miserable playoff series playing the team he originally starred on, the Bears. And Boulet was supposed to pick up Slobodzian’s slack, and although he did put up 130 points in S5, he couldn’t do it all on his own. That last one might be most telling – can Koponen pick up enough of the slack with Koenig gone?

 

Season 7 Seattle Bears

 

The Winning Seasons: If one must fall, another must rise to take its place. As already noted, the Bears replaced the Wranglers as the Season 4 and 5 North American Conference representatives in the Finals. And both times they won when they got there, defeating Stockholm and Helsinki.

 

The Third Season: The Bears at least wouldn’t fall into the Wranglers trap, making the playoffs in Season 6. However, by this time Calgary had reloaded, and the Wranglers were able to pull out a hard-fought series featuring numerous of those aforementioned Hall of Famers.

 

The Fourth Season: And then... the wheels fell off. Toronto, with the early pieces of a squad that would later make the finals in Seasons 9 and 10, overtook the aging Bears. Seattle missed the playoffs in Season 7, and 8, and 9, and frankly weren’t the same team again until making the finals in Season 11.

 

So What Happened? Similar to last time, Hall of Fame logs provide some interesting clues. And once again, it starts with Joey Kendrick – despite being traded back to Seattle in the middle of Season 6, he decided to hang it up at the end of the year. Fellow Hall of Famer Alex McNeil, who played for both Bears championship teams, was traded in the middle of Season 6 then hung up the skates himself. Record-holder Scotty Campbell was another Season 6 trade casualty. And Hall of Fame goalie Adrian McCreath made it longer... barely, being traded during Season 7. It was a full rebuild for the Bears, something Helsinki likely will not undertake this season.

 

Season 21 Calgary Wranglers

 

The Winning Seasons: The Season 18 and 19 Wranglers are one of the more celebrated teams in VHL history, featuring the legitimate rise of names well-known around the VHL as Jardy (Bunclewirth) and Victor (Lars Berger). Featuring a cavalcade of stars also including Berger and Stormwall, the Wranglers had it all...

 

The Third Season: ... except, you know, stability. Season 18 goalie Demetrjusz Dudek left the team high and dry before Season 19, and new goalie Zach Voss didn’t stick around for Season 20. Gone too was literally ever other Season 19 player except Bunclewirth and Matthew Gunnarsson. The team had the second-worst record in the league.

 

The Fourth Season: To be fair, the Season 21 Wranglers performed 16 points better than the Season 20 Wranglers. The bad news is that the team’s 53 points still put it a whopping 54 short of the second-place in the conference Bears. This time, not even Gunnarsson was around to see the carnage.

 

So What Happened? This one isn’t a very applicable scenario to the Titans, because we had never seen a complete rebuild on this scale following back-to-back championships at this point. Other than GM player Bunclewirth, not a single player from the Season 19 championship team was still around to play with such luminaries as Robin Big Snake and Alejandro Messi (and a young Lars Intranquilo, to be fair). While the Titans no longer have guys like O’Malley and Klose from their championship teams, they don’t get anywhere near this level of turnover.

 

Season 27, HC Davos Dynamo

 

The Winning Seasons: So let’s see. The most Cup-winning goalie in VHL history in Daisuke Kanou. The most Cup-winning forward in VHL history in Leeroy Jenkins. Hall of Famers Anton Brekker, Japinder Singh, and Adam Schultz. Do I need to say more?

 

The Third Season: Remember those five players I talked about in the last paragraph? Well, Kanou retired. So did Brekker. Jenkins, Schultz and Singh, meanwhile, were all traded and ended the season on three different teams. You get one guess as to whether the Dynamo made the playoffs this season.

 

The Fourth Season: It’s always darkest before the dawn; due to the pitiful Season 26, Davos ended up with the right combination of draft picks and GM that gave the team Phil Rafter, David Smalling, and Satan as rookies. This core would later go on to lead Davos to a championship in Season 31, but it was a hard road getting there.

 

So What Happened? If the last Wranglers team had too much turnover to reasonably be compared to this year’s Helsinki squad, then what can you say about Davos here? To be honest, Davos’s rebuild following its back-to-back championships is actually more similar to the rebuild that allowed Helsinki to be in its current position, post-Season 42, than anything. However, it does mean that ultimately we haven’t seen a back-to-back champ get a legitimate chance for three titles in four seasons since the Season 7 Bears. It will be fun to watch Helsinki try.

Edited March 9, 2016 by CowboyinAmerica

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

Edition 278

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Titans or the Titanic?

 

The Beat is a weekly article series giving a focused look on one VHL franchise. This week, and for the rest of the season, this space will focus on the Helsinki Titans – the team’s run for the playoffs, how the past has shaped its present, and what it will look like into the future.

 

Before the season, 24 of the 61 people predicting a future champion selected the Helsinki Titans. That’s not particularly a surprise — the team did just win the title two seasons ago, you know, and looked strong last season before losing in an upset in the European Conference finals. In fact, more people picked Helsinki than any other team, with Toronto and New York shortly behind.

 

However, there are two notable members that didn’t pick the Titans: Phil picked the Americans, while Draper picked the Legion. You might know their names better as the agents for the two highest TPE players on Helsinki.

 

Well, one-sixth of the way through the season, it’s possible they knew something everyone else didn’t. The Titans stand just 7-5-0 so far through 12 games, good for just third in the European Conference. One rebuilding team, Cologne, actually stands ahead of them by one point. Riga, who made an open show of blowing the team up in the offseason, stands just two points behind.

 

So what exactly happened? Here are three reasons Helsinki has underachieved so far this season – and why some of these trends may actually continue.

 

1. Where art thou Koponen?

 

This was supposed to be the breakout year. Entering his fourth season, center Aleksi Koponen had the third-most total points added for an offensive player behind Karnage and Encarnacion, featured high-TPE linemates in Marcel Faux and Wolfgang Strauss, and was coming off a performance with the eighth-most goals in the entire league last season. With O’Malley and Koenig no longer in town, this was his show, his time to shine.

 

Needless to say, that hasn’t happened. So far, Koponen does have over a point per game, but only barely with 6 goals and 7 assists. Those 13 points places him a ridiculous ninth among centers and tied for 26th overall, behind players with much lower TPE like Maxime Perron and Vincent Adultman among centers alone. Wolfgang Strauss is second among left wingers in points; no other Helsinki player is in the top seven at his position.

 

You want a big reason why? My eye first goes to the 8 percent shooting rate, but a look at Koponen’s build can be instructive. He’s not meant to be a shooter; he only has 94 shooting, but 99 passing. And therein lies the problem – he’s a pass-first player who doesn’t pass, possibly because his shooting ability registers too close to his passing. Last season he finished with only 46 assists, and this season, his 7 through 12 games is much lower than expected from a player of his caliber. Among his linemates, neither Strauss nor Faux have above 80 passing ability. But Strauss actually has more assists with 9, and Faux is right behind Koponen with 6. If Helsinki’s first line is going to get going, Koponen has to learn to pass the puck.

 

2. Nice guys finish last

 

In speaking of players with a lot of TPE, where exactly has Hamilton been this season? The reigning Sterling Labatte trophy winner for top defense in his third season, by a unanimous vote no less, was a popular pick to repeat the feat this season. But as noted in Victor’s magazine piece this week as well, the race is wide open, with a combination of older players (York Morgan, Mengsk) and younger players (Jarvi, Velvet) making up the early contenders. Hamilton, meanwhile has just a paltry 7 points in 12 games, a fact not even his defensemen-leading 52 hits can shield.

 

It would be easy to say that the first line’s overall struggles are reflected within Hamilton’s performance; indeed, linemate Pablo Escabar only has 5 points so far on this season. Still, though, for a player that literally leads all VHL defensemen in TPE in just his fourth season, he should be making waves no matter what line he’s playing on.

 

But again, the Titans may be a victim of too many chiefs and not enough Indians. As previously mentioned, Strauss and Faux are pure shooters. Koponen is a passer by nature, but he’s not doing much passing. And Escabar is a passer, but at only 88 passing (and decreasing because of depreciation), he doesn’t perform the task at an elite level. So for a guy like Hamilton, who has 99 scoring but just 82 passing, who exactly is supposed to get him the puck and take advantage of that elite skill? Compare that with Toronto’s Black Velvet, who is also a score-first defensemen, but plays with players such as Parechkin and York Morgan who are effective at moving the puck. With the way Souryuu Kaminogi has played on the team’s second line, a shakeup may soon be in the offing and be best for the franchise moving forward.

 

3. No offense at the worst times

 

One might expect the Titans’ schedule to have been difficult in the early going, but really, the facts don’t support that. Of the preseason expected three hardest opponents in the league – the Legion, Americans and Vikings – the Titans have faced the Vikings just twice and the Legion and Americans not at all. But while the team is 1-1 in those Vikings games, Helsinki is also 0-1 against Seattle, originally expected to be mid-tier in the VHL this year (but playing much better in actuality), 2-1 against a Cologne team just getting out of rebuilding, and a crazy 1-2 against a rebuilding Riga (and even that one win was in OT).

 

Do they just match up against these teams more poorly? It might originally seem that way, but even if these teams have strong defensemen such as Mengsk and Jarvi, their goalies are a bit more lackluster. Instead, they just haven’t been able to string any offense together, even if Clegane in goal plays well. The Titans have given up more than three goals in just one of their losses, but their five losses have seen them score just three total goals combined.

 

One reason may be Helsinki’s special teams. As a team, the Titans have the third-highest power play percentage this year at 17.7 percent success, but in their three shutout losses this year, that powerful power play hasn’t held up. The team went 0-10 in power plays in those three games, including 0-5 in its most recent Riga loss.

 

Edited March 19, 2016 by CowboyinAmerica

[BOOM 8,807]

They miss me!

[eaglesfan036 4,604]

11 hours ago, boom said:

They miss me!

I miss you

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

For STZ: I've got a lot of data in this one. Don't know if you want to put it in a table or some other format, figure that's up to you.

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Missing the Point

 

The Beat is a weekly article series giving a focused look on one VHL franchise. This week, and for the rest of the season, this space will focus on the Helsinki Titans – the team’s run for the playoffs, how the past has shaped its present, and what it will look like into the future.

 

After ragging on Koponen in the last issue of the magazine, it seems that the team took my thoughts to heart. As of the writing of this article, Helsinki is 8-2 in its last 10 games, second in the European Conference by just one point, and seemingly on an upward trend.

 

That isn’t to say, though, that any of the team’s players have particularly stood out. On the contrary, following the days of O’Malley and Koenig tearing up VHL leaderboards, it might be surprising to see no Titans players in the top four of goals (Koponen is tied for fifth with 16), and no Titans players in the top ten in assists at all.

 

In fact, as it stands, Koponen leads all Helsinki players with 29 points through 21 games. However, that figure is good for just tied for 10th in the VHL, alongside defenseman Biggu Kyanon. Meanwhile, some unexpected names, such as Arcturus Mengsk, LeAndre St. Pierre, and Bubba Nuck, have moved ahead of him.

 

Is it possible to win a VHL championship without even having a player finish in the top ten in points? That’s exactly the type of super-specific and odd question that we love to tackle here at The Beat. So I decided to find out by taking a look at every champion in the expansion era (from Season 31 on).

 

 

S47: New York Americans

Top 10 Players: Thomas O’Malley (2nd), Edwin Reencarnacion (4th), Lloyd Light (6th), Jorma Ruutu (T-8th)

 

S46: Helsinki Titans

Top 10 Players: Thomas O’Malley (1st)

 

S45: Helsinki Titans

Top 10 Players: Thomas O’Malley (1st), Cristoph Klose (T-10th), Aleksi Koponen (T-10th)

 

S44: Calgary Wranglers

Top 10 Players: Jackson Miller (T-7th)

 

S43: Seattle Bears

Top 10 Players: None (James Faraday, 23rd)

 

S42: Cologne Express

Top 10 Players: None (Robin Gow, 13th)

 

S41: New York Americans

Top 10 Players: Tom Slaughter (3rd), Conner Low (5th), Jody 3 Moons (7th), Xin Xie Xiao (8th)

 

S40: Riga Reign

Top 10 Players: Niklas Lindberg (1st), Brennan McQueen (T-8th), Robin Gow (10th)

 

S39: New York Americans

Top 10 Players: Odin Tordahl (1st), Wesley Kellinger (2nd), Conner Low (7th)

 

S38: HC Davos Dynamo

Top 10 Players: Thomas Landry (T-3rd), Davey Jones (T-9th), Matt Bentley (T-9th)

 

S37: Toronto Legion

Top 10 Players: Niklas Lindberg (2nd), Anatoli Zhumbayev (6th)

 

S36: HC Davos Dynamo

Top 10 Players: Davey Jones (4th), Odin Tordahl (5th), Sergey Brovalenko (6th)

 

S35: Quebec City Meute

Top 10 Players: Yuri Grigorenko (5th), Wesley Kellinger (9th)

 

S34: Helsinki Titans

Top 10 Players: Brody Hodgson (4th), Ethan Osbourne (5th), Nic Riopel (9th)

 

S33: Riga Reign

Top 10 Players: None (Elijah Incognito, 13th)

 

S32: New York Americans

Top 10 Players: Alexander Chershenko (2nd), Tukka Reikkinen (5th)

 

S31: HC Davos Dynamo

Top 10 Players: Phil Rafter (T-3rd), Felix Peters (6th), Ying Qin (8th), David Smalling (9th)

 

 

By the Numbers

 

Percentage of champs with top scorer: 24%

Percentage of champs with top five scorer: 76%

Percentage of champs with top ten scorer: 82%

Percentage of champs with two or more top ten scorers: 71%

Percentage of champs without top ten scorer: 18%

 

 

So, what does it all mean?

 

If a team doesn’t have at least a top five scorer, then chances are, they’re going to have a bad time come the playoffs. That’s not just common sense – it also plays out empirically when looking at the past champions. Even some of the more surprising champions compared to their preseason estimates, such as the S45 Titans, S36 Dynamo or S32 Americans, had at least one elite scorer during the regular season. And even the S44 Wranglers, who nobody expected to do as well as they did, had Miller in the Top 10, with a few more players like Cote just outside.

 

Taking a look at the three teams that accomplished the feat without a top ten scorer, all of them had one thing in common: experience. Led by 5th year and older players such as Corcoran, Wozniak and Incognito, the S33 Reign may have been a weaker playoff team, but had the experience once it got there. Although the S42 Express may not have had many top scorers, with O’Malley and Richardson on the upswing, it did have MVP winner Martin Brookside in goal in his final season. And while the S43 Bears might be remembered as the biggest upset champs in modern times, team point leader Faraday could still be counted on as a focal point.

 

Ironically, the second-highest point earner on that Seattle team is one that makes the bridge to the modern day. Although Koponen, Hamilton and Clegane are seen as the current Titans stars, it’s Wolfang Strauss that perhaps holds the glue and the ultimate key to a Titans victory. He currently sits just outside the top ten in points himself, tied for 12th with 27, and is also tied for seventh overall in goals. If he can form a stronger pair with Koponen, it’s possible that both may rocket up the points charts in tandem to look more like some of these other championship teams.

 

It’s worth noting, too, that the Titans don’t necessarily need to have the top scorer in the league to feel good about their championship chances. While that may have been the blueprint during their championship runs with O’Malley, those figures are actually somewhat of an outlier. In the 14 seasons between expansion and the Titans’ S45 championship, the title winner held the regular season points champ only twice. More often, it was a well-balanced approach that saved the day, something that Helsinki certainly has the capability to achieve. It’ll be interesting to see whether Koponen, Strauss and crew continue to rise up the rankings as the season progresses.

 

Edited March 24, 2016 by CowboyinAmerica

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

Fool Me Once

 

The Beat is a weekly article series giving a focused look on one VHL franchise. This week, and for the rest of the season, this space will focus on the Helsinki Titans – the team’s run for the playoffs, how the past has shaped its present, and what it will look like into the future.

 

At the time of me writing this article, it’s currently April Fool’s Day. And if I can be perfectly honest, April Fool’s Day is my least favorite “holiday” imaginable. Skepticism and paranoia is mandatory throughout the day, everybody thinks they’re being inordinately clever when they’re actually not (our hilarious commissioners excepted), and, frankly, the people who get really into April Fool’s Day aren’t really the type of people I like hanging out with on a daily basis.

 

All in all, I just kind of end up feeling depressed with a general malaise. In the VHL, that feeling usually comes about this time of season anyway, in the meat of the schedule with the playoffs still a bit off in the distance. Generally, excitement happens on a sine curve, and the draft and free agency are generally among the most exciting times.

 

But should they be? For every late pick Bunclewirth steal, there’s an Al Wilson ready to mess up your day and your long-term plans. The Titans have historically been one of the better teams at avoiding these early busts – but they’re certainly not immune.

 

So in honor of April Fool’s Day, here are the top five Draft Fools in Titans history. The squeamish and hardcore Titans fans be warned: It’s not pretty in there.

 

Honorable Mention: Zach Parise (S10), Jonathan Slade (S17), Walter Mitty (S29), Kimmo Salo (S37)

 

5. C George Patton (S42)

Titans Stats: 72 GP, 4 G, 33 A, 37 P, -69 +/-, 241 H, 57 SB

 

To be frank, George Patton’s stats aren’t that bad. Sure, he may have not made the VHL until two years after he was drafted, in Season 44. And yeah, he may have been the second line center that year to something called an AIM-11. And I know, four goals in 72 games is extraordinarily bad. And it does hurt that Helsinki didn’t even extend him a nominal contract offer in Season 45. And… well, this just looks worse and worse the more I write it out.

 

For a pass and hit guy that was the sixth overall pick, though, was he really that bad? Not really, until you look at the players drafted after him. Seventh overall was future Shaw winner Blake Campbell at a time when Fedir Okranitz would be the team’s starting goalie in S43. The second round saw Severin von Karma and Benjamin Zeptenbergs, both current VHL contributors to playoff teams, off the board. And even Vogon Jeltz and A.C. Slater, both early retirees, ended up having more of a VHL impact than Patton.

 

4. D Vojczek Svoboda (S38)

Titans Stats: 197 GP, 53 G, 133 A, 186 P, -49 +/-, 378 H, 442 SB

 

I think it’s safe to say that Svoboda is the single most polarizing player in Titans history. I’m sure there are some people who wonder why he’s on this list at all given his stats. Others probably wonder why he’s not number one. But all in all, I think it’s safe to say that the Titans didn’t receive the returns they expected when they took him number one overall in the Season 38 draft. Fourth on this list seems about right for him.

 

For a first overall pick, it’s reasonable to expect Svoboda to be near the top of Titans’ all-time rankings when all was said and done. However, before unceremoniously dumped in a deadline deal to Vasteras just two and a half seasons in his career, Svoboda managed to be just 44th in team assists, 50th in team points, and 27th in team hits – and that’s being generous by looking at his positive numbers instead of goals and points. The failures of Svoboda, albeit in a rough draft that only saw three players top 400 TPE, were a major reason the Titans couldn’t get it done immediately following their S36 rebuild.

 

3. LW Derek Evans (S9)

Titans Stats: 72 GP, 13 G, 41 A, 54 P, -20 +/-, 40 H, 11 SB

 

Following a championship in Season 6, it was soon rebuild time for the Titans. After not having a first in Season 7, Season 8 saw them select Adrian McCreath. That was good; McCreath would end up playing four seasons for the franchise. But Season 9 was supposed to be the one that put them over the top, with the team holding the third and fourth picks in the draft. The third pick was winger Mikhail Sevastiyanov, and he was… well, not as good. Sevastiyanov would end up playing just 100 games with the franchise, tallying just 39 goals and 54 assists before being traded to the Bears. He would end up with 218 TPE.

 

Sevastiyanov, though, must have seemed like a steal compared to the Titans pick that came directly after him at fourth overall: Derek Evans. According to the Titans’ official stats released by the franchise, Evans played exactly one season with the franchise, tallying absolutely nothing of note before being unceremoniously dumped. But, was he so dumped? His player page indicates exactly zero player movement, while he finished with 191 TPE. Meanwhile, a Season 13 contract thread indicates that he was still on the team at least at that time, but a Season 16 VHLM trade shows him being in the minors at that time, so who knows?

 

2. D Jeff Downey (S1)

Titans Stats: 144 GP, 33 G, 60 A, 93 P, -62 +/-, 137 H, 348 SB

 

Similar to Svoboda, Downey’s defensive stats aren’t that terrible. He is Top 25 in team history in shots blocked, for example, despite spending just two seasons with the franchise. But I think it’s safe to say that a little more was expected of Downey, considering the fact he was the third draft pick in the history of the VHL. That’s right, inaugural draft, this guy who ended with 99 TPE went third overall. For comparison the sixth through ninth pick in that draft all ended up in the Hall of Fame. Ouch.

 

To be fair to Downey, he did make the All-Star Game his first season, and he did end up being the GM of the team as they changed names to the Titans for the first time. That’s why he receives enough love to not be tops on this list. Plus, knowing Downey myself from prior football sim leagues, he was an all-around nice guy. Still, I think it’s funny to see that when he was traded to Avangard before Season 3, it was for a guy who went in the sixth round of that inaugural draft (Franz Lindemann) and the second round of the Season 2 draft (Alex Staal).

 

1. RW Jack Voratek (S26)

Titans Stats: 156 GP, 10 G, 12 A, 22 P, -9 +/-, 102 H, 17 SB

 

Let’s get one thing out of the way first: Voratek is the only player on this list, including the honorable mentions, to have won a championship. He was with the Titans when they took it in Season 27. And that, honestly, makes his stats even more hilarious to me, because even being surrounded with offensive talent like Leeroy Jenkins, Matthew Boragina, and Pavel Koradek, and despite the championship team only having six forwards, and despite being the sixth pick in the draft for a contending team, Voratek couldn’t do shit.

 

Okay, maybe I’m being a bit harsh, but not really. After spending Season 26 in the minors, Voratek finally “made” the VHL in Season 27, the championship year. But of course, I do put made in quotes, because despite playing in all 72 games, Voratek still somehow only managed 5.94 minutes per game. For comparison, HEL C3 averaged 15.75 minutes per game. Again, the Titans only had five other forwards, and Voratek still couldn’t crack the lineup. He had two assists on the season. In Season 28, meanwhile, Voratek got more of a chance with 15.73 minutes of playing time in 72 games. He finished with 8 goals, 9 assists, and last in points among non-CPU players for a team that finished with the second-worst record in the league. He then played only 12 more games for the franchise before being unceremoniously dumped.

 

Edited April 2, 2016 by CowboyinAmerica

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

Hey Now

 

The Beat is a weekly article series giving a focused look on one VHL franchise. This week, and for the rest of the season, this space will focus on the Helsinki Titans – the team’s run for the playoffs, how the past has shaped its present, and what it will look like into the future.

 

It’s All-Star Weekend in the VHL. And, thanks to a fortuitous doubles week, you’ll see all sorts of articles and graphics related to All-Stars. There are “should player X be an All-Star?” mixed with “how should we select All-Stars?” with a side of “oh boy, it’s nice to be an All-Star!” Considering the actual game has about the season relevance of an argument over welfare, with goalies trying about as hard as Edgar at updating, it seems like a whole lot of effort.

 

Unfortunately, though, nobody seems to be focusing on the All-Star that really matters. For a clue, it was made in 1999… and no, I’m not talking about Brovy. I’m talking about the international smash hit, and consensus best song ever made “All Star” by Smashmouth.

 

I’m a few beers in on a Friday night with no other ideas what to write about. Thus, I’m explaining how each of the Helsinki Titans’ All-Stars corresponds to a lyric in the song All Star. Buckle up, boys and Caillean, there’s about to be some frosted tips in here.

 

Aleksi Koponen - And all that glitters is gold/Only shooting stars break the mold

 

If there’s one person on the Titans who can be characterized as a shooting star this season, it’s the Commish man himself, Aleksi Koponen. Earlier in the season, I wrote an entire article wondering whether the Titans could win a title while having nobody in the top ten in points. Well, so much for that – Koponen’s now second overall in goals at the writing of this article with 33, and his 67 points are only 3 behind St. Pierre for the second-most among all forwards. But will Koponen glitter gold once again with a championship? That remains to be the question. While former teammates O’Malley and Koenig certainly broke the mold, there’s no indication quite yet that Koponen has what it takes to lead the team. We’ll find out very shortly come playoff time.

 

Wolfgang Strauss - Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming/Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running

 

It’s definitely a different position for Strauss; he won a championship as a youngin’ for the Seattle Bears, but he hasn’t really received the recognition he’s deserved (outside of World Cup play) until he’s gotten older. That has all changed this year, however. With 58 points, tied for 11th among forwards but just 4 points behind seventh, Strauss has moved into Koponen’s previous role as the reliable sidekick, so that it’s not a one-man show on offense. Strauss certainly hit the ground running – he was leading the team in points about 10 games into the season – but he’s slowed down a bit recently. Still, with the most experience on the team, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him as a crucial part of the Titans’ playoff run.

 

Marcel Faux - My world's on fire. How about yours?/That's the way I like it and I'll never get bored.

 

Don’t want to be bored? Try watching Faux in crunch time. The winger has the second-most game winning goals in the entire VHL, only behind league points leader Edwin Reencarnacion. That’s not a bad ratio for a guy who has 31 goals as a whole so far this season, good for tied for fifth overall in the league. There’s an argument that can be made too that he’s the most on fire member of the Titans as well, as his +39 +/- is the best on the team and third-best in the league as a whole. It’s no surprise he’s on fire though – the fifth season is supposed to be the best for many players, right before depreciation hits. With only 5 points banked for when depreciation hits, though, he may be getting bored here shortly.

 

Phil Hamilton - So much to do, so much to see/So what's wrong with taking the back streets?

 

On many non-Bears teams, the back line may be forgotten on the power play. On the Titans, though, there’s certainly nothing wrong with taking the back streets. Hamilton’s 7 power play goals is tied for fifth in the league, alongside teammate Koponen. What’s impressive, though, is that he has that total despite not being much of a scorer – Hamilton only has 8 goals on the season outside of the power play. He may not be living up to last season’s production with only 51 points so far, but there’s so much to see here other than points. For instance, his 178 hits are first among all defensemen.

 

Greg Clegane - I said yep, what a concept/I could use a little fuel myself/And we could all use a little change

 

The Americans have their offense, the Bears have their defense, and the Vikings and Legion are well-rounded. But for the Titans, there’s no denying that the team’s fuel starts with the goaltender, Greg Clegane. With a .931 save percentage and a 1.67 GAA, Clegane would be the easy Shaw favorite in any of the previous five seasons, and there’s no reason to say he won’t win it this season either with Wingate’s recent struggles. It’s not exactly a new concept to build a team around a goaltender, but it’s certainly a little change for the Titans; their S45 and S46 championships were with a younger, less experienced Clegane in net. Can he be trusted to be the fuel rather than another cog in the engine?

 

Edited April 9, 2016 by CowboyinAmerica

[solas 1,952]

 

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

I think the lyrics make even more sense this way, tbh

[STZ 5,376]

Seriously though, you're a fuckin all-star.

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

The Schedule Gods are Upset

 

The Beat is a weekly article series giving a focused look on one VHL franchise. This week, and for the rest of the season, this space will focus on the Helsinki Titans – the team’s run for the playoffs, how the past has shaped its present, and what it will look like into the future.

 

We’re at that home stretch – the final 10 games of the season. Heading into the year, it was expected by some that the Helsinki Titans would run away with the European Conference. The prevailing wisdom was that Stockholm was too old, Cologne was too young, and Davos and Riga were too rebuilding-y.

 

The real world hasn’t exactly panned out that way. As of the writing of this article, on Saturday afternoon, the Titans aren’t even in the lead in the conference. That title would belong to the Vikings, who currently have 91 points, albeit in 63 games. The Titans have played one fewer game at 62, but they’re still 2 points behind Stockholm with 89 points.

 

Who will win the conference? As it often does, it probably won’t come down to who has the better talent at all. Instead, it will come down to the most nebulous of deciding factors – the schedule. The Titans and Vikings will play each other one more time this season, but in the schedule otherwise, who has the advantage? While this article will likely be outdated by the time it’s published, it’s still fun to make a few bold predictions.

 

The Methodology

 

Normally when I’ve done these articles in the past, I’ve broken the VHL into three tiers: the championship contenders (Group A), the playoff fringe teams (Group B), and the rebuilders (Group C). I’ll do so again this year, but strangely, there doesn’t seem to be many teams in the middle this year. Cologne is probably the only one that qualifies, although their recent acquisition of Callum Sinclair may push them closer to a championship contender than many may realize. Quebec, meanwhile, might be able to make a case as well, but I think they’re still a season away from moving out of Group C.

 

Helsinki Titans

 

Remaining Schedule: vs. Bears (A), vs. Bears (A), @Wranglers (C), @Legion (A), vs. Wranglers (C), @Meute (C), vs. Legion (A), vs. Legion (A), @Americans (A), @Vikings (A)

 

The Analysis: Jesus. I’ve been doing this sort of article for The Beat for about four seasons now, and this is probably the single toughest schedule down the stretch I’ve seen a team face. There’s simply no break here – even the weaker parts of the schedule include a Wranglers team with reigning Shaw winner Blake Campbell, and a Meute team certainly capable of stealing a game. Of course, facing the league-leading Legion three more times is tough, but the Titans are actually 3-2 against them this season. Against the Bears, though, they are 2-3-1, and if they don’t steal at least one, possibly both of those first games, it could be tough down the stretch.

 

Game to Watch – Game 326, @Legion: Simply put, the Titans can’t fall too far behind in the beginning, but it’s the Wranglers-Legion-Wranglers-Meute stretch that will decide whether the Titans have a chance near then end. It’s possible that the Titans need to pick up 7 or 8 points in that stretch while the Vikings play a few tougher teams to get a lead. That means not only beating the Wranglers and Meute as expected, but also picking up a point against the Legion. It’s possible, but I’m not sure it’s likely.

 

The Prediction: 6-3-1, second in European Conference

 

Stockholm Vikings

 

Remaining Schedule: vs. Meute (C), vs. Meute (C), @Express (B), vs. Express (B), @Americans (A), @Wranglers (C), vs. Meute (C), @Wranglers (C), vs. Titans (A)

 

The Analysis: It’s almost not even fair. While the Titans play each team in the North American playoff cavalcade, including the Bears and Legion multiple times, the Vikings play the Americans once and… well, that’s about it really. Considering that the Vikings have won two of their games against the Americans straight up, while an additional three have gone into OT, it’s completely possible that they’ll even pick up a point in that game as well. Given this schedule, it’s possible that the final game against the Titans won’t actually mean anything by the time we get there.

 

Game to Watch – Game 327, @Express: If the Titans have any hope, it’s likely to be that the Express are better than expected with Sinclair down the stretch. That means the Vikings picking up just two points, at maximum, in those back-to-back games against the Express. If the Vikings win that first one on the road against Cologne, it could very well be all over but the shouting in the European Conference. And, given that this game is likely to happen the same sim as the Titans at Legion game mentioned above, we’re likely find out what happens in this conference very quickly.

 

The Prediction: 6-2-1, first in European Conference

Edited April 16, 2016 by CowboyinAmerica

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

Stockholm or Cologne?

 

The Beat is a weekly article series giving a focused look on one VHL franchise. This week, and for the rest of the season, this space will focus on the Helsinki Titans – the team’s run for the playoffs, how the past has shaped its present, and what it will look like into the future.

 

Entering the final 10 games of the season, I predicted the Stockholm Vikings to win the European Conference with 103 points, and the Helsinki Titans to finish second with 101. And I would have been ever-so-close too… if the Titans hadn’t come through in the clutch and beat Stockholm on the final day of the season despite being outshot. As a result, we’re here again for what seems like the 20th straight season at this point – the Titans enter the playoffs with a first round bye.

 

On the surface, this should be easy. The Vikings enter the playoffs with 38 more points in the final standings than the Express; Cologne is the only playoff team this year to enter under .500. If everything holds true to form, the Vikings will wipe the floor with the Express, and we’ll be treated to a spectacular European Conference Finals between two evenly-matched teams.

 

… or is that what Helsinki should be rooting for? This first round matchup could provide more intrigue for Helsinki fans than you’d believe at first glance. Here’s a look at the first round through the Helsinki lens.

 

About the Schedule

 

To be honest, the Titans didn’t really have much trouble against either the Vikings or the Express this season. In eight games against Stockholm, the Titans went 6-2, with two of those wins coming in overtime or shootouts. Similarly, against Cologne, the Titans also went 6-2 with one overtime win. Helsinki outscored Stockholm by a 20-11 margin; against Cologne, it was a 23-11 margin. There simply wasn’t much separation there.

 

It’s worth noting, though, the timing of the games. The Express traded for Callum Sinclair at the Trade Deadline, but since the schedule was frontloaded with Helsinki/Cologne games, the Titans only actually played the Sinclair-led Express once. That would be on Day 91, where Sinclair actually had a higher save percentage than Clegane, but the Titans won it in overtime behind a 3-for-4 day on the power play. Given Helsinki’s similar records against both teams before the Sinclair trade, could the veteran goaltender be a tipping point?

 

In the Zone

 

If there’s one stat that stands out as being different from those two games though, it’s face-offs. Led by Lord Karnage, the Vikings were second in the entire VHL this year behind New York in winning 59 percent of face-offs. That held to form in games between the Vikings and Titans, Helsinki actually won 55 percent of offensive zone face-offs, but failed miserably in the defensive zone (47 percent) and the neutral zone (41 percent).

 

On the Cologne side, though, the team roster only has low-TPE Maxime Perron as a natural center, and it shows. As a whole, the Express were dead last in the league in face-offs, collecting them just 40 percent of the time. Against the better-than-league-average Titans, meanwhile, the disparity was even worse – Helsinki grabbed 62 percent of defensive zone faceoffs, 65 percent of offensive zone faceoffs, and a whopping 69 percent of neutral zone faceoffs. It’s no wonder Cologne would have to rely on Sinclair, as the Titans would seemingly always have the puck.

 

All That Power

 

But there’s one area where the Titans didn’t do well against the Vikings that one may expect to actually change during the playoffs – the power play. During the regular season, only the Bears were a better team on the power play than the Titans, as Helsinki put in more than 20 percent of their chances. Against Cologne, the Titans actually banked home one-third of their chances – a number that one would expect to slightly regress to the mean come playoff time.

 

However, against the Vikings, the Titans were absolutely abysmal on the power play: They scored just once in 28 power play chances during the regular season. There’s no reason to believe that’s anything other than a statistical outlier. As a whole, the Vikings were only a league-average penalty kill team this year, and certainly nowhere near the 97 percent rate they had against Helsinki. If the Titans can even increase their power play against Stockholm to their average 20 percent, it would mean likely two or three more goals over the course of a series – and considering Helsinki already scored enough to win six games against Stockholm, that could be insurmountable

 

Edited April 23, 2016 by CowboyinAmerica

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

Just a heads up STZ, I'm going to try and wait out a day or two and see if I'll be able to write a Finals preview in this space.

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

Three in Four No More

 

The Beat is a weekly article series giving a focused look on one VHL franchise. This week, this space will focus on the Helsinki Titans – the team’s run for the playoffs, how the past has shaped its present, and what it will look like into the future.

 

It’s over. The Titans had a chance for three titles in four seasons, and up until the VHL Finals, the dream was thriving. After stealing the first seed from the Stockholm Vikings with a victory in the final game of the season, Helsinki had to steal nothing in the playoffs, easily dispatching Stockholm in six games.

 

The Legion, however, proved a different animal. Sure, the Titans stole one game, behind one of the best goaltending performances you will ever see where Greg Clegane stopped 61 of 62 shots. When all was said and done, though, Toronto proved to clearly be the better team and took the series in five games.

 

We know now that this was the last hurrah for the current incarnation of the Titans. Clegane and Koponen have already been shipped out of town, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the rest of the stars were the next to go. In addition, Shaw has already stepped down as the team’s general manager, leaving a newcomer, Daniel in his place.

 

Still, although there’s not going to be a repeat run next season, which means there won’t be many autopsies done to see what went wrong, it’s still interesting to look into the series to see exactly how Toronto was able to win it so easily. Perhaps these three keys will prove instructive for future teams looking to copy the formula.

 

1. On the Blue Line

 

It’s interesting to take a deep dive into the team’s overall stats against both Stockholm and Toronto, especially because frankly, there really aren’t that many differences. The Titans won about the same percentage of face-offs, had a similar number of shots per game, only allowed one more power play goal in about the same number of attempts, and only scored two fewer power play goals themselves in the same number of attempts. For all intents and purposes, it should have been the same series.

 

One of the most instructive stats is perhaps one of the simplest, though: shots. It’s a common mantra to simply throw the puck on net and see what happens. That’s exactly what the Legion did, and it paid off in spades. The Legion finished with 217 shots in the series, an average of just over 43 per game. The Vikings, meanwhile, only had 157 shots despite playing an extra game, an average of 26 per game. With all else being equal, the Legion simply created more chances, and the barrage will get to any team eventually.

 

2. The Depth

 

“This is the most confident I've been on a finals series in a while. Helsinki only has 4 forwards, the last time a team with 4 fowards [sic] won the cup is S17. 6 forwards, 4 defensemen, and the better goalie makes me very confident.” – Eaglesfan036, pre-finals, Toronto LR

 

It’s been a common refrain in recent seasons that depth wins championships; it’s what sank Quebec and Stockholm in recent years despite each team having an abundance of stars. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case, and that you can win without a full roster. However, if that’s the case, you better be damn sure that your second line can still somewhat produce, specifically that fourth player that will sometimes be playing with CPUs.

 

On the Titans, that fourth player role was handled by Rafael Pettyfer. However, despite me liking Pettyfer personally from our Riga days, the term “handled” has to be taken with an extreme grain of salt. For the playoffs, the center managed just two assists and zero goals. And for the finals, Pettyfer managed exactly zero points. With Pettyfer’s cap hit coming in at $3.25 million, it’s worth wondering whether the team would have been better off with two low-TPE (or even near VHLM-level) players that at least would have filled out the lines instead.

 

3. The Explosions

 

When even looking at the Titans’ playoff results as a whole, one thing stands out – where exactly are all the high numbers? This is a team, after all, that finished with 219 goals on the season, an average of over three per game and within shouting distance of New York (228) for second in the league. And most of those goals came in explosions, as the Titans scored at least four goals in 31 of their games, close to half. In the eight times they placed the Legion during the regular season, meanwhile, they scored at least four goals three times.

 

It’s safe to say that the hard-fought games of the playoffs are not conducive to those shootouts, but the Titans certainly didn’t seem to have a backup plan. In 11 playoff games, the Titans reached the four goal mark just once – the decisive Game 6 against Stockholm, and it took Helsinki six power play chances (converting two) to even get there. Against Toronto, meanwhile, they barely could draw close to their regular season production; the Titans scored more than one goal in a game just once in the series. And that was the final game, where they lost 4-3. If the Titans were to make any sort of run, they needed at least one offensive explosion, but there wasn’t one to be had.

 

Edited May 8, 2016 by CowboyinAmerica

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

Change, It Simply Is

 

The Beat is a weekly article series giving a focused look on one VHL franchise. This week, this space will focus on the Helsinki Titans – the team’s run for the playoffs, how the past has shaped its present, and what it will look like into the future.

 

May 8 was a sad day in Helsinki Titans land – it was the day that GM William Shaw stepped down from his position. I can’t say that it was particularly an unexpected decision; Shaw had been quoted in recent days saying that his GM job was potentially even tougher than his commissioner position. However, it’s one that will be looked upon with some sadness, even with the promotion of the more-than-capable Daniel Anderson to GM.

 

Shaw finished his career with seven seasons at the helm, two of which he won a championship and GM of the Year honors in Season 45 and 46. That by itself puts him in rarified air – only Matt Bentz of the Calgary Wranglers in Seasons 18 and 19 had previously won both a championship and a GMotY trophy in back-to-back seasons. But that’s not all for Shaw, as we decided to put together a list of some of the more interesting clubs he joined in his time with this edition of The Beat: By the Numbers.

 

6 – The number of GMs that have won multiple championships in one GM reign. Given the number of excellent GMs there have been in the VHL’s history, you would perhaps believe this number to be higher. However, Shaw became the first GM in Helsinki history to win two championships in one GM reign; Daric Radmonovic, Matt Bailey, Joey Kendrick, Matthew Boragina, and Mitch Higgins had only won one a piece. Furthermore, he joins the aforementioned Bentz (Calgary), Chris Miller (New York), Scotty Campbell, Frank Chadwick, and Victor Alfredsson (all with Davos) as multi-time cup winners.

 

7 – The most number of seasons any Helsinki GM has been at the helm. In recent years, Helsinki has been known as a paragon of stability. Well-established members such as Mitch Higgins (7 seasons) and Vince Wong (5 seasons) preceded Shaw’s 7 seasons in the position. However, it wasn’t always this way. In fact, before Higgins, Joey Kendrick’s 6 season reign between S17-22 was the longest GM run in Helsinki history, and no other previous GM had more than five. This means Shaw sets a record for longevity as well.

 

10 – The number of Knight Trophies for GM of the Year won by Helsinki GMs. With his wins in Season 45 and 46, Shaw brought the GMotY trophy total for Helsinki to double digits, as compared for just seven championships. Strangely enough, though, that’s a record for Knight trophies. The Calgary Wranglers franchise has nine in its history, followed closely by the Americans with eight. Shaw finished as the third Titans GM to win two trophies with the team, alongside Radmonovic and Higgins. Only Jason Glasser of the Wranglers and Miller of the Americans managed to win three Knight Trophies during their time, and both GMs’ careers went at least twice as long as Shaw’s.

 

1 – The place Draper holds in all of our hearts. Seriously though, being a commissioner and GM at the same time is a hard position, as he would gladly tell you. However, B.S. rigging allegations aside, Draper seemed to manage both with ease, keeping the league running as strong as ever while simultaneously perfecting the quick rebuild with the loaded Season 45 draft. Even as the recipient of one of those Finals losses in S45, my hat is off to Draper for his work and continued success as GM. Here’s to hoping Daniel picks up the mantle with ease (but depending on what team Wingate or my next player is on, not too much ease.

 

Edited May 11, 2016 by CowboyinAmerica