KESLER UNFILTERED

[Jericho 917]

Kesler Unfiltered
WRITTEN BY BROVY
 
This article details some ups and downs around the league. Kesler delivers information on what teams, players, GMs, etc., have their stocks rising or falling based on current events and happenings around the league.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Molholt

[Jericho 917]

** Editors Note: I'll be debuting a new article next week, but I haven't had enough time to come up with a good concept yet. I'll do a one-off this week.

 

Hello VHL, I'd like to take this opportunity to announce my return to the VHL magazine. With this, I'd also like to note that this will be my return to form in the VHL as a fully active member.

 

For those of you who weren't aware, I've had a massive dip in activity ever since the start of this year. I haven't exactly been keeping the reasons behind this a secret, but I haven't gone around sharing with everyone either. For clarification, I had serious issues at home over the end of Christmas, which ended in me being homeless a few days into the new year. I spent a few weeks on a friends couch until I was able to find an apartment at the end of January. Unfortunately I was then left without internet for 3 weeks, completely cut off from the VHL.

 

Since then I've had to start my life over without any resources, which is a multiple month process. Every day I'd come home and have a new list of things I'd need to buy. On top of this, I'd asked my boss to move me from an associate position at my restaurant to a serving one, so that I could afford all of my new expenses. I'd been doing all of my serving training on top of my previous hours, so I had less down time to perform my added responsibilities.

 

Life has finally slowed down now that my training is finished (and I've been moved into a full-time serving position) and I've now gotten a few assets to my name, meaning I've got a lot more free time and will be able to dive back into the VHL with my previous level of commitment. This entire ordeal got me to thinking though, about the community we have and what it means to all of us. This was a really big ordeal for me, but I had a support system here the entire step of the way, despite my lack of activity. We've all been through a lot of life changing experiences in the VHL. Some good and some bad. We've had some people graduate, some lose loved ones, some bring new ones into the world, but at the end of the day we're all there for each other. The internet doesn't usually foster that kind of closeness, and I guess I'm just grateful for what I have here. The VHL is something special, and I'm honoured to be a member here.

 

As for my magazine return, I'd really like thank STZ for taking me at my word when I told him I was back. I definitely left him hanging a few times on articles before I stepped down, but he's a good man and has done some great things after Ray left us. He's been very good to me and I hope that his new family is going well. Next week I'll be debuting a new segment and I'll be back to my old self, but I just wanted to get a few thoughts out this week. We're part of a truly incredible community, and sometimes we need to be reminded of that. You guys have gotten me through a few tough times, and this last one was no different

 

Ups and Downs

 

Welcome to VHL Magazine's premiere of Ups and Downs, the article which covers upward and downward trends in the league.

 

Down - Kimmo Salo

 

The Helsinki Titans' rookie goalie finds himself coming back to Earth after his amazing start to the season. Early on, when half of the league was struggling to clear 0.900 save percentage, Salo found himself consistantly sitting above 0.930. He has since dropped to 0.923, being passed by both Tuomas Tukio and Eggly Bagleface. His Goals against average has jumped up above 3.00 from a consistent spot below 2.5. As a rookie goalie this isn't very surprising given tat his attributes suggested much less talent than he originally showed, but this is definitely a downward trend.

 

Up - Tuomas Tukio

 

The Americans' netminder's story has been a polar opposite to Salo. Tukio was one of the aforementioned goalies who couldn't crest 0.900. He's turned himself around for leaps and bounds and has jumped from 5th place among goalies to 1st. He now stands atop the league with a towering 0.934 save percentage. Surprisingly, his GAA hasn't changed much, but given that the Americans had been allowing low shot totals all season, even a couple of goals would decimate a save percentage. This makes Tukio's current hot streak even more noteworthy, because he didn't have a ton of extra goals to stop. Regardless, the retiring legend is definitely looking to end his career on a strong note.

 

Down - New York Americans

 

The Americans stared the season incredibly.strong, similar to the legendary Season 1 Calgary Wranglers. Going through the first half of the season losing only 3 games (1 in regulation) and dropping a total of 4 points. The Americans have recently dropped two out of three games to the Express and the Iron Eagles, respectively. Both losses were in regulation, meaning that over the course of three games the Americans lost as many points as they had in the previous 40. Obviously this isn't a huge sign of weakness, but after such a dominating performance previously this is definitely a downward trend. When you start at near perfection you can only maintain or fall. New York has started to do the latter.

 

Please post in the mag thread with comments or constructive criticisms for this article. Would you like to see more small scope trends (like individual players) or are you ok with some of the bigger ones (like the teams). Is a hybrid of both something preferred? Please let us know in the comments.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Molholt

[Jericho 917]

Edition 195 - Ups and Downs

 

Up - Odin Tordahl

 

Odin Tordahl has long been known in this league as a reliable first liner that would put up respectable stats, but never good enough to wow the fanbase or snatch any awards. Very much an "always the bridesmaid, never a bride" situation if you will. Well nobody told Tordahl about his limits this season, because they've been shattered harder than Oberyn Martel's skull when he fought the mountain. Through 57 games this season, Tordahl has racked up an impressive 50 goals (leading the league) and 58 assists (third in the league) for an astounding 108 points. While this likely won't break the records, Tordahl is a very strong candidate for the Brett Slobodzian award for most outstanding player, not to mention that this season is setting him up nicely for a possible Hall of Fame career. Tordahl has been an extremely positive influence on the Americans and their impressive record this season, and if he can transition into an equally impressive playoff showing Tordahl might be adding a Continental Cup to his trophy case.

 

Down - Connor Low

 

Life is all about balance, a state of Yin and Yang. For there to be an improvement in a player another must falter. Tordahl has seen huge improvements this season, but his teammate Connor Low has been dethroned. For those unaware, Low has been the uncontested best defenseman in the league the last two seasons. An incredible feat made even more impressive given that they were his rookie and sophomore seasons. This season he's still putting up impressive numbers: 76 points through 57 games, 189 hits, 104 shot blocks, but in relativity to the rest of the league he's been faltering. Before Low was the uncontested offensive leader for defensemen. Now he sits behind both Matt Bentley (84 points) and Godavari Shamalamadingdong (80 points). With his mediocre defensive stats there's a very low chance of low winning his third straight Labatte, and this may be indicative of a change in power between the top defensemen. It is important to note that Low hasn't gotten worse this season, but being stagnant and unchanged in an ever evolving league will eventually see you fall behind your peers. Bentley and Shoobadobabap are improving and putting up the same results aren't good enough anymore.

 

Up - Steven Smyl

 

This is another relativity situation for sure, but with goalies there's a different set of rules. Because we work from percentages and averages rather than integer totals, maintaining your current stats is much more acceptable than it is for a skater. Smyl has always been a goalie who played on the fringe Seattle Bears. A team who could try for a playoff run, or could fall short depending on their goalie. He didn't have enough power in his skaters to get carried to easy wins, but they weren't bad enough to allow enough shots to inflate his stats. In short, the success and failure of the Bears has hinged on Smyl for the past few seasons. In those cases he's general faltered and put up below average numbers in the league. This season he's been able to maintain a 0.923 save percentage (3rd in the league) and a 2.17 gaols against average (tied for 4th in the league). This is the first time Smyl has been amove the league average in these stats and it shows, given that the Bears have all but locked in a playoff spot. Smyl has really stepped up in a season where a lot of goalies have been under-performing.

[Jericho 917]

Edition 196

 

Up - Matt Bentley

 

Bentley is easily a notable up this week, for equal parts player success and because I want to kiss Victor's ass. Bentley has been a B+ player up until this season. A solid defenseman for a team, but he couldn't hold a candle to Connor Low.This season Bentley has thrown that completely out the window. He's taken a commanding lead over Low in the points race (98 points, Low's total sits at 89) and sitting just shy of him in both hits and shotblocks. Bentley is a very strong candidate for the Labatte trophy this season, which would be the first of his career. Bentley's play this season has been superb, but he's the fulcrum the Dynamo will rest of during the post season. Bentley is going to have to be on the top of his game every time he steps on the ice if he wants to have a legitimate chance at the Continental Cup. This is made doubly true by the fact that Davos' goaltending situation is definitely weaker than most of the top teams right now. Tuomas Tukio, Remy Lebeau and even Steven Smyl are all much more reliable players at this point in their careers to Lennox Moher, and the task of carrying games may fall to Bentley this year.

 

Down - Remy Lebeau

 

After just having complimented him in my Lennox Moher tirade, you may find it surprising for me to place Lebeau on my Down list. While I may find Lebeau to be ahead of several other goaltenders this season, Ups and Downs are a state of relativity. Relative to some of the bottom 5 teams, Lebeau is doing fantastic. Compared to his own past performances however, Lebeau is not performing the way he once did. With a 0.920 save percentage he certainly isn't a liability to the Legion, but he isn't turning lose games into won games on his own the way he used to. The obvious reason for this is because of his age, and he'll be retired to the history books (and likely the Hall of fame). With the Legion in the post season we'll see if Lebeau can return to his old form for his last hurrah. Time will tell, but with his ability to show up when it counts I wouldn't be counting on an easy win in the first round if I was the Seattle Bears.

 

Up - Vojczek Svoboda

 

Rounding out this week's list is Slobo's difficult to spell rookie. Svoboda is in his rookie season, and therefore doesn't have old data to compare himself to, but his play this season has been incredible. Currently sitting at 75 points in just 69 games Svoboda is one of just two rookies (the other being Calgary's Travis Boychuk) to break the point per game mark. Svoboda likely won't be this season's Stolzschweiger winner (Boychuk being just shy of 100 points at time of writing) but he's certainly had an impressive season in his VHL debut. Time will tell if this is just a fluke likely to trigger a series of criticizing Down articles, but right now Svoboda is on top of his game.

[Jericho 917]

Playoff Edition!

 

Alright lovlies, this week I'm going to focus on the playoffs, because the regular season is over so I can't do that.... To be specific, I'll be relating playoff performances to the projected performances, since the playoffs are so small of a sample.

 

Up - Remy Lebeau

 

Motherfucker Jones was this a turnaround. Remy Lebeau is the best goalie in the league on paper, but he had a very lackluster season compared to how he was expected to perform. Everyone essentially expected him to be the same in the playoffs, citing age as the primary factor. Well nobody told this to Remy, because he was a flipping wizard in the playoffs. Through the first 14 games he sits on a staggering 0.944 save percentage and a 1.76 goals against average. Remy is a shoe in for playoff MVP, because these numbers were not generated from an easy first series against the Bears. Through the grueling 6 game series against the heavily favoured New York Americans Lebeau stole all 4 wins for his team. In each case Lebeau faced more shots than New York's Tukio and had a 0.960 save percentage in that series. I feel confident in saying that the Legion would have gotten stomped if it weren't for Remy Lebeau. That guy is retiring on a high.

 

Down - Odin Tordahl

 

The New York Americans were heavy favorites for the Continental Cup this season, mostly because of their staggering offense. At the helm of this offense was the Boomtastic left winger, Odin Tordahl. Tordahl has majestic point totals in the regular season and was expected to carry a few games for the Americans by himself in the post season. Well I guess he forgot to eat his wheaties when the Americans suited up after the first round bye, because he only managed 4 points through 6 games. To be fair, all 6 games were against the aforementioned French stallion, Remy Lebeau. This was likely because of Lebeau, but the flip side of the coin is that Tordahl could have been a huge factor in keeping Lebeau down if his team wanted the win. Assuming he continues his career it's expected that Tordahl will rebound for the following season, especially with Lebeau out of the league, but this offseason was a bit of a disappointment.

 

Maintained - Logan Laich

 

Logan Laich is an absolute rock on the New York Americans. He's maintained a level of consistency the New York Americans haven't seen since the days of Benjamin Glover in the finals. Laich managed to match his projected totals with a 0 goal, 0 assist, 0 point performance in his 6 game series against the Legion. He also maintained his position as a top hitter with 14 total. Laich is expected to put up similar point and hit totals in the following season.

[Jericho 917]

Edition 199 - Pulling it out of my ass because the season is over edition!

 

Well with no regular season or playoff games left we find ourselves into the offseason. While this is a super cup season, a lack of stats has prevented me from doing my usual hard research, so we'll be doing something different this week. In the final edition before the colossal edition 200 we'll base this off of member performance (completely in my own unbiased opinion of journalistic integrity.

 

Up - Kesler17

 

This one might have caused a few spit takes among the readers, but I have to give our baby boy his props. Kesler (I refuse to turn my keyboard to frenchy mode to write his new name) started out as one of the most immature and obnoxious children in league history. His grammar was atrocious, his conveyance was poor and every post was made in an attempt to look cool over the internet. Over the last few months Kesler has shown immense growth. He realized that it's impossible to look cool over the internet and started using auto correct (a little). Kesler has gone from being a thorn in the league's ass to a contributing and valued member of the league. I've heard that before my time Kyle and Damien were both similar tosspots in their youth. With the league being 7 years old it's easy to forget that we've all grown into much more evolved people than we once were. When I joined the league in season 22 I was a jaded dickhead dealing with a parental divorce who looked for every fight he could. I've come a long way since then and it's easy to forget that people like Kesler haven't had the chance to do that right when they join. The story of Kesler will remind me not to be so quick to judge our youth. Though I won't let everything slide, I'll remember that they're children and don't know any better.*

 

Down - Muffins

 

Oh how I wish this weren't the case. I was able to skip the whole child-Damien "woah is me" era that spawned "FISTED ANNALY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY". I got to know him as the "Guys I'm really awkward and asking a girl to prom is hard" era where he was like the little brother we bring with us to Street hockey to play goalie era. Damien was a kid, but he was our kid and we had some great times with him. Topping the list includes the formation of Rogue Squadron, one of the greatest events in league history (suck a dick Sterling), the creation of the VHL Slowpoke meme thread and about 1000 half finished projects he made. Then one day Damien went to college where he made a bunch of friends, grew a hobo beard and stopped coming around skype as much. During this time he also faded from his league commitment and became a casual member at best. The same man who brough us Hallf of Famer Tukka Reikkinen then proceeded to produce GIYGAS, and deprive us all of our much needed Polish presence. I miss you Damien, return to us soon!

 

Up - Duckberg

 

Some of you may remember him as the football league guy who makes 40 TPE players with hilarious names like Darkwing Duck before bailing. Well he's returned to us again, albeit under a name so stupid I doubt Kesler would come up with it) and he's giving the VHL an actual shot. Duckberg has taken up the post I've started to grow out of as league troll and he's doing it in a much more tasteful way than I ever did. I think he's really in it for the long haul this time, as we've seen a much more prominent skype and forum presence and he's connected to the VHL in a third part fashion through League of Legends (even though he's a Bronze scrublet). Duckberg is a really chill guy and I'm hoping he's able to maintain his current commentment. He's already the best player in his draft outside of recreates and he may be able to make another Ethan Osbourne if we're lucky.

 

*Kesler will always be trolled though, it's the way of the world.

[Jericho 917]

Edition 200 - Jericho gets cereal edition

 

I can't believe we finally did it. The VHL magazine is celebrating it's 200th edition today. The weeks have really flown by but this endevor was started over 4 real life years ago. It had a very different feel back then. Ray Funk and Tyler Edgar were using much less sophisticated software with a much less professional look, but we've come a long way since then.

 

To showcase how much of an accomplishment this really is I'd like to take a moment and breakdown what has happened with this magazine. Ray started the VHL mag before I was even a member (for those of you who aren't aware I joined in season 22). From what I'm told the magazine was something others had attempted before but had mostly failed to get off the ground. This is what Ray's brainchild was expected to do by the majority of the league. He started with an average product with decent looking graphics and a formal, but amateur writing staff and did what nobody thought he'd be able to do: he continued to put out more editions each week. This continued for some time and as time went on the staff grew more experienced. Ray and DEdgar found better software and hosting to produce a better looking layout. The writers turned into journalists, putting out better written and more interesting topics. The staff changed some, but the structure stayed the same, and a lot of the staff were still there. In fact when I joined the team and debuted in edition 88, I became the first person to ever write the evolution article not named Dustin Funk. Dustin had taken over Edgar's job after writing the same article for 88 weeks (almost 2 years).

 

Over time the magazine definitely underwent threat of dissolving, but it perservered everytime, much like the VHL. When Ray was called away for family matters we were left without a product for almost a month, but we managed to retain the spark after the break. Eventually Dustin would leave the magazine and the league, leaving Ray alone at the helm. Ray wanted someone to replace his brother, and selected me. I took the job fully expecting things to remain the same on the whole, but I was 100% wrong.

 

Shortly after my naming as Assistant Editor, Ray disappeared. Nobody knew what had happened, but we noticed that he failed to show up day after day. I became worried after the first week had gone by, and started to consider options going forth. I knew that I wasn't skilled enough to be Ray's successor, but at that moment I was in charge of the VHL mag. I didn't have the time or the skill to produce the quality of product Ray had for the past few years. I didn't want the mag to die, but I wasn't ready to let it become a shadow of it's former self. After the second week had passed without any word from Ray I made a very difficult, and controversial decision. I decided to hire a new editor. This met with some controversy from the staff because it was Ray's baby, and some felt I didn't have the right to take it from him.At the end of the day the Blue Team sided with me, saying that we weren't going to let a VHL staple die if we could do something about it. I was considering a few candidates when I was contacted by STZ, who said he was in possession of the software needed and was willing to give it a shot. I hired STZ and named him my successor, and he's been running the show ever since.

 

STZ has now done as much for the magazine as Ray Funk ever did. He's continued to lead the magazine without much help. WHen I encountered my rough patch and had to find a new place to live and find myself in the world I left him on his own, but he's run with it and done an amazing job. I only really did one thing as the Editor of the magazine (which wasn't putting out an issue) but naming STZ as Ray's successor was exactly what I had hoped for when I hired him. He's our leader now, and we wouldn't be here writing this if it wasn't for him. With him at the helm I hope to be here in 2 years, writing about edition 300.

[Jericho 917]

Ups and Downs - Edition 203

 

Up - Lennox Moher

 

It's no secret that Davos has been a very successful franchise for the last few seasons, largely as a result of several star-powered players. One player that I thought was a rare underperformer for the Dynamo was the goalie, Lennox Moher. Moher used to put up sub-par numbers and get by on his teammates goal scoring abilities. Moher gradually improved over the years but was still trailing his teammates in production. Davos was winning a lot of high scoring games for both teams.

 

This has all changed so far this season. Moher's stats have increased to a 0.927 save percentage and a 1.79 goals against average. These stats look above average, but in a season where goalies have been getting destroyed Moher is leading the league in both stats. Right now Davos stands as the top team in Europe and have a chance to win a third cup in four seasons, but they have an extremely shallow roster. With only seven skaters in front of him Moher has to be on point for the rest of the season and the entire playoff race if he wants another cup to take back a cup to the Swiss alps.

 

Up - Logan Laich

 

I never thought I was going to say this, but Logan Laich has seen a significant improvement to his point totals. Through 33 games he's sitting at 28 points, which is still below a point per game, but for a guy who was seeing less than 20 points a season you can see that he's become a much better player. There are "laichly" a few causes to this, starting with a team change. Laich went from being a depth player on the Americans to a core part of the Express. Seeing better minutes have definitely boosted his stats. 

 

Another probable cause would be the change in build. Laich had refused to upgrade his skating for his early career, a stat that many members consider to be the most important stat for any skater. Devise finally put Laich's skating above 70 and his stats have jumped a ton.

 

Down - Eggly Bagelface

 

The Vasteras Iron Eagles are on a time clock right now. If they don't win very soon they'll be entering another long rebuild which brings us closer and closer to the 25 season mark since their last cup. Right now they have one player who is 100% underperforming, Eggly Bagelface. GM Corco's player has a ton of TPE but he can't seem to put up the results his team needs. Vasteras sits outside of the playoffs right now but even if they can keep themselves in the top 3 I don't see Vasteras beating the top teams and winning a cup unless Bagelface turns his game around.

[Jericho 917]

Up - Wesley Kellinger

 

In a truly Dolph Ziggler level of narcissism I'm going to do a mini shoutout to myself, for being a wizard. Kellinger is a pretty good player by VHL standards, most people would be psyched to have his level of productivity during one of their player's careers. I am not like most people. My first player was on of the greatest players in the long history of the VHL. He has an era named after him with a franchise, he set a league record, he was graced with every post career accolade the moment he was eligible to accept them. I was very proud of what Daniel Braxton achieved, and while his successor has certainly been a good player, good isn't good enough for me. Up until this point in his career Wesley Kellinger has been a B+ player, someone that people would be glad to have but definitely not to the extent he was originally worth. Keep in mind that Wesley Kellinger was traded after his rookie season for two ENTIRE drafts AND Steven Stamkos and people argued that the team who got him won the trade.

 

Kellinger did not deliver that level of talent for most of his career, and he was a bit of a let down for those who counted on him. All that has changed this season, with him going from being an 80-90 point player to being a top scorer and draw-man in the league. Wesley Kellinger has finally turned into what he was always supposed to be, but at this point in his career it may be too late to compensate for his early failures.

 

Up - Eggly Bagelface

 

Listeners to Laichly Rift's Pajodcast will know that the entire crew of the pajodcast was heavily critical of the Vasteras Iron Eagles this season, specifically Bagelface.The Iron Eagles, a team that's making a last ditch effort at a playoff run found themselves behind the rebuilding Cologne Express in the standings. Bagelface was a main contributer to the team's lackluster performance with his sub par stats despite an all star TPE level. Bagelface has certainly turned that around as of late, shooting up the standings to a top 3 goalie (0.924 SV%,  1.87 GAA). Unfortunately the Eagles are still a point back of the Express with less than 30 games in the season. While they likely find themselves in a playoff spot this season it's going to be a nightmare trying to tackle the Riga Reign, Davos Dynamo and the New York Americans. Vasteras needs to step their game up, but Bagelface is certainly doing his part,

[Jericho 917]

Up - Dimothenis Vlasis

 

Rookies tend to have relatively quiet seasons, usually earning minor praise and do ok, but are mostly talked about for their potential. Dimothenis Vlasis is having a very strong impact on the rebuilding Cologne Express. Sitting at 56 points in 54 games his stats aren't going to besetting any records, but it definitely makes him the strongest rookie so far this season. Vlasis's performance is dulled a bit when it's inevitably compared to last season's Travis Boychuk and his incredible rookie season. Vlasis deserves to be acknowledged though, with a relatively weak team in Cologne he's had to shoulder a lot of the burden for the Express. One thing to keep our eyes on will be his end of season. Until recently he'd been playing with David Collier, one of the strongest players in the league. Collier was recently traded to Vasteras, so Vlasis will have to put on a bigger backpack if he wants to carry his team (especially Logan Laich) to any more wins. Either way there's a very strong likelyhood (laichlyhood?) that Vlasis wins this season's Stolzschweiger trophy.

 

Down - Martin Brookside

 

It's no secret that the Wranglers are rebuilding, or that the success of a goalie is partially dictated by his teammates, but the performance of Martin Brookside is not up to par. Sitting with a 0.911 (tied in last) and a  2.95 (7th), Martin Brookside is actually worse than TOR G. Jason's well known for making players with great TPE and subpar performances with Lars Intranquilo and Clark Marcellin both having similar flatzones, but Brookside needs to be a benchmark in the Wranglers' organization. Brookside has never been overwhelmingly successful, but when you find yourself behind a 200 TPE CPU goalie you need to start experimenting with lines or strategies or something. The math says that Brookside should beat TOR G. One thing Brookside has going for him is that glimmer of hope that a goalie's stats can be upgraded by improving the team. While Jason struggles to build players he is an excellent GM, and has been slowly building his team into a contender. Hopefully he can turn Brookside into a successful goalie next season, but I fear it's too late to turn this season around.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Jericho

[STZ 5,376]

For future reference, 400 word minimum, baby cakes.

[Jericho 917]

Up -Steven Smyl

 

The Seattle Bears are obviously not in a good place. They're heading into a likely-extended rebuild. During their high period, with Karsten Olsen hitting his prime, Sebastian Ball leading the charge and James Lefevre looking strong (before Noah went off to find his arc and disappeared). The Bears were never the strongest team in the league, but they always looked like they could have been legitimate contenders and possibly stolen a series or two. One thing always kept them back from achieving any amount of success, their net-minder Steven Smyl. Toasts goalie was always one to under perform, coming up with atrocious stats despite Toast's efforts to maintain strong TPE totals, and eventually the Bears pieces started to fade and the team fell into rebuild status.

 

After the candle went out on the Bears, Smyl went off and decided to buy a giant backpack to carry his team in. Smyl has been an absolute beast this season, going from a string of bottom 3 seasons to a fantastic one. This season Smyl's Save Percentage has been  an astonishing 0.928 (1st in the league) and his Goals Against Average sits at 2.10 (3rd in the league). Right now Smyl is doing very well, and the Bears are sitting at 2nd place in the NA conference and have a playoff berth clinched, but with the conference sitting at an extremely weak state, this isn't as impressive as it's been in the past. The general consensus is that while Smyl can lead the Bears to the semi finals past the Wranglers, he doesn't stand a chance against the Americans. Hopefully when the Bears rebuild Smyl can find his way to a contending team and put up similar stats.

 

Down - Godavari Yumalatopinto

 

It's hard to believe that Yumalatopinto was a contender for the Labatte Braxton trophy last season, given his poor performance right now. When God was playing with the Wranglers he found himself in a top three scoring position amongst defensemen. His numbers did dip slightly when he was traded late last season to the Dynamo, but his previous highs had kept him in the race. Unfortunately for God, he didn't bounce back at the start of this season, going from a top 3 performance to a subpar one. After 67 games God has only acquired 11 goals and 41 assists for a total of 52 points. This wouldn't be completely unacceptable if he were to be producing defensively, but the defensive totals might be even worse. God's only managed 82 hits so far and an abysmal 96 shotblocks for an atrocious defensive performance. It leads to questions as to whether God was actually good or if he just gained a stat inflation from playing for a bad team with the Wranglers.

[Jericho 917]

Ups and Downs

 

Well ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year once more. The offseason is going strong and I have no stats to pull from the current roster of VHL players. So I'm going to do what I'm known for and pull an article completely out of my ass! So without further ado I'm going to take advantage of the HoF tourney and give an Ups and Downs on how some of the league's greatest legends performed when they took to the ice once again. The tournament only lasted for 5 games, so we'll be taking quick looks at many players rather than my usual style of detailed looks at only a few.

 

Up - Tukka Reikkinen

 

Reikkinen was one of the greatest forwards in VHL history, being a member of the Vasteras Curse Busters and the NYA Finals Curse Busters. He did not fail to impress in this tournament either, leading all players in points with an impressive 12 (also leading in goals with 9). In fact Reik was so impressive he had more goals than anyone else had points (next closest was Pavel Koradek with 8 points). Reik was a huge reason the New Kids dominated.

 

Down - Ryan Sullivan

 

Sullivan was a huge force to be reckoned with in the late 20s and early 30s, Matching the Holy Trinity (Walser, Jenskovic and Labatte) by winning three straight Labatte trophies. People expected Sullivan to be a force in this tournament and those people were disappointed.  With only 1 assist in the 5 games his offensive contributions were non-existent. Defensively Sullivan wasn't much more impressive with only 4 hits and 6 shotblocks. He did have one redeeming quality with 4 takeaways (2nd in the tournament).

 

Up - Daniel Braxton

 

Being hailed as the greatest defenseman of the 20s era, Braxton had a lot of pressure to perform in this tournament. Winning 4 Labattes to pass the record held (at the time) by the Holy Trinity, Braxton set a new benchmark which has still not been surpassed to this day (though it has since been matched by Connor Low). Braxton seems to have been able to keep the magic alive since he hung the skates up, picking up 6 points for the 4th most in the torunament (1st for defensemen). He also tied for 2nd most hits with 10, tied for 2nd in shotblocks with 11 and lead the league in Takeaways with 6. His only blemish being a +/- of -5, a stat Braxton always struggled with during his career as well.

 

Down - Phil Gerrard

 

Gerrard is a player many have questioned as a member of the Hall of Fame, many arguing that he should never have been inducted. He really made a case for those arguments in this tournament. Gerrard was really only known for his offensive prowess during his career, notably during his Season 25 Curse Busting Vasteras run. It seems like Gerrard completely forgot how to do that, given that he only received 3 points in this tournament.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag number 214

 

Ups and Downs

 

For my very first edition on the VHL mag I have decided not to do ups and downs from the sim, but to do ups and downs from the VHL mag. Within the past week or so STZ (the magazine’s editor) has been letting guys go that have not been producing content for the weekly mag and in return hiring new writers that are available to write articles on a weekly basis. So I will be writing about who got hired and who for released from their duties on the mag.

 

Up – Denver was hired to take over the mag article “Headlines”, Denver is a newer member on the board who has shown great activity in his player and on the boards. When applying Denver was excited about the position and has shown commitment to the league. STZ has noticed that as he is also Ryan Cattralls (Denver) GM on the Helsinki Titans. Denver will be reviving the Headlines article, whose past writer was Boragina who has not been seen on the forum in quite some time. I think Denver will do a good job as the Headlines writer, expect him to have an article for this week.

 

Down – Jericho used to be the old writer of the “Ups and Downs” article but since going on an inactive slide has not been online to write his articles. Jericho did the occasional article and was on the Pajodcast weekly but has not been doing either in the last month or so, so he has been replaced and now the Pajodcast is just a two man crew although they have not been doing them as much anymore. 

 

Up – I Kesler has taken over the Ups and Downs article that was once occupied by VHL legend Jericho. I have been writing articles for the VHLM mag for over twenty editions now and once the VHL mag starting going through a restructure I decided to apply for the Headlines job. Though I did not get it I pursued STZ and notified him I was interested in joining the VHL mag crew. So I decided to leave the VHLM mag because it was really slow and I was really running out of ideas for stuff to write about. But am now on the mag and I hope to stay here for as long as I can as I have always wanted to join mag.

 

Down – Sherifflobo was in a similar spot as Jericho, Sheriff as he is called by members on the board has not really been online like he usually is. Sheriff is a long time member on the VHL and has done a great job on the mag, his article was “Hometown Heroes” who everybody in the community really enjoyed reading about. As hometown heroes was about writing about players who weren’t necessarily stars, but just guys that needed to be talked about and had importance to the league. The article is still currently vacant, but I am sure STZ will be looking to hire someone to take over an important piece of the mag.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 215

 

Ups and Downs

 

Up – Niklas Lindberg and the Riga Reign. Lindberg was recently dealt from the Vasteras Iron Eagles to the Riga Reign for a Vasteras first round pick. Lindberg has been having an incredible season the Iron Eagles scoring forty-seven goals in fifty-one games while adding fifty assists for a total of ninety-seven points. Lindberg is leading the league by a large margin in goals and points, and has also been doing his job having a great faceoff percentage and being amongst the top leaders in the hit department. So Riga has acquired the best player in the VHL right now just based off of statistics and this is something Riga really needs. Their roster just a couple weeks ago wasn’t looking like a cup contending roster, but with the additions of Lindberg, Sixten and Olsen they have a very deep roster that will go deep in the playoffs. Sixten adds a much needed defensemen on the blue line, something the Riga Reign only had two of a couple weeks ago. Sixten will play a big depth role on the Reign, and he will also add some depth scoring and will help Fjorsstrom stay fresh for the big moments. Olsen was also brought in to be a depth goal scorer for the Reign, Olsen wasn’t having the greatest last season on the Dynamo but maybe this trade will resurge him and he will return to his excellent play of the past seasons.

 

Down – Niklas Lindberg and Tyrone Williams. Now you might think why would I put Lindberg as an Up and a Down? Well while Lindberg was having a stellar record breaking season on the Iron Eagles with a much diminished roster he was one of their only forwards. Lindberg and Williams were greatly benefitting from the Eagles not having a legitimate roster. Lindberg has been leading the league in most major categories and Williams has been one of the best rookies all season. But now that Lindberg has been traded to a team with a full roster, there are going to be players that are going to be taking his points like the Gow brothers and new acquired Olsen on offence. Will Lindberg keep up his incredible record breaking pace? Probably not but he will certainly be a big factor whether or not Riga has a deep playoff run. This also does affect Lindbergs running mate, Tyrone Williams. Now that Williams has no one on the team to play with he will not be benefitting from Lindberg and his points will drop off considerably and with only being a few points ahead of second rookie scorer Williams is going to need to find a way to hold.

 

*Sorry about this being a little short, will start writing longer pieces.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 216

 

Ups and Downs

 

This past week in the VHL was very interesting; it was the time of the deadline where guys decided to retire their older players before or after the trade deadline and make their new players. This week was also the Quadruples week where every PT submitted (or mag article) was multiplied by four. A lot member who are on the James Platts Welfare program even decided to not go pick up their welfare check and instead did a PT. We also had a new GM announced; Sergey Brovalenko will be a part of the Quebec City Meute management as the Assistant General Manager. On the other end of the spectrum, the Riga Reign after the trade deadline bringing in rental type players have lost the top spot in the European conference. The recent acquisition of Eggly Bagelface for the Titans meant that they have solved their goalie problem for at least the rest of the season right? Bagelface has been losing key games against teams that Helsinki is going to need to beat to win the cup.

 

Up – The VHL is currently in the 40th season, the Commish’s of the VHL have decided to embrace this huge accomplishment by hosting a numerous amount of festivities for the site. Starting with the Team PT and a bunch of different changes around the league. This week was the Quadruples week for the VHL, meaning every PT submitted would be multiplied for four, a lot of members really liked this idea and this also meant less people would go for the easy welfare TPE instead of doing an actual PT. So it certainly increased the activity for the week. Although I am sure the graders did not enjoy grading all the extra PTs being submitted.

 

Down – The Riga Reign have been a contending team for quite a few seasons now, starting way back in season thirty-six when they drafted well and got their solid core group of guys. But they have not won a cup with this current team, the past couple season Riga has been adding depth old timers to the team to add depth and needed positions they needed to fill. This season was no different; they went and got the best player available in the VHL; Niklas Lindberg and also added depth guys like Jarkko Olsen and Ville Sixten. Since adding these guys it has not been a good time in Riga, Riga has fallen out of first spot in the European conference and is now behind the Express and the Express also have a game in hand.

 

Up – There was announcement this week that came out of Quebec City, General Manager Frank Chadwick announced that he was going to bring on an Assistant General Manager. Sergey Brovalenko was brought on to help the Quebec City Meute management and franchise, Mr. Brovalenko is also currently the Head GM of the Turku Outlaws who have had successful seasons under Brovalenko. Brovalenko had also returned to where he got drafted to over a decade ago when he was a young inspiring player. Sergey stated he was very excited for the great opportunity that Mr. Chadwick had presented him with.

 

Down – At the trade deadline the Helsinki Titans were in need of a goalie, with only two goalies on the market and one of them being in a deal that was already in place. This left one goalie that the Titans could have gone for. The Titans decided to trade for Eggly Bagelface, who was certainly a large upgrade over their current goalie in Kimmo Salo. They gave up a young talented defenseman who had cut his career short and a young forward who was no longer interested in playing in the VHL and a third round pick. So not much of a risk for a goalie who has proven to be able to win, but since going to the Titans Bagelface has a record of five and six. Not great by any means and Bagelface has also lost to teams that are considered better than the Titans and these are the games where Helsinki needs Bagelface to perform in. Can Bagelface shape up in the few remaining games in the regular season? I am sure Helsinki fans sure want him too.

Edited November 10, 2014 by MÉTIS

[BOOM 8,807]

I was going to edit this, but STZ gets big bucks to do that!

 

I will say, maybe check the spelling of your team's name.......

[BOOM 8,807]

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 217

 

Ups and Downs

 

This past week in the VHL wasn’t a very exciting one, although the season forty campaign came to a wrap. For quite a few players that where their last regular season game and are now going to look to finish their careers on a high note. With the seasons coming to an end, the off-season festivities have commenced. The draft lotteries have happened in both the VHLM amd VHL and trade talks have started due to the draft lottery. Moving on the playoffs were supposed to start on Sunday but were delayed due to a couple of reasons.

 

Up – The VHL draft lottery happened just a couple days after the regular season came to a close, for the three teams that had picks (one team having two) they all wanted to move up because all three of them are just starting their rebuilds. The Seattle Bears for example only have a couple young rookies on their team at the moment so really needed a good pick in this draft. The Bears ended up getting first overall, the Vikings got second overall with their own pick and also had Toronto’s so they got fourth overall as well. Davos ended up getting third overall in their first season of rebuilding. This draft lottery was the first one the Stockholm Vikings were in attendance for.

 

Down – The stars of the last two to five seasons are going to be retiring in the next few seasons but a lot of them have ended up retiring and are leaving the VHL after the playoffs. Guys like Odin Tordahl, Niklas Lindberg, Wesley Kellinger, Lennox Moher and many more are departing the VHL. Odin Tordahl was one of the best players from his generation being a dominant force in VHL for many seasons. Niklas Lindberg did the same winning a cup and moving on to be one of the best two-way forwards in the game by his careers end. Kellinger was a guy that had very high expectations but maybe to some didn’t surpass them, but certainly had a good career winning multiple cups.

 

 

Up – Its playoff time! The playoffs will be starting in the next couple days and let me tell you, the league is excited for the fortieth time the league has seen the playoffs. It will be a milestone playoffs and all teams in the playoffs are looking hungry to win and want to get started. The first round matchups are looking good, the young rebellious Titans will be facing off against the grizzled veteran Riga Reign squad. In the North American conference will be the Quebec City Meute facing off against the Calgary Wranglers. Many expect the Reign and the Meute to win their series but they should both be long game series.

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 218

 

Ups and Downs

 

The first round of the season forty playoffs wrapped up a few days ago, there were two great series between the Titans and the Reign in the European conference and the Meute and the Wranglers faced off in the North American conference. Many were expecting a good series out of the Wranglers and the Meute, both teams did not disappoint as the series went to a long game seven and the Wranglers would eventually take it in overtime in game seven. The Titans and Reign series also went to seven games, some were expecting the Reign to finish the series off sooner but eventually got it done. The second round of the season forty playoffs began yesterday and the Cologne Express (who finished first in the regular season) were expecting to have a competitive series with the Reign. This did not end up happening and got swept four games to nothing by the Reign.

 

Ups - The Calgary Wranglers General Manager sure got criticism last off-season when he made some very questionable moves acquiring pieces for an all in cup, his team may not have been ready for. Also acquiring a defenseman who had already previously left the team in free agency, some questioned loyalty and that he wasn’t worth all that was paid for him. But the Jason the Wranglers GM continued to march on proving people wrong all season. The Wranglers knew it was going to be a long tough series with the Meute, but knew that had a chance in the series. The Wranglers fell down three to one in the series and looking like they were about to face elimination. They had a very clutch effort by their young guns and won game five in a close two to one game. They would keep battling and would in game six due to scoring four goals. Then in game seven Martin Brookside played the game of his life saving forty-two shots earning a shutout and then the guy they got questioned about re-acquiring in the off-season secured their second round playoff berth.

 

Down – The Quebec City Meute had an off-season to remember, going into the off-season with only a few picks and a couple future roster players. They ended up starting season forty with a competing roster that could potentially dethrone the New York Americans. The team had a solid regular season having some good individuals who had career seasons on the team. After acquiring some rentals such as Lennox Moher and Willie Weber, this would solidify their cup chances. The Meute were looking like they were going to have a fairly easy series against the Wranglers. But after going up three to one in the series, the Meute could not stab the dagger any farther in the Wranglers. After losing two straight games to the Wranglers the Muete knew they were in danger but could not do anything about it. The Wranglers were playing a true team game and were playing as a unit unlike the Meute. The young players on the Meute were really letting the team down, and on the other side it was the opposite. The Meute would end up losing and now where do they go? Do they try and re-tool for the future or stick to what they have? Only time will tell but this was a disappointing season for the team and management. 

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 219

 

Ups and Downs

 

Down – The Calgary Wranglers just went through a very interesting phase in the VHL. They had a very young team that was almost on the cusp of trying to compete with the big boys in the VHL. But maybe due to a rush in their rebuild, just had four guys retire on them and a couple of guys went inactive on their leaving the Wranglers in a very tough decision. After a team that just beat a very good team in the Quebec City Meute and made it to the semi-finals, this is going to make it very difficult going forward for the club. The team currently only really has three actives being Martin Brookside, Travis Boychuk and Edwin Encarnarcion. It is going to be a tough hill ahead for the Wranglers, GM Jason is going to have to play it right and make some tremendous moves to pull Calgary out of this slump that they are in. 

 

Up – The Riga Reign four almost four seasons ago to the day, drafted what would be their core for the next decade or so. They had three picks in the top five and had another pick at number eight. With these picks they drafted (in order) Robin Gow, Damon Tyrael, Robert Gow lll and Phill Villenueve while also adding Mike Szatkowski Jr. due to the GM rule. The Riga Reign would later add pieces to their core and would attempt to compete for the next few seasons. But could not get it done despite adding rentals the last couple seasons. This season the Riga Reign did the same thing but added better rentals such as Niklas Lindberg and Jarkko Olsen. The Riga Reign went into the playoffs having to play the Helsinki Titans, it was a close series but Riga got it done then had to play the Cologne Express and swept them. Heading into the finals the Reign were hot and won the first three straight against the Americans. They would win it in an easy five game series making the veteran god status Americans look like peewee players. The Riga Reign had finally won a cup with their great core group of guys.

 

Down – The Quebec City Meute after losing a very close seven game series to the beat down Calgary Wranglers decided to take the retooling route. Newly names Sergey Brovalenko was quick to act dealing both Matt  Bentley and Naomi Young away to get younger to set up their core and future as a top contender. The first deal that went down dealt one of the best defensemen in the league, Matt Bentley to the Americans for a pair of first round picks. A couple of hours later Mr. Brovalenko pulled the trigger on another deal that sent  Naomi Young to the Helsinki Titans (the team that drafted him) for Ryan Catrall, Jarome Iginla and a third round pick. Ryan Catrall being the main piece of this draft has shown tremendous leaps in becoming a great player one day in the VHL. Naomi Young returns to the team that drafted her back in season thirty-four. The Meute would then move four first round picks to bring in Wesley Mathews and Rami Jacobssen from the Stockholm Vikings. The Meute certainly do not have a cup contending roster right now but retooled and have a very bright future ahead of them. It may be a rocky net season for Quebec having so many young players on the roster but they will be good to go for the future.

[STZ 5,376]

Thanks for submitting

[Kesler 1,514]

Mag Number 220

 

Ups and Downs

 

Up – The Toronto Legion are one of the teams in the VHL currently that have been forced to rebuild in the last three or so seasons. The Legion have been slowly building through the draft and has acquired some great pieces. This season was do no different, Toronto made a trade to acquire fifth overall and with the addition of this pick had four picks in the top twenty in a deep draft. Toronto selected goaltender Fedir Okranitz who I am guessing Toronto hopes he turns into the next Lebeau. At pick ten they drafted a well-known winger, Dirk Firkley who could be a project but still a great pick. With their next two picks Toronto selected center Raphael Pettyfer who could be a solid second line center for Cote going forward. With their next pick Toronto selected David Blind who is also a goalie. After this draft Toronto has also solidified their core group of guys, maybe in the coming seasons if they add a few pieces this team could really be something. They now have Sundberg, Cote, Grr, Poole, Zoidberg and Rathod Jr. as a very solid core group of guys heading into the future. 

 

Down – The Riga Reign fresh off of winning the S40 continental cup decided to stay competing instead of taking the usual route of rebuilding while you have a core group that you can get a good return on. Instead the Reign have decided to go for the cup again trying to get back to back cups which has not been done in the VHL for a while. The Reign will be challenged all season long with the other big contender, the New York Americans as well as a lot of younger teams like the Quebec City Meute and the Helsinki Titans biting at the door steps. Riga is taking a chance at being number one in the European conference. Helsinki and Cologne both have way more depth players then the Reign and can add players unlike the salary tight Reign. Some questioned the move of GM Jim Gow to try and compete one last time instead of rebuilding but it will be an interesting season for the Reigns top players.

 

Up – The Cologne Express have come a very long way, and finally have a great core of guys that look like they will have a shot at a cup in the coming seasons. After almost a decade of having a subpar team, they have finally drafted and acquired all the pieces to create a dynasty. Leading the charge are first and second overall picks Thomas O’Malley and Mason Richardson with a supporting of Logan Laich,Nicolas Caprivi, Blaine Olynick and more. The team this off-season has acquired some depth and older players to help out the young guys for the next couple seasons. The Cologne Express are definitely on the up and up right now and will be a deadly team all season long with their combination of depth and young star power players. They could have a great regular season like last season but only time will tell if they will be able to hang with Riga in the playoffs.

[Higgins 3,618]

Liar

[Kesler 1,514]

Liar

I didnt wanna get banned :3