VHL Magazine 268
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VHL Magazine Edition 268
VICTO RY TH R EE RE T U RN S WI NGATE O N TH E MOVE VHLM PL AYO F F S & MO R E!
Moment of the Week With the recent announcement of the Season 46 Trade Deadline, teams have started to make moves and the biggest so far has been the trade of Calgary’s long time star Hans Wingate to the Riga Reign. Wingate, or “Wingod” as he is sometimes called by his legion of fans, was sent to the Reign in exchange for Bernie Gow, Griffin Simons and a S48 1st Rd pick. The deal surprised some VHL media commentators but seems a balanced trade that see’s the Reign add the leagues highest rated goalie in their push for the European title, and the Wranglers add another pick, a depth center and a good replacement goalie to extend their run of American Conference success. Let’s hope it’s not the final deal of the season and some other GM’s look to shake up their rosters in order to consolidate their rosters.
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VHL Magazine 268
Victory Three IT LIV ES
When I first started writing for the Magazine way back around Edition 90 or something absurd, I was given the Victory 3 to handle. I loved that column until I lost interest in writing blurbs and instead wanted a change to polling the VHL with many questions. While the Power Poll was fun to get opinions of others into the article, I did miss this Victory 3 and what it offered to the Magazine. With that said, effective as of now, I have stepped away from the Power Poll to take on the V3 once again. Thanks go out once again to Green, for everything he did with this column and all that he did for the Magazine. I just really wish O’Malley wasn’t such a pain in the ass. With all of that said, let’s get back into the V3 and keep this thing going for hundreds of editions to come. WI NG O D
Riga and Calgary came to a surprise deal last week when we saw Hans Wingate traded to Riga for Bernie Gow and a 1st round pick. Since then, Wingate and the Reign have had a bit of a shaky start to the relationship. Wingate has struggled in some games against teams that have no right to be competing with the Reign, but when Wingate does show up to play? Wingod. Since coming to Riga, despite the shaky games, Wingate has already posted three shutouts for the team that had struggled with goaltending all season. Wingate now holds a two shutout lead on the league and definitely adds
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fuel to the Shaw consideration as well as Riga’s chances to make a run for it at the end of the season. With Wingate re-signing for an extra year as well, it seems that teams all over the VHL are going to have to deal with a pain for the foreseeable future. T RADE DE ADL I NE
The period leading up to the deadline and the deadline itself is finally something to talk about. While most of the deals seen were for minor players with meaningless picks being moved around, there were some big deals. Miller is off to lend a hand to the Titans, and Calgary continues to build and refuses to give up by bringing in Light and Stropko. Of course there was also the goalie swap that was previously mentioned. While the league as of late has switched to the mindset that the big time deals happen in the off-season, over the past week it’s clear that it isn’t the case. Everything matters on the market, and with teams willing to unload some of their depth for picks in hopes that they will pan out let the deals start rolling. What would help these deals even though, is raising the cap for the first time in 1000 years. While that would help some situations surely, it must also be considered that GMs just get shit done in the off-season and otherwise wait until the cap to squeeze a late trade in under the cap. Kudos to all for at least making it a interesting Monday!
Kesler Unfiltered
UP
Thank you Riga and Calgary for coming together and making a trade worth talking about. Both of these teams find themselves second in their respective conferences so many asked, well why would they both be making a trade? Well both Riga and Calgary were in the same predicament, both Bernie Gow and Hans Wingate found themselves with only one year left on their contracts and both made it clear that they wanted to test the free agent market. As goaltenders their prices are worth much more than players to a team and a General Manager so losing one of them was not an option for either team. Calgary made it clear they wanted to get younger in the past
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off-season and after failing to do so Hans Wingate also made it clear he didn’t really like the direction in which Calgary was headed so he wanted to test free agency. So the teams came to terms that sent Hans Wingate to the Riga Reign for a return of Bernie Gow, a Season 48 first round pick and depth center-men Griffon Simmons. Certainly a good haul for Calgary who got two real good pieces, but Riga acquired the best player in the trade. UP
The deadline is right around the corner (as in two days away) and it seems there will be at least a couple of deals to go down. The Helsinki Titans have 3 million dollars in cap space, we will
VHL Magazine 268
probably see them try and bolster their depth up front. Although they already have four defensemen and six forwards upgrading Giovanni Reuel up front or Theo Matsikas on the back end would be a good idea to try and attempt the back to back cups. Also note Helsinki sits on top of the league in points right now so they will be even scarier after the deadline. The New York Americans could maybe in line for a minor deal, they have just over a million dollars in cap space to maybe add a cheap depth player, or maybe there interested in something more and would be willing to move a roster player for one of the big names on the market. Perhaps the team that has been waiting the most
for the deadline has been the Calgary Wranglers, after just pulling off that massive trade with Riga they will more than likely be making another big one at the deadline. Calgary has almost 6 million dollars in cap space and clearly will need to fill out there roster a bit for another cup run. Calgary has 6 forwards but no real superstars in the lineup, also all but 1 of them are either in there last season or in their second last. The Wranglers defensive core right now is questionable with only two defensemen and neither of them are truly elite. So the Wranglers will most likely be interested in acquiring a pair of defensemen and maybe an upgrade up front.
VHLM Spotlight PLAYO F F M ATC H E S S E T ?
The VHLM is getting closer to the end of the regular season, and even at this stage the position of some teams is uncertain. The Red Wolves have climbed back into the race for the European Conference bye, giving the Royals fits along the way. The Wild continue to keep a lead on the Rush for the last spot in the North American Conference, but wins have been hard to come by for the Wild, and the Rush are closing the gap game by game. What will the playoff matchups look like by the end of the season? The North American Conference has its first two spots set. The Lynx will stay at the top of the mountain and have a first-round bye, and the Blades will have home ice advantage in the first round. However it is looking like the Rush and Wild may have a close finish to earn that final spot. Since we last looked at
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the two teams, the Yukon Rush have been desperate to earn wins, going on multiple losing streaks and only winning a couple of games between them. The Saskatoon Wild, however, have done even worse, coming off a terrible 12 game losing streak and being able to grab a win against the Oslo Storm to break it. With only a few games left, it is looking like a battle between the inept, with neither team looking like they want to get that last spot. What will that mean for the playoffs? It is clear that whoever earns the third playoff spot is going to have a hell of a time in the first round. Brampton has a solid hockey team despite not finishing first in the conference, and Markus Muller is leading the way, threatening to earn a 50 goal season. Beyond that, there is Sleeman, Stockton, Deschamps, and Jackson who are all solid contributors.
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The Wild have Sir William Covington II and Stabby McFullO’Schmidt, but beyond that the team is really without any real talent, which could pose a problem. The Rush are even worse, with their only two contributors below a point per game, which will be a real interesting matchup if they are able to somehow grab that final playoff spot. The European Conference isn’t so much about anyone looking to make the playoffs, as the three spots have already been decided. However The Royals and Red Wolves are currently fighting for that first-round bye, and at this point the Red Wolves are looking like they could take it. At the time of this article the Red Wolves are enjoying a 14 game winning streak, with all cylinders firing. The Royals have not been so lucky, playing below .500 hockey in that same
time span. Some times it is all about getting hot at the right time, and the Red Wolves are doing exactly that. As it stands, if the Red Wolves are able to grab that first round bye, the Oslo Storm may be able to find a way to upset their way to the second round. They haven’t been very impressive in their last few games, but have been able to string a few wins together every so often, giving them extra momentum that they could use on their first round opponent. If they grab some more momentum and the Royals continue to find troubles finding wins, there could be a very interesting matchup between the two teams. If it plays out as we expect, you could see an instant first round classic once the playoffs roll around.
Rookie Watch This time we have an interview from a rookie Jeff Hamilton. In the interview later, we will hear Hamilton’s opinions and thoughts of this moment, and of what the future might bring. When he declared for the first time that he will join the VHL, there was a lot of excitement. Jeff Hamilton comes from a Player Agency which everyone knows. That Agency has produced countless of amazing players. Jeff Hamilton has a lot of pressure on becoming a successful player. Hamilton’s VHLM career began in Bern Royals. He had an great season, Hamilton was one of the best VHLM players in Season 45. He compiled total of 126 points! 34 goals and 92 assists, a very good season. He was defensively ok, 67 blocked shots and 110 hits, which isn’t bad for a player who is not so good at defense and also not known as aggressive hitter. The S46 VHL Entry Draft, the draft where Jeff Hamilton was drafted second overall. He was drafted by Seattle Bears. Hamilton entered Season 46 as one of the favorites on winning the Top Rookie Trophy, but sadly he hasn’t answered to those high expectations everyone placed upon him. He is playing surprisingly low minutes in Seattle, considering he is their second best defenseman. Hamilton’s season has been disappointing. He is an offensiveminded defenseman, who is not very good at defense. But he has been focusing on improving his defense.
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Although being highly offensive focused, Hamilton’s numbers doesn’t match the expectations you would expect of an offensive defenseman. He plays in Seattle, last team in the standings with only 10 points(!), so his production is kind of understandable. So far, he has 11 goals and 18 assists, which is not good enough. Hamilton’s plus minus is -68, that is not a nice number to see on a player playing in the VHL. He needs to improve his defensive play, but the team he plays for is also why Hamilton’s +/- is so low. Jeff Hamilton can only improve, and he will, a lot. I bet that in few season Jeff Hamilton is one of the best defensemen there are in the VHL. His first season will go down in history, and it will be forgotten. But the name Jeff Hamilton will be remembered from all the amazing seasons and things he had/did. How has your season gone, what are your thoughts? It’s gone about as well as you could expect on a pretty bad Seattle Bears team. I’d like to finish the season on a high note. Maybe get up to or over 15 goals. We’ll see how it finishes off. Any huge disappointments? Playing for a last place team I’d say. I’ve never been a part of a losing team so it takes a bit to get used to. I just hope our management has a good growth plan in place for the coming years or else I’ll be looking to test free agency.
VHL Magazine 268
Or big surprises? Not really. I’d say perhaps I’ve done worse statistically than I’d hoped for, but we don’t have much in terms of skill, depth or heart at the moment. How high hopes you have on Seattle Bears’ future? If we can find a goalie and another centre, I think we stand to be good in a few years. Who knows what the true future will hold for the team though. Like I said, if we’re not winning by season three, I’ll be testing the market. What do you expect of your second season in the VHL? I expect to improve a lot more. Maybe notch 20-25 goals and 60 points. I’ve improved my defensive game a lot since starting the year and I expect to continue to train toward that skill over the foreseeable future.
What do you think of your fellow rookie team mates? I haven’t heard much from them this season. To be fair, we’ve spent a lot of time drinking our sorrows away after games. We’ve been getting crushed most nights and we’re all waiting for some better fortune to come. I hope some other guys can step in and make an impact next season. When you first stepped on the ice on your first VHL game, how did it feel? I’ve been on the ice pretty much all season since that first game. I was hopeful then, but in the ensuing months I’ve become a little more hardened to the game. It’s beginning to slow down as much as it can when you’re constantly shorthanded. I was pretty excited regardless. Thank you Sterling for this interview!
The Beat By CowboyinAmerica
DOWN TH E STR E TCH
For both the Helsinki Titans and Riga Reign, this is a season of going allin. Following the re-acquisition of Jackson Miller, the Titans now hold the best record in the league, one player who will be forced to retire after this season, and another two (O’Malley and Klose) who may be hit hard by regression. The Reign, meanwhile, will see both Thomassen and Faraday retire after the season, and the acquisition of Hans Wingate shows that they are pulling no punches. With an 8 point lead and only 11 games left to play, it would seem that the Titans have the first seed in the European Conference all but locked up. However, is that such as lock as it seems? We decided to take a look at the schedules for both teams to end the season to determine if the Reign actually have a solid chance. For both teams, we’ve split their opponents into three groups. Group A, the toughest opponents, consists of fellow title contenders – New York, Calgary, Helsinki and Riga. Group B consists of opponents that can put up a tough game and be a trap – Cologne and Davos. Group C, meanwhile, are teams that Helsinki and Riga should both beat – Toronto, Quebec, Stockholm and Seattle. Helsinki Titans (46-10-5, 97 points) Remaining schedule: Meute (C), @ Reign (A), @Vikings (C), Legion
(C), Wranglers (A), @Americans (A), Vikings (C), @Wranglers (A), @ Americans (A), Legion (C), Bears (C) Schedule Breakdown: 5 Group A, 0 Group B, 6 Group C Game to Watch: vs. Wranglers, Game 330 – Of course the game against the Reign is going to go a long way to determining whether Riga can catch Helsinki, but in the end, it may not matter. If the Titans can take even one of their games against the Group A teams otherwise, they may have too large of a lead for Riga to be able to catch them. Perhaps the easiest of those games will be their home game against the Wranglers, the lowest in the standings of all the Group A teams. If the Titans get through the first five games remaining on their schedule at 4-1, or perhaps 3-2, it will be time to call this race over before Helsinki even gets to the tough part of their schedule. Analysis: The schedule breaks down well for the Titans here. Seeing as how Clegane will only need to sit for two more games, the Titans can get those games out of the way early (perhaps against the Meute and Vikings) in order to save him for needed games against the Legion and Bears to end the season. If the Titans sweep their six games against the Group C teams, the Reign would need to finish out the season on an 11 game winning streak to grab the top seed – and that’s even if the Titans lose both games a piece to the Wranglers and Americans.
VHL Magazine 268
Riga Reign (43-15-3, 89 points) Remaining schedule: Americans (A), Titans (A), @Americans (A), @Dynamo (B), @Americans (A), @Express (B), Vikings (C), @Dynamo (B), @Dynamo (B), Express (B), Dynamo (B) Schedule Breakdown: 4 Group A, 6 Group B, 1 Group C Game to Watch: at Americans, Game 318 – We’re going to know quickly whether the Reign actually have a legitimate shot at the number one seed – they likely need to go 4-1 (or 3-2 with a win over Helsinki) to go into the easier end of the schedule with any legitimate shot. The toughest games in this stretch will be the two on the road against the North America-leading Americans. If the Reign drop both of these games, they’re done. If they drop even one, they would need to beat the Americans the other two times as well as the
Titans to stay alive. We’ll likely know by the end of the second Americans game whether the Reign are for real. Analysis: Ouch. With three games against the Americans, four games against the Dynamo, and only one game against the four worst teams in the league combined, it’s going to be a rough road for the Reign coming down to the end. It’s enough to make me speculate that the Reign don’t have a realistic shot of grabbing the first seed in the European Conference. In fact, if the team bombs and goes 0-4 against the Dynamo, it’s actually conceivable that they might not even finish second. In all likelihood, though, the Reign’s main job will be determining their opponent in the first round. Riga plays Davos four times and Cologne twice, and although Davos currently has a two game lead in the standings, the Express have a slightly easier schedule down the stretch.
Hometown Heroes By iRockstar
Being away for a while really proves to be a heck of a thing when it comes to writing media on the league again, but to me this topic is very easy to write about with little information, or at least very little information. In this segment, I’ll provide you with a player in which I personally believe deserves to be recognized. There will be special segments where people are displayed due to retirement, due to highlight reel games or maybe even due to the exceptional season they’re having, however this week we’re going to recognize someone that has just impressed me greatly, and someone that New York and all their fans can easily be impressed with. His name is Edwin ReEncarnation and you may know him as the reincarnation of the badass that was Edwin Encarnation, but to me this kid is just killing it even more than his counterpart. Just looking through this weeks games, it makes me notice why the Americans are on top. ReEncarnation has scored a point in every game the team has played in while having a point to their name. This means in eight games, he’s been present for seven out of eight of them, pretty impressive for any player. To me, what impresses me the most is the actual point total, accumulating thirteen points in only seven of those games, surely to go unnoticed. If this wasn’t impressive enough of a getgo for you, let’s talk more statistics.
ReEncarnation notched back-to-back three point games, three assists and a hat-trick respectively in each of the games. With this impressive feat, there brings more statistics. ReEncarnation and the Americans have won every game he’s at least tallied ONE goal in, respectively losing two out of the eight total games they played due to ReEncarnation not being on the goal sheet. I know what you’re thinking, what’s with all the stats? Well, this isn’t a player spotlight for nothing, we need to highlight him for something he’s doing right, so we’ll continue. The final fact about him is that every game this week that he’s played in which he’s scored or tallied two+ goals, the team has won by multiple goals, something not too many other teams do relying on one player. So what’s your opinion on the reincarnated beast himself? To me, there is no doubt in my mind that there is a legend in the making. He’s top five in three major categories on the leaderboard including assists, shots and his position (left wing), meaning he’s getting the job done when needed and allowing the Americans to have an easy ride to the playoffs. Do you believe that this series should follow just highlight reel players or do you think there should be more to it? Let me know what you’d like to see, as this magazine in my mind, is all about the people. Thanks for reading folks!