The S95 All-Rookie Team at the Midway Point

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After Antonia Bucatini’s 93-point campaign last season shook the definition of what was possible in a VHL rookie season, there was some curiosity as to what some of the highly-touted S94 draft picks making their VHL debuts in S95 would follow it up with.

 

The S95 rookie class is extremely deep - we saw none of the top-11 picks from S94 make the jump to the VHL immediately, but then two of S95’s top-4 picks did, and S93 7th overall pick Jorgen Lovstrom is also in his rookie season - so there’s a ton of top-end talent. A little over halfway through the season, though, it doesn’t appear that anyone will challenge what Bucatini accomplished, with Maverick Goncalves leading all rookies in scoring with 42 points in 41 games. Regardless, it’s an excellent crop of new players, so let’s explore some of the best at their respective positions.

 

Forwards
Maverick Goncalves (MOS) - 41GP, 20G, 22A, 42P, +43, 64PIM, 147HIT, 9SB
S94’s first overall pick was always the slight favourite for Rookie of the Year in this strong crop of first-year players, and so far he’s been living up to that billing. It’s not just that he’s leading the class in scoring with 42 points in 41 games, it’s that he’s also exceptionally strong defensively for a young player. Goncalves was probably already VHL ready in S94 but opted to delay his entry into the league by a season and as a result, he’s hit the league a ready-made impact player. With 147 hits and a league-leading +43 rating, he’s stepped right into a role on one of the VHL’s best teams and looks completely comfortable.

 

Wally Lose (LAS) - 40GP, 15G, 21A, 36P, -17, 30PIM, 42HIT, 23SB
Lose is tied for second among VHL rookies in scoring, and leads the Stars in both scoring and shots on goal as he attempts to help carry the mail for a very young Los Angeles team that is clearly still rebuilding. Lose has the offensive ability to make things happen already in his young career and has a lot of upside, just isn’t as refined defensively at this point in his career. He’s pacing for a 65-point rookie season, which is a remarkable success for the Stars given that they selected him with a high-second round pick (20th overall) in S94. There will be a number of good young rookie forwards gunning for a spot on the all-rookie team and Goncalves feels like the only lock, but Lose has positioned himself in the driver’s seat as far as claiming one of the two remaining spots goes.

 

Pombo (LAS) - 40GP, 15G, 17A, 32P, -7, 28PIM, 79HIT, 19SB
S94’s 8th overall pick Pombo - a teammate of Lose - is enjoying a relatively successful rookie campaign of their own. This spot could easily go to Prague forward Med or Vancouver forward Pierre Marc Bouchard - Med is tied with Lose with 36 points, but is a -28 playing for a struggling Prague team, while Bouchard is tied with Pombo at 32 points, but just doesn’t bring the same element of physicality; Pombo has the edge 169-153 in shots on goal as well as the 79-8 edge in hits. All three can make their case, but we’ve opted to select Pombo, a 6-foot, 225 pound winger who plays stylistically similar to their teammate Lose, including a heavy shot that should continue to get better and make the winger an even bigger threat down the line.

 

Honourable Mentions
Med (PRG) - 40GP, 16G, 20A, 36P, -28, 28PIM, 84HIT, 22SB
Pierre Marc Bouchard (VAN) - 40GP, 15G, 17A, 32P, 8, 11PIM, 8HIT, 11SB

 

Defenders
Lazlo Holmes (PRG) - 11G, 24A, 35P, -38, 26PIM, 38HIT, 140SB
Lazlo Holmes has stepped straight into a big role for the Prague Phantoms - a team who really needed a star player to stand out for them as a cornerstone player to build around. He has certainly provided them with that. Though Holmes sports an unsightly -38 rating, it’s hard to fault him for that, having contributed 11 goals, 35 points, and 140 blocked shots to the cause. All three of those numbers top rookie defenders in those categories. Holmes is not particularly physical, but he has a devastating shot (especially considering he’s only 5-foot-10 and 194 pounds) and is very advanced defensively, also with surprisingly good hands for a blueliner. In a rookie class that features three defenders picked above him in S94, Holmes has risen to the top in his rookie season.

 

Jillian Woods (MOS) - 41GP, 10G, 21A, 31P, -6, 38PIM, 55HIT, 92SB
The last defender spot, kind of like the last forward spot, is one that could truly go any direction - this one is an even tougher pick than the forward one. Woods, the first defender taken in S94, gets the edge for us primarily due to filling a prominent role on the league’s second-leading team in Moscow. With 31 points, 55 hits, and 92 blocked shots, Woods plays a complete game already. She’ll likely need to add strength at some point to take the next step, but she is a brilliant skater with flawless positioning and gap control and the ability to stickhandle her way out of trouble. The closest contenders are Felicia Hardy - who plays for a strong team herself and has 1 more point than Woods, but 4 fewer goals and 19 fewer blocked shots - and Erik Thorvaldsson, who is also right up there with 30 points and has 80 hits and 110 blocked shots, numbers that frankly do stand out a bit over Woods but in an environment less demanding than playing on a Victory Cup contender.

 

Honourable Mentions
Felicia Hardy (DAV) - 41GP, 6G, 26A, 32P, -8, 44PIM, 62HIT, 73SB
Erik Thorvaldsson (LAS) - 40GP, 6G, 24A, 30P, -11, 64PIM, 80HIT, 110SB

 

Goalie
Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen (DAV) - 33GP, 18-12-3, 0.919SV%, 2.38GAA, 1SO, 979SA
Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen has taken the reigns between the pipes quickly in Davos, and has helped them to an 18-12-3 record when he plays, picking up his first shutout and posting an 0.919 SV% in the process. With excellent hand speed, reflexes, and rebound control he’s got a firm grasp of everything that makes a strong netminder at the VHL level and just needs to work on his lateral mobility to become even tougher to beat. Davos has opted to rely on a rookie netminder and still find themselves firmly entrenched among the second-tier of teams in the VHL standings, proving that the occasion is not too big for Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen. Right on his heels is Malmo’s Jorgen Lovstrom, who has ceded the net part-time to Karl Herzlich and as a result has played in just 15 games. Lovstrom’s 11-2-2 record and 0.921 SV% when he plays are a testament to his talent and indicate he could very well be the best goalie in this class, but we’ll opt for the success over a more sustained sample size in Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen. S95 third overall pick Henry Eagles deserves some credit for his strong play in a bit of a difficult situation in Los Angeles, especially given he’s a year younger than the two previously mentioned goalies.

 

Honourable Mentions
Jorgen Lovstrom (MAL) - 15GP, 11-2-2, 0.921SV%, 2.43GAA, 1SO, 468SA
Roger Eagles (LAS) - 40GP, 14-22-4, 0.918SV%, 3.22GAA, 0SO, 1544SA
THE MIGHTY ICE WIZARD (HSK) - 36GP, 10-21-5, 0.912SV%, 3.68GAA, 2SO, 1527SA
 

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players mentioned: @leandrofg @youloser1337 @Gaikoku-hito @Med @Gustav  @JCarson @jacobcarson877 @samx @Tetricide @Greg_Di @Pifferfish @Snussu

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