VSN Presents: S97 VHL Awards

[LucyXpher 1,937]

Graphic: @SMYLS4

 

As we slowly creep towards the end of a long offseason, it’s time to look back at S97, on the incredible regular season that was, and on the playoffs that left many shocked and looking for answers– pundits and players alike! Love him or hate him, Simon never rarely fails to surprise, and the sims brought all sorts of excitement from the first game of the season to the last game of the Continental Cup finals.

 

Join us at 9pm EST this evening for the S97 VHL Awards presentation with written contributions from a new member of VSN, @Komrad.  Awards season is a great opportunity to come together and congratulate the best and brightest of the VHL, the up-and-comers, and the unsung heroes who find themselves in the conversation. Whether you expect to win an award, or whether you’re nominated, or even if you have teammates in the running, it’s a great opportunity to continue to build the VHL community and reflect on another great season as we continue the march toward 100!

 

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Friday, March 7th, 9pm EST

Edited Friday at 11:34 PM by LucyXpher

[Banackock 8,375]

Looking forward to being snuddeb tonight. 
 

 

[LucyXpher 1,937]

Here are the nominees for tonight’s awards!

 

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Daisuke Kanou Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed to be the most valuable player in the playoffs”

Axle Gunner @Steve
Eric White Jr @Mysterious_Fish
Giorgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87
Severus Targaryen @Banackock
The Phantom of the VHL @Hogan

 

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Alexander Valiq Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed to be the top offensive defenseman in the VHL”

Bollos de Trueno @Thunder
Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Jillian Woods @jacobcarson877
Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage @Grape

 

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Jake Wylde Trophy
“Awarded to the VHL's top defensive defenseman”

Callum Gary Yannick Janser @Daniel Janser
Fradin McGryer @Fradin99
Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher
YaBoi Oven @Doomsday

 

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Sterling Labatte Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed to be the top overall defenseman in the VHL”

Bollos de Trueno @Thunder
Callum Gary Yannick Janser @Daniel Janser
Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher
Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage @Grape
YaBoi Oven @Doomsday

 

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Aidan Shaw Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed to be the top goalie in the VHL”

Dalkr Vidersson @KaleebtheMighty
Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish
Soju @Frank

 

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Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed to be the top rookie in the VHL”

Brandon Petan Jr @sadie
Bric Sheithaus @Oldhead91
Deadpanda @Alex
Ondrej Vencko @Mutti
Youre Not Fucking Retiring @twists

 

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Dustin Funk Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed to be most improved in the VHL”

Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish
Phil Sakic @Phil
Pombo @samx

 

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Scott Boulet Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed the best two-way forward in the VHL”

Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica
Grimgor Ironhide @FrostBeard
Maverick Goncalves @leandrofg
Spanish Moon Moth @Renomitsu

 

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David Knight Trophy
“Awarded to the general manager deemed to be the best in the VHL”

Alex Johnston @Alex
Blake Campbell @Banackock
Bogdan Trunov @qripll
Frank Chadwick @Frank
Harry Callahan @dstevensonjr
Lexie Leitner @LucyXpher

 

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Scotty Campbell Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed the most valuable player during the regular season”

Axle Gunner @Steve
Harry Callahan @dstevensonjr
Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish

 

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Brett Slobodzian Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed the most outstanding player as voted by the league's players”

Callum Gary Yannick Janser @Daniel Janser
Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Harry Callahan @dstevensonjr
Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish
Spanish Moon Moth @Renomitsu

 

--<ꕥ>--

Fredrik Elmebeck Memorial Trophy
“Awarded to a member nominated by the league for their efforts, the trophy is awarded once every two seasons to recognise those who made an impact over a two-season window”

Bana @Banackock
Doug @dstevensonjr
Lucy @LucyXpher
Ricer @Ricer13

 

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Friday, March 7th, 9pm EST
 

[qripll 547]

Trunov for Knight ! 

[v.2 1,450]

Awesome formatting!

[Doomsday 4,164]

The formatting is super sharp, really well done!

 

Good luck to all the nominees!

[Pifferfish 766]

1 hour ago, LucyXpher said:

Here are the nominees for tonight’s awards!

 

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Daisuke Kanou Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed to be the most valuable player in the playoffs”

Axle Gunner @Steve
Eric White Jr @Mysterious_Fish
Giorgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87
Severus Targaryen @Banackock
The Phantom of the VHL @Hogan

 

--<>--

Alexander Valiq Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed to be the top offensive defenseman in the VHL”

Bollos de Trueno @Thunder
Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Jillian Woods @jacobcarson877
Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage @Grape

 

--<>--

Jake Wylde Trophy
“Awarded to the VHL's top defensive defenseman”

Callum Gary Yannick Janser @Daniel Janser
Fradin McGryer @Fradin99
Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher
YaBoi Oven @Doomsday

 

--<>--

Sterling Labatte Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed to be the top overall defenseman in the VHL”

Bollos de Trueno @Thunder
Callum Gary Yannick Janser @Daniel Janser
Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher
Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage @Grape
YaBoi Oven @Doomsday

 

--<>--

Aidan Shaw Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed to be the top goalie in the VHL”

Dalkr Vidersson @KaleebtheMighty
Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish
Soju @Frank

 

--<>--

Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed to be the top rookie in the VHL”

Brandon Petan Jr @sadie
Bric Sheithaus @Oldhead91
Deadpanda @Alex
Ondrej Vencko @Mutti
Youre Not Fucking Retiring @twists

 

--<>--

Dustin Funk Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed to be most improved in the VHL”

Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish
Phil Sakic @Phil
Pombo @samx

 

--<>--

Scott Boulet Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed the best two-way forward in the VHL”

Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica
Grimgor Ironhide @FrostBeard
Maverick Goncalves @leandrofg
Spanish Moon Moth @Renomitsu

 

--<>--

David Knight Trophy
“Awarded to the general manager deemed to be the best in the VHL”

Alex Johnston @Alex
Blake Campbell @Banackock
Bogdan Trunov @qripll
Frank Chadwick @Frank
Harry Callahan @dstevensonjr
Lexie Leitner @LucyXpher

 

--<>--

Scotty Campbell Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed the most valuable player during the regular season”

Axle Gunner @Steve
Harry Callahan @dstevensonjr
Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish

 

--<>--

Brett Slobodzian Trophy
“Awarded to the player deemed the most outstanding player as voted by the league's players”

Callum Gary Yannick Janser @Daniel Janser
Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Harry Callahan @dstevensonjr
Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish
Spanish Moon Moth @Renomitsu

 

--<ꕥ>--

Fredrik Elmebeck Memorial Trophy
“Awarded to a member nominated by the league for their efforts, the trophy is awarded once every two seasons to recognise those who made an impact over a two-season window”

Bana @Banackock
Doug @dstevensonjr
Lucy @LucyXpher
Ricer @Ricer13

 

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Friday, March 7th, 9pm EST
 

My cheeks are spread and I'm prepared to feel the full strength of the BOG tonight

[Banackock 8,375]

16 minutes ago, Pifferfish said:

My cheeks are spread and I'm prepared to feel the full strength of the BOG tonight

Maybe we can hold hands as we prepare together?

[Mysterious_Fish 410]

me a nominee. crazy

[LucyXpher 1,937]

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the S97 VHL Awards presentation!

 

I’m your host, Lucy, and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to share the hardware winners from this past season with you!  I’ve hosted the VHLM awards in the past, but this is my first time tackling the big league, and I have to give credit to @Komrad for all of his work helping to put this presentation together.  The VHL has 20 active trophies that get handed out each season and it’s a bit more work than I’m used to with the M!

 

This past VHL season saw some familiar faces reappearing at the top of the leaderboard, but also saw some unexpected success stories.  Season to season, so much can change as players age out and retire while new blood is injected into the league.  While some of the league's top teams continued to dominate, windows for some of those contenders looked to be closing.  On the other side, teams who have been in long rebuilds have begun taking steps forward and should begin to upset the status quo in seasons to come.  The churn of the league is all very fascinating, but of course that's not why you're here...

 

So grab yourself a beverage, maybe even a snack, and join me in congratulating the winners and nominees of the VHL Awards!

 

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[LucyXpher 1,937]

Victory Cup

Awarded to the VHL team with the best regular season record

 

To start off with, an award that was a little surprising to see is a team that didn’t necessarily have the “best” of anything on paper (except maybe in goal)-- they were a great team of course, but the best? That’s where this is special for a team to still beat their opponents fiercely even when outmatched using strategies, tactics, and team chemistry to raise their level of play. The S97 Malmo Nighthawks were greater than the sum of their parts.  A few players who should be highlighted, however, and who are a big reason Malmo finished the regular season as the league’s top team are Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher, Viktor Jensen @Advantage, and of course, goaltender Jørgen Løvstrøm @Pifferfish, who was easily the team’s MVP this season. Congratulations to the Malmo Nighthawks on their Victory Cup win!

 

Written by @Komrad

 

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[LucyXpher 1,937]

The Devon Marlow-Marta and Terence Fong Trophies

Awarded to the playoff champions from the North American and European Conferences

 

The Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy - Seattle Bears 
The Terence Fong Trophy - Riga Reign 

 

The playoff winners of the North American and European Conferences were perhaps not the two teams that most predicted, but it certainly made for an intriguing matchup in the finals as both teams managed to knock off some tough competition en route to their conference wins.  Both teams, notably, also qualified as wild-card teams entering the playoffs and had a longer path to the finals, making their playoff runs all the more impressive!

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[LucyXpher 1,937]

Continental Cup

Awarded to the playoff champions of the VHL

In the playoffs, Seattle was more than impressive, you could even say they were magnificent.  A team that works their tails off, even when backed against the wall– that’s a team that can push and break through anything.  And that’s exactly what the Bears did in the playoffs, winning in game seven against the best team in their conference. Seattle was a true wildcard team that found a way to win with their top players putting together incredible playoff stat lines. Among those deserving of special mention are the Phantom of the VHL @Hogan, Eric White Jr @Mysterious_Fish, and Forum Content @frescoelmo– and of course, plenty of credit goes to their long tenured GM, Blake Campbell @Banackock.  Congrats to Seattle for beating all odds and winning the S97 Continental Cup!

 

Written by @Komrad

 

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[Banackock 8,375]

Da bearz

[LucyXpher 1,937]

Daisuke Kanou Trophy

Awarded to the player deemed to be the most valuable player in the playoffs.

 

"This award was renamed from the Howe Trophy to the Daisuke Kanou Trophy in S29 to honour the career of Daisuke Kanou. Kanou won the award three times; S20, S24, and S25, while totaling 388 wins, a .920 save percentage, 2.26 GAA, and 48 shutouts in his illustrious 583 game Victory Hockey League career, as well as of course incredibly dominant post-season totals. Kanou played with the HC Davos Dynamo during his career.”

(VHL Awards Portal)

 

Here are the nominees:

 

Axle Gunner @Steve
Eric White Jr @Mysterious_Fish
Giorgiy Costanzov @Mongoose87
Severus Targaryen @Banackock
The Phantom of the VHL @Hogan

 

Spoiler

Even though players like Eric White Jr and Severus Targaryen had incredible stats across the board, Axle Gunner broke the term “incredible”. Scoring a horrifying 47 points and physically bullying his playoff opponents with 81 total hits, Gunner was just a monster you couldn’t stop and his offense seemed nothing short of inevitable. Gunner finished the playoffs with the 2nd most points in a single playoff run by any player! 
 

Congratulations to Axle Gunner @Steve for his standout performance and winning the Daisuke Kanou Trophy!

 

Gunner 12 / Costanzav 0 / White 0 / Targaryen 0 / Phantom 0

 

Written by @Komrad

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[Lemorse7 1,043]

Steve Goat 

[LucyXpher 1,937]

Kevin Brooks Trophy

Awarded to the player who leads the VHL in goals at the end of the regular season

 

"This award was renamed from the Joe Malone Memorial Trophy to the Kevin Brooks Trophy in S32 to honour the career of Kevin Brooks. Brooks won the award once, in S9, while totaling 396 goals in his illustrious 576 game Victory Hockey League career. Brooks played with the Toronto Legion and Vasteras IK Black Eagles during his career.”

(VHL Awards Portal)

 

Spoiler

The S97 Brooks Trophy winner is a player who seems to just have a laser beam attached to their stick and fills the net with ease!  Leading all players with an incredible 58 goals, congrats to Spanish Moon Moth @Renomitsu on winning the Kevin Brooks Trophy! 

 

Written by @Komrad

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[LucyXpher 1,937]

Alexander Beketov Trophy

Awarded to the player who leads the VHL in assists at the end of the regular season

 

"This award was renamed from the Mikita Trophy to the Alexander Beketov Trophy in S32 to honour the career of Alexander Beketov. Beketov won the award twice, in S8 and S11, while totaling 461 assists in his illustrious 506 game Victory Hockey League career. Beketov played with the Hamilton Canucks, Vasteras IK Black Eagles, and Seattle Bears during his career.”

(VHL Awards Portal)

 

Spoiler

In S97, the Beketov trophy goes to a player who isn’t shooting rockets into the net, but rather is setting up others for success, and that’s a winning recipe. With all his assists as evidence, Bollos De Trueno couldn’t be any more selfless in his play.

 

Congratulations to Bollos de Trueno @Thunder  on an amazing 86 assists and on winning the Alexander Beketov Trophy! 

 

Written by @Komrad

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[LucyXpher 1,937]

Mike Szatkowski Trophy

Awarded to the player who leads the VHL in points at the end of the regular season

 

"This award was renamed from the Lemieux Trophy to the Mike Szatkowski Trophy in S32 to honour the career of Mike Szatkowski. Szatkowski won the award once, in S8, while totaling 434 goals and 971 points in his illustrious 573 game Victory Hockey League career. Szatkowski played with the Seattle Bears, Vasteras IK Black Eagles, Avangard Havoc, and Toronto Legion during his career.”

(VHL Awards Portal)

 

Spoiler

The Szatkowski winner in S97 is a player that does a lot of hard work and who is there to get things done, a player that scores points and calls it a day– he isn’t here to just play, but wants to win! To do that, he combines play-making and goalscoring into unstoppable offense and is a pure terror for defenses to contend with.

 

Congrats to Harry Callahan @dstevensonjr for your 55 goals, 60 assists, and 115 points to win the Mike Szatkowski Trophy!

 

Written by @Komrad

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[LucyXpher 1,937]

Alexander Valiq Trophy

Awarded to the player deemed to be the top offensive defenseman in the VHL.

 

"This award was created in Season 63 and applied retroactively to include winners from Season 59. It is named after Alexander Valiq, a Hall of Famer and one of the finest offensive defensemen in VHL history, with 300 goals during an eight-season career spent primarily with the Quebec City Meute, the only defenseman to ever hit the 300-goal mark.”

(VHL Awards Portal)

 

Here are the nominees:

 

Bollos de Trueno @Thunder
Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Jillian Woods @jacobcarson877
Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage @Grape

 

Spoiler

When you play defense, you usually play a little conservative. It’s a fine line to walk trying to balance offensive aggression with defensive responsibility because overcommitting to offense can often lead to turnovers and mistakes that allow the opposing team to score. Some defensemen, however, have a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and the puck skills to back it up! In S97, Guntis Gavilrovs put teams on notice that they should be worried every time he has the puck and was an offensive force from the back end all season long.

 

Congrats to Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts, the S97 Alexander Valiq Trophy winner!

 

Gavilrovs 10 / Bocage 3 / Trueno 0 / Woods 0

 

Written by @Komrad

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[LucyXpher 1,937]

Jake Wylde Trophy

Awarded to the VHL's top defensive defenseman
 

"Created in Season 59, this trophy is named after Jake Wylde, a Hall of Famer who excelled at both ends of the ice, with 2,001 hits and 915 shots blocked along with 560 points in an eight-season career spanning S38 to S45.”

(VHL Awards Portal)

 

Here are the Nominees

 

Callum Gary Yannick Janser @Daniel Janser
Fradin McGryer @Fradin99
Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher
YaBoi Oven @Doomsday

 

Spoiler

CGY Janser was a workhorse on the blueline for the New York Americans in S97, racking up 200 blocked shots (7th most in the VHL) and 316 hits (2nd most).  While his even +/- rating of 0 and 250 penalty minutes on a middling NYA team might leave something to be desired, there is no doubt that Janser was a defensive force for his team and played a huge role in keeping the puck out of his own team’s net by blocking opposition chances and creating turnovers with his physical play.  

 

Congratulations to the S97 Jake Wylde Trophy winner, Callum Gary Yannick Janser @Daniel Janser !

 

Janser 10 / Oven 3 / Gavilrovs 0 / McGryer 0 / Leitner 0

 

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[LucyXpher 1,937]

Sterling Labatte Trophy

Awarded to the player deemed to be the top overall defenseman in the VHL

 

"This award was renamed from the Orr Trophy to the Sterling Labatte Trophy in S11 to honour the career of Sterling Labatte. Labatte won the award three times; S1, S7, and S8, while totaling 210 goals and 772 points in his illustrious 648 game Victory Hockey League career. Labatte played for the Calgary Wranglers during his career.

 

The award was temporarily discontinued from S59 to S62 following the creation of the Jake Wylde Trophy and the change of the Labatte Trophy to 'best offensive defenseman' - the 4 award winners in this time were subsequent moved to the Alexander Valiq Trophy in S63 and the Labatte reinstated.”

(VHL Awards Portal)

 

Here are the Nominees:

 

Bollos de Trueno @Thunder
Callum Gary Yannick Janser @Daniel Janser
Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts
Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher
Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage @Grape
YaBoi Oven @Doomsday

 

Spoiler

Guntis Gavilrovs improved on their career high by 10 goals, 20 assists and 30 points, reaching an even 100 points in 72 games– no easy feat for a defenseman!  Already claiming Valiq honors as the league’s top offensive defenseman, very likely on the back of a 31 goal season, Gavilrovs’ 291 hits were 3rd most in the VHL and 140 shots blocked were 28th among defensemen.  Gavilrovs brought an undeniable all-around game that helped make Vancouver one of the most dominant defensive teams in the VHL en route to topping North America as the Conference’s best team in the regular season.  

 

Congratulations to Guntis Gavilrovs @Girts, our Sterling Labatte Trophy winner!

 

Gavilrovs 9 / Bocage 2 / Leitner 1 / Oven 1 / Trueno 0 / Janser 0

 

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[Gaikoku-hito 2,284]

Congrats @Girts on winning Alexander Valiq Trophy!!

[LucyXpher 1,937]

Aidan Shaw Trophy

Awarded to the player deemed to be the top goalie in the VHL

 

"This award was renamed from the Tretiak Trophy to the Aidan Shaw Trophy in S29 to honour the career of Aidan Shaw. Shaw won the award four times; S20, S21, S22, and S24, while totaling 315 wins, a .923 save percentage, 2.06 GAA, and 52 shutouts in his illustrious 452 game Victory Hockey League career. Shaw played with the Toronto Legion during his career.”

(VHL Awards Portal)

 

Here are the nominees: 

 

Dalkr Vidersson @KaleebtheMighty
Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish
Soju @Frank

 

Spoiler

A goaltender who can keep the puck out of the net consistently and well? What a dream! But seriously Jorgen did more than that, he locked down the blue paint and was in full control of each game as he put up a 0.934SV%, 1.99 GAA, and 9 shutouts in 64 games played with a 50-12-2 record. Lovstrom led each statistical category by a significant amount and made this a no-doubt award for the voters. S97 was one of the best seasons of Lovstrom’s career and he still has plenty of opportunity to continue to be a difference maker from between the pipes.

 

Congrats to Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish for winning the Aidan Shaw Trophy!

 

Lovstrom 13 / Soju 0 / Vidarsson - 0

 

Written by @Komrad

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[Gaikoku-hito 2,284]

Congrats @Girts on winning Sterling Labatte Trophy as well!!