Forever Miami

[Toast 887]

Dawson and Toast Agency Look Back on VHLM Career

 

Phoenix Dawson celebrates a goal at the most-recent World Junior Championship.

 

Miami, FL — A farewell with the media was called as Phoenix Dawson spent his last day at the Miami Marauders training facility. Serving as captain in his second season with the team, the young S76 player will be joining the Seattle Bears to make his VHL debut on Monday.

 

“When I was first drafted here I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Dawson. “I declared to the VHLM on a whim after getting recruited to the Toast Player Agency and I wasn’t sure if hockey was even truly my calling.”

 

In his first season with Miami, Dawson declared late into the declaration period and did not have much time to impress general managers. With the lack of a successful player coming from the Toast Agency in recent memory, Dawson’s draft position continued to fall. It was only at 79th overall in one of the most successful drafts in history that Dawson would finally hear which team he was going to. 

 

Dawson arrived to the Miami practice facility in S75 where he was expected to play low minutes but with his dedication during practice and the early goings of the season, Dawson quickly solidified himself as the number two center on the team behind Theodore Hoffman. 

 

“My main goal in my rookie season was to show everyone I was going to be one of the best,” said Dawson. “I am a very competitive player and I wasn’t going to allow myself to just play low minutes for the full season.”

The team has openly expressed that the locker room in Miami can be very lively but it did not take long for Dawson to fit it. Being one of the few S76s on the team, Dawson stepped into a leadership role for the rest of the players on the team that were going to find themselves in the upcoming VHL Entry Draft. A particular moment that has been reported was Dawson sacrificing his ice time so that free agent Green Gaming could get an opportunity on the second line.

 

“I feel like I’m more mature due to all the advice that my player agent has given me. I saw this energetic young player who was getting his first taste of professional hockey in the VHL world and I wanted him to have an opportunity to really shine. There were other players on that team that were more focused on their own success than the team’s and I wanted to show everyone that I was there to do everything to lift Miami up and not just myself.”

 

On the ice Dawson was a consistent player as well, mostly finding success with winger Nathan Perry. On and off the ice Perry and Dawson quickly became a favourite duo of the Miami fans as the two were very open about their friendship on social media often tagging each other in photos or interacting with the fans.

 

“I think a large part of me being successful in my rookie season was the fact that I had Perry there with me,” said Dawson. “Our personalities meshed perfectly and that was something I really valued. It made the season so much better!”

 

With the chemistry that had been formed with Perry, Dawson would end up putting up 46 points through his 72 games which were very respectable numbers for the first-year player. With the overall success from the team’s other stars such as Cabe McJake and Peter Louis II, the team went intro the post-season hoping for some post-season magic like they had seen previously in Miami. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be as the team would be eliminated quickly in four games. Everyone knew that the team was entering a retooling period with quite a few players moving on to the pros and free agents to the VHLM Dispersal Draft.

 

After a few moves from the Miami front office, Phonenix Dawson was one of the last players on the Miami roster as a sign of trust after the hard work and involvement that he had through the first season. Rumours through media reported Dawson meeting with front office several times through the off-season but it may have been nothing more than updates for their star player.

 

“It wasn’t my concern really. I was curious to see if I was going to be the next name called to pack my bags and head to the next town but I really wanted to stay with Miami. I fell in love with the city in my first season here and Miami is responsible for putting the Toast Agency back on the map in the VHL.”

 

Surviving the mass exodus in Miami, Dawson’s next concern was the upcoming VHL Entry Draft. After being the 79th-overall pick in the VHLM, Dawson worked hard through his entire season to become one of the big names available in the draft. Analysts argues if Dawson could be the best available center and this got attention from teams.

 

“I had quite a few draft interviews and it was certainly exciting. I wanted the GMs to know that I was serious about being the best player that I could be but I think there was one thing that really held me back from the rest of the class.”

 

Top prospects often made the jump to the VHL right away after the draft and while that may mean they were not as successful as they could have been in the minors, they could have a longer career in the pros. Dawson was the exception to this in his class as he made it clear to several general managers that his intent was to return to Miami to see our his journey in the VHLM. Dawson decided that he had some unfinished business and though he practiced as much as possible for the VHLM, Dawson was decided on this to the point where he would make sacrifices. 

 

“I informed teams that I would be skipping training camp. I know that sets me back from the other players my age who are going to get that experience ahead of me but if I wanted to make sure that I was ready for the VHLM season that would mean returning to Miami as soon as possible to help the new group of prospects adjust.”

 

While this certainly would end up hurting Dawson’s draft stock, he still went in the first round and much higher than 79th-overall this time around. The Seattle Bears made a big splash in the S76 Entry Draft with three picks in the first round. They were able to get the energetic center Hex Rose with the 8th-overall pick and a strong winger at 12th-overall in Phil “The Rock” Johnson. Most importantly however, at 9th-overall the Bears selected another center in Phoenix Dawson.

 

“I was extremely excited to hear my name called by Seattle and in the top 10 as well! I knew I had put in the work to make sure that I would get noticed but I wasn’t sure if it was going to be enough for the teams who were cautious about the player agency that I was coming from. The opportunity in Seattle was one that I really wanted and I’m happy that they were able to see that.”

 

Dawson and the Toast Player Agency released a statement to media prior to the draft announcing their intention to go to DA BEARZ as a sign of loyalty as it was Blake Campbell who were able to get Dawson and the Toast Agency back into the VHL in the first place. Warning other teams that they wanted to go to Seattle or would end up going their via free agency was enough to have the odds work in their favour it seemed. Dawson was now free to return to Miami with that peace of mind knowing that a good opportunity was waiting for him in the VHL. 

 

Upon return to the VHLM, it was announced that Dawson was going to be wearing the C in Miami for all of his work in the previous season. Dawson was very excited about the opportunity but the next season was certainly going to provide its own challenges.

 

With the stresses of the VHL career looming it was clear that Dawson did not have the same energy that he had with something to prove in his rookie season. The second-year player was definitely more serious with his training and his work with the team but was also more reserved in the locker room and only provided his input if required. 

 

The work that Dawson was putting into his game was clearly working as he was trusted to take on a much younger Miami team with a lot of S77 talent on it. Dawson would be relied on to carry most of the work this season as Miami had moved number one center Hoffman to Ottawa over the off-season. Dawson immediately found chemistry with other S76s that had arrived to Miami through the Dispersal Draft in Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte. All of these players would end up with point-per-game offensive results for Miami at the end of the season.

 

“I was really worried about doing the best that I could. At one point in the season I was in the top 10 scorers in the league and coming back for a second year in Miami I wanted to lead the entire league. I worked so hard through my first year to do everything I could and I knew that I had the skill that was needed.” 

 

As Miami had some rough points in the first portion of the season, Dawson would end up a -2 on the season but led the team with goals with 39 and assists with 58. With Dawson all over the ice during Miami games it was no surprise that he would end up leading most of the categories for the team. He also showed a strong defensive side as well with quite a few hits and shots blocked to add on. 

 

Dawson and Miami heated up towards the end of the season and came roaring into the post-season with their second attempt at playoffs in Dawson’s career. It was certainly a better attempt than the season prior but Miami were eliminated in six games in the first round with this attempt and Dawson’s time with Miami was coming to a screeching halt. It was disappointing for the team and Dawson.

 

“I feel like I could have done more. As captain you want to make sure that you’re giving it everything you’ve got every night and I think I brought that for Miami but it just wasn’t enough. It’s crushing to leave this behind without seeing success in the post-season like I dreamed of.”

 

Miami exceeded all expectations of VHLM analysts and certainly seemed like that had some future they could build on if they were successful in the VHLM Draft again. For Dawson though, it’s time to look ahead to Seattle.

 

“I want to thank everyone that I’ve had the chance to meet Miami. You are the reasons why I am going to have this opportunity in Seattle and why I will make sure that I do whatever it takes to be one of the best players in the league. I want to give a special thanks to Ricer and Tina for their leadership during my time in Miami and for making the VHLM experience such an enjoyable one. There is no other tandem that I would have preferred to play for. 

 

“While it’s disappointing to not get it done in Miami I look forward to joining Seattle and working for the next seven or eight years to become the best player that I can. They have arguably the most committed management in the league and a young squad where we have the opportunity to become a dynasty. I will never forget my roots in Miami though. They are the reason that Phoenix Dawson will become a household VHL name and I will forever be a Marauder.”

 

---

2025 words (Four weeks)

Claiming for W/E March 21st

 

[Ricer13 2,836]

@ToastIt was an absolute pleasure to have you during the last couples seasons of my tenure in Miami. I am happy that Miami was able to breath life into your player and yourself as a member of this league. I wish you nothing but the best for you and your player except when you’re playing Calgary of course.

[Zetterberg 863]

@Toast you were one of the best players I got the pleasure of AGMing and I wish the best with this player, I have a feeling you’ll be at the top of the league in no time.

[tinafrombobsburgers 380]

what a read! Dawson and Perry will play together again one day! 

[Toast 887]

Claim W/E March 28th

[mattyIceman 1,230]

I like reading these vhlm journeys.

 

Good luck squire

[Toast 887]

Claim 3/4

[Toast 887]

4/4