I Name the Best Player from 15 YEARS of Draft Classes

[Gustav 6,469]

Hello VHL!

 

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was offered a job with VSN. I got maybe a third of the way through this article, helped out the crew with a mock draft in S69 (I think?) and then just disappeared from the VSN life. I still had 3,000 words written already, so why not go and finish it? Eventually? It’s been a HOT minute since then, but this will end up as the longest article I’ve ever written. Anyway, this article will run through the best player from every single draft class, from the entry of @Beketov and the Day One Crew to the new players of the present day. 

 

Note: this article does not take into account players who were chosen through the old GM rule, as I have no idea who was selected where, when, and by whom. Names like CAL G in S25 come to mind, but I’ll keep this list limited to people who were actually selected in the draft.

 

Another note: it’s been about 15 seasons since I started this, and I don’t intend to correct any numbers or statements which have changed since I wrote them...mainly because I had to research most of these things and don’t feel like going back through to fact-check them. There’s a joke somewhere in here about @Quik going inactive, and in that time he’s come back, built a successful player, gone inactive again, and come back again. So, it’s truly been a HOT minute, and for that I apologize. But, since we’re at the VHL’s 15th anniversary (can you believe it? I can’t either), there’s no better time to grind out the rest.

 

So, sit back, grab yourself something good to eat, and get ready to read, because I’m about to write you a thesis.

 

Without further ado…I present this monstrosity.

 

 

SEASON 1

 

Scotty Campbell
2nd overall / Vasteras IK

 

Anyone who has ever heard Scotty Campbell’s name around the forum could take a very good guess at this one off the top of their head, and chances are you’d be getting it right. We see his name all over--go to any league history-related theme week of the past (and inevitably of the future as well) and you’ll see articles upon articles upon graphics upon even the occasional podcast singing the praises of Scotty, O Scotty, great leader of VHL past and greatest player to ever grace this lowly league of heathens with his presence.

 

If you think any part of the previous sentence was sarcastic, then you’re (almost) completely wrong. Our league MVP trophy is named the Scotty Campbell trophy for a reason, and that reason is that Scotty was all of these things and more--to this day, his records remain unbroken and virtually unbreakable. He’s the only player to ever break 500 goals (oh, and by the way, he scored 600 goals), and he’s also on top of the all-time list in assists, points (obviously; do the math), plus-minus, game-winning goals, and points per game (averaging over two points each sim). It doesn’t take much detective work after a casual look at these credentials to determine that Campbell was the single greatest player of all time, and will very likely remain so for VHL eternity.

 

SEASON 2

 

Sterling Labatte
7th overall / Calgary Wranglers

 

Labatte is another name that many around the league will instantly recognize--his name is also attached to an award, this award being, you guessed it, the Sterling Labatte trophy, given each season to the league’s best defender. The reason for this is that, you guessed it again, Labatte was the greatest defenseman of the early days of the league, and arguably the greatest defenseman of all time (more on this later; pay attention). The first of @sterling's record six Hall of Fame players, Labatte stuck with Calgary for all eight seasons of his career, leading the team to three championships and picking up many individual awards on the way, winning the early equivalent of the Labatte trophy three times. He leads all defensemen in career points and plus-minus, and deserves every bit of his association with great defenders through the years.

 

SEASON 3

 

Mike Szatkowski
2nd overall / Avangard Havoc

 

Check it out! Three seasons, three players whose names the casual observer of the modern era will recognize on some level. Easily the most notable player ever created by @Mike (and just about everyone else), Szatkowski’s name appears on the VHL’s point leader trophy, and with good reason. The name “Scotty Campbell Trophy” could appear in many different contexts, but since it’s already taken, it’s necessary to look at the next player in line (much like many discoveries made by Leonhard Euler had to be named after the next guy to come along and figure it out, as he already had so much named after him). In this case, “next in line” is Szatkowski, second on the VHL’s all-time point list with 971 (for the curious, that’s about 121 points per season for 8 seasons). Szatkowski was dominant throughout his career, no matter where he played--bouncing around the league and moving five times between four different teams, he hit at least 113 points in each season after his rookie season, he was the player to feed the puck to if he was on your side, and to double-team if he wasn’t. 

 

SEASON 4

 

Derek Harland
2nd overall / Seattle Everblades

 

Season 4 was the league’s first draft class without a Hall of Fame player (and it was also home to the first player named Gustav to ever be drafted, inactive goalie Gustav Frastk to Avangard--now Davos!--at #16 overall). There isn’t really much debate as to the best player in the class, though--other notables including Alec Miller and Alex Kachur notwithstanding, Harland stands out from the pack. Sitting at #66 on the all-time points list, he could be considered a borderline snub--Hall-of-Famer Dust’n Funk played just as many games as Harland and only beat his point total by two. While unlikely that he’ll ever get the nod at this point, he can rest confident that he finished off on top of the class.

 

SEASON 5

 

Jochen Walser
1st overall / Vasteras IK

 

After S4’s class with no Hall of Famers, what’s better than a class with three? I’ll tell you what, it’s a class with four. Walser came into the S5 draft as by far the most highly touted prospect--think HHH 61 seasons later--but unlike HHH lived up to expectations immediately (man, it really has been a while since I wrote this). Putting up 70 points and an unreal 239 blocked shots in his first season with Vasteras, he set the scene for the rest of his career, one which saw him reach 10th on the all-time blocked shots list with 1170. His career point total wasn’t too shabby, either--breaking 600 points in 503 games, he registered a significant 1.23 points per game throughout seven seasons, one more than runner-up Alex Gegeny, a Hall-of-Fame goalie whose selection in the third round proved to be one of the greatest draft steals in league history.

 

SEASON 6

 

Kevin Brooks
3rd overall / Toronto Legion

 

Flash back to the good old days, back when we ate soup with our hands out of our military helmets and Toronto still had draft picks (yes, I started this article back when Devise still ran Toronto--and this parenthetical remark was left over from the last time I left this article alone about a year ago). The name “Kevin Brooks” should sound familiar to anyone who’s poked their way around the site for any decent length of time, and that’s because his name is attached to the trophy given each season to the league’s goals leader. It’s for good reason, too--while he’s actually third on the all-time list with 396 goals, the names Campbell and Szatkowski are taken. Brooks was originally drafted by Toronto, and stayed with them for the first five seasons of his career, finishing off this time with an MVP performance and a Cup in S9, racking up 157 points during the regular season. He was then traded from Toronto to Vasteras, and though his production took a hit after that point, he continued to play at an elite level as his point totals decreased each season to “only” 84 by S13. The league didn’t hesitate after his retirement to induct him into the Hall of Fame, as he was introduced a season later in S14.

 

SEASON 7

 

Layken Heidt
1st overall / Stockholm Vikings

 

Heidt, also known as Lazarus Hatzifotiou-Kyriakos, was the lone Hall of Fame selection from the S7 class. Playing only six seasons, and in that time not receiving many individual awards, Heidt put together some great seasons, breaking 100 points in four of them and taking home a career points-per-game rate of 1.43. Arguably as important as his stats (and his name), if not more, Heidt was one of the first players in the league’s second generation, and one of the second generation’s figureheads--as the second player made by Slobo, his presence was an important representation of  the league’s continued success, then and for years to come.

 

SEASON 8

 

Blake Beukeboom
3rd overall / Riga Reign

 

Beukeboom is a relatively little-known Hall of Famer--in fact, the other Hall of Fame player from the S8 draft class, Matt Bentz, is a more recognizable name to most, by virtue of having been created by our recently disappeared, “have you seen this man?” overlord @Quik (yes, again, I’ve had this sitting in Google Drive for a long time). Beukeboom, however, not only played two more seasons, but provided the defensive backbone for whoever he played for, whenever he did it. Consistently underrated, he reached 111 points and 169 shots blocked at his peak, demonstrating his ability on both ends of the ice by breaking the career point-per-game mark despite being noted as a defensive-minded player. Though he never managed to win an individual award and was never the single best player around, his consistent high-level production was eventually recognized with a Hall entry.

 

SEASON 9

 

Zach Arce
14th overall / Avangard Havoc

 

Drafted in the second round in S9, @Arce is the only Hall-of-Fame player in the class, and is one of the league’s finest examples of a player overcoming early struggles to find success later on in their career. First spending his full rookie season in the VHLM, he entered the VHL in S10, where he took a backseat to super-hot prospect Tomas Jenskovic. He responded by posting a whopping +91 the next season, and then in each of the two seasons to come exceeded 125 points. Though he only played five seasons in the VHL, his story was a great one and in that time he proved himself to be a true star, winning three cups and being inducted into the Hall of Fame a season after his retirement.

 

SEASON 10

 

Grimm Jonsson
2nd overall / New York Americans

 

Who wrote Jonsson’s HoF article? Was it sterling? Whoever did write it described him as the “next Campbell” and said that it is arguable that Jonsson, not Campbell, was the league’s greatest player of all time. Though virtually the entire league today would be quick to voice their disagreement, such an intro goes a long way to explain Jonsson’s impact on the league as @sterling's second player, breaking 800 points on his way to 25th on the all-time point list while also flashing two-way brilliance with 1100 hits. Named league MVP three times, the first player since--guess who--Scotty Campbell to do so, he was also the four-time winner of the now-defunct Top Leader trophy, to which his name eventually became attached. Greater than Scotty or not, his presence was undeniable--and so was the fact that he finished on top of his class.

 

SEASON 11

 

Carl Jacobs
3rd overall / Helsinki Titans

 

Jacobs was almost like an underrated Jonsson--he never won an individual award and was certainly never compared to Scotty Campbell. But, he did put up similar numbers to Jonsson--while Jonsson is 25th on the list with 807 points, Jacobs is 27th with 796. Jacobs even beat Jonsson in hits, with 1165 in total contributing to his reputation as an elite two-way forward. It was tough to point to any one season as significantly better than the rest, though, which may have contributed to his lack of individual recognition--though he broke 100 points in six of his seasons, none of those seasons exceeded 112. His consistency, though, rocketed him up the all-time point lists, with 1.39 points per game putting him in the Hall on the first ballot.

 

SEASON 12

 

Matt Bailey
1st overall / Helsinki Titans

 

After creating Hall-of-Famer Matt Bentz just four seasons before, @Quik came back with another. Bailey is certainly noted for his production, but he’s especially noted for having changed position halfway through his career--and continuing to produce after he’d moved to the blueline. In just four seasons as a forward, he’d put up 366 points, and broken 1,000 hits, and he was hardly done. After becoming a defenseman, he actually beat his first-half point total, finishing up his career with 742. To add to this, he put up an impressive 534 shots blocked in his last four seasons, which would have put him significantly higher up the list had he played his full career on defense. All in all, we’ve got a player who showed Hall-of-Fame levels of production on both ends of the ice--in even more of a sense than ability as a two-way forward.

 

SEASON 13

 

Alexander Sauve
1st overall / Calgary Wranglers

 

The S13 draft class was home to goalie Blocka DaPuck in the third round, a player who I don’t think amounted to much but whose name I somehow recognize from somewhere. Moving up the list, though, my little first-gen brain (what the hell? Yeah, I wrote this a while ago) can’t pick out any familiar names until we hit #1 overall, where defender Alexander Sauve went to Calgary. In seven seasons, during which two separate stints with Calgary bookended a couple seasons in Toronto, Sauve managed to pile up a very respectable 1.2 points per game, while breaking 1,000 hits and finishing with just under 1,000 shots blocked. Winning a Labatte in S15, Sauve wasn’t inducted to the Hall of Fame until S34, after mistakenly being left off the ballot after retirement. 

 

SEASON 14

 

J.D. Stormwall
5th overall / Calgary Wranglers

 

Like Helsinki just before them, the Wranglers managed to make the best pick in the class two seasons in a row. Stormwall, created by former longtime member @Zero and drafted 5th overall, wasn’t particularly known for his scoring ability (though he broke 100 points four times) so much as he was known for his ability as a two-way forward. He broke 200 hits in six seasons, and even broke 300 hits in two of them–numbers that we can and do see today, but that weren’t all too common in the early days of the league. Stormwall managed to collect his share of trophies along the way, winning both the cup and the Boulet three times. It’s not a large stretch of the imagination to imagine that, had Stormwall been around near the league’s beginnings, our two way forward award would have a different name on it--Scott Boulet’s 772 hits pale in comparison to Stormwall’s 1,865.

 

SEASON 15

 

Max Kroenenburg
1st overall / Riga Reign

 

The S15 class is without a Hall-of-Fame player, but Kroenenburg is certainly in the Hall of Pretty Good Borderline People. He currently sits at #59 on the all-time points list with 717, and with over 1,200 hits he proved his two-way ability within good reason. To boot, he picked up three cup wins in his career, in S16, S20, and S21. The main knock against Kroenenburg seems to be that he reached numbers comparable to other Hall-of-Famers (think Carl Jacobs or J.D. Stormwall) in a full eight-season career, picking up his stats through longevity and pretty decent play rather than pure dominance and best-in-the-league status for a few seasons. Still, there’s no denying that Kroenenburg was a great player, since forgotten in the sands of time.

 

SEASON 16

 

Jardy Bunclewirth
18th overall / Calgary Wranglers

 

Sound familiar? It should. @JardyB10 is a name familiar to most around the league, even if he was before your time (dear lord, it’s been a long time since I wrote this). The first-gen player picked up in the third round by Calgary would go on to be commissioner and longtime simmer, but personal history and league impact aside, his player proved himself to be the best of the season, becoming the season’s only Hall-of-Famer after being drafted with only 12 TPE earned. After spending two seasons in the minors, Bunclewirth finally made it to Calgary, where he enjoyed four straight seasons above 120 points and led the team to three cups. In later seasons, his point totals dropped off somewhat, but his checking ability went up--he finished his career with over 1,200 points in six seasons, an average of over 200 in each.

 

SEASON 17

 

Cam Fowler
9th overall / Seattle Bears

 

The S17 class was home to two Hall-of-Fame players, and both could have easily made the list here. The class was also home to Markus Strauss at 9th overall, who actually scored more career points than Fowler at 748 compared to Fowler’s 722. Fowler, though, was much more effective on defense with over 1,000 more hits, and he was able to lead his team to a Cup win in his prime, an achievement never put up by Strauss. Hitting 100 points six times in his career, and taking home a number of individual awards, notably a Boulet in an era saturated with two-way players, the @CoachReilly-created Fowler would go on to become a first-ballot induction in S25.

 

SEASON 18

 

Aidan Shaw
10th overall / Toronto Legion

 

Holy Hall-of-Famers, Batman, what happened in S18? Just about every class in times recent to these had one, maybe two, Hall of Famers, and sometimes none. S18 had six, and it’s even more impressive that Shaw stands out from the rest. The first goalie to make our list, Shaw was the second Hall of Fame goalie to be selected in the draft, after first-overall Daisuke Kanou (@Baozi), both recognizable names as we see the Kanou go to the playoff MVP (Kanou won three cups in net), and we see the Shaw go to...the top goaltender. Wondering why? Take a look at Shaw’s 315 wins in only 452 games. Look at his career GAA of 2.06. Look at his career save percentage of .923. Those last two aren’t just for an MVP season, they’re for an entire career--though he was practically in that position his entire career, winning the top goaltender award (then the Tretiak) four times. His career numbers are even more impressive when considering the fact that he took a couple seasons to truly develop--he was a monster in S22, when he went 57-4-2 while posting a .933 SV% and a GAA of only 1.62.

 

SEASON 19

 

James Bencharski
1st overall / Toronto Legion

 

The S19 class is today perhaps more well-known for the presence of @Phil's player, Phil Gerrard, one of two in the class to make the Hall of Fame. It’s debatable who was better, but Bencharski gets the call here as he managed to put up the point numbers of a solid forward while also excelling at his natural position on the blueline. Here, we see the third player created by @sterling, and the third player to make the list, entering the draft as the consensus #1 choice (because, really, who else was there who would be better, in theory, than the guy who’d found tremendous success with two players right off the bat?) and being picked at that point by Toronto. Bencharski was never atop the league in any one category, but there was never a season when he didn’t produce good, consistent numbers, piling up the stats on both ends of the ice and finishing his career with over 600 points and 1,000 hits. Though it took a while for his induction to come along in S30, it was well-deserved.

 

SEASON 20

 

Japinder Singh
1st overall / New York Americans

 

Singh belongs on the league’s list of all-time great defensemen, just a little bit behind Sterling Labatte on the points list (with 751, good for #42 all-time) and with better defensive numbers. While not an instantly recognizable name to newer members, Singh, created by @8Ovechkin8, should at least come across as familiar to anyone who’s had a look at a history article or two, and with very good reason. He kicked it off with 113 points and 260 blocked shots in his rookie season, and simply never looked back--by the end of his career, he’d amassed a hugely respectable point total to go along with his defensive numbers, finishing off with 751 as well as breaking 1,200 career hits and shots blocked, both highly notable. Arguably one of the more underrated all-time greats, Singh was inducted in S28 and remains one of the league’s best.

 

SEASON 21

 

Pavel Koradek
7th overall / HC Davos Dynamo

 

Koradek got his career off to a fairly slow start, spending most of his first season in the VHLM and then putting up two mediocre seasons after that. In his last five, though, Koradek absolutely tore it up, breaking 100 points in each of his last four seasons and playing right on top of the league in each. Originally acquired as a piece in an intended Davos rebuild, he instead proved to be right in the middle of a retool as the team remained competitive throughout its transition. His 1.25 points per game are all the more impressive when it’s taken into account that he started slowly and really only had the second half of his career to redeem himself. @Koradek, too, would go on to be one of the more influential members of his era, being responsible for the design of many logos current and former.

 

SEASON 22

 

Matthew Boragina
4th overall / Helsinki Titans

 

S22 is another class without a Hall-of-Fame player, and it will very likely never get one. @Boragina created one of just a few half-decent players in the class, which was also home to quite a few who didn’t find much success (including arguably the worst goalie of all time, Fernando Garcia Jr.). Drafted fourth overall by the Titans, Boragina’s career was short-lived, but he made the most of it. A scorer by trade, he piled up 211 goals and 477 points in only 360 games, a rate of 1.33 points per game which might have seen him inducted had his career been longer. He was also one of two players in the draft class to win two cups, a mark only otherwise reached by defensive defenseman Jeff Dar, who somehow managed to put up a -230 over 359 games with good teams.

 

SEASON 23

 

Leeroy Jenkins
1st overall / HC Davos Dynamo

 

Two seasons after Koradek, Davos once again found themselves winning big in the draft after picking up a noted graphics guy (@Squinty), and this time to an even greater degree. Jenkins’ Hall of Fame article is yet another which starts off by drawing comparisons to Scotty Campbell, and though he wasn’t exactly on that level, the fact that Campbell’s name was invoked in the first place says a good deal about Jenkins’ ability. Checking in at #24 on the points list, Jenkins’ career started out in relatively humble fashion, as he finished S23 with 41 points. After then, though, he worked his way into the league’s elite quickly, checking in at 79 points the season after and putting up four different 100-point seasons, including a remarkable 152-point MVP performance after being traded to Helsinki in S26. Racking up a stunning 2,182 hits, too, taking J.D. Stormwall’s mark of most on this list and surpassing it significantly, Jenkins was one of the greatest two-way players in league history, and easily the best forward during his time in the league.

 

SEASON 24

 

Daniel Braxton
3rd overall / New York Americans

 

Braxton’s agent is a name many around the league will recognize: now-inactive @Jericho (who's come back and disappeared again since I wrote that sentence). He never won a cup (and, in fact, only three players from the S24 class ever did), but his four Labatte trophies in a row, plus two Slobodzian Trophies (an outstanding achievement for anyone, let alone a defenseman). In eight seasons, he finished six with over 80 points, while piling up over 1,000 blocked shots and 1,500 hits. He also managed to break 100 points twice, being a player to be feared in S28 and S29 in particular with back-to-back 100-point, 200-hit seasons right in the middle of his four straight Labattes. Picked behind two goalies (one of whom, Mathieu VanCoughnett, went first overall to Riga and also ended up being one of the worst of all time--what’s with the early S20s and bad goalies?), Braxton capped off his career smoothly with an induction into the Hall of Fame, the only player in the class to receive the honor.

 

SEASON 25

 

Tukka Reikkinen
4th overall / Vasteras Iron Eagles

 

Both Hall of Fame players from the S25 class are still around in the league today--Ansgar Snidijer, created by @Kyle, went first overall in the draft and made his way up to #39 on the all-time points list while piling up over 1,900 hits. As great as Snidijer was, he would forever be overshadowed by Reikkinen, a player from the early days of @.sniffuM. Breaking 100 points four times in his career (including a remarkable 152-point, 78-goal campaign in S27), Reikkinen won two cups and a slew of individual awards, among them a Campbell, a Kanou, and a Slobo on a way to a career which, according to his Hall of Fame article, could be readily compared to that of Leeroy Jenkins and placed him in consideration for the time’s “top five” of all time. Currently at #20 on the points list, Reikkinen’s career was one for the ages.

 

SEASON 26

 

Jarvis Baldwin
1st overall / Seattle Bears

 

Well, I’ve heard of Baldwin. That means he’s good, right? Absolutely! Seattle owned the top two picks in S26, but went for @CoachReilly's player with the first. Putting up numbers that were consistently near the top of the league, Baldwin’s HoF article states that he ended up with a “frustrating lack of individual awards,” and while any player today would be ecstatic to pack away a Campbell, a Slobo, a Szatkowski, and a Brooks, the fact that those awards and their combined power is considered an understatement speaks to the significance of Baldwin’s career. Breaking 100 points on five occasions, he finished with 854 points--good enough for 14th all-time--and put up over 1,400 hits, forming a historic career that made his first-ballot selection a no-brainer.

 

SEASON 27

 

Alexander Chershenko
2nd overall / Calgary Wranglers

 

What to do, what to do...the S27 class was spectacular. @Victor's Alexander Chershenko makes this list over three others to make the Hall of Fame, among them defenseman Elijah Incognito at 4th,  David Smalling, one of the greatest two-way forwards of all time, at 5th, and Phil Rafter, sixth on the all-time points list, at 6th. So, what puts Chershenko on this list above a player who broke 750 points and 2,600 hits on his way to four (yes, four) Boulet trophies--not to mention Rafter, who’s five spots above him on the all-time points list? A case could be made for Rafter or Smalling here, and, in fact, I initially had Rafter in this spot with a whole lot of insecurity, and now I’ve got Chershenko in this spot with a whole lot of insecurity. Winning two cups--one more than linemates Rafter and Smalling, who won one in S31--the difference between Chershenko and Rafter here comes not because of points but because of awards and individual contributions. While career linemates Rafter and Smalling complemented each other perfectly (as Rafter’s 80 career hits would suggest), Chershenko thrived in many different environments, putting up a Campbell, two Slobos, a Brooks, and a Szatkowski along the way, as well as some team awards in an era where Incognito made such things hard to come by. One of the toughest decisions in this article, and one Victor would probably kill me if I didn’t make, Chershenko is my choice.

 

SEASON 28

 

Ryan Sullivan
3rd overall / Calgary Wranglers

 

There’s a lot to like about the S28 class, too! Why do the 20s have to do this to me? The S28 class is home to three Hall-of-Fame players, among them Volodymyr Rybak, eighth on the all-time points list, and Alexander Labatte, yet another great goalie of the 20s. It’s hard to compare these three because each of them played different positions, but here we go with the player described as “a perfect picture of the balance between offense and defense” in Sullivan. Though he spent one season down in the minors, Sullivan managed to finish off his career 15th in points and 16th in hits all-time among defenders (as well as 3rd and 4th among defenders with fewer than 8 big-league seasons played). That parenthetical stat gives us a good picture of Sullivan’s impact across his career, which included three Labatte trophies, a Stolzschweiger, a Beketov, and a cup. Though a reincarnation came around in the S60s when @Advantage brought about Sullivan Jr., the original will forever be remembered as an all-time great.

 

SEASON 29

 

Al Wilson
1st overall / Vasteras IK

 

I distinctly remember Muff talking about being Vasteras GM and getting the first two picks in some draft class, so I’m going to assume this was that class. I also remember him complaining that it didn’t work out, and to his credit, there wasn’t really a way to make that work in S29. This draft class is wholly unimpressive. Looking up the stats of each player, I’m really not finding anything, so let’s just get into it. Wilson finished off his career with 406 points, the most out of any S29 player, and won two cups in his career, also the most of any S29 player. This put him at exactly...395th in all-time points, a number which might be a good bit lower if I take long enough to finish this.

 

SEASON 30

 

Alexander Valiq
3rd overall / Riga Reign

 

Yes, this is the namesake of the league’s top offensive defenseman award. Yes, it’s for a good reason, as you will see. Awards actually really threw me off and made this a tough decision, though, as #1 pick Ethan Osbourne took home stacks of awards to Valiq’s three. That may be a reason to put Osbourne on the list instead, but we’ll go with Valiq because of a more significant contribution as far as career stats are concerned. Valiq ranks 5th in all-time points among defenders, as well as #1 all-time in goals as the only defenseman to ever hit 300. At the time of his retirement, he held four of the top ten spots for single-season goals for a defenseman, twice cracking 50 goals with one 59-goal performance in S31. So, as arguably to this day the greatest-ever offensive defenseman, Valiq, a product of past great @Koradek, earns this spot on the list.

 

SEASON 31

 

Kameron Taylor
2nd overall / Cologne Express

 

S31 is home to two HoF players in Taylor and goaltender Remy LeBeau of Toronto, and though I’d heard of LeBeau and assumed he’d be the better choice, upon looking I think I like Taylor a bit better (though they’re close). Taylor is yet another player from the vaunted @Kendrick agency, which was a big go-ahead signal for just about every GM heading into the draft. Breaking 100 points five times and breaking 80 points seven times, Taylor was a consistent and dynamic player in every season, most notably a Brooks-winning 54-goal S37 and a 60-goal, 123-point effort in S36. Though Taylor’s numbers were consistent enough so as to potentially harm his chances at winning an award in any particular season, his agent’s success as a leader led to two wins of the Grimm Jonsson Trophy in S35 and S36. Though he may have been somewhat forgotten in the history of the league, he produced on par with the league’s best for just about his entire career and is well deserving of this recognition.

 

SEASON 32

 

Anatoli Zhumbayev
3rd overall / Helsinki Titans

 

The S32 class is another without a Hall-of-Fame player, but at least players like Zhumbayev found their place in the Hall of Pretty Good. With seven seasons to his name, Zhumbayev may have had an argument to sneak in with one more decent one. Finishing off his career with 613 points, good enough for #132 on the all-time points list and #112 in all-time goals (with 270), he put up a good 1.22 points per game for his career and ended up winning two cups, more than any other S32 player.

 

SEASON 33

 

Odin Tordahl
3rd Overall / Toronto Legion

 

What a draft S33 was for Toronto--not only did they pick up Tordahl, straight out of the @BOOM agency, at #3, they landed Niklas Lindberg at #12. Both went on to make the Hall of Fame, and they were in fact the only two players from the class to do so. Though Tordahl took a few seasons to truly blossom--he only cracked 80 points once by the start of his fourth season--he never looked back, stringing together five consecutive seasons over 100 and even breaking 120 twice in S38 and S39. He led the league in points three times, goals twice, assists once, won one MVP award, one Slobo, one Boulet, and led many teams to success, winning three cups in his career with Helsinki, Davos, and New York. Though he never gave his first team in Toronto any success (and, in fact, was traded away from them early on in an absolute grand larceny of a deal by Helsinki), every season he had after he’d developed was dominant, making him a surefire first-ballot choice and the best player S33 had to offer.

 

SEASON 34

 

Willem Janssen
2nd Overall / Vasteras Iron Eagles

 

No Hall-of-Fame players again means a harder draft class to sort through. But after some digging through stats, Janssen is another player deserving of the Hall of Pretty Good. Digging through some forum history, I actually found that Janssen was created by present-day Vasteras buff @solas, who has a long history in the league with a few players in the Hall. Janssen never won a cup, but he did finish his career at over point-per-game pace, #104 all-time in points and #69 all-time in goals. It’s fair to say that he finishes outside the ranks of the greatest players, as he’s behind players who have made it in in many categories (especially when recent low career numbers are taken out of the equation), but he’s also not far behind and certainly beats anyone else from his class.

 

SEASON 35

 

Conner Low
6th Overall / New York Americans

 

This one was very easy as far as decisions go because of one fairly decent defining metric: Conner Low is the greatest defenseman in VHL history and the greatest player ever created by all-time great @Smarch. He’s not the namesake of any award, because the main awards had been named by the time his career came around, but he certainly would have been deserving of such an honor had league leaders dragged their feet a bit in that regard. Though he only played 7 seasons, and only 5 on the blueline, he finished his career fourth on the all-time points list among defenders--and presumably would have been #1 with six or seven seasons there (even above the best-defender award’s namesake, Sterling Labatte, who had the rare 9-season career of the early days). Speaking of Labattes, actually, Low won five of them. Five seasons, five Labattes--the best defenseman in the league in all of them. And if we want to talk about his career after the switch to forward? Those were only his two highest point totals--112 in S41 and 120 in S42, with 55 and 56 goals, respectively. As a bit of a cherry on top, he was great for his team on top of just being great for himself, winning two championships with New York as an integral part of the great Americans squads of his era.

 

SEASON 36

 

Xin Xie Xiao
3rd overall / New York Americans

 

From one New York great we go to another, and from one longtime VHL great we go to another as well--this one being @Baozi. It was fairly easy to pick out the greatest player from S36, since the player known as XxX is its lone Hall-of-Famer. Never leading the league in any category and spending the entirety of his career on the second line, it’s safe to say that XxX fought an uphill battle to greatness. That said, none of that should exclude a player from consideration, and XxX earned it–as a mainstay on New York’s perennial Victory Cup squads of the late 30s and early 40s, XxX broke 100 points and won the Boulet twice en route to a 786-point career that places him among the greats of his era. 

 

SEASON 37

 

Tom Slaughter
3rd overall / New York Americans

 

It’s easy to see why New York managed to pull off some of the greatest regular-season play we’ve ever seen in the seasons immediately following this class, as this is their third consecutive player on this list and the second in a row who managed to be the only HoFer of the class, showing off a masterclass in drafting by GM @Advantage. Another player from the @sterling agency, Slaughter came onto the scene right away with two Founder’s Cups and a top rookie-worthy performance in S37 and never looked back. Particularly, Slaughter’s play kept New York’s run of greatness going in its back half, stepping up significantly in S40 and never again dipping below 100 points in a season. After S42, he would move to Stockholm, where he would win MVP with his second 122-point season in S43. When all was said and done, Slaughter’s career finished up with 838 points, good enough for 16th all time and making him the only player from the S30s to break 800.

 

SEASON 38

 

Bruno Wolf
2nd overall / Seattle Bears

 

Here we end our streak of New York’s drafting dominance by hitting a class where Cologne had five first-round picks…and the best player was not one of them. Wolf is again the only HoF-worthy player from S38. The first three seasons of his career were relatively nondescript, but he took off in S41 shortly after moving to Quebec and enjoyed a career that from then on was very comparable to that of XxX. Winning the Brooks and the Boulet twice (both in S41 and S42) and a Slobo in S42 to cap off a 67-goal, 137-point season, he wasn’t short on awards during that time. Finishing off his career with a brief return to New York, Wolf compensated very well for a lackluster start with a career total of 744 points and nearly 2,300 hits.

 

SEASON 39

 

James Faraday
1st overall / Helsinki Titans

 

No, nobody from S39 made the Hall of Fame. There’s also a player from S39 with a higher point total than Faraday (Jackson Miller), though Faraday played only 7 seasons and his per-game mark is higher. Winning a championship in S43, it’s at least safe to say that Faraday makes the Hall of Pretty Good, as modern-day comparisons to players at similar point totals (Justin Lose, Timothy Brown, and Scott Greene) yield some recognizable names.

 

SEASON 40

 

Thomas O’Malley
1st overall / Cologne Express

 

Ask a lot of newer members about O’Malley’s accomplishments, and it’s incredible how little some may know. There’s no award named after him, he isn’t really brought up in any articles, and it’s a bit strange to think that something like that would happen to…well, the player who won 4 championships and who’s 4th all-time in points. Straight from the @OrbitingDeath agency, O’Malley immediately put up 110 points as a rookie before taking a bit of a step back into “just pretty good” territory for the next few seasons. After that point, though, we can forget about talking about breaking 100–he would break 120 in each of the next four seasons, split evenly between Cologne and Helsinki, before finishing his career in New York with a third consecutive Cup win. In total, O’Malley would record 913 points, just one ahead of fifth and one back of third, a mark which has not been beaten by any player since. Perhaps most telling is that his HoF article is one of a handful which speculates that its player is greater than Scotty Campbell–a notion that with time would likely be met with a good deal of disagreement, but nonetheless demonstrates the impact generated by the player involved.

 

SEASON 41

 

Nestor Hughes
10th overall / Toronto Legion

 

It’s always interesting (albeit aggravating) to find a class with no players in the Hall of Fame because this is still long before my time and I have no clue who to look for, so I just have to comb my way through some stats. Hughes doesn’t lead the class in points (that honor, as far as I can tell, belongs to Gifford Shock at #3 overall), but as a defenseman that wouldn’t have been expected anyway. Over the course of his career, played mostly in Toronto, he put up 492 points and 960 blocked shots, numbers which do represent a little bit of a break from our stretch of all-time greats but are still respectable. 

 

SEASON 42

 

Bismarck Koenig
1st overall / HC Davos Dynamo

 

Davos’ first appearance on this list since S23 comes with the selection of Koenig, a can’t-miss prospect from the @BOOM agency at a pick where there is no excuse for missing. At first glance, his point total (605) seems slightly misleading, but that’s before considering the fact that his career only lasted 6 seasons–leading to 1.40 points per game at a second glance. After a generally unremarkable rookie season, Koenig put up 100 points in S43 and only dipped below that mark once thereafter. Capping off his career in S47 with Helsinki, where he would win league MVP while being the league’s leading scorer, his career took a turn for the Barry Sanders as he retired with plenty left in the tank. It would be a mistake to look at Koenig and wonder what could have been, though, because what the league was able to see was great by itself.

 

SEASON 43

 

Hans Wingate
3rd overall / Calgary Wranglers

 

Wingate is one of those players whose name has survived quite well despite not being attached to anything (based solely upon my own metric of “how much do I know about this player”). Created by @CowboyinAmerica, Wingate was by far the leading player in TPE heading into the S43 draft, but slipped to 3rd due to his position in net. That wouldn’t stop him from blowing away the others in production, though, as he would go on to front many successful squads throughout his career, winning a championship with Calgary in S44 and then going on to anchor Toronto’s legendary threepeat. He would also win the Shaw three times, the Kanou twice, and a Campbell and a Slobo in his last season in S50, which included a record of 49-10-4 with a .935 SV% and a GAA of 1.52 with 13 shutouts. Currently, he’s 6th all-time in wins, 9th all-time in shutouts, and 14th all-time in GAA, and one of the best players of the S40s.

 

SEASON 44

 

Edwin Reencarnacion
1st overall / New York Americans

 

There’s probably been no bigger draft sweepstakes than in S44, when Reencarnacion came in with 325 TPE and the next player in line had 188. His selection at 1OA came as a no-brainer for New York, who stopped at nothing to take a player from the @MubbleFubbles agency and were not at all surprised when Reencarnacion won Top Rookie in S44. Leading the league in goals in S47 and S48, along with an MVP in S48, wasn’t all there was to it, either–Reencarnacion won the Kanou in S47 as the most valuable player in New York’s cup-winning effort that season. Retiring after 7 seasons, at the end of which he would play a valuable part in Toronto’s third championship, he established himself as one of the faces of the S40s with a 638-point career. 

 

SEASON 45

 

Greg Clegane
2nd overall / Helsinki Titans

 

The one player stopping Wingate from being the greatest goalie of the S40s was Clegane, quite possibly the greatest goalie of all time. Another player out of the @Victor agency, Clegane was drafted a pick behind fellow Hall-of-Famer Phil Hamilton and rose to the occasion game after game throughout his career, carrying the Titans to back-to-back championships in S45 and S46 and almost making Toronto’s threepeat into a fourpeat in S51 in a 1-0 loss in Game 7 of the finals. The all-time leader in wins (364), GAA (1.80), and shutouts (93), and one of the all-time leaders in SV% (.926), no one was up to Clegane’s standard before or since.

 

SEASON 46

 

Zach Parechkin
1st overall / Toronto Legion

 

Created by @DollarAndADream , Parechkin beats out 2nd-overall choice and fellow Hall-of-Famer Jeff Hamilton for a spot on this list. The league got a sign of things to come in S45, when he won VHLM MVP, and he would be all over the scoreboard for quite a while after that. The distinguishing feature of his career, and probably where I knew his name, was that he was yet another player who was part of–you guessed it–the threepeat, which started while he was still young as a player and led to a win of the Kanou in S49. Overall, Parechkin put up 787 points and over 2,700 hits–both numbers worthy of induction in any era.

 

SEASON 47

 

Sir William Covington III
4th overall / HC Davos Dynamo

 

As sour as Robbie’s reputation may be in the VHL community, he has been in it for a very long time and manages to crack the list here with Covington. In a class with no Hall-of-Famers, Covington played 7 seasons at over point-per-game pace, finishing up his career with 612 points (comparable to Hall-of-Famer Brennan McQueen, though in a different era). Though he wasn’t part of the threepeat, he’s yet another player on this list lately (and the only player from the S47 class) to win the Cup three times, in S51, 52, and 54. Overall, while not an all-time great, he’ll at least be remembered by those who played with him.

 

SEASON 48

 

Unassisted
2nd overall / Quebec City Meute

 

This class was very tough to pick from. Unassisted would be a no-brainer in most cases, but so would #1 overall pick Black Velvet. In the end, it was mostly a tossup, but I’m going to go with Unassisted here. Since his career ended, Unassisted’s 402 goals is a mark that has only been beaten once, and he managed to win just about every major award at least once–Funk, Szatkowski, Brooks, Slobo, Kanou, and Campbell, along with two championships with New York in S52 and 53. With 6 straight seasons over 100 points and 3 straight over 120, Unassisted currently sits 7th in all-time points (886), even beating Thomas O’Malley for the most goals out of any player from the S40s.

 

SEASON 49

 

Pietro Maximoff
5th overall / Cologne Express

 

After O’Malley’s career came to an end, @OrbitingDeath wasted no time in creating another great player. Though his first three seasons were spent at close to point-per-game status, he truly erupted in S52 with 69 goals and 139 points, leading the league in both categories and earning a Funk in recognition of it. Winning two championships in his career, in S51 and S56, Maximoff contributed to four different teams and left behind a powerful legacy of 789 points–yet again a career for the ages from his agent.

 

SEASON 50

 

Diana Maxwell
1st overall / Stockholm Vikings

 

2nd overall choice Theo Axelsson was very tempting for this spot, but I decided to let historical precedent be the tiebreaker–Maxwell was voted into the HoF in S58, while it took Axelsson another season. Offensive power by itself is probably enough to take it home, though–she led the league in points and goals in S54 and S55, after championship wins with New York in the two seasons previous. With four straight seasons over 110 points, she would end her career with a total of 755, more than worthy of the top choice in the S50 draft and more than worthy of a spot in the Hall.

 

SEASON 51

 

Apollo Skye
1st overall / Riga Reign

 

In a very weak draft class, Skye (built by @Velevra) led the pack with just 182 TPE–imagine that number today–and was selected at the very top of the board. Originally drafted by Riga, his HoF article is incorrect in that it states that he was selected by Davos, though it appears that he did move to Davos very soon thereafter. At first, Skye’s career didn’t look like it was off to a very promising start, as Davos was in a tailspin and the team’s success wasn’t there to support the play in net. After just two seasons with Davos, though, Skye was traded to Quebec, where he would spend the rest of his career. Over that time, his SV% would never dip below .920, and was above .930 more often than not. One might think that starting (and ending) his career on teams that simply weren’t good enough to win enough would have tanked his overall numbers, but a winning record and a career GAA of 2.14 show his ability to keep moving through the tough times–both in his career and in a difficult era for the league.

 

SEASON 52

 

Rhett DeGrath
2nd overall / Stockholm Vikings

 

The classes of the early S50s were marked by low activity and great goaler play, and there is almost no better example of the latter than DeGrath, who represents another player added to this list in quick succession by @STZ. Much like Skye, DeGrath spent the early portion of his career on a rebuilding team and took a while to hit his stride, but by his third season, his numbers were immaculate and his team, at least in the regular season, was powerful. Some of his career highlights include a 58-4-2 S58, a .941/1.25 S55, and an MVP win in S57, helping to add up to over 300 wins in total and a career GAA barely over 2. Though, given his teams’ regular season success, he achieved less in the playoffs than he ever would have hoped or expected, there’s no denying that he was a player to remember.

 

SEASON 53

 

Franchise Cornerstone
1st overall / Helsinki Titans

 

The classes of this era, thin as they were, led to most of the talent that could be found being concentrated right at the top of the first round, with an early 1st being a surefire talent and a late 1st being questionable at best. Though S53 has HoF player Fredinamijs Krigars going with the first pick in the 2nd, it’s mostly no exception, with 38-TPE SkateFast McChunky going a pick before Krigars and the first pick of the draft being none other than @boubabi and Franchise Cornerstone. There’s no better example of a player living up to their name than Cornerstone, who spent an entire career with Helsinki and was nothing short of a superstar for it. Never having a season below point-per-game pace and playing S55-60 at or above 109 points every season, he finished up with 855 points in total–a mark which has never been beaten since. While that in itself is Hall-worthy, it’s far from an exhaustive description of Cornerstone’s career with the franchise (or the franchise’s time with the Cornerstone). Helsinki would win the Cup with Cornerstone three times, and the player would lead the league in goals twice, win two Boulets and an infamous Slobo, and take home MVP three times. Arguably the best player of the S50s, Cornerstone would defy the likes of Skye and DeGrath on the way to some truly ridiculous numbers.

SEASON 54

 

Markus King
9th overall / Calgary Wranglers

 

One may think that players like Cornerstone (and the three other HoF skaters on S53) might disrupt the run of great goalies from the S50s, but that’s simply not the case here. One more great player from @Kendrick, there was somehow enough room in the awards cabinet for two Shaws (S56-57), two Cups (S57-58), a Kanou (S58), and three times leading the league in GAA (S56-57 and S59). In the same way as Skye and DeGrath, King’s start in the league was less than spectacular as the team needed time to build itself up, but he would take off once this happened, going from 15 wins in S55 straight to 53 in S56 and boasting an incredible 56-2-2 in S57. The only HoF talent from S54, King somehow managed to turn two bad seasons at the start of his career into an overall record of 313-159-34, with a .924 SV% and a 2.11 GAA. Though he would last until the second ballot for induction in S63, it was every bit as deserved as any other player.

 

SEASON 55

 

Felix Savard
1st overall / Calgary Wranglers

 

Savard is a much less recognizable name than those above him on this list, but the Wranglers still made the best possible choice in selecting him in this draft. His career numbers are surprisingly balanced and leave some amount of wondering to be done about what could have happened had he stayed in one place–switching to forward after 4.5 seasons in the VHL and only playing 7 seasons up, he managed to record 539 points, 721 blocked shots, and 956 hits. As a defenseman, though, he was one of the league’s better offensive players, scoring 24 goals or more in 3 of his seasons on the blue line. Extending his goal-scoring pace as a defenseman over 8 seasons, that’s on pace for 194 goals–which would be good for 15th all-time among defenders.

 

SEASON 56

 

Gabriel McAllister
1st overall / Seattle Bears

 

If Cornerstone has a case against him for “player of the S50s”, it’s McAllister, with the only knock against that case being that McAllister’s career rode its way a few seasons into the S60s. It’s true that McAllister didn’t come up with the point total of Cornerstone (with “only” 826) and had a couple relatively down seasons (his 4th season was his worst, and his point total stayed the same when some of the rest of the league was going off the charts in S62). That said, his greatness relative to era was just as great as anyone else’s. He won three Boulets, two Slobos, two Kanous, and three MVPs, all while leading the league in points twice. He was also (when I started) one of the league’s all-time leaders in TPE with 1613, a mark which I personally still have never hit despite TPE being generally more available in the modern era of the league.

 

SEASON 57

 

Norris Stopko
18th overall / Stockholm Vikings

 

This season is largely a tossup between Stopko and defenseman Mats Johnsson, both of whom are important players who saw the VHL out of its almost-dying era and into the S60s. Created by @Bushito initially for the purpose of helping his VHLM team only, Stopko ended up making it to the big show, playing in Stockholm’s disastrous final season in S57 before moving to Calgary. The retirements of Skye and DeGrath left some room at the top for goaltenders, and Stopko was happy to take over–from S61 through S64, he was the league’s best, with three Shaws, two Cups, two Kanous, two Cleganes, and a Slobo. In the end, his overall record (269-207-32) would be somewhat marred by mediocre team performance in the first part of his career, but the best parts of his play simply could not be beaten.

 

SEASON 58

 

Adam Warlock
7th overall / Toronto Legion

 

S58 is the single worst draft class the VHL has ever seen. Not a single player managed to even break point-per-game pace, and I don’t believe that any player had a full career in the VHL. Warlock, who makes this list due to three Cups and not much else (at least, not on the VHL level), is yet another player from the @OrbitingDeath agency. With a career high of 75 points in S63, and a career point total of 348, he’s much better known today for his legendary 255-point performance in the VHLM with Ottawa in S58.

 

SEASON 59

 

Joseph Bassolino
1st overall / HC Davos Dynamo

 

Thought we were out of the league’s dead era? Think again! If S58 is the worst-ever draft class, S59 is just a hair behind. Bassolino, built by @Smarch, did manage to almost make it to a point per game (427 in 432), and did put up 110 points in S63 with Riga in a season that led to wins of the Beketov and the Valiq after a switch to defense, but that’s about all that can be said. What can be said, though, for a decade that ended on very uncertain terms for the league as a whole? Classes like S58 and S59 didn’t promise much for the road ahead…

 

SEASON 60

 

Oyorra Arroyo
2nd overall / Calgary Wranglers

 

…though S60 showed some glimpse of it. A hugely experienced sim leaguer, @omgitshim created Arroyo at the best possible time for the league and ended up making the first truly great player of the VHL’s modern era. He didn’t find himself at the very top of the league for extended stretches of time like many of his counterparts of the S50s, but had a very solid career overall which was defined by three championships and a dominant MVP-winning performance in S65 during which he recorded 125 points and also took home the Slobo and the Cup for Toronto. He’s also the first player on this list who I remember being in the league when I started–so seeing as it’s taken over two years for me to write this article up to this point, imagine what the 15 years of the VHL has brought us!

 

SEASON 61

 

Matt Thompson
1st overall / Seattle Bears

 

I don’t even have to look at this one, because Matt Thompson, built by @Beketov, is the greatest player of the VHL’s modern era, hands-down. Though S61 also boasts Podrick Cast (15th on the all-time points list, while Thompson is 19th with 825), I can speak from personal experience and say that Thompson was consistently recognized as the league’s best player for a large part of his career. This included a Funk, three times leading the league in goals, four Boulets, two Slobos, and an MVP performance in S68 that saw him carry Malmo almost singlehandedly to the Cup finals. Constantly compared to Cast, Thompson managed to do it all on both ends of the ice and was consistently selected at the top of VHFL boards throughout the decade–and will be remembered for a very long time after that point.

 

SEASON 62

 

Maxim Kovalchuk
2nd overall / Seattle Bears

 

The second time in a row that we see Seattle on this list, it’s @Banackock drafting his own player near the top of S62, a season when scoring numbers mysteriously jumped. Ironically, his rookie year would be his best, as he hit 117 points in S62 in one of the finest first-season campaigns the league has ever seen. By the end of his career, too, the dead-puck era would be in full effect, and he only scored 44 points in S69–not a mark one would expect from a Hall-of-Famer. Over the S60s, though, and particularly in the early part of the decade, Kovalchuk was one of the best players to have on defense, winning a Valiq, two Wyldes, and a Labatte, and even leading the league in assists in S65. And though the end of his career wasn’t marked with much individual success, he was a valuable part of the Bears’ back-to-back championships in S68 and S69.

 

SEASON 63

 

Julian Borwinn
3rd overall / Helsinki Titans

 

It’s always interesting to track who wins the top rookie award and see what comes from it. In both S62 and S63, we’ve got a winner, as Borwinn (@Jubo) took it with an 84-point S63 with the Titans to lead off one of the league’s first truly great draft classes of the modern era. Much like Helsinki was powerful in the S50s, they were right on top of the EU conference for much of the S60s, and Borwinn stuck with them the entire time. On top of a Slobo, a Boulet, and a Funk, he also managed to win MVP twice in a career largely overshadowed by those of Cast and Thompson. In the end, he would break 700 points–very impressive for the era–and show huge two-way ability in his last few seasons, giving the league a look at what a forward can do on both ends of the ice.

SEASON 64

 

Brick Wahl
12th overall / Calgary Wranglers

 

Wahl, whose name has been changed to Brick Wahl II in official league records to avoid conflict with the coincidentally-named Hall-of-Famer Brick Wahl of the S30s, was the first goaltender selected in S64 after a strong S63 class in net. That aside, @BladeMaiden and her first player became one of the most notable faces of Calgary during the S60s, a period of time when the team managed to be decent but not much more. When then-new team Prague was ready to compete, and Calgary was not, though, Wahl was traded to the Phantoms and won every goaltending award under the sun in S71–including being recognized as league MVP. Wahl’s record is pretty close to even, and no one from S64 will make the Hall of Fame, but 229 wins is still good enough for #42 all-time, and the outstanding last season pushes Wahl just past fellow S64 goalie Finn Davison for a spot here.

 

SEASON 65

 

Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen
2nd overall / HC Davos Dynamo

 

Not only do I pity whoever wrote Smitty’s HoF article and had to repeatedly spell “Werbenjagermanjensen”, I pity those who had to play against Smitty in the middle part of his career. The best player ever created by @Fire Fletcher, Smitty enjoyed a 3-season stretch between S68 and S70 when he was the best defenseman in the league, being recognized for it with a Labatte each season, along with two Valiqs and one Wylde–along with a Beketov and a Slobo, both uncommon wins for someone on defense. With 533 points as a defenseman during the dead puck era, Smitty was a player to be feared, and his efforts would pay off with a Cup win in S70 with Moscow.

 

SEASON 66

 

Julius Freeman
2nd overall / Vancouver Wolves

 

FINALLY, we get to my first draft class. @rjfryman came into S66 as one of the most high-powered first gens ever, near the top of the most high-powered draft class ever. I was very hung up between Freeman and fellow S66 draftee Jet Jaguar here (HHH was inducted a season later than these two, so I’ll let historical precedent decide again there), but Freeman gets the nod for being a bit better as a goal-scorer despite lower point totals–he led the league in goals three times between S69 and S72. In total, he would put up 593 points over the course of his career, even adding a Boulet to his resume as he took a two-way dimension to his game later on, and was part of Vancouver’s cup-winning squad in S67.

 

SEASON 67

 

Rayz Funk
2nd overall / Seattle Bears
 

I did mention earlier on in this article that Funk’s performance in the regular season probably wouldn’t warrant induction by itself. He finished with a pretty-good .917 SV% and a GAA of 2.56, and his record was good but not astonishing. What truly set him apart, though, was his performance in the playoffs year in and year out, which made him the greatest playoff goalie of all time. There, he was .930 overall with a 2.09 and a record of 55-20-10–and that’s against all good teams, too! With his playoff performances, he would rack up four Cups and four Kanous, which amounted to an easy Hall of Fame induction for @Rayzor_7's first player.

 

SEASON 68

 

Condor Adrienne
1st overall / Malmo Nighthawks

 

Smitty’s going away after a while left the door open for someone else to take over on defense, and that’s exactly what Adrienne did starting in S72. Recording three Labattes, three Valiqs, and three Wyldes, it’s safe to say that Adrienne, yet another @OrbitingDeath player to make this list, was the best defenseman of the early S70s–and that’s not even counting a Slobo, a Beketov, and a Cup. There was simply no better player Malmo could have taken with their first pick than Adrienne, who spent his entire career with the team and gave fans of the team in green something to cheer for after their historic run in S68 came to an end.

 

SEASON 69

 

Benny Graves
2nd overall / DC Dragons

 

We’re seeing a few users pop up again and again on this list, and @STZ is one of them. Graves is a close contender with Cinnamon Block (1st overall) for this spot, but we could go on and on trying to compare stats across positions when we could just PICK ONE and be done with it. Falling just short of breaking 600 points for his career during a time when that was a super impressive mark to hit, Graves even broke 100 points in S73. Starting in S72, too, he put up about 250 hits per season for the rest of his career, earning a reputation as one of the league’s top power forwards over that time. Though he never made the Hall of Fame, his name still deserves to be remembered–and will be by anyone active in the S70s.

 

SEASON 70

 

Mikko Lahtinen
2nd overall / Calgary Wranglers

 

After @Beketov was done with Thompson, there wasn’t much else to do but build a neo-Thompson. Lahtinen didn’t catch on very quickly in Calgary, where he spent the first half of his career, but would soon be moved out to Moscow, where in S74 he would establish himself as the league’s new best player with an MVP-winning, 123-point performance which also saw him winning the Slobo and the Boulet. He wouldn’t let go of the Boulet until S77, and won MVP again in S75, fully rounding out his case for the Hall of Fame before his career was even over. Though he would never win a championship, Lahtinen may be the best player of the S70s, and was certainly the best of the middle of the decade.

 

SEASON 71

 

Roque Davis
2nd overall / HC Davos Dynamo

 

My first-ever draft pick as a GM–through no intervention of mine, and perhaps despite it–makes the list as the best pick of S72. @Josh came into this class as a second-gen member and did not disappoint, putting in a top rookie performance right away. His career had its ups and its downs, but when Davis was on his game, he was great–winning two Valiqs, a Labatte, and a Beketov, he never managed to win a Cup but was still one of the league’s best defenders season after season. Though he’s still on the HoF ballot, with his potential of being inducted up in the air, he’s made it at least to borderline status and enjoys some recognition here as a player to remember.

 

SEASON 72

 

Andrew Su
13th overall / Vancouver Wolves

 

It’s not often on this list that we see one-and-done performances from one player or another, but that’s exactly what happened (or, rather, what has happened so far) to @Da_Berr, who was taken in other directions by real life near the end of Su’s career. A bit of an underdog for this spot given his draft position and the fact that he lagged a bit behind the leaders in TPE throughout his career, Su made the most out of his build and the situations he was placed in far too many times for it to be called a coincidence. This was especially evident in the middle of his career, when from S74-77 he would break 100 points every season. Along the way, he would lead the league in points twice, assists once, win a Cup in S74, and win MVP twice. Inducted into the Hall of Fame before a couple others from S72, his agent’s name is currently unfamiliar to some, but we hope that it may become familiar again in the future.

 

SEASON 73

 

Groovy Dood
1st overall / DC Dragons

 

Speaking of mostly one-and-done members, @bigAL scratched a few heads upon being selected with the top pick in S73 despite a lower TPE level and far less experience than many others in the class. DC knew what they were doing, though, as the member they selected was a commissioner by the time his player’s career was over–and his player would go on to be one of the best power forwards of the late S70s. By S75, Dood was putting up 95 points, and would only dip below that once in the remainder of his career, finishing up with 120 points in S80 when scoring started to blow up around the league. Sticking out his entire career with DC, Dood never won a Cup, but picked up the Boulet three times in a row from S77 through S79 and, given his performance as a whole, likely narrowly missed out on a whole lot more.

 

SEASON 74

 

Aloe Dear
1st overall / Warsaw Predators

 

After hanging around the VHL off-and-on for a long time, @Renomitsu finally got what he was looking for with Dear, who went at the top of the class in S74 and never let go. Dear never dipped below 108 points in S77 and the four seasons following it, and finished with a huge career total of 784 points (in part signifying the end of the dead puck era). If you’re wondering where all of Groovy Dood’s awards went in S78, look no further–Dear won the Beketov, the Slobo, and the Campbell while leading the league in points and bringing Warsaw its first-ever championship. She would win another in S81 with Vancouver, capping off a career worthy of any top draft choice and earning a spot in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

 

SEASON 75

 

Taro Tsujimoto
9th overall / HC Davos Dynamo

 

That’s right, I’m talking about ME! The player also known as MYSELF was first in the class in TPE coming into the S75 draft, and spent the first few seasons of his career building up and improving before making it to true star status. Once he was there, though, he stayed there–after 92 points in S77, he was well-established as a household name around the VHL. Taro never won a Cup and never led the league in any category, but he consistently earned public recognition in doing all he could to make Davos the team it once was around the turn of the S80s. He would win MVP twice, in S80 and S82 (and curiously was never even nominated for anything else), and went on to post a total of 724 points for his career. I know Taro is a player I’ll always remember, as my first good player, and I hope you will too!
 

SEASON 76

 

Battre Sandstrom
2nd overall / Prague Phantoms

 

From one member’s second player we go to another, and here we talk about @Acydburn and Sandstrom, who will likely at least be on the Hall of Fame ballot this season. Curiously, Sandstrom managed to record an improved point total in each of his first seven seasons, ultimately ending up with 124 in S82 which only dropped down to 104 when the shift was made to hybrid attributes. Though Sandstrom was already a massive talent by S82, it was there that he managed to turn the corner in terms of awards, winning the Beketov and the Valiq then and going on to take the Labatte for a great all-around performance in S83. His 669 points, combined with over 1,400 hits and 1,200 blocked shots, should make him a name to remember for decades to come.

 

SEASON 77

 

Duncan Idaho
3rd overall / Moscow Menace

 

Just when you thought you’d seen enough of @OrbitingDeath on this list, the hits just keep on coming–and I mean that in more than one sense. Idaho is arguably the greatest physical forward of the VHL’s modern era, standing at over 2,500 hits already and still playing (the first time in this article we come to a player who’s still around). On top of that, he’s recorded 735 points to date, has won the Boulet every season since S80 (where he co-won MVP with Taro), and is currently piecing together a fine season in DC, where he looks to add to his already-HoF-worthy resume.

 

SEASON 78

 

Hard Markinson
2nd overall / Moscow Menace

 

Noticing anything yet? If you’re not…it’s yet another @STZ player. Markinson has been one of the league’s premier offensively-minded defensemen in recent seasons, with two 100-point efforts under his belt and already sitting at 579 points in total. He’s taken home the Labatte twice as well (in S81 and 82) and hopes to push Moscow over the line and finally win the Cup that has escaped them consistently for the past few seasons.

 

SEASON 79

 

Jerome Reinhart
3rd overall / Vancouver Wolves

 

I debated whether or not to include Reinhart on this list for being one of the main faces of Vancouver’s meta era, but I suppose I should try to be as objective as possible (and I also suppose that I believe Barry Bonds should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame). Reinhart (one of many, this one the product of @MexicanCow123) was the league’s top rookie in S79 and went on to be one of the premier faces of Vancouver’s own threepeat, winning the Kanou in their S81 run and posting four straight seasons over 100 points (including a 141-point S82) before switching to defense and moving out to New York. Regardless of what the rest of his career brings, he’ll be remembered for his offensive ability and the part his squad played in causing fundamental changes to the league.

SEASON 80

 

Xavier Booberry
1st overall / Helsinki Titans

 

I originally thought I’d be giving this to last season’s MVP in Saku Kotkakoivu, but after seeing Kotkakoivu’s relative decline this season and Booberry’s continued solid performance, I’m giving this to @CowboyinAmericaagain (though Dollar has made the list already as well). Booberry did get some votes for MVP last season when he almost singlehandedly carried Helsinki into the playoffs. Last season, too, he managed to take home the Shaw and the Slobo while also leading the league in GAA. He’s also managed to turn his record into a winning one this season after two seasons of mediocre play in Helsinki, and figures to have a strong remainder of his career as the Titans are a well-built team. It’s too early to project a lot for him at the moment, but signs are promising.

 

SEASON 81

 

Nico Pearce
10th overall / Moscow Menace
 

After falling to 10th in the draft under controversial circumstances, @Spartan followed through on his promise to move out of Moscow after Pearce’s rookie contract expired and now plays for Helsinki, where he’s taken his career above point-per-game pace and is carving out a career season in S84. Though he hasn’t won an award yet, we’ve seen what his agent can do, and his career is trending upward by the minute as he’s currently breaking through.

 

SEASON 82

 

Vasile Lamb
1st overall / New York Americans

 

After @dlamb missed out on recognition in this article in S73, he’s back and determined to make up for it in S82. Lamb, as far as I can tell with my cursory glance at a few pages of players who I think are doing well, leads the S82 class in points (229 to date, with 82 and 94 in his first two seasons) and it’s not even close. Not only that, but he’s put up impressive hit totals so far. Could we be seeing our next Duncan Idaho? I’m not sure yet, but it’s going to be a very interesting career to track.

 

SEASON 83

 

Brandt Fuhr
2nd overall / Vancouver Wolves
 

Some might not expect Fuhr, a goaler on what’s now a losing team and one with the record to match, to be my pick for this one, but he’s shown great potential already and may end up putting together a career like some of our early-S50s picks if Vancouver manages to turn themselves around soon. Last season, he put up a .929 SV%, and currently sits at .927 for this one–something that is very impressive given the circumstances and figures to make @Tate and his third player something to look at for the future.

 

SEASON 84

 

Art Vandelay
1st overall / Los Angeles Stars

 

Art Vandelay

 

 

I hope you LOVED reading this article, because it’s my longest…by far. It’s probably the longest I’ve ever seen by far, too (I’m on page 33 of my Google Doc). It’s sat at the back of my mind for a couple years now, and I’m glad I finally got around to writing the second half of it. For those wondering–no, I don’t have problems, and if you think I do, then I say YOU DO.

 

Seriously, can I get some money back on my donations or something? My fingers are tired.

 

 

 

13,047 words; good for 4 weeks I guess.
 

[Garsh 1,195]

[jacobcarson877 2,563]

7 minutes ago, Gustav said:

Art Vandelay
1st overall / Los Angeles Stars

 

Art Vandelay

Art Vandelay

[jacobcarson877 2,563]

[AJW 2,196]

13k words should be worth at least a full season of PT's covered wow

[Brandon 426]

Can we just give this guy TPE until S86

[Spartan 4,531]

I don't think you ever need to do a PT again holy shit

[Moon 597]

What in the actual F Gus... You are a maniac

[N0HBDY 1,131]

Source?

[Hogan 1,425]

U are wrong hogan > funke

[BOOM 8,817]

FFS, give him some of my bonus TPE.

[JardyB10 4,869]

2 hours ago, Gustav said:

Matt Bentz, is a more recognizable name to most, by virtue of having been created by our recently disappeared, “have you seen this man?” overlord @Quik

Incorrect, re-do the entire media spot.

 

You're confused about the simple fact that @Victor's player Matt Bentley was, I believe, named 50/50 after Matt Bentz and Matt Bailey. The former being @Arce's IRL lover Matt Bentz, the latter being @Quik's player.  

 

IDIOT

 

 

[Gustav 6,469]

20 minutes ago, JardyB10 said:

Incorrect, re-do the entire media spot.

 

You're confused about the simple fact that @Victor's player Matt Bentley was, I believe, named 50/50 after Matt Bentz and Matt Bailey. The former being @Arce's IRL lover Matt Bentz, the latter being @Quik's player.  

 

IDIOT

 

 

 

Well shit. I suppose my educated guess was reasonable at least. 

 

I also wrote that sentence 2 years ago, so not sure if I'd assume that now. 

[OrbitingDeath 3,229]

Holy shit, Warlock made the list.

 

So @Beavisswas right drafting me after all. Even if i told him warlock would be horrible as i wasnt going to be as active. Turns out the rest was worse.

 

my apologies beaviss, you were right after all.

[Daniel Janser 2,216]

Gee @Gustav even for your longwinded standard this is excessive. Kudos to the grind and determination to finish your Magnum Opus (please get a life, you make the rest of us look bad).

[Nykonax 1,566]

didnt name dahlberg, oferson, or kitson. shit list

[Victor 11,021]

3 hours ago, JardyB10 said:

Incorrect, re-do the entire media spot.

 

You're confused about the simple fact that @Victor's player Matt Bentley was, I believe, named 50/50 after Matt Bentz and Matt Bailey. The former being @Arce's IRL lover Matt Bentz, the latter being @Quik's player.  

 

IDIOT

 

 

Thank you

 

6 hours ago, Gustav said:

SEASON 41

 

Nestor Hughes
10th overall / Toronto Legion

Uh did you just make a player up?

[Arce 755]

Didn’t even get through 1/3 of this before I wondered how long it was and spit out my water when I saw the word count. Looking forward to viewing the rest of this later. Holy shit Gus, great read so far!

[solas 1,952]

Holy fucking shit dude, what an article.

Honored to be a named on this list as a player AND a part of the worst draft class of all time!

[eaglesfan036 4,605]

This was awesome. What a trip down memory lane for me with some of this names

 

@CowboyinAmerica my goalie

[CowboyinAmerica 2,911]

 

I made it! An insane article to write, read a few and will try and go over more later. An excellent trip down memory lane.

 

6 hours ago, Victor said:

Uh did you just make a player up?

 

That's excellent. At a quick glance at the S41 class, I'm probably going Mikaelson even with the early retirement? The combo of the S43 Seattle playoff run and S44 Quebec regular season is probably more than others did in 8 seasons, I thought he'd be Wingate's main rival for most of my career.

[Gustav 6,469]

6 hours ago, Victor said:

Uh did you just make a player up?

 

LMAO YES

 

I was wondering if any league boomers such as yourself would actually read through it so I just picked a class somewhere in the middle with no HoFers and made up my own story.

Edited July 20, 2022 by Gustav

[Quik 4,113]

Honestly, this is a pretty wild article - could probably just put it into the HOF builder category on its own

 

Also, I guess this gives you a spot in my article:
 

• Gustav @Gustav
  • A hippie that doesn't smoke, and also clearly has way too much free time. There was a point in time where I'd DM him poop emojis daily just so that he couldn't factually state that I never sent him shit

[Victor 11,021]

4 hours ago, Gustav said:

 

LMAO YES

 

I was wondering if any league boomers such as yourself would actually read through it so I just picked a class somewhere in the middle with no HoFers and made up my own story.

what a convenient excuse

 

I admit I was scrolling at this point with my Chershenko requirements met.

 

But if my fire react wasn't sufficient evidence this is an outrageous article. I do think that in honour of the VHL's anniversary we should rule that like in the good ol days, this is worth only 6 TPE.

[Dom 1,445]

Not enough words, denied