Worst First Overall VHLM Draft Picks In The Portal Era

[Smarch 3,162]

Worst First Overall VHLM Draft Picks In The Portal Era

 

In today’s media spot, we’ll be looking at some of the worst VHLM top draft picks since the VHLM draft was listed on the VHL portal, which was Season Sixty-Five. Now we aren’t writing this media spot thinking all these members are terrible members, but due to the theme week being VHLM based we thought it would be fun to look back at those players picked first overall that had low TPE.

 

Carles Puigdemont (Season Sixty-Four First Overall – Retired 477 TPE):

The first player on our list is Spanish defenseman Carles Puigdemont. Puigdemont not only went first overall in the VHLM draft, he also was the first overall pick the following season by the New York Americans in the Season Sixty-Five VHL Entry Draft. Puigdemont spent only one full season in the VHLM and put-up decent stats, forty-one goals and forty-eight assists, but that season in Ottawa was the highlight of his VHL career. Puigdemont would play seven seasons in the VHL with New York, Seattle and Toronto, but finished his career with under 500 TPE. Puigdemonts player agent hasn’t been seen in the VHL since August 2019, so at this point we don’t expect any further players from this agency.

Solomon Crawford (Season Sixty-Eight First Overall – Retied 429 TPE):

Crawford is the second player to make our worst list, which we feel slightly bad about as the player agent for this player AW13 has gone on to represent two very good players after Crawford. Crawford might have been a product of his position as well as the Season Sixty-Nine first overall pick was a netminder, which is a hard position to crack in the VHL without being a top earner. Crawford was drafted by The Mexico City Kings with the first pick in the Season Sixty-Eight VHLM Dispersal Draft and played in all seventy-two games that season for the Kings. Crawford put up a record of 32-37-3 that season, along with a 0-4-0 record in the Kings four playoff games. Crawford would start the following season in Mexico playing in 3 games for the Kings before being called up by the Prague Phantoms, the team that drafted him fourteenth overall in the Season Sixty-Nine VHL Entry Draft. Crawford would go on to play in five VHL seasons, but never played more than twenty-nine games in a season for a VHL club. Crawford played for two VHL clubs during his five VHL years, Prague and Malmo, returning to Prague in Season Seventy-Two before he retired at the end of the season.

Joe Proto (Seventy-One First Overall – Retied 482 TPE):

Joe Proto was the first overall draft pick in the VHLM Dispersal Draft, selected in the top spot by the Las Vegas Aces. Prior to being drafted by the Aces, Pronto signed as a free agent with the now defunct Minnesota Storm where he played sixty-six games and won a Founders Cup. After being drafted by the Aces Pronto had a great first full VHLM season, with fifty-four goals and fifty-seven assists. With 111 points in a VHL season that saw a lot of players put up over 100 points, VHL teams has good feeling about the American winger. The Vancouver Wolves were the team that bit on the Proto hype as they took him eighth overall in the Season Seventy-One VHL Entry Draft. Proto would only last one full season with the Wolves, as he was traded to the Calgary Wranglers at the VHL trade deadline in Season Seventy-Three. Proto would go on to play for a total of six VHL teams in his seven VHL seasons and finished his career with 482 TPE. Proto also made an estimated ten million dollars during his VHL career, which isn’t too shabby for a sub 500 TPE player. When writing this piece, we attempted to reach out to the player agent for Proto but were unable to find any contact information for the agency, who might not be representing hockey players any further.

 

Wolf Weiss (Seventy-Four First Overall – Retied 556 TPE):

The last player represented by the player agency Matmenzinger in the VHL, Weiss was not nearly as successful as Mat Tocco, who was represented by the same agency in the VHL from Season Sixty-Six until Season Seventy-Three. Weiss might have been drafted so high in the VHLM Dispersal Draft due to his player agents early track record, but unfortunately for the Halifax 21^st and Vancouver Wolves, Weiss was unable to duplicate the success that Mat Tocco saw. Weiss has an interesting first season in the VHLM prior to being drafted, as he was signed by the Mexico City Kings and traded to the Ottawa Lynx before even playing a game with Mexico City. The following season Weiss was drafted first overall by the Halifax 21^st where he played in all seventy-two games, putting up twenty-five goals and thirty-two assists for the Nova Scotia based VHLM club. Halifax and Weiss would make the VHLM playoffs that season, where Weiss would put up one goal and three assists in the 21sts seven playoff games. Weiss would find himself in a very deep VHL Entry Draft the same season he was drafted in the VHLM Dispersal Draft and finally ended up being selected twenty-fifth overall by the Toronto Legion. Weiss would stay in Toronto for two and a half seasons before being traded to the Vancouver Wolves during the VHLs Seventy-Seventh season. Weiss would end up playing in five VHL season for three VHL teams before retiring at the conclusion of the VHLs Eighth season. At the time of his retirement Weiss has amassed 556 TPE, which is why he finds himself on the list of the worst ever VHLM draftees.

The Loch Ness Monster (Season Seventy-Seven First Overall – Retied 532 TPE):

The next player on our list was the first and only player represented by the LuluSalesAway agency in the VHL. The Loch Ness Monster joined the league right after the Season Seventy-Six VHLM Dispersal Draft and signed before the season to play for the San Diego Marlins. She made such an impression on the Marlins top brass in Season Seventy-Six putting up fifty-one points in those seventy-two games that the team selected him first overall in Season Seventy-Seven. After being drafted by the Marlins, The Loch Ness Monster would spend two more seasons in San Diego, before leaving to play in New York for Season Seventy-Nine, the VHL club that drafted her seventeenth overall in the Season Seventy-Seven VHL Entry Draft. The Loch Ness Monster would play in all seventy-two games in Season Seventy-Nine with the Americans, which would be her first and only season in the VHL. The next six seasons from Season Eighty to Season Eighty-Four, The Loch Ness Monster would play in the VHLE with the Stockholm Vikings. After Season Eighty-Four The Loch Ness Monster was forced to retire due to the leagues mandatory retirement rule and retired with 532 TPE earned. We are uncertain if we will ever see the agency representing another player in the VHL as it appears the agency is dealing with bigger and better things after the birth of her daughter back in 2022. We wish the agency all the best in her personal life moving forward.

 

The Red Menace (Season Eighty First Overall – Retied 307 TPE):

The Red Menace is next on the list of worst players drafted first overall in the VHLM Dispersal Draft and might honestly take the top spot overall of worst players. The Red Menace joined the VHLM prior to being drafted after signing to play with the Philadelphia Reapers for the last twelve games of Season Seventy-None. The Red Meance had a nice start to his VHLM career that season, playing in twelve games posting a record of 7-3-1, along with a .906 save percentage and a 2.34 goals-against average. The following season with Ottawa needing a goalie, the Lynx took a shot and picked up The Red Menace with the first overall pick. The pick would pay off for the Lynx, as The Red Menace would play in sixty-six games for the Lynx in Season Eighty, putting up an amazing 54-10-2 record, along with a .902 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average. The Red Menace would lead the Lynx into the playoffs where he would play in all sixteen playoff games for the Lynx on the way to the teams Founders Cup win. During the playoff run The Red Menace would put up a record of 12-3-1. At the conclusion of the season The Red Menace would graduate would of the VHLM and head to play for the now defunct Istanbul Red Wolves of the VHLE. The Red Menace would spend the next six seasons in the VHLE splitting time between Istanbul, Cologne and Oslo. The Red Menace would end his career after the Season Eighty-Eight VHLE season and would never play in the VHL even though he was drafted thirty-second overall by the Calgary Wranglers in the Season Eighty VHL Entry Draft. The Red Meance would also end his VHL career with only 307 TPE, which is the main reason he never saw time in the VHL.

 

Didier Verhault (Season Ninety First Overall – Currently Playing in Bratislava 330 TPE):

Some that dare to read this media spot might feel that we are picking on Verhault as he was only drafted in the Season Ninety VHLM Dispersal Draft, but the Belgium defender has not been seen at practice since the week ending December 3, 2023, so we had to add him to the list as its unlikely he will be adding to his TPE total. Verhault was first signed by the Mexico City Kings prior to being drafted and spent time with the club in Season Eighty-Nine. Verhault would play in twenty-four games that season with the Mexico City based VHLM club putting up one goal and eight assists. Mexico City would make the playoffs that season, and Verhault would go on to get his first taste of playoff hockey as he played in all ten games for the Kings that season, where he would add three assists during those ten games. The following off-season Verhault would be drafted first overall by the Las Vegas Aces. Along with eighteen overall in the VHLE Entry Draft and twenty-first overall I the VHL Entry Draft. Verhault would spend one season with the Aces where he would play in all seventy-two games, putting up fifteen goals and sixty-seven assists. After a very good first full season in Las Vegas, hopes were high for the young defenseman, but unfortunately the youngster fell off his practice schedule and would go onto to spend the next five seasons in the VHLE, including this season with the Bratislava Watchmen. Verhault is unlikely to spend any time in the VHL during his career, but could surprise us as he still has some VHL eligibility left currently.

 

Honorable Mentions:

 

Cowboy Prout (Season Seventy-Five First Overall – Retied 883 TPE):

While Prout doesn’t follow the theme of the media spot having been a lower TPE earner, we wanted to add some players to get to the 2,000-word mark and decided to highlight two players that never won a team or individual award in their VHL career. Prout spent his VHL career with only two different VHL franchises, playing with Calgary for four seasons and New York for two seasons and never saw his name called during a VHLM, VHLE or VHL award ceremony. Cowboy Prout was represented by the player agency Prout, who has never represented another VHL player since Prout retired.

 

Rick Grimes (Season Eighty-Five First Overall – Retired 983 Overall):

Another player on our honorable mention list who like Prout was unable to find any individual or team success. Grimes was selected first overall by the Miami Marauders back in Season Eighty-Five where he played in one season with the Miami based VHLM club. Grimes would have a one-year stint in the VHLE with the Bratislava Watchmen and would then head to the VHL where he would also spend his entire VHL career from Season Eighty-Seven to Season Ninety-Two with the Helsinki Titans. Much like Prout listed above Grimes was never able to see any individual or team success during this entire VHL career and retired after Season Ninety-Two with 983 TPE.

 

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For the Weeks of: 

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July 14 - July 20

July 21- July 27

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Edited June 17 by Smarch

[Daniel Janser 2,186]

Verhault also prevented CGY Janser to get the 1OA Trifecta as the first player ever (a record now held by @CowboyinAmerica). Janser was drafted at 2OA...

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