The Curious Season of Ryuji Sakamoto

[der meister 2,925]

               I truly don’t know how many more of these articles will be written about the career of defenseman Ryuji Sakamoto. The well-traveled blueliner, a true journeyman by every definition of the word, can’t have more than one more season left in the tank. While he still exudes the same youthful exuberance I noticed when he was a hot-headed 17 year old, I can see the tightness in his eyes now, hear the groans as he gets up off of his couch to make his way to bed. The wear and tear of a professional athlete, and one in a game as physical as ice hockey, takes its toll eventually. For Sakamoto, the signs are all there.

 

               Fatalism aside, however, he’s having a career year with the D.C. Dragons, currently ranked number 1 in defensive scoring, in the top 5 for league scoring, and in the top 10 for blocked shots. It took him a long time to get to this point, but his two-way prowess is finally paying dividends. The unfortunate thing is that it’s happening so late in his career. His 63 assists paces the league, with a 6 helper cushion on the league’s leading scorer, Todd Cooke. Sakamoto has 73 points in 53 games played, with a 3 point cushion in defensive scoring on second-place Brian Payne of the Vancouver Wolves, and a 7 point lead on HC Davos’s Skor McFleury. Payne has already announced his retirement, having been one of the most consistent defensemen of the decade, notching five straight 80+ point seasons across his time with the Warsaw Predators and the Wolves, and is well on his way to a sixth, with 70 points in 53 games.

              

               For Sakamoto, he passed his career best point total some time ago. It was a full 4 seasons ago that he notched 58 points in 72 games with the Seattle Bears. This season with the Dragons, Sakamoto has 10 goals, just one shy of the mark he reached with the Bears that season. He’s also at a career best +22 mark this season, and it looks like he’ll be setting a new career high in penalty minutes as well (131 currently, career high 151 last season with Warsaw). There’s even a chance that he passes his career high in blocked shots, also set last season in Warsaw (178 – good for just under 2.5 per game); he currently has 146 with 19 games to go (average 2.75 per game).

              

               So where does this leave us? Truth be told, and I know I have a bit of a bias here, but I think Sakamoto could very well be the leading contender for the Sterling Labatte Trophy for the VHL’s top defenseman. The fact that I’m even typing these words is staggering to me. Along with the Labatte, he’s had a stranglehold on the top of the Assists column since day 1 and could very well bring home an Alexander Beketov Trophy for his efforts in that category. Ultimately, though, I know the prize that Sakamoto truly wants is a Continental Cup. Long viewed as a bit of a black sheep, a laughingstock in the league, I guarantee you nothing in the league would bring him more joy, more catharsis, than winning the Big One at the end of the season.

 

Could this be Sakamoto's future?

[Scurvy 1,117]

He's having a great season!  Keep it up

[OrbitingDeath 2,939]

And all this with 40 passing / scoring, I love the commitment there  

[der meister 2,925]

6 hours ago, OrbitingDeath said:

And all this with 40 passing / scoring, I love the commitment there  

 

Been trying to prove a point with Sakamoto. Chemistry and strategy is more important than "the meta".