dstevensonjr 258 Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 (edited) For my Theme Week post on All-Stars, I decided to take a look back at the last half decade (Seasons 88-92) in the VHL to see which players would be the All-Star of the last Half Decade for each team. Considering the individual nature of being an All-Star, I'll focus more on individual performances in the regular season rather than team results. I'll take a look at their overall performance from S88-92, and the best season in that run. In order to come up with specific team criteria, I'm only including seasons that the player played for that team, and the player must have played at least 4 seasons for the team unless otherwise noted. S92 totals for players come at the 48 game mark of the season. Calgary Wranglers Player: D - Phil Strasmore S88-92 Totals: 336 GP 45 G 224 A 269 PTS 671 SHT 1000 PIM 1193 HIT 697 SB 8 GWG 23 PPG Best Season: S90 - 72 GP 13 G 47 A 60 PTS 166 SHT 201 PIM 244 HIT 170 SB 3 GWG 8 PPG Why?: Strasmore had seasons that were arguably more productive offensively in the five seasons in Calgary, but S90 was the best blend of both offense and defense. The highest goal output in the five season run came that season, along with a linked high in shots and powerplay goals. S88 was a contender when Strasmore won the Jake Wylde Trophy for best defensive defenseman, but All-Star nods usually boil down to scoring, so I'll give it to the better goal year. Chicago Phoenix Player: C - Scotty Sundin S88-92 Totals: 288 GP 153 G 195 A 348 PTS 1831 SHT 164 PIM 287 HIT 139 SB 23 GWG 33 PPG Best Season: S91 - 72 GP 49 G 63 A 112 PTS 522 SHT 50 PIM 103 HIT 31 SB 5 GWG 12 PPG Why?: Sundin was the quintessential Phoenix player of the last half decade, playing 4 full seasons from S88-91 in Chicago. Sundin won the Scotty Campbell Trophy and the Mike Szatkowski Trophy in S91, which ended up being Sundin's most productive season for Chicago. The choice for the best season for Sundin was between S90 and S91, but it wasn't much of a choice to make given how dominant that season was in S91. D.C. Dragons Player: D - Mark Calaway S88-92 Totals: 264 GP 69 G 178 A 247 PTS 959 SHT 458 PIM 658 HIT 613 SB 11 GWG 26 PPG Best Season: S90 - 72 GP 20 G 56 A 76 PTS 286 SHT 132 PIM 166 HIT 165 SB 4 GWG 6 PPG Why?: Not much debate around the All-Star choice for Calaway's season, any time that a blueliner hits 20 goals in a season as Calaway did in S90, it's very impressive. A five season high in goals, assists, points, shots, penalty minutes, and game winning goals came in that season as well, showing an all around offensive strength. The goal total wasn't inflated by a surprise powerplay year either, further adding to the impressiveness of that season. HC Davos Dynamo Player: Tie between D - Jake Thunder and G - Lachlan Summers S88-92 Totals (Thunder): 288 GP 61 G 294 A 355 PTS 899 SHT 698 PIM 930 HIT 675 SB 15 GWG 38 PPG Best Season (Thunder): S88 - 72 GP 17 G 76 A 93 PTS 199 SHT 198 PIM 239 HIT 144 SB 3 GWG 12 PPG S88-92 Totals (Summers): 297 GP 190-80-26 .931 SV% 2.36 GAA 21 SO 9519 SV 17949 MIN Best Season (Summers): S90 - 64 GP 49-12-3 .938 SV% 2.06 GAA 7 SO 2015 SV Why?: It was a real tossup between Thunder and Summers, with both deserving of the All-Star nod for Davos. Jake Thunder had some monster seasons on the back end for the Dynamo offensively and defensively. S88 ended up being a solid combination of both sides, winning the Alexander Beketov Trophy for leading the VHL in assists while remaining productive defensively. A full award cabinet that included 2 Victory Cups (S90, S91), a Continental Cup (S89), a Sterling Labatte Trophy (S90), a Jake Wylde Trophy (S90), a Daisuke Kanou Trophy (S89), and the previously mentioned Beketov Trophy. Thunder would be the runaway sole All-Star on most teams, but not for Davos. Goaltender Lachlan Summers holds an equally impressive resume for the half decade for the Dynamo. Summers won the same Victory and Continental Cups as Thunder on those teams, and also won the Aidan Shaw Trophy, Greg Clegane Trophy, and Brett Slobodzian Trophy in the S90 choice for best season. Summers added a Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy in S88 to go with the rest of that hardware. The .938 single season save percentage is tied for the best among the All-Star goalies in this span, and the .931 overall save percentage tops the rest. Helsinki Titans Player: C - Daryl Dixon S88-92 Totals: 336 GP 153 G 214 A 367 PTS 2098 SHT 543 PIM 1055 HIT 172 SB 17 GWG 34 PPG Best Season: S91 - 72 GP 30 G 63 A 93 PTS 470 SHT 122 PIM 176 HIT 38 SB 3 GWG 3 PPG Why?: Goal scoring is what fans come to see, and 30 goal seasons are a virtual lock for Dixon. Four straight seasons (with a fifth on the way) over 30 make for the class of the Titans, but it was the usual goal scoring with the playmaking spike in S91 that gets the All-Star nod. Career highs in multiple categories came last season for Dixon, including coming close to eclipsing the 100 point mark. Almost the entirety of the goals came at even strength, where the goals are harder to come by than on the powerplay. London United Player: Tie between RW - Molly the Cat and G - Jesse Teno S88-92 Totals (the Cat): 335 GP 179 G 189 A 368 PTS 2138 SHT 288 PIM 692 HIT 148 SB 33 GWG 52 PPG Best Season (the Cat): S91 - 72 GP 52 G 55 A 107 PTS 528 SHT 56 PIM 127 HIT 31 SB 12 GWG 23 PPG S88-92 Totals (Teno): 301 GP 160-109-32 .929 SV% 2.36 GAA 21 SO 9424 SV 18328 MIN Best Season (Teno): S91 - 64 GP 40-16-8 .937 SV% 2.02 GAA 6 SO 1937 SV Why?: Despite winning the Continental Cup together in S88, the pair of All-Stars both put up their best season in S91. Both members of London for all five seasons, they've had spectacular individual seasons and five year runs. Molly the Cat posted some of the best offensive numbers in the league in S91, with an almost equal distribution between goals and assists. Powering the goals last season were an explosion on the powerplay, notching the league's highest mark with the man advantage as the only player with more than 20 powerplay goals. Last season was the continuation of goal scoring prowess for the Cat, as the follow up to three straight seasons over 30 goals. Jesse Teno posted the lowest single season goals against average of any of the goalies on this list, barely missing out on a sub 2.00 GAA. Accompanying that sparkling, league best goals against average was a league high in shutouts, and a runner up in save percentage. Teno won the Aidan Shaw and Greg Clegane Trophies in S91 as an acknowledgment of those accomplishments. Teno finished the five year run with the most minutes played among the goalies on this list. Los Angeles Stars Player: Tie between C - Todd Cooke and G - Art Vandelay S88-92 Totals (Cooke): 336 GP 186 G 277 A 463 PTS 2086 SHT 247 PIM 479 HIT 177 SB 30 GWG 44 PPG Best Season (Cooke): S90 - 72 GP 41 G 77 A 118 PTS 501 SHT 56 PIM 147 HIT 49 SB 7 GWG 11 PPG S88-92 Totals (Vandelay): 302 GP 188-88-24 .926 SV% 2.42 GAA 23 SO 9031 SV 17941 MIN Best Season (Vandelay): S92* - 43 GP 31-9-3 .928 SV% 2.20 GAA 4 SO 1240 SV Why?: Another team with an offensive star and a stud goaltender that are too difficult to compare and choose between. Both have had amazing seasons for the Stars, and both have played the entirety of the half decade together in LA. Todd Cooke has been an extremely productive scorer for all five seasons in LA, but there is a clear standout season in the five that gets the nod for best season. Cooke's S90 season included a league lead in assists and points, along with big hardware. The Mike Szatkowski Trophy, Scotty Campbell Trophy, and Alexander Beketov Trophy all landed in Cooke's Trophy Case following a spectacular S90. Cooke remains the offensive star in LA, headed for yet another 35+ goal season, the benchmark for all five seasons. Art Vandelay's run of over 60 starts through the entirety of the five season span (including the pace for this season) has been the picture of consistency for Los Angeles. All five seasons above a save percentage of .920 made it difficult to choose from, but this season has the potential to be the best yet for the latex salesman. Vandelay has been the architect of many successes for the Stars, and S92 looks to be building towards career bests in wins, goals against average, save percentage, and shutouts for the aspiring marine biologist. Malmo Nighthawks Player: G - Ash Sparks S88-92 Totals: 231 GP 123-79-26 .926 SV% 2.46 GAA 17 SO 7083 SV 13796 MIN Best Season: S89 - 67 GP 30-26-8 .931 SV% 2.49 GAA 9 SO 2222 SV Why?: Ash Sparks has had multiple solid seasons in the last four seasons to choose from for the Nighthawks, but the standout year definitely goes to S89. While the W/L record didn't reflect just how good Sparks was that season, the other statistics definitely did. Sparks finished S89 with a league high in shutouts, along with top five finishes in save percentage and goals against average among qualified goaltenders. The 9 shutouts in S89 was the most in a single season for a goalie in this half decade run. Moscow Menace Player: D - Fraser Wallace S88-92 Totals: 288 GP 79 G 152 A 231 PTS 1206 SHT 204 PIM 362 HIT 255 SB 9 GWG 27 PPG Best Season: S90 - 72 GP 23 G 44 A 67 PTS 382 SHT 60 PIM 115 HIT 20 SB 5 GWG 5 PPG Why?: As mentioned previously, it is awfully special when a defender can put up a 20 goal season. Fraser Wallace managed 2 of them in the 4 seasons in Moscow, while almost having a third in S88. Deciding between multiple 20 goal seasons was difficult, but the edge goes to S90, as it had better totals in other statistical categories to go with it. A career high in assists, points, shots, hits, and game winning goals makes this a solid All-Star season for Wallace with the Menace. New York Americans Player: C - Jasper Davis S88-92 Totals: 265 GP 108 G 150 A 258 PTS 1291 SHT 132 PIM 380 HIT 222 SB 11 GWG 26 PPG Best Season: S91 - 72 GP 39 G 66 A 105 PTS 434 SHT 46 PIM 119 HIT 73 SB 3 GWG 9 PPG Why?: Jasper Davis burst onto the scene for the Americans in S89, winning the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy as top rookie. With a couple of solid offensive seasons along the way in the four seasons, it was the offensive explosion in S91 that takes the All-Star honours for Davis. Eclipsing the century mark for points was a highlight, along with career highs across the board in goals, assists, points, shots, penalty minutes, and powerplay goals. Prague Phantoms Player: Tie between C - John Jameson and D - Velociraptor Greg S88-92 Totals (Jameson): 336 GP 211 G 247 A 458 PTS 2278 SHT 739 PIM 1258 HIT 153 SB 39 GWG 48 PPG Best Season (Jameson): S89 - 72 GP 50 G 64 A 114 PTS 533 SHT 72 PIM 243 HIT 39 SB 7 GWG 10 PPG S88-92 Totals (Greg): 336 GP 74 G 227 A 301 PTS 1067 SHT 617 PIM 815 HIT 636 SB 14 GWG 40 PPG Best Season (Greg): S88 - 72 GP 18 G 59 A 77 PTS 271 SHT 114 PIM 190 HIT 143 SB 4 GWG 9 PPG Why?: A couple of large team based awards were won together by the two All-Stars for the Phantoms, both winning the Continental Cup in S90, and the Victory Cup in S88. A forward and a blueliner aren't very comparable head to head, and splitting the two players didn't make much sense with both of them spending the full half decade with Prague. John Jameson holding a streak of four straight 40 goal seasons for the Phantoms makes an easy choice for an All-Star, but should be a difficult choice for which season is the best standout. S89 rises above the rest here, as Jameson eclipsed the 50 goal mark for the only time, along with a high in assists, points, and shots. It also included personal hardware, with Jameson winning the Scotty Campbell and Scott Boulet Trophies, a testament to the dominant season that Jameson had. Velociraptor Greg was a harder pick to narrow down a best season, with double digit goals and 50+ points in each season of the half decade from the blueline. I gave the edge to S88, one that held a high in goals, assists, points, and game winning goals for the half decade period. Greg has been a model of consistency on the back end for the Phantoms, both offensively and defensively. Riga Reign Player: G - Henry Tucker Jr. S88-92 Totals: 257 GP 155-78-20 .928 SV% 2.50 GAA 10 SO 8164 SV 15222 MIN Best Season: S91 - 65 GP 47-12-5 .931 SV% 2.28 GAA 2 SO 1966 SV Why?: Henry Tucker Jr. spent the first four seasons of the half decade with Riga, posting solid numbers in all four seasons. While all four seasons were solid, S91 ends up being the choice here for the All-Star nod, seeing the best win total, save percentage, and goals against average with the Reign. Tucker Jr. almost topped the 50 win mark, which is an exceptionally difficult threshold to break. Having a four season run where the worst save percentage is .925 is consistent and remarkable. Seattle Bears Player: D - Rex Wolffe Gregor S88-92 Totals: 216 GP 50 G 141 A 191 PTS 633 SHT 387 PIM 413 HIT 411 SB 7 GWG 33 PPG Best Season: S91 - 72 GP 27 G 52 A 79 PTS 288 SHT 120 PIM 165 HIT 137 SB 6 GWG 19 PPG Why?: Rex Wolffe Gregor is the only player on the list to make it while playing fewer than four seasons with their team. There is plenty of good reason for Gregor to be the nominee for the Bears, as the S91 numbers are eye-popping. Gregor neared the 30 goal mark from the blueline, which is remarkable, and almost hit 20 goals on the powerplay, which is equally remarkable. Gregor also topped the 50 assist mark, and was very close to hitting the 80 points and 300 shots totals. Toronto Legion Player: Tie between C - Mac Atlas and G - Joel Castle S88-92 Totals (Atlas): 336 GP 164 G 150 A 314 PTS 1917 SHT 319 PIM 705 HIT 157 SB 31 GWG 31 PPG Best Season (Atlas): S91 - 72 GP 46 G 42 A 88 PTS 539 SHT 77 PIM 186 HIT 26 SB 10 GWG 10 PPG S88-92 Totals (Castle): 303 GP 141-126-34 .927 SV% 2.47 GAA 16 SO 9523 SV 18123 MIN Best Season (Castle): S91 - 65 GP 42-21-1 .938 SV% 2.06 GAA 3 SO 1997 SV Why?: Yet another team who gets a split between a forward and a goaltender, this duo won the Continental Cup together last season. Both players have spent the entire half decade with Toronto, and put up their best seasons last year on the way to the Championship. Mac Atlas has been the Captain of the Legion for the last four seasons, and had his best offensive season in S91. Setting career highs almost across the board was impressive for Atlas, hitting that mark in goals, assists, points, shots, penalty minutes, hits, game winning goals, and powerplay goals. Atlas finished among the league leaders in multiple categories, and was an easy choice to go with for the Legion skaters. Joel Castle has had multiple strong seasons in net, but S91 is the clear runaway for the best. A league best save percentage and the second best goals against average made this an easy choice, and Castle ended up being runner up in the top goaltender category. The .938 save percentage was tied for the best single season mark for the goalies on this list, earning Castle his reputation as a brick wall. Vancouver Wolves Player: G - Brandt Fuhr S88-92 Totals: 64 GP 49-12-3 .938 SV% 2.06 GAA 7 SO 2015 SV 12743 MIN Best Season: S89 - 65 GP 40-22-2 .922 SV% 2.63 GAA 4 SO 1969 SV Why?: Fuhr spent the first four seasons of the half decade with the Wolves, and was a consistent backstop throughout that run. S89 was the choice for the All-Star season, setting a high in wins for that period with 40, and a best goals against average with 2.63. Fuhr finished that run with a .921 save percentage total for that time with the Wolves, and was a solid presence in net throughout. Warsaw Predators Player: D - Doug Britton S88-92 Totals: 336 GP 38 G 158 A 196 PTS 581 SHT 574 PIM 819 HIT 691 SB 5 GWG 18 PPG Best Season: S90 - 72 GP 12 G 35 A 47 PTS 152 SHT 134 PIM 226 HIT 181 SB 2 GWG 5 PPG Why?: Britton had multiple solid seasons for the Preds throughout the entire half decade, but there was one season where it all came together offensively and defensively. S90 saw a high in goals, penalty minutes, hits, shot blocks, and game winning goals for Britton. The middle of the run saw three straight seasons over 30 assists and 40 points, leaving Britton as the model of consistency for Warsaw on the blueline. Spoiler @Phil @fromtheinside @Beketov @Thunder @kirbithan @Ricer13 @JCarson @aimkin @KRZY @Gustav @DarkSpyro @Hoopydog @Josh @Frank @samx @NSG @oilmandan @v.2 @animal74 @Tate @Doug Britton Edited February 5 by dstevensonjr Forgot tags for members. DarkSpyro, Dadam30, kirbithan and 10 others 6 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstevensonjr 258 Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 Media Post, Week 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Gustav 6,130 Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 28 minutes ago, dstevensonjr said: Vandelay has been the architect I see what you did there Great article as usual! I think Cooke takes it for LA because he’s won an MVP with us, but always happy to be mentioned. dstevensonjr 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSG 495 Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 wow that's me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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