Wesley Kellinger HOF Article

[Spartan 4,008]

Position: C

Birthplace: Canada

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 155 Lbs

Jersey Number: 15

Drafted: 1st overall, HC Davos Dynamo

Username: @Jericho

 

Wesley Kellinger seemed to be the man who simply did it all from the shadows, which is quite the unique position for a first overall pick to be in. Despite posting 728 points in 576 games, the two-way forward never won an individual award until his final season on the Cologne expansion team. However, his presence and the value he provided throughout his time in the league can’t be undervalued. Despite the lack of individual hardware, Kellinger had an unmistakable impact on each of the teams he played for - from a Continental Cup with Quebec, to another one with New York, to an MVP-worthy effort on a Cologne team just finding its legs in the VHL. 

 

Career Stats

Regular Season
576GP /  275G /  453A / 728P /  +306 / 532 PIM / 1,138 HIT / 221 SB / 56 GWG

Postseason
67GP / 27G / 37A / 64P / +18 / 70 PIM / 151 HIT / 39 SB / 7 GWG

 

Career Awards

(S35) Continental Cup (QUE)

(S39) Continental Cup (NYA)

(S40) Scotty Campbell Trophy (COL)

 

S33 Davos

Regular Season
72GP /  25G /  41A / 66P /  -5 /  342 SHT / 42 PIM / 103 HIT / 58 SB / 5 GWG / 2 PPG / 1 SHG

Postseason
7GP / 3G / 4A / 7P / +1 / 36 SHT / 13 PIM / 8 HIT / 12 SB / 1 GWG

 

The first overall pick in the S33 draft generated plenty of hype, as Davos under the management of Tyler Barabash was looking for a player to define their team for the better part of the next decade. Clearly, the player had more than just great hockey skills, as the team named him captain for his first season in the VHL. However, the team boasted the talented Phil Rafter at center already, so Kellinger was fated to start his career as the second center on the roster, with the ability to learn from a talented mentor. Kellinger had his own set of rookie struggles, shooting 7.31% in his rookie season and posting a -5 rating despite Smalling and Rafter boasting +38 and +34 respectively. Granted, the S33 Davos team was only carrying 3 wingers, so Kellinger had to make do with a ragtag second line for his first season. Despite that, he flashed promise with 25 goals and 41 assists in his rookie season, but a loss to the Riga Reign in the first round of the playoffs ended his season prematurely.

 

S34 Quebec City

Regular Season
72GP / 21G / 46A / 67P / +45 / 216 SHT / 53 PIM / 108 HIT / 15 SB / 1 GWG / 4 PPG

Playoffs
7GP / 3G / 2A / 5P / +3 / 21 SHT / 14 PIM / 14 HIT / 2 SB / 0 GWG / 0 PPG

 

With the transition in management from Tyler Barabash to Victor Alfredsson, Davos saw the potential to both flesh out their roster and their future while also giving Kellinger the weapons he never had in Davos. In a stunning trade, the Quebec Meute traded their S35 1st, S36 1st, S35 2nd, S36 2nd, S35 3rd and S36 3rd - essentially their next two seasons of draft picks, for the former 1st overall pick, Wesley Kellinger. In Quebec, the team had just about everyone they could have asked for in a cup contending team. The three Valiq’s, Tomas, Alexander, and Niklas, star goalie Skylar Rift, and superstar forward Yuri Grigorenko. Quebec determined they had all the pieces in place, and that one of the best prospects of the generation in Wesley Kellinger would complete their team for the present and the future. With such a strong roster, Kellinger once again ended up on the 2nd line and with similar stats, but the strength of his team was clear as he jumped from a minus rating to a whopping +45. In the playoffs, the strength of the team couldn’t shine for the second season in a row, with the Meute dropping in the first round to the Calgary Wranglers in 7 games. 

 

 

S35 Quebec City

Regular Season
72GP / 32G / 68A / 100P / +65 / 357 SHT / 12 PIM / 46 HIT / 33 SB / 9 GWG / 6 PPG

Playoffs
13GP / 7G / 10A/ 17P / +7 / 50 SHT / 0 PIM / 9 HIT / 2 SB / 2 GWG / 1 PPG

 

S35 was one of the defining seasons of Wesley Kellinger’s career, as it was his first season hitting 100 points. Quebec collectively had a fantastic season as well, winning 55 games and clinching the Victory Cup - awarded to the team with the most points in the regular season. With a larger role and centering superstar winger Yuri Grigorenko, Kellinger tore up the league to the tune of 32 goals and 68 assists. A purely offensive minded player in this season, he didn’t put up many hits or blocked shots. But with 9 game winning goals, he displayed a true ability to show up in clutch time. With the Victory Cup, Kellinger finally didn’t lose a first round playoff series. It would have been hard to do considering they had a bye for being the #1 seed. In round 2, their foes from S34 gave them a tough ride, clawing back from a 3-1 series deficit and forcing the Meute to win Game 7, thanks in part to a dagger from Kellinger to increase the lead to 3-0 in the second period. Moving on to his first finals, Kellinger did everything in his power to help his team win, to the tune of 17 points overall in the playoffs that season. The effort paid off, and Kellinger and the Meute won the Continental Cup in a 4-2 series win over the Helsinki Titans, the first of Kellinger’s career.

 

 

S36 Quebec City

Regular Season
72GP / 37G / 62A / 99P / +38 / 406 SHT / 104 PIM / 242 HIT / 42 SB / 5 GWG / 9 PPG

Postseason
13GP / 6G / 10A / 16P / +2 / 61 SHT / 12 PIM / 41 HIT / 7 SB / 1 GWG / 2 PPG

 

Fresh off a Continental Cup victory, Kellinger and the Meute were ready to pursue a back to back championship win. For the third season in a row, the Meute boasted the same core, Kellinger, Grigorenko, the three Valiq brothers, and star goalie Skylar Rift. With minimal change to their roster, it wasn’t a surprise that the Meute found themselves back in the playoffs, but it was a surprise that they were unable to repeat at the top of their conference. Kellinger certainly did his part, putting up 99 points in 72 games, just 1 point away from hitting the century mark again. However, Kellinger continued his strong playoff career with 16 points in 13 games, getting through the Seattle Bears in 6 games in the first round before eventually getting knocked out by the Toronto Legion in 7 games in the second round.

 

 

S37 Quebec

Regular Season
72GP / 31G / 40A / 71P / +18 / 461 SHT / 104 PIM / 262 HIT / 22 SB / 7 GWG / 7 PPG

Postseason
7GP / 1G / 2A / 3P / -6 / 32 SHT / 8 PIM / 24 HIT / 6 SB / 0 GWG 

 

After a disappointing playoff exit, Kellinger seemingly decided to hit the gym quite a bit over the offseason to build up his physical game. Unlike most prior seasons, Kellinger played S37 with an edge to be admired, going from 46 hits in S35 to 262 hits in S37. The development of his physical game seemed to have taken a bit of a toll on his offensive game, as the Meute captain barely slipped below a point per game. Overall, the Meute seemed to take a small step back, as the highest scoring player put up 74 points, with Kellinger and Grigorenko putting up 71 and 70 points respectively. Despite the muted offensive output from their star players, Quebec still put up 95 points in the regular season, good for 2nd in the NA conference and punching a ticket to the playoffs yet again. Similarly to S36, the Meute ran into the Seattle Bears in the first round of the playoffs. This time, Seattle seemed to have found the trick to shutting down the star center, as Kellinger only put up 3 points in a 4-3 series loss to the Bears.

 

 

S38 New York

Regular Season
72GP / 40G / 48A / 88P / +27 / 489 SHT / 102 PIM / 123 HIT / 10 SB / 9 GWG / 8 PPG / 1 SHG

Playoffs
6GP / 1G / 1A / 2P / +1 / 41 SHT / 2 PIM / 10 HIT / 6 SB / 1 GWG / 0 PPG

 

In one of the most controversial and unexpected moves of the S37-S38 offseason, New York landed Wesley Kellinger on a 3 year contract in FA that also boasted a full No-Trade Clause. The league was shocked, thinking that Kellinger would prefer to go to Vasteras as was the popular rumor at the time. Kellinger signing with New York put them in a great spot, adding on to a group that already featured Tom Slaughter, Odin Tordahl, Conner Low and goalie Tuomas Tukio. With the roster already featuring stars, especially Tordahl who went on to post 128 points that season, Kellinger was more than happy to play a complementary role with his 40 goal, 88 point campaign. New York easily clinched the top spot in the NA conference, but were stunned by the Toronto Legion in 6 games in the second round of the playoffs. Once again, Kellinger wasn’t much of a factor with just 2 points in 6 games, and the team went into the off-season looking for answers to their postseason woes.

 

 

S39 New York

Regular Season
72GP / 46G / 75A / 121P / +72 / 493 SHT / 77 PIM / 143 HIT / 18 SB / 10 GWG / 7 PPG

Postseason
10GP / 3G / 8A / 11P / +10 / 51 SHT / 17 PIM / 32 HIT / 3 SB / 2 GWG / 0 PPG

 

After the disappointing and underwhelming playoff loss in S38, New York entered S39 with renewed vigor and a new starting goalie in Brick Wahl. Throughout the season though, it was clear that the team would play as their two stars did - Tordahl and Kellinger. The duo exploded throughout the season, as Kellinger notched 46 goals and 75 assists for 121 points, while Tordahl scored a whopping 65 goals and 62 assists for 127 points. The two-headed dragon for the Americans essentially carried the team to the Victory Cup, clinching home ice advantage for the playoffs to come. After a first round bye, Kellinger and the Americans faced his old foe, the Seattle Bears. Without much doubt though, the Americans easily dispatched the Bears in 5 games to punch their ticket to the S39 Continental Cup finals. At least, Kellinger got to face his old home team, the Dynamo, in the series that mattered the most. If Kellinger had any frustrations about his move out of Davos, they certainly dissipated after the series with the Americans stomping the Davos team in 5 games. With 11 points in 10 games, Kellinger enjoyed a productive series, and secured the second Continental Cup of his career, on two different teams.

 

 

S40 Cologne

Regular Season
72GP / 43G / 73A / 116P / +66 / 494 SHT / 38 PIM / 112 HIT / 14 SB / 10 GWG / 5 PPG

Postseason
4GP / 3G / 0A / 3P / 0 / 8 SHT / 4 PIM / 6 HIT / 1 SB / 0 GWG / 0 PPG

 

With just one season left in Wesley Kellinger’s career, New York faced a conundrum in the form of a cap crunch. With cap penalties looming over New York, their management decided to send Kellinger and defenseman Andrey Zadorov to the Cologne Express for a S42 COL 2nd, S42 QUE 2nd, S42 COL 3rd, and winger Steve Tremblay. While the return was seen as quite little for the two-time cup champion, the trade occurred late in the off-season and New York didn’t want to send Kellinger to a fellow contender to protect their own playoff interests. Cologne ended up with Kellinger, having yet to make a significant playoff run since their inception in S30. With just one season left in Kellinger’s career on a team seemingly destined to miss the playoffs yet again, all GM Joey Kendrick could ask for was a strong veteran season from Kellinger to inspire the rest of the team to make some noise that season. Kellinger responded with an MVP season, scoring 116 points in 72 games to lead the Express to the top seed in the EU conference. Despite the MVP-winning season, Kellinger and the Express were unable to get past the Riga Reign in the second round of the playoffs, losing in a crushing 4 game sweep, with Kellinger managing just 3 goals. 

[Spartan 4,008]

Obligatory @Victor tag so it gets on the portal.

 

Congrats @Jericho on making the HOF with Kellinger! Hope I did his career justice.

[BOOM 8,436]

Good one Spartan and congrats Jericho. It was a pleasure for Odin to carry you during your time in New York! 

[Spartan 4,008]

Claim 2/4

[Spartan 4,008]

Claim 3/4

[ROOKIE745 572]

review time: What can I say other then this was done professionally, from the use of bold, italics, and underline. The neatness of it all, the players career is well covered and there's a good chunk to read here, I might also add in that it's fun to see a Hall of Fame article on a player from way way back. It feels like no details were missed here and you went through the process of digging up info on the player. With that said I give it a 10/10

[atw2592 286]

Reviewing:

Holy shit man, this had to have taken forever to write. I just joined the VHL for the first time in a while and I feel like I'm 100% caught up with the career of Wesley Kellinger. What a great piece all around, you covered each Hall of Fame season in detail and explained what happened in basically the whole season in a paragraph each, which is not easy to do. Thanks for giving me an idea about what to write about after I join you in the Hall of Fame! 10/10

[Spartan 4,008]

10 hours ago, atw2592 said:

Holy shit man, this had to have taken forever to write

You don't know the half of it.....lol

 

Might have accidentally written a full article on the completely wrong player before writing this one

[diamond_ace 3,106]

On 11/14/2021 at 2:15 PM, Spartan said:

In the playoffs, the strength of the team couldn’t shine for the second season in a row, with the Meute dropping in the first round to the Calgary Wranglers in 7 games. 

[Spartan 4,008]

Claim 4/4