VSN - A look at the top teams two thirds into the season

[Eudaldkp 160]

The playoffs are less than twenty games away and it looks like we have three clear contenders; the Aces, out of Vegas; the 21sts, out of Halifax; and the Lynx, out of Ottawa. Oslo was looking strong earlier this season but couldn't maintain their position and eventually decided to blow everything up. Consequentially, they are now sitting in forth place and will likely be fighting Saskatoon in the wildcard round. Saskatoon has significantly bolstered their roster after aggressively acquiring free agents. 

Let's dissect the contenders and take a deeper look into them.

 

 Las Vegas Aces 

This seasons powerhouse - the Aces - appear as the strongest roster in the VHLM. (Jubo07), the Aces' general manager, has really stepped up and crafted an amazing roster through roster moves and smart decisions. We had the chance to ask him a few questions!

 

What were your expectations heading into the season? Did you expect to be #1 with a 10 point lead on the second team?

“My expectations heading into the season were to be a top 3 club. We had several returning members, including at the time the top goalie TPE wise, and a decent collection of picks. Having the lead we have at this point in the season is a product of active members and some wheeling and dealing. We have as good as a team you can really hope to put together in the VHLM and our guys are loving the journey.”

What is the team that you feel like is the bigger threat for the Aces chances at the Founder’s Cup?

“I feel our biggest threat is Ottawa, although Halifax is a very close mention. We are all at the mercy of STHS which makes absolutely nothing a guarantee.”

 

 

The Aces are first for a reason, that reason being their impressively talented roster. The Aces' top nine forward group has well over a thousand accumulated TPE, their top pairing is as stacked as it can get with two capped defenders in Parker and Philliefan. The Aces' goaltending duet supports and develop with one another, providing (Jubo07) with options on the back end. 

What are the Aces weaknesses? 
While their top paring is monstrous, they could really benefit from a stronger second and third defensive paring. Aside from that, the only other thing that's left to improve is Nixon's save percentage. 

 

 

 Ottawa Lynx  

 

Right now the Lynx look like they're the second best team in the league, and having just beaten the Aces in recent matchups, the Lynx will be a team heading into the playoffs with confidence. At the moment they're sitting just one point behind the Halifax club, but the Lynx have looked like the better team recently. 

Lynx GM, (diamond_ace), made some impressive moves not long ago to solidify themselves as one of the leagues top contenders for the Founders Cup. Acquiring Carles 'Puggy' Puigdemont and Dallas Jones from Oslo prior to the trade deadline passing capped a busy mid-season for Ottawa. We asked Diamond what his thoughts were on the trade now that Puigdemont and Jones have gotten the opportunity to adjust to the team. 

“The trade was pretty much your standard VHLM trade. The standings basically flip every year, except if a team decides to always finish in the middle but never really make a run. This is our contention year, so on some level a trade was always going to happen, (...) the trade was less to catch up to Halifax and Vegas, and more to stay on pace with them when they inevitably made their moves as well. (...) Trifecta approached me a few days earlier and told me he was thinking of going that route, so then when he finally did, I had a little more control over which specific pieces to acquire.”

 

As he was leaving we asked him if he thinks the Lynx’s roster compares to the Ace’s, and what is the key to beating them in the playoffs. He added:

“Vegas is probably deeper at forward, but not by a ton, and if Volosenkov takes off like I expect, the gap could close some. We definitely have them defensively, with four caps by playoffs and for right now, Rift has an edge in goal over Nixon and Weekes although I suspect Nixon will cap, making them essentially even for the playoffs. If we can use our defensive edge to nullify their forward edge, then we'll have a good shot at it. Of course, this is all assuming we're the two finals teams - it's a bit early to write Halifax off as well.”

 

 

While (in my opinion) the Aces have the deeper roster, I believe the Lynx edge them out in defensive depth and goaltending talent. They have been picking up some steam lately and are looking like a solid contender for the Cup this season. Although not as talented as the Aces' top six, the Lynx match up really well and I feel like they could match their offensive firepower. However, they haven't got the depth that Vegas has, and they will probably have to solve that by playing a top heavier game. 

One thing that's for sure... if they match in the playoffs it's going to be a blood bath. 

 

 

 

 Halifax 21^st  

The 21^st are now sitting at the 2^nd spot in the standings, but that could be taken away soon by the Lynx. They have been some moves lately and GM McWolf has invested a lot into this season, shipping a 1^st and a 3^rd rounder to Oslo for star player Diljodh. @McWolf conceded us the pleasure of asking a few questions by email. We wanted to know if they feel like the 21^st are a clear contender and if they think they have a real chance against the Aces. He responded:
"If I'm being absolutely honest, I think the Lynx and the Aces might be a step ahead of the 21st. We'll likely need to beat the two of them to win the Founder's Cup and it will be hard. But I'm confident we can do it. We didn't start with too much on the roster and we didn't have too many draft picks at the beginning of last draft, but we struck gold with some selections and we made some interesting waiver claims. This puts us in a good place to give the two others a run for their money. Ottawa beat Yukon in last season's semi-finals. If you need a proof that everything is possible, there's that. We're not last season's Ottawa though, we are deeper than them and if we beat any of the other two teams in the semi-finals or in the finals, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone."

 

Having the opportunity to pursue more answers, we asked him to break down his opinions on the trade he completed with Oslo. 

"At some point, I had to be a buyer this season, I could not just sell that makeshift roster that was built as the season went, and I kind of owed to Thranduil, my AGM, to compete this season. He forfeited a lot of TPE so John Madden would be back with us this season (...). Getting Anton Edvin and Diljodh Starload was necessary for us to keep up with the Lynx and the Aces, since they both made similar moves in the last few weeks. (...) As for Edvin, he might not have made as much noise since joining, but he'll be back next season too, which adds tremendous value to the trade in my eyes.
Even if we don't win this season, I still think it was all worth it. However, I'm definitely looking forward to the playoffs and I'm excited to see if we can pull off what others would probably claim is an upset against the Lynx or the Aces. This is especially true with the Lynx, as I was their AGM for the past 2 seasons, learning the ropes of the job under diamond_ace. I'd be delighted if we face them in the semi-finals and take them out. Student surpasses the teacher."

 

 

On paper the 21sts have the weakest roster of the three clear contending teams, however they have a roster with plenty of rookies who are developing at a high rate and could help the Halifax club finish with a more competitive roster at the end of the season. One of the main things about Halifax is their goaltender situation, Smith's performance has been remarkable, and as a reward he is the top goalie in the league. Backing Smith up is Chase, a rookie who could take over Smith's starter duties should he collapse. If they had to fix something, it would have to be their defensive situation. Their top four simply can't compete with the talented defensive core of both the Ottawa Lynx and Las Vegas Aces, but as we've said they have defensive prospects that are making huge developmental strides. Elasmobranch Fish and Bald Guy, both rookie defenders, are sitting right at a respectable TPE total and are improving weekly. 
One player to watch out for is Hunter Hearst Helmsley, a natural centre that came into the league late but has hastily developed into one of Halifax's key forwards. 

 

 

Final Analysis (TL;DR)

 

The Aces have been looking like the strongest team, but the Ottawa Lynx have recently shown that they're not invincible. Both the Lynx and 21sts are going to be tough rivals in the playoffs, and with both teams likely to defeat Oslo/Saskatoon, it'll be an interesting final four this season. While there is a clearly separation between the final three teams, we can't forget about Oslo and Saskatoon. Both teams have been acquiring talented free agents lately and could be a surprise first round winner if the team that matches with them becomes over confident. 

 

[Josh 1,598]

Fire. Considering adding a VHLM tag!

[Exlaxchronicles 415]

Nice write up!