The Legion's New Faces

[der meister 3,426]

With an astounding 26 trades in the VHL since Sunday, the landscape heading into next season has definitely been shaken up. The Helsinki Titans are certainly reshaping their team, making deals such as a blockbuster that sent Draw Mac and Hugh Neutron to Malmo in exchange for a treasure trove of a haul: two prospects, two 1st round picks, and three 2nd round picks. But we're not here to heap praise on Malmo for getting the Quality over Quantity deal done, even though the deal is going to have a massive lasting impact for the Nighthawks.

 

No, we're here to talk about the Bombshell that went off in the world's ice hockey capital, the capital of Canada: Toronto. Everyone knows Toronto is the capital of Canada!

The deal in question? Toronto sends winger Inker Belle, who just finished up her rookie season, along with goaltender Toddly Bobbly, two 1st round picks, a 2nd round pick, and two 3rd round picks, to the VHL Champion Seattle Bears. In exchange, the Legion received Chad Powers, Nathan Ecker, and Slava Kovalenko.

 

Chad Powers is a promising young goaltender. A S97 draftee, Powers already has an excellent baseline skill set, sporting outstanding Reaction Time and all around solid fundamentals. Clearly Toronto management sees him as the goalie of the future, with longtime Legion netminder Dalkr Vidarsson already announcing his plans to retire after next season. Powers has yet to play a VHL game, but in 156 VHLM games, he posted a 0.907 save percentage, a 1.97 goals against average, and 15 shutouts. His 100-39-13 record for the Halifax 21st was stellar, and Legion fans should be optimistic about their future between the pipes.

 

Ecker is a vetaran, a S93 right winger. He's a playmaker by trade and good for roughly 50-60 points a season. Last season he notched a career high of 64 with the high-flying Bears, led by a personal best with 48 assists. He also has a little physicality to his game, averaging just over a hit per game. Despite not being much of a goal scorer, 8 of his 31 goals over the past two seasons have been game winners, showing that Ecker has a flair for coming up clutch when it counts the most. He will likely be suiting up on the second line with Spanish Moon Moth and Toby Kadachi when the season starts.

 

Slava Kovalenko should be able to make an immediate impact on the Legion blue line. The youngest defender as a S96 draftee, Kovalenko is also further along developmentally than DB IV and Gul Dukat. Whether Legion management elects to pair Kovalenko with superstar blueliner Andrew Skilton or balance out the pairings by having the newcomer be the lead defender on the 2nd pair, Kovalenko will certainly bring a new element to the Legion blueline. Slava was just under a point per game with 69 points for the Bears last season, along with 155 blocked shots. The 6'8" Canadian is bound to be a popular player with the Legion faithful.

 

Kovalenko laying out an attacking winger

 

[JCarson 828]

Great article, there has been significant movement in the league so far with trades.  Teams shedding players to position for season 100 draft, or just trying to reposition themselves for a better season.  Put on top of that changes in salary cap and it has definitely meant a lot of changes.  With the draft over and free agency beginning, it will be interesting to see how this trade specifically changes the roster in Toronto.  I expect we will see a few more interesting adjustments before season 99 begins.  I give this article a 4.98756 out of 5.