Tyson Stokes - VHL's Travelling Man
Tyson Stokes was drafted with the third overall selection in the Season 39 VHL Entry Draft by the Helsinki Titans and was supposed to be one of the next VHL superstars in his era. The big man, a native of Hell, Michigan was drafted alongside the likes of James Faraday (first overall), Jackson Miller (fifth overall), and Andrew Erikson (tenth overall) in what was believed to be a great draft for the Helsinki Titans. Stokes spent his first four seasons with the team that selected him in the draft, the Helsinki Titans but following those first four seasons, the six foot five, 223 pounder has not spent a full season with one single team. In Season 43, he split time between Helsinki and Toronto, and the following season split his season with the Toronto Legion and Stockholm Vikings. Stokes started Season 45 with the Quebec City Meute but finished the year up with the New York Americans and this season, he was dealt to the Cologne Express from New York following the first ten games with the Americans. With that said, Tyson Stokes has spent time with six of the ten VHL teams in the past four seasons and the well-traveled veteran has announced his retirement following Season 46 so it is time to take a look back at his VHL career.
Season 39:
The duo of Tyson Stokes and Jackson Miller joined Chris Raymond on the top line of the young Helsinki Titans team, putting up some decent numbers, combining for a total of 146 points. 43 of those points came off of the stick of Tyson Stokes, who also added twenty penalty minutes, 110 hits, sixteen blocked shots, fifteen powerplay points, a shorthanded assist to go with a single game-winning goal as well as a game-tying goal. He finished the Season with a horrid -26 rating but to be fair, most of the Titans team were in the high twenties to mid thirties on the minus side of things. The young Titans failed to make the playoffs, finishing dead last in the European Conference.
Season 40:
James Faraday made his VHL debut in Season 40 as well as free agent signings, Damon Tyrael and Willem Janssen joining the Titans, thus Tyson Stokes was delegated to the second line for Helsinki, centering James Faraday and Chris Raymond. Despite less playing time, Stokes' offensive numbers improved to 51 points and his plus/minus rating rocketed up to +16. He added 52 penalty minutes with 104 hits and 20 blocked shots. Stokes again, potted a game-winning and game-tying goal with a shorthanded assist. He improved his powerplay point totals to seventeen and helped the Titans secure a playoff spot. Helsinki was eliminated in seven games by the Riga Reign in the opening round of the playoffs, a series in which Stokes put up four assists and ten hits with a -1 rating.
Season 41:
Stokes took a bit of a step back offensively in Season 41, putting up 47 points on the season while playing on the wing of the second line with James Faraday on the other wing and Oscars Harumpf at center. He also put up a +19 rating with 38 penalty minutes and 100 hits. Stokes blocked nine shots with eleven powerplay points and went pointless while shorthanded. He did come up big in the clutch, scoring four game-winning goals and another four game-tying goals and Helsinki qualified for the playoffs for a second straight season. Stokes potted four points in Helsinki's eleven game playoff run where they were eliminated in the European Conference Finals by the Riga Reign in six games. He finished the playoffs with a +2 rating, eight penalty minutes, seventeen hits, and two blocked shots.
Season 42:
Season 42 would be the last full season for Tyson Stokes in a Helsinki Titans uniform and he bounced back in a big way, rounding out his game into more of a two-way forward. He netted 52 points on the season with a +10 rating and 210 hits. Stokes also put up 90 penalty minutes and 23 shot blocks while scoring seven points on the powerplay. Stokes once again went pointless while shorthanded and added three game-winning goals and two game-tying goals on the Titans way to another playoff appearance. Helsinki received a first-round bye in the playoffs and were eliminated in seven games by the Colonge Express in the European Conference Finals. The playoff stat line for Stokes was a single goal with an even plus/minus rating, eight penalty minutes, 25 hits, five blocked shots, no powerplay or shorthanded points as well as no game-winning or game-tying goals.
Season 43:
Tyson Stokes split the season between the Helsinki Titans and Toronto Legion, being dealt to the Legion at that trade deadline and put up career offensive numbers with 64 points on the season. His plus/minus rating dropped to -8 but he set a new career-highs for hits with 280 as well as 32 blocked shots while adding 80 penalty minutes. Stokes scored a career-high eighteen powerplay points with a shorthanded goal, three game-winning goals and two game-tying goals, helping the Toronto Legion punch their ticket into the Season 43 playoffs. The Legion would be swept in the first round of the playoffs against the eventual Continental Cup Champions, the Seattle Bears and Stokes put up three points in those four games. He finished with a -1 rating, eleven penalty minutes, seventeen hits, and a shot block.
Season 44:
Season 44 was spent between two teams for Stokes as he was once more dealt at the trade deadline, from the Toronto Legion to the Stockholm Vikings this time around. His point total dropped to 45 and he finished horribly on the minus side of things with a -44 rating, although most of the season was spent on a bad Toronto team. Stokes spent 136 minutes in the penalty box and added 293 hits with 26 shot blocks. thirteen of his points were scored on the powerplay, none on the penalty-kill and he scored two game-winning goals with a game-tying goal. The Stockholm Vikings and Tyson Stokes won a tough opening round seven game series in the playoffs before dropping another hard-fough seven game series in the European Conference Finals to the Cologne Express. In those fourteen games, he posted five points with a +1 rating, 22 penalty minutes, 31 hits, and two blocked shots.
Season 45:
During Season 45, Tyson Stokes spent the first part of the season with the Quebec City Meute before being dealt to the New York Americans. He bounced back with a 60 point campaign, finishing the season with a +23 rating and 32 penalty minutes. Stokes delivered just 57 hits and blocked thirteen shots. He had eleven powerplay points with a goal and an assist on the penalty-kill, scoring one game-winning goal and one game-tying goal. The Americans qualified for the playoffs but it was short-lived as they were eliminated in five games by the Calgary Wranglers in the North American Conference Finals. Stokes failed to register a point with a -3 rating, six hits, and a blocked shot.
Season 46:
Stokes begun Season 46 as a New York American but following the first ten games, was dealt to the Cologne Express. Thus far this season, Stokes has played 26 games and has put 22 points on the board with a +3 rating. He had 38 penalty minutes with 57 hits and six shot blocks. Two of Stokes' points have come by way of the powerplay and nothing on the penalty-kill and three game-winning goals. The Cologne Express currently sit four points out of a playoff spot with 46 games remaining so we will have to wait and see if Stokes will get one last chance at a shot to hoist the Continental Cup, be it with the Express or if he gets dealt to a contender at the trade deadline if Cologne is out of the playoff picture.
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