Pier 21: Jon Webber III (#91) Jersey Retirement

[LucyXpher 1,480]

It's a special day for the Halifax 21st as we have the opportunity to recognize the incredible achievements of a player who has been a huge part of our success over the past 4 seasons.  

 

To tell this story properly, however, we have to go back to the S93 VHLM Dispersal draft-- to the 5th round-- where Jon Webber III was selected 46th overall.  Halifax acquired goaltender Samuel Wazinski prior to the draft that offseason to pair with the returning Kendra Cavill. Both were considered active at the time, though neither had yet responded to my messages when I reached out.  For some reason, however, Jon Webber III stood out to me in that draft class-- which was funny because he never answered my scouting interview!  In any case, when our pick at #46 came around and he was still available, I felt very strongly about selecting him-- so strongly in fact that I made a trade that I would come to regret shortly after.  

 

Because VHLM rules don't allow teams to carry 3 goalies on the roster for any extended period of time, in order to select Webber III, we'd need to move on from one of our other goalies.  Having just acquired Wazinski, it was Cavill on the chopping block-- for an S93 7th round pick that became Robert Tango, a player who would never make it to the regular season due to inactivity. It was only after the trade that I finally heard from Cavill who was disappointed to be leaving Halifax and had a personal connection to the city in real life.  I definitely didn't feel particularly great about this, to say nothing of the underwhelming trade return, and it would become the motivation for another trade in S94-- but that's another story.  In S93 we got our goalie of the future in Jon Webber III and it wasn't long before that pick began paying dividends!

 

By the second week of games in S93, Samuel Wazinski was on the verge of inactivity and Webber III had all but taken over the starting role for Halifax as we were in a good position to contend that season.  When Wazinski was eventually dropped from the active roster, the net belonged to Webber and he played exceptionally well for us through the rest of that season as we finished 2nd in the VHLM with a 51-17-4 record and 106 points-- only 3 points back of Ottawa for 1st overall.  For his part, Webber went 41-14-4 that season with a .899 SV%, 2.23 GAA, and 4 shutouts.  It was still early days for him, but by season's end he was approaching the TPE cap of 200 and was one of the top goaltending options in the league. It was in the S93 playoffs that Webber III began setting Halifax records.  In his first 3 playoff games, Webber recorded 3 straight shutouts, setting the franchise record for the most playoff shutouts.  Sure, the bar was low at only 3 total, but to do it in his first 3 playoff games was very impressive! Halifax would fall in the 2nd round to the eventual Founder's Cup winners in the Saskatoon Wild, but the foundation was set for S94.

 

In his second season with the team, Webber III would find another level.  S94 would see the 21st record the 2nd best season in franchise history-- 58-9-5 with 121 points and a +150 goal differential!  Playing 61 games for the team that season, Webber III went 50-7-4 with a .914 SV%, 1.72 GAA, and 11 shutouts, capturing the Benoit Devereux Trophy as the league's top goaltender.  Though his numbers in the playoffs would take a dip, he still managed a 10-5-0 record, even as Halifax lost in the Founder's Cup Finals to the Wild once again.  Finishing S94 with 91 career wins, poetically matching his jersey number and setting the new franchise mark, Webber was expected to be done with the VHLM as he had surpassed the 200 TPE cap.  His 15 shutouts at the time were only 2 behind the franchise record, and with his overall record, a case could certainly be made that he was the top goalie in Halifax history.  

 

S95 would see Webber III play for the Cologne Express in the VHLE as they captured the King's Cup and the Renaissance Cup, winning both the regular season and the playoffs in what would be the final VHLE season.  Webber III was outstanding as Cologne's starter and collected the Orion D H Chiester IX Trophy as the best goaltender in the VHLE with a 44-11-1 record, a .930 SV%, 1.82 GAA, and 7 shutouts.  When the VHLE was dissolved at the end of that season and the VHLM was expanded to a 400 TPE cap, Webber III elected to return to Halifax for one more season-- his final season before reaching the VHL.  

 

Backstopping a very young and inexperienced Halifax team that was not expected to go far, Webber III posted perhaps his most remarkable season to date.  With a team that, by all accounts, should have been fighting to stay out of the basement, Webber III put together a 32-18-1 season in 51 games.  His 32 wins were the 5th most by any goaltender-- despite sharing 21 games with Chad Powers-- and he ranked 1st in the league with his .928 SV%, 2nd among starters with a 1.67 GAA, and 1st again with 8 shutouts.  By all accounts, Webber III finished the season as a favorite to claim another Devereux Trophy and perhaps even more league hardware as he was definitely Halifax's MVP in S96.  

 

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Webber III completes his Halifax career with an astonishing 123-39-9 record in 172 games.  Among all Halifax goalies, Webber ranks 2nd in games played, 1st in wins (48 more than 2nd place!), 6th overall with a .913 SV%, 1st with a career 1.88 GAA, and 1st with 23 shutouts.  His 3 playoff shutouts remain the most in franchise history, as are his 33 playoff games played and 19 wins, while at 2.24, Webber's playoff GAA is 2nd.  

 

On the VHLM all-time goalies list, Webber III ranks 10th with his 123 wins despite playing significantly fewer games than some goalies and ranking 32nd in games played.  Removing goalies with 40 or fewer VHLM games, Webber's .913 SV% is 20th all-time, and his 1.88 GAA is 8th. And no matter how you filter it, Webber's 23 shutouts put him in a tie for 3rd among all VHLM goalies.

 

Since being a member of the Halifax 21st, Webber has been a consistent and steady earner, never needing to be reminded to update or stay active.  It's been a breath of fresh air as a GM to simply set him in the lineup and watch him perform night after night.  With his most games played in a season being 61, Webber III has always been open and willing to share the net with the other goalies we've had during his time-- especially this past season, graciously giving way to Powers for 21 games despite the huge TPE difference.  Without a doubt, Jon Webber III is the greatest goalie in Halifax franchise history and one of the top goalies to come through the VHL.  Though Halifax never could complete the goal of winning a Founder's Cup with Jon Webber III in the net, we came very close and it was an incredible journey each time.  

 

Congratulations @Webberj on a fantastic VHLM career with Halifax and thank you for everything you contributed to our team!  

Halifax is proud to raise your #91 to the rafters-- the 4th jersey retirement in our 35 season history.  

 

 

Halifax Career Regular Season: 172 GP, 123 W, 39 L, 9 OTL, 0.913 SV%, 1.88 GAA, 23 SO
Halifax Career Playoffs: 33 GP, 19 W, 13 L, 1 OTL, 0.893 SV%, 2.24 GAA, 3 SO

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LucyXpher 12/03/2024

1300+ words

 

Edited Tuesday at 11:25 PM by LucyXpher

[Mysterious_Fish 389]

42 minutes ago, LucyXpher said:

S95 would see Webber III play for the Cologne Express in the VHLE as they captured the King's Cup and the Renaissance Cup, winning both the regular season and the playoffs in what would be the final VHLE season.  Webber III was outstanding as Cologne's starter and collected the Orion D H Chiester IX Trophy as the best goaltender in the VHLE with a 44-11-1 record, a .930 SV%, 1.82 GAA, and 7 shutouts.  When the VHLE was dissolved at the end of that season and the VHLM was expanded to a 400 TPE cap, Webber III elected to return to Halifax for one more season-- his final season before reaching the VHL.  

The best team is right here

[LucyXpher 1,480]

Just now, Mysterious_Fish said:

The best team is right here

S94 Halifax was better 

[Mysterious_Fish 389]

6 minutes ago, LucyXpher said:

S94 Halifax was better 

Cologne is just the best team in any of the 3 leagues

 

[LucyXpher 1,480]

37 minutes ago, Mysterious_Fish said:

Cologne is just the best team in any of the 3 leagues

 

There are only 2 leagues though