Best VHLE Players of All Time

[Victor 10,968]

Best VHLE Players of All Time

I am about to embark on my first ever season VHLE, ironic as that is given I was one of the two founding commissioners 13 seasons ago. As such, whilst it is no notable anniversary or milestone for the league itself, I thought it was an opportune moment to look at the VHLE's past, specifically the best players to grace the league so far.

 

We're not counting one-season stars on their way up to the VHL, such as Omi Aberg and Kyosti Karjalainen in the VHLE's early days, future Hall of Famer and MVP trophy namesake Ronan Lavelle, or John Jameson and Jasper Davis more recently. These players wrote their name into the VHLE history books but haven't truly become part of its fabric; for them the league was more of a necessary pitstop.

 

Instead, this is a ranking of an arbitrarily selected 21 players who are best known for their VHLE exploits. Let's begin the countdown.

 

21. Al Land (S85-S91) – 379 points in 432 games – S89, S90, and S91 Renaissance Cup @Big Dee

Populating several slots towards the bottom of the ranking are the “lifers”, in particular those who managed to land on some of the dynasties that have come about in the second half of the VHLE's life so far. Al Land fits that bill perfectly, spending six seasons in the E, five of them on the Cologne juggernaut which swept all before them en route to a threepeat to end Land's career. Land never matched this 123-point season in the VHLM which earned him three individual awards in S84 but was a familiar face to VHLE fans and clearly a born winner, retiring with two Founder's Cups and three Renaissance Cups from nine seasons overall.

 

20. Adeline Delle Donne (S82-S89) – 490 points in 572 games – S87 Top Two-Way Forward, S83 and S88 Renaissance Cup @Dtayl

One of the all-time top scorers of the VHLE comes in at number 20 on this list having nearly cracked the 500-point mark largely thanks to longevity rather than being an individual standout. There was certainly a peak in S87 with 107 points and her only individual award but consistency was the name of the game for the most part. Delle Donne played for four of the current six VHLE franchises over her eight-season career, making the playoffs with each one and helping both Bratislava and Oslo to championships. Certainly a VHLE cult hero.

 

19. Arthur Kimura (S80-S88) – 477 points in 640 games – S80, S82, and S85 Renaissance Cup @FBR

Sneaking in ahead of Delle Donne in the longevity rankings, Arthur Kimura still stands as one of just three players with three or more Renaissance Cups, despite retiring pre-Cologne threepeat and more impressively doing it with three different franchises (Vasteras, Rome, and Oslo). In all, Kimura suited up for six VHLE teams, a genuine nomad who encapsulates the VHLE model – someone who would have been considered a burden on the depth chart of VHL teams pre-VHLE but managed to have a reasonably successful career at a lower level.

 

18. Rhys Trenton (S80-S81, S85-S86) – 277 points in 288 games – S85 Top Defenceman, S86 Renaissance Cup @DeeGoat

On the subject of archetypal VHLE players, here is an interesting case study of someone who started in the E, impressed enough to make the jump to the VHL (after a 99-point season as a defenceman in S81), held his own in the big leagues for a little while, but ultimately went back to the comfort zone for his best VHLE seasons. Fittingly, Rhys Trenton's three VHL seasons were all with European teams (London, Malmo, and Prague) and he was named the VHLE's best defenceman when moving to Rome in S85 before bowing out with a cup in S86.

 

17. Travis Clark (S84-S90) – 180-108-27 .929 sv% 2.53 GAA – S90 Top Goaltender @ClarkClanT

The first goalie and first Clark on our list, here is another player who had a VHL stint, albeit just one backup season with Davos back in S85. After another backup season in the VHLE with Oslo, an impressive 100% record convinced GMs that Clark was starter quality and he remained among the league's best for the remaining four seasons of his career. Individual glory came in his final season, which was also the closest Travis Clark came to the Renaissance Cup (losing to the other Clark in the final), but arguably S87 was his best regular season. A couple near misses push this Clark down the list however.

 

16. Nagy AL (S82-S90) – 560 points in 648 games – S84 and S88 Renaissance Cup @bigAL

Although VHLE career statistics are not tracked anywhere, Nagy AL is probably the all-time leader in points and games played. Possibly blocked shots as well. He never quite dominated the league but with 60-80 point seasons generally as a defenceman and two cups, he was ever-present for nine seasons of the league's existence. AL spent most of his time in Istanbul, winning that franchise's only Renaissance Cup before bouncing around the league, adding a championship with Oslo in S88 and having his individual best season in S89.

 

15. Jordan Bennett (S84-S85, S87-S92) – 463 points in 576 games – S87, S88, S90, and S91 Renaissance Cup @Plate

A perfect example of a late-bloomer and the impact of a position change. After two unimpressive seasons as a forward and even more so when playing that position for one season in Moscow in the VHL, Cologne's management moved Bennett to defence and reaped the benefits as he won three cups in four finals during his four-season stay in Germany. In between, Bennett snuck in another championship with Oslo in S88, making him the all-time leader in Renaissance Cups. Although his VHLE seasons were more solid than spectacular, that winning run more than earns a place on this list.

 

14. The Loch Ness Monster (S80-S84) – 363 points in 360 games – S81 Renaissance Cup @LuluSalesAway

Carrying on the streak of defencemen is the mythical Loch Ness Monster. He/she/they were actually in the VHL before the VHLE's formation, but fit in well into a five-season stint with Stockholm upon the league's creation. S81 was the highlight with 94 points in the regular season, and a tremendous return of 17 points from just 9 games in the playoffs en route to the Vikings' Renaissance Cup victory. The Monster remained a mainstay in Stockholm through to its retirement.

 

13. Florida Man (S80-S81) – 140 points in 144 games – S81 Renaissance Cup and Playoff MVP @zepheter

First trophy namesake on the list, Florida Man just about makes the cut despite only two seasons in the VHLE. As they were the first two seasons of the league, and Man's 20-point playoff performance in S81 was good enough to be more impressive than Loch Ness Monster's above, we have to afford bonus points here for being a formative part of the VHLE. Apart from the S81 playoffs, Florida Man didn't massively stand out in his two seasons in Stockholm, but with his VHL career being equally consistent without a massive breakthrough, this is not a case of someone using the league a stepping stone but instead becoming part of its fabric.

 

12. Sigma Freud (S87-S89) – 177 points in 216 games – S89 Top Defenceman, S89 Playoff MVP, S87 and S89 Renaissance Cup @CODENAMEJIMMY

Up next is in effect Florida Man a decade later, a short but memorable stint with a successful franchise. Sigma Freud joined the Cologne Express as they began to assert dominance on the VHLE, being a cog in the wheel for his first championship in S87. By his final VHLE season, in S89, Freud was now one of the leaders of the team, considered the league's best defenceman after a 94-point seasons and playoff MVP en route to another cup.

 

11. Ryan Li (S80-S81) – 191 points, 601 hits in 144 games – S80 and S81 Top Two-Way Forward @Ryan Li

A mix of several worlds – Ryan Li was someone who bounced between the VHL and VHLE and also did a lot in a short period of time in Europe. Li's career predated the league, as he spent a few seasons in a rebuilding Vancouver. Moving to the VHLE just as the Wolves embarked on their threepeat clearly inspired him as he had two of the best two-way forward seasons the league has seen, setting the bar for all those to come after him. Li then made his way back to Vancouver in time for their third cup, making his time in the E worth it.

 

10. Pope Francis (S89-S90) – 168 points in 144 games – S89 and S90 Top Defenceman @nurx

Another of the midtable pack of short but prolific stints, Pope Francis spent two seasons in Rome, fittingly, and was unmatched as the VHLE's finest defenceman in that time. The Gladiators fell short in the playoffs despite two strong runs, but no blame could fall on the Pope who delivered strong performances and made the most of his time in the E.

 

9. Aldwin Craig (S80-S84) – 320 points, 1,521 hits in 360 games – S82 Top Two-Way Forward, S81 Renaissance Cup @Eldredman

Ryan Li set the bar, but ultimately the man after whom the two-way forward trophy named is Aldwin Craig. After one unspectacular season in New York in S79, Craig joined the successful Vikings team of the early VHLE and was a formidable physical presence throughout his five seasons in Stockholm. The pinnacle came in season three with a scarcely believable 450 hits in 72 games – a marker was set and Craig's name immortalised.

 

8. Evan Bihler (S87-S89) – 98-76-11 .930 sv% 2.72 GAA – S89 MVP and Top Goaltender @Eb14

More recently known as Toronto's extremely dependable backup, Evan Bihler's time as starter in the VHLE was an indication of his underlying talent. Consistently putting up strong performances despite not being on the cup favourites, Bihler's crowning glory was S89, perhaps the VHLE's best goaltending season up to then which saw him crowned as MVP and left him well prepared for stepping in when needed for the Legion.

 

7. BjorkaBjorn BjornaBjorkson (S87-present) – 433 points in 432 games – S88 Playoff MVP, S87 Renaissance Cup @JardyB10

The first player to specifically target a career in the VHLE, BjornaBjorkson may be disappointed not to be at the top of this list yet, but still has time to add more crowning achievements and chase down Nagy AL's records. The accomplishments so far are impressive enough, with two 97-point seasons and a rare playoff MVP as a member of the losing finalist. His loyalty to Rome means he hasn't yet been the face of the best team in the league, but coming off his joint-best seasons yet in S92, there may well be more to come from the VHLE lifer.

 

6. Clark (S90-present) – 113-58-11 .928 sv% 2.32 GAA – S90 and S91 Renaissance Cup and Playoff MVP, S92 Top Goaltender and MVP @cl4rk

The Clark that was promised. From S89 (down in the VHLM with Las Vegas) through S91, Clark was playoff MVP and champion for three straight seasons, and the spell was only just broken in S92, albeit after a regular season .940 save percentage which was certainly the best goalie season we've seen yet. It will be interesting to see how Clark adapts to the new scoring-focused rules in the league but Cologne remains a formidable force while he is around so a place in top five is still on the cards.

 

5. Justin Lion (S87-S89) – 127-45-20 .930 sv% 2.10 GAA – S88 Top Goaltender, S87 and S89 Renaissance Cup @Emperor_Fun

A big part of the Express dynasty was the seamless transition to Clark from Justin Lion who came beforehand. Lion was an even more dominant force in the regular season, with three straight 40-win and .929 save percentage seasons, with Cologne riding that wave to two championships in that time. Lion has moved on to a starting role in the VHL but certainly the highlight to date is his VHLE achievements placing him as the league's second best goaltender ever.

 

4. Zeljko Ranogajec (S80-S83) – 326 points in 288 games – S81 Top Defenceman @ColeMrtz

Before Cologne had playoff success, they had Ranogajec, the best defenceman the VHLE has seen. In his sole VHL season before the VHLE opened its doors, Ranogajec won the Continental Cup with Malmo, and brought an edge to the E which was almost unmatched over his four seasons in the league. The highlight is definitely 103 assists in S81 and whilst a championship eluded the Express, Ranogajec's 11 assists brought them close in S82.

 

3. Orion D H Chiester IX (S80-S86) – 210-116-46 .923 sv% 2.63 GAA – S83, S84, and S85 Top Goaltender, S83 Renaissance Cup @Donno100

Barring continued success from Clark, Chiester's goaltending throne remains secure. Unlike other award names where some debate could be had, after being the league's best goalie for three seasons running, it was hard to argue against Chiester being the name for future netminders to look up to. After a slow start to life in Bratislava, that winning period was clearly his peak, but he also has strong career numbers having spent seven full seasons as the Watchmen's undisputed starter.

 

2. Fred Hampton (S85-S87) – 235 points in 216 games – S86 MVP, S87 Renaissance Cup and Playoff MVP @TownBizness

The man who kickstarted the Cologne dynasty? Perhaps. After a forgettable season in Geneva, Fred Hampton put up 200 points in just two seasons with the Express, being voted MVP both in the regular season and playoffs. Unusually for a player who spent that long in the VHLE, Hampton still went on to make a significant impact in the VHL, winning a championship with Prague and putting up a 98-point season in S90, but it all started with the formative years in Germany.

 

1. Sebastien Dokis (S83-S88) – 430 points in 418 games – S87 MVP, S86 Renaissance Cup @Sebastien

Eventually famous for being the oldest rookie to win the Continental Cup in S89, it was part of a long but ultimately successful path for Dokis through the VHLE. Whilst some of the players already ranked had higher peaks and some have higher career totals, Dokis has the best of both worlds – four seasons of being a solid performer before a big breakthrough with 115 points in S87. More importantly, the late graduation to the VHL and finding more success there is a perfect story of how different VHLE journeys can be enjoyable which feels like a worthy story for top spot.

[Banackock 8,068]

Yes

[zepheter 586]

Florida Man is the fabric of the VHLE

[JardyB10 4,868]

If Bjork can get his shit together in the latter part of his career, maybe he can be climb, but I agree that he's can't really be considered the best. There's been a few good performances, but just as many mediocre ones! 

 

I'm optimistic with Cologne this season though. 

[Victor 10,968]

28 minutes ago, JardyB10 said:

If Bjork can get his shit together in the latter part of his career, maybe he can be climb, but I agree that he's can't really be considered the best. There's been a few good performances, but just as many mediocre ones! 

 

I'm optimistic with Cologne this season though. 

If Cologne doesn't make the finals we know you are the curse.

 

Speaking of curses, I'm afraid you are not allowed success this season as its time to make Vasteras great again.

[Victor 10,968]

Week 2 of 4

[JardyB10 4,868]

On 3/17/2024 at 11:19 AM, Victor said:

If Cologne doesn't make the finals we know you are the curse.

 

Speaking of curses, I'm afraid you are not allowed success this season as its time to make Vasteras great again.

I think my curse is bound with Vasteras. Bjork's bargain to keep Vasteras from winning prevents himself from winning as well.

 

Vasteras won the championship in their inaugural season, and never won again, as is tradition.

 

Bjork also won the championship in his rookie season, and hasn't won again.

 

It's like poetry, it rhymes.

[Victor 10,968]

Week 3 of 4

[Victor 10,968]

Week 4 of 4