VHL Draft: All-Time Best #6 - #1

[animal74 1,605]

 

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Previous Articles: #24 - 19, #18 - 13, #12 - #7

 

Over the last few weeks, @Doomsday and I have been counting down the VHL’s best picks from each position in the VHL’s draft history. From Randoms (#24) to Sterling Labatte (#7), we attempt to debunk draft debates that have raged for years. Now, we come to the final segment highlighting the stars that were the best players ever selected from #6 to #1. Not surprisingly, these are all household names and were ranked among the greatest to have played in the league in VSN’s Top 75 Players. Without further ado, here are the VHL Draft’s All-Time Best Picks in the Top 6.

 

 

#6. Conner Low, D/RW @Smarch

Drafted: 1st Round, 6th Pick, S35  New York Americans

Teams: New York

Highlights: VHL Hall of Fame (S43), Continental Cup Champion x2 (S39, S41), Sterling Labatte Trophy x5 (S36-S40), Alexander Beketov Trophy x3 (S37, S39, S40), Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy (S36), Grimm Jonsson Trophy (S36)

 

While getting a Hall of Famer at 6^th overall doesn’t seem like a stretch - even though there have only been five HOFers selected at that spot – getting arguably the best defenseman in VHL history at 6^th overall is quite the steal, especially when Davos passed him over twice in the first five picks in the S35 Draft! No player at 6^th has made it to the Hall of Fame since Conner Low, the 5th-ranked player in the Top 75 Players of all-time, who was snagged by the New York Americans starting a dominant era in the franchise’s history. To say Low made an immediate impact is a drastic understatement. Not only did he win rookie of the year after leading all rookies with 83 points, Low was named team captain at the beginning of the season and won the Grimm Jonsson Trophy for leadership and won his first of many Labatte Trophies as the league’s best defenseman. Thus began Low’s run of five consecutive Labatte Trophies from S36-S40, the most in VHL history. He also led league in assists three times and won a Continental Cup in S39. After having nothing left to prove as a defenseman, Low switched to the wing for his last two seasons to help New York and all he did was have two 50+ goal, 100+ point campaigns and win another Cup. He also was captain for five of his seven seasons and is a member of the Triple Gold Club. He is 17^th all-time with 491 assists. Need we say more?

 

Honorable Mention: Phil Rafter, C @Phil (S27) 

 

 

#5. David Smalling, LW @Knight

Drafted: 1st Round, 5th Pick, S27  HC Davos Dynamo

Teams: Davos, New York

Highlights: VHL Hall of Fame (S35), Continental Cup Champion (S31), Scott Boulet Trophy x5 (S28, S31-S34), Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy (S27), Grimm Jonsson Trophy (S31)

 

From arguable the best defenseman to arguably the best two-way forward, David Smalling was one of HC Davos’ four first round picks in a franchise-altering S27 draft for the Dynamo. He kicked off his career by winning the Stolzschweiger Trophy with an 85 point season and setting a new VHL single season record for hits with 423. He would continue to produce (two 30+ goal seasons and his first Boulet Trophy), although not quite as his rookie year suggested for the next three years as Davos slowly transformed into a powerhouse. Everything culminated into a championship season in S31 when Smalling had career-highs in most offensive categories and led the Dynamo to a Game 7 victory over the New York Americans to win his first Cup. He would also win his second Boulet Trophy and the Grimm Jonsson Trophy. He wouldn’t relinquish the Boulet Trophy until his retirement winning the two-way award a league record five times! He was also the all-time leader in hits upon finishing his career and still sits third in league history.

 

Honorable Mention: Pietro Maximoff, C @OrbitingDeath  (S49)

 

 

#4. Tukka Reikinnen, LW @.sniffuM

Drafted: 1st Round, 4th Pick, S25  Vasteras Iron Eagles

Teams: Vasteras, New York

Highlights: VHL Hall of Fame (S33), Continental Cup Champion x2 (S26, S32), Scotty Campbell Trophy (S30), Lemieux (Mike Szatkowski) Trophy x2 (S27, S30), Malone (Kevin Brooks) Trophy x2 (S27, S30), Brett Slobodzian Trophy (S30), Daisuke Kanou Trophy (S31), Dustin Funk Trophy (S27)

 

Many fine players have been selected 4^th overall over the years but one talented Finn set the bar extremely high in the VHL’s early years and few have come close to his storied career. Tukka Reikinnen started his career with two good seasons in Vasteras including helping the Iron Eagles win their second Continental Cup and winning World Cup Gold in S26. Then he exploded in his third season (S27) with one the best offensive efforts in league history. Reikinnen would more than double his previous season’s goals, assists, and points with 78-74-152 on route to the 6^th-highest single season goal total in league history! He would never quite reach those heights again but he would finish on top as his final act was to captain New York to the S32 Continental Cup championship. Reikinnen’s time in the VHL ended with six consecutive 40+ goal seasons and four 100-point seasons earning him many accolades along the way. He was just as productive in the playoffs where his 37 goals still have him tied for 23^rd all-time and out of players having played 60 or more playoff games, he ranks 9^th in goals-per-game.  

 

Honorable Mention: Anton Brekker, C @DGFX. (S18)

 

 

#3. Hans Wingate, G @CowboyinAmerica

Drafted: 1st Round, 3rd Pick, S43  Calgary Wranglers

Teams: Calgary, Riga, Toronto

Highlights: VHL Hall of Fame (S51), Continental Cup Champion x4 (S44, S48-S50), Aidan Shaw Trophy x3 (S44, S46, S50), Daisuke Kanou Trophy x2 (S45, S48), Scotty Campbell Trophy (S50), Brett Slobodzian Trophy (S50)

 

The huge goalie from Edinburgh, Scotland was perhaps the most appropriately named player in history. All he did was win. Aside from his dismal rookie season which saw him win only 14 games, Wingate would assault the VHL records books for the next seven seasons and become the only Hall-of-Famer in his draft class. His teams were the best in their conference five times, tops in the league twice, won the Continental Cup four times and lost another time in the Finals. To highlight how important he was in net, he won the Aidan Shaw Trophy (Best Goalie) once with each of his three teams and co-won the Daisuke Kanou Trophy as playoff MVP after losing in the S45 Cup Finals. As good as Wingate was in the regular season, he elevated his performance in the playoffs to elite levels rarely seen since. He never finished a postseason with a save percentage lower than 0.924 and produced a sub-2.00 GAA four times. Hans Wingate retired on top of the VHL. He finished his career as the only goaltender in history to backstop a team to three straight Continental Cups and was named the league’s best goalie, most valuable player, and most outstanding player. He left the VHL its goaltending career leader in regular season games played and shutouts and playoff games played and wins and still ranks high in most goaltending categories. He is not only one of the top goalies of all-time but also one of the best players ever.

 

Honorable Mention: Ryan Sullivan, D @Advantage (S28)

 

 

#2. Scotty Campbell, C @scotty

Drafted: 1st Round, 2nd Pick, S1  Vasteras IK

Teams: Vasteras, Seattle, Helsinki, Toronto

Highlights: VHL Hall of Fame (S9), Continental Cup Champion x4 (S1, S4-S6), Gretzky (Scotty Campbell) Trophy x3 (S4, S5, S7), Lemieux (Mike Szatkowski) Trophy x5 (S2, S4-S7), Malone (Kevin Brooks) Trophy x4 (S2, S4, S5, S7), Mikita (Alexander Beketov) Trophy x2 (S4, S6), Howe (Daisuke Kanou) Trophy x2 (S4, S5)

 

Are there enough superlatives to describe Scotty Campbell’s career and his lasting effect on the VHL? Surprisingly, the draft is about the only time he wasn’t first as he dropped to 2^nd overall to HC Davos after the Amstel Tigers selected goalie Robert Sharpe 1^st overall. After his selection, Campbell dominated the VHL like no one has since, setting almost every offensive record in the league, most of which stand to this day. Among these records are the career marks for regular season goals (600), assists (639), and points (1239) – marks deemed unreachable. So influential was Campbell, that the trophy for Most Valuable Player, previously named after another Great One (Gretzky), and a trophy he won three times during his illustrious career, was renamed after him. He was unanimously named the Top Player of All-Time and it is unlikely that laurel will ever be removed. No question he is the greatest pick at #2 ever.  

 

Honorable Mention: Greg Clegane, G @Victor (S45)

 

 

#1. Thomas O’Malley, C @OrbitingDeath

Drafted: 1st Round, 1st Pick, S40  Cologne Express

Teams: Cologne, Helsinki, New York

Highlights: VHL Hall of Fame (S48), Continental Cup Champion x4 (S42, S45-S47), Scotty Campbell Trophy x3 (S44-S46), Brett Slobodzian Trophy x4 (S43-46), Mike Szatkowski Trophy x4 (S43-S46), Kevin Brooks Trophy x2 (S43, S44), Alexander Beketov Trophy (S44), Daisuke Kanou Trophy (S45), Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy (S40)

 

Widely considered the VHL’s best player next to Scotty Campbell, Thomas O’Malley was the obvious choice as the league best ever 1^st overall pick. O’Malley rivaled Campbell’s era of dominance (and his trophy case), equaling Campbell’s championships and MVP selections but also becoming only the second player in history to lead the league in scoring four consecutive seasons. That period, from S43-S46, saw O’Malley awarded 15 individual trophies and two Continental Cups.  He averaged just over 129 points a season and was awarded the Slobodzian Trophy for player-voted Most Outstanding Player each of those seasons – the only player ever to win more than two (the award wasn’t created until Campbell had retired). He won a Cup with each team he played for and finished with 99 points in 90 playoffs games (5^th all-time). He is also the last player to record 900 or more regular season points, accumulating 913 during his stellar career, good for 4^th all-time and ranks 5^th with 532 career assists. Thomas O’Malley is, without a doubt, the best 1^st-overall draft pick in VHL history.

 

Honorable Mentions: Gabriel McAllister, LW @CowboyinAmerica (S56), Matt Thompson, LW @Beketov (S61)

 

 

Thanks so much for joining VSN as we showcased the best players selected at each of the top 24 draft positions in VHL history. We hope this brought to light some of the league’s less-heralded stars or jogged your memories of some of the league stars from the past. Maybe it churned up the excitement and anticipation that only a draft can bring in time for the S79 Entry Draft. Keep an eye on VSN as we produce more riveting content every week and be sure to check out VSN Scouting's recently posted S79 Mock Draft! Cheers!

Edited July 19, 2021 by animal74

[Advantage 2,769]

@CowboyinAmerica had a beast of a goalie in WinGod.  Probably pretty close between him and Sully but he was a monster!

[FrostBeard 1,973]

@animal74If that is meant to be old Green - go with @OrbitingDeath

[animal74 1,605]

2 hours ago, FrostBeard said:

@animal74If that is meant to be old Green - go with @OrbitingDeath

Thanks! Good to know!

[Beketov 8,638]

Honourable mention for the best 1st overall pick ever? I’ll take that for my only mention on this list.

[CowboyinAmerica 2,701]

3 hours ago, Advantage said:

@CowboyinAmerica had a beast of a goalie in WinGod.  Probably pretty close between him and Sully but he was a monster!

 

If Wingate had been drafted #1 to the Americans it would've been all Sullivan

 

Seriously though, definitely a good battle between the two, can't go wrong either way. Also cool to get the HM at #1, crazy to be on the list on two such high picks.

[Viper 528]

It's always fun to read these articles and I always seem to learn something new in the process .

[BOOM 8,399]

Damn. I was hoping Tordahl might get an honorable mention at 3. Good list and some great players. Congrats.