Keeping up with Verhault

[FTK 49]

Returning to Vegas as the first overall selection was definitely not seen in the cards after Didier Verhault’s performance last season for the same team. Playing alongside talented defenseman, namely Conference-Prince-de-Galles in Mexico City, Verhault was only able to produce a statline of 1-8-9 in 24 games, his only goal coming off of a power play. Verhault was even less effective in the playoffs, having just 3 assists in 10 games and also sporting a -5 plus/minus rating by the end of the series.

 

This has been the subject of Verhault’s career thus far, likely falling out of the first round of both the VHL and VHLE drafts simply due to a lack of production in the minors during his career. Perhaps due to an unnamed insider, Vegas’ opinion of the defenseman skyrocketed, and he was selected first overall by the Aces in the S90 VHLM draft. 

 

It was clear during offseason conferences and practice insiders that Verhault meshed seamlessly with the Aces squad. Getting along well with every player was crucial to Verhault, who alongside his draftee, Dalkr Vidarsson, was named Co-Captain of the Aces roster going into the S90 season.

 

The Aces had been somewhat criticized for the selection of Verhault, passing up talented players such as Callum Yannick Gary Janser, Axle Gunner, and his former teammates, Theo Allard and Grimgor Ironhide. However just 2 games into the season, Verhault leads all defencemen with 5 total points and a plus/minus of +4. With such a great start early on, it will be hard to maintain consistency for the still young defenseman, but it will be crucial in his quest to win a Founder’s Cup for the Las Vegas Aces.