Claimed:Ranking My Players [Final 6/6]

[Zero 114]

Ranking My Players

 

So because I'm just not in the mood to do a podcast this week, I'm going to rank all of my previous players by how much enjoyed being them, and you're going to sit here and read it. I think this is a happy compromise, so without further ado, let's get this done.

 

7. Jensen Bracken, D

S29 10th Overall Selection (Toronto)

S29 Founder's Cup Champion (Oslo Storm)

I honestly can't tell you too much about this guy. He was one of my failed players when I tried to make comebacks to the league in previous years. I think by the time he was drafted, I had already gone inactive, and he probably ended up just hanging around in the VHLM for the majority, if not all of his career. At the end of the day, I don't even know if he was on a team when he was auto-retired after 8 seasons.

 

6. Penis Anthony Doubligné/Hudson, D

S37 14th Overall Selection (Toronto)

432GP - 19G - 110A - 129PTS - -205 - 860PIM - 1,177HIT - 852SB

Penis didn't fare too bad, all things considered. Even though he was drafted lower than Bracken, he was in a better draft class, and he actually had a solid VHL career. He spent a couple season with the Legion before moving on to Davos, Riga, and ending off with the Helsinki Titans. He was mostly used as a warm body on bad teams who couldn't fill their rosters, hence his terrible +/- rating, but I'm glad to know that many of the VHL's all-time greats, at one point or another, got nailed by Penis in the corner.

 

5. Wesley Kanaan, D

S23 3rd Overall Selection (Seattle)

72GP - 8G - 21A - 29PTS - -33 - 101PIM - 89HIT - 112SB

It might be weird that I have Kanaan, whom I retired after just 1 season in the VHL, over Hudson who had a full career. The reason I do that is because Kanaan had the potential to be so much more than he was. I should not have retired him, and just let him be a warm body as Hudson was, but at the time, I felt bad just leaving after Greg Harbinson drafted me so high. I still enjoyed being Kanaan more than Hudson because there was a time, early in his career, that I thought I would stay active. Oh well, you can't change the past.

 

4. Bitch Higgins/Jory Rose, C

S46 Draft Eligible

I'm already putting this guy above the other three, and he certainly has the potential to go higher depending on how things go. Maybe defensemen building just isn't for me, and I need to focus more on the other positions in the game to keep having fun here. Jory's having a decent year in the VHLM right now, and hopefully, he'll get me back to the championship picture.

 

3. Jon Church, LW

S1 Supplemental 3rd Overall Selection (Hamilton/New York)

S2 5th Overall Selection (Avangard/Davos)

291GP - 114G - 168A - 282PTS - -47 - 185PIM - 118HIT - 87SB

6GP - 0G - 3A - 3PTS - -2 - 0PIM - 2HIT - 5SB

Jon Church, for all intents and purposes, was a failed experiment. Back in the early days of the VHL, we didn't know as much about player builds as we do now, so I tried to be different. While everyone else was putting all their TPE into scoring, puck handling, checking, and the like, I tried to make Church into a pure playmaker and put all my TPE into passing. That failed miserably, and Church only lasted a few seasons. Still, he holds the distinction of being the first ever draft pick of the Avangard Havoc, and being involved in the VHL's first ever 3-way trade, which saw him spend 2 days as a Seattle Bear before being traded back to Avangard. He made the playoffs once, in his final season in the league, but was generally not an impact player aside from his 95 point season in Season 3.

 

2. Dominik Stryker, G

S6 2nd Overall Selection (Helsinki)

S5 Founder's Cup Champion (Toledo)

S6 Continental Cup Champion (Helsinki)

S5 Skylar Rift Trophy Winner (VHLM Playoffs MVP)

449GP - 188W - 215L - 27OTL - .924S% - 3.24GAA - 11SO - 18,697SA

20GP - 9W - 10L - 1OTL - .926S% - 3.11GAA - 1SO - 874SA

Dominik Stryker's career started with pure success. A founder's Cup followed by a Continental Cup in his rookie season set the table for what was sure to be a great career. Honestly, I still believe Stryker had a great career, but unfortunately for him, I was the GM of Helsinki throughout most of it. The Titans were bad for a while, but Stryker did his best given the circumstances. His 18,697 shots against still stands as an all-time record today, and it's not even close. His .924 save percentage is also among the best, and after his retirement, his #31 was retired by the Helsinki Titans. He was traded to the New York Americans to finish off his career and give him one more chance at the Continental Cup, but that didn't work out. I still wonder how good Stryker would have been on a better team, and if I stick around to see out Jory Rose's career, I'm going to strongly consider making another goalie.

 

1. Joakim Daniel "J.D." Stormwall, LW

S14 5th Overall Selection

S18 & S19 Continental Cup Champion (Calgary)

S21 Continental Cup Champion (Toronto)

S18, S19 & S20 Scott Boulet Trophy Winner (Top Two-Way Forward)

S18 Daisuke Kanou Trophy WInner (Playoffs MVP)

S22 VHL Hall of Fame Inductee

533GP - 316G - 324A - 640PTS - +238 - 1,336PIM - 1,865HIT - 237SB

41GP - 15G - 17A - 32PTS - +2 - 126PIM - 167HIT - 26SB

I mean, I don't think there was ever any doubt here. Far and way, Stormwall was my most successful and talented player. It was always fun to see how well he was doing, but it's interesting enough to note that I was very close to going inactive at the beginning of his career. Still, we got it together and he ended up doing...well, all that you see above. He spent most of his career in Calgary before being traded to Riga, then signing as a free agent in Toronto to win one more Continental Cup. All 3 of his Continental Cups were won as Team Captain, which may be a VHL record (I'm too lazy to fact check this). At the time of his retirement, Stormwall was the VHL's all-time hits leader as well, and it was obvious that his #13 was never to be worn again by anyone in the Wranglers franchise. I don't know that I'll ever have a player as successful as Stormwall ever again, thanks to TPE inflation and what have you, but it's nice to know that he made a mark on the league during his active era in the VHL.

[Will 4,618]

Bitch Higgins will always be #1 in our hearts 

[Phil 5,029]

I loved reading this. Maybe one day I'll be able to write a reflection rating article too. You are awesome, Detective.

[Baozi 1,638]

Ohohoho do one for me

[Jamie 438]

Shut up Benjamin Summers

[Kendrick 4,725]

I loved reading this. Maybe one day I'll be able to write a reflection rating article too. You are awesome, Detective.

I will as well, it will take my twenty years.

 

Zero used Helm, Zajac and Barrie. So basically raiding my favourite players list.

[Tylar 219]

Content: 3/3 - Wow, thats a lot of players. I didn't realize you had that much history in VHL, guess that's how much I know. A nice piece on the players you've made and how successful or not successful they were. Bitch Higgins is great though. You also had a few interesting name choices, haha including Bitch.

Grammar: 2/2 - 
Far and way, Stormwall = Far and away, Stromwall (I think you meant away otherwise ignore me)

Appearance: 1/1 - Yes

Overall: 6/6

[Kendrick 4,725]

Claimed