VHLM Season 63 Week 4 Review

[Thranduil 293]

(This article was made as last minute TPE so my apologies if it isn't up to par.)

 

Standings:

Yukon remains in first to no-one's surprise, maintaining an incredible point percentage of 1.45 and averaging only two regulation losses every nine games, meaning they are losing just over 20% of their games. Frankly I don't see anyone catching them unless Saskatoon continues playing the way they have been.

The Wild have been the best team over the last few weeks and have jumped from 3rd place to a close second behind Yukon. They are undefeated in their last seven matches after struggling in the earlier parts of the season. What brought on this change you ask? Common belief is that the acquisition of goaltender Brick Wahl sparked a change in the locker room. Wahl is a big guy with a big personality who has been stealing a lot of big games for Saskatoon recently. He sometimes is reminiscent of NHL hall-of-famer Patrick Roy. Cocky, yet sturdy. Wahl is capable of carrying the Wild to the Founders Cup title this year.

Currently in third on the charts are S62 Founders Cup finalists Halifax 21st. Halifax has seen a huge drop of production in their wins column of recent, having recorded only two in their last seven games. They currently sit 11 points behind Saskatoon and 3 ahead of Ottawa.

 

Trades:

Halifax has noticed their sudden decline and in an attempt to stay relevant, have traded away a second round pick in return for Wlodzimierz Zajaczkowski, a top-end two-way forward specialized in shutting down other teams' top line. Zajaczkowski should make a very postitive impact on the team.

 

Saskatoon realized that they were pretty much ready to go for a cup and that all they needed was a solid starting goaltender. They quickly dealt veteran goalie Kevin Weekes, along with a second to the Las Vegas Aces, in return for the S64 draft prospect, Brick Wahl. This trade has turned out very well for both teams as Weekes has picked his game up a notch in Las Vegas and Wahl seems to have a newly rekindled drive to win games, and that's exactly what he has been doing with Saskatoon so far.

 

Stats:

Halifax's Nathan MacKinnon comfortably maintains top spot in the scoring race. After Ottawa forward Elias Dahlberg drew within one point of him, MacKinnon was able to have a resurgence and continue to be the VHLM's top point-producer. Teammate Jesse Wilson leads all defensemen in points as well as leading everyone in assists. The top line on Halifax of Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Flipachyev and John Madden have been 1, 2 and 3 for a long time in the league plus / minus category but recently, Saskatoon forward, Rylan Peace has managed to tie Madden for third spot. Halifax defensemen Jonathan Hill continues to lead the league in blocked shots, spending lots of time playing on the penalty-killing and shutdown units. Rhett Stoffiday continues to be the the VHLM's best goalie by a mile, posting a .908 SV%, a 2.02 GAA and six shutouts. He leads the league in all three categories.

 

Posted this when it was 10:30 on Sunday where I live so I can still cash it for November 18th TPE I hope.

Edited November 19, 2018 by Thranduil