The Talents Behind the Trophies: the Mitch Higgins Trophy

[Doomsday 4,033]

@Motzaburger can make your whites, whiter.

 

Hello and welcome to another edition of The Talents Behind the Trophies! In this series, we delve deep into the history of the Victory Hockey League to learn more about the players that the various awards of the VHL and VHLM are named after. Many times, people covet a trophy, yet they don't know the story behind the player the award is named for. Personally, I feel that the stories of these players should be told. You see, these awards were initially named after NHL players, eventually taking the name of VHL players who personified the spirit of that award. Naturally, these are some of the best to ever grace the league, and The Talents Behind the Trophies will ensure their stories are known. 

 

But before we get started, let's take a look at the VSN content that's out this week! @Patrik Tallinder and the VSN Scouting Department are back with another update as the Season 78 drafts approach, and for those who need to catch up on the storylines of the VHL heading into the playoffs, Around the VHL has you covered! @Ledge_and_Dairy brought us a phenomenal preview of the VHLM Playoffs, and @fromtheinside has a brilliant recap of the first round! @Berocka and @dasboot have another episode of One and a Half Aussies, but it's from last month, so get on them about making another!

 

VSN Draft Update | Around the VHL | S77 VHLM Playoffs Preview | VHLM First Round Recap | VSN Australia - One and a Half Aussies

 

With the Season 77 VHL and VHLM playoffs under way, the peak season for aspiring players to cement their legacies is upon us. While the regular season is often where the bulk of one’s statistical production and effectiveness is ultimately judged, being a clutch, dominant performer in the postseason is a sure path to achieve immortality. Take Rayz Funk, Hall of Fame goaltender for the Seattle Bears, as an example. His single season numbers alone would not have made him a Hall of Famer, but his postseason dominance, with an unprecedented four Daisuke Kanou Trophies as VHL Playoff MVP, with the Bears winning the Continental Cup all four times is what truly cemented his status as a legendary player. In the VHLM, little attention is particularly paid towards award winners, as there is no guarantee what will come of that player in the VHL. Sometimes, however, the players who are special talents in the VHLM turn out to be just as prolific in the VHL, and that’s certainly the case for today’s feature, Mitch Higgins.

 

Veterans and even amateur historians of the VHL know the name Mitch Higgins, and for good reason. After a Hall of Fame career as a defenseman primarily for the Seattle Bears, Higgins went on to hold multiple positions around the league. Serving as the general manager of the Oslo (now Minnesota) Storm and eventually the Helsinki Titans, he also served as a commissioner of both the VHLM and VHL during his career as well. In Season 42, Mitch Higgins also received a unique honor when the Sakic Trophy, awarded to the VHLM’s most valuable player of the regular season, was renamed the Mitch Higgins Trophy in his honor. As the Season 23 VHLM MVP, Higgins turned out to be one of the few who took their accomplishments in the minors and relayed it into a legendary career in the VHL.

 

As a first generation player, Mitch Higgins still displayed right away that he was a tremendous talent, and was selected 8th overall by the Helsinki Titans in the Season 23 VHL Entry Draft. Despite his impressive workout regimen. Higgins wasn’t quite ready for the VHL yet, and spent the season with the Ottawa Ice Dogs, and promptly showed why he was worthy of his draft positioning. Scoring 54 goals and 78 assists for 132 points from the blue line, along with 214 hits and 177 shots blocked made Higgins the recipient of the Sakic Trophy as the VHLM MVP, along with the Bourque Trophy as the top defenseman in the VHLM. The dominance continued into the playoffs, as he scored an additional eight goals with ten assists as the Ice Dogs cruised to a Founder’s Cup victory, and Higgins won further honors as the Esposito Trophy winner as the MVP of the VHLM playoffs. However, despite the lengthy list of accolades he had accomplished, Mitch Higgins never made it to the Helsinki Titans’ roster, being traded to the Riga Reign before the start of Season 24.

 

The Mitch Higgins Trophy, award annually to the most valuable player of the VHLM regular season.

 

Making his pro debut with Riga, Higgins quickly established that his VHLM dominance was no fluke, as he quickly developed into a very solid and capable blue liner, inserting himself into the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy race. Yet again, however, Mitch Higgins found himself on the move, being dealt to the Seattle Bears at the trade deadline. However, his positive attitude kept Higgins rolling right along, and he finished the season with 17 goals and 43 assists for 60 points, and contributed defensively with 161 hits and 144 blocked shots. The Bears missed the playoffs, but Higgins’ rookie season ended with a Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy as the top rookie of the VHL. Season 25 began with Higgins finally remaining with a team, as he played in all 72 games for Seattle. Able to focus fully on his play, Higgins followed up his strong rookie season by improving his game across the board in his sophomore campaign. He record 22 goals and 54 assists, averaging over a point per game with 76 on the season. Higgins became a more physical presence as well, with 218 hits, and tallied 155 blocked shots. Although the Seattle Bears missed the playoffs again in Season 25, Mitch Higgins finally had a home, and was poised to break out and help end Seattle’s playoff drought.

 

Higgins and the Bears more than delivered on the hype in Season 26, as he broke out as an elite VHL defenseman as Seattle broke their playoff drought by finishing second in the North American Conference. The newly-minted alternate captain set career-highs offensively with 26 goals and 76 assists for 102 points, along with a +43 rating. Higgins remained a physical presence with 204 hits and with a drop in blocked shots, 86 on the season, likely credited to the Bears possessing the puck far more often as a result of the overall improvement of the team. Along with fellow Hall of Famer Felix Peters, Seattle got their shot at doing more than simply making it to the playoffs, but the New York Americans won the series in six games. Seattle had cemented themselves as favorites following their breakthrough in Season 26, and the Bears were even better in Season 27, as they went a stunning 59-9-4, securing the Victory Cup with  122 points. Although he didn’t quite reach his numbers from a season ago, Seattle’s new captain still put up a tremendous statline, recording 97 points, a +49 rating, and 170 hits with 74 shots blocked. Regular season results, however, weren’t going to cut it for Higgins and the Bears, and they found themselves coming up short once again to the New York Americans in the postseason, this time being upset in Game Seven by a late goal.

 

Mitch Higgins challenged the Seattle Bears to better themselves prior to Season 28, and his fiery leadership helped them to capture the Continental Cup that season.

 

Higgins challenged not only his teammates, but himself to be better in Season 28, and the captain more than led by example. He elevated his game to brand new heights, scoring 30 goals in a season for the first time, and led the VHL in assists with 81, winning his first individual award, the Mikita (now the Alexander Beketov) Trophy. As it turned out, Season 28 turned out to be far more memorable and successful for Mitch Higgins than that. His superb leadership was recognized with the Grimm Jonsson Trophy, and Seattle recorded their second-straight Victory Cup with 115 points. The Calgary Wranglers looked like they were going to cut Seattle’s season short, but the Bears prevailed in a hard-fought seven game series, and their old nemesis, the New York Americans, waited for them in the Continental Cup Finals. This time, however, Higgins, Peters, and CAL G were ready for their old foes, and after the series was tied at 2 following Game Four, the Bears broke through and won Games Five and Six to win the Continental Cup. A phenomenal season for both the Bears and Higgins ended with the ultimate prize in the VHL returning to Seattle for the fifth time.

 

Naturally, expectations remained high for Seattle following a championship season. While the Bears indeed had another strong season, making the playoffs for a fourth straight season, Higgins’ offensive production took a sharp decline, dropping from 111 points to 78 in Season 29. However, he remained an effective player for the Bears, especially in his own end. Racking up a career-high 272 hits, Higgins was a brutal presence on the ice, and responsible as well, with a +37 rating and 98 blocked shots. However, after drawing the HC Davos Dynamo in the Conference Finals, the Bears made it to one win of a return trip to the finals, but Davos wound up taking that trip instead following a Game Seven in which Seattle just didn’t have it. It appeared to be Higgins’ final game for the Bears after becoming the general manager of the Helsinki Titans, requiring him by VHL rules at the time to become a member of the same team. But by announcing his retirement at the conclusion of the season, Higgins was able to bolster his rebuild with the Titans by returning to Seattle for one last hurrah and another shot at a ring. While he still didn’t match the powerhouse numbers he put up in his prime, Higgins was still a workhorse defensively. With 25 goals and 51 assists for a more than respectable 76 points, Higgins continued to brutalize forwards with 241 hits, also using his body to stop 115 shots. Facing off against their old foes, the New York Americans, Higgins and the Bears powered their way past the Americans quickie in just five games, setting up a North American match-up for the Continental Cup with the Calgary Wranglers. Featuring multiple future Hall of Famers, including Alexander Chershenko, Ryan Sullivan, and former Season 28 teammate Leeroy Jenkins, the Wranglers quickly put Seattle in a 3-1 hole. Although the Bears rallied to force a Game Seven, they were out of gas, and Leeroy Jenkins supplied the dagger in a 2-0 win for Calgary to give Jenkins a record fifth Continental Cup victory, and it was the end of the road for both Jenkins and Higgins.

 

The Seattle Bears, captained by Mitch Higgins, captured the Continental Cup again at long last in Season 28.

 

Season 31 saw Leeroy Jenkins inducted into the VHL Hall of Fame on his first ballot, an honor that eluded Mitch Higgins. His induction did not come the next season, or even after that. It would take twelve seasons after the retirement of Mitch Higgins for his day to come, but it was truly a magnificent one well worth the wait. Not only was he inducted at long last into the VHL Hall of Fame, but the Sakic Trophy, awarded to the VHLM’s most valuable player during the regular season, was renamed to the Mitch Higgins Trophy in his honor. Ten seasons later, Higgins found himself inducted into the VHL Hall of Fame yet again, this time as a builder for his many contributions to the VHL.

 

After a spectacular career both on and off the ice for Mitch Higgins, it’s quite fitting that the award for the MVP of the VHLM regular season is named after him. It’s true that winning the trophy that bears his name certainly doesn’t guarantee you success in the pros, but Higgins himself showed that even for an unknown first generation player, it can serve as the springboard to becoming a legendary figure in the VHL. Greatness is a goal worth striving for, even if it is a bit overdue in its arrival. Strive for success in the VHLM, achieve it there, then go on as Mitch Higgins did and take the VHL by storm!

 

Players Mentioned: @Rayzor_7, @Higgins, @gregreg, @JardyB10, @Victor, @Advantage, @Squinty

[JardyB10 4,834]

Riggins always gonna rig.

 

Great article Doom! You are the pride of the VSN.

[fromtheinside 1,278]

great work as always Dooms