VSN Presents: An S86 Draft Retrospective

[sadie 941]

@kirbithan

 

With the conclusion of the S94 season, we saw the last of the S86 draftees retire. It was a special draft class that deserves some more spotlight on it, so why not explore their journeys and achievements? It still feels like I am very new to the VHL on a large scale (which of course, I am), and in other ways it feels like it has been a really long time. S86 was my first VHL draft and a really fun time in the league, so let's go back! In this article, I will go through the draft and take a look back at their careers, and see how it ended up for these players.

202 S86 players were created.
184 of them ended up with more than 30 TPE.
Only 64 of them made it to the 100 mark.
43 made it to 200.
34 eclipsed 400.
And 15 players ended their careers with over 1000.

 

TPE Rankings will be among S86 players. Team/Career Statistics will include playoffs. All Time Team Leaders will be taken from the team's portal page (regular season) and will only be as accurate as that leaderboard is.

Pick grades are never a slight on the player or the team, just a representation of the value they got out of the pick.

 

1. (RIG) C - The Frenchman @OrbitingDeath

Career TPE: 2041 (1st)
TPE at draft: 409 (1st)
Riga Reign (S86-S90, S94) - 454GP, 207G, 302A, 509P
D.C. Dragons (S91-S93) - 254GP, 147G, 213A, 360P
Vancouver Wolves (S94) - 13GP, 5G, 7A, 12P
Career Statistics: 721GP, 359G, 522A, 881P, 408HIT, 408SB, 1.22 P/GP
S84 Founders Cup (LVA)
S92 Continental Cup (DCD)
S92 Mike Szatkowski Trophy
S92 All-VHL First Team
S89 All-VHL Second Team
12th in Riga Reign All Time Scoring
13th in D.C. Dragons All Time Scoring

 

The Frenchman was a pretty safe first overall pick all things considered- they come from a user in OrbitingDeath who has 5 Hall of Fame players to their name. With a clear max-earning example set right from the beginning, it was clear The Frenchman would have a good shot at being the same kind of high calibre player. Being such a high earner, their time in the VHLM was very short, playing only 20 regular season and 15 playoff games for the Founders Cup-winning Las Vegas Aces in S84. They elected to move up to the VHLE the following year, actually a season before their VHL and VHLE drafts. Having enjoyed a promising 49 point season as part of the 98-point Bratislava Watchmen, they entered their drafts poised to move up to the VHL immediately. The Frenchman quickly blossomed for Riga, playing 5 years for them and eventually notching 85 and 100 point seasons. They never saw playoff success, falling short of the postseason in S86 and losing in the first round in each of the following 4 years. In the S91 offseason, The Frenchman was traded first to Calgary, and then to D.C., where they would see the most productive years of their career. In 3 seasons with D.C. they posted their 1st, 2nd, and 4th highest point totals, their 3 highest shot totals, and led the league in scoring in S92 to win the Szatkowski Trophy. The Dragons made the playoffs in all three seasons, winning the Continental Cup on an S92 run where The Frenchman contributed 27 points in 17 games. Although their last season (split between Vancouver and Riga) was quieter, Riga still fought to the conference finals, losing in 7 games to the eventual champions, the Moscow Menace. While we didn't get the storybook ending we would have liked with Riga bringing their old draftees back together, it was a respectable final season. A home run pick for Riga, and a probable eventual 6th HOFer for OrbitingDeath.

 

Pick Grade: A+
Quite simply the most productive player in the draft- no two ways about it. They also ended up spending six seasons with Riga, and they got their worth out of this pick.

 

2. (SEA) RW - Yaroslav Bogatyrev @Bojovnik
Career TPE: 1450 (8th)
TPE at draft: 396 (2nd)
Seattle Bears (S86-S90) - 408GP, 156G, 199A, 355P
Malmö Nighthawks (S91-93) - 230GP, 105G, 135A, 240P
Career Statistics: 638GP, 261G, 334A, 595P, 1501HIT, 270SB
S92, S93 Victory Cup (MAL)

 

Bogatyrev was Bojovnik's player, a user who as a first-gen was able to eclipse that 1000 TPE mark with Jan Hlozek (1114 TPE, to be specific). Funnily enough, the sole VHL awards they won were back-to-back Victory Cups for both players. Yaroslav Bogatyrev was an absolute force on the ice, racking up 1500 hits over a long career. They were never quite on that triple-digit level of production we see with the very best of the best, but season after season they showed their value with consistently great performances. Bogatyrev's time in the VHLM was short, playing only 21 games for the Houston Bulls before making the jump to the VHLE where they put up 59 points in Cologne, a truly great season for someone yet to be drafted. The Cologne Express would lose in the Renaissance Cup final in 6 games, robbing Yaroslav of their only chance at VHLE hardware. Once up in the VHL, it took a couple seasons to really find their stride, posting initial 31 and 44 point seasons, but S88 was the start of truly impressive form. Yaroslav went on to put up 70+ points in 5 consecutive seasons (and in four of them grabbing at least 80), and was an extremely valuable member of the teams they played for. An incredible 46 goals in S90 was second only to Jason's 55. Seattle ought to be very happy with this pick at the end of the day, grabbing a loyal player who stayed with them for 5 seasons. Although Malmö was a formidable team in those early S90s, it was Seattle who eventually snagged a cup, unfortunately without Bogatyrev there to share it. All in all, a career to be proud of.

Pick Grade: B
A good result from this pick, Bogatyrev stayed with Seattle for most of their career but there were more productive players available in hindsight.

 

3. (HSK) C - Daryl Dixon @Ricer13
Career TPE: 1869 (3rd)
TPE at draft: 370 (3rd)
Helsinki Titans (S87-S93) - 524GP, 257G, 330A, 587P
Seattle Bears (S93-S94) - 121GP, 82G, 92A, 174P
Career Statistics: 645GP, 339G, 422A, 761P, 1947HIT, 343 SB
S93 Continental Cup (SEA)
S92 All-VHL Second Team
8th in Helsinki Titans All Time Scoring

 

Ricer has a history of incredible players- looking back at the 2 before Dixon we have Reylynn Reinhart (1594 TPE) and Kris Rice (1378 TPE), both tremendous players above a point/game in the VHL. It's easy to see why Helsinki was drawn to Dixon, especially with the two aforementioned players having stayed for a while with the teams that drafted them. Dixon came as a package deal with Rick Grimes, and after London drafted Grimes, they were subsequently traded here as well. Long before that, however, Dixon started as a Houston Bull in the VHLM, playing just 19 S84 games. But the league wasn't ready for what hit them in S85: a monstrous 54 goal, 123 point season for the Miami Marauders. No doubt this helped their draft stock greatly, and they were rewarded with going 3rd in the VHL Entry Draft, and 2nd in the VHLE Draft. Dixon was able to put up 71 points in 72 games with Bratislava in S86, a great showing considering how big the leap is in player calibre from the VHLM to the VHLE. The following offseason, they got the call up from Helsinki and went to work. Dixon started with a very respectable 42 points in S87, and only improved from there, as only one year later they put up 77. S91 saw the first time Dixon would hit 90 points, and in each of the following 3 seasons would pass the 100 point mark. Daryl's best season point total was 111 in their final season. What a way to go out! They showed fierce loyalty to Helsinki, resigning with the Titans despite failing to reach the playoffs in any of their first 3 seasons. They got there in each of the next 3, but Helsinki ended up seeing their window close with no Continental Cup, just a finals appearance. Dixon was traded to Seattle near the S93 deadline when it became clear that the Titans were not going to challenge for a playoff spot, and helped bolster their roster at the right time; the Bears would go on to win the S93 Continental Cup and Dixon would finally get theirs as well. This pick worked out wonderfully- Helsinki had it great with such an elite player staying with them for 7 seasons.

 

Pick Grade: A+

Gave almost all of the career to Helsinki and became a legend here- nice of them to send Dixon off to a cup.

 

4. (RIG) LW - Sadie St-Louis @sadie
Career TPE: 1163 (13th)
TPE at draft: 292 (7th)
Riga Reign (S87-S90, S94) - 383GP, 162G, 190A, 352P
Calgary Wranglers (S91-S92) - 155GP, 65G, 62A, 127P
Seattle Bears (S93) - 89GP, 37G, 44A, 81P
HC Davos Dynamo (S94) - 10GP, 5G, 5A, 10P
Career Statistics: 639GP, 269G, 301A, 570P, 1251HIT, 310SB
S93 Continental Cup (SEA)
S86 VHL All-Rookie Team
33rd in Riga Reign All Time Scoring

 

We've finally hit our first first-gen on this list- me! Sadie St-Louis was an interesting player throughout her career, and one that never quite reached her full potential as a player. For a first-gen player, 1100+ TPE is more than respectable, but St-Louis is quite the "what could have been" case. Sadie put up 20 points in her initial 13 games at the end of S84 with the San Diego Marlins. Come the dispersal draft, she was sent to a strong Ottawa Lynx team that came first in their conference. And strangely enough, left winger St-Louis played more than a third of the season on defense due to a lack of defensemen, but still managed a great 85-point showing. These early numbers propelled her all the way to 4th in the VHL draft, and 5th in the VHLE draft; she would spend the next season with the Stockholm Vikings where she would enjoy the best offensive season of her VHL career, putting up 47 goals and 95 points. In her first season (S87) in the VHL with the Riga Reign, she kept up the good work, finishing 1st in rookie points scoring with 59 but ultimately losing out on the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy to fantastic goalie Matt Murdock. The next year saw St-Louis fall into a bit of a sophomore slump, posting what would be a career low in goals on a still fairly strong Riga team. She came back stronger however, putting up 77 points in S89 and 87 in S90. On this individual high note, her stint with Riga would come to an end, but as far as team success went, nothing beyond 4 first-round losses had been achieved. This is where it all started falling apart for St-Louis, regressing spectacularly in her 1st season with Calgary, grabbing only 48 points. She was able to score 68 in S92, but it was a far cry from what she could have been capable of. S93 saw some redemption, as St-Louis was traded to the Seattle Bears, who eventually managed to win the Continental Cup, breaking Sadie's streak of six consecutive VHL first-round losses. Finally with a cup in her trophy cabinet, St-Louis went into S94 with HC Davos Dynamo, but quickly was traded to Riga along with other members of their old core for one last chance to win it. They fell short in the conference finals, but it was a feel-good end to a roller-coaster of a career.

 

Pick Grade: B
Did end up playing 5 seasons here, but just not as productive (like Bogatyrev) as she could have been, especially without the couple seasons IA.

 

5. (LDN) D - Rex Wolffe Gregor @oilmandan
Career TPE: 1082 (15th)
TPE at draft: 242 (T-11th)
London United (S87) - 72GP, 9G, 18A, 27P
Malmö Nighthawks (S88) - 72GP, 20G, 47A, 67P
Seattle Bears (S89-S91, S94) - 310GP, 67G, 197A, 264P
Warsaw Predators (S92-S93) - 147GP, 44G, 99A, 143P
Career Statistics: 601GP, 140G, 361A, 501P, 915HIT, 1260SB
S85 Founder's Cup (PHI)

 

Rex Wolffe Gregor wasn't one of those players that you'd consistently see at the top of the stats leaderboards (though they were top 10 in defenseman scoring in S91 and S93), and ended with no VHL hardware, but ended up being an incredibly underrated piece of everywhere they played, blocking shots incredibly well as well as being a staple on the power play. Gregor started in the VHLM in S95, a little later than many on this list, but that didn't stop them from putting up 50 points in their 72 regular season games and 17 in 18 playoff games for the eventual champions the Philadelphia Reapers. They pulled off one of the greatest comebacks I've ever seen, coming back from a 3-0 series deficit in the first round against the conference-winning Ottawa Lynx. They were then drafted 7th in the VHLE to Bratislava and managed to get 40 points in that lone VHLE season. Unfortunately, it ended in the first round for the Watchmen but Gregor's eyes were already turned forward to the VHL. After a rookie year on a somewhat weak London team, Gregor was traded to Malmö, where they put up fantastic numbers; they went from 27 to 67 points and from 94 to 263 shots, the opposite of a sophomore slump. Despite the outstanding performance, the Nighthawks failed to get to the playoffs and Rex Wolffe Gregor was traded again, this time to the Seattle Bears, where they would spend 3 successful seasons. The most successful season was S91, which would turn out to yield a career high in points (79) and goals (27). Seattle did manage playoffs in those first two years, but unfortunately could not progress past the first round in spite of a combined 9 points in 10 games from Gregor. After being traded to Warsaw, they spent two seasons with the Predators before signing back in Seattle for one last season. Seattle had managed to win a cup in their absence but unfortunately could not get it done in S94.

 

Pick Grade: C+

I feel can't rate the pick too highly as Gregor only spent a season here, but they were traded for Igor Molotov and London did end up winning the Continental Cup that very same year, so good job London!

 

6. (SEA) G - Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro
Career TPE: 1386 (10th)
TPE at draft: 287 (8th)
Seattle Bears (S87-S88) - 18GP, 9W, .901SV%, 2.96GAA
Malmö Nighthawks (S89-S94) - 398GP, 230W, .926 SV%, 2.44GAA
Career Statistics: 416GP, 239W, .925SV%, 2.44GAA
S92, S93 Victory Cup (MAL)
S93 Greg Clegane Trophy
2nd in Malmö Nighthawks All Time GP
1st in Malmö Nighthawks All Time Wins
3rd in Malmö Nighthawks All Time SV% (min. 50 GP)
1st in Malmö Nighthawks All Time GAA (min. 50 GP)

 

Seattle continues its incredible draft (4 picks in the first half of the first round is INSANE- good job, Bana) with Ash Sparks. DarkSpyro's first goalie (and first player) really illustrates why they were the logical pick for Seattle here. Jimmy Spyro was a very successful player, ending up with over 1100 TPE as a first-gen, and notably spending his whole career with one team. Although that's not how it shook out, with Seattle trading Sparks for Rex Wolffe Gregor, Sparks stayed very loyal to Malmö and was a face of the franchise for the rest of their career. They started out with 12 S84 games in Houston, where they were able to maintain a .900 SV%. S85 saw a big improvement with the Halifax 21st, bringing that SV% up to .914 with a 2.58 GAA. Halifax unfortunately fell in the first round of the playoffs, but Sparks had already made their impression on the scouts. Their VHLE season was incredible, putting up a .929 for Geneva and it was a sign of the similar quality they would show throughout their career. Playing only 18 games across their 2 seasons with Seattle, Ash was traded to Malmö, where they would spend the rest of their career. The Nighthawks would see the playoffs 4 times, winning the Victory Cup for best record twice. They unfortunately never managed to get past the first round, however. Sparks never had a season below a .920 save percentage with them and was consistently among the best goalies out there. They were rewarded with the Clegane Trophy for lowest GAA in S93 and will be remembered in Malmö for a long time to come. Out of the four goalies in the first round, Sparks had the second best stats (below of course Lachlan Summers)- just lacked that Continental Cup which would have put a very nice bow on a great career.

 

Pick Grade: C-
Not saying anything about the player- Sparks was incredible, but using this pick on someone who only played 18 games for the team and not getting a goalie of similar utility in the trade return puts this low.

7. (SEA) D - Elias Lampi @Pifferfish
Career TPE: 895 (17th)
TPE at draft: 216 (15th)
Seattle Bears (S87-S89) - 257GP, 44G, 96A, 140P
Los Angeles Stars (S90-S92) - 247GP, 50G, 179A, 229P
Career Statistics: 504GP, 94G, 275P, 369P, 861HIT, 956SB
S86 Ryan Sullivan Trophy
S91 Jake Wylde Trophy
S91 Sterling Labatte Trophy
S91 All-VHL First Team
20th in Los Angeles Stars All Time Scoring

Lampi is a player we totally could have seen more from, retiring in unfortunate fashion in what was the prime of a great career up to that point. Having won more individual awards than any of the 6 other players mentioned here thus far, Lampi was clearly an incredible player and I wonder if we'd have seen more brilliance from them if they had gone as far as they could. Starting their career with the VHLM's Halifax 21st, Lampi put up 23 points in 43 games. After leaving for Philadelphia in the Dispersal Draft, Elias proceeded to put up truly incredible numbers, especially for a defenseman. 110 points in 72 games (32G, 78A) is amazing, and Lampi finished 6th in overall scoring, running away with the defenseman scoring title and leading the league in power play goals. Having been drafted to the Seattle Bears in the offseason prior, Lampi proceeded to skip the VHLE and go straight up to the VHL. They notched seasons of 27 and 35 points in the VHL with the Bears before finally breaking out for 61 the year after that. Seattle never managed to go all the way with Lampi, trading them to the Los Angeles Stars where Elias immediately put up a career high in points with 73, resigned with L.A. and proceeded to have a career season. 82 points was good enough to snag the Labatte trophy for best overall defenseman and the Sullivan for best defensive defenseman. In this, the penultimate season of their career, they cemented themselves as a player who won't be forgotten easily. But after a ruthless Phil Kessel-style ankle chop by Mac Atlas in LA's last S91 playoff game, Lampi was never the same. After a much lower point total of 52 in S92, and playing through tough injuries, Elias called it a career.

 

Pick Grade: C+
They got a good half of Lampi's career, but failed to get anything big in return for them when they were traded away- Lampi's best years came after the trade.

 

8. (SEA) D - Left Alone @okochastar
Career TPE: 1396 (9th)
TPE at draft: 235 (12th)
Seattle Bears (S87) - 88GP, 6G, 12A, 18P
Moscow Menace (S88-S92) - 380GP, 148G, 197A, 345P
Vancouver Wolves (S93-S94) - 153GP, 49G, 88A, 137P
Career Statistics: 621GP, 203G, 323A, 526P, 220HIT, 373SB
S89 Victory Cup (MOS)
14th in Moscow Menace All Time Scoring

 

Left Alone is a bit of an underrated player in this draft class, I think. Coming from user okochastar, who hasn't failed to take a player over 1000 TPE, this shouldn't be a surprise. But the fact that they aren't super active on the forum and do most of their earning from affiliates kind of puts them under the radar. Left Alone signed with the Marlins prior to S85 and instantly went to work, just falling short of a point per game with 71 in 72. After going 3rd in the VHLE draft to Rome, they showed they could play at that higher level effectively, but had an understandable dip in production with just 45 points. Both San Diego and Rome made the playoffs with Alone, but neither could finish the job. The next year saw Alone make the jump to the VHL for the S87 season, but with only 14 points in 72 games, would end up disappointed in their rookie year. Somewhat buried on a deep Seattle team, they still managed to get to the conference finals, but fell to the Wranglers in six games. They'd be traded to Moscow that offseason, the team they'd spend the majority of their career on and immortalize Left Alone in Menace history. The first two seasons weren't amazing production-wise, but marked a big improvement nonetheless, with 43 and 49 point seasons, with Moscow winning the Victory Cup for best regular-season record in S89. In the next 3 seasons, Left Alone would explode, first hitting 71 points (a 22 point increase) in S90, and then putting an amazing 93 and 94 points on the board in S91 and S92 respectively, career highs as well as a career high 38 goals in both season. After that amazing S92, Alone left the Menace via trade to Vancouver, having never won a playoff series with Moscow (made playoffs in S88, S89, and S92). With Vancouver came slight regression, although Alone still showed up with important 71 and 61 point seasons. Vancouver did manage to make the playoffs in S94, but fell in the second round. Alone had a career to be proud of, but from the Bears perspective I think there is probably a bit of regret that they only spent one year with them.

Pick Grade: C-
Again, we have a player leaving Seattle sooner than expected- trading Alone for a first but then flipping it for Clueless Wallob who I feel didn't spend enough time with the team to make it worth it.

 

9. (VAN) C - Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ
Career TPE: 1737 (6th)
TPE at draft: 247 (10th)
Vancouver Wolves (S87-S90) - 331GP, 132G, 166A, 298P
London United (S91-S94) - 340GP, 212G, 267A, 479P
Career Statistics: 671GP, 344G, 433A, 777P, 1655HIT, 259SB
S87 Victory Cup (VAN)
S93 Kevin Brooks Trophy
S93 Mike Szatkowski Trophy
S93 Brett Slobodzian Trophy
S93 All-VHL First Team
24th in Vancouver Wolves All Time Scoring
7th in London United All Time Scoring

Vattghern ended up with a truly terrific player at the end of the day, and one that truly showed they were capable of being the best of the best. Creating at the very end of the S84 season, Kerr had no points in 3 games with the Lynx. When S85 rolled around, Kerr finally got themselves on the scoresheet, and found a taste for it, managing to score 41 goals and 56 assists for 97 points. They didn't stop there, as they lit up the VHLE as well with 84 points. Coming into the VHL season, Wann was poised for big things. They started off with a decent 44 point rookie season, but inexplicably regressed the following year in a spell of some real bad puck luck (Kerr scored three less goals despite putting up 84 more shots than the previous season), and finished with just 43 points after that sophomore slump. Apparently, this lit a fire under 'em, because Kerr put their foot on the gas and never looked back. They had a massive improvement in S89, doubling their points for a total of 83, and the season after that getting to 89. This is where Wann's Vancouver journey ended, however, being traded to the London United that offseason, where they would spend the rest of their career. The Wolves made the playoffs in all four years Kerr was with them, but could never finish the job. The closest run they had was an agonizing loss to HC Davos Dynamo in 6 games in the Continental Cup Finals, in a playoff where Kerr dazzled the fans with 23 points in 16 games and certainly would have had a strong case for the Kanou had they ended up winning. With the United, Kerr went on to impress us with spectacular offensive performances time and time again. They put up 96 and 80 points in their first two seasons there, then broke through to another level in S93, scoring 58 goals and 127 points and grabbing the trophies for goals leader, points leader, and most outstanding player. The next season, which would be their last, saw very little regression, and Kerr was still able to shock the world with a 110 point season. Again, London made the playoffs in all 4 years Wann spent there. And again, the deep runs would end in heartbreak. London reached two Continental Cup finals, in two consecutive years, but lost in SEVEN GAMES BOTH TIMES. Simon, have you no soul? It's really only one thing that's missing from this terrific career- a Continental Cup.

 

Pick Grade: B+
Vancouver got their value out of picking Kerr and should be glad to have had half their career; they ended up with great production there and will be remembered.

 

10. (LDN) C - Rick Grimes @tinafrombobsburgers
Career TPE: 983 (16th)
TPE at draft: 309 (6th) 
Helsinki Titans (S87-S92) - 473GP, 98G, 204A, 302P
Career Statistics: 473GP, 98G, 204A, 302P, 208HIT, 70SB
45th in Helsinki Titans All Time Scoring

 

This ended up being a really interesting pick from London, as it was known before the draft that Daryl Dixon and Rick Grimes had demanded to play together. London worked out a deal with Helsinki, taking Grimes one pick before theirs and forcing their hand, trading London the 11th pick and a future 2nd and 3rd for Grimes. Rick started things off in the VHLM with Houston with 6 points in 16 games before bursting onto the scene for real in S85 with an amazing 116 points for the Miami Marauders. They were drafted into the VHLE with the first overall pick and with Bratislava, put up an almost point-per-game season with 65 points in 72 games. Then Grimes began their VHL career in S87, the entirety of which would be spent with the Helsinki Titans. Rick's rookie year saw them pot only 12 goals and 37 points, and it was thought that they'd progress, but the next two seasons saw 33 and 37 points, and it wasn't looking good. Thankfully, we saw a big leap in production in S90, up to 60 points before posting a career high of 25 goals and 63 points in S91. After one more season (54 points), Grimes called it a career. For the first 3 years, Helsinki couldn't find a way to make the playoffs, the tail end of a pretty dark time for the team. In S90-S92, they looked completely different, and showed they were contenders for the Cup. They never quite got there, reaching the finals in S91, but were defeated by the Toronto Legion in six games- Grimes contributed an impressive 11 points during the playoff run. Grimes wasn't plagued by bad or inconsistent earning, ending very close to the 1000 TPE mark, nor were they the victim of a bad build. Perhaps Simon simply decided to take his rage out on this player, because I think they deserved more than they ended up getting in their career, both individually and team-wise.

Pick Grade: A
For London, this pick was awesome- they knew they had Helsinki hostage here so they took more picks to trade down a spot- easy decision and no downside.

11. (LDN) RW - Leonard Triller @Triller
Career TPE: 1987 (2nd)
TPE at draft: (16th)
London United (S88-S94) - 594GP, 261G, 461A, 722P
Career Statistics: 594GP, 261G, 461A, 722P, 972HIT, 247SB
S86 Founder's Cup (SDM)
S87 Aldwin Craig Trophy
S88 Continental Cup (LDN)
S91 Alexander Beketov Trophy
S94 All-VHL Second Team
S88 All-VHL Rookie Team
2nd in London United All Time Scoring

 

This was originally Helsinki's pick, but they had traded it for Grimes. London went on to make what would be one of the surefire best picks of the draft in first-gen Leonard Triller. The only reason they weren't drafted earlier is because they joined early in the S85 season and had less time to earn than those who joined soon after the S84 trade deadline, for example. Regardless, the commitment to creating great content for the forum was clear from day one. Leonard Triller also produced well from day one, never really having a true 'down' season. They had 52 points in 55 VHLM games in S85, and unlike many of the top players in the draft class, stayed down for S86, where they would record 63 points with the San Diego Marlins en route to a Founder's Cup. Triller's VHLE season saw further improvement, putting up 89 points for Geneva and took home the Aldwin Craig Trophy for best two-way forward as well. In S88, a long career spent entirely with London began. It started off in a pretty great way, with the United securing the Continental Cup. Triller contributed 47 points during the regular season and 17 points in 23 games in the playoffs on the way to the cup. Although Triller wouldn't win another Continental Cup, individually things only got better. S89 saw them increase their point total to 65 and essentially double their goals, and in S90 Leonard put up 35 goals and 82 points. This incredible improvement continued and the final 4 seasons of their career were offensively incredible. Seasons of 103, 97, 108, and 114 points in S91-S94 cemented their legacy as one of the best United ever to wear the jersey- loyal enough to play a whole career there as well. The United managed to make the playoffs in every single year from S88 to S94 and only failed to pass the first round twice. Although more cups could have come out of this window (London lost the final in game 7 in S92 and S93), they ought to be proud of how strong a team they were. It was a great pick at 11 for London.

 

Pick Grade: A+
Triller was a top-class player and spent their whole career with London, helping grab them a cup. Already having Teno, London couldn't have made a better pick here.

 

12. (DAV) G - Lachlan Summers @kirbithan
Career TPE: 1829 (4th)
TPE at draft: 307 (6th)
HC Davos Dynamo (S87-S92) - 376GP, 227W, .929SV%, 2.51GAA
Warsaw Predators (S93-S94) - 136GP, 79W, .934SV%, 2.60GAA
Career Statistics: 512GP, 306W, .930SV%, 2.54GAA
S88 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy
S89 Continental Cup (DAV)
S90 Greg Clegane Trophy
S90, S93, S94 Aidan Shaw Trophy
S90, S91 Victory Cup (DAV)
S90 Brett Slobodzian Trophy
S93, S94 Scotty Campbell Trophy
S90, S93, S94 All-VHL First Team
S88 All-VHL Second Team
S88 All-VHL Rookie Team
6th in HC Davos Dynamo All Time Wins
2nd in HC Davos Dynamo All Time SV%
8th in HC Davos Dynamo All Time GAA
3rd in Warsaw Predators All Time Wins
1st in Warsaw Predators All Time SV%

1st in Warsaw Predators All Time GAA

 

Lachlan Summers being a first-gen is mindblowing. Kirby from the very beginning showed the initiative to earn as much as possible, for as long as possible, and it resulted in the best goalie in recent memory whose name 14 VHL teams don't want to even hear. Summers’ story started in San Diego with the influx of waiver claims that came in for them after the S84 trade deadline- he played 8 games, won 2, and lost 5. Not the most auspicious start, but S85 looked a lot better. Lachlan managed 34 wins that season on the San Diego Marlins, showing the world what he could do. After moving up to the VHLE in S86, Summers fought valiantly to keep the Vikings in the playoff race, but couldn't get more than 27 wins in the end. Summers' VHL career was set to begin, but he was sat behind Xavier Booberry for a year, learning from one of the best in the player with the 4th-most all-time TPE. Summers only played the conventional backup 8 games, winning 7 and maintaining a .938 save percentage. In S88 Davos unleashed him on the league and never looked back- Lachlan registered win tallies of 39, 43, and 49 in his first three seasons, with save percentages of .932, .925, and .938. That S88 year got Lachlan the Stolzschweiger Trophy and earned him places on the All-VHL Second and Rookie teams immediately. S89 saw Davos rewarded for their seasons of good moves with a Continental Cup victory, and adding an important tick to the Hall of Fame checklist for Summers. S91 and S92 were also spent with Davos, and those years could not have been more different. Davos went from contender to bottom-feeder, with Lachlan's save percentage plummeting from .933 to .922, which is still extremely good. Lachlan was traded to Warsaw prior to S93, putting up a 40 win season once more. Warsaw did their best to assemble a team around him for one last go round in S94, but they failed to progress past the first round in both years. Lachlan ended his career with unreal numbers and more awards than could fit in one trophy cabinet, and should be on his way to the Hall of Fame quick. What a pick from Davos, grabbing the best goalie in recent memory.

 

Pick Grade: A+
The numbers speaks for themselves, as does the Continental Cup- Summers is the best goalie in recent memory and a HoF candidate. Most would argue Davos got the best player in the draft at 12.

 

13. (TOR) G - Joel Castle @animal74
Career TPE: 1760 (5th)
TPE at draft: 319 (5th)
Toronto Legion (S87-S94) - 567GP, 293W, .924SV%, 2.58GAA
Career Statistics: 567GP, 293W, .925 SV%, 2.58GAA
S84 Founder's Cup (LVA)
S91 Continental Cup (TOR)
S91 Daisuke Kanou Trophy
S94 Victory Cup (TOR)
S91 All-VHL Second Team
2nd in Toronto Legion All Time Wins
6th in Toronto Legion All Time SV%
10th in Toronto Legion All Time GAA

 

The calibre of goalies that came out of this draft class is honestly amazing. I think they are overshadowed by the recognition of Summers a bit, and it's a little unfortunate for them individually that Sparks, Summers, Castle, and Rask were all playing at the same time- as it likely made it hard to compete for individual awards. Toronto made an awesome pick here though, in a goalie who is now considered one of the best of all time for the franchise. Castle spent all 8 seasons of their career here, and put in consistently great performances year after year while playing almost every game. Joel began everything in the VHLM with Las Vegas, winning 6 of the 7 games he played with them in S94, which would conclude in a Founder's Cup. The following season, Castle was truly able to take over the starting job for the Aces, playing 59 regular season games (41W, .911%, 2.34) and Las Vegas made another deep playoff run, but eventually fell short. Castle in the VHLE improved their play dramatically, posting a .937SV% despite playing with a last-place Geneva Rush team. Toronto started Joel from the very beginning of their VHL career, and they played very well right from the beginning, with a .915% in S87 and .922% in S88. Unfortunately, the quality up front the Legion lacked kept Castle below the 20-win plateau. We saw a slight improvement in S89, up to 23 wins, until the team finally broke out of the basement and into the status of perennial playoff team in S90, where Castle would record 38 wins and an impressive 2.29 goals against average. S91 would be the defining season of Joel's career, as well as this era of Toronto, as they would go on to win the championship and shake off a longtime curse for the city, as the last hockey championship in Toronto came in S67 for the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs. The last Legion Continental Cup had come in S65. Castle had by far the best regular season of their career, with a career high in SV% (.938) and GAA (2.06) while playing the highest volume of games in their career at 65. They won 10 of their 15 playoff games and had a .928 postseason SV%, which was good enough to grab the Kanou Trophy for playoff MVP. The last 3 seasons of their career were still on an elite level, although their SV% hovered around a more human .920% rather than the .930% they'd been flirting with for most of their career. Toronto would go on to make one last run for the Cup in S94, but would fall to the Moscow Menace in the Continental Cup Final. This pick could not have turned out better for Toronto, and it's a reasonably rare thing to see a star player like this spend every season with the team that drafted them. Animal74's last player was also super high-calibre in Druss Deathwalker, who coincidentally also played out their whole career with Malmö, the team that drafted them. Animal should be proud of this career, and I'm glad it was rewarded with a championship and the playoff MVP.

 

Pick Grade: A+
Toronto should be overjoyed with how this turned out: a top of the line goalie 100% loyal to the Legion and never leaving the team, getting a Cup as well.

 

14. (HSK) G - Fuukka Rask @Jubis
Career TPE: 1465 (7th)
TPE at draft: 350 (4th)
Helsinki Titans (S87-S93) - 445GP, 195W, .922SV%, 2.80GAA
Seattle Bears (S93-S94) - 99GP, 67W, .928SV%, 2.43GAA
Career Statistics: 544GP, 262W,
S93 Continental Cup (SEA)
S93 Greg Clegane Trophy
S92, S94 All-VHL Second Team
7th in Helsinki Titans All Time Wins
11th in Helsinki Titans All Time SV%
1st in Seattle Bears All Time SV%
6th in Seattle Bears All Time GAA

Rounding out this fantastic goalie class is Fuukka Rask- picked last of the four but certainly not on a lower level than the other three. Rask was drafted onto a Helsinki team that never really reached that top contender status, but managed to get them a cup near the end when they traded them to Seattle at the S93 deadline. Rask went 6-0 in their introductory season to the VHLM with the Philadelphia Reapers, and the following season helped lead the Ottawa Lynx to 1st place in the Eastern Conference with 36 wins and a .912SV%. Sadly, the Lynx would end up blowing a 3-0 lead in the first round to the Philadelphia team Fuukka had played on the season prior and the Reapers would impress everyone by becoming Founder's Cup champions. Rask's VHLE season saw them traded from Istanbul to Bratislava midway through, and although the Watchmen were unable to bypass the first round of the playoffs, Rask had a .940SV% in 37 regular season games, proving they were ready to take the next step. Thus began a bit of a painful three years for Helsinki fans, missing the playoffs in S87, S88, and S89 despite their prospects coming up and performing well. After finishing with 75 points in S88 and barely missing the playoffs, everyone took a step back and the Titans ended up last leaguewide in S89 with only 50 points. Rask, ever consistent, had seasons of .911%, .916%, and .915% respectively. In S90, Helsinki managed playoffs but lost in the wildcard round in a series where Rask would manage to save only 88% of shots. This must have inspired the improvement that followed, because Rask was a force to reckon with in all of the next four years, never posting a season SV% below .925. Fuukka's best season in Helsinki was S92, grabbing 38 wins and finishing with a .935% and 2.27 GAA. They were traded in S93, a season where it was clear Helsinki was not going to make the playoffs, and the Seattle Bears ended up winning the Continental Cup that year. Rask stayed with Seattle for the final year and ended up with the best SV% of their career with a .936%, going out with a bang.

 

Pick Grade: A+
No better goalies were left on the board and Helsinki got someone who devoted most of their career there- Rask is now a legend in Helsinki.

 

15. (CGY) LW - Vincent Laroche-Gagnier @vincentlg2007
Career TPE: 1282 (11th)
TPE at draft: 189 (18th)
Calgary Wranglers (S87-S89) - 248GP, 81G, 86A, 167P
D.C. Dragons (S90-S93) - 330GP, 192G, 230G, 422P
London United (S94) - 76GP, 27G, 37A, 64P
Career Statistics: 654GP, 299G, 353A, 652P, 991HIT, 264SB
S86 Founder's Cup (SDM)
S87 Continental Cup (CGY)
S92 Continental Cup (DCD)
S90, S93 All-VHL Second Team
8th in D.C. Dragons All Time Scoring

 

Vincent Laroche-Gagnier is an interesting player, wildly skilled and numbers that went all over the place. They ended with over a point-per-game in the regular season but just under if we include playoffs, and clearly was an amazing offensive performer. Vincent is also another first-gen who had some wild success coming out of this draft class. VLG was a diehard San Diego Marlin, starting their career off with 9 points in 13 games on S84 SDM. S85 saw these numbers balloon as Vincent threatened the 100-point plateau with 43 goals and 94 points. S86 was a well deserved reward for San Diego, and they took home the cup with the help of Laroche-Gagnier who had 14 playoff points. Having earned enough to skip playing in the VHLE, VLG started their VHL career with the Calgary Wranglers. Vincent showed a ton of improvement while there, first scoring 30 points, then 43, then taking a massive leap to 80. After being traded to the D.C. Dragons, VLG really began to run wild, hitting 100 points for the first time in S90 with 45 goals. The following year they put up 78, and S92 ended up being the year it all came together for the Dragons. They took home the Continental Cup and VLG had 18 points in the playoffs in 17 games. They had recorded 95 in the regular season. By far their most outstanding season, S93 saw Laroche-Gagnier pot 55 goals and score 109 points, earning them a spot on the All-VHL Second Team, just as it had in S90, the other season VLG had 100. In their last season, Vincent headed to London but could only muster 61 regular season points as the team lost in the first round. VLG ended up one of the most productive D.C. Dragons of all time, and will be remembered by their fanbase fondly both for what they did on and off the ice.

 

Pick Grade: B
While Calgary didn't get Vincent's best years, they got a great asset for 3 seasons and a better player than you'd expect to get at 15.

 

16. (DAV) RW - John Richards @John Cimarno
Career TPE: 449 (30th)
TPE at draft: 242 (T-11th)
HC Davos Dynamo (S91-S92) - 150GP, 21G, 35A, 56P
London United (S93) - 88GP, 5G, 6A, 11P
Los Angeles Stars (S94) - 72GP, 26G, 31A, 57P
Career Statistics: 310GP, 52G, 72A, 124P, 512HIT, 134SB
S89 Aldwin Craig Trophy
S90 Renaissance Cup (COL)
S91 Victory Cup (DAV)

 

John Richards is a really late first round pick, and it's not fair to expect everyone to pan out, but John is one of those players where you wonder if they could have changed the game further for Davos. The team got their cup, so they should be happy, but had John kept earning without the long spells of inactivity that plagued their career, who knows if that Davos team might have looked different. Richards still ended up having a respectable VHL career, still getting four seasons and being an asset to their team. We have YET ANOTHER S84 MARLIN in Richards, who earned 12 points in 13 games on that team. John would head to the Ottawa Lynx for S85, and was promptly named the team captain for a season where they would go on to have 86 points. Richards had a significant VHLE career. spending five seasons there and winning a Renaissance Cup with Cologne in S90 and an Aldwin Craig Trophy for best two-way forward in S89 while playing for Bratislava, having scored 85 points alongside 173 hits. John spent the other part of his career in Stockholm, never managing to win a round with them but surely an integral part of the locker room. As far as the VHL went, Richards would finally debut in S91 with Davos with only 13 points on the season, but things were looking up after an encouraging 42-point S92. Richards played for London in S93, but was completely buried in the deep lineup and would only notch 11 points as the roller-coaster of a career continued. John's final season with L.A. was something to be proud of though, being a bright spot in a pretty down season with VHL career highs in goals (26) and points (57). John was notably also a Victory Cup winner in S91 with Davos.

 

Pick Grade: D+
Davos rolled the dice with this first gen and was unfortunate in only getting 2 seasons out of an aging Richards.

 

 

Other draftees with notable VHL careers:

 

17. (VAN) D - Jens Lekman @Bobcat
Career TPE: 824 (18th)
TPE at draft: 224 (14th)
Vancouver Wolves (S87-S88, S93) - 182GP, 16G, 55A, 71P
Los Angeles Stars (S89-S92) - 323GP, 42G, 181A, 222P
Calgary Wranglers (S93-S94) - 122GP, 23G, 79A, 102P
Career Statistics: 627GP, 81G, 329A, 410P, 1218HIT, 1174SB
S87 Victory Cup (VAN)
18th in Los Angeles Stars All Time Scoring

 

18. (CGY) RW - Adam Rage @MrMom
Career TPE: 758 (19th)
TPE at draft: 198 (17th)
HC Davos Dynamo (S87) - 88GP, 13G, 16A, 29P
London United (S88-S89) - 167GP, 35G, 39A, 74P
Los Angeles Stars (S90-S92) - 247GP, 63G, 104A, 167P
Calgary Wranglers (S93-S94) - 144GP, 40G, 41A, 81P
Career Statistics: 650GP, 151G, 200A, 351P, 555HIT, 276SB
S84 Founder's Cup (LVA)
S86 Founder's Cup (SDM)
S88 Continental Cup (LDN)
28th in Los Angeles Stars All Time Scoring

 

23. (LDN) RW - Thor Odinson @GoalPlays
Career TPE: 458 (29th)
TPE at draft: 156 (T-26th)
London United (S90-S91) - 165GP, 23G, 20A, 43P
Seattle Bears (S92) - 72GP, 18G, 19A, 37P
Vancouver Wolves (S93) - 50GP, 6G, 10A, 16P
Calgary Wranglers (S93) - 22GP, 3G, 2A, 5P
Warsaw Predators (S94) - 76GP, 4G, 1A, 5P
Career Statistics: 385GP, 54G, 52A, 106P, 358HIT, 99SB
S89 Renaissance Cup (COL)

25. (MAL) C - Sjin @Sjin
Career TPE: 1170 (12th)
TPE at draft: 155 (28th)
London United (S91-S94) - 340GP, 154G, 203A, 357P
Career Statistics: 340GP, 154G, 203A, 357P, 730HIT, 153SB
S86, S89 Founder's Cup (SDM)
S90 Renaissance Cup (COL)
11th in London United All Time Scoring

30. (WAR) RW - Ben Dover @Zylen
Career TPE: 593 (22nd)
TPE at draft: 120 (T-46th)
Vancouver Wolves (S91-S92) - 144GP, 60G, 66A, 126P
London United (S93-S94) - 162GP, 37G, 65A, 102P
Career Statistics: 306GP, 97G, 131A, 228P, 282HIT, 193SB
S86 Founder's Cup (SDM)
S89 Renaissance Cup (COL)

31. (MAL) G - Justin Lion @Emperor_Fun
Career TPE: 473 (25th)
TPE at draft: 124 (44th)
Malmö Nighthawks (S90-91) - 28GP, 11W, .930SV%, 2.34GAA
Vancouver Wolves (S91) - 39GP, 9W, .913SV%, 3.88GAA
Seattle Bears (S92-S93) - 57GP, 13W, .917SV%, 3.89 GAA
Helsinki Titans (S93-S94) - 97GP, 30W, .908SV%, 3.78GAA
Career Statistics: 221GP, 63W, .914SV%, 3.63GAA
S86 Skylar Rift Trophy
S86 Benoit Devereux Trophy
S87, S89 Renaissance Cup (COL)
S88 Orion D H Chiester IX Trophy
19th in Seattle Bears All Time SV%

34. (TOR) RW - Timothy Swearingen @Timmy30
Career TPE: 462 (27th)
TPE at draft: 116 (50th)
Warsaw Predators (S90) - 72GP, 9G, 8A, 17P
Vancouver Wolves (S91) - 72GP, 11G, 17A, 28P
Seattle Bears (S92) - 72GP, 18G, 25A, 43P
Los Angeles Stars (S93-S94) - 144GP, 50G, 61A, 111P
Career Statistics: 360GP, 88G, 111A, 199P, 523HIT, 149SB

40. (LAS) G - Matthew McCagg @Jack kidd
Career TPE: 624 (21st)
TPE at draft: 141 (35th)
Los Angeles Stars (S90-S94) - 150GP, 28W, .914SV%, 4.06GAA
Career Statistics: 150GP, 28W, .914SV%, 4.06GAA
S87 Founder's Cup (OTT)
S87 Skylar Rift Trophy
S87 Benoit Devereux Trophy
4th in Los Angeles Stars All Time Wins

44. (LAS) RW - Keon Jeannot @Lucas anton
Career TPE: 740 (20th)
TPE at draft: 137 (36th)
New York Americans (S90-S94) - 378GP, 126G, 164A, 290P
Career Statistics: 378GP, 126G, 164A, 290P, 509HIT, 145SB
S85 Founder's Cup (PHI)
S89 Renaissance Cup (COL)
40th in New York Americans All Time Scoring

46. (TOR) D - Sigma Freud @CODENAMEJIMMY
Career TPE: 448 (31st)
TPE at draft: 145 (33rd)
Vancouver Wolves (S90) - 83GP, 4G, 19A, 23P
Chicago Phoenix (S91-S92) - 148GP, 23G, 66A, 89P
Seattle Bears (S93-S94) - 175GP, 8G, 49A, 57P
Career Statistics: 406GP, 35G, 134A, 169P, 363HIT, 659SB
S87, S89 Renaissance Cup (COL)
S89 Florida Man Trophy
S89 Jake Thunder Trophy
S93 Continental Cup (SEA)

55. (DCD) RW - Lucas Grey @emidas
Career TPE: 1149 (14th)
TPE at draft: 55 (62nd)
D.C. Dragons (S88-S94) - 546GP, 215G, 268A, 483P
Career Statistics: 546GP, 215G, 268A, 483P, 795HIT, 297SB
S86 Founder's Cup (SDM)
S92 Continental Cup (DCD)
6th in D.C. Dragons All Time Scoring

 

Many of these users already have new players on their way to more strong careers, and some are just now making a fresh start. Others are taking a break, but I am excited to see how it goes for everyone next time around. Congratulations to all the players who were able to make it to the VHL!

 

Edited August 16 by sadie

[kirbithan 1,765]

a BEHEMOTH of an article and amazing read! the perfect send off for the s86 folks. so glad to have been a part of this project with you for your first piece for vsn!

[jacobcarson877 2,563]

What an awesome class, brings me back to some great times! Great shoutout and hope we'll get some equally great careers in the 94-96 range as well!

 

[Ricer13 2,824]

Wow what a write up and a great graphic too!

 

Love reading these. 

[Triller 1,688]

Top notch writing and graphic!  It is very cool to look back at all of our players. Seems like it was a long time ago so the trip down memory lane is wonderful!

[Alex 3,248]

Thank you for the reminder that Davos won the draft! Jk, great read Sadie!

[Jubis 1,350]

Wow 10/10 no 11/10

Amazing 

[Lemorse7 1,021]

So many words 

[Pifferfish 596]

1 hour ago, Lemorse7 said:

So many words 

Just 8,300+

[Pifferfish 596]

@sadie only need 87,600 more to beat Kaleeb.

[OrbitingDeath 3,229]

Awesome recap

[v.2 1,411]

Awesome article! This is the stuff I love to see from VSN with a super clean graphic to boot.

[DarkSpyro 973]

Overall a good read @sadie.
You missed some major points here and there, but that’s more than forgivable when the article is of this size.

[okochastar 97]

very odd draft

[vincentlg2007 498]

On 8/14/2024 at 9:05 PM, sadie said:

Calgary never managed to take home a cup with VLG there

They did actually ! 

[sadie 941]

5 minutes ago, vincentlg2007 said:

They did actually ! 

 

will adjust

[LucyXpher 1,578]

Amazing article!  Well done!

[animal74 1,855]

Great job and thanks for the nice career review!

[emidas 82]

Best 55th pick of all time

 

My next goal will be to get drafted even lower and surpass this guy