Of course the Theme week topic is Rookies, just look at the talent in this VHL rookie listing

[JCarson 722]

This season’s theme week is rookies. Which it obviously should be considering the depth of this seasons VHL rookie group. Although there are 2 season 95 players who have snuck their way into this rookie class (Konstyantyn Shevchenko(der meister) and Roger Eagles (Greg Di)) and a season 89 breakout star in Med (first generation player Med, drafted 36th) the bulk of the rookie class is formed by the draftees of season 94. For those that don’t remember that draft, I can only guess that you joined the VHL after that date or you have or very soon will be diagnosed with a brain disorder, because that draft contained the most depth of any draft in seasons. Of the 17 players who have made it to the VHL from that draft class it represents a powerhouse of talent that will be shaping the league for seasons. The interesting thing about that list is they currently represent only 8 teams. For full disclosure 9 teams drafted in the first round, but one player got traded afterwards. Not sure what the other 8 teams in the league are thinking but seriously you missed out severely on this draft. 

 

Those benefiting from the season 94 draft being:  Moscow Menace (2), HC Davos Dynamo (3), Vancouver Wolves (3), Toronto Legion (1), Los Angeles Stars (4), Prague Fantoms (1), New York Americans (1) and Helsinki Titans (2). 

 

Moscow Menace: General Manager Spartan was somehow able to position both the first and second pick in this draft and took 2 guaranteed superstars:  Maverick Goncalves (leandrofg(GM of Calgary)) and Jillian Woods (jacobcarson877(ex GM of London)).  Can we say max earning, highly engaged players who know how to build.  Does anyone remember the Calgary Wranglers in the 80’s.  Somehow everyone but Spartan forgot that outside Daniel Janser the Calgary Wranglers were built on the back of leandrofg and jacobcarson877’s prior players. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a repeat of those performances in the 90’ with these new players. 

 

Vancouver Wolves: General Manager Frank must have been paying attention as he was able to pick up 3 players who, by the way sit 4th, 5th, and 6th in TPE within this group.  Pierre Marc Bouchard (Gaikoku-hito, drafted 3rd, AGM of Vancouver), Bollos de Trueno (Thunder, drafted 4th) and Soju (Frank, drafted 5th, GM of Vancouver) are all well-established strong earning players who will make any team better. Having all 3 will provide Vancouver a solid foundation to build on for seasons to come. 

 

Toronto Legion: General Manager Moon may have taken a significant risk and gotten a magnificent reward with the 11th overall pick in the season 94 draft by taking first generation player Andrew Skilton (ace five), now sitting 7th overall in TPE this defender is going to provide significant back-end depth over their career. This may have been the steal of the draft. 

 

Los Angeles Start: General Manager Instant Rock Star has four fearsome competitors in Erik Thorvaldsson (Tetricide, drafted 14th, GM of Prague), The Phantom of the VHL (Hogan, drafted 12) and Wally Lose (youloser1337, drafted 20th) and Pombo (Samx, drafted 8th, GM of Helsinki) .  The collective group may form the strongest depth picks.  These players now sit 8th, 10th, 11t , and 13th in TPE meaning they have worked their way up the charts and are prepared to crush anything that gets in their path. 

 

Prague Phantoms: For anyone who is counting we have discussed the top 2 in TPE and 4th through 11th, skipping only 3rd and 9th.  Prague was able to pick up the player who now currently sits 9th overall in Lazlo Holmes (Gustav, drafted 10th, VHLM commissioner).  Now don’t let the current TPE position of 9th fool you because we are talking about the Gustav that wrote the book on how to build players.  A quick forum search and a few hours of reading very lengthy posts will let you know that they know what they are doing and will maximize every TPE they earn.  That will only help General Manager Tetricide in taking the Phantoms to the playoffs repeatedly. 

 

New York Americans: Don’t ignore General manager STZ as they have the privileged of having Tommy Shelby (Will, drafted 9th) sitting at center for their team.  Tommy Shelby will be putting up steady numbers throughout their career. 

 

Helsinki Titans: General manager Sam got in on Season 94 by picking up two magnificent players in first generation player The Mighty Ice Wizard (Royski, drafted 7th) and returning veteran Maple Dogwood (dogwoodmaple, drafted 13th).  Currently sitting 15th and 17th in TPE these two will provide a strong backbone for Helsinki to build on. 

 

Lastly HC Davos Dynamo: General manager Alex picked up 3 players that are coming together on the team this season.  Felicia Hardy (JCarson, drafed 6th) Johnny Tsumani (Vice, drafted 18th) and Matteo Stefano (mmrs617, drafted 15th) may be the second biggest steal of the season 94 draft.  Currently sitting 3rd, 12th, and 16th in TPE they have merged in well with the Davos lineup.  I would expect you will see Davos finally holding a regular playoff spot in the European Conference and potentially contending for a cup in the near future. 

 

Rookies can make a substantial difference in the VHL, with high performing rookies providing a boost to the team without a large charge to the salary cap. The noted 8 teams definitely hit it big in getting players from this draft class to fill out their rosters. I expect that only time will tell which of these players will earn Hall of Fame honors.  If I were a betting individual, I would suggest that more than one of the individuals on this list is destined to have their names added to the VHL Hall of Fame. 

 

So you heard it here, the rookie class of Season 95 is filled with top talent to keep an eye on, to follow throughout their careers and potentially watch their induction into the Hall of Fame.  Rookies, a great theme week topic for a great group of rookies. 

 

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[JCarson 722]

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