Daniel 565 Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 As the VHLM playoffs draw to a close, it's natural that thoughts turn towards the offseason, and all the pageantry and fun that comes with it. Russian goaltender Dmitri Dadonov played his first VHLM game back in S46 as a waiver player for the Saskatoon Wild before spending S47 with the Yukon Rush and this most recent season with the Oslo Storm. Dadonov performed moderately well last year but ultimately couldn't deliver his team the cup they craved. This year was a different yet all too familiar story, as Dmitri tasted tragedy once again with another playoff failure, but his regular performances were certainly of a much higher quality. This season's "goalie of the year" race in the VHLM is incredibly tight. Dadonov will certainly be in the conversation, along with his three main rivals for the honour; AK47, Sven Wolf and Coca Cola. The only way we can really determine each player's chance at winning is if we compare them on an individual basis, statistic by statistic, to try and get to the bottom of who holds the best chance. Save Percentage - Winner: Coca Cola (0.923). Coca Cola, a career VHLMer has been a top performer for the Moscow Red Wolves over recent seasons. He delivered once again in S48, putting up a league leading, and extremely impressive, save percentage of 0.923, a full 0.010 ahead of his closest competitor. Goals Against Average - Winner: Sven Wolf (1.79) Wolf was a clear winner in the GAA category amongst VHLM goalies, however it's possible that his shortened season may stand against him in terms of awards voting, despite a very impressive year for the rookie. Wins - Winner: AK47 (51) AK47 certainly didn't hurt his draft stock this season as he managed to be the most successful goaltender in the VHLM in terms of games won. Dadonov followed closely behind with 48, but ultimately AK47 delivered the kind of consistent performances required to take his team to another Founder's Cup finals. Shutouts - Winner: AK47 (12) In addition to leading the league in wins, AK47 was also the man who delivered the most goose eggs to his rival teams, shutting out the opposition 12 times. Ottawa have enjoyed another strong season and it's arguable that without performances of the quality that AK47 delivered, they certainly would've fallen well short of their eventual success. CONCLUSION Ultimately, this award has several candidates who would all be worthy winners. It's hard to judge my own player's chances without being a little biased, but even though he didn't lead the league in any individual category, I think his consistency across the board may stand him in good stead when it ultimately comes to voting for the award. It certainly says a lot about the quality of the current crop of VHLM goaltenders that there are so many legitimate contenders for the award, and each and every one has done their bit to help keep the league both competitive and interesting. Whether or not Dadonov wins his first award in the VHL system remains to be seen, but whatever happens, it's been a season I've been proud of, and I'm looking forward to hopefully taking some of the momentum forward to the big leagues next time around. Phil, Kesler and eaglesfan036 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 5,119 Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 Great comparison article! Even if he doesn't end up with an individual accolade in the VHLM, you're on track to getting one in the VHL someday! Keep it up brother! Daniel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglesfan036 4,598 Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 You'll be a great goalie for a certain team that isn't Quebec Also Coca Cola is up there with Jeevan Samuelson for best VHLM player ever Daniel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FacePuncher 1,343 Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 Review: Good article. Your player has been very solid, but(like I said in a VHL Mag Arcticle ) your player seems to have no real weaknesses in his game, but nothing that he's been the best at yet. But you've got a crap ton of banked TPE to change that next season hope you're ready to finish second in RoY voting! 545 words Daniel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FacePuncher 1,343 Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 @evrydayimbyfuglien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesler 1,514 Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Claimed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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