Claimed:Lloyd Light Biography

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Lloyd Light Biography

 

Ladies and gentlemen: Lloyd Light!

 

Youth

Born on August 23^rd in the Year 17 (of the VHL calendar), Lloyd Light came into the world with a smile. He grew up as the only child of Roy and Nina Light in the town of Stonewall, Manitoba. Always full of energy, Lloyd has never been afraid to try new things. Among his group of friends, he would always be the one to make suggestions to break the boredom when they have nothing to do, and it would always be something they've never done before. That is why, even though he loved hockey as a kid, he could go months without touching a stick. There was just so much else to do, and he enjoyed all of it.
 
Eventually, however, he became more focused. As he aged, he did not find everything quite as interesting as he did before; or perhaps a better way to put it would be that hockey began to outshine everything else, and it never got stale for him. He did not play much organized hockey until the age of 14 when he started playing bantam hockey. He had always been athletically gifted, but his hockey skills were not refined. As he began to practice for hours a day, he saw remarkable improvement. The reality that he could potentially become a professional hockey player never sunk in until he began playing in the Western Hockey League after a few years in bantam and midget leagues.

 

 

 

That might be Lloyd Light.

 

Road to the NHL

Lloyd Light began playing with the WHL's Calgary Hitmen at the age of 17. In four seasons with the Hitmen, he showed promise, but it took a while for the potential to churn out results. In his first two seasons, he tallied just 23 points in 99 games as a defenseman who was also vulnerable on the back end. Still, coaches and scouts saw something in him worth talking about. Much of his gameplay was defined by mistakes that would correct themselves over time; and that is just what happened. During the off-season between his second and third year with the Hitmen, Light spent more time than every working to become a better player. He was finally wholeheartedly committed to hockey as his life. He spent hours every day watching footage of himself to find the kinks in his play. He trained tirelessly to become a much better player, and it paid off.
 
He did not instantly become a superstar, but he was less of a liability for the team. He scored 18 goals for the Hitmen in the next season, and improved further with 26 in the following season. His defensive play also improved, but he still struggled at times to get a good read on the opposition. Physically, he looked better on the ice and mentally, his confidence grew which opened up his play a little. As his performance increased, as did the attention he was getting, which led to him being selected in the NHL draft.
 
He was drafted by the Minnesota Wild with the 156^th overall pick in whichever NHL draft makes sense chronologically given the VHL's advanced timeline. He spent some time in the AHL with the Houston Aeros, but he found very little success. An NHL career did not seem to be a realistic possibility for him, and it took just a couple seasons for him to be cut from the organization, and no other team was interested in him.

 

 

 

Lloyd Light (maybe) with the Houston Aeros.

 

Victory Hockey League

Although the NHL was no longer in sight, his dream of becoming a professional hockey player was not gone. His new target was the VHL, and to get there, he would have to go through the VHLM. He was drafted 16^th overall by the Oslo Storm in the Season 39 VHL Dispersal Draft, marking the beginning of the next step of his journey. This would also give him the opportunity to travel around the world, something that would help to satisfy the curiosity that had stayed with him since his childhood.
 
In his first season with the Storm, Light had a respectable 37 goals and 87 points in 72 games played. He helped the team greatly in the playoffs, where they swept two series against European Conference foes before falling in five games in the finals to the heavily-favored Ottawa Ice Dogs. Light's performance in the post-season, including 31 points and 34 shots blocked, earned him a spot on the playoff MVP ballot.
 
In the Season 40 VHL Entry Draft, Lloyd Light was selected seventh overall by the Seattle Bears, a team that has taken a nosedive over the past few seasons into its current rebuild. Light will be playing in the upcoming season with Oslo once again, but he is all but guaranteed to be playing in the VHL come Season 41. For now, he and the Storm hope to make a return trip to the VHLM finals and win three more games than last time.

 

 

Don't be fooled by the backdrop; this is from the VHL draft.
 

Pros

Leadership: Light is a natural leader, and that is why Seattle might actually be the best fit for him, and drafting him might have been the best possible outcome for them. It will take a good leader for the Seattle to get incoming rookies to buy into the rebuild, because so many teams around the VHL are much further along than the Bears. Light is a player that can get teammates fired up and motivated even when things are looking down, and that could go a long way for the Bears.
 
Scoring: Light is a defenseman who excels in the offensive zone. His goal-scoring has definitely been his most notable skill in recent years, and it is where his greatest potential lies. When he eventually joins the Bears, he will be counted on almost exclusively to carry the offense, as well as the defense, for a couple seasons. While he will struggle with it as a rookie, he is a player who could definitely top 40 goals multiple times in his career.
 
Skating: Light is a smooth skater on the ice, with great balance and control over his body. While he doesn't have the greatest top end-to-end speed, the quickness with which he can change direction is astounding. This is something that is very noticeable when he's on the ice and you are watching for it, but it is not something for which he is particularly noted.
 

Cons

Defense: Light isn't a huge liability in the defensive zone, but he is relatively weak in the area. Occasionally described as a fourth forward, Light does strive to improve his player and learn from the mistakes that he still makes in identifying opposing schemes. Still, he has room to improve in this regard, and the Bears will have hope that he does just that in the next few seasons.
 
Physicality: Light is not a player who will throw his body around. In this past VHLM season, he had just 89 hits. Luckily for him, he had a defensive partner who was built to shoulder that burden for the team, but his reluctant approach to hitting could cause problems in the VHL. It is something that opposing skaters will be able to capitalize on as it is one less thing they will have to worry about, and it also limits his potential for creating turnovers.
 
Potential: A lot of people at various times in his life thought Light could become a star hockey player. Some still do, and value him as such, but he has never consistently met his potential. He could be one of those players who just has something about him that makes him look good, but at the same time, you just know he's not that great. The uncertainty surrounding just how good he could be could cause the Bears management to worry about what he can actually provide for them during this rebuild.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Streetlight

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I hate the formatting in this place. :L

[Da Trifecta 1,899]

Content: 3/3 Solid write up here. Light is going to be a stud in the VHL. Your willingness to lose the TPE to stay down, shows your dedication to the team and you want to win.

Grammar: 2/2 Nope

Presentation: 1/1

Pros: 2/2 Yes

Cons: 2/2 Yeah

 

FINAL: 10/10

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