Season 18 VHL Entry Draft Tourney Week #4

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

We are back for our 4th installment in this series and the 2nd match is reveled. Chad Murphy will be taking on Geno Esposito. 

 

General Manager - New York Americans D Geno Esposito

 

 

Career Awards:

Season 19 North American All-Star Selection
Season 20 Continental Cup Champion with HC Davos Dynamo
Season 20 Victory Cup Champion with HC Davos Dynamo
Season 20 Terrence Fong Trophy winner with HC Davos Dynamo (formally Vladimir Koskta Trophy)
Season 21 North American All-Star Selection
Season 22 North American All-Star Selection

 

Season 18 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S18 (NYA) - 72 GP / 9 G / 31 A / 40 P / +32 / 106 PIM / 107 H / 68 SH / 2 GWG
Playoffs:
S18 (NYA) - 7 GP / 0 G / 1 A / 1 P / -3 / 10 PIM / 9 H / 5 SH / 0 GWG

Like his counterpart in Chad Murphy, Geno Esposito started directly in the VHL. He bypassed the minor league system and went right into the heart of the New York American defence. He had a very good rookie season compiling 9 goals and 31 assists for 40 points. He was also a very strong +32. The Americans finished 3 points behind of the Calgary Wranglers for top spot in the North American Conference. They played a grueling 7 game series that the Wranglers won. In the series Esposito only recorded 1 assist. That performance had many wanting more from the young defenceman after a good regular season.  

 

Season 19 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S19 (SEA) - 73 GP / 19 G / 41 A / 60 P / +27 / 123 PIM / 161 H / 180 SH / 4 GWG
Playoffs:
S19 (SEA) - 0 GP / 0 G / 0 A / 0 P / 0 / 0 PIM / 0 H / 0 SH / 0 GWG

Just as the season started, Geno Esposito was traded from the New York Americans to the Seattle Bears with a Season 20 Davos 3rd Round Draft Pick (Alex O'Brien) for a Season 21 Seattle 1st Round Draft Pick (Markus Jenstrom) and a Season 20 Seattle 2nd Round Draft Pick (Fantastic McAwesome). He played an extra game as a result and scored 19 goals and assisted on 41 for a total of 60 points. The Bears however did not have a good season as a whole and ended up last in the North American Conference missing the playoffs by 8 points. 

 

Season 20 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S20 (SEA) - 26 GP / 4 G / 21 A / 25 P / +3 / 29 PIM / 31 H / 72 SH / 0 GWG
S20 (DAV) - 46 GP / 16 G / 43 A / 59 P / +32 / 42 PIM / 44 H / 148 SH / 3 GWG
Playoffs:
S20 (DAV) - 14 GP / 4 G / 12 A / 16 P / +5 / 24 PIM / 32 H / 31 SH / 1 GWG

Halfway between Season 20, Geno was on the move yet again. He started the season in Seattle but ended it half way across the world in Davos, Switzerland. He was traded with Jordan Berglund for Blade Hunter, Jordan Payne, a Season 21 Davos 1st Round Draft Pick (Jesse McGhann) and a Season 21 New York 3rd Round Draft Pick (A.J Collins). He was well on a point per game during his time in Seattle but after being sent to the Dynamo he exploded for 59 points in 46 games. His season total is 20 goals and 64 assists for 84 points. The trade helped Davos a lot as they finished 1st in the European Conference by 4 points. They would go on to play the Riga Reign in the playoffs. They won a hard fought 7 game series that could have gone either way. They then went to the finals to play the Toronto Legion. The series was a classic as it went down to the wire with the Dynamo prevailing in 7. In the playoffs he scored 4 goals and assisted on 12 for 16 points which also led the team in points. In just his 3rd season he is a VHL Champion.

 

Season 21 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S21 (SEA) - 72 GP / 31 G / 63 A / 94 P / +12 / 56 PIM / 119 H / 223 SH / 7 GWG
Playoffs:
S21 (SEA) - 7 GP / 1 G / 3 A / 4 P / -1 / 11 PIM / 10 H / 26 SH / 0 GWG

After winning in Davos he was traded back to Seattle. He was traded with Patrick Bergqvist and Jordan Berglund for a Season 22 Seattle 1st Round Draft Pick (Gun Finchley), a Season 23 Seattle 1st Round Draft Pick (Leeroy Jenkins), a Season 23 Seattle 2nd Round Draft Pick (Nick Fisher), a Season 22 Seattle 3rd Round Draft Pick (Dillion Dynamo), a Season 23 Seattle 3rd Round Draft Pick (Jamaal Black), Heinrich Olen and Lady Gaga. Seattle payed a lot for this trio of defenseman, so they were expected to produce in Season 21. He scored 31 goals and assisted on 63 for 94 points. The Seattle Bears ended up finishing 2nd in the North American Conference, 12 points behind the Toronto Legion. In the playoffs, that is who they met up with. In a hard fought 7 game series, the Legion prevailed and went on into the finals. Geno had scored 1 goal and assisted on 3 for 4 points in those 7 games. 

 

Season 22 Statistics:

Regular Season:
S22 (NYA) - 72 GP / 29 G / 57 A / 86 P / -23 / 127 PIM / 152 H / 250 SH / 3 GWG
Playoffs:
S22 (NYA) - 0 GP / 0 G / 0 A / 0 P / 0 / 0 PIM / 0 H / 0 SH / 0 GWG

In what I can only assume was a free agent signing, Geno Esposito moved from the Seattle Bears as a free agent. There are no recorded trades and such so this is my assumption as I checked through the Season 21 off-season trades like 5 times and the Season 22 trades like 5 times. Season 22 was kind to Geno individually but not to his team. Geno scored 29 goals and assisted on 57 for 86 points. The Americans however, missed the playoffs by 44 points. This sadly was his last season as he abruptly retired. 

 

Career Statistics:

Regular Season:
Career (NYA/SEA/DAV) - 361 GP / 108 G / 256 A / 364 P / +83 / 483 PIM / 614 H / 941 SH / 19 GWG

Playoffs:
Career (NYA/SEA/DAV) - 28 GP / 5 G / 16 A / 21 P / +1 / 45 PIM / 51 H / 62 SH / 1 GWG

The career of Geno Esposito is an interesting one. He never stayed with the same team for more than 1 season. Sure he ended up going back to Seattle and New York but the point being he left. I wonder what could have been if he continued playing. In his final 3 seasons he reached the 80 point plateau twice and the 90 point plateau once. He is also a Continental Cup champion; he won it back in Season 20. He had a very good career; I just think it could have been better if he stuck around.

[scoop 3,447]

It was a free agent signing that put me back on the Americans in S22, btw.

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

It was a free agent signing that put me back on the Americans in S22, btw.

I figured, but there was no record of it ever happening so I was freaking out a little bit