VSN Scouting Presents: Growing the Game

[Doomsday 4,143]

@Zetterberg is Greenland's golden god of graphics.

With the Victory Hockey League celebrating its 16th birthday this week and the 90th season on the horizon, it’s wild to think that a league like this that’s been around for this long can still be unique and fresh. There are many ways that it remains to do so, but this article will be covering a more specific topic: international representation in the VHL. Traditional powerhouses of ice hockey have been well-represented, with American and Canadian members understandably ensuring their nations have always been strong on the international level in the VHL. However, with this upcoming draft class in Season 90, there are some nations that have not traditionally had a strong presence in the VHL producing prospects, with some of them among the best of the class. We’re going to take a look at these nations that are finally about to get some love here in the VHL.

 

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Australia

Prospect: D Walter Fitzroy Jr

The Land Down Under is naturally not a traditional powerhouse in ice hockey, and for most of the VHL’s history, that was also the case. During the later half of the 60’s, however, Australia began to produce VHL talent worth shouting about from the top of Uluru. Australian members @Berocka and @dasboot arrived on the scene and began producing quality players that impacted the league. Berocka Sundqvist won four Continental Cups during his career and Latrell Mitchell crafted a well-deserved reputation as a strong defensive defenseman, winning the Jake Wylde Trophy in Season 76. However, A Red Guy, courtesy of @.sniffuM, was the first Australian player to win the Scotty Campbell Trophy as the VHL MVP, accomplished during his final season in S73. Today, Australia boasts three players with over 1,000 TPA in Daniel Weaver @ThePerfectNut, Lachlan Summers @kirbithan, and Callum Murray, and in Season 90 another Australian defenseman in Walter Fitzroy Jr. @Moon will be drafted. He has made his mark on three different VHLM teams, and despite being at the ripe age of 50, Fitzroy Jr should be a top selection in the upcoming draft. While they aren’t an Olympic presence yet, Australia is quickly proving to be a rising producer of quality VHL talent.

Greenland

Prospects: C Axle Gunner, C Severus Targaryen

 

Before the 70s, there is no record of any players from Greenland on the VHL Portal, but the famous invasion of Season 77 to 79 quickly put Greenland on the map in the VHL. Lewis Dawson @Kendrick and Aleelee Kiak @Grant were the first in Season 70, and Grekkark Gyrfalcon @Sharkstrong in Season 73 became a fantastic goaltender that lifted the Continental Cup. However, it was the famed Season 77 group, featuring three 1,000+ TPE players in Zeedayno Chara @Jubis, along with the first two Reinharts: Asher @rjfryman and Reylynn @Ricer13. Three more Reinharts would follow in the next two seasons: Tobias @Spaz in Season 78, with Jerome @MexicanCow123 and Tyler @Zetterberg in Season 79. Despite the fact that they fielded enough players for their own team, Greenland never realized the dream of having their own squad compete in the VHL World Cup, and that was that… until the next generation arrived. Axle Gunner @Steve and Severus Targaryen @Banackock are both draft-eligible in Season 90, and they're only the tip of the iceberg, as even more players will be coming from Greenland in Season 91. Gunner has been one of the most dominant players in the VHLM this season with the Philadelphia Reapers, and Targaryen has been a point-per-game player in Houston, just a sample of what's to come from Greenland's next generation.

 

For more on Greenland's latest hockey generation, be sure to check out @Will3's latest article, Greenland's Golden Generation!

Hungary

Prospect: D YaBoi Oven

Hungary is a nation that has not had a strong presence in the VHL throughout the history of the league. In the Portal Era, only one Hungarian has ever eclipsed 1,000 TPE, and that is journeyman defenseman Kristof Welch @Juice, the Season 80 Alexander Valiq Trophy winner, who played for six teams during his career and amassed 656 career points. Hungary seemed like they had a superstar in Nagy Al @bigAL, but tragically he burnt out before his potential could be realized. Hunor Solyom @solyom, a third round pick by Helsinki in Season 83, became the first Hungarian to win a Continental Cup with the London United just last season. Hungary's latest chance at producing a superstar talent in the VHL is defenseman YaBoi Oven, who was selected first overall in the Season 89 VHLM Dispersal Draft and could very well be the top pick again in the Season 90 VHL Entry Draft as well. His potential hasn't translated to dominance in the VHLM, but will VHL GMs be able to pass on the raw potential?

 

Malta

Prospect: C Xiver Zilla

While Australia, Greenland, and Hungary all have relatively short stories regarding their history in the VHL, it is encyclopedic compared to Malta's. There is no story for the 316 square mile archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, which sounds like the absolute last place you would expect to find ice hockey cultivated. As it turns out, Xiver Zilla @jhatty8 was the first player from Malta to take the ice in a VHL-sanctioned game when he suited up for the San Diego Marlins against the Houston Bulls and skated his way into history. However, he was not the first player from Malta, with that distinction going to Joey Balgeno @ItsTearless, who never applied TPE or signed with a VHLM team before retiring. With that, it is now on Xiver Zilla to write the first chapter for Malta's foray into ice hockey, and if his tenure with the Houston Bulls is any indication, the VHL is about to bear witness to a Mediterranean Monster.

Mongolia

Prospect: G WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

As odd as it sounds, Mongolia actually has a chapter in VHL history, regardless of how absurd it may seem. Season 53 actually marked the beginning of not one Mongolian's career, but two. One was Conrad Jenkins @Kylrad, a winger turned defenseman who carved out a solid career with the Stockholm Vikings, and from seasons 56 to 59, moved to the Helsinki Titans and became teammates with the other Mongolian in the VHL. That teammate… VHL legend and Hall of Famer Franchise Cornerstone @boubabi. The longest-serving captain in VHL history, Cornerstone is one of the most successful and decorated players in the history of the league, scoring 384 goals and 855 points in his career, spent entirely with the Helsinki Titans. It's a lofty standard that seems nearly impossible to live up to, especially for a goaltender, but that is exactly what WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW is up against. He is the first Mongolian to join the ranks of the league since Franchise Cornerstone retired following Season 60, and he has just two appearances in VHLM games to his credit thus far. However, he is still a highly-ranked prospect at his position, and is on track to be the first Mongolian player to reach the VHL in 30 seasons.

Portugal

Prospect: RW Catia Goncalves

 

Portugal is another nation whose story in the VHL is still in its infancy, yet has still managed to shine. The first player from Portugal recorded on the Portal turned out to be a great one in defenseman Roque Davis @Josh, the second overall pick in the Season 71 VHL Entry Draft. Playing for the HC Davos Dynamo, Moscow Menace, and the Los Angeles Stars, Davis was among the best blue liners of his era, winning the Alexander Valiq Trophy as the best offensive defenseman in the VHL twice, leading the league in assists in Season 76 with 86, and also won the coveted Sterling Labatte Trophy as the top defenseman in the VHL that season as well. He became the first Portuguese player to be inducted into the VHL Hall of Fame in Season 84, right around when Portugal’s next big talent was just warming up: Leandro Goncalves @leandrofg . The ninth overall pick in the Season 83 VHL Entry Draft has been the epitome of selflessness and consistency with the Calgary Wranglers, and he was a pivotal part of the team’s drought-breaking Continental Cup victory in Season 87, making him the first Portuguese player to do so. The Goncalves line is set to continue, as little sister Catia Goncalves @cLoWn is currently tearing up the VHLM with the Mississauga Hounds, showing that she is ready to carry the mantle herself. If the stars align, it’s very possible that Portugal’s favorite siblings can play together for Leandro’s final VHL season, which I am now going to cheer into existence.

Saint Lucia

Prospect: D Jebediah Big Ol Doinks in Amish

 

For those of you who have never heard of Saint Lucia, myself included, it is a small island nation located in the East Carribeans, known for volcanic beaches, reef-diving sites, tourism, and the Piton Mountains. Exactly the type of place you’d expect to develop elite VHL talent, right? Naturally, it’s no surprise that this is a nation that has no story in the VHL at all. Not a single player has ever come from this tiny, exotic locale, at least not until now. Somehow, in some way, a lad named Jebediah Big Ol Doinks in Amish is the first player to ever lace up the skates for Saint Lucia, despite sounding like he should be tending to cattle and raising barns in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania instead. How did this gloriously bearded farmer make it to Saint Lucia and end up playing ice hockey, of all things? I’m not going to pretend to have the faintest clue, because quite frankly, I don’t. Saint Lucia’s foray into the world of the VHL is off to a most peculiar start, however, and with Jebediah’s strong season with the Houston Bulls, it looks as if his story will continue into the ranks of the VHL.

Ukraine

Prospect: RW Maxim Ansimov, LW Jorji Costova

 

Of all the nations on this list, Ukraine is the one that is traditionally a presence in the world of ice hockey, and that is no different in the VHL. The Portal has recorded Ukrainians in the VHL dating back to the 40s, and it’s very likely there were some in the VHL before this. A notable player of this time for Ukraine is defenseman Bobby Digital @gorlab, a two-time Continental Cup champion with the New York Americans, who also led the VHL in assists with 80 in Season 54 and won the Grimm Jonsson Trophy as the top leader in the VHL in Season 55. Ukraine’s most prolific player, however, is VHL Hall of Famer Jet Jaguar, who scored 256 goals and 645 points with the Moscow Menace, where he led the VHL in goals with 42 and won a Continental Cup in Season 70, and the HC Davos Dynamo. The defenseman pairing of L and R both hailed from Ukraine, as well as Kosmo Kramerev @Mongoose87. Faith Hope Love @MMFLEX of the Prague Phantoms is the only Ukrainian currently in the league, although the Toronto Legion have a future pro in Kobe Johnson @Vkobe-v in the VHLE with Geneva currently. The Season 90 Draft Class, however, has two prospects that have caught the eyes of VHL scouts: Maxim Ansimov @McLovin, a dynamic winger capable of racking up points, and Jorji Costova @Hybrid1486, another winger capable of lighting up the score sheet. Always seeming to keep a steady presence in the VHL, Ukraine has two exciting prospects that could put their program back into the international spotlight once again.

 

What happens when the writer tries to make a graphic themselves.

The Season 90 VHL Draft Class is loaded with players from less than conventional backgrounds, and it could lead to even more diverse representation from across the globe in the league. I would love to see some other nations become powerful enough to warrant their own team in international play in the VHL and add to the fun of those events. While I don’t expect to see Saint Lucia on that stage anytime soon, could Greenland do what they couldn’t a decade ago and rise to prominence? Will Australia become a rising power? Can the Goncalves trigger an ice hockey movement in Portugal? We won’t know until we meet future draft classes, and until then, all we can do is imagine what could happen and enjoy the stories that are playing out in front of us. After all, isn’t that why we’re all here?
 

Edited July 24, 2023 by Doomsday

[McLovin 470]

NO STOPPING THE UKRAINE WAYNE TRAIN

[Doomsday 4,143]

Claiming for week of 7/24 to 7/30

Claim 2/2

[leandrofg 1,175]

14 hours ago, Doomsday said:

Portugal

Prospect: RW Catia Goncalves

 

(...) The Goncalves line is set to continue, as little sister Catia Goncalves @cLoWn is currently tearing up the VHLM with the Mississauga Hounds, showing that she is ready to carry the mantle herself. If the stars align, it’s very possible that Portugal’s favorite siblings can play together for Leandro’s final VHL season, which I am now going to cheer into existence.

 

First of all, great article! And, yes... the Goncalves may or may not have spoken about playing together in Season 91.

[Daniel Janser 2,213]

2 minutes ago, leandrofg said:

 

First of all, great article! And, yes... the Goncalves may or may not have spoken about playing together in Season 91.

huh revival of Gonçalves/Janser reign in Calgary from S92 onwards? I am here for it

 

[leandrofg 1,175]

34 minutes ago, Daniel Janser said:

huh revival of Gonçalves/Janser reign in Calgary from S92 onwards? I am here for it

 

 

I'm not sure if we'll have a chance to draft Catia this season. Might be too high on the board

[Daniel Janser 2,213]

23 minutes ago, leandrofg said:

 

I'm not sure if we'll have a chance to draft Catia this season. Might be too high on the board

for once I do not #blamecole but #blameleandrofg... you clearly taught her too well in the art of earning

[animal74 1,855]

Nicely done @Doomsday! Great read!

 

I think VSN should do more country-related articles.

Edited July 24, 2023 by animal74

[rory 1,943]

great article thank you for the mention but I have 70 games played as designated door opener and gatorade refiller and I think my stats speak for themselves.