Season in Review: David Rashford's Last VHLM Season

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Season in Review: David Rashford's Last VHLM Season

 

It makes a special player who never has to worry about sacrificing their own production for the chance to win a championship. Usually these are the elite of the elite - the generational talents - who will always receive (and capitalize on) the opportunity to succeed. For more specialized role players like David Rashford, there is often a trade-off that comes with production and winning. Normally in order to be personally successful, the chance at team success is sacrificed and vice versa. In Rashford's case, last year he sacrificed a chance at personal production to be a part of a VHLM championship with the Philadelphia Reapers which was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make. Another year on, however, and with working super hard to be an elite player in the VHLM, Rashford's fortunes never switched to personal success - mainly because he wasn't given a chance to produce at an elite level.

 

In the VHLM playoffs last year as a rookie, Rashford came through during the toughest of tests to establish himself as a force offensively with the limited amount of ice time he was given. Although he only finished 6th in team scoring with 7 goals and 10 assists in 19 games, he scored at a clip of 0.79 points per 20 minutes while averaging roughly five minutes of ice time less per game. This was good enough to be tied for second on the team with career VHLMer LeBen Aky and only playoff MVP Eric Queefson scored at a higher rate. This in conjunction with a championship for the Reapers made it seem like the S89 season for Rashford would see a big jump in production from his rookie season of 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points.

 

Rashford finished the S89 season with 29 goals and 39 assists for 78 points, almost doubling his total from his rookie season - a roaring success to the untrained eye. However, taking a closer look at the statistics reveals the budding superstar may not be happy with his situation. This season, Rashford managed to score at a clip of 0.84 points per 20 mins which was good enough for 4th on the Reapers. In hindsight, it's even more impressive when you realize that he was only playing 13-14 minutes per game on the wrong wing (right instead of left)! Yes, Rashford who was scoring at the same rate as a playoff MVP finalist and continued that production into this season was being, for lack of a better term, benched.

 

"I never understood why the coach made that decision", said Rashford after being asked about his severely reduced ice time. "It really makes it tough to stay motivated. I worked really hard to be as productive as I could be but the coach just put the new signings straight into the lineup ahead of me. I hadn't played right wing since my peewee days but all of a sudden I was being asked to play right wing at this level whilst also having my ice time cut in half. It's a tough pill to swallow because I sacrificed a lot to stay on the Reapers. I had offers elsewhere and the Gladiators [Rome who drafted David last season in the VHLE draft] offered be a spot on their roster. I turned it down thinking it'd be great for my development to dominate the VHLM. I think I may have made a mistake though."

 

Coaches always have reasons for doing what they do. Ultimately, they are responsible to the team and the team will always exist longer than the players on it. When asked about whether or not this season had any takeaways that he would carry with him for the rest of his career, Rashford responded: "Absolutely. At the end of the day, players are just tools that coaches have at their disposal to win hockey games. It's important to look out for yourself because while coaches may say they have your best interests in mind, it may not always be the case. It's a bitter thing to have to say, but I don't think I could've ever anticipated what happened at the end of the season. I know for myself I deserved more and will now put myself into positions I know are not going to damage my progression."

 

With the S89 VHLM playoffs just having gotten underway, Rashford is once again right up there in production per minute however he's being made to watch most of the game. "I find it hard to get a rhythm going but I will just keep my head down and work hard for the team. It's tough to not be given an opportunity when I feel like I've more than proved my worth. Maybe a second championship will ease the blow - who knows."