S98 Mexico City Kings special announcement and team awards

[VattghernCZ 1,184]

S98 was a major leap forward for the Kings, compared to the last season. But after a solid refular season and a first round series win against the Hounds, the Kings met the giant @SMYLS4 created in Houston just across the brook from us, one of the most dominant teams the VHLM has ever seen. While we were able to go toe to toe with them for games 3-5, we had dug ourselves a hole too big to get out from, going 0-2 to start the series.

 

Despite the bitter end, this season was filled with individual highs and some great stories. It is with great pleasure I can highlight one such story - the story of Ronan Amnon @Breeze837, a career King and a face of the Mexico blue line for as long as I've been around the team. Before being appointed as the Kings GM, I had spent the previous two seasons (and a bit) there as a player, sharing the blue line with Ronan. When my player joined the team in late S94, Amnon had been a premier defender in the 200-cap league and already had a season with the Kings under his belt, as he had joined the team in late S93 and was drafted in the 2nd round of the VHLM draft to return back for S94. 

 

In his first full season with the Kings, Ronan immediately established himself as a premier two-way defenseman, scoring 10 goals and 47 assists for 57 points, with +15 rating, 161 hits and 116 shots blocked. He also immediately gained a reputation of a team player, who's a dream to work with for any coach as he's always been really receptive to coaching advices on what areas of the game to focus and improve. A great testament of how well can @JCarson , Mexico GM who drafted Amnon, work with people as well as of his understanding of how the game works.

 

In his second full season with Mexico, Ronan build on his already impressive offensive numbers - especially goals - as he scored an elite 25 goals to go with 44 asists (69 points, nice), 137 hits and 121 blocked shots. Clearly, the increase of his offensive output didn't come at the expense of his defensive game, as that's an area of the game he's always been proficient in. The plus/minus rating took a little dip, going from +15 in S94 to -8 in S95, but realistically - to what extent is it an individual stat?

 

S96 brought the increase of the TPE cap from 200 to 400, a dip in production was expected for all players. This was the case for Ronan as well, but he still managed to outperform the expectations and went on to score 13 goals and 40 assists for 53 points, -9 rating, 60 hits and 120 blocked shots. The offensive production was still on a really high level, the biggest difference was his physicality. Ronan has never been a physical force, but rather a smart, mobile, positionally sound defender. This style of game and his hockey IQ allowed him to recognize he has to take fewer risks now, with a lot of players used to playing a level above the VHLM have re-joined the league. Rather than trying to outmuscle older, tougher and more experienced players, he was using his stick and blocking shots to still bring a huge value defensively, on top of his consistently high level of offense.

 

After the S96, Ronan became a free agent for the first time in his career, as his rookie contract with the Kings expired. However, he decided to re-join the Kings once again. S97 was a down season for Mexico City, as they had had some key players graduating. For most of the season, it was only Amnon and Carl Erhardt @Elite Steel guarding the blue line. With this in mind, it's only expected that some of Ronan's stats took a dip. On the offensive side, he became a 20-goal scoring defenseman once again, this time in a 400-cap league, as he scored 22 goals on career-high 214 shots. His assists and points went down to 30 and 52 respectivelly, but even the best playmakers in the world can't record tons of these, when the team is lacking firepower. the minus-33 rating looks brutal too, but it wasn't the resul on Ronan's defensive game, as he recorded career high 167 shots blocked and 76 hits. He was an elite defenseman on a struggling team. The "struggling team" was the reason I was unsure about Amnon's interest in coming back with the Kings, as he had previously stated that despite his interest in staying in the M for one more season, he'd like to test free agency to see what the options are.

 

But in the end, he decided to sign with the Kings for his final VHLM run in S98. And what a run it was. One fewer goal than the previous season with 21, but a career high in assists and points, with 53 and team-leading 74 respectively, with career high +16, 14 hits and 110 shots blocked. With the Kings blue line being arguably the best in the league and other players taking major defensive roles, Ronan was able to focus on creating offensive plays and showed a level of playmaking prowess that hadn't been seen in his game previously. He was one of the league's most dominant two-way defenders, and I sincerely hope he will be considered as one of the best defenseman trophy contenders.

 

Ronan Amnon's VHLM career stats:

375 games played (all-time franchise leader)

91 goals (all-time franchise leader among defensemen)

221 assists (all-time franchise leader)

312 points (all-time franchise leader among defensemen, 2nd overall)

minus-32 rating

280 penalty minutes (3rd all-time)

562 hits (5th all-time)

937 shots (all-time franchise leader among defensemen, 4th overall)

667 shots blocked (all-time franchise leader)

19 game winning goals (all-time franchise leader among defensemen, 2nd overall)

 

With a career like this, I can not make a single argument against Ronan Amnon's number forever hanging from the rafters, joining @SDCore Shush Nyko's 13.

 

 

But Ronan Amnon was not the only player to make an impact in S98, it's time to move to recognizing some more players with the team awards!

 

Disclaimer: While Ryan Mantzz @Rkhockey9 was arguably the best player on the team since joining us, he only played 20 regular season games with the Kings. While you changed the dynamic of the whole offense and we all appreciate you joining, I'm afraid the limited time disqualifies you from winning most of the team trophies.

 

 Rey del Hielo

(The King of the Ice)

The player dominating the game. The player without whom we wouldn't have been the team we have been. The Most Valuable Player of the regular season.

 

Spoiler

Pepe Silvia: 53GP 33-14-6 .927SV% 1.51GAA 12SO

For the second season in a row, it has to be our star(ting) goaltender to win this award. Pepe was league leading goalie in save percentage, and was named the 1st star of the game 8 times (team leading), the 2nd star of the game 4 times and the 3rd star of the games 10 times (team leading) - that's 22 games out of 53 when he was one of the most dominant players on the ice.

 

 Sombra del Rey

(The King's Shadow)

The player who might have been overlooked a bit, staying in the shadow cast by the King of the Ice having the spotlight at them. Probably the MVP on most of the VHLM teams.

 

Spoiler

Ronan Amnon: 72GP 21G 53A 74P +16 46PIM 104HIT 110SB

21 goals, team leading 53 assist and team leading 74 points - all as a defenseman leading the team in shots blocked and leading the team in 29.26 minutes played every game. Absolute two-way dominance on the ice. But the fact he was only named one of the games' three stars 16 times shows he didn't have the tendency to take over games, but rather he was a consistently strong presence, always showing up to do what's expected of a high caliber defenseman.

 

Runner-up: Peter Venkman 72GP 24G 39A 63P +20 42PIM 99HIT 98SB

Another defenseman with incredible season. He was stepping up to dominate the games a bit more often than Amnon was, but it's exactly Amnon's consistency and allround better stats that gave him the edge.

 

 Guerrero de Acero

(The Iron Warrior)

The player sacrificing the body for his team. Whether it's giving or receiving a hit, blocking a shot or dropping mitts, this player is up for the challenge. The toughest MF on the team. A player you love when he's on your team, but hate when he's not.

 

Spoiler

Carl Erhardt: 72GP 247HIT 162HTT 73SB 116PIM

Another back-to-back team award winner. It was last season when Erhardt broke the all-time franchise records in hits and penalty minutes, and he's continuing to build his legacy as the toughest player in the Kings history. He's become such a huge part of the team identity that it wouldn't be surprising to see his number hanging next to Syko and Amnon. But Erhardt is not just a goon, he's a deceptively good playmaker from the blueline, regularly flashing his crisp passes and good vision. But his physicality really is what has become his calling card.

 

Runner-up: Arochimaru Shahar 72GP 141HIT 104HTT 3SB 36PIM

141 hits as a winger is really, really solid, and it's impressive how disciplined Shahar has been with his checks. While he's on a good way to become a great power forward playmaker, it's not his time yet.

 

 Guardia del Rey

(The King's Guard)

The last line of defense in front of the goaltender. The player whose job it is to roleplay Gandalf the Grey preventing Balrog from crossing the bridge in the mines of Moria. The team's best defenseman.

 

Spoiler

Ronan Amnon: 72GP 21G 53A 74P +16 46PIM 104HIT 110SB

I think there already has been enough written about Ronan Amnon and how dominant he's been in his final VHLM season. See above

 

Runner-up: Peter Venkman 72GP 24G 39A 63P +20 42PIM 99HIT 98SB

I could have just written "see Sombra del Rey" in this section and saved some time, right?

 

 Cañón Azteca

(The Aztec Canon)

The player who the opponents don't want to see with the puck on the stick close to their net. It doesn't have to be the player who had recorded the most goals, but simply the most natural shooter. Goals, shots, shooting percentage, the ability to get the puck through the traffic, anything and everything.

 

Spoiler

Agustin Martinez: 72GP 25G 248SHT 10.08SHT%

Leading the team in goals and shots, with solid shooting percentage and 84 of their shots being blocked, Agustin has really shown the knack for getting the puck on the net. While I had expected Simon to grant Martinez more shots and goals than this and see no reason why it didn't, I think these stats are still on the level to win them this team award.

 

Runner-up: Peter Venkman 72GP 24G 205SHT 11.71SHT%

25 goals as a defenseman is ridiculous. When you're 3rd on the team in shots and 1st on the team in shooting percentage, the simple maths says you're going to end the season with tons of goals. What's weird is that Venkman has even been more succesful than Martinez at getting the shots through traffic, as only 70 of his shot attempts were blocked. But I have to give an edge to over 40 more shots Agustin recorded. Venkman seems to be the runner-up for every team award, doesn't he.

 

 Commandante del Ataque

(The Commander of the Attack)

Some players prefer to be involved in the front lines, while others prefer to direct the attack from the back, making strategic decision and distributing the puck among their teammates to put them in a good position. Not necessarily the player who records the most assists, but overall the best playmaker.

 

Spoiler

Ronan Amnon: 72GP 53A 13PPA 1PKA 61PASSING

But this time, it will be the player with the most assists, because 14 more than the second place is just too much to overlook.

 

Runner-up: Arochimaru Shahar 72GP 39A 16PPA 0PKA 66PASSING

It's been quite a breakout year for Arochimaru. He's very much a pass-first forward, and this season he definitely simmed like a great secondary playmaker. I'm looking forward to see how he progresses in the upcoming season, whether it iswith Mexico, or with other team, as he's becoming a free agent this offseason.

 

 Ascenso del Rey

(The King's Rise)

The player who made the most progress compared to their last season. Maybe it's their confidence, maybe it's their deployment, but they were the most improved player.

 

Spoiler

Arochimaru Shahar: 72GP 7G-18G 20A-39A 27P-57P 75HIT-141HIT

Arochimaru took a massive step forward in his offensive game and physicality, going from a depth contributor to a key forward. His defensive game showed improvement as well, you simply don't go from minus-35 to plus-28 just because of a better team around you. His defense was really proactive with his good checking game, rather than reactive by blocking shots - he actually went from 35 blocks last season to ju 3 this season, because he and his line were just better at keeping the puck away from the defensove zone.

 

Runner-up: Tina Hughes 72GP 4G-18G 21A-30A 25P-48P 11HIT-86HIT 46SB-75SB

Despite this being the first season after the VHLM draft, it was the second full season for Tina. TIna showed great improvement especially on the offensive side, more than doubling shots total and scoring 14 more goals than the last season, but also in blocking the opponents' shots.

 

 Soldado Incansable

(The Relentless Soldier)

This is one of the off-ice trophy that has to do more with the member than with the player. I'd like to show appreciation for hard work put into getting involved in the league and earning TPE. By default, this award would have gone to @Josh Peter Venkman, as probably no one does more for the league than a dev and VHL Commissioner. But I'm sure Josh is okay with highlighting dedication of others, especially first generation members who have immediately stepped in and are already establishing themselves as one of the more active members of the community.

 

Spoiler

John Cowgill @FlyingWV

Immediately after FlyingWV joined the league, I was bombarded (in a good way, it's awesome to see someone getting involved right away!) by questions about build and earning, and a while later found out he had already looket at other player builds and how they performed and contacted them to talk build as well. On top of that, he begun writing for the VSN in week 1 (or week 2? Doesn't really matter) of his VHL stay. I've only been around for close to 3 years, but I don't think I've seen someone immediately go off like this - maybe apart from @LucyXpher

 

 Alma del Equipo

(The Soul of the Team)

The second of the two member awards, rather than player awards. The player who was the most active in the locker room, getting involved all the time, hyping the team up and overall being a great presence and a great member of the community. (Shame you've joined the team late, @Rkhockey9, it's been awesome having you around!)

 

Spoiler

Tina Hughes @tinafrombobsburgers

Tina really brought a spark of activity in the locker room, after a pretty quiet S97. I would have drafted Tina with MEX's first pick (if they were still available at 3rd overall), I was in a desperate need of a high end defenseman to build a team around Amnon and Silvia, who were set to leave the M after this season. But it was mostly @STZ saying Tina is great in the LR as well that made me target the 1st overall pick - I couldn't risk them not being available by the time I was drafting. While Tina got a bit lost in the mix of all the high end defenders on our roster, it's definitely a decision I would have made again.

 

@preds @SleepyPlayz @VOID Stiles @Zurgzz @Rkhockey9 @FlyingWV  @Lochlan Chisholm @Bhockey17 @Elite Steel @Josh @Breeze837 @tinafrombobsburgers @STZ @shaun1979

Not team related mentions: @SMYLS4 @LucyXpher

 

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