S79 Yukon Rush Alumni Rookie Mid-Season Spotlight

[Juice 641]

S79 has a fantastic rookie race for the ROTY, with some big name recreates as well as some fantastic first-gens making a name for themselves already.

 

However, I wanted to touch on a few rookies who I personally have a connection with and that I keep an eye as a few big name Yukon Rush Alumni who I also drafted personally.

 

VHL S79 1st Overall Pick - Papa Emeritus (@Beketov) - Moscow Menace - Goaltender

Someone already used to being traded up for as the same was done in his VHLM Draft, Papa Emeritus was a staple for the Yukon Rush on their run for S78 Founder's Cup. Moscow didn't want to take the chance that another team would take this franchise changing goaltender and decided to take him 1st Overall.

 

So far in his rookie campaign, Papa and his dastardly ghouls in Moscow haven't had the best season thus far and currently sit in 7th place in the EU Conference and are out of a playoff spot. However, not much can be blamed on Papa himself as he currently sits with a respectable 2-2-3 record with a fantastic save percentage of .930% and a good 2.99 goals against average.

 

Moscow is a time on the rise with their young stars breaking out, and Papa surely will be a piece that Moscow won't be moving any-time soon.

 

 

VHL S79 2nd Overall Pick - Tyler Reinhart (@Zetterberg) -  Vancouver Wolves - Right Wing
The S79 VHLM Regular Season MVP, Tyler Reinhart, was arguably the top pick going into the draft, however it was quite known that he was looking forward to joining an organization that would be able to pick both himself and his brother (Jerome Reinhart) in the same draft. Thus Vancouver made the bid to do exactly that by acquiring both the 2nd and 3rd overall picks in his draft year and selecting the brothers back-to-back.

 

Tyler Reinhart was leading the rookie scoring race to begin with, however he has slowed down as of late with his brother instead taking that role over. However, his scoring pace is nothing to scoff at having 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points in 33 games. Vancouver is in a bid for the wild-card position for the playoffs, however the race is close for that and we can easily see the Wolves be the odds ones out looking in, however the Wolves are still in rebuild/retooling mode so I don't think there is much to worry about for now.

 

Tyler will be an effective top line scoring winger for many seasons to come, and the dynamic duo between him and his brother will be a reckoning for teams for their entire careers.

 

 

VHL S78 9th Overall Pick - Nathan Powers (@JB123) -  Prague Phantoms - Defenseman
Despite not being in the top of the scoring race, Nathan Powers is a very reliable defenseman that Prague very happily picked up in the latter half of the 1st round in the S78 draft. Powers was a key-piece to Yukon's cup run and was recognized as such with his Playoff MVP award winning performance as the Rush's captain.

 

Thus far into Prague's season, who were one of the top team's in the EU going into the season, things could both be worse and better. Sitting 4th in the conference, Prague isn't sweating quite yet, however they are only a few losses away from being a team not making the playoffs. Despite this, Powers himself is having a solid rookie season with very good underlying numbers. Some could say he's having an average season as a D+1 year defenseman with 16 points in 33 games, however I look strongly at his hitting and shotblocking numbers being 95 and 72 respectively which puts him up there with players at the top of the league in those stats.

 

The former Rush captain has a solid start to his VHL career, and with the duo of Powers and franchise Prague defender Battre Sandstrom being a future reality, Prague could have a very solid blueline in the near future.

 

 

VHL S79 18th Overall Pick - Jaromir Lemiuex (@hockeyis66) - Moscow Menace - Right Wing

What turned out to be both a depth pick for Yukon in my first year as the General Manager and what turned into a 2nd rounder in his VHL Draft year, Lemiuex continues to blow expectations out of the water. Coming out of the Rush off the ropes of a 100+ point season, Lemieux was joining the very young and developing core in Moscow, and there couldn't be a better fit.

 

Currently, Lemiuex is in the close running for being the top rookie point leader alongside the two Reinhart brothers in Vancouver with a great 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points in 34 games. Already touched on previously, Moscow hasn't had the best season so far, but with their core of younger players playing up to their potential, they really have nothing to complain about until the next season when they're expected to be a top team in the EU.

 

Lemiuex may be one of the most underrated rookies coming into the season and may not have been looked at as a top line contributor, however despite the odds as he's always done, Lemiuex finds himself in the best situation on a young and up and coming team in Moscow.

 

 

Honorable Mention (as he never played for another VHLM team before being drafted to and playing in the VHL)

VHL S79 3rd Overall Pick - Jerome Reinhart (@MexicanCow123) -  Vancouver Wolves - Left Wing

Technically speaking, I never drafted Jerome Reinhart to the Yukon Rush, however it was understood that he was coming into the league after the VHLM draft to the team that drafted his older brother Tyler Reinhart. Thus, Jerome is a honorary drafted Yukon Rush Alumni in my books.

 

Despite having a really great season with the Rush, Jerome was overshadowed by Tyler Reinhart, however Jerome has slowly come into his own in the VHL and may be casting the shadow over his brother. Sitting as the VHL rookie scoring leader with a fantastic 18 goals and 18 assists in 33 games, his 36 points shows that he is going to be a a force to be reckoned with if this is how he plays before he fully develops.

 

Vancouver might have set their entire future up with the Reinhart brothers, and with Jerome becoming a beast it'll be only time before we see the Wolves be a perennial playoff team.

 

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Being the Yukon General Manager was an absolute pleasure, but it's drafting players like the above and having them in the locker-room which was my highest pride and joy. And to see them all turn out to be top picks as well as having fantastic VHL careers so far is something that I watch with earnest and with a big smile on my face.

 

(1151 words, claiming for weeks ending in 8/15 and 8/22)

[JB123 728]

Thanks Juice, it was a great ride. Great to see that the top 3 rookies in terms of scoring are all Rush alumni!