Kesler's Articles

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag number 33

 

As of May 5^th, 2014 I (Métis) was hired as a Victory Hockey League Minor mag writer. I was quite surprised by this as my grammar is not very good, but the mag editor believes in me to do a good job with some help with grammar from another mag writer. When I was hired I was quite shocked that I was given a job that you need to write and have good grammar and to be able to write long pieces of the mag. I have loads of experience writing thousand word essays from school and writing mock drafts, rankings, previews etc. Now that I am on the mag I am going to try my best to improve my grammar to where I will not need it to be proofread by another writer. I will be looking to make strides and try and put out the most exciting and most overzealous article I can in each edition. I know many other mag article writers look to do the same.

 

The topics in the VHLM that I will be writing about will vary very much. I have been told that it is basically freelance, but I would like to stick to what I entered into in my interview. I originally was going to write about the three stars of the past week. One being from each position (forward, defense, and goalie), it would be a breakdown of all stats and how they affected the games they played in and how their team did around them. Obviously I wouldn’t do a player more than once a season unless they were outstanding for most of the season. I will not necessarily be choosing the player that has had the best season (except for the first week) but who had the best week totals from every stat to hits, shots blocked, rise in save percentage etc.

 

For this week I am going to do a little preview of what I am going to be doing, I will be doing the three stars in the VHLM finals. Kimmo Salo was a big part of getting the Rush to the finals and he certainly showed up in the finals. In only 6 games Salo let in a measly 9 goals for a 1.55 goals against average, he played stellar in the finals where his team needed him. Salo would finish the tournament with a 1.94 goals against average. In the finals Salo posted 2 huge shutouts including the game 6 win over the Royals that won the Founder's Cup and in the huge game 4 were the Rush would take a commanding 3-1 lead over the Royals. At forward it was very close as the Rush had two studs in Konstantin Azhishchenkov and Johan Hallstrom. Konstantin posted 6 points in the finals including the clutch overtime goal in game one. Hallstrom however one upped Konstantin having 7 points, most being assists, but timely assists. His 7^th assist in the playoffs came in a clutch game 6 where Hallstrom's assists gave the Rush the two goal lead.

 

That is a little snipet of what I am going to be doing in future mag articles. I will be going into much more detail and really showing off why these players were the “stars” of the week. The VHLM season is looking very strong coming into the draft so there will be an extreme amount of players to cover and to talk about.

 

To be edited by Jason on Sunday.

 

Edited version**

Edited May 11, 2014 by MÉTIS

[diamond_ace 3,114]

Mag number 33

 

As of May 5^th, 2014 I (Métis) was hired as a Victory Hockey League Minor mag writer. I was quite surprised by this as my grammar is not very good. But the mag editor believes in me to do a good job with some help with grammar from another mag writer. When I was hired I was quite shocked that I was given a job that you need to write and have good grammar and to be able to write long pieces of the mag. I have loads of experience writing thousand word essays from school and writing mocks drafts, rankings, previews etc. Now that I am on the mag I am going to try my best to improve my grammar to where I will not need it to be proof read by another writer. I will be looking to make strides and try and put out the most exciting and most overzealous article I can in each edition. I know many other mag article writers look to do the same.

 

The topics in the VHLM that I will be writing about will vary very much. I have been told that it is basically freelance, but I would like to stick to what I entered into in my interview. I originally was going to write about the three stars of the past week. One being from each position (forward, defense, and goalie), it would be a breakdown of all stats and how they affected the games they played in and how there team did around them. Obviously I wouldn’t do a player more than once a season unless they were outstanding for most of the season. I will not necessarily be choosing the player that has had the best season (except for the first week) but who had the best week totals from every stat to hits, shots blocked, rise in save percentage etc.

 

For this week I am going to do a little preview of what I am going to be doing, I will be doing the three stars in the VHLM finals. Kimmo Salo was a big part of getting the Rush to the finals and he certainly showed up in the finals. In only 6 games Salo let in a measly 9 goals for a 1.55 goals against average, he played stellar in the finals were his team needed him. Salo would finish the tournament with a 1.94 goals against average. In the finals Salo posted 2 huge shutouts including the game 6 win over the Royals that won the Founders cup and in the huge game 4 were the Rush would take a commanding 3-1 lead over the Royals. At forward it was very close as the Rush had two studs in Konstantin Azhishchenkov and Johan Hallstrom. Konstantin posted 6 points in the finals including the clutch overtime goal in game one. Hallstrom however one upped Konstantin having 7 points, most being assists but timely assists. His 7^th assist in the playoffs came in a clutch game 6 where Hallstroms assists have the Rush the two goal lead.

 

That is a little snip it of what I am going to be doing in future mag articles. I will be going into much more detail and really showing off why these players were the “stars” of the week. The VHLM season is looking very strong coming into the draft so there will be an extreme amount of players to cover and to talk about.

 

To be edited by Jason on Sunday.

good. But - good, but

mocks drafts - mock drafts

proof read - proofread

One being - With one being

there team - their team

were his team - where his team

Founders cup - Founders Cup

were the Rush - where the Rush

assists but timely - assists, but timely

Hallstroms - Hallstrom's

assists have the Rush - assists gave the Rush

snip it - snippet

 

 

On the whole, this was actually pretty good, it goes to show what you can do when you try.

[fever95 333]

add an apostrophe on Founder's too

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag number 34

 

Bern Royals

 

The Bern Royals were one of the cup favorites in Season 37, having superstar defenseman Ron World Peace who lead the team to the finals only to fall short. The Royals now have their star power in Azmet Ali who was dealt from Turku to the Royals for a season 38 first round pick. The Royals decided Ali would be more of an impact than the first round pick this season. The Royals are a middle of the pack team only having a couple guys with high training hours. The Royals are not very deep in any position, for them to be a true competitor they will need to add a few players.

 

Bratislava Watchmen

 

The Watchmen after last season have gone into a complete rebuild. The Watchmen have made multiple trades dealing this season's picks for the future and dealing players for picks. The Watchmen have acquired multiple picks doing so; on draft day GM “Seth” dealt away his only first (that belonged to Minot) for two future picks. He also dealt away high training hour inactives for more future picks. The Watchmen will not be competing this season and will more than likely finish last in the European Conference and last in the VHLM.

 

Moscow Red Wolves

 

The Wolves come draft day were looking very good having a total of four picks in the first two rounds. Moscow with the third overall “choked” as some would say drafting Seth Rollins. Rollins was certainly not the third best in training hours at the draft nor one of the prospects considered to grow considerably throughout the season. However, Moscow caught a break finding a gem with their eighth overall pick drafting Steve Tremblay.  For the Wolves to be a top tier team in the European conference Tremblay will have to have a stellar season carrying his team. For the Wolves to also be a good team they will need Jose Canseco to be one of the best goalies in the VHLM. Canseco has very high training hours for his time in the league.

 

Oslo Storm

 

The Storm went through a slight rebuild last season and had the fourth overall pick in the Season 38 draft. With that pick the Storm drafted one of the best players in the draft in Jackson Miller. Miller’s agent has had loads of success in the past since being in the league. Miller looks to add to the long list of success by his agent Beketov. The Storm have a lot of players with average training hours that are inactive. Only having a couple actives on the Storm, Oslo will have a tough time competing with only one star on the team. Miller will need to hit his stride early in the season to get his team the early points if they want to be one of the bests.

 

Turku Outlaws

 

 

The recent GM change from John McBride to Sergey Brovalenko brought a new fresh face to the organization. Brovalenko quickly made some deals to acquire two first round picks, and in doing so had to deal away his future to make sure he was fully committed to winning and bringing a much needed cup the franchise. The Outlaws added Milos Denis and Koji Yamazaki at the draft while having superstar returnees Morgan and Vlasis.  The Outlaws are going to be a very big threat this season having a lot of star power and having the depth over the majority of the VHLM. The one thing the Outlaws don’t have however is a goalie that can help them compete and stay on top.

 

Edited Verson** 

Edited May 28, 2014 by MÉTIS

[eaglesfan036 4,605]

season 37 = Season 37

season 38 = Season 38

who was deal from Turku to the Royals = who was dealt from Turku to the Royals 

for  them = for them (has an extra space)

a full complete rebuild = a complete rebuild

picks of the now for the future = this season's picks for the future

European conference = European Conference 

having a total of 4 picks in the first two rounds.  = having a total of four picks in the first two rounds. (numbers under 10 are written out)

Though Moscow caught a break = However, Moscow caught a break 

in the draft Jackson Miller = in the draft in Jackson Miller

agent “Beketov” = agent, Beketov

with average  training hours  = with average training hours (there's an unnecessary space)

to Sergey Brovalenko, brought = to Sergey Brovalenko brought 

, in doing so = , and in doing so 

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 35

 

Third Star Dexter Morgan

 

There is no way Morgan doesn’t get on the three stars of week; Morgan has been one of the best players in the VHLM thus far in the season. Last season Morgan was seen as more of a role or depth type only getting playing time on the second and third line. Morgan put in his training hours over theoff-season and has really improved his game. Morgan is first in goals and second in points only to teammate Dimothenis Vlasis. Morgan in only 31 games has an obliterating 50 goals and 36 helpers, while being a solid player in his own end. Morgan is an outstanding plus 45 indeed; leading the league in plus/minus. Morgan has really showed his dominance so far this season and will need to continue his strong play and his star power play moving into the long stretch of the season. Dexter Morgan has been the third star of the season so far.

 

Second Star Brock Waldron

 

Waldron, a recent first overall pick in the S38 VHLM dispersal draft has proved why he was picked first overall. The team Waldron plays for, the Rush had to give up a lot to get that pick so they don’t have a very deep team around him and other top prospect Don Draper. Don Draper has shown his excellence by helping Waldron on the defensive side of the puck. Though the Rush just recently picked up James Faraday to hopefully come in and be the offensive threat that they need. Surely Waldron will love some help so he doesn’t need to be on his best game all the time. Waldron’s stat lines are very impressive leading the VHLM goalies in almost every goalie stat. Waldron has 23 hard earned wins, this ties him with Magalhães Pergher. Waldron has an excellent save percentage at a .913 which leads the league by quite a large amount. On to goals against average Waldron has put up a 2.23 gaa, good enough for first place in the VHLM again and has a .70 lead on next goalie. Brock Waldron has been the second star of the year so far.

 

First Star Dimothenis Vlasis

 

Vlasis much like Dexter Morgan was a under looked player last season only getting playing time on the second pairing under players like Svoboda and Wylde. But now mans the top pairing and first power play with Koji Yamazaki, Vlasis has 22 power play points; 13 being goals. Vlasis is playing huge minutes and with that comes tough minutes, Vlasis averages almost half the game on the ice. Dimothenis leads the VHLM in assists and in points with 87 goals and 60 assists. Vlasis has really stepped up his game with teammate Morgan, both have grown into great prospects and are showcasing it here in the VHLM. Vlasis being like a quarterback for his team has helped them jump up the standings and are on top of thw VHLM due to his star play. Dimothenis Vlasis has been the first star of the season so far. 

Edited June 4, 2014 by MÉTIS

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 36

 

VHLM Trade Tracker

 

With season 38 well under way GM’s have been tweaking their lines and making adjustments here and there to give their team the best chance of a cup or a playoff berth. In the past few weeks there have been an outrageous amount of trades, almost like the trade deadline was coming sooner rather than later. We have seen a few teams add much needed pieces to their rosters to add depth or more star power, teams have also unloaded their superstars for future picks. Today will be a look at a few of the bigger trades that have happened so far this season.

 

Oslo and Moscow

 

Oslo received a Moscow season 40 first round pick and a Moscow season 39 second round pick for top prospect and VHLM superstar Jackson Miller. Miller was one of the only active players on the Storm so interim GM Draper felt this trade was needed to ensure the future of the Storm and that Miller went to a team that is competing and will make the playoffs. Moscow made this move to beef up their star power and try and have a good enough team to compete with their rival, the Turku Outlaws. Some may say this was an overpayment for a one year rental in Miller and especially if this trade doesn’t make the Red Wolves better than the Outlaws. Though Moscow has shown that they are committed this season but not being fully in it. Only time will tell if this was a good move by the Red Wolves GM.

 

Saskatoon and Turku

 

Turku dealt a much of their inactive depth players and some picks for Devin Sundberg, Sundberg has been a consistent point per game player on the Wild so far this season. Saskatoon received three inactive players: Braxton Hunter, Walt Pringle and Mikael Svensson and an abundance of third round picks that could potentially turn into wild card picks. Turku made this move because they already had two full lines of inactives and the picks were useless. So the trade makes sense form a Turku stand point adding an active player to his roster that will get the minutes on a guaranteed playoff team. On the other side of the spectrum Saskatoon was dealing Sundberg because they were not competing in their tough conference and it was more than likely Saskatoon was going to lose Sundberg without any return and Sundberg was not going to get any playoff experience.

 

Saskatoon and Bern

 

This trade happened before the Sundberg deal and this one say the Wild deal their season 39 second round pick and recent first round pick Mikkel Boomgarden for inactive Aaron Hartley and a Bern season 40 first round pick and a Bern season 39 second round pick. Boomgarden will add activity and a star power player to the Royals which is what the GM of the Royals wanted, saying his team needed to be more active and this will do just that. Although if you eliminate both the second rounder’s it is Boomgarden for an inactive Hartley and a first round pick, that may be a hefty price to pay for a guy you may only have for the rest of the season. Like the Miller trade time will only tell if these moves will pan out.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 37

 

Waiver Pick-Ups 

 

Edgar Bathazar

 

Bathazar was picked up off waivers as a free claim after being passed up on by the other nine teams, the Wild decided to pick him up. Saskatoon recently dealt all there players of value away so this was an excellent move acquiring a free player thought he will not be getting any playoff experience. Bathazar has shown great interest in the league thus far and has played great in his six games. In six games Bathazar has three goals and 2 assists with 5 points adding a very good 16 shots to his stat line.

 

Christoph Klose

 

Klose was claimed a while ago by the Bratislava Watchmen as a regular waiver claim. Klose has shown great strides in improving himself showing the future VHLM GM’s what he is made of. Klose has a typical sniper build going with Skating, Puck Handling and Scoring. Klose has seven goals and 12 assists for a solid 19 points in 18 games. He is already over a point per game and is so young in his career. Bratislava must be happy with how he has developed although he will be leaving the team in the off-season only to enter the season 39 VHLM entry draft. If Klose continues his amazing pace he could be able tosurpass the already great prospects for the draft.

 

Joshua Rubin

 

Rubin was very just recently picked up on the waiver wire by the Bern Royals, the Royals just recently built up their roster adding top prospect Mikkel Boomgaarden. This is Rubin’s agents second player, his agent had great success with Namestnikov and Rubin looks to be a same type player or a greater calibre player than what Namestnikov was. In Rubin’s very short 10 games he has three goals and seven assists for a solid point per game. While being a point per game Rubin also has added 35 hits and 24 shots. Bern got a great pick up for free for their Founder’s cup run and got an active guy. Rubin will slowly progress into getting big minutes into the playoffs.

 

Lukas Nykvist

 

Lukas Nykvist was claimed quite a while ago by the Yukon “2 Gud” Rush as a waiver claim. Nykvist was lucky enough to get picked up by an already good team looking to get even better to become a juggernaut for the VHLM playoffs. Nykvist has been very active updating and has been very active around the board. Nykvist looks to be going for a very even build unlike most players, training in Strength and Defense so early may be a good thing to do in the VHLM. Lukas has played almost half the season so far, in 27 games Lukas has five goals and ten assists for a solid 15 points. But Lukas also has more to add to his points, Lukas is a +30 showing off he is a great player to have on the ice not as a liability in the defensive end. He also has 36 hits and 40 shots showing off his excellent two way play. Nykvist will be a big contributor in the playoffs when they e

Edited June 17, 2014 by MÉTIS

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 38

 

Playoff Preview

 

European Conference

 

With Season 38 just about to wrap up, the standings are set for the always exciting VHLM playoffs. The first round match up in the European conference will be between the Moscow Red Wolves and the Bern Royals. The Red Wolves had a shaky start to the season but after making key trades and adding star power to their lineup they really turned it around to finish second in the conference and to finish only ten points behind the European leader, the Outlaws. The Wolves had a 46-24-1 record which was good enough for second in the VHLM, the Wolves also had a very good +67 goal difference which was good enough for third in the league. The Wolves finished the season right in stride for the playoffs with an excellent 7-3 record. The Wolves have the leg up on the Royals as they have multiple stars in Jackson Miller, Steve Tremblay, Jose Cancesco, Aksel Thomassen and many more guys. The Royals will have a very tough task against the Wolves in this series, big names like Azi Ali, Earl Parker and Mikkel Boomgaarden will have to play some of their best hockey this season to compete with all of the Wolves bigs. The Royals finished the season with a record of 33-29-9 which was the worst record for all playoff teams in this year’s VHLM playoffs. The Royals also finished with a -11 goal difference and with a 6-2-2 record to finish the season. It is going to be a very tight series if the Royals can play at their peaks for the entire round.

 

North American Conference

 

In the North American conference the second and third place teams are the Ottawa Lynx and the Brampton Blades. The Brampton Blades had a very good draft picking up multiple top prospects that have helped and shaped who they were this season and who they are now. The Blades were on the teams that just couldn’t find the right line combos so they had troubles all season. But did end up finishing 37-32-3, only a measly two games above five hundred including over times losses as regular losses. The Blades had a +7 goal differential which was fifth in all playoff teams, but only one down from their competitors the Lynx. The Blades had an outrageously bad end to the season finishing an embarrassing 3-7. The Blades will look for guys like David Januzaj, Triton Jackson and Tyson Stokes to really step up in the series as big players. If these guys don’t show up, the Blades could be in for a quick series. The Ottawa actually had less wins than the Blades but had less losses and more over time losses for the same amount of points. The Lynx finished with a 36-30-5 record which like Blades was just barely above a five hundred winning percentage. The Lynx also like the Blades finished very weak with a 4-5-1 record which could have potentially lost them their home ice advantage for the first round. Ottawa has been one of the fortunate teams to have a lot of depth and a lot of guys to look to, to get points. Eight guys finished with well over 50 points, 5 of which broke over 100 points. The Lynx are a very strong team when on their game and will be a tough competitor for the Blades.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 39?

 

First Round Wrap

 

The first round of the VHLM playoffs just came to a wrap. The four teams that battled in the first round were the Ottawa Lynx and the Brampton Blades, in the European conference it was the Bern Royals and the Moscow Red Wolves. Many had predicted the Wolves and the Royals series to be a quick one as the Royals on paper just did not match up with the Wolves. In the other series the two teams were very similarly built and were expected to go to a close game six or seven. 

 

Lynx and Blades

 

The Ottawa Lynx faced off against the Brampton Blades in a best of seven playoff matchup, whoever won this series would go on to play the Yukon Rush. In game one the Lynx got off to a great start by winning their first game convincingly four to one, with key points by Cote and Leskowsky. In game two the Lynx weren’t as lucky, after blowing a third period lead the Blades clawed back and got an over time winner by fighter Tyrone Williams. Heading to Ottawa for game three the Lynx knew they had to use their home ice crowd to the advantage and show the Blades they were for real. The Lynx must have been hyped as their jumped out to a three goal lead in the first period, adding another in the second to finish the game five goals to three. Chris Raymond and Leo Tesla were huge contributors combining for five points. Lynx having won their only home game got back to back home wins against the Blades. The Lynx have shown to have really strong first periods and hope they can hold on tight to those leads. The Lynx would finish off the Blades in six games; the Blades were expected to be cup contenders this season. The Lynx had key points by Tyler Cote and Aelred Leskowsky, if the Lynx think they’re going to de thrown the Rush these guys are going to have to keep up their hot play.

 

 

Wolves and Royals

 

The winner of this series would go on to play the European conference leader of the regular season, the Turku Outlaws. The series that was not expected to go past four games, most definitely not past five. The Wolves loaded up on too much dynamite for them not to go out with a boom in these playoffs. In game one the Wolves showed the Royals them they were in the wrong league by jumping out to a three to one shalacking in the first period. In the second and third period the Royals tried to battle back, only mustering up four goals and losing by one. A much closer game then many people expected, the Royals and Wolves would continue this high scoring into game two by scoring a combined four goals in the first twenty minutes. The Wolves would then move on to get a pair in the second that would put the game away for good. Miller, Kent and Kabambi combined for six points for the Wolves. Well the getting to a big lead in the first period seems to be a theme in these playoffs as the Wolves scored three goals within the first ten minutes of the game, Tremblay getting a pair. The Wolves would add one but that was about it for the Royals. Up to this game the Royals were really just letting the lead get away right from the start, so there always playing behind. The Royals would not let in any goals in the first period in game four, in the second they got on the board first but the Wolves would counter it by scoring two in a row. The Royals season was on the ropes, they would tie the game in the third but Aksel Thomassen would score a goal almost right after to finish the Royals season off. 

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 40

 

What Went Wrong

 

The Turku Outlaws and the Yukon Rush squared off in the Season 38 VHLM finals to decide who would take home the Founders cup. The Outlaws just came off of a thrilling six to one game seven victory over the Moscow Red Wolves only to meet the Rush. The Rush had it easy after winning their series over the Lynx in an easy four game sweep. The Outlaws would then lose both games on the road to come home to new lines expecting more from their offense. The Outlaws only mustered up one goal in the first two games; the new lines seemed to work for the first three periods but would fall in game three in overtime. The Outlaws were in a must win situation in game four but could not come clutch and lost the Founders cup in a measly four straight. The Outlaws had the strongest Offenses throughout the regular season and could only put together six in the finals, so what went wrong?

 

Goal scoring dried up – The Outlaws scored a total of 355 goals in the regular season in 72 games, having the most out of any VHLM team in Season 38. The Outlaws had the top goal scorer in the VHLM, as well as two out of the three top assist men. The team was built around their offense and didn’t rely on goaltending to win them games. In the finals against the Rush, Dexter Morgan (the top VHLM scorer) only put up five points in the short four game series. He was a huge let down as well as other such as Dimothenis Vlasis (leading VHLM defenseman and assist man) and Yoji Yamazaki (fourth in defenseman points and third in assist). This pairing combined for no points in their combined 8 games, certainly they did not show up and being a top pairing this was a huge let down.

 

Goaltending disaster – The Outlaws were one of the teams that could not find a legitimate goalie through either waivers or a decent trade. The Outlaws had to stick to old grizzled veteran Magalhães Pergher who was in great regression and had no place being a starting goalie. In the regular season Pergher had a record of 51-16-3 in a total 70 games with a save percentage of .874 and a goals against average of 3.35. He was one of the worst for all starting goalies and would have had worse stats but he had a very good team in front of him. In the finals Pergher had a huge task at trying to match the play of young star Brock Waldron. Pergher would let in 11 goals in four games for a goals against average of 2.75 which was an increase from the regular season but was still not good enough. The Outlaws came so far this season only to have their goalie blow up and their once great Offense implode on them.

Edited July 8, 2014 by MÉTIS

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 41?

 

Who the Lynx should have taken 1,2,3.

 

The day of the Season 39 VHLM dispersal draft is upon us, this draft is very deep and is full of future VHL and VHLM superstars. The Ottawa Lynx own five of the seven picks; they have traded well and look to be a very good team if they make the right draft choices. The rest of the first round is filled out by the Saskatoon Wild who own picks four and five, then the Red Wolves, Outlaws and Royals own eight nine and ten in order. The draft will be very deep so there will be many great players in the later rounds so we are seeing seconds and thirds go for much more than normal value. The Ottawa Lynx will most likely draft a combo of a goalie, a forward and a defenseman for their first three selections. The clear number one goalie in the draft is Gunnar Skovsgard, he leads the all other goalies in training time but the other goalies are not too far behind. On defense there are a number of potential good defenseman but Mason Richardson stands out as the clear number one. His agent Kendrick has had great success in past players such as Joey Kendrick and Kameron Taylor, Mason Richardson will be no different. Richardson already in the top four in training hours for the draft, he will be one of the best in the upcoming VHLM season so I do not see why the Lynx would pass up on him. For the Lynx forward they can go a couple different ways either going for one of the very many different centers or go for the best winger James Faraday. Faradays agent is one of the best, he has agented a Hall of Famer and a potential HOFer but it is too soon to tell. James Faraday will most likely be one of the best from this current draft class. But there are five great potential centers in this draft, which is a very good thing because center is one of the most important positions in hockey. Going from the top up the Lynx could choose (although not likely) recent first round selection Lukas Nykvist who has quite a lot of training hours and has a good reputation in the league, he is his agents very first player so nobody knows how we will be but it should be interesting. The next three guys are in order from lowest to highest training hours are Devin Sundberg, Aksel Thomassen and Tyler Cote. All of these guys have quite a good amount of training hours, all higher than Nykvists and all their agents have had players in the past and have had very successful players. Thomassen has already been autoed to the Quebec City Muete because he has ties with the GM but has been sent down due to lacking in some areas of his game. Though he has what it takes to have a good VHLM season. Now the highest training hour player in the draft is Thomas O’Malley, O’Malleys agent Green has just come off agenting one of the best goalies the VHL has ever seen and one of the best of his generation. O’Malley is a candidate for number one overall but will more than likely go to the Lynx.

Edited July 20, 2014 by MÉTIS

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 42

 

VHLM Free Agents, A controversy

 

VHLM Free agents are the lowest of the low in the VHL, they are sent to free agency by their VHLM and are signed too little to no money. Very much like in the AHL you get paid a considerably small amount compared to the NHL. The last few season there have been comments regarding VHLM free agents and how they really affect the VHLM. When they hit free agency VHL teams have a chance to sign them but they are usually nowhere near close enough to the skill level as they need to be to be in the bigs. So to prevent that player from going to waste VHLM teams have a chance at signing one to round out a roster or help their core younger stars. But some teams are abusing this and are signing these free agents to a maximum salary and maximum term contract only to trade them for assets. This has been brought up by numerous heads in the VHL community, but the VHLM commish has not commented on these allegations. Though there is proof of this happening in the past, present and more than likely in the future. Most recently the Outlaws signed Guy Lukovski in free agency for five-hundred thousand (max) and for three season (max) and dealt him to move up in the draft. He was dealt right after the papers went through and was approved by VHLM commish Corcoran. GM of the Outlaws did not comment on trading this free agent, and he is reportedly trying to trade another free agent he acquired this off-season. So should the league change the ways of VHLM free agency? Too prevent this in the future so that rebuilding and or retooling teams cannot just sign free agents for max money and term only to trade them for more assets to help themselves. In my opinion it should be changed so that only teams that are competing can bid on free agents or once you sign a free agent you cannot trade them. This would eliminate all the troubles of the VHLM free agency. 

 

Key free agents in Season 39:

 

Mikko Leskonnen is currently on the Brampton Blades and in 11 games has a solid 15 points and Is one of the best defenseman on the Blades. Is Brampton could not of signed him would they have been doing this good?

Dujuan Cook is tied for the team lead in points on the Blades; he has 27 points in 11 games. As a free agent he was a very excellent signing and this is a good example of how free agents can change VHLM teams. The Blades are an average team without their free agents, but with them is one of the bests.

 

Magnus Hertzerg is leading his team in points with 23 in 10 games; he is the only player on the team that has a good amount of training hours in the VHLM. He was signed and will most likely be dealt to a competitor to fill out a roster for the playoffs.

 

Dujuan Cook is tied for the team lead in points on the Blades; he has 27 points in 11 games. As a free agent he was a very excellent signing and this is a good example of how free agents can change VHLM teams. The Blades are an average team without their free agents, but with them is one of the bests.

Edited July 29, 2014 by MÉTIS

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 43

 

The Come Up

 

The Saskatoon Wild had a very disappointing Season 38 campaign. After having star players not play to their full potential and failed trades and waiver pickups. The Wild decided to unload some key players after realizing they were more than likely not going to make the playoff, only to have a better team in Season 39. The Wild had picks 4 and 5 in the first round; they selected Mason Richardson at number 4 and Gunnar Skovsgard at number 5. Richardson was the best defenseman in the draft but he had ties to the Wild organization so opted out of being drafted to the Lynx in the top 3 picks. Gunnar Skovsgard was the best goalie in the draft so the Wild knew they had to take him. The Wild had 4 second round picks; Twelve, Fifteen, Seventeen and Twenty. With these picks they got all their depth and roster players, they ended up drafting Kurtis Hunter, Gunzerker Salvador, Rami Jakobssen and Joshua Rubin. These great picks could easily make Saskatoon a competitor with the feared Ottawa Lynx. After their great drafting, the Wild have a very impressive roster that can and will be competing for the cup. The Wild have a very impressive threesome on their defensive core. Mason Richardson and Gunzerker Salvador are top 2 in points on the Wild, with third defenseman Joshua Rubin being in fourth in points. Richardson and Salvador are leading all defenseman in points in the VHLM, really showing how good they are together. To help their already impressive defensive core, in net they have the best goalie in the VHLM, Gunnar Skovsgard. In 23 games Skovsgard has an astounding 20 wins and only 3 losses, hes rocking a .911 save percentage (first in the league) and an obliterating 2.39 goals against average (first in the league). Skovsgard has very high training hours and has certainly played like it, he will be one of the many stars on this team that will help then bring a cup to Saskatoon. On offense the Wild do not have a huge point producer has most of their points come from the back end. They do have Mikael Svensson who was acquired in a trade last season, Svensson is just above point per game and is helping the rookies find their stride for the playoffs. Rami Jakobssen has also been one of the few forwards playing good, Rami was one of the Wilds second round picks. Rami has 24 points in 23 games for the Wild playing with Svensson and Hunter. Kurtis Hunter has been a real let down on the top line, only scoring 3 goals and having a total of Twelve points. 

 

With the team that Joey Kendrick and Brett Slobodzian have built, they are currently first in the European conference and first in the whole VHLM. The team has leaders in almost every single position and has a smoking hot goalie that has proven to be one of the bests that the league has seen in a while. The Wild have made the moves and drafted correctly, let’s see how their team does this season.

Edited August 5, 2014 by MÉTIS

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Article 44

 

Ranking the VHLM logos, Part 1

 

I have been given the task of ranking the VHLM logos by my boss and magazine illustrator. I decided to break this article into 2 parts, I will be doing the European teams logos first. A logo by definition is a symbol or other design adopted by an organization to identify its products, uniform, vehicles, etc. Logos are a very big part of an organization and companies become known from their logo. For example the Nike “swoosh” is a very iconic logo around the world. Many people know if they see the “swoosh” on a piece of clothing or on a pair of shoes it is a good brand and is affiliated with Nike. 

 

Number 5

 

In my honest opinion I think the worst logo in the VHLM Europe conference is the Royals logo. This logo is too blocky and it should represent a “royal” more, I feel the crown that symbolizes “royalty” is not big enough and does not stand out enough. The coloring awful, what hockey team has purple on their jerseys? Yes the Dynamo do but their legendary, the Bern Royals are not legendary. To go along with that the yellow that is supposed to be gold is just ugly.

 

Number 4

 

At number 5 is the Oslo Storm, the Storms logo is a very interesting one. The name “Storm” would normally mean lighting, wind, thunder, rain and more chaotic things. This was failed in this logo; it is simply a man with a fat neck and a weird lightning bolt that looks like its slitting his throat. I am also not feeling the coloring on this one, the maroon with the darker red with the skin coloring is not very appealing. If I had to play hockey on the Storm I would refuse to wear this logo on my jersey.  

Number 3

 

The logo that is very iffy is the Watchmen logo, to start with I must say the coloring is beautiful. The baby blue with the darker blue and the grey look very nice together, props to the creator! But I must say that the man’s face on the logo is very scary, I know the team is called the “Watchmen” but that is a very scary looking man. But I cannot blame the logo for the strange name that is why this logo is right in the middle.

 

Number 2

 

The Turku Outlaws logo hold the spot for the second best logo in the European conference. This logo looks smooth and silky. The hard edges look very soft and very clean, the coloring is very good and was executed perfectly. The logo shows exactly what an “Outlaw” is, the man looks mean and tough as nails and of course is wearing a bandana and a gritty old black cowboy hat. This logo is very good and that’s why I think it is second best.

 

Number  1

 

At number one is a logo much like the Outlaws, it is the Moscow Red Wolves logo. A very new team that just went through a city/logo change. They got a a very good artist to do this one, the logo is very smooth and silky just like the Outlaws logo. The coloring is very good with the two shades of red and the grey and black around the Wolves face. It is a very simple logo just like the Outlaws, it is simply a Wolves face nothing more. That is why I believe I like it and think it is the best logo in the VHLM European conference.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 45

 

Ranking the VHLM logos, Part 2

 

I am now on the second part of my two part article of ranking the VHLM logos. This week I will be ranking the North American VHLM logos. The feedback from the first part was very good so I am looking forward to ranking these logos, I had a few comments on where logos were ranked but it is all in one person’s opinion and what they think of a logo. A logo is like a piece of art, to each their own I suppose.

 

At Number 5

 

The worst logo in the North American conference has got to be the Saskatoon Wild logo. The Wild usually goes along with crazy, and wild colours like darker shades. This logo has very friendly colours on it, a baby blue as an outline with a very friendly skin colour on the face of the so called “Wild”. The animal looks like a very young animal that is not scary or Wild like the name. I think a scarier animal would have been better for the logo, along with the colours I do not think this logo matches the name. 

 

At Number 4

 

The Ottawa Lynx have the second worst logo in their conference. This logo to me is very plain and is not much of a logo, the base is a very plain colour with some black trim. A Lynx in the wild is very scary but this logo is not, Lynx’s are usually white with shades of grey and black. The logo does not represent what a Lynx in the wild is. Overall I think this logo is not terrible, but I think it needs to be spiced up with some different colour. Maybe a whole new colour scheme would really help this logo.

 

At Number 3

 

This was very tough to put the Minot Gladiators logo at number three but there are two better logos. The Minot Gladiators have a very good and interesting logo, to start with there is a gladiator with his helmet and cape on and in the background is a triangle with a rounded top. The amount of detail on the gladiator is very good, especially with the cape and on the helmet with the spikes on the top to the shading on the face and I think the bottom of the triangle really round the logo off. The colour scheme is genius, the nice yellow with the two nice shades of grey and the light black look very well together. This logo also looks very very smooth just like the Outlaws and Red Wolves logo. These colours on a jersey look great and with this on the middle of a jersey look terrific. Minot has a very satisfying logo, great job to the logos creator.

 

At Number 2

 

This was another tough decision of mine but the second best logo in the North American conference is the Brampton Blades logo. This logo would have been number two in my books but I really just can’t get over the strange orangish red colour that covers the maple leaf and the inner circle. This is a very typical round logo (nothing wrong with that) that shows of Canada, from everything from the Maple leaf to the Hockey stick. This logo is certainly Canadian but this logo needs a new colour scheme, the darker blue doesn’t hurt the logo but (in my opinion) the orange needs to go for more of a Canadian colour. 

 

At Number 1

 

The Yukon Rush have the best logo in the North American VHLM conference, I adore this logo. Everything about it is just nice, the colour scheme, the shape, details everything. The colouring is great with the shades of grey and the blue looks great with the misty orange/yellow. The logo is shaped great with the classic circle with the R point sticking out at the bottom and the R’s wings sticking out at the top. The logos looks great on jerseys and is a real smooth logo and nice logo to look at. The Yukon Rush really do have one of the best logos in the VHLM.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 46

 

Future VHLM teams part 1

 

With the season thirty-nine season winding down to a close, the playoffs are upon us all. The top three teams in each conference have been awarded their playoff berths already, just in what order will probably not be decided till the very last game or two. Many teams are happy they made it while some are happy they didn’t so that they will have a good chance to get a good pick in next season’s draft. With the new lottery system finishing in last place is not a guaranteed to get first overall but finishing last does give that team the best chance at first overall. So with this I have decided to grade teams futures based on their current status and their future picks.

 

First up is the Brampton Blades, the Blades GM Terence Fong has been critiqued for not knowing what direction he wants his team to go in and has been questioned on numerous interesting deals he has made. He took the helm in a very bad time for the organization; they had no picks and only a few players to deal away. Mr. Fong did what he could to deal future picks away for good star VHLMers now to build a solid team that could compete. The sure paid off as the Blades are number one in the league and have some of the best players in the league. But this does not mean there in the clear by any means, Terence had very limited picks when trading and that has resulted in him only owning one third rounder in the next two draft. The Blades future is very weak but they’re a very present team.  I give the Blades a C+ grade mainly based on their current team, but their slim future really brings down their grade.

 

Next up is the Bern Royals, GM Alex Staal has been the driver of the Royals for a few seasons now and has done an exceptional job so far. Last season the Royals had some good picks and had an alright season till they decided to trade away their star players for future picks. Then ended up having another respectable and good draft this season ending up with some great VHLM talent. The Royals are in the weaker European conference with teams like Turku and Bratislava so the Royals are currently sitting in top spot. If the Royals were in the North American conference they would of failed to qualify for the playoffs. But I think once Mr. Staal figures out the line combos Bern will be a team to reckon with in the playoffs. While the Royals do have a solid team they are not in the same boat as the Blades, the Royals do have some future picks that could mean they could be competing again sooner than later. The Royals have four picks in the next two drafts which isn’t horrible, two of which are second (one in each draft season forty/forty-one) and a season forty-one first rounder that was Oslo’s. I am going to give the Royals a B grade for they have a competing roster while still having a solid future.

Edited September 2, 2014 by MÉTIS

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 47

 

Future VHLM teams part 1

 

The season thirty-nine VHLM playoffs have just begun, many teams are now going to see how their trades, waiver pickups and trades and waiver pickups they didn’t make are going to pay off or not. Being a GM is difficult, knowing when to push for a cup run or to go into a retool or a bigger rebuild. I will be looking for the second time at how well teams have done being a contender and not giving up their future to do so and I will be giving the teams a grade. This week I will be doing the Minot Gladiators who are GM’d by the infamous Zack Gagnon. In Europe I will be looking at the Bratislava Watchmen who are GM’d by the menace himself Seth Plaut. 

 

The Minot Gladiators have been one of the teams that have usually been a competitor in the last few seasons. After GM changes newly appointed GM Zack Gagnon decided to build up his picks and make one good run at the cup. Mr. Gagnon traded some highly valued picks in the recent draft for the future. In my eyes this was a very good idea because other than those couple picks Minot did not have a competitive team. So what Mr. Gagnon has to work within the next couple drafts are two firsts and a pair of seconds along with a third and a fourth in the next draft this coming off-season. Along with those picks the Gladiators could have a couple send downs and some waiver pickups to help them along the way to a cup. In the season forty-one draft the Gladiators acquire a first and three seconds along with a third rounder. This will be the season that Minot competes in my opinion. Having much more send downs from the previous draft, they will have a deadly team. The Gladiators have no actives at this time so they have a very weak future but certainly do not have the same for the future. I give the Gladiators a B grade for having their own picks and having a good amount of picks in the next two drafts.

 

Next up is the Bratislava Watchmen GM’d by Seth Plaut, Mr. Plaut since taking over GM has decided to hold off competing for a few seasons and has decided to build up all his picks into two drafts. The Watchmen current roster is by no means bad; they do have a couple actives that will help them out tremendously next season. In the upcoming draft the Watchmen have six picks in the first two rounds, four of which are in the first round and three of the picks are in the top four. In the season forty-one draft the Watchmen have three first and three seconds along with a couple third. That is a combined sixteen picks in the next two drafts, the Watchmen are going to be a scary team in the next few seasons. If they do not win a cup the league should look into hiring a replacement for Mr.Plaut. Seth has done an exceptional job so far building up this hoard of picks to compete for the cup and have a dynasty for a couple seasons. Bratislava has by far the best future in all of the VHLM, probably in all of the VHL. I am going to give the Watchmen a A+ grading for their future, his team will be astounding.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 48

 

Future VHLM teams part 3

 

We are back for another edition of VHLM future teams, the third part in the five part series. Today both of the teams I am going to be featuring in this article are or were in the playoffs. The Moscow Red Wolves will be the first team I will be featuring, this season they were a team very much in the playoff hunt but certainly could have been on the cusp of missing the playoffs. They made some key moves bringing in more players to compete with bigger and better teams. They ended up losing in a tough four games in the best of seven. Though the team they played, the Storm had a very good roster who would end up going to the VHLM finals. The other team I will be talking about today will be the Ottawa Lynx, Ottawa built from the draft having numerous first round picks and a bunch of seconds. The arguably had the best roster in the VHLM, the only other team that would compete with them is the Saskatoon Wild. Who Ottawa just happens to be in the conference finals with right now, the series is tied at three a piece with gave seven coming soon.

 

The Moscow Red Wolves have been a very solid team since GM Bruce Wayne took it the helm a few seasons ago. Some people have questioned his direction with the team, but since he has taken over he has put a good roster on the ice which is hard to do for multiple seasons consecutively. Mr. Wayne has traded a lot since taking over, moving from player to player and from pick to pick. The Red Wolves had some very good players on their team this year, VHLM superstars if you will; Jose Cansesco, Blake Knight, Tyler Cote just to name a few. But like I said earlier they fell short in the first round, Mr. Wayne was no doubt disappointed with the team. Now on to Moscow’s future, let’s just say they do not have a future (at least in the next two drafts anyways,) they only have a measly two third round picks. For a team that did not even make it to the conference finals this is not good enough. The Moscow Red Wolves are getting a C grade, their future really brought them down.

 

Now on to the Ottawa Lynx, GM Jim Gow did a very astounding job acquiring picks in this past draft to build one hell of a team. The Ottawa Lynx have some of the elite in the VHLM right now, players like Aksel Thomassen, Thomas O’Malley, Jerrick Poole, Soren Douffet. The list goes on and on, I give props to Mr. Gow for building an astounding team. The Lynx are currently in the conference finals against an equally strong team that has some tremendous stars on it. If Ottawa can pull through and beat the Wild they have a good chance at getting the Founders cup. Now onto what picks the Ottawa organization possesses, the Lynx only possess one second round pick in the next two drafts. But I can clearly see why as they have a very good team that has a very high percentage chance at winning the cup. I am going to give the Lynx has a B+ grade because of how well the team was built and how they are going to do finishing the playoffs.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 49

 

Future VHLM teams part 4

 

The season thirty-nine season concluded just a few days ago, the Ottawa Lynx won the Founders cup in a tight five games series, where the Lynx won four to one. I would like to congratulate the Lynx, they had an outstanding team full of future VHL stars. They really proved to the league that those players have what it takes to make it into the bigs next season. Moving onto the fourth part of the five part series, future VHLM teams. Today I will be featuring the Saskatoon Wild and the Oslo Storm, these teams both made it into their own conference finals. Saskatoon lost in a heart breaking seven game series that would result in the Lynx moving on to play the Storm in the finals. The Saskatoon Wild since having some GM changes in the past few seasons, have really turned into a great organization run by two great GMs (Head GM: Brett Slobodzian and Assistant GM: Joey Kendrick). As for Oslo Don Draper is at the help of the Storm all by himself or his Assistant GM just hasn’t show up to work recently.

 

The Saskatoon Wild sure geared up for a playoff run this season, both GM’s of the Wild made some excellent trades and drafting to bring in some high end prospects and VHLM talent. Players such as: Kez Kincaid, Rami Jacobsen, Kurtis Hunter, Jarome Iginla and Mason Richardson just to name a few studs. But unfortunately there was only one way the Wild could get to the playoffs, and that was going through the equally though Ottawa Lynx. Though the series did go to a nail biting seven games, the Wild team could not come up clutch. Now on to Saskatoon’s future, they only possess two thirds and a fourth in the upcoming draft. Which isnt all that bad considering they had a dynamite team this season. In the season forty-one draft they have their own first round pick, which again isn’t bad. If they decide to compete this season that pick will more than likely be moved for a player to help there cup run. I am going to give the Saskatoon Wild a B grade, because they have had a strong team the past few seasons that just hasn’t gotten over the hump, and they have a pretty good future for a team that has been so good in the past.

 

Now on to the Oslo Storm, the team that almost won a cup but could not come out victorious this past playoffs. The Oslo Storm are run by league liked GM Don Draper, since joining the league he has gotten nothing but love and was given this job very early in his VHL career. He has made a very good team that like I said just came up short from winning a cup, but something unlike the Wild the Storm they have an abundance of picks in the upcoming draft. Don Draper certainly has put his work in making trades over the past few seasons, plus he had a competing team this past season. Oslo has four first round picks (this is the last time this can happen due to the rule changes) and four second round picks with a pair of thirds. This team is going to be an elite team next season, Don Draper can only hope that is draft selections turn into elite VHLM players. I am going to give the Oslo Storm an A grade for having such a great past season and having a lot picks in the next draft.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 50

 

 

“The dream team”

 

For my historical article I have decided to write about the Season thirty-seven Turku Outlaws. The Outlaws are an organization I know a lot about, and since this season they haven’t had the same chance to win a cup, have been to the finals though. At the time was GM John Mcbride, he had done a great job acquiring picks for the draft in the seasons leading up to season thirty-seven. He had acquired two first round picks and his own first which was the highest. Adding on to the three first was an outrageous six second rounder’s with five thirds. He had the makings of a VHLM franchise with these picks. 

 

The draft went well for John Mcbride, he drafted Jake Wylde second overall who was connected to the “STZ” agency who had just come off being an agent for superstar Ethan Osbourne. With the fifth overall selection John took the second best defenseman in the draft (Wylde being the first) Vojzek Svoboda, Svobody was also know because of his famous agent “Slobo”. The Outlaws had the next pick after that, with the sixth overall selction they took Travis Boychuk. There next pick wasn’t till the second round, which they ahd six consecutive picks (from eleven to sixteen). They then took (in consecutive order) Dexter Morgan, Mikael Svensson, Kristoffer Ruud, Dimothenis Vlasis, and Kez Kinkaid. This most certainly rounded out the Outlaw’s roster, the only thing the Outlaws did not have was a goalie.

 

This roster would go onto win forty-eight out of seventy-two games and finish with exactly a hundred points, good enough to tie for fourth in the league. On the road to the playoffs, the Outlaws picked up a goalie named Brock Waldron who had some decent training hours. Eight guys on the team finished with over fifty points, the team was one of the highest scoring teams that season. There three defenseman led the charge offensively, Svobody in first had a hundred and twenty-seven points. Dimothenis Vlasis second on the team had ninety-six points and Jake Wylde had a solid eighty-nine points. Travis Boychuk was one of the better forward for the Outlaws finishing with seventy-nine points, Azi Ali had an impressive seventy-six. Keep in mind these guys were all rookies at the time so they really didn’t have the practice hours needed to put up a huge amount of points. 

 

The playoffs came around and because the Outlaws finished second in the conference they did not get a buy like what the Royals did. The Outlaws had to play the Bratislava Watchmen, the Watchmen the season before had just won a cup and hadn’t had too many returnees. So they did not have a very exceptional team, the team put on the ice was not as good as they hoped. So it was an easy serious for the bigger and better Turku team, they beat them in a short five game series.  Moving onto the conference finals, the Outlaws were looking hot but they had to face the Royals. Who ended up having the best European conference record and that got them the buy. The Royals most certainly did not have the greatest team, they had a VHLM superstar goalie in net in Blaine Olynick. Other than that they had a few other key players such as Ron World Peace. So it was ultimately going to be a close series, but the Royals would take the series in a close six game series. 

 

Unfortunately for the Outlaws the team would get dismembered due to guys like Svoboda and Wylde making the immediate jump to the VHL. Some guys like Boychuk and Svensson stayed down to further develop their game into VHL players. Most of these guys right now are entering their prime seasons, just below elite player status. John Mcbride did a very good job in his last season as GM, it was the season that could had been.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 51

 

EU Mock standings

 

The fortieth VHL season is upon is, the season has just begun and teams are just about to get into the swing of things and try and get into the playoffs. Or are attempting to tank to try and get a good pick for cup runs of the future. So on to the article at hand I will be writing about a European conference mock standings. Europe was the weak conference last season with teams either in a rebuild or with older players and was forced to either compete or rebuild. Moving onto the article the top teams from last season are looking like the contenders this season as well with only one team moving up in the standings from last season.

 

Finishing last in the European conference will be in my opinion the Turku Outlaws. After having a competitive team for multiple seasons the Outlaws have since been one of the bottom feeders of the VHLM. After training camps and free agency the Outlaws announced that they have nobody on their roster. As someone who covers the Outlaws a lot and goes to games, fans are angry with what is going on in Turku. 

 

In second last in the conference in my opinion will be the Moscow Red Wolves. The Red Wolves were one of the teams that were caught in the middle of the standings, they knew for sure they were going to make the playoffs but were most likely not going to move on deep into the playoffs. As a result Moscow was forced to put together a team with mixed parts everywhere and did not end up winning. Now they have a few returning players but nothing special that stands out and can help carry the team. 

 

Finishing in the last playoff spot to me is going to be the Bern Royals. Though the Royals since starting the season are in second place in the VHLM and in first place in the European conference. So yes the Royals are in first place but I don’t think they will hold this positon, I think they have just had a good start and once the Storm and Watchmen get there lines straight they will be far more superior teams. 

 

In a very close second place will be the Bratislava Watchmen right behind the Oslo Storm. The Watchmen had a bunch of picks in the past draft and drafted well. But I don’t think they have the team to top the Oslo Storm right now. Though once the season is in full role and guys have gotten better and trades and waiver players have been picked up the Watchmen could surpass the Storm. The Watchmen are currently in in third place in the European conference, though it is very early. They have a record of 5-2-2 which is pretty good for their current roster, with room to improve they can certainly challenge Oslo.

 

Finishing first in the league European conference in my opinion will be the Oslo Storm. The Storm has one of the best rosters in the VHLM right now, though there record may not show it at 6-2 in eight games. They have the best goalie in the VHLM right now, Niklaus Mikaelson who was selected first overall. As well as they have one of the best defensemen in the league Jack Kowalski. Both high training hours with quite a few other players that are some of the highest training hours in the VHLM. General Manager of the Oslo Storm Don Draper needs to get his lines straight so they can become one of the best teams in the league.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 52

 

The Race for the Bourque

 

The Bourque trophy is the mine version or the VHLM version of the Sterling Labatte trophy, all VHL defenseman someday want to win the Labatte. So winning the Bourque would prove they have got what it takes to win a top defenseman trophy. Winners in the past that have won the Bourque in the past few seasons are players such as Connor Low, Ron World Peace, Don Draper and just recently Mason Richardson. Connor Low is the best defenseman in the VHL right now and has won multiple Labattes. Ron World

Peace and Don Draper are just about to enter their primes as some of the best younger defenseman in the league. Last but not least Mason Richardson who is one of the best prospects in the league, who is in his rookie campaign.

 

Now onto this seasons candidates for the Bourque, Joshua Rubin has got to be a candidate just because he is having an amazing season playing for the Saskatoon Wild. Rubin is leading his team in points and is second in defenseman scoring only behind VHLM veteran Razzle Dazzle. Joshua Rubin’s agent has also been very active lurking around the VHL, Rubin has also been doing lots of training and has a very solid amount of training hours. Joshua Rubin has seven goals and a nice thirty assists for a total of thirty-seven points in twenty-two games. Along with those great offensive stats he has forty-nine hits, sixty-nine shots and twenty-six shit blocks. He has kept these stats up while playing and average twenty-two mines a game.

 

Next up as a potential candidate is Brandon Holmes; Brandon Holmes entered the VHLM dispersal draft with no training hours. So was not a very high pick to any teams, though the Yukon Rush took a chance on him in the fourth round. Since then Holmes has become on the best VHLM defenseman and rookies. The Yukon Rush are not competing this season due to not having a very competitive roster. Although they do have Brandon Holmes and VHLM veteran Mario Corvia. Holmes has seven goals and thirty assists for a total of thirty-seven points in twenty-two games. Homes is second on his team in scoring and is tied with other candidate Joshua Rubin for second in defenseman scoring. Holmes has also added fifty hits, sixty-eight shots and fifty-three shot blocks. Homes is really proving he is more of a two way defenseman who can get points and do the job in his own end. 

 

The third candidate is Lloyd Light, Light was drafted in the first round by the Seattle Bears but was sent down due to lack of training hours. So he returned to the team that drafted him the season before, the Oslo Storm. The Storm have a very good team this season and Light is a big part of it, he logs important minutes being on the top pairing with other VHLM star Vladimir Komarov. Light is second on his team in scoring and his fourth in defenseman with twelve goals and twenty-two assists for a total of thirty-four points in twenty-two games. Although Light has the offensive numbers, he only has ten hits and thirty shot blocks. But he does have over eighty shots, proving he is more of an offensive defenseman. 

 

All three of these guys would be good candidates for the Bourque trophy, though if one of them gets in a slump they could let the others get ahead or let other hungry defenseman move in and take their spot in the voting. 

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 53

 

 

Yzerman Candidates

 

 

The Yzerman is the junior version of one of the hardest and elite trophies to win in the VHL, the Scott Boulet trophy. Players will play a whole career trying to win the Boulet trophy just to say they have won the trophy. So if a player in his first (or second) season can win the Yzerman trophy he is on his way to possibly winning the top two-way forward trophy, just at a much higher level. This seasons VHLM Yzerman candidates are a group of some very young players that have agents that are generally very new to the VHL in general. First candidate up is Alistair Graves, Graves is in his second season in the VHLM after being sent down by the Riga Reign. Next candidate up is Kurtis Hunter, like Graves Hunter is a send down from the Davos Dynamo. The final candidate for the Yzerman trophy is Oskars Harumpf who like the past two candidates are, is another send down. This may be a trend but maybe first year VHLMers don’t have what it takes to compete with the higher training hour send downs like these three guys. Some recent winners are Xin Xie Xiao, Bruno Wolf, Azi Ali and most recently Tyler Cote. Xiao is one of the best power forwards in the league right now, Bruno Wolf is almost in his prime to become in the top tier bracket and Azi Ali and Tyler Cote are two tremendous prospects ready to make impacts on their VHL teams. 

 

Oskars Harumpf was the highest selected player in the season forty VHL draft out of these three guys. Harumpf was drafted sixth overall by the Helsinki Titans, and was sent down to the VHLM to be drafted fourth overall to the Bratislava Watchmen. In thirty-one games this season Harumpf has eleven goals and fifty-nine assists for a total of seventy points. That is an absurd amount of assists, Harumpf also has sixty-seven hits and eighteen shot blocks to help back up his offensive numbers. As well as his faceoff percentage is a tremendous fifty eight percent. Harumpf is fourth in points (second on his team), first in assists and is fifth in faceoff percentage. Harumpf is having a great season on the Watchmen this season but will certainly need to up his game to win the Yzerman trophy.

 

Next candidate is Kurtis Hunter, Hunter is a VHLM returnee so he returned to his team from last season, the Saskatoon Wild. After the Wild had a tough playoff loss they really wanted to come back and try and push for another cup run. Kurtis Hunter certainly was a big part of their team last season so he will have another big role this season. In twenty-nine games Hunter has scored twenty goals and has twenty-two apples to total forty-two points. Hunter has also been on the other side of the puck and has added a solid sixty hits, thirteen shot blocks and has a fifty percent in the dot although he is a winger. Hunter will need to get his hits up if he really wants to win the Yzerman trophy. He has the offensive abilities, and his scoring tough will help him a lot in the voting.

 

Last candidate but not least  is Alister Graves, Graves was on a pair of teams last season after being a waiver pick up. This season he was entered into the VHLM dispersal draft and the Oslo Storm drafted him ninth overall knowing he would be a great player for them this season and obviously a competing team like Oslo could use that. In thirty games this season Graves has sixteen goals and twenty-eight assists for a total of forty-four points. That is pretty impressive for Graves, who is third on his team in points. Graves also has racked up a very good eighty-four hits, and also has twelve shot blocks to go along with that. Graves is one of the key pieces for the Storm this season and he has really played like it. Graves may be the best candidate for the Yzerman but we will see.