(S40) LW - Christoph Klose
Position: Left Wing
Birthplace: Mannheim, Germany
Jersey Number: 47Height (inches): 5'11''Weight (lbs.): 208
Final TPE: 840
Drafted: 14th OA by New York Americans
Member: @der meister
In mid S40's, nobody could mess up with the two-way dominance by Lord Karnage although other candidates were solid as well. But there was one player who was named the second best two-way forward in two occasions during that era. His name is Christoph Klose. Coming from a German city named Mannheim, he left his mark on VHL's history as one of premiere hitting machine and a solid scorer during his prime years. This player definitely is the first successful player of Der Meister's player agency - the first player, Till Linderman was a decent hitting defenceman, but still nothing very spectacular. New York Americans management didn't make a miss when they chose Christoph in only a second round, making him a draft steal.
Rookie in a dynasty, S41-42 New York
Regular season:
S41(NYA) 72GP | 21G - 25A - 46P | +46 | 257SHT | 6GWG | 43PIM | 67HIT | 55SB
S42(NYA) 72GP | 29G - 45A - 74P | +41 | 357SHT | 3GWG | 59PIM | 152HIT | 63SB
Playoffs:
S41(NYA) 12GP | 2G - 8A - 10P | +7 | 44SHT | 1GWG | 10PIM | 9HIT | 13SB
S42(NYA) 12GP | 1G - 1A - 2P | 0 | 52SHT | 0GWG | 18PIM | 34HIT | 17SB
Klose was drafted 14th OV by the Americans team, but shortly after that he was sent back to minors. His made his debut in S41 in the team who suffered a loss in last finals. New York still was a powerhouse so the German wouldn't receive a lot of chances. It obviously reflected on his stats, even though 74 points in his second season wasn't too shabby. He also wasn't a hitter yet as he still was growing his mucsles before his fame years. As for his team's success - NY was steamrolling over their NA opponents in S41 before once again facing Riga in finals. In a 7-game thriller the Americans could take the 3-2 win and celebrating the championship. In S42 things weren't that shiny. They could advance into the NA finals before falling in 6 at the hands of Quebec. Christoph's playoff performance was kind of a paradox: solid 10 points in his rookie season and a mere 2 points in a season after.
He is ready! (S43-44 Cologne)
Regular season:
S43(COL) 72GP | 38G - 46A - 84P | +34 | 476SHT | 8GWG | 78PIM | 333HIT | 44SB
S44(COL) 72GP | 38G - 69A - 107P | +66 | 450SHT | 6GWG | 120PIM | 344HIT | 25SB
Playoffs:
S43(COL) 18GP | 8G - 11A - 19P | +9 | 78SHT | 4GWG | 38PIM | 73HIT | 11SB
S44(COL) 13GP | 5G - 5A - 10P | -7 | 52SHT | 0GWG | 18PIM | 63HIT | 5SB
After suffering a loss to Quebec, the Americans' GM Chris Miller decided to put an end to his dynasty. It resulted in Klose being traded to now defuncted Cologne Express team, the reigning champion at that time. The Cologne GM Ryan Power definitely knew what his team needs and I'm sure he never regretted that trade as Klose finally grew up and became the man. His stats, other than shot blocks would go up, especially hits. S43 was the season when Christoph became the two-way player and he never changed his playing style after. S44 was his peak season - he could post 107 point performance (his career high) which was his first and last 100+ point season. His team also was doing great things. In S43, Cologne beat every EU team and made it into the finals, but then they couldn't hold the 3-1 lead in series and lost to Seattle ''Cinderella'' Bears in 7 games. The Express would repeat the finals appearance in S44, but it also ended in a loss, this time to Calgary in 6. The German's native playoff stats once again were paradoxal - 19 points in S43 followed by 10 points alongside with -7 rating in S44 which was kind of a letdown after a wonderful regular season.
Staying solid, S45-46 Helsinki
Regular season:
S45(HSK) 72GP | 39G - 58A - 97P | +55 | 469SHT | 7GWG | 172PIM | 300HIT | 22SB
S46(HSK) 72GP | 38G - 48A - 86P | +68 | 396SHT | 10GWG | 171PIM | 358HIT | 19SB
Playoffs:
S45(HSK) 12GP | 2G - 9A - 11P | +7 | 48SHT | 2GWG | 41PIM | 57HIT | 6SB
S46(HSK) 10GP | 3G - 6A - 9P | 0 | 32SHT | 1GWG | 42PIM | 38HIT | 4SB
Followed by the second straight finals loss, Ryan Power decided to make a fire sale. Klose once again was traded, this time to the Titans team. They were on rise so he was right on time. He never replicated his 107 point season, but 97 points in S45 or his career high 358 hits in S46 were enough to make a big impact. He was a vital piece of Helsinki dynasty: his top class two-way play helped the Titans to achieve the back-to-back feat. Both times they were facing Calgary in finals and both times Helsinki came out on top: the S45 seven-game series win was followed by an ''easier'' repeat in a five-game series. These both cups made Klose a three-time champion. Also, his playoff performance was more consistent than in previous two teams - 11/57 in S45 and 9/38 in S46.
Tough ending, S47 Seattle
Regular season:
S47(SEA) 72GP | 36G - 29A - 65P | +5 | 292SHT | 10GWG | 135PIM | 308HIT | 40SB
Playoffs:
S47(SEA) 5GP | 1G - 3A - 4P | -3 | 39SHT | 0GWG | 14PIM | 27HIT | 5SB
Helsinki was still capable of doing a damage, but the German forward decided to test FA waters for the first time (and obviously his last). After short talks he decided that Seattle will be his last team. The Bears, like the Titans two seasons ago was on the rise and they were happy to use a veteran presence in Klose. He still was solid, but the age was catching up on him: 308 hits still could place him in TOP 10 in this category, but 65 points certainly showed people that nothing is forever. By the end of the regular season Seattle managed to hold the second place in NA conference before facing an aging Calgary team. Unfortunately for Seattle, their opponentd would trounce Klose&Co in five games. He was trying his best and 4 points with 27 hits wasn't a bad stat in this stage of his career, but this didn't help his team to at least move on to the Americans.
AWARDS:
S41 Victory Cup - Best Regular Season Record (NYA)
S41 Devon-Marlow Marta Trophy - NA Conference Champions (NYA)
S41 Continental Cup - VHL Championship (NYA)
S43 Terence Fong Trophy - EU Conference Champion (COL)
S44 Terence Fong Trophy - EU Conference Champion (COL)
S45 Victory Cup - Best Regular Season Record (HSK)
S45 Terence Fong Trophy - EU Conference Champion (HSK)
S45 Continental Cup - VHL Championship (HSK)
S46 Victory Cup - Best Regular Season Record (HSK)
S46 Terence Fong Trophy - EU Conference Champion (HSK)
S46 Continental Cup - VHL Championship (HSK)
CAREER STATS:
Regular season, S41-47
504GP | 239G | 320A | 559P | +315 | 770PIM | 1862HIT | 2697SHT | 268SB | 50GWG
Playoffs, S41-47
82GP | 22G | 43A | 65P | +13 | 181PIM | 301HIT | 345SHT | 59SB | 8GWG
Christoph Klose = Tier 3 player. Klose definitely enjoyed a successful career. Three-time Continental Cup champion, three Victory Cups and five conference championships only proves that the team would instantly become the contender with him on their roster. He also won two gold medals+one bronze in world cup as an addition to his trophy shell. It was a gift for any team to have such a talented player who was a consistent candidate for a Boulet award in his peak seasons. It's obvious that his career stats isn't blowing out of the water and having zero personal awards also hurts. But it was hard to compete in Karnage era and he still gave a run of the elite two-way players' money. And while his achievements are not good enough to be inducted into an actual HoF, he still won't be forgotten. From this time, he becomes the second inductee of the Snubbed Players Hall of Fame.
Previous inductees:
Tier 1:
Tier 2: (S39) RW - Milos Denis
Tier 3:
Claiming this for EFL and SBA.
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