ecn ECN's "VHL Now!" 7th Edition "First playoff spot clinched"

[FrostBeard 2,061]

 

Has it already been a week? Hello everyone, ECN is back with you again with another edition of ECN’s “VHL Now!” – Your most reliable way how to get all of the important information about current VHL season.

 

A new record in VHL? 

 

With the season going full swing we are seeing truly interesting things happen all around VHL and one of them is a new record set by of the best players in VHL right now! Kronos Bailey in game 200 (Moscow 6 – 1 Helsinki) received 27 penalty minutes. At the start of the game, K.Bailey already received 2 PIM for unsportsmanlike conduct and that was only a beginning. He took tripping, hooking, charging penalties, spent time instead of A.Pepper in the penalty and in the received a major penalty for fighting and game misconduct for the instigated fight. With 27 penalty minutes, he currently holds the record for most PIM in a single game.

 

Rauno Palo, Leader of the Wolfpack

 

It has a been a true journey for all the top players and it is quite clear that with a new person taking a spot as the leading scorer in VHL, Rauno Palo is showing the reason why Vancouver deserves recognition as a powerhouse. Rauno Palo has gained 14 point lead over last week’s leader Beau Louth and is having 7 more points than his closest contender Podrick Cast. It is clear that Vancouver and Rauno Palo are here to make an impact in playoffs and their ability to score and be productive on Powerplay is the biggest tool they have. With combined 121 points, their first powerplay unit lead by Rauno Palo is lethal and should be feared by every team in VHL. Who knows, maybe we are looking at this season’s league MVP?

 

Toronto has clinched a playoff spot

 

It should not be a real surprise to anyone that Toronto is the best team in the VHL right now by a longshot. With 20 point lead over the next best team, they are the cup favourites. With a roster that consists mainly of star players and truly seasoned veterans, it is actually surprising that they have only managed to win 42 games out of 56. It should be pointed out that probably the most important thing that Toronto has to look at and figure out how to improve is their powerplay. Toronto Legion currently has 4th worst Powerplay percentage and that might prove to be their Achilles heel. Even though there are quite a few questions about their ability to keep this level of activity in playoffs, we believe that their discipline on ice and chemistry will prove to be a strong weapon to counter their weak powerplay.

 

Calgary – Seattle trade

 

One of the most interesting and lopsided trades this season was between Calgary Wranglers and Seattle Bears. The trade involved sending Bears star centre Joel Ylonen to Calgary and getting in return a promising young winger John Frostbeard, a defenceman (now a centreman) Maxim Kovalchuk and an S69 3rd Round pick. It should be pointed out that Calgary was lacking offence from their first line, so a trade for a pass-first centre was needed. With that trade, Calgary is hoping that their core players will be able to push and succeed in playoffs in seasons to come. Right now, for a young and promising team like Seattle, this trade seemed to be a no-brainer. They were able to get a young winger that perfectly fits their age group with other talented players, they were able to acquire an older player that can prove to be a great mentor and they got an additional pick that could be used to snag up another player similar to John Frostbeard in S69 draft. With this trade, it shows that Calgary was truly desperate as they gave up an extremely huge amount of assets for a playoff run that at least in S67 will not reward them with the cup as there are many deeper and better-built teams around.

For this week, this will be it! Truly hopeful you liked ECN’s newest post and starting from next week we shall be featuring prospect interviews for the upcoming S68 VHL Entry draft! Have fun and ECN wishes you the best time on and off the ice!

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People mentioned: @Esso2264, @Banackock, @jRuutu, @Beaviss, @Victor, @Sonnet and @Quik
 

[Beaviss 4,958]

@jRuutu for MVP!

[jRuutu 2,483]

4 hours ago, Beaviss said:

@jRuutu for MVP!

That would be a dream Cool to see our PP getting it done - lets hope it keeps being hot and pushes us all the way!