Claimed:(S42 Class) Mitch Higgins - Player

[Smarch 3,148]

D – Mitch Higgins
Birthplace:Halifax,Canada
Height:6'1"
Weight: 195lbs
Jersey Number:60
Drafted:S23 HEL (1/8)
Username:Higgins
 
Every now and then the VHL is graced by the presence of a great hockey player. Many of them are well known players from well established player agencies, some of them seem to come from nowhere to the surprise of everyone. In this case the latter would have to be said about a young defenseman by the name of Mitch Higgins. Hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia Mitch Higgins came into the league a relative unknown before playing his way to of the top players to come out of his draft year. With a ruthless practice routine and great attitude, Mitch Higgins played his way into the hearts of many VHL fans around the world.
 
Career Awards:

Season 23 – Bourque Trophy(VHLM Top Defenseman)
Season 23 – Sakic Trophy(VHLM MVP)
Season 23 – Esposito Trophy(VHLM Playoffs MVP)
Season 23 – Prime Minister's Cup(Ottawa)
Season 23 – Founder's Cup(Ottawa)
Season 24 – Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy(Top Rookie)
Season 27 – Victory Cup(Seattle)
Season 28 – Alexander Beketov Trophy(Most Assists-81)
Season 28 – Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy(Seattle)
Season 28 – Grimm Jonsson Trophy(Top Leader)
Season 28 – Victory Cup(Seattle)
Season 28 – Continental Cup(Seattle)
Season 30 – Devon Marlo-Marta Trophy(Seattle)

 
Season 22 Statistics (VHLM):

Regular Season:
S22 (OTT) - 72GP / 16G / 62A / 78P / +/- 0 / 126PIM / 207H / 166SH / 134SB / 1GWG

Right out of the gate Mitch Higgins was the underdog, as the unknown commodity he was passed over until the Ice Dogs picked up the defenseman with the first pick in the third round. The Ice Dogs were rebuilding after a championship season the year before, so the opportunities for ice-time were abundant for Higgins. Higgins was quickly placed on the first line with only one other defenseman on the roster, and the young Nova Scotsman held his own in the first professional VHL season. Sixteen goals and sixty-two assists on the season weren't anything to write home about, but Higgins proved that season that he was constant with his practice hours and he could play with the big boys. The defensive side of his game shown in season one as Higgins found himself in the top ten in the league for shots blocked, and one was one of only two players on the Ice Dogs with a plus minus in the negative. A late round steal for sure, the Ice Dogs were excited to see what Higgins could do the following season, but before that Higgins had another draft to go through. After a strong showing throughout the season, people began to speculate where the young defenseman would head come draft day. Although he wasn't as developed as some in the draft, Higgins should a great work ethic was was quickly making his name known around the league. Draft day was upon us and once again Higgins found General Managers passing on his name, that was until Helsinki's Brett Slobodzian stepped up to the podium. Helsinki felt they got a gem of a steal with the last pick in the first round selecting Higgins, while Higgins was elated to be going anywhere to start his VHL career.
 
Season 23 Statistics (VHLM):

Regular Season:
S23 (OTT) - 72GP / 54G / 78A / 132P / +55 / 94PIM / 214H / 373SH / 110SB / 8GWG
Playoffs:
S23 (OTT) - 10GP / 8G / 10A / 18P / +/-0 / 22PIM / 39H / 44SH / 13SB / 1GWG

With a year under his belt, Mitch Higgins was looking to come back to the VHLM in season twenty-three and take the bull by the horns. After a strong draft by the Ice Dogs management, they saw an opportunity to build around Higgins and try another run at a Founder's Cup. After a slew of trades that saw four players head to the Ice Dogs, Higgins and the team were ready to take the North American conference by storm. With an improved roster around him, Higgins improved on every aspect of his game showing great potential as a franchise defenseman. Offensively Higgins broke out after a seventy-eight point performance last year, almost doubling that total with fifty-four assists and seventy-eight assists in season twenty-three. Higgins found himself in the top-ten in almost every category, including taking home the defenseman scoring award by three points over Vasteras defenseman Wesley Kanaan. The Ice Dogs would head to the playoffs as the top seed overall. The Ice Dogs would meet the Minot Gladiators in the Conference Finals, the series would only go five games before the Ice Dogs would move onto the finals against Vasteras. In the clinching game against the Gladiators Higgins made a stellar game, with two goals and two assists to ensure the Ice Dogs spot in the championship series. Vasteras took the first game of the series in Ottawa before the tables drastically changed, when Ottawa went on a four game winning streak to win the series and the Founder's Cup. Higgins dominated in the playoffs for the Ice Dogs putting up eighteen points in the ten games they played. The league rewarded him for his hard work awarding him the Espositio Trophy for playoffs Most Valuable Player. That along with his Sakic Trophy and Bourque Trophy made for one of the most successful seasons ever for a VHLM defenseman.
 
 
Season 24 Statistics (VHL):

Regular Season:
S24 (RIG/SEA) - 72GP / 17G / 43A / 60P / -16 / 116PIM / 161H / 188SH / 144SB / 1GWG

During the season twenty-two off-season the Helsinki Titans were looking to upgrade their roster for a potential championship roster. Mitch Higgins name came up in trade talks and the team reluctantly parted ways with him along with other roster players, prospects, and picks to the Riga Reign. Higgins couldn't control his hockey life outside the rink, but he continued his strong play on the ice no matter the jersey he pulled on. Being a rookie is hard enough for the hoards of new prospects that crack rosters each season, but Higgins had an even tougher time then most rookies. Higgins was involved in yet another trade, this time he was moved over to the Seattle Bears. Playing on two poor teams and being involved in a deadline deal didn't seem to hamper the strong play of the youngster. Higgins chipped in offensively with sixty points to go along with a strong defensive showing with 161 hits and 144 shots blocked. Although the Bears and Higgins missed the playoffs in season twenty-four that didn't stop the league from rewarding the defenseman for his strong regular season play, as Higgins took home the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy for the league's top rookie. With one year under his belt Higgins took looked to make the same progression he did with the Ottawa Ice Dogs in year two.
 
Season 25 Statistics (VHL):

Regular Season:
S25 (SEA) - 72GP / 22G / 54A / 76P / -29 / 171PIM / 218H / 243SH / 155SB / 1GWG

Without stepping foot on a VHL ice surface in year two, Mitch Higgins had already pulled on three VHL sweaters. Higgins was looking for some stability in his hockey career and knew the only way to do that would be elevate his play and make it impossible to part with him. The Bears appeared to be happy with Higgins after a strong finish to his rookie campaign, but he wanted to make the team viewed him as a leader on and off the ice. After a strong training camp and pre season, the team award Higgins for his strong play and continued development by naming him and assistant captain for the season. With two powerhouses ahead of them in the standings the Bears and the fan base knew it would be a stretch to make the playoffs, so the team looked to give the youngsters regular ice-time to help with the club's development. Higgins was one of the players that benefited from the increased ice-time in his second season in the big league. Higgins improved on most offensive and defensive categories in his first full season in Seattle including goals(22), assists(54), hits(218) and shots blocked(155). With no playoffs for the second straight season, Higgins and the entire Bears core were looking to use the long off-season to end the drought in season twenty-six.
 
Season 26 Statistics (VHL):

Regular Season:
S26 (SEA) - 72GP / 26G / 76A / 102P / +43 / 124PIM / 204H / 289SH / 86SB / 4GWG
Playoffs: 
S26 (SEA) – 6GP / 1G / 4A / 5P / -3 / 12PIM / 12H / 15SH / 13SB / 0GWG

Season twenty-six was season number three in the VHL, and the end of the rookie contract. In a contract year a hockey player often comes out and plays his best hockey of his career in hopes of cashing in. Higgins was not different and with an improved roster around him, Higgins was set up to succeed. With three top end rookies and a returning core including captain Kasey Braun and fellow assistant captain Felix Peters, Higgins and the Bears finished second behind the New York Americans and qualified for the playoffs for the first five in five seasons. Higgins played a huge role in the Bears success from the blue-line, topping the century mark in points for the first time in his career. While the shots blocked dropped from the past season, Higgins kept dishing the hits with over 200 for the second straight season. After an embarrassing 7-3 loss to the Americans in the first playoff game, the Bears showed some spark and went up 2-1 after back to back wins in game two and three. In game three Higgins played a huge role in a critical 1-0 win, registering an assist on the game winning goal. The Bears would eventually fall to the veteran Americans club in six games, but Higgins gave his all in those six games leading the Bears with four assists and shots blocked with 13. A hard fought playoff series got the better of the Bears, but spirits were high in Seattle.
 
Season 27 Statistics (VHL):

Regular Season:
S27 (SEA) - 72GP / 24G / 73A / 97P / +49 / 101PIM / 170H / 255SH / 74SB / 1GWG
Playoffs:
S27 (SEA) – 7GP / 0G / 6A / 6P / +1 / 24PIM/ 21H/ 18SH / 11SB / 0GWG

After a strong showing and another year of strong development amongst the teams top players, Seattle was again expected to compete for a second straight playoff appearance. With a roster with all but one player with VHL experience, Seattle was looking to surpass the ageing Americans, and Higgins would be leaned upon to lead the way with his new appointment to captain. Higgins didn't get hit the century mark like last season falling three points short, but Higgins was starting to establish himself as one of the best set-up men in the VHL. The Higgins led Bears squad played lights out during the regular season and that led to the team taking home the clubs first Victory Cup since season six. The club looked ready to take the next step in the rebuilding phase and possibly find themselves in the Continental Cup finals, but first another playoff series with New York loomed. The difference this time was the Bears didn't enter the series as the underdogs was the pressure was squarely on their shoulders. The series ended up heading to a seventh and deciding game which took place in Seattle, but a late power play goal eliminated Higgins and the Bears. A second straight playoff exit at the hands of the Americans and twenty-four penalty minutes in the six games, Higgins vowed to come back and do better for the fans next season.
 
Season 28 Statistics (VHL):

Regular Season:
S28 (SEA) - 72GP / 30G / 81A / 111P / +49 / 165PIM / 222H / 263SH / 111SB / 7GWG
Playoffs: 
S28 (SEA) – 13GP / 1G / 8A / 9P / -5 / 18PIM / 34H / 31SH / 21SB / 0GWG

With the clock slowing coming to midnight on the Bears core in the salary cap ear of the VHL, No one knew more than inside that locker-room that time was now to make the next move. With the “C” on the sweater for the second season, Higgins was looking to assert himself more as a well known leader all over the league. What happened next was the best VHL season that Mitch Higgins would have in his seven total VHL seasons. With the Americans once again finding their step in the North American Conference, the Bears needed a big season from Higgins and he delivered. A league high eighty-one assist performance and 111 points, led to Higgins taking home some individual hardware come seasons end. Before the year end hardware was handed out the Bears were headed to the playoffs as the top seed with a second straight Victory Cup. The Bears would face-off with the Calgary Wranglers in the Conference Finals which was a hard fought seven game series, the Bears finally got through with a game seven win, one that saw Higgins put up a team leading 33:36 minutes. Due to a cross-over rule implemented in the VHL, the Bears would meet their arch nemesis the New York Americans in the VHL finals. The series was very back and forth between the Americans and Bears, with the first four games being split between the two teams. That was until the tide changed for the better for Higgins and the Bears. Game five and six swung in the favour of the Bears and the team clinched the first championship in eleven years for the hockey scene in Seattle. Higgins ended off his season by taking home the Alexander Beketov Trophy for most assists, and Grimm Jonsson for top leader to add to his impressive haul in season twenty-eight.
 
Season 29 Statistics (VHL):

Regular Season:
S29 (SEA) - 72GP / 18G / 60A / 78P / +37 / 154PIM / 272H / 178SH / 98SB / 2GWG
Playoffs: 
S29 (SEA) – 7GP / 2G / 9A / 11P / +4 / 33PIM / 18H / 12SH / 9SB / 1GWG

The year after bringing home a championship for the hockey crazy fans in Seattle, Higgins and the Bears were expected to make more noise in season twenty-nine. The team didn't disappoint as they eventually settled into the second playoff position in the North American Conference, five points behind the Toronto Legion. The Bears would cross-over to play the HC Davos Dynamo in the Conference Finals, heading into the series as the slight underdog. Higgins again proved his worth in what turned out to be a hard fought seven game series once again. No strangers to games sevens over the course of the past few seasons, the Bears looked to rely upon their experience when game seven rolled around. Unfortunately the Bears and Higgins fell flat during the game and the Dynamo came out on top. Higgins seemed to regress during his sixth season in the VHL as he only put up seventy-eight points during the regular season, but during the playoffs Higgins showed no signs of age while leading the Bears with eleven points in the seven game series. With mother time knocking on the door of Mitch Higgins, he went looking for opportunities outside the organization heading into season thirty.
 
Season 30 Statistics (VHL):

Regular Season:
S30 (HEL/SEA) - 71GP / 25G / 51A / 76P / -7 / 152PIM / 241H / 247SH / 115SB / 3GWG
Playoffs: 
S30 (SEA) – 12GP / 2G / 6A / 8P / +/- 0 / 26PIM / 22H / 46SH / 20SB / 2GWG

The final season for Mitch Higgins started back where it began, as Higgins signed with the Helsinki Titans during the season twenty-nine off-season. Once a draft choice of the Titans, Higgins was looking for opportunities outside of hockey once his on ice career ends come seasons' end. That led to him heading to Helsinki to take over as General Manager as well as a player for his final season, but once again his time was short in Helsinki. The Bears were in the heat of a playoff race, while Helsinki was in the midst of another rebuild, so the two clubs got together for a trade that saw Higgins head to Seattle for two draft choices. Higgins was more than happy to return to the franchise that he saw so much success with, hoping to top of his career with another Continental Cup. The Bears positioned themselves nicely for the playoffs with the number one position in the North American Conference, that saw them draw a match-up with the Americans. Higgins and the Bears ended up cruising through the Conference Finals against the Americans and looked ahead to a Continental Cup match-up against the Calgary Wranglers. The Bears quickly fell behind in the series 3-1, before making a comeback setting up another game seven. Higgins would end up playing his last game in the VHL and did not come out a winner as the Wranglers took home the Continental Cup with a 2-0 win. Although Higgins didn't take home his second Continental Cup in season thirty, his legendary status was already cemented seasons before.
 
Career Totals:

Regular Season:

503GP / 162G / 438A / 600P / +126 / 983PIM / 1488H / 1663SH / 783SB / 19GWG 

Playoffs:

45GP / 6G / 33A / 39P / -3 / 113PIM / 107H / 122SH / 74SB / 3GWG 

Mitch Higgins played his final game in the VHL on December 5^th, 2012. During his seven seasons in the VHL and two more in the VHLM, Mitch Higgins proved many around the league wrong each and every season. Although he never showed a bitter side when asked about the questions about being passed over time and time again, Higgins never denied that it didn't fuel his desire to be the best he could be. The best way to prove your biggest doubters and nay-Sayers wrong is to work your tail off and come out on top in whatever you put your heart and mind into, and today Mitch Higgins did that with his induction to the VHL Hall of Fame.

[Smarch 3,148]

Will edit and redo the colors this week. Just wanted to get my PT in this week, sorry!

[Phil 5,119]

Very well constructed article. Usually comes with an outro paragraph after career totals... and if we really wanted to stick with that - all we'd have to do is separate the final paragraph from "Mitch Higgins played his final game in the VHL on December 5^th, 2012." 

 

Great work - having done 15 of them myself I know the time and effort it takes to put these together.. So fantastic work and thank you for your contribution to the league's historical documentation! 

[Baozi 1,658]

Nice!

[Victor 10,934]

color=#1e90ff is the colour code

I also prefer codes changed from 'auto' to 'html' (removes the weird colouring).

Apart from that, good to go!

[Higgins 3,618]

Thank you Smarch

[Smarch 3,148]

color=#1e90ff is the colour code

I also prefer codes changed from 'auto' to 'html' (removes the weird colouring).

Apart from that, good to go!

i'll try to do this tonight

[diamond_ace 3,112]

Ah yes, the greatest steal in VHLM history

[Smarch 3,148]

color=#1e90ff is the colour code

I also prefer codes changed from 'auto' to 'html' (removes the weird colouring).

Apart from that, good to go!

This should be done and ready for you now

[sterling 1,997]

Very well constructed article. Usually comes with an outro paragraph after career totals... and if we really wanted to stick with that - all we'd have to do is separate the final paragraph from "Mitch Higgins played his final game in the VHL on December 5^th, 2012." 

 

Great work - having done 15 of them myself I know the time and effort it takes to put these together.. So fantastic work and thank you for your contribution to the league's historical documentation! 

Having done a 100 of these, fuck you!

[CowboyinAmerica 2,887]

Claimed