Looking at Exp. Teams

[Da_Berr 219]

With a third of the season finished, we'll be taking a look at how the four new expansion teams have been getting along so far. Currently, all four teams are in the bottom half of the league standings, which was expected this season, but let's take a closer look to see why each team has been doing the way they have.

 

First, we have the Chicago Phoenix, coming in last with a record of 4-20-0.  Looking at the team, it is easy to see why they have been struggling this season. On their roster, they have 5 players just barely above 300 TPE. Their three top players of Squirrely Dan, Adam Syreck, and Jean Pierre Camus have done their best in keeping the team alive, but to little effect. The main concern of Chicago this season has been their defence. Although they have  Adam Syreck scoring at a point per game pace and four other players already at double-digit points, they have a goal differential of -49. Their goalie of Jean Pierre Camus has done a respectable job so far this season with the lack of defence on the team having splits of 0.908 SV% and 4.0 GAA. This season from Chicago may be one of the worst seasons ever in VHL history, but their main goal is to develop the prospects they have. If they can do that, they will a definite playoff team come next season.

 

After Chicago, we have the Warsaw Predators with a 9-15-1 record. Despite the massive signing of HHH this season by Warsaw, it seems to have had little effect on their record. Not only is generational talent HHH on the roster, but the supporting cast isn't too bad either. Alex Bridges and Dalton Wilcox are some of the more well-known faces on the roster and are both over 400 TPE as well. All the players on the roster have reached double digits with over 5 players reaching a point per game mark this season. HHH is leading the pack in one of his best individual seasons, notching over 40 points so far. The goalie, Nicolas Fomba, has also done a great job with his first-ever starting job in the VHL with splits of 0.911 SV% and 3.80 GAA. Despite being second last in the league, their goal differential tells a different story, with only a -14. That would put them ahead of both London and DC, each with -30 and -24. With a little more puck luck, Warsaw could shoot up a few spots in the standings, but like Chicago should be solely focused on developing their promising prospects.

 

London with a record of 10-16-0 is just barely ahead of Warsaw in the standings, with a very similar team. Instead of a generational talent like HHH, London instead has an elite player in Guy Lesieur and some more depth to round out the roster. It is surprising that their team has done as well as they have with their abysmal goaltending, reflected in their -30 goal differential. With this team, their wins are extremely close, but their losses are blowouts. Overall the roster has done a great job on the offensive side of the ice, with all their players in double digits for point and 6 of them have 20 or more. Guy is leading the pack with 40 points, and their prospect pool is also very deep.

 

Finally, we have LA, who is not only the best of the expansion teams but also ahead of DC. Currently, they have a record of 11-12-3, almost being 0.500. Despite their lack of a capable goalie, they seem to have figured some things out with their aggressive style in the expansion draft. Instead of drafting for the future, they instead opted for some big names close to the end of their careers and were able to pick up Tyler Barabash Jr, Markus Nygren and Sigard Gunnar. Despite not having much depth, they are currently being carried by their superior star power. Sigard Gunnar is leading the league in points with 48, Nygren has 33 and Barabash has 42. Despite their initial success, they will have a slightly smaller prospect pool for other teams.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Da_Berr

[diamond_ace 3,107]

1 hour ago, Da_Berr said:

 

 Sigard Gunnar is leading the league in points with 48, Nygren has 33 and Gunnar has 42.

So Gunnar has both 48 and 42 points?

[Devise 4,475]

14 minutes ago, diamond_ace said:

So Gunnar has both 48 and 42 points?

 

He's just that good bruh.

[ROOKIE745 599]

Review

a good but rather straight forward review of each expansion team. strong suits are pointed out and the weak links as well. The noticeable names are mentioned along with the highest TPE players but I think delving into the lower TPE players would have been nice to, the players that are easy to over look, you never know who might be the next breakout player. The structure is good because it is split up but a lack of bold text or pictures doesn't make it stand out. Overall a decent overlook of the expansion teams that covers the most noticeable factors. 5/10