VHLM Western Conference Power Rankings

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Kendrick Division

 

Mexico City Kings

 

Rank: 2nd

 

The Kendrick division is an interesting one this season, containing Mexico, Houston and San Diego. Mexico really lucked out with the new division alignments this season, as both Houston and San Diego are in the process of rebuilding. In fact, they only have a total of 7 players between them. With that being said, Mexico essentially has a free pass to the playoffs this year as they have the worst two teams in the league in their division. Mexico boasts a well rounded team with a fair amount of depth. This is evident by looking at their top three players, Driver, Hylands and Kamenov, who play goalie, right wing and defense, respectively. All of these aspects were good enough to get them ranked 2nd.

 

San Diego Marlins

 

Rank: 5th

 

There is not a lot to be said of the Marlins this year, who are in the middle of a rebuild. The Marlins traded away a lot of their draft picks and as a result they didn’t have many last year, which is quite obvious after looking at their roster. San Diego currently only has 4 players on their roster, and goaltender Calvin Harvey is perhaps their only active player. The only thing they have to look forward to this year is the offseason. I am predicting San Diego will be 5th this season, because while they have players with lower TPE, they also have one more player than Houston.

 

Houston Bulls

 

Rank: 6th

 

Houston is in year two of their rebuild, after narrowly missing the playoffs last season to the 8th place Halifax 21st by 2 points. Although, the Bulls are objectively even worse this season. They are in a very similar situation to San Diego this season, with almost no draft picks last year and a current roster of only three players. The Bulls as of right now have players that are slightly better than the Marlin’s players, but the Marlins have one more player on the roster so I have Houston picked for 6th. Riley Walker looks to be somewhat active and free agent signing Casey Scott could help them out, but expect this to be another dark season for Houston.

 

Corcoran Division

 

Saskatoon Wild

 

Rank: 1st

 

In my mind, Saskatoon is the favourite to win it all this season. They had a very successful draft with an abundance of picks, and had the good fortune of TPE leader Lucas Brandt dropping to them at 4th overall. Saskatoon is currently in one of the stronger divisions, which currently has Yukon and an undefeated Las Vegas team. Saskatoon has heavy firepower on offense led by Brandt and Kazimir Komarov. The defense boasts Tyler Walker and King Kruul. One of the scary things about Saskatoon’s team is that they have 2 active goalies, and both of them should be over 200 TPE come playoff time. It is cup or bust for Saskatoon, which is why they are ranked 1st.

 

Las Vegas Aces

 

Rank: 3rd

 

The Aces are currently the only undefeated team in the league, but I do think they have been playing above their overall. Regardless, I think they have the personnel to take them to a playoff spot. The main concern for Vegas will likely be depth on defense, as they have a really good first pairing of Alex Letang and Micah Adrienne but not a whole lot after that. Some lower TPE players will have to step up for that on the second pair. The Aces have a pretty good goaltender in Nils Friedriksen, and their top two lines look pretty solid. They definitely don’t have the firepower of top teams like Saskatoon or Minnesota, but they are good enough to rank 3rd. They could be a dark horse in the playoffs.

 

Yukon Rush

 

Rank: 4th

 

After a cup run last season, it is time for a rebuild in Yukon. The team from last year is essentially completely gone, and they will have to rely heavily on star goalie Jean Pierre Camus. However, the Rush are not in a state of almost no players like Houston or San Diego. Yukon currently has a squad of 10 players. On the other hand, only 2 or 3 of them appear to be active. Unless they pick up a few players during the season, I don’t see them making playoffs. Having a few lines and a first defense pairing was enough to rank Yukon at 4th.

 

743 words, using for week ending May 24th

Edited May 24, 2020 by a_Ferk