Why every NA team can/can’t win the continental cup

[ConnorMcdavid 180]



Why every NA team can/can’t win the continental cup

 

     This article is a follow up to a fantastic article my coworker Matt posted last week. You can find his article here: https://vhlforum.com/topic/70331-why-every-eu-team-cancant-win-the-continental-cup/. Matt looked at the EU conference and why or why not each team could be a contender. I have followed his format in doing the same for the NA conference.

 

Seattle

Can - Goalie Rayz Funk

     Seattle has built a roster full of young promising players with the hope of developing a contending core for seasons to come. In Season Sixty-Seven, Seattle drafted a young goaltender in Rayz Funk. Rayz has been a stalwart for Seattle even though they are a very young team. It looks like Seattle is a lock for a playoff spot and it’s mainly due to their league low one hundred and two goals against. That’s a team stat sure but having a lights out goaltender is sure to be a big help in getting there.

 

Can’t - Lack of star power

 

     Outside of their goaltending, Seattle has a lot of potential waiting to burst out of the gates. It looks like a bunch of them are sitting on the cusp of turning from prospects to players but this season Seattle really lacks that star power on the ice. They recently picked up centre Joel Ylonen to try change this but though Joel has a high TPE total he has never been a point per game player in the VHL and we don’t expect this to change this season.

 

Vancouver

Can - Top Line

     After trading the Season Sixty-Seven trophy whore Rauno Palo and a first round pick for superstar Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Vancouver now has a top line that most teams dream of. Hunter, Starlord, and Freeman are a trio that alone should guarantee Vancouver makes the playoffs and sets them up for another potential playoff run through the weak North American conference.

 

Can’t - Special teams

     If Vancouver wants this season to be another deep playoff run, they will need to pick it up in the special teams department. They currently sit 3rd last in Power Play Percentage and dead last in penalty kill.  Those type of numbers will put you on the wrong side of a tightly contested playoff series should they not improve.

 

Calgary

Can - Defense/Goalie

     Calgary has a stalwart defence led by Brady Stropko Jr and Leph Twinger. With Cody Smith anchoring the second pairing, Calgary’s recent movement transitioning some forwards to defence looks to be paying off. Couple that with a legendary goaltender in Brick Wahl and this teams back end should be able to compete with most and any given night.

 

Can’t - Offense - particularly on the wings 

     Unfortunately, though they upgraded their defence at the expense of their offence, the damage that did to their offence was significant.  Their three centres have TPE totals around the six hundred mark showcasing their lack of star power but it is their wing depth - a total of TWO wingers on their entire roster - that is a telling stat as to why this team is seemingly underachieving in a weak North American conference.

 

Toronto

Can - Goalie JB Rift

     After a dominating season Sixty Seven, Toronto has taken a serious step back and has gone full out into their tank. Goaltender JB Rift is the only one left on the squad that still has the talent to be part of a contending team. A ton is resting on his shoulders if Toronto has any hopes of making the playoffs this season.

 

Can’t - below average everywhere else

     Outside of their all-star goaltender, Toronto has little else to offer. They are old and declining as they spiral from the top of the league last season to near the bottom this season. A rebuild is in order here and we’ll see how long it is until they once again climb to the top.

 

New York

Can - Defence

     New York has a young core of defence that should set them up for many more seasons. This group of four has outperformed expectations as three rookies being led by a stud sophomore in LeGrande. If New York has any hopes of making the playoffs it will have to lean on an inexperienced but talented group on the back end.

 

Can’t - inexperience

     Even with its promise and potential, New York is a very young team that just doesn’t have the experience and development that’s needed to win games in the VHL consistently. This will be the reason they likely miss the playoffs this year although the only cure to this is time so hopefully this will no longer be an issue next season as they trend upwards.

 

DC

Can - Cinderella

     Every league and every season has the potential for a nice Cinderella story. A Cinderella story is basically where a team or player do so much better than they are expected to do that everyone is in disbelief whether they can continue their run. DC’s only hopes of playoffs would be a heck of a Cinderella story.

 

Can’t - everything else

     DC literally does not have any pieces that make you think, “well this player can carry this team.” They are so weak on paper and during the sims that they look miles behind fellow expansion team Prague. They need to build an entire roster - not that we are doubting them at all - but it’s simply going to take time and a few gems that they’ll need to find to build around. 

 

So there you have it. The North American conference is definitely much weaker than their European counterpart but still there is competition for playoff spots and the quality of competitiveness will be fierce. 

 

On behalf of VSN and all the excellent writers there, my name is Trevor Van Lagen and I’ll see you all next article.

[Steve 1,951]

Great article from  you. Happy you got me into this league. 

[Dil 1,762]

On 10/8/2019 at 9:32 AM, VanCanWin said:

Vancouver

Can - Not

see below

 

Can’t - Dil

     Dil

fixed