VSN Presents "An Ice Cream Story", a tale of the S87 Draft Class

[leandrofg 1,018]

 

 

Before we go any further down the rabbit hole of the S87 draft class, yes, it was clickbait. Although the draft class of S87 seems one of the sweetest yet, with the likes of Skor, Oreo, and Reese... we might only touch on some of these fantastic prospects.

 

The first two prospects we will talk about are the two most courageous ones. While it seems like a more normal move made every season by different players... you still have to be brave and sure of your abilities to skip another season in the VHLM to test yourself against the competition in the VHLE.

 

This year the prospects that decided to jump the M are Skor McFleury and Randy Bobandy and for what these two have in courage, the S87 draft class lack in Goalies.

 

While we would be ecstatic to continue this article talking about two players from different positions that have decided to stay down in the VHLM... we cannot.

 

So we randomize as we can. Our featured winger in this article will be a player who shares the name of one of my favorite cookies. No, you don't have to think outside the box... it's Oreo McFleury. Who will replace our goalie? Our first first-gen on the season's list, the long-lost cousin of one of my favorite artists and Pifferfish's best friend, Tyler Swift!

 

Now... you've gotten this far, so you could know what we will talk about in this article. Therefore, I tell you that we will explore this draft class and these players a little bit. Looking at who they are, what they do best, who could be set to draft them, and what we can expect these players to achieve.

 

First, as he tops the board at the moment, Skor McFleury. It's been an interesting path so far, to say the least. Skor was highly sought after in Free Agency, with various teams inquiring about the possibility of adding him to their team. In the end, Geneva was the winner, mainly due to the ongoing relationship between the team's leadership and McFleury. What happens next will shock you. A needy VHL team poached Geneva’s General Manager, and with it, Skor's allegiance was too.

 

During the transition period, the former and new GM of the Rush agreed to a trade that would take Skor to Cologne, one of the teams that actively tried to bring McFleury's talents to the team. We're now a quarter into the season, and the deal panned out as well as it could!

 

McFleury has played his part on an Express team that has been over-achieving... even if they were one of the favorites at the start of the VHLE season. McFleury is not only proving himself on defense as a reliable piece of the puzzle but has managed to find his place offensively.

 

It's time to pose the question. Where would be the best fit for Skor in the VHL? Who has the room for an up-and-coming, high-potential defenseman?

 

Riga.

 

Well... that was easy. We all know the history between the Reign and Alex Johnston, and that, without a doubt, will play a part in Skor's future. The Reign is a defenseman-needy team... well, they need help everywhere, to be honest, but Skor would be a great piece to help build the franchise's future. With Daniel Weaver and Henry Tucker Jr. on the team and Sadie St-Louis getting ready to move up, these players could be the core of Latvia's future.

 

Let's move up (or down, depending on your opinion) and nit-pick Randy Bobandy, our second skipper, who chose the former champions, the Oslo Storm, to call home for the 86th season.

 

The Norwegian squad is struggling... badly and probably more than they should be. And Bobandy hasn't helped the cause. Buried in the Storm's lines and playing less than 20 minutes per game, Bobandy has lost his touch. 

 

Although the quality is there, Europe hasn't been kind to the Canadian player. In 22 games, Randy accounts for 2 measly points. The projections may not be favorable, but we believe Bobandy could be in line to turn it around.

 

Now, who will take a chance here? If Skor goes at 1st Overall... is Bobandy number 2 on anybody else's board? Let's dive in.

 

Tied to Bobandy is AJ Williams... who retired a season early! That will be on every GM's mind. Nobody can take anything away from the quality of AJ, as he was a top player in Seattle. Still, I can't shake this feeling... Bobandy has been having trouble in the VHLE, AJ Williams retired a season early, and Mac Atlas will be there too.

 

Mac Atlas will be there too... and the Sova legacy lives on, so we could see Bobandy drop. Los Angeles is currently second to last, and Toronto has their pick. This will be the first pick of the Moon era in Toronto, and it's never too bad to have options. We'll have something to look forward to!

 

Malmo is currently picking at number 3. Malmo will probably choose a center.

 

Now that we're at 4, we can talk about our next player, Oreo McFleury. I find it delicious to be writing about a subject like this. 

 

But, on a more controversial note, isn't the Oreo McFlurry better with hot chocolate fudge mixed into it? Damn, just thinking about it...

 

Back to the point! Oreo McFleury. By now, a Marlins legend, McFleury, was drafted with the 12th selection in this season's VHLM draft. Currently, Top-10 in scoring and is projected to score more than 110 points this season. Of course, playing on a great team like the one in San Diego impacts your numbers, but it can also have the reverse effect since the points are spread across the board.

 

Oreo has firmly stated his value in the VHLM while showing the signs and potential of his future value in the VHL. This potential will be tied to retiree Nathan Powers, who finished his career without individual accolades, but his quality can't be understated. It shows that if McFleury follows that same path, he could be of extraordinary worth to a VHL team during his future in the league.

 

Does this mean that Toronto picks him with the 4th overall pick? Maybe. Toronto also needs help on defense, and while Oreo's quality can't be disputed, he's also not the Best Player Available at that point. Jimi Jaks is still rated above McFleury, which could make the decision for Toronto a bit more complex. The Legion could jump on the best Defenseman available, which would mean them taking either David Jokinen or Kronchy Kardashian.

 

If this happens, McFleury could slide down the board, but no further than the 8th overall selection. Seattle owns both their pick and London's, which now account for 7th and 8th, respectively. Florida Man signed with the Bears this off-season with a two-year contract and a team option on the third. This could give Seattle and McFleury time and flexibility for the player to improve in the VHLE before getting the call to the VHL whenever Florida Man leaves.

 

Last but not least, Tyler Swift! Our first first-gen on the board, and that still means something! Tyler looks like a solid, welfare-plus player and seems to be a good presence. Because if Tyler wasn't, Philly management wouldn’t have traded a 2nd-rounder plus a 5th to bring him back to Cheesesteak-town.

 

Things could change, and Tyler could become the earner every VHL GM wants on their team. This level of earnings they're currently at and the presence they seem to have, portray Tyler as a possible late 1st-round steal. That's where I see Tyler going, should they continue like this.

 

Every team in the VHL needs depth, and every team in the VHL wants to create a healthy locker room environment. There's where late-round selections can be of extreme value and even jump people on the board.

 

Anyway, we are a third into the season. Everything can change... teams may go up and down the board, and players may go up and down the team's boards. All we can do is sit back and enjoy their ride this season.

Mentioned users:

@Alex, @JB123, @Spaz, @AJW, @lilchrist, @Pifferfish, @ThePerfectNut, @NSG, @sadie, @v.2 , @kelvi, @Ahma, @Garsh, @zepheter

Edited November 28, 2022 by leandrofg

[NSG 495]

33 minutes ago, leandrofg said:

the long-lost cousin of one of my favorite artists and Pifferfish's best friend, Tyler Swift!

Another Swifite?

[Daniel Janser 1,981]

Afaik Ahma will only ever sign with Davos DAVID

[AJW 1,744]

1 hour ago, leandrofg said:

Tied to Bobandy is AJ Williams... who retired a season early! That will be on every GM's mind. 

 

Great article like always Leandro. I wanted to comment on this quote. I don't understand how everyone thinks this way and it is SO annoying. I'm not hating on you at all for saying this, but the second I considered retiring my player early, I swear to god everyone was shitting on my new player saying my draft stock will be tanked. FOR WHAT? Missing one season?! Like the 7 previous seasons meant nothing? I get that GMs want to be able to use a player for it's entire career but come on. It was my first gen player, I had a tpe ban on it, the only award I won was a team award, and my points were getting shittier the longer I kept him alive... it was super boring watching him be mid tier towards the end of his career...

 

But now I get a fresh start, carry over tpe, and I'm already 2nd on the leaderboard for tpe. I am so much more determined to earn for this player than my previous since I have no obstacles in my way anymore.

 

This post to be clear wasn't sending hate your way for saying that, it was just me ranting about the topic because it really does upset me how much people care about missing one season with my first ever player.

Edited November 28, 2022 by AJW

[leandrofg 1,018]

4 minutes ago, AJW said:

 

Great article like always Leandro. I wanted to comment on this quote. I don't understand how everyone thinks this way and it is SO annoying. I'm not hating on you at all for saying this, but the second I considered retiring my player early, I swear to god everyone was shitting on my new player saying my draft stock will be tanked. FOR WHAT? Missing one season?! Like the 7 previous seasons meant nothing? I get that GMs want to be able to use a player for it's entire career but come on. It was my first gen player, I had a tpe ban on it, the only award I won was a team award, and my points were getting shittier the longer I kept him alive... it was super boring watching him be mid tier towards the end of his career...

 

But now I get a fresh start, carry over tpe, and I'm already 2nd on the leaderboard for tpe. I am so much more determined to earn for this player than my previous since I have no obstacles in my way anymore.

 

This post to be clear wasn't sending hate your way for saying that, it was just me ranting about the topic because it really does upset me how much people care about missing one season with my first ever player.

 

I appreciate you coming out and saying that. While I wrote it - and I believe GMs will ask you about that - please, don't take it the wrong way. I don't share those concerns and, of course, you've shown everyone your character over the last months (at least, it was something I've been noticing previous to you getting the GM job, for example).

 

Also, yes, I did write it, because I believe people will think about that, but then again... so what? Why can't you take control of your player's career? Case in point, I did want to add you to our Locker Room in Cologne, as well. Because of your presence!

 

Right now, I'm glad I wrote it and even more glad you've answered the question, in a way. You can just link the GMs to your post, now, honestly.

[qripll 433]

Greta article. Part two coming soon? 

[Ahma 1,288]

I will never play for any other team than HC Davos Dynamo

[Pifferfish 345]

7 hours ago, NSG said:

Another Swifite?

I was telling her about your SBA player's (at least i thought it was yours if memory served) name like an hour ago lol... we got tickets to the philly concert

 

[NSG 495]

1 hour ago, Pifferfish said:

I was telling her about your SBA player's (at least i thought it was yours if memory served) name like an hour ago lol... we got tickets to the philly concert

 

The T Swift lyric player? That's mine

 

I did not get tickets  

[Pifferfish 345]

3 hours ago, NSG said:

The T Swift lyric player? That's mine

 

I did not get tickets  

I was enchanted to meet you I think was the name lol so yeah hahahaha

[leandrofg 1,018]

17 hours ago, qripll said:

Greta article. Part two coming soon? 

 

16 hours ago, Ahma said:

I will never play for any other team than HC Davos Dynamo

 

@qripll, soon, but then again, @Ahma is out here giving out spoilers.

[Ahma 1,288]

53 minutes ago, leandrofg said:

 

 

@qripll, soon, but then again, @Ahma is out here giving out spoilers.

my bad, my bad

[NSG 495]

11 hours ago, Pifferfish said:

I was enchanted to meet you I think was the name lol so yeah hahahaha

Yeah that's EFL not SBA but yup  

 

I WAS ENCHANTED TO MEET YOUUUUUUUUUUUU