All-Time International Teams - From Canada to Denmark

[Victor 10,940]

I've always been fascinated by the nationalities of the VHL, both at a member level, but also in the countries that members have chosen for their players. There has been a dominance of Canada and the US as expected but also a lot of other traditional and non-traditional hockey markets, which has meant a very eclectic list of entries into the Hall of Fame, and also a very balanced World Cup which has recently become a particularly underappreciated tournament. I'm moving away from the most unusual locations for the purpose of this article but you can see the nationality of every single Hall of Famer in the linked thread below. In the meantime, here is an attempt to create all-time rosters (3 forwards, 3 defencemen, and 3 goaltenders) for the most popular nations in VHL history.

 

https://vhlforum.com/topic/63841-hof-players-builders/

Note: Blue = Hall of Famer. Italics = out of position (i.e. centers used as wingers)

 

Canada

Matt Thompson - Unassisted - Brett Slobodzian
Jardy Bunclewirth - Ethan Osborne - Zach Parechkin
Tom Lincoln - Andrew Su - Josh Vestiquan

Sterling Labatte - Daniel Braxton
Black Velvet - Aurelien Moreau
Elijah Incognito - Lincoln Tate

Aidan Shaw
Benoit Devereux
Rhett DeGrath

 

Canada's obviously #1 in this discussion. 46 Canadians have been inducted into the Hall of Fame to date, by far the most of any country, and nearly enough for 3 rosters exclusively made out of Hall of Famers. Strength in depth was never going to be an issue here but what I do find interesting is that Canada has almost not produced any player considered the best beyond dispute. Yes there's the award namesakes – Slobodzian, Labatte, Shaw – and for a time they would have been considered the pinnacle of their position, but all have been moved down the ranking with the passage of time. It's also curious that there's not really been an all-time great coming out of Canada since Matt Thompson retired in S68, evidenced by the fact only Su, Moreau, and Tate would be considered “modern” players and all three are a bit buried on the depth chart. Make no mistake, Canada would almost certainly win a hypothetical all-time tournament but it's nice that there is quite a bit of individual brilliance sprinkled across the other nations.

 

@Beketov @STZ @JardyB10 @DollarAndADream @Da_Berr @v.2  @sterling @Frank @Tate

 

USA

Gabriel McAllister - Thomas O'Malley - Diana Maxwell
Jarvis Baldwin - Mike Szatkowski - Cam Fowler
John Locke - Kevin Brooks - Brannan Anthony

Conner Low - Ryan Sullivan
Hard Markinson - Jake Wylde
Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen - Brian Payne

Apollo Skye
Xavier Booberry
Benjamin Glover

 

The US might have only half of Canada's Hall of Famers but it's arguably got more bang for its buck. O'Malley and McAllister are two of the 3-4 names in VHL history who can challenge Scotty Campbell as the league's GOAT. Conner Low and Ryan Sullivan – that's basically your #1 and #2 in the all-time defencemen ranking. Any of the 3 lines could realistically be the first and rolling out the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th all-time top scorers as your 3 centers puts the recent Pittsburgh Penguins dynasty to shame. Defence has been historically a weak spot (behind Low and Sullivan) but Markinson and Smitty have bridged the gap as the best of their generations, and likely S91 inductee Brian Payne is building on an impressive recent legacy. Whisper but America could well knock Canada off its perch in a one-off playoff.

 

@CowboyinAmerica @OrbitingDeath  @scoop @Will @Smarch @Advantage @Fire Fletcher @Velevra 

 

UK

Chris Hylands - Leeroy Jenkins - David Smalling
Brennan McQueen - Phil Rafter - Phil Gerrard
Dougie Daniels - Podrick Cast - Uhtred

David Walcott - Matt Bentley
Jeff Hamilton - Phil Hamilton
David Henman - Joseph McWolf

Hans Wingate
Adrian McCreath
Finn Davison

 

The streak of HOF-only rosters ends at 2. But the UK put up a very strong effort and is only 2 forwards and a goalie away from matching Canada and the US. Also, the UK as #3 in a hockey setting? The VHL's English speaking background has definitely had its impact here as has the influence of a handful of Builders. The Knight brothers account for 6 of the players on the team (hint: it's anyone named Phil or David) and as a UK resident I have also assisted with Cast and Bentley. Is it enough to challenge the top two? Probably not, despite a sprinkling of real VHL royalty in Jenskins, Smalling, and Rafter. Goaltending depth is where the team falls down (this will start to be a recurring theme from here), with McCreath widely considered one of the weaker goalies in the Hall, and Wingate's famous playoff heroics might not be enough to rescue the UK here.

 

@hylands @Knight @Phil @leafsman @McWolf

 

Switzerland

Scott Boulet - Scotty Campbell - Matt Bailey
Branden Snelheid - Daniel Janser - Leander Kaelin
Rudolph Schmeckeldorf - Jasper Davis - Tomas Ziegler

Tomas Jenskovic - Alexander Sauve
Petr Shirokov - Lars Intranquilo
Mike Kloepfer - David Tavau

Sandro Clegane
Matthew Pogge
Marius Henchoz

 

Probably the most unbalanced team of them all. Switzerland was a VHL superstar hotspot in its early days (see Campbell, Boulet, Jenskovic) and then after S20 or so stopped producing notable talent with any regularity at all. “Recent” Hall of Famers Clegane and Janser retired some 40 seasons apart. Tellingly, Jasper Davis makes the cut despite being in his third season at the time of writing. Tavau, Kloepfer, and Ziegler in the meantime might be the worst players on any of the teams being profiled although satisfyingly have a Davos connection as either cup-winners with the Swiss team (Kloepfer, Ziegler) or Dynamo lifers (Tavau). In a 6v6 tournament, Switzerland would be up there with the best of them. Even the second line can hold its own but it all falls apart after that and the production line doesn't seem to be getting any better.

 

@Quik @Daniel Janser @Corco @Josh @diamond_ace @Ahma

 

Sweden

Mathias Chouinard - Anton Brekker - Theo Axelsson
Miles Larsson - Niklas Lindberg - Lasse Milo
Ola Vikingstad - Sebastian Ironside - Scotty Sundin

Alexander Valiq - Mats Johnsson
Battre Sandstrom - Bo Johansson
Robin Galante Nilsson - Patrick Bergqvist

Torstein Ironside
Papa Emeritus
Oskar Lindbergh

 

Probably the team most expected to be third in the list, Sweden likely does occupy that spot based on quantity, but has not really provided the VHL's absolute cream of the crop over the years. The thing that does stick out here is the overall balance – take out Brekker and Valiq and there's not really much separating the Hall of Famers from the 3rd liners. Most of the players on the roster have been or currently are on the HOF ballot. In particular this is relevant in net where Emeritus and Lindbergh are still awaiting the call and could change the complexion of this Swedish team if they do get inducted. Overall, however, the verdict would have to be solid but unspectacular which definitely fits the stereotype.

 

@solas @boubabi @Dil @fromtheinside @Acydburn @Shindigs @RomanesEuntDomus @Doomsday

 

Finland

Tukka Reikkinen - Mikka Virkkunen - Jukka Hakkinen
Saku Kotkakoivu - Aleksi Koponen - Joel Jarvi
Valtteri Vaakanainen - Mikko Lahtinen - Karsten Olsen

Fabio Jokinen - Voittu Jannula
Kasper Kankkunen - Spencer Elsby
Kerkko Hyvärinen - Ville Sixten / Velociraptor Greg

Tuomas Tukio
Vase Trikamaki
Fuukka Rask

 

Sweden's neighbours and eternal rivals are hot on their tail and one thing stands out from the off – they love a center. 8 of the 9 forwards are centers by trade and fittingly the only winger, Karsten Olsen, was a defenceman to begin with. This means great depth in the middle (not quite US level but very possible second place) but less so elsewhere. This is particularly obvious on defence where Jokinen flies the flag alone in the Hall of Fame and the depth guys blend so much that I couldn't even pick one between Sixten of 30s Toronto fame and current Prague dinosaur Greg. But the contrast is clear in goal as well – Tukio is one of the greatest ever in contention with Shaw, Wingate, and the Cleganes yet somehow my first-gen who retired in S16 with 634 TPE is still the second-best Finland has managed to produce. Like Switzerland, we are top-heavy here and will struggle on the line changes.

 

@.sniffuM @Jubo @jRuutu @Spence King @samx @Higgins @Jubis

 

Denmark

Aloe Dear - Lars Berger - Max Molholt
Jerome Reinhart (GR) - Aksel Thomassen - Zach Arce
Tomas Sogaard - Venus Thightrap - Niels Skovgaard / Tyler Reinhart (GR)

Zeedayno Chara (GR) - Frans Spelman
Asher Reinhart (GR) - Reylynn Reinhart (GR)
Joe Madison (GR) - Sven Eightnine

Grekkark Gyrfalcon (GR)
Jakob Kjeldsen
Tobias Reinhart (GR)

 

The Danes have really put all their eggs in one basket. Six Hall of Famers is actually quite good going for a country that's not necessarily a hockey hotbed but each one has been a forward. Offense as a strategy is a pretty good one in the VHL and Dear, Berger, and Molholt is one of the higher-scoring first lines out there, but we shouldn't cut Denmark too much slack. They've been bailed out significantly by the VHL's Greenland and interlinked Reinhart epidemic and will soon need to worry about whether a stand-alone Denmark team could beat a stand-alone Greenland one. For now though, this is a well-balanced combined team which would hold its own in a Nordic tournament.

 

@Renomitsu @Molholt @MexicanCow123 @Arce @Brandon @BladeMaiden @Zetterberg @Ricer13 @BarzalGoat @Spaz @Sharkstrong

 

Germany

Tyson Kohler - Markus Strauss - Christian Stolzschweiger
Ignatius Feltersnatch - Felix Peters - Shawn Muller
Marek Schultz - Lukas Muller - Wolfgang Strauss / Christoph Klose

Jochen Walser - Joey Kendrick
Erik Summers - Torsten Schwarz
Cole Hagstrom / Jaeger Stryker - World B. Free / Klaus Muller

Dominik Stryker
Greg Harbinson
Mathieu VanCoughnett

 

Germany is definitely closer to the Swiss end of the range in that a lot of its strength comes from its past rather than more recent seasons. The majority of the roster had retired or at least debuted by S30 and talent has only trickled in since. There are two old names who continue to hold up well in modern discourse in Stolzschweiger and Walser and a strong trio of centers, while the 3 split decisions on the third line show that there is more than decent depth to call upon. Goaltending is definitely a weakness however, with one of the great first overall busts in VanCoughnett propping up two names more famous for their GM roles than their exploits on the ice.

 

@Kendrick @gregreg @TheLastOlympian07 @der meister @Erik Summers @stevo @Zero

 

Russia

Alexander Beketov - Daric Radmonovic - Pavel Koradek
Evgeni Fyodorov - Sergey Preobrazhensky - Nikolai Lebedev
Bogdan Trunov - Igor Molotov - Yuri Grigorenko

Maxim Kovalchuk - Aleksei Federov
Radislav Mjers - Vladimir Boomchenko
Siyan Yasilievich / Vladimir Pavlov - Victor Grachev

Alexander Labatte
Maxim Desny
Rara Rasputin
 

Finally we close off this piece with the Russian team which is quite similar to the Swedes in 1) being quite balanced with no real standout superstar and 2) being pleasingly stereotypical. Russia's famous in the hockey world for producing individually brilliant players with good attacking instincts and little in the way of a two-way game – it is both their strength and often their downfall. The all-time VHL Russian team is no exception with pretty much everyone on the team focused on scoring (other than the goalies of course) and doing so well enough to be in the Hall of Fame or at least the Hall of Very Good. Everyone on the roster except Desny is also a cup winner which is quite impressive so if nothing else, team Russia would be entertaining.

 

@Bulduray_1 @qripll @Dom @Banackock @InstantRockstar @BOOM @badcolethetitan @KaleebtheMighty
 

After Russia the disparity grows, with no other country really providing a consistent stream of high quality VHL players. Ukraine is the only other nation with more than 2 Hall of Famers, with 4, and features prominently on the best of the rest roster I've put together below just for fun. Of course there are not many traditional hockey markets not covered above (and indeed the UK and Denmark are probably less traditional than others). The Czech and Slovak presence has also been low in the VHL with just 1 Hall of Famer between them, while Latvia actually does quite well with 2 but as expected doesn't really have the depth. Apart from that, lots of VHL members opted to bring in talent from eclectic destinations, from Asia to Australia, from South Africa to the Caribbean. It's provided a good deal of flavour to the overall list but does mean there are still gaps to fill on the more traditional teams which should be the main takeaway from this.... don't make Canadians and Americans.

 

Everyone else
Volodymyr Rybak (UKR) - Franchise Cornerstone (MON) - Odin Tordahl (NOR)
Lord Karnage (SOM) - Alexander Chershenko (UKR) - Duncan Idaho (SMR)
Pietro Maximoff (ROM) - Grimm Jonsson (ISL) - J.D. Stomwall (NZL) *Ronan Lavelle (IRL) could have a claim here

Japinder Singh (IND) - Condor Adrienne (VAT)
James Bencharski (UKR) - Patrice Reynaud (FRA)
Tui Sova (FIJ) - Roque Davis (POR)

Greg Clegane (IRL)
Daisuke Kanou (JPN)
Alex Gegeny (NAM)

 

@Baozi

[CowboyinAmerica 2,889]

Love the history pieces, I picked a good time to also return to activity.

 

That U.S. first line is nasty, I'd love to see it (Season 100 specialty tournament?!?) And wasn't expecting Olsen to sneak in there for Finland but glad to see him get some shine.

[Alex 3,199]

Great read! Jake Thunder FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY?

 

edit: LMAO, forgot that snub bed autocorrects^

Edited November 27, 2023 by Alex

[Victor 10,940]

2 minutes ago, CowboyinAmerica said:

That U.S. first line is nasty, I'd love to see it (Season 100 specialty tournament?!?)

Brooks on the 3rd line is unholy. It will be scary but not for Murica.

[Victor 10,940]

Just now, Alex said:

Great read! Jake Thunder FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY?

That American defence could definitely shift a bit. A lot of is recent retirees who we haven't really settled on a specific order yet - I couldn't tell you off the top of my head if I think Thunder is better than Payne or if Payne is better than Smitty.

[Alex 3,199]

1 minute ago, Victor said:

That American defence could definitely shift a bit. A lot of is recent retirees who we haven't really settled on a specific order yet - I couldn't tell you off the top of my head if I think Thunder is better than Payne or if Payne is better than Smitty.

fair, the american defense has been really tight the past few seasons

[Ahma 1,428]

My player somehow made it to THE TEAM WITH SCOTTY CAMBPELL!! omg

And it's a @Victor ARTICLE!

 

unbelievable

 

now we better have a tournament with these teams!

[Baozi 1,658]

How is it possible you left XXX the greatest second liner off?

[Victor 10,940]

10 minutes ago, Baozi said:

How is it possible you left XXX the greatest second liner off?

should have been Swiss

[BOOM 8,745]

Awesome read and well put together. 

[dlamb 1,326]

Awesome article, definitely love this stuff. 

 

Except Lamb > Su. (It's closer than you think ) 

[leandrofg 1,156]

2 hours ago, Victor said:

Roque Davis (POR)

 

 

PORTUGAL, PORTUGAL, PORTUGAL!

[solas 1,951]

Great trip down memory lane with the names in this article. I remember making a list of hall of famers by nationality a while ago (I think you ended up making a better one) but seeing the teams grouped up like this is really interesting and it's still surprising to see the relatively lower number of HoFers from Finland and Russia.

Good to know I still have two players that could make it on a team

[Zetterberg 863]

5 hours ago, Victor said:

Denmark

[Arce 755]

I missed these media spots so, great read sir!

[Daniel Janser 2,169]

19 hours ago, Victor said:

- Brian Payne

Is Payne supposed to be blue yet?

I thought he is not HOF eligible yet?

 

Not shitting on the player or the member at all, I think they are a good candidate for the HOF and a great addition to our community. And their mutual rant with Thunder and ScottyP is hilarious.

 

@Scurvy no offense intended, I hope you get the nod for the HOF you certainly have the silverware to qualify for it.

 

[Victor 10,940]

6 minutes ago, Daniel Janser said:

Is Payne supposed to be blue yet?

I thought he is not HOF eligible yet?

 

Not shitting on the player or the member at all, I think they are a good candidate for the HOF and a great addition to our community. And their mutual rant with Thunder and ScottyP is hilarious.

 

@Scurvy no offense intended, I hope you get the nod for the HOF you certainly have the silverware to qualify for it.

 

I mean there hasn't been a vote yet so yeah that's a mistake for now. But only for now

[Daniel Janser 2,169]

2 minutes ago, Victor said:

I mean there hasn't been a vote yet so yeah that's a mistake for now. But only for now

but a spoiler mark next time smh

 

I have no doubt in my mind that the Payne-Train should and will be inducted

Edited November 28, 2023 by Daniel Janser

[Kendrick 4,741]

Probably pained you so much to put any of my players on there you big potato

[Victor 10,940]

1 hour ago, Kendrick said:

Probably pained you so much to put any of my players on there you big potato

Nearly cried over Germany won't lie

[STZ 5,360]

Dear god, Wylde Markinson pairing

 

Interesting read, so cool to see some of those forgotten names of the S30’s era

[Victor 10,940]

Week 2 of 4

[Victor 10,940]

Week 3 of 4

[Victor 10,940]

Week 4 of 4

[Molholt 2,185]

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