The Adventures of Reid Johnson (so far)

[TopTiddee2 186]

Hey everyone! That's right, your favorite VHLer is back writing a Media Spot. I was able to find time in my day to write one of these for all of you to enjoy. In this MS, I will be reviewing my several season experience within the Forum and what I look forward to as my player progresses throughout the VHL.

 

JST EXPERIENCE WITH THE ROYALS (S84 Preseason)

While with the Royals in the JST, @badcolethetitanintroduced me to the VHL and allowed for me to grow in the short but sweet tournament. Establishing myself as a very active (so much for that) LR presence and a Defenseman who could be a strong presence on both sides of the puck. In just 9 games played under the Royals organization, I netted 1 goal and 4 assists. I know, I know, this doesn't seem like "OMG HE GUD", it was more like, "eh, he's ok". On the bright side, due to my activeness within the Discord, it allowed for me to grab a ton of interest from VHLM teams, more specifically, the Las Vegas Aces and @Shindigs.

 

If I were to put a grade on my player experience within the JST, I would grade it as a B+. I enjoyed learning under Cole and having several conversations with other First-Gens and Veterans as well. While I wish I did better on the stat sheet, this allowed for me to gain traction in terms of scouting.

 

VHLM - LAS VEGAS ACES (S84)

Ok, more than likely the largest section of this entire MS. So be prepared to read a lot. After my selection at #25 overall by the Aces and GM Shindigs, I was quickly taken under his wing. We had hour long conversations about what I could do to improve myself as a player. Shin was able to guide me in a new direction and encouraged me to take on an Offensive Defenseman role with the club, which allowed us D-men to evenly split up our strengths and weaknesses. This already added to our deep roster, in a season where we were almost immediate locks for the Founder's Cup. Those predictions proved us right, as our team went 58-9-5 in 72 games, earning us the #1 spot for the playoffs. I ended up with 7 goals and  52 assists for a whopping 59 points in 72 games. Our confident team barreled through the playoffs, beating up on the weaker teams as we entered the finals, where we ended up the Founder's Cup champions. Throughout the playoffs, I scored 3 goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 15 games, placing me near the top of the scorers list. One thing I might add is that of the 10 goals I scored throughout the season, 8 of them came off the Power Play, meaning I had the capability of becoming a PP Quarterback on the blue line. 

 

If I were to put my experience in the VHLM with Vegas in grade form, I would put an A++. Absolutely outstanding job done by our team, and more specifically, Shindigs. I enjoyed earning a championship in my first season as a player and looked forward to securing more awards. 

 

VHLE - OSLO STORM (S85)

I entered into S85 as one of the top prospects of the VHL, and was selected by Malmo (VHL) with the 9th overall pick in the VHL draft. While I felt that due to my high selection I would be making an early jump to the VHL, I instead ended up in the VHLE draft as well, going 5th overall to the Oslo Storm. This is where I began to slump in terms of activity and eagerness to work for TPE, mainly due to school and sports things. In 72 games with the Storm, I scored 11 times and added 37 assists for 48 points in 72 games. We entered the playoffs as the #1 seed and fought our way to the finals, where we fended off a comeback and claimed the championship. I finished the playoffs with 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points in 12 playoff games. 

 

If I were to grade my experience in the VHLE with Oslo, I would give it a C+. And it's in no way a bad thing in terms of the people I played with, more so that I hoped that the LR would be more active, similar to that of the Aces. As I mentioned, I enjoyed everyone I played with.

 

VHL - MALMO --> HELSINKI (S86)

As mentioned before, I was selected 9th overall by Malmo in the S85 VHL Draft. I was then quickly shipped off to a struggling, nearly non-existent Helsinki. While I spent S85 in the E, I have so far enjoyed my time at Helsinki. I'm still awaiting my first point, but it hopefully it comes soon. Once my contract ends, I will decide what I feel would be best for my future going forward, whether that's to stay at Helsinki or if I should take my talents to South Beach (shoutout LeBron James).

 

I have really enjoyed my First-Gen career overall. It's safe to say that I will attempt to ride out this career as long as I can before making the decision to step back from the forum to create a new player (which I've already spoiled in a recent article).

Edited November 16, 2022 by TopTiddee2