A Short VHL Power Rankings

[CowboyinAmerica 2,889]

1.  - If you're the defending champions and you didn't completely blow your team up, I feel like you have to come in this spot. Even with the trade of Gow, bringing in Kiaskov and promoting three rookies in Mulligan, Jokinen and Smith gives them two full lines. Depth can take you far.

 

2.  - Once again, the top of the VHL will be a battle between depth and top-end talent. You could tell me that any one of the three of Louth, Canmore or Stropko wins MVP, and I wouldn't be surprised. Add in perhaps the most talented defenseman in Johnsson, and you've got a championship candidate.

 

3.  - Quebec's going to be a popular sleeper pick this year, but I do think they're in a lower tier than the top two. In particular, I want to see Iseult take a full leap before I trust them to consistently win the games they should. It's going to be a whole lot of fun to watch them though and how they juggle forward playing time.

 

4.  - Especially with last year's standout rookies Preencarnacion and Cast, plus this year's first overall pick Twinger, they're going to have a forward group that's good for a long time. But they need a goalie to complete the package, and I don't think Aamo's the future. Still, that offense should be enough to get them mid-tier.

 

5.  - I'm of the opinion that a good goalie will go a long way this season with so many young guys out there, and Sterling's right there are at third-best alongside Iseult this year. He doesn't have the same talent around him quite yet, but last year's top pick Matt Thompson will win a few games on his own as well. They've been on top of getting inactive depth as well.

 

6.  - They're one year away from making some noise in my opinion. Aksel McKnight was a great pickup, Sebastian Ironside was a revelation on the blue line last year, and Robert Malenko should be on all Rookie of the Year lists. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they snuck into the final playoff spot, but that would require another forward stepping up to score, and I don't see it.

 

7.  - Let's put it this way: I wouldn't be shocked if the Titans picked up a few inactive free agents then bullied their way to the playoffs (or as high as fourth) off the strength of Shepherd and Ron alone. Those guys can be that good in this system. But I also wouldn't be surprised if the rebuild begins at the deadline, especially with what's looking like a strong S63 draft class.

 

8.  - This is what happens when you sell everybody off, but I actually don't think they're going to be an abomination. Casey Jones is immensely talented and I expect him to put up some stats before he's (presumably) shipped closer to the deadline. In a place he could get more wins, goalie Kingfisher would be an ROY candidate as well.

Edited August 14, 2018 by CowboyinAmerica

[Tagger 2,722]

4th place, it's coming home! 

[Victor 10,940]

Outscore the opposition is a great plan if you ask me.

[Spade18 1,305]

you have the americans WAY too high

[Tyler 885]

33 minutes ago, Tagger said:

4th place, it's coming home! 

 

Riga the new Arsenal.

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

@Quik whats this i hear about you not signing in Davos because you wanted to win

[Quik 4,113]

3 hours ago, TheLastOlympian07 said:

@Quik whats this i hear about you not signing in Davos because you wanted to win

[diamond_ace 3,112]

I assume even Riga doesn't think Aamo is the answer, hence Kriketers.

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

I was actually going to switch Ironside to F, hence obtaining that extra forward you're talking about. Malenko would probably be fine pairing up with both Hood and Bronstein and taking the load himself on defense.

 

But, considering we're not trying to win a cup this season, I'm leaving the Ironside/Malenko duo on D with McKnight leading the Fs and seeing how it works, and if any prospects step it up so I don't have to move Ironside.

 

Shoutout to @iRockstar. lol

[Jubo 1,839]

Review - As a newer member to the site this was a good read to get a quick overview as to what to expect from the VHL.

The straight to the point facts/opinions gave me a clearer image on the state of their respective club.

I enjoy the use of team logo's to give the article a more appealing feel.