Claimed: Preseason VHLM Power Rankings [1/2]

[CowboyinAmerica 2,708]

 

A Look at the S55 VHLM Landscape

 

I’m going to go out on a limb and say Season 55 in the VHLM might be one of the most fun the minors has ever produced. At the start of the season, there’s a reasonable case to be made for four different teams winning the championship, and activity is at an all-time high, with many teams having fully active and updating second line players.

 

But if we had to break it down, who’s the favorite to win it all? Here’s one man’s power rankings, which many people will absolutely disagree with.

 

 5. Yukon Rush

 

It’s another rebuilding year in Yukon, though given the strength of the rest of the VHLM, it’s probably a good time to have it. The Rush’s earliest pick was Bastian Stolzschweiger in the fourth round, and given the inactivity of Apollo Aho, Stolzschweiger also represents the team’s biggest talent, alongside fellow defenseman Augustus Gloop. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a firesale here to stock up for future picks, even though there’s not much in the cupboard to sell off either. A rough year’s ahead for Yukon fans.

 

 4. Las Vegas Aces

 

Again, I think any one of the top four teams can win the championship, but somebody does have to be fourth. The good news for the defending champs is a first line that’s probably the best in the entire VHLM. Ying and Aleksi start as two of only three players above 170 TPE to start the season, and VHL second overall pick Dexter Lane pairs with Defenseman of the Year candidate Luca Volkov for the most formidable first line defensive pairing in the league.

 

But there are three problems with the Aces. The first is obvious: a lack of a goalie, which will need to be rectified soon given the offensive talent in the league. The little depth beyond the first line is also an issue—can Harambe carry a line? But both of those can be fixed on the waivers. The one that’s more interesting to me is less obvious: Who’s actually going to score? Slava Aleksi leads the team with 71 scoring, but is at heart a pass-first player. And the rest of that projected vaunted first line, with Ying, Rowe, Volkov and Lane, doesn’t have a single point added to scoring between them.

 

 3. Ottawa Lynx

 

The Lynx on the surface have the opposite issue of the Aces. The have the goalie in Key Perought, and as I very presciently said in my Mock Draft predicting the Lynx to take him No. 2, a good goalie can take you a long way in the VHLM. That goes double when Perought is the only active goalie in the VHLM and the definite favorite to win Goalie of the Year. A four-deep roster of stand-out defensemen in Bogdanovic, Snow, Fook and Kinkaid means there will be a lot of 1-0 games in Ottawa this year.

 

But the Lynx ultimately approach a similar problem to the Aces from a different angle: Who’s going to score? The Lynx’s problem is talent, as all of the TPE is concentrated on the blue line. Among draftee forwards, Les Clarke held the team’s highest scoring rating at 55; Corey Klopfenstein is a solid pickup at center, but may be more of a distributor. Ultimately, this team’s success may come down to recent signee The Process, who will be expected to step in to primary scorer’s role from the beginning.

 

 2. Saskatoon Wild

 

Especially in contrast to the Aces and Lynx, scoring is one problem the Wild are never going to have. First overall pick Gabriel McAllister lit up the goal charts on his way to a Playoff MVP award last year, and that was against good goaltenders in Our Lady of Perpetual Motion and Vernon von Axelberry. While the Wild lose his linemate in Boeser to the VHL, both Scheel and Do are back to join him on the first line and take a step forward. The main difference this year for Saskatoon though is defensively – while last year’s team didn’t have a single active defenseman, Aeschylus Jigglejawns CXXXVIII and Ay Ay Ron might legitimately be the team’s second and third best goal scorers, and Martinov adds stalwart defense to boot.

 

But similar to Vegas, the Wild have a goalie problem. Unable to snag one in the draft, the team will turn to untested free agent Brienne O’Tarth in net to start the season. While the upside is surely there, will she be able to get on the level of Perought and Motion quickly enough to give the Wild a chance? If so, the Wild may be the team to beat come playoff time.

 

 1. Oslo Storm

 

Last year in this space, I made a big deal of the fact that the Oslo Storm haven’t won a VHLM title since Season 32, which has now tied the longest championship drought in minors history. But given this roster, the team has a decent chance at not holding the record by themselves. It all starts between the pipes where Our Lady of Perpetual Motion continues her illustrious VHLM career with a chance to rival Perought as the top goaltender in the league entering the season. In front of her are three defensemen above 100 TPE in Smallwood, Raven and the enigmatic Ky. Future VHL stars Forsberg, Quill and Laflamme anchor the first line, while Helsinki signee Jack Shepherd may turn out to be the most talented second line player in the entire VHLM.

 

If Oslo’s going to falter, though, it will come down to two major issues. The first is offensive depth outside of those four new stars. The Storm traded a lot for Elijah Mikaelson, but will he be able to grow as a player quickly enough to complement Shepherd? The more important issue to me, though, is growth over the course of the season—many of those players that are highly ranked right now, such as Motion and Smallwood, haven’t been seen in the practice facility in months. Don’t be surprised if they’re passed by newcomers like O’Tarth or Stolzschweiger by the time the playoffs roll around.

[Tyler 881]

dont' need a goalie when you score 10 goals a game

[Gudnason 607]

BER G be taking backhand slapshots from 200 feet away.

[Kendrick 4,724]

Klopfenstein is a carryover player, wasn't just acquired ftr. I have a plan to fix our scoring

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

Review

Very nice look at all the VHLM teams this season.  Nice to see the VHLM getting some love in Media. Hopefully Saskatoon wins it this year but maybe im just biased.  Nice simple layout with colors. You checked all the boxes. Nice to see you back because I like reading your media. Keep it up CIA