Claimed:North America: Minot

[Spangle 49]

 

NORTH AMERICAN ANALYSIS: MINOT GLADIATORS

by Thor Ludvigsen, VHL.com

 

Last week, we here at VHL.com covered the Brampton Blades. Sporting a lack of talented defenders and no goalie, the Blades seemed to be entirely relying on their offensive prowess to succeed. However, since the article came out, they have clearly read our words and took them to heart, as they acquired Ikier Manushez, a goalie, from Turku. They also picked up a top-notch VHL prospect in Lukas Nyqist, who will join their loaded attacking game. In addition, Brampton acquired defenseman Spud Murphy in the same deal and while he is nothing special, he at least plays defense for a living. VHL.com also discovered that the General Manager of Brampton is Terrence Fong, rather than Damon Wolfe. We blame Mr. Bunclewirth and crew for putting out false information. 

 

Anyways, that concerns last's week article. This week, we turn our focus to the boys in North Dakota; the Minot Gladiators. Currently in last place in the North American Conference at 7-10-1, the Gladiators will need to turn it around to play a factor in this season's playoffs. Can they? Well, let us take a look at who they have lacing up for them every night.

 

Forwards

Unlike Brampton, the Minot Gladiators are lacking in offensive talent. The only player they have who will have a future in the VHL at this position is American right winger Ashton Galbraith. The 6'4" Wisconsin-born youngster is very raw still, but at 122 practice hours, he brings a lot of experience to the table every night. A good skater, Galbraith largely plays a playmaking role for the Gladiators, due to his great passing skill. He also has a solid shot, but he needs to work on getting it on net more consistently. This year, he has 20 points, a -3 +/-, 12 penalty minutes, and 28 hits. He also earned quite the reputation as being a clutch player, thanks to tallying three game winners this season. Considering Minot has won just 7 games, the fact that he scored the winning goal in 3 of those is certainly impressive. Galbraith is a prospect for the Cologne Express and is undoubtedly being counted on by them to pan out into a big success.

 

Beyond Galbraith, the Gladiators have practically nobody on paper and in practice. Wingers Edgar Balthazar and Marcus Bjorkstand are alright by VHLM standards, but will likely spend their whole careers at this level. Both have provided Minot with 19 points this year, largely due to playing on the same line as Galbraith. Center Peter Keller is in the same boat as those two, though he has produced five less points on the year. The only other player worth mentioning fully is Canadian winger Marcus Hurley. Currently Minot's leading goal scorer with 13, Hurley has 36 practice hours to his name and has used that time to almost exclusively improve his scoring ability. A Season 40 VHL Entry Draft prospect, Hurley is certainly turning heads with his ability to put the puck past the goalie, but his game needs further development beyond that. In particular, he is a slow skater and a poor puck handler, both of which will hold him back from being a success beyond the VHLM. However, he has youth on his side and as of now, he is a huge bright spot on this struggling Minot squad.

 

 

Defense

The Gladiators' defensive make-up is practically the same as their offensive make-up, as they have one very talented player, one draft prospect looking to prove himself, and a couple of below average VHLM players. The most crucial player to the success of this unit is VHLM veteran Matt Rielly. A Season 32 prospect, Rielly has fallen short of expectations, but at 100 practice hours, he is quite useful on a VHLM roster. He has a laser of a shot from the blue line and is a good skater, allowing him to make young VHLM defenders and goalies look foolish. Through 18 games, he is currently the leading scorer for Minot with 26 points. He has also chipped in with 46 hits and 45 blocked shots. If Minot is to turn it around this season, they need Rielly to continue producing at this level.

 

Alongside Rielly is Danny Schneider. A Season 40 prospect, the young American has just 24 practice hours to his name and is spending most of that time learning how to properly defend. Due to this his offensive game has suffered, with him just producing eight points on the year. However, with 29 hits and 20 blocked shots, Schneider certainly has shown flashes of being a top defender in the future.

 

Minot also has Helsinki Titan prospect Ryan Barrett and Toronto Legion prospect Pierre-Luc Tanguay on the roster, but neither play a huge role or are expected to amount to much, due to their poor work ethics. Their on ice performance is also poor, as they have a combined 18 points to their names. They also have a combined -4 +/-, with both proving to be major liabilities when playing. The only thing Barrett and Tanguay bring to the table is their ability to play a few minutes and allow Rielly and Schneider to catch their breaths.

 

Goalies

In goal, the Gladiators trot out Canadian netminder TotallyNotA Bear. A member of the S33 draft class, Bear is a career VHLM player and does really not anything well. However, his performance has been anything but subpar, as has a 3.91 goals against average and saves 89% of shots he faces. Based on face value, these stats are lackluster, but luckily for Bear, his competition in the VHLM is lackluster, as is GAA is 5th best in the league and his save percentage is the 3rd best. While he is not really developed, Bear somehow manages to perform adequately for Minot, so compared to their forwards and defenders, Bear is a definite plus.

 

Overall

There is not much to praise on this Minot team. They have a few interesting prospects who could turn into something, but as of now, they are largely undeveloped. Their goalie is also alright, but they could certainly do far better and seem to be settling for whatever guy they can find. The Gladiators also severely lack depth anywhere on the ice and are largely relying on the production of two to three players to carry the team to the promised land. Sadly, even though they have produced, the team is still struggling. Minot would be wise to trade all of their assets and start over, because this squad is never going to win the Founders Cup and would be hard pressed to make the playoffs in a competitive North American Conference.

 

1,122 words

[Victor 10,940]

There's something depressing about in-depth analysis of bad VHLM teams. All these random names.

[Gooningitup 1,290]

I think u need to do Oslo

[Will 4,660]

Content: 3/3

Nice article. Minot is definitely an...interesting team. They are extremely bad, yet don't seem to be doing much about it. Maybe they like it that way. Maybe they have dirty tricks up their sleeves. Who knows.

 

Grammar: 2/2

 

does really not anything well. = does really not do anything well. (?)

 

Appearance: 1/1

Looks good.

 

Overall: 6/6

[Ball 453]

Claimed