VHLM Eastern Conference + Overall Power Rankings

[a_Ferk 761]

This is part 2, if you would like to view the Western Conference version you can read it here

 

 

Glasser Division

 

Minnesota Storm

 

Rank: 1st

 

After taking one quick glance at Minnesota’s roster, I came to the conclusion: “Yep, this team looks terrifying”. The Storm will be a force to be reckoned with this season. It is clear that Minnesota is making a push to win it all this year after the recent trade with Yukon that brought Dickson, Harrison and John to the team. They have one thing most of the other contenders don’t with a capped goalie in Woody McPine, which I think will give them an edge. Minnesota is not lacking in any other areas of the game, either. Danny DeYeeto has been around the block a time or two in the VHLM, and is expected to rack up points for Minnesota. They have a second defense pairing that rivals the first pairing of many other teams. Saskatoon remains the Storm’s biggest threat, and I think it is going to be a Saskatoon vs Minnesota final. 

 

Mississauga Hounds

 

Rank: 3rd

 

The Hounds had a very good draft this offseason, and will be looking to make a playoff push this season. It is unlikely that they will win the division, as they share it with a scary Minnesota team, but they have an almost certain shot of making it as a wildcard. The draft saw Mississauaga pick up some important pieces for their squad, including forward Marshall James Frostbeard and goaltender Jacob Tonn. Jacob is expected to have a ton of impact as the starting tender, and Frostbeard is the team’s star forward. Overall Mississauga has a good amount of depth, which could be a wildcard against teams that are top heavy. I don’t think they’re better than Philly, but they’re a good enough team to rank 3rd.

 

Ottawa Lynx

 

Rank: 5th

 

After a successful cup run, which saw the Lynx take home the founder’s Cup, Ottawa’s roster has been gutted quite a lot. Adam Syreck and Big Chungus are the team’s main driving force, backed up by Defenz Mann. Goaltender Ajay Krishna is a gem for the Lynx, taken in the 5th round of the recent draft. However, Krishna is still relatively unproven and it is unknown how he will do after immediately being thrown into the starting role. Defenz Mann and Rich Dickbutt McFudderdudder are a steady force at defense, among the best in the conference. However, Ottawa also has a staggering lack of depth. The top line and defense pairing are elite, but they are essentially the entire team. These aspects force me to rank them 5th in a close contest with Halifax. However, the weakness of the bottom teams in the West makes it so the Lynx still have a very good shot of making the playoffs.

 

 

Theusch Division

 

Philadelphia Reapers

 

Rank: 2nd

 

Although they have been overshadowed by Minnesota and are not doing very well in the standings right now, the Reapers still have a very good roster provided everyone stays with the team. I’ve heard speculation that they may be looking to sell. While John Poremba is no Woody McPine, he is still a very good goaltender in his own right and will steal them a few wins here and there. Bob Helminen and Bud Knight also remain very good players, and can be expected to provide a lot of scoring for Philly. The defense is also excellent, consisting of names like Ziarie Anigbogu, Riley Knight Gee, and Spencer Elsby. In fact, Elsby is among the best defensemen in the league. While Philadelphia doesn’t have any glaring holes in their roster, they just don’t have the firepower of Minnesota and so I have to rank them 2nd.

 

Halifax 21st

 

Rank: 4th

 

The same problem that plagues the Ottawa Lynx this season is also bothering Halifax, which is a lack of depth. Forward Timothy Brown has been providing a lot of the offense, with help from the first pairing of Viktor Mjers and James Rose. The signing of centre Empty has alleviated some of the pressure off of Brown, but the question is will it be enough? Hex Valentine is a pretty good goaltender and keeps the 21st in a lot of games, but in the present I just don’t think Halifax has the required depth to contend with top teams just yet. Another major issue for Halifax has been the amount of penalties they give up, and star forward Timothy Brown is the main culprit for this. The 21st have three players in the top 10 for penalty minutes. Be expecting a 7th place finish, or even a repeat of last season and another 8th place berth. I’m ranking Halifax 4th in the conference. Maybe I’m a bit biased, but my reasoning was that while Ottawa has better forwards, Halifax has a better goaltender.

 

Miami Marauders

 

Rank: 6th

 

The newest expansion team in the VHLM hasn’t had the cinderella story of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, but that is to be expected. The Golden Knights were the exception, not the rule, as many new expansion teams start at the very bottom. The Marauders are in the process of a bridge season, so to speak.They will not be very good this year but next season will be their year, due to all of the draft picks they have stockpiled. The strong points of the team this season are definitely defense and goaltending. Wolf Stansson and Kosmo Kramerev have been solid on the first pairing, while goaltender Bacon is the third best player on the team and has a sick name. Andre Lebastard is the main driving force on a pretty weak offense. Currently third last in the standings, I think Miami will finish last in the conference and so I must rank them 6th. Meanwhile, I also expect them to be the only team in the Eastern Conference to miss the playoffs due to the new playoff format.

 

 

Overall Power Rankings

 

 

1st: Minnesota Storm - If I finished this power ranking last week like I was going to, I probably would have ranked them 2nd. However, after the recent trade and actually studying their roster, they look scary. 

 

2nd: Saskatoon Wild - The Wild have a weaker goalie than some of the other contenders, so that might be their downfall. However, goalie Gyrfalcon has been quick to improve so he may close the gap. 

 

3rd: Mexico City Kings - The Kings have been slightly overlooked, in my opinion. First overall pick Chris Hylands and goaltender Zamboni Driver will lead this team to a top playoff spot, and first in their division.

 

4th: Las Vegas Aces - The Aces have been kind of a dark horse so far, currently sitting at first in the league. It didn’t feel right ranking them any higher than 4th since I only ranked them 3rd in the division, but if they continue this pace they will be a top team.

 

5th: Philadelphia Reapers - The Reapers have been underachieving so far this season, and are currently tied for 5th. On the other hand, Bob Helminen is currently tied for first in points, and Bud Knight is also currently in the top 10.

 

6th: Mississauga Hounds - The Hounds are a significant improvement from last season where they missed the playoffs. Frostbeard and Tonn will probably be capped by playoffs, so they could manage an upset.

 

7th: Halifax 21st - The 21st are a playoff team, but they have a current lack of depth. The first pairing has been a bright spot, especially James Rose. Rose is currently 9th in scoring for defensemen.

 

8th: Ottawa Lynx - With their current roster, they also have a critical lack of depth. If goaltender Ajay Krishna is able to improve a lot over the course of the season, they may be able to finish higher.

 

9th: Miami Marauders - Despite being lower than the Rush in the standings, looking at their roster makes it clear that Miami is the better team. I believe Miami’s main thing to look forward to is the draft. They will dominate next season.

 

10th: Yukon Rush - Being able to ice a couple of lines without bots makes the Rush better than teams like Houston or San Diego. Goaltender Jean Pierre Camus is definitely the star, and could steal them a few games.

 

11th: San Diego Marlins - Like many of the bottom teams, San Diego has the draft to look forward to with an abundance of picks. The Marlins have Roadkill Steve and a better goaltender than Houston, which makes them a better team on paper.

 

12th: Houston Bulls - Houston is likely to finish last in my opinion, despite being 11th in the standings as of right now. The Bulls don’t have any big assets, though Patrik Laine looks like a possible gem from waivers.

 

Conclusion

 

This is shaping up to be an exciting season for the VHLM, with Las Vegas currently in the lead after 18 games. At the start of the year, I doubt many of us would have expected them to be in first at this point of the season (except for their own players of course) and I think that makes it more entertaining. Let us hope that this year brings us a more exciting finals series, instead of the sweep we had last year.

 

1534 words, using for weeks ending 5/31, 6/7, 6/14, 6/21

Edited June 16, 2020 by a_Ferk

[FrostBeard 1,984]

 

1 hour ago, a_Ferk said:

Frostbeard is the team’s star forward.

I would not call Marshall James Frostbeard a Star forward but Mississauga is doing fine so I am happy. Great article!

[Gooningitup 1,290]

I mean for a weak goalie Gryf leading the goalie race lol

Edited May 30, 2020 by Gooningitup

[a_Ferk 761]

9 hours ago, Gooningitup said:

I mean for a weak goalie Gryf leading the goalie race lol

I meant in terms of TPE, but yeah he's doing really well right now.

[a_Ferk 761]

Using for week ending June 7th

[a_Ferk 761]

Using for week ending 6/21

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

Review

This was well thought out and well put together. I liked how you ranked them all together even though there was different divisions. Also at the end with a full VHLM rankings which included the Western Conference. Overall, as someone who is new to the VHLM again it was nice to know who were stars and who still might be around for the upcoming season. Nitpicking, some color for the teams would have been nice and maybe a picture or two but hey, it looked professional without and it was well worth the read.

9/10