The Unofficial S85 Draft Class All-Star Team!

[Aimee 1,135]

Guys, Gals, and Non-Binary Pals – let me welcome you to the unofficial naming of the S85 Draft Class All-Star Team! This All-Star team is exclusively made up of S85 draftees who are currently playing in the VHL. We will be naming 1 Center, 2 Wingers, 3 Defensemen and 2 Goalies. Buckle up and strap in as we introduce them to you.

 

To start off our team, at Center, all the way from Ireland and currently playing for Prague, we have John Jameson. Jameson spent his time playing for Philadelphia and San Diego in the VHLM and Oslo in the VHLE and was drafted 2nd overall by Prague. Over the past 6 and a half seasons, Jameson has scored 260 Goals and made 326 Assists for 586 Points. Jameson makes an excellent start for this All-Star team as he sits 5th overall amongst players and is the number 3 center as of today. Surprisingly, Jameson also leads in Hits this season so far, making him a dangerous piece to have out on the ice.

 

Next up we are turning to our Left Winger, all the way from Finland and also playing for Prague, Nikolas Kauppi. Kauppi spent him time in the VHLM shifting between Mexico City and Saskatoon, spent one season in Oslo in the VHLE, and was drafted 17th overall by Prague. Over the past 6 and a half seasons, Kauppi has scored 168 Goals and made 229 Assists for 397 Points. Though not amongst the overall top, Kauppi still has his name all over the leaderboards. Currently he is 7th in Goals (24), 9th in Shots (283), 6th in Plus/Minus (+21), and is tied for 1st in Game Winning Goals (7) with none other than who we are about to announce as our next team member.

 

Turning to the Right Winger, from Poland and member of Malmo, Henry Eagles. Eagles only spent 1 season in the VHLM with Houston before a season in the VHLE with Bratislava. He was drafted 1st overall by Vancouver and played there for 5 seasons before being traded to Malmo between S89 and S90. Over the past 6 and a half seasons, Eagles has scored 246 Goals and made 287 Assists for 533 Points. Eagles sits 5th overall amongst all players, is 10th in Goals (23), and as stated before, is tied for 1st with Nikolas Kauppi for Game Winning Goals (7). Eagles’ overall consistency from season to season, for the most part, makes him a very reliable player to have for this All-Star Team. 

 

Now we shift to the defense of our team. From jolly old England and playing for Calgary, we have Phil Strasmore. Strasmore spent 3 seasons in the VHL playing for Mississauga, Houston, and San Diego and was drafted 3rd Overall by Calgary. Over the past 6 and a half seasons, Strasmore has scored 60 Goals and made 325 Assists for 385 Points. Though he has had some rough seasons, Strasmore has definitely been proving himself an aggressive defense player. On the leaderboard he is currently 10th in Hits (139) and 4th in Penalty Minutes (113). Strasmore should prove to be a good fit in front of the net for this aging team. 

 

Joining Strasmore on defense, all the way from Japan, and currently playing for London, we have Isamu Knievel. Knievel spent 1 season in the VHLM playing for Houston, 1 season in the VHLE for Cologne, and was drafted 14th overall by Toronto. Knievel never played for Toronto however, as he was traded multiple times over his career, Davos, Riga, Malmo, back to Davos and now London. Over the past 6 and a half seasons, Knievel has scored 40 Goals and made 175 Assists for 215 Points. Knievel might not have much production in points but he does sit 8th overall in Hits (140), just barely getting in above Strasmore. 

 

To round out our defense, from right here in the United States and playing for London, we have Lloyd Braun. Braun played for Houston and San Diego in the VHLM, jumped between Vasteras and Stockholm in the VHLE, and was drafted 12th overall by Helsinki. Though like Knievel, Braun was traded prior to being called up for the VHL and ended up playing for Calgary, then back to Helsinki for a season before going to London. Over the past 6 and a half seasons, Knievel has scored 43 Goals and made 188 Assists for 231 Points. Braun can’t be found anywhere on the leaderboards however that doesn’t mean that he isn’t a great player. Overall, Braun has an average of +19 and 117 hits per season. 

 

And finally to the last key pieces of this All-Star Team. The goalies.

 

The first named to the team, from right here in the United States and playing for London, Jesse Teno. Teno played for Saskatoon in the VHLM, Cologne in the VHLE, was drafted 10th overall by London, and has been there ever since. Over the past 6 and a half seasons, Teno has a record of 196-134-39 with an average Save Percentage of 0.928, Goals Against Average of 2.41 and 25 total Shutouts. Though this season Teno’s stats are struggling, they have been otherwise reliable and highly consistent prior to S92. Teno currently sits in 5th for Wins (20) and 7th for Shutouts (1). They also currently sit at the 6th overall goalie for S92.

 

And last but not least, also from here in the United States, and another Prague player, Matt Murdock. Murdock played for Houston in the VHLM, Istanbul and Vasteras in the VHLE, and was drafted 7th overall by Moscow where he played 3 seasons. He was then traded to Prague and has spent the last 4 seasons there. Over the past 6 and a half seasons, Murdock has a record of 203-120-29 with an average Save Percentage of 0.926, Goals Against Average of 2.54 and 19 total Shutouts. Murdock is on the leaderboard in 5th for Save Percentage (0.935), 6th for Goals Against Average (2.19), 4th for Shutouts (2), and 10th for Penalty Minutes (2). Murdock, like Teno, has been very consistent since coming to the VHL and is probably the best tandem pick to play alongside them.

 

And there we have it; your S85 Draft All-Star Team! A basic look back at how these 8 players have gone from obscure players in the VHLM to some of the best players of their draft class.  
 

Spoiler

@Frank @Greg_Di @Acydburn @Phil @Tetricide @jakkysosa @Toast

 

1069 words for weeks ending 2/4/2024 and 2/11/2024

[jakkysosa 155]

Honored to be added to the All-Star team! Great article!  

[JCarson 730]

Article Review: I always enjoy the articles that you know started only for the purpose of earning TPE and then somewhere along the way the writer got passionate about the topic and a basic media spot turns into a multiweek claim. Simply put this article is a fun take on the All star topic, is well written and well organized.  The Author  did enough research to get to know the players instead of just brushing enough surface detail to get by.  Well done.  I give this article a 10/10

[Aimee 1,135]

Week 2 claim