Has McGryer slowed down?

[Fradin99 96]

         After their second game of the VHLE season, the Geneva rush traded for rising defenseman Fradin McGryer. A former San Diego Marlin, the Boston native was taken second overall by Vasteras in the VHLE draft seemingly to be dealt to a couple of highly interested teams. Well, Geneva took the gamble and in 32 games it's time to evaluate his play compared to the hot start he had. 

Fradin's biggest draw is his physical play, something he promised he could keep up while working on the other areas of the 200 foot game many defensemen have to master to reach the elite level the VHL requires. Through his first twenty games, the Massachusetts native was averaging a point per game and 3-4 hits per game. Now, he's fallen from the leader in hits to tied for fourth. His offensive production has also fallen off to just 25 points through 32 games. 

Now this player still sits in top ten for shots blocked so far, and has done much better than his VHLM days at staying out of the box. Not that it's too much of a bonus given he's still in the top ten in the league. This is a player who's shown sparks of greatness at his style of play and proved he has a grasp of what he needs to do. So why is he not performing where many think he should? A recent press conference with the young star gave him the chance to answer this question himself. 

"...It's a different league than the M. You, me, the fans, we all know it. And I think it's less of a spotlight on me and more of a compliment to the league that it's players can quickly adapt to the new guys coming up and give them the reality check they need. That's what this is to me anyways. Proof in both numbers and feeling on the ice that I have to work harder to keep up with my teammates around me. I can promise you all that you'll see an improvement in my game in the weeks to come, the scoreless slump won't last and you'll see more backs on the ice wondering what hit 'em..." 

Geneva as a whole has also taken a hit as an important note. The team once fighting for it's top spot in the league has now dropped to fifth. The VHLE this year is shaping out to be a tight race where even a two game losing streak can harm a team's standings. Especially a team that's boasting top 3 in both powerplay and penalty kill. We're nowhere near the point in the season to count the Rush or it's young defenseman out of the race for the top. But if Fradin and the team can't get it together, we may see an early exit come playoff time. Geneva is set for a road trip this weekend to face off against Cologne and Stockholm, a polarizing pair of teams to face should be a perfect test of this team's ability to claw their way back to the top. 


517 words for 7/2/2023