oilmandan 686 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 (edited) The VHL season has just passed the half way mark and as the teams start to look towards the stretch drive and the trade deadline that's about a week away, it's a good time to make some guesses for the playoffs and a few awards. Right now the drive for the Continental Cup looks like a four horse race. The Riga Reign lead the pack with 61 points in 42 games. Although they sit fourth in goals scored, a staunch defense and solid netminding has them leading the way in goals against. The spread between first and fourth is only five points, Seattle (59), Toronto (58), and Helsinki (56) all have eyes for a run at the championship. Seattle leads the way in the VHL with 158 goals, with a whopping 5 players averaging a point per game. The Quebec City hold the fifth and final playoff spot right now, sitting 14 and 17 points ahead of Calgary and New York respectively, while Davos is already practicing their golf swings at a horrific 30 points back of Quebec. In all honesty, there doesn't seem to be much belief that there will be any switching between teams in and out of the playoffs, mostly just jockeying for home ice advantage for the second season. Next we will select team MVP and biggest surprise. MVP is pretty self explanatory and the surprise player can be for a good or bad reason. Riga Reign MVP: @Tagger Edwin Preencarnacion. Although he is well off his career year pace of S62, Edwin continues to pace the Reign in scoring, sitting 5th in the VHL on both goals (26) and points (58). Riga has a couple options with both Podrick Cast and Kallis Kriketers both enjoying fine seasons Riga Reign Surprise: @DollarAndADream Leph Twinger. The former first overall selection in the S62 draft has taken another step back in his career. After taking the VHL by storm in his rookie year with boxcars of 56-60-166, Twinger got a severe case of the sophomore slump in S63, putting up 34-33-67. In 42 games this year, he only has 11 goals and 27 points. An improved roster around him have taken away his offensive chances, but Riga Hope's he can get things back on track. Seattle Bears MVP: @Beketov Matt Thompson. This could go a few different ways, with Robert Malenko also garnering interest. But it's tough to go against the all world winger. Now in his fourth season, Thompson continues to dominate, notching 35 goals and 70 points, good for a tie for first and third respectively. He also leads the league in hits and sits in third in plus minus. Seattle Bears Surprise: @Laflamme Sergei Kovalev. Yet another who continues to fail expectations. After a standout rookie season, Kovalev has regressed, only scoring 10 goals and 17 points in 42 games this season. Playing on a loaded Bears team, you'd hope he would be more productive. Seattle will need Kovalev to pick things up if they hope to knock off Riga. Toronto Legion MVP: @omgitshim Oyorra Arroyo. Enjoying by far his best VHL campaign, Arroyo leads the league in goals and points, and seems to have found another level since arriving from Calgary. Probably the best acquisition made by any team this past offseason. Toronto Legion Surprise: @tfong Tzuyu. Quietly having a very good sophomore year in Toronto, Tzuyu has 16 goals and 50 points, which ranks second for defensemen. Not a super flashy or physical player, Tzuyu gets the job done and Toronto feels like they got a gem at fifth overall in the S63 draft. Helsinki Titans MVP and Surprise: @Sonnet Alexander Pepper. While the Titans rebuild on the fly, Pepper has done fine job holding the fort. Helsinki has had trouble scoring goals, ranking fifth in league goals, so keeping pucks out has been even more important. Pepper leads the league in shutouts and sits third in save percentage as he tries to drag the Titans into the playoffs. This all after an underwhelming rookie campaign. Pepper is putting the league on notice that he will be a star for years to come. Quebec City Meute MVP and Surprise: @Beaviss Beau Louth. Our only selection for both MVP and surprise, Louth lives in the shadow of his brother Keaton, but this season Beau seems to be making a name for himself as well. Sitting 10th in league scoring, the younger Louth leads a retooling Meute team that is trying to save money and stay competitive at the same time. With brother Keaton retiring at the end of the year, its Beau's time to shine. Calgary Wranglers MVP: @Bushito Jasper Canmore. While the Wranglers enter full blown rebuild mode, one of the holdovers remains superstar Canmore. His scoring totals may be down, but he continues to be the straw that stirs the drink in Calgary. With only one season after this, Canmore looks to put his name in with the other team legends. Calgary Wranglers Surprise: @BladeMaiden Brick Wahl. After falling in the draft to the end of the second round, Wahl started the season pinned to the bench behind veteran acquisition Shawn Brodeur. After a disappointing start, the team turned to Wahl, who grabbed the starting role and run with it, trying to keep the Wranglers afloat. New York Americans MVP: @McWolf Joseph McWolf. Drafted 2nd overall last season, the Americans were hoping for a rough, tough shut down defender. What they seemingly have got is an all round stud. McWolf leads his team in scoring with 10-38-48 which is good for third among defenders in points. He also leads the VHL in blocked shots and sits ninth in hits. On a rebuilding team McWolf looks like the perfect player to build around New York Americans Surprise: @oilmandan Dan Wilinsky. Although he is only in his second season, it's been a bit of a struggle again. Being on a rebuilding team doesn't help, but much was expected out of the top forward on New York. After 41 games Wilinsky has scored 18 goals and 33 points, sitting in fifth in team scoring. With only one year left until free agency, will the Americans want to spend the big money on an underperforming player? On the bright side, Wilinsky eats a large chunk of minutes and is solid in his own end, but he was drafted to put up goals. Davos Dynamo MVP: @Ahma Alvaro Jokinen. The third year defender has been one of the few bright lights for a horrible Davos team, scoring 7 goals and 37 points. Jokinen’s body is covered in ice packs after most games, trying to block every shot. Help is on the way though, but Jokinen will be heavily relied upon until it does arrive and beyond. Davos Dynamo Surprise: @Nykonax Elias Dahlberg. While Dahlberg has put up a respectable 16 goals and 26 points in the first 42 games, after hearing the hype that surrounded him coming into the league, it has been disappointing. Most of said hype was self generated by Dahlberg, who has never been accused of humility. While he may have a bright future ahead of him, it can't be the start the youngster was hoping for. Scotty Campbell Trophy: MVP: Oyorra Arroyo. It'll be a very close race, with many names in the mix, but for now we'll go with the leagues leading scorer. Sterling Labatte Trophy: Top Defenseman: @pennypenny Robert Malenko. I do hate to say it, but this year Malenko is the best defenseman in the VHL. Helped out by playing on a high scoring Bears team, Malenko has 13 goals and 69 points so far. A couple other guys should help split the vote, but seeing how generally the top scoring defender wins, well stick to that. Aidan Shaw Trophy: Top Goalie: @hedgehog337 Kallis Kriketers. Helped by a very good team in front of him, but Kriketers has been a stud since his year in the VHLM. Tough to bet against him. He has won championships in every season of his career. Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy: Rookie: @Esso2264 @RyanZabby Ryan Zabby or Joel Ylonen. Flip a coin. Both are having good rookie seasons helping a rebuilding Americans team. Maybe they share it. Dustin Funk Trophy: Most Improved: Beau Louth. Could set new career highs across the board by the 50th game of the year. The sky is the limit for the younger Louth. 90 points aren't out of the question yet if Beau stays hot. This has been a very competitive year to date, and it's only going to be more so as we get closer to the playoffs. Expect the trades to start rolling with the deadline approaching and teams trying to get a head start to build some chemistry. With only a few sellers and potentially several buyers, we could see prices skyrocket for the stars on the block. Who do you guys think should be MVPs? Who needs to step their game up? Will the Meute ever get out of a salary cap crunch? Which rebuilding team will become a contender first? Will Toronto ever keep a draft pick again? 1504 words Edited January 22, 2019 by oilmandan BladeMaiden, Spade18, DollarAndADream and 4 others 3 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissioner Beketov 8,650 Posted January 22, 2019 Commissioner Share Posted January 22, 2019 Honestly didn’t even realize I was that high in +/- haha. I’ve been focussed so much in points, goals, and hits that I guess I didn’t look at anything else. oilmandan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nykonax 1,550 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 9 minutes ago, oilmandan said: Elias Dahlberg. While Dahlberg has put up a respectable 16 goals and 26 points in the first 42 games, after hearing the hype that surrounded him coming into the league, it has been disappointing. Most of said hype was self generated by Dahlberg, who has never been accused of humility. While he may have a bright future ahead of him, it can't be the start the youngster was hoping for. literally got no one on my team. just randoms. Last season I had Matthews who was a passer. Once Warren comes up its gg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilmandan 686 Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 15 minutes ago, Nykonax said: literally got no one on my team. just randoms. Last season I had Matthews who was a passer. Once Warren comes up its gg. Thought you were a one man show Nykonax 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nykonax 1,550 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 (edited) 3 minutes ago, oilmandan said: Thought you were a one man show well passers aren't real hockey players just like supports aren't real league players @tfong Edited January 22, 2019 by Nykonax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BladeMaiden 1,807 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 3 minutes ago, oilmandan said: Thought you were a one man show @Nykonax isn't as good as builds himself up to be. I mean who could be? Dahlberg builds himself up to be a hockey god and when he doesn't quite live up to it he cries that he isn't being fed enough pucks. Could it be that he is just a little fish in the ocean instead of being a big fish in a little pond like last season? omgitshim and oilmandan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nykonax 1,550 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 5 minutes ago, BladeMaiden said: @Nykonax isn't as good as builds himself up to be. I mean who could be? Dahlberg builds himself up to be a hockey god and when he doesn't quite live up to it he cries that he isn't being fed enough pucks. Could it be that he is just a little fish in the ocean instead of being a big fish in a little pond like last season? little pond would include you, and your not a big fish. Also im like the gretzky of this league, cast is like a Bryan Prust oilmandan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BladeMaiden 1,807 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 1 minute ago, Nykonax said: little pond would include you, and your not a big fish. Also im like the gretzky of this league, cast is like a Bryan Prust "That is the difference between you and me Dahlberg I never claimed to be anything other than what I am, I goalie trying to do his best. You always shout from the rooftops how good you are. So either put up or shut up! Don't whine how you need a puck feeder, if you are so dam good put it in the net, no excuses." -Brick Wahl oilmandan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laflamme 376 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Nothing better to write about @oilmandan ....? Spade18 and oilmandan 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilmandan 686 Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Beketov said: Honestly didn’t even realize I was that high in +/- haha. I’ve been focussed so much in points, goals, and hits that I guess I didn’t look at anything else. Matt Thompson's poster still hangs in Dan Wilinsky's bedroom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilmandan 686 Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 36 minutes ago, Nykonax said: little pond would include you, and your not a big fish. Also im like the gretzky of this league, cast is like a Bryan Prust Who is Bryan Prust? 20 minutes ago, Laflamme said: Nothing better to write about @oilmandan ....? Just worried about what happened to a stud rookie sniper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nykonax 1,550 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 1 hour ago, BladeMaiden said: I goalie trying to do his best. try harder BladeMaiden 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BladeMaiden 1,807 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 24 minutes ago, Nykonax said: try harder "you should listen to your own advice. You are like when the stock market gets inflated, you are doomed to crash Dahlberg..."-Brick Wahl Nykonax 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nykonax 1,550 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 5 minutes ago, BladeMaiden said: You are like when the stock market gets inflated, you are doomed to crash Dahlberg..."-Brick Wahl fair played BladeMaiden 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BladeMaiden 1,807 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Just now, Nykonax said: fair played This was not the response I was expecting, lol Nykonax 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nykonax 1,550 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Just now, BladeMaiden said: This was not the response I was expecting, lol Dahlberg is going to reform along with Penny BladeMaiden 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BladeMaiden 1,807 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 4 minutes ago, Nykonax said: Dahlberg is going to reform along with Penny *GASP!* But then who will fight with Wahl? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nykonax 1,550 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 6 minutes ago, BladeMaiden said: *GASP!* But then who will fight with Wahl? yeah you wish. Dahlberg ain't reforming, Wahl needs to reform, but not in a behaviour way.... a build way. Cause Wahl is plain garbage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BladeMaiden 1,807 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 3 minutes ago, Nykonax said: yeah you wish. Dahlberg ain't reforming, Wahl needs to reform, but not in a behaviour way.... a build way. Cause Wahl is plain garbage. Could it be that i have like 35 TPE that haven't been applied. I have no qualms with my current build. Perhaps you are projecting and neet to look at your own build to figure out why you need ppl to feed you the puck and why you can't get it to the net by yourself... Nykonax 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nykonax 1,550 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Just now, BladeMaiden said: Could it be that i have like 35 TPE that haven't been applied. I have no qualms with my current build. Perhaps you are projecting and neet to look at your own build to figure out why you need ppl to feed you the puck and why you can't get it to the net by yourself... talk to me when you score more than 0 goals in a season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BladeMaiden 1,807 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Just now, Nykonax said: talk to me when you score more than 0 goals in a season You know i'm a goalie right? I really don't think you know what a goalie does...talk to me when you get a shut out you prick Nykonax 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nykonax 1,550 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Just now, BladeMaiden said: You know i'm a goalie right? I really don't think you know what a goalie does...talk to me when you get a shut out you prick Oh your a goalie? Didn't know, your just that irrelevant. I've probably made more saves than you anyways. you walked right into that one. I was planning it all along lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BladeMaiden 1,807 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 20 minutes ago, Nykonax said: Oh your a goalie? Didn't know, your just that irrelevant. I've probably made more saves than you anyways. you walked right into that one. I was planning it all along lol "You can't even save your own season Dahlberg. Your opinion has never mattered I don't know why you would think it would start having any clout now. It is really sad to see someone get off drugs and start doing worse but I guess they were your crutch, you never were tough enough to hack it on your own." -Brick Wahl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nykonax 1,550 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 11 minutes ago, BladeMaiden said: "You can't even save your own season Dahlberg. Your opinion has never mattered I don't know why you would think it would start having any clout now. It is really sad to see someone get off drugs and start doing worse but I guess they were your crutch, you never were tough enough to hack it on your own." -Brick Wahl "....i guess it does. *Dahlberg walks away." I think you broke dahlberg with that statement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOOM 8,427 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Get a room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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