New Number, Who Dis?

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New Number, Who Dis?

 

As of October 20^th, 2024, most VHL teams have now played ten games in Season Ninety-Six. So far, the Seattle Bears and Vancouver Wolves are tied for first place in the North American Conference with identical 7-2-1 records. During the off-season both teams were very busy re-tooling their rosters in hopes of heading back to the Continental Cup finals this season. Today we will look at some of those new players that are playing their first season on those clubs.

Vancouver Wolves:

 

After a few years of disappointment in Vancouver, the Wolves General Manager Frank Chadwick decided it was time to shake up the roster to attempt to finally get over that playoff hump. Last season the Wolves were bounced from the playoffs in game seven of the conference semi-finals, losing to the Chicago Phoenix in a 2-0 shutout in the deciding game seven at home. Now ten games into the season, the Wolves are currently looking better than they have since Season Eighty-Nine, the last time the Wolves were in the Continental Cup Finals.

King Kisslinger (S90- C)

First on the list is a player with over 1000 TPA, King Kisslinger. Kisslinger was drafted fifteenth overall in the Season Ninety draft by the Warsaw Predators. Kisslinger spent the last five seasons of his VHL career after joining the Predators for Season Ninety-One season. In 360 games player with the Predators, Kisslinger put up 142 goals and 199 assists. Kisslinger also brings some playoff experience to the Wolves roster as Kisslinger and the Predators appeared in the playoffs the last three seasons for a total of twelve playoff games. In those twelve playoff games Kisslinger put up seven goals and ten assists. Now ten games in with his new team Kisslinger has put up over a point per game with six goals and eight assists in those early ten games. With most of the season still ahead, Kisslinger and the entire Wolves organization hope they trade of a first and second round picks in Season Ninety-Eight will be well worth it come seasons end.

Matteo Stefano (S94 – RW)

Stefano was the first pick up by the Wolves this offseason, when they picked up Stefano for one player (Owen Lazaro) and two picks (Season Ninety-Seven first and a Season Ninety-Sevent third) back on September 29, 2024. Stefano was selected fifteenth overall by the HC Davos Dynamo in the Season Ninety-Four draft and immediately joined the Dynamo last season for his rookie season. In seventy-two games played with the Dynamo last season Stefano put up twenty-four goals and twenty-one assists. Stefano also played in all fifteen playoffs games for the Dynamo last season, where he put up five assists. Now ten games into his first season with the Wolves, Stefano has put up four goals and five assists, which is good enough for sixth on the Wolves in points so far this season. With new surroundings this season for Stefano, many in the Wolves organization wouldn’t bat an eye if Stefano did put up the same point total as last season with the Dynamo, but at his current pace, Stefano appears to be exceeding expectations early in the season.

 

Erik Thorvaldsson (S94 – D)

The last new member of the Wolves, Thorvaldsson was acquired by the Wolves just a few days before the season began from the Las Angeles Stars.  The Wolves acquired Thorvaldsson on October 15^th, 2024, for two first round picks (Season Ninety-Seven Riga and Toronto) and defenseman Joe Block, who was acquired by the Wolves from the Calgary Wranglers just eleven days earlier. Thorvaldsson was drafted by the Los Angeles Stars with the fourteenth overall pick in the Season Ninety-Four VHL Entry Draft and joined the team right after the draft for his rookie season. Thorvaldsson played well for the Stars last season, even though the team didn’t finish the season very high in the North American Conference standings. Thorvaldsson put up eleven goals and forty assists for the Stars last season, which was fourth best amongst the entire Stars roster. Now with the Wolves this season , Thorvaldsson has put up five assists in the first ten games, while also bringing his great defensive play with a plus minus of plus four, thirteen hits and fourteen shots blocked. Brought in to be a big part of keeping the puck out of the net, Thorvaldsson has been paying off for the Wolves so far.

Seattle Bears:

The other North American based VHL club that finds themselves in the early tie for first place, is the Seattle Bears. The Bears have been a picture of consistency in the VHL for many years already, so seeing them at the top of the standings is no surprise. General Manager Blake Campbell went ahead this off-season re-tooling the roster as it seems he does every off-season to keep the team at the top of the standings. Of the eleven players currently on the Bears roster, over fifty percent are in their first season donning the Bears jersey.

Carson Walker Jr (S89 – RW)

First on the list of new Bears players in VHL journeyman Carson Walker Jr. After joining the Bears this off-season, Walker Jr. joined his fourth VHL team in his fifth VHL season, coming back to the North American conference after spending last season with the Riga Reign. IN 288 games played in his VHL career prior to Season Ninety-Six, Walker Jr. put up 117 goals and 135 assists, which for a player that hasn’t found a consistent home is some really great numbers. This season with the Bears Walker Jr has played in all ten games for the team and has contributed with five goals and three assists, which is good enough for seventh on the team in overall points. With a very good offensive team around him in Seattle, will Season Ninety-Six be the season that Carson tops his highest point total of eight-one points he put up with Davos back in Season Ninety-Three.

 

Eno Velvson (S90 – LW)

Season Ninety draftee Eno Velvson joined the Bears this offseason in a trade that saw Severus Targaryen being sent the other way to the Riga Reign. Velvson was drafted twenty-fifth overall by the D.C. Dragons in the Season Ninety VHL Entry Draft and played the last three seasons with Riga after a trade to Riga back in Season Ninety-Two. While Velvson is not currently practicing with the Bears each week, he is still showing up to games each night and has put up three goals and three assists in his first ten games with Seattle. Velvson has been part of VHL clubs recently that saw a lot of club success with him on the roster, and Seattle will be hoping that Velvson can bring a cup to Seattle this season, like he helped Riga do last year.

Sunset Moth (S91 – D)

Sunset Moth joins the Seattle Bears after spending the first two years of his VHL career with the HC Davos Dynamo, after being dealt to Davos by the Warsaw Predators in Season Ninety-three. Warsaw originally drafted Moth thirteenth overall back in the Season Ninety-One VHL Entry Draft before trading him to Davos before he was able to play a game in Warsaw. Moth got his feet wet in the VHL with Davos, enduring a rough first season with the rebuilding Dynamo before playing on a club last season that made it back to the playoffs. In 144 games played with Davos the past two seasons, Moth put up sixteen goals and forty assists. Moth also got a taste of the VHL playoffs last season and in the Dynamos fifteen games he appeared in, was able to put up one goal and two assists. Now in his first season with the Bears, Moth has almost matched his point total from all of last season, as the young defenseman has put up one goal and nine assists in the Bears first ten games. With over sixty games remaining in the season, it wouldn’t be a stretch to predict that Moth will be putting gup career numbers this season, in his first season with the Bears.

Nathan Ecker (S93 – RW)

Nathan Ecker is the next player on our list of “new” arrivals in Seattle, as the Season Ninety-Three draftee was acquired from the London United hockey club on October 9^th, 2024., for a Malmo Nighthawks second round pick in Season Ninety-Seven. Of course, if you investigate Eckers player movement, you will technically notice the six-foot right winger technically played in Seattle in his rookie season in Season Ninety-Five, he was technically traded away from Seattle when they started the re-tooling. General Manager Campbell and Ecker had a change of heart after the initial trade that took place on October 2, 2024, and the Bears re-acquired Ecker on October 9, 2024. Last season with the Bears Ecker had a decent rookie season in Seattle, putting up fifteen goals and thirty assists in the Bears seventy-two regular season games. Ecker also appears in all ten playoff games for the Bears, where he put up a respectable two goals and three assists. Now as the season progresses, Campbell and the Bears organization hope that re-acquiring Ecker just seven days after trading him away will pay dividends not only in the regular season but also in the VHL post-season.   

Lazlo Holmes (S94 – D)

Lazlo Holmes is playing in his second VHL season this year in Season Ninety-Six after his rookie season with the Prague Phantoms. Holmes was originally drafted by the Phantoms, tenth overall in the Season Ninety-Four draft and with the TPE he possessed prior to the draft was able to jump right into the VHL for the Prague based VHL team. Holmes had a very good season offensively as a defenseman for the Phantom last season, as he put up nineteen goals and thirty-four assists in the Phantoms seventy-two games. Despite the great season from Holmes, he and the club were unable to break into the VHL playoffs as Prague finished as the worst team in the VHL with a 11-55-6 record. Then just a few games before the season began, Holmes found himself leaving the only VHL organization he knew as the Bears acquired him from the Phantoms for a Season Ninety-Eight Las Angeles first rounder, along with a Season Ninety-Seven second (Las Angeles) and third rounder (London). With the Bears paying quite a price to bring in Holmes, the feeling was a lot was expected out of the young defenseman in Seattle. So far in the ten games Seattle has played in Holmes has not disappointed. In those ten games Holmes has put up four goals, six assists, a plus/minus of plus six, fourteen hits and seventeen shots blocked. With a great start under his belt so far in the early going of Season Ninety-Six, Holmes has already endured himself to the Bears management and faithful fans.

 

The Phantom of the VHL (S94 – C)

The last player on our list of new members of the Vancouver Wolves and Seattle Bears, The Phantom of the VHL, is another Season Ninety-Four draftee that was targeted by the Bears to help their re-tooling this season. The Phantom of the VHL was picked up by the Bears on the same day they picked up Holmes on October 15^th, 2024. The Phantom of the VHL spent the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Stars, where he put up good numbers especially considering his TPE during those two seasons. In 144 games played for the Los Angeles Stars, The Phantom of the VHL put up forty-six goals and seventy-six assists. Unfortunately, during his tenure with the Stars, the team didn’t have the greatest success on the ice, which meant The Phantom of the VHL has not seen any VHL playoff action in his first two seasons in the league. After being traded to the Bears, it was expected that The Phantom of the VHL would continue to put up points for the team and in the ten games so far, he has done just that. The Phantom of the VHL has put up four goals and seven assists, while putting up a 8.33 shooting percentage. Now The Phantom of the VHL has started off hot in his first season with the Bears, the question is now will be able to finish it the same way?

 

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[Banackock 8,035]

Great write up. Go Bears go! Awesome to see everybody doing so well on the team so far. Love reading Bears content. 

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