VSN Weekly Review - S72 Week 1

[Erik Summers 451]

 
Welcome to the first edition of VSN’s S72 Weekly recap (Games 1-119).  We’ll cover a host of things in this recap each week including highlights of important VSN happenings, three stars of the week, power rankings, rookie profiles, and anything else of importance.
 

But first, make sure to check out the other great work from the greater VSN family! Here are a few handy links to check out, from our weekly podcasts to in-depth history articles, scouting reports, and more!

 | The Talent Behind the Trophies | S72 Top 25 | Future Watch | Under 250 |

Recap

 In the process of on-boarding tons of new staff at VSN, our first edition of Weekly Review is slightly delayed. We will be covering ten days of sims instead of the usual seven, but that just means we will be reviewing a quarter of the season in a single post. I would like to introduce @Hylands33, who will be joining me to write Weekly Review this season. We will be trading off which segments we write, but every issue will be a collaboration. In addition to that change, there are some minor format changes as well. Power rankings will be a little more fleshed out and will have amazing graphics from our graphics team to illustrate them. Similarly, Rookie Profile has been updated to Rookie Spotlight and will sometimes include interviews and flashing personalized graphics for each highlighted player. Anyway, there are lots to cover so let’s get to it!
 
Offences around the league are lighting it up and many goalies are suffering the consequences. Of course, it is early to make this type of proclamation, but is it possible that the VHL may finally be seeing the end of the low-scoring “dead puck” era of the last several seasons? With six hat-tricks and only eleven shutouts this week we have seen a lot of high-paced, high-scoring, exciting hockey games.
 
To add to that excitement, we had an extremely close field for most of the week. Calgary began to pull away and D.C. began to fall back, but the middle ten teams are all within six points. It is still very early to tell how things will shake out, but there are teams at the bottom of the table at the moment with a lot of highly talented stars. Presumably, some of those stars will be looking at hunting a cup this season, which could mean we will get an action trading block this season.

3-Stars
 
First Star
Condor Adrienne (MAL) - 17 G, 22 A, 1 Hat Trick
Second Star
Jacques Lafontaine (CGY) -  0.935 SV%, 1.89 GAA, 2 SOs
Third Star
Hunter Hearst Helmsley (VAN) - 13 G, 19 A, 32 P
 
Power Rankings
 

A huge shoutout to @Pengu for this amazing graphic.

 

European Conference

 
Week 1 of S72 has come to a close and the European Conference couldn’t be more of a toss-up. Just 6 points separate the 6th placed Malmo Nighthawks and the 1st placed Helsinki Titans. Earning our top spot in the power rankings for this week, boasting an impressive 7-3-0 record on the road, the Helsinki Titans are off to a very strong start after having the leagues 2nd worst record just a season ago. The rest of the conference is simply too close for comfort! We have 4 teams sitting within two points of each other occupying 2nd through 5th place, and as it stands right now Moscow is the unlucky team sitting outside of the playoffs. With a game in hand, HC Davos Dynamo have been given 2nd in the power rankings, and if they take advantage of that game in hand they can put a little bit of distance between them and the rest of the pack. Coming in at 3rd and 4th respectively are the Riga Reign and Prague Phantoms. Both of these clubs are neck and neck right now but will find themselves amidst a losing streak as we head into the start of week 2. Moscow has a game in hand on both Prague and Riga but ultimately are on the outside looking in as they are just one point shy of the Phantoms, and tied with the lowly Nighthawks. A slower start than what GM Victor Alfredsson would have hoped for, but their +4 goal difference, which is good enough for second-best in the conference, and riding on the back of some great goaltending by Raymond Bernard, paints a happier picture than what the standings suggest. Taking our last spot at 6th place will be the Malmo Nighthawks. Perhaps a bit of a surprise to much of the league the Nighthawks are keeping right on pace with the rest of the conference. An impressive 39 points in only 20 games by star defenseman Condor Adrienne has the rebuilding team right in the thick of the playoff race so far. Is this an early indicator of things to come this season? If so, buckle up your seatbelts, because this is going to be a wild ride to the playoffs.

North American Conference 

Somewhat of a different picture is being painted in the North American Conference compared to the European. Rightfully earning top spot, Calgary has managed to jump out as early favourites with a 5 point lead, +24 goal difference and a stellar 9-0-1 home record. Currently, on a 7 game winning streak they have managed to propel themselves right to the top of the standings not only here in the power rankings, but, they also sport the league's best overall record. In 2nd on the power rankings, the Seattle Bears are currently hot on the trail of 1st placed Calgary. With a similar, but not quite as impressive home record of 7-3-0, the Bears find themselves sitting 5 points back and have to be looking towards making another deep playoff run after last season’s success. Coming in at 3rd, the Toronto Legion find themselves tied with Seattle on points. After an otherwise strong start to the season, things have cooled off slightly in Toronto, but that’s not to say they are on a downward spiral. Currently occupying the final playoff spot in the conference, and 4th in the power rankings we have the Vancouver Wolves. Their record is just slightly above .500 right now, having gone 10-9-1 through the opening 20 contests. Perhaps their time at the top of the league is up? Sitting by themselves in 5th place this week we have the New York Americans, who have seen a bit of a turnaround as of late after having a poor start to the season, and they now find themselves hot on the heels of Vancouver. With 20 points and 3 wins in a row, they are 4 points clear of the last-placed D.C. Dragons. 6th spot this week will go to none other than the D.C. Dragons. Not at all the start that GM Eno Rama was hoping for, but not all hope is lost yet. Looking at their roster, you cannot help but notice just how solid it is and you would think the Dragons. will be able to find their feet over the coming weeks. Things can turn around quickly in the VHL and you may find yourself on the right side of a long winning streak. With one week played, some may be jumping on the Calgary bandwagon right away, but a strong week from the defending champs has kept them within reaching distance.

Notable Games

 
Game 19 - Calgary Wranglers vs. Seattle Bears
When the top two teams of the North American Conference meet, you don’t expect the type of shellacking we saw in this game. Calgary held the Bears to just fifteen shots while putting up forty of their own. Charlie Paddywagon showed why he is among the best defensemen in the league right now with involvement in each Wranglers scoring play and a three-goal game. Other Calgary stars also made an appearance on the scoreboard, such as Mikko Lahtinen and Tyler Barabash Jr. The only extremely notable Wrangler missing from the scoresheet was RJ Jubis. For Seattle, you couldn’t really ask more from Rayz Funk. He stopped thirty-seven of thirty-nine while being pummelled by double-digit shots in every period.
 
Game 94 - Helsinki Titans vs. Toronto Legion 
A culmination of three games played between these teams this week, this game presents us with two of the biggest surprises this season. Toronto was counted out by most and Helsinki by many coming into the year, but they each find themselves in the top five in the standings. Out of the three games played against each other, you can’t get much closer than walking away with four points to three in the standings. The Titans outshot the Legion in every period until overtime, but Toronto was efficient and regulation ended 2-2. Once in extra time, the Legion turned it on with six shots in two and half minutes and Chad Magnum closed it out with a magnificent goal.
 
Game 96 - Moscow Menace vs. HC Davos Dynamo
Last season’s punching bag, the HC Davos Dynamo against the European Conference Champions and cup finalist Moscow Menace. The tables seem to have turned dramatically this season as Davos holds a three-point lead and second place in the conference at the end of the week. Built on an extremely young core, the youth showed up with SS Hornet, Robin Winter, Alex Bridges, and Roque Davis all making significant contributions. It is hard to mention them, however, without also mentioning the great veteran leadership they are receiving from the likes of ACL TEAR and Acyd Burn.

Events of the Week

Fights
 

• Game 25 - Helmsley beats up Stark
  • Coming into the season, many expected these to be the best two players in the league, so we can’t ignore it when such talents drop gloves with each other. Just as in the stat sheet, Hunter Hearst Helmsley got the better of Ambrose Stark in the fight. However, Seattle did walk away with the win, so it wasn’t a total victory for HHH.
• Game 55 - BRAWL!
  • Our first line-brawl was perhaps a bit small to call that, but we did have two sets of combatants, Nethila Dissanayake beat up Owen Nolan and Chad Magnum beat up Micheal Gary Scott, as well as three related minors to Erik Killinger, Lance Flowers and, Bjorn Scoringsonn. MGS was also given a game misconduct for instigation, but it was a dirty period all around as Leon Gutzwiler was still in the box for Unsportsmanlike Conduct when the fight broke out.
• Game 57 - Drumm beats up Gritty and Su
  • Sometimes winning one fight isn’t enough for a player. After Charles Drumm beat up Gritty less than six minutes into the game, he picked another fight with Andrew Su just five minutes late. Once again handing out a beating, the refs decided they had seen enough of Drumm and ejected him from the game.
• Game 63 - BRAWL!
  • This fight was a little larger than the last brawl, but the fights were far less decisive. Gritty and Blake Laughton went to the ice quickly after dropping the gloves, Gino DiGiannantonio and Kefka Palazzo fought for a while but landed few punches, and Brock Louth and Alex Pearson fought to a draw despite each landing solid blows. Andrew Su, Griff Manzer, and the rest of the skaters on the ice received minors for their involvement as well.

 
Hat-Tricks
 

• Game 17 - Jerry Garcia
  • This is the Davos team we saw brewing last season, just shy of being a contender but with s handful of high picks to fill the holes. Jerry Garcia had been a Malmo Lifer with consistently underwhelming numbers and brief glimpses of greatness. On this Dynamo roster, he appears to be the centre of attention and primary scoring outlet. With three assists from David OQuinn, Garcia has earned our first hat-trick of the season.
• Game 24 - Ben McGirr
  • In the rematch of our first hat-trick, Ben McGirr heard that hattys were on the menu. It would have been difficult to come out of this 8-6 barn burner without at least one hat-trick, but it is always surprising when the player scoring thrice is on the losing side. McGirr scored all three during Prague’s five-goal first period before HC Davos answered with five unanswered to take back the lead. This game could only be described as a goalie’s worst nightmare.
• Game 49 - Killy Foilen
  • Killy Foilen had a slow first season and a decent sophomore year, but I can not overstate how much scarier Moscow becomes if Foilen develops into a serious offensive weapon this season. With three of the Menace’s four goals this game, Killy had their opener, the game-winner, and the nail in the coffin eight minutes into the third.
• Game 82 Scott Greene
  • In what was one of the least disciplined games we’ve seen in some time, with fourteen powerplay opportunities between the two teams, scoring chances abounded. Scott Greene took advantage in the first period, scoring three in a row for his hat-trick. Two of the three came on the powerplay in a crazy period that saw four powerplay goals.
• Game 105 - RJ Jubis
  • RJ Jubis got off to a hot start in this one, bringing the Wranglers out of the first period with a lead after giving up a goal in the opening minutes. Then, it was Jubis again who was called on when Prague was surging to try to time the game in the third to put a nail in the coffin and finish his hat-trick and the game.
• Game 110 - Condor Adrienne
  • Picking it up in the final seconds on an empty netter, Condor Adrienne already had a three-point game before finishing his hat-trick. In fact, he had a three-point period in the first, with two goals and an assist. Prague did claw back to within one, allowing Condor the shot at the empty net, but Adrienne and the Nighthawks held them off for the win.

 

Shutouts
 

• Game 15 - Moscow vs. Helsinki
  • Our first shutout of the season comes at the hands of Raymond Bernard and the Moscow Menace. It looks like this team is setting out early to put to rest any questions about whether they can maintain their pace from over the past two seasons. With an impressive twenty-nine save performance, Bernard is quickly silencing any detractors. 
• Game 26 - D.C. vs. Toronto
  • It hasn’t been a great start for the Dragons, but a shutout against a top-five team is a good way to show that you can still hang with the best of them. Stone Wolski put up twenty-nine saves in his first shutout of the season. This goal-starved game was scoreless until early in the third when D.C.’s powerplay unit came through with the game-winner.
• Game 27 - Helsinki vs. Riga
  • Perhaps a little upset with being the first team of the season to be shutout, Helsinki showed us that they were capable of holding an opponent scoreless as well. I believe a shoutout is in order to Nicolas Fomba, Riga’s backup goalie, who actually saved one more shot than Michael Johnson, on a great twenty-seven save performance. However, it was Johnson who remained perfect, stopping all twenty-six for his first shutout of the season.
• Game 29 - Calgary vs. New York
  • None of our shutouts so far have come easily, but goalies keep stepping up to the task. In this match, Jacques Lafontaine faced twenty-eight shots, stopping them all. He did have one advantage provided by his team, their excellent discipline. Calgary spent only four minutes on the penalty kill the entire game compared to just over eleven minutes with the man advantage.
• Game 42 Seattle vs. Toronto
  • There may be nothing sweeter in the VHL than when your backup goalie earns a shutout. Thorvald Gunnarsson stopped twenty-seven shots to make Toronto the first team this season to be shut out twice. Seattle dominated the first two periods but allowed Toronto some offensive opportunities in the third. A backup goalie with a three-goal cushion would receive no grief for letting one in that scenario, but Gunnarsson stood firm.
• Game 65 - Riga vs. Toronto
  • In a little bit of payback for their own scoreless games, the Toronto Legion decided to bring someone else to their level by handing Riga their second shutout. Actually being outshot by the Reign, Jaxx Hextall stopped twenty-six pucks in what looked like it would be a scoreless regulation game. However, in the seventeenth minute, Kristopher McDagg finally managed to put one past Greg Eagles to win the game.
• Game 66 - Moscow vs. Helsinki
  • In a repeat of their first meeting, Raymond Bernard has shutout the Helsinki Titans for the second time this season. This time, it was an incredible performance with forty-one saves, which has a good chance of standing the test of the season as the most saves in a shutout. Moscow produced a goal in each period to complete the eerie similarity to these teams' first meeting this season.
• Game 107 - New York vs. Moscow
  • Although Bernard has been excellent so far this season, A Red Guy got the better of him in this match. This was the first shutout we’ve seen this season where the goalie faced less than twenty shots. With nineteen saves, Guy came in just under that mark. He did face some challenges in the first and third periods but only saw one shot throughout the entire second.
• Game 108 HC Davos vs. Riga
  • Both Greg Eagles and Samuel Ross had eighteen saves in this one, but it was Eagles who was flawless. This was certainly a slower game, but those can be challenging for goalies as well when you go long stretches without facing a shot. Greg did a great job of staying on his toes between high-danger situations and keeping the pucks out when it mattered.
• Game 112 Calgary vs. D.C.
  • Becoming the second goalie to record two shutouts this season, Jacques Lafontaine joins our string of sub-twenty save shutouts in the latter part of this week. Calgary struggled to maintain any offensive pressure after the first twenty-four minutes, but by then the damage had been done and they had a four-goal lead. From there, it was just a game of keep-away to close out the game.
• Game 115 - Seattle vs. Toronto
  • Riddle me this, the team that everyone doubted is now tied for second in the league and yet, somehow, they have still been shutout more than any other team. Seattle managed a crushing fifty shots, but, lest you think they kept the puck in their opponents’ zone all game, Rayz Funk still had to make thirty-four saves to earn his first shutout of the season.

Rookie Spotlight
SS Hornet

Another huge shoutout, this time to @Motzaburger for these great graphics.
 
Being drafted #1 overall in the VHL doesn’t always mean you’re destined for greatness. The spotlight that inevitably comes with the first selection can sometimes eat away at a young player’s career. In an exclusive interview with the hottest rookie talent in the VHL, SS Hornet opened up about the pressure that comes along with the first pick. “I know I'm expected to perform right from the start of the season, so yes, it adds a bit of pressure. It pushes me to try and do my best on the ice every shift; I want Davos to be proud of their first selection”. The robot’s algorithm has managed to synthesize a voice that can now answer any questions we have and has made a statement that it is ready to perform at the highest level. 
 
 SS Hornet first started its career with the Houston Bulls in S70 and put up a respectable 20 points in 22 games as well as 3 points in 8 playoff games. S71 saw it selected 4th overall in the VHLM by the Las Vegas Aces where it managed to produce at over a point per game pace with 87 points in 72 regular games, evenly split with 41 goals and 41 assists. The playoffs were more of the same where it racked up 17 points in 12 games and helped lead its team to the Conference Final which the Aces lost to the Yukon Rush.
 
However, it’s been a somewhat rocky start to Hornet’s career in the VHL. Its point production has been very good, it is currently leading all rookie scoring at the time of writing. Having said that, when you look further down the stat line, Hornet has amassed 29 PIMs in 19 games. When asked about its high penalty minutes, it had a rebuttal to the critics, saying “You can look at my 29 penalty minutes and think I'm a senseless goon, but really I have only put my team in a shorthanded position twice. 25 of these 29 minutes are from fights and ejections. About these though, I'm really unsure about what happened. I'm not really a fighter, these just kind of happened. It's hard to explain”. Perhaps it is not discipline that is the problem, but maybe lack of a proper enforcer on Davos that leaves Hornet having to defend itself. Its first fight in the big leagues was in its debut, drawing with Kyl Oferson, which shows it’s ready to be a physical force, but some finesse is needed to keep it on the ice and out of the sin bin considering the same fight had it ejected half-way through the game. Perhaps the algorithm is having a hard time fine-tuning the necessary aggressiveness that will give it an edge on the ice. Having said that, you simply cannot look past the pure scoring ability of this sentient android, and it would not surprise me to see it continue its amazing point production.
 
HC Davos is currently sitting on a plethora of young talent and they find themselves right in the middle of a playoff battle. Time will tell if these young stars can build a strong core for Davos to be contenders for many seasons to come and you would have to assume that SS Hornet will be right at the forefront leading the way. “I wouldn't be too surprised if we made the Continental Cup finals out of the European Conference this season. We have a balanced crew of veterans and rookies. Every season, some veterans will leave and new rookies will take over their spot in the league. We'll be good for a while”. Hornet seems to be under the impression that the window of opportunity is open for Davos right now and they are ready to make a surprise run to the Continental Cup finals. 

 

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

Players Mentioned: @Mr_Hatter, @OrbitingDeath, @DMaximus, @Beketov, @Bushito, @Jubis, @Rayzor_7, @McWolf, @Sonnet, @Alex Bridges, @Josh, @Quik, @Acydburn, @Beaviss, @Banackock, @nethi99, @studentized, @Corco, @Peace, @CowboyinAmerica, @11 Eleven, @Gwdjohnson, @frescoelmo, @ContinentalCup036, @Da_Berr, @Grape, @pennypenny, @diamond_ace, @Jayrad28, @Garsh, @GustavMattias, @David O'Quinn, @cartoes, @Aye my name jeff, @DoktorFunk, @efiug, @DollarAndADream, @fonziGG, @SlapshotDragon, @Saelven88, @ROOKIE745, @Viperxhawks19, @Greg_Di, @.sniffuM, @Brrbisbrr

 

[NotAVHLM-GM 1,858]

Thanks for the mention glad Adrienne doesn't go unnoticed this season ♡

[Banackock 8,126]

Sweet

[frescoelmo 1,282]

16 hours ago, Erik Summers said:

 

• Game 57 - Drumm beats up Gritty and Su
  • Sometimes winning one fight isn’t enough for a player. After Charles Drumm beat up Gritty less than six minutes into the game, he picked another fight with Andrew Su just five minutes late. Once again handing out a beating, the refs decided they had seen enough of Drumm and ejected him from the game.

 

Get @ me