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Showing content with the highest reputation on 06/24/2017 in all areas

  1. Klopfenstein and Scheel: Calgary's Prospective Centres This season, the Calgary Wranglers had a fairly successful draft - at least looking at it without the benefit of hindsight. They were able to select far and away the most touted player in the draft in Felix Savard, who has already started to have a significant impact on the main roster. With 35 points, the rookie defender is second in points for his team, third overall for all defencemen, as well as third overall for rookies. Having selected such a clear, franchise player, it would be easy to say the Wranglers were among the top winners of the draft without even going down the board. However, they had two more selections in the first two rounds, and picked up two of the VHLM's young centers: Jake Scheel at the #5 slot, and Corey Klopfenstein at #13. While Savard was developed enough to make the jump to the VHL immediately, Scheel and Klopfenstein were generally viewed as more longterm projects, neither having rounded out their game enough to join the league immediately. That being said, both players hold enough promise that Calgary fans can stand to be at least a little optimistic about their future. Both players have made their name in the VHLM off of being playmakers first. and scorers second -- but on an Ottawa Lynx team that needs the scoring, Klopfenstein has proven himself to be a much more versatile player than some suspected at that point in the draft, as he's begun to showcase a knack for the net that came almost out of nowhere, sitting with 16 goals, making him the top goal-scorer for the Lynx (as well as their leader in points overall). Some concerns had been raised over Klopfenstein's ceiling, which led to his dip in the draft, but as he's continued to develop as a very steady pace, there seems little doubt that he will be able to make the transition into the VHL as an extremely solid, well-rounded centre. Perhaps what sets Scheel apart from Klopfenstein in terms of style is simply that Scheel identifies more as playing a two-way, bordering on defense style of play. Although he can still put up points, as evidenced by his 30 assists for Saskatoon, placing him first in assists for the team (and second in points), he comes off at some points as somewhat reserved. He prefers to make safe passes, always ready to retreat on the defensive if the puck gets turned over. Although he is fully willing to get more creative when the team needs a goal, his modus operandi is to make the game easier for his wingers -- putting them in position to score, and covering them on defense. Scheel dropped a bit down the boards similar to Klopfenstein, albeit still making the top five. After being pegged for number two through four most season, some scouts became concerned with Scheel's ceiling as well. However, it appears that like Klopfenstein, he is bound for the VHL sooner rather than later. Certainly, history has yet to be written: looking back, one or both of these players could turn out to be a bust. They could burn out, slow down, or simply fail to develop properly as players. However, the potential is there for the Wranglers to walk away from this draft with both the top prospect in Felix Savard, and two highly capable roster players in Scheel and Klopfenstein, acquired with a mid-1st and early-2nd respectively. Given that's when things start to get a little more uncertain for draft picks, seeing the Wranglers offense either supported or led by these two centers would make Calgary's scouts look quite good for their head office. @crutchfield
    2 points
  2. VHLM's Most Physical Players VHL.com // J.S. Augusta When you're talking about statistics to keep an eye on in juniors, hits aren't usually the one to come to anyone's mind. With so many young, smooth skating players, the attention is inevitably placed on skill -- skilled offense in particular. That being said, the VHLM is no stranger to physical play, even if it isn't what the league is known for. The most physical player this year has been Augustus Gloop, clocking 127 hits on the season. The hard-hitting displays from Gloop have been a bit of a highlight in an otherwise dismal Yukon season. Rask Rowe sits at number two for Las Vegas, playing the valuable role of power forward for the team, adding a mix of offense and physicality that will prove useful to the team as it attempts to repeat its championship success, despite a weaker line-up than last season. Jon Snow sits at number three with 103 hits, playing as one of Ottawa's better stay-at-home defenders. Playing the lowest minutes per game of any player in the top five for hits, Snow could definitely be higher up if he was given a bit more icetime. At number four is Daring Do, who has managed to mediate an otherwise slow season by being a physical force on Saskatoon's top line: complimenting Scheel's defensive playmaking and McAllister's offensive brilliance with much-needed grit. At number five is Nicomedus Raven, who is having an oustanding season overall with 52 points. At 99 hits, along with 39 shots blocked and a staggering +38 rating, there's no doubt that Raven has been a key for Oslo's extreme success this season. Although her physical play is more of a cherry on top of extremely solid two-way hockey, it's one more element that separates her from the pack of VHLM defenders. Even if the league itself focuses on skilled play, these types of gritty players can be invaluable to a team's success. In fact, the skilled nature of the league almost guarantees the value of checking players, as they're able to throw a wrench into the otherwise fluid play of top offensive players. You can't dangle around a defender if you're knocked flat on your back, and if a winger comes down and smashes you into the boards -- you might be just a little more prone to let the other team control the boards around your own net.
    2 points
  3. The Americans lack of depth proved to be a problem last season, and this season hasn't been a whole lot better. For much of the season, they've been in a close battle with the Wranglers for second place in North America despite the expectations that New York would still be in contention for a Cup. While I believe this is more a factor of the Wranglers easier schedule thus far, New York's early struggle to keep up with Quebec was not a good sign, regardless of where they are relative to Calgary. They haven't been awful, but they have been a bit inconsistent, losing games to teams that you wouldn't expect them to lose while still being capable of beating top tier teams. Recently, they've gone through an easy stretch of games, and they've managed to create an eight-game winning streak. Prior to this streak, the longest of the season was just four wins. They have played a combined seven games during this stretch against Seattle, Cologne, and Toronto, so to see them winning these games is not a surprise. They did also have a win over Stockholm during this streak, which is good to see from them. After one more game with the Express, the Americans will be tested with back to back games vs the Meute, followed by another match with the Vikings. for mist4ke
    1 point
  4. The Dynamo are looking to rejoin the upper echelon of teams in the VHL, but their early season struggled against the reigning champions showed that they aren't quite there yet. Since losing ten of their first 12 games (including a 1-6-1 record vs Helsinki), the Dynamo have been playing better, but they have still lost games that they feel like they should be winning (Cologne, Toronto). Most recently, however, they have been on a win streak of seven games, bringing their season record up to 15-15-1. During the stretch, they have beaten Calgary twice and Quebec once. The wins against Riga and Toronto are not quite as impressive, but if they want to be considered a top team, then they do need to show that they can consistently perform well against the weaker teams. With several upcoming games against the Reign and the Bears, the Dynamo could extend this streak to double digits before they get back to playing against contending teams. Hopefully they can build momentum off of these easy games and carry that over into the tougher games. for Maxwell
    1 point
  5. jRuutu

    GM 145: Quebec vs. Davos

    Edwin ;__; Also: Fabio Jokinen (QUE) for Goalie Interference (Minor) at 0:21 That is pretty impressive in first period
    1 point
  6. Big game, Verner! @Devise
    1 point
  7. 1 point
  8. @Paramorise
    1 point
  9. Kyle

    GM 76: Saskatoon vs. Vegas

    Our top 2 D have all our points invested in defense and checking and 0 in scoring.
    1 point
  10. Kendrick

    GM 77: Oslo vs. Ottawa

    Nicely done guys!
    1 point
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