Theo Pavlik Lands into the VHLM [Reviewed]

[HabsFanFromOntario 21]

May 31st, 2015

Oslo, Finland 

Theo Pavlik Lands into the VHLM

 

Well-known French-Canadian prospect Theo Pavlik after scoring a goal

 

French-Canadian junior hockey phenom, Theo Pavlik, has decided to forego entering the more well known National Hockey League and opt to enter the Victory Hockey League Minor system. This decision shocked many in the mainstream media as Pavlik was expected to be a top prospect in the upcoming 2016 NHL Entry Draft. One insider, Dick Shivers, projected this "out-of-the-blue, impulsive decision by a player who lives for excitement and unpredictability."

 

We reached out to Theo for a comment to try and figure out his decision and he replied saying: "I guess it's just my personality, it's part of what makes me so dangerous to play against. I mean, if I don't even know what I'm planning or about to do it's impossible for them to defend against it or predict my actions. I don't have a pattern, and it makes me unstoppable." 

 

 

Pavlik celebrating yet another goal in the first round of the play-offs, they would eventually go on to lose this series 

 

The Ottawa native played in the QMJHL this past season after requesting a transfer from the OHL's Flint Firebirds. He put up a very impressive 39 goals and 51 assists for a staggering 95 points, good for fifth in league scoring as an 18 year old, placing him behind Pierre-Luc Dubois as the top draft eligible player from the QMJHL on most mock drafts. Despite his herculean effort his team, the Drummondville Voltigeurs, were eliminated in the first round of the play-offs. Many analysts chose to take this opportunity to criticize the young sniper's level of compete and effort in the playoffs referring to him as a "purely perimeter player" and also stating that he "just can't make his own offense, but is an exceptional support player." 

 

Of course, this just caused the media narrative to become even more twisted when he signed up to enter the VHLM rather than going into the NHL. Many pundits exclaimed that the "soft sniper couldn't handle the big show" while others just simply stated "he just wanted to take the easy route." ESPN's own Barry Melrose went so far as to call him a "weak minded individual who couldn't even cut it in the ECHL, I don't know how he was even considered a top prospect in the first place. Soft, soft, soft."

 

Pavlik posing for his team photo earlier in the year 

 

If you ask his former Voltigeurs coach, Dominique Ducharme, about the comments he is surprisingly blunt and not overly surprised by the media's criticism. "He reminds me of Filatov, at one point he said Pavlik doesn't do rebounds, during the hard to the paint drill (a drill where they crash the net and try to put back rebounds). He's absolutely soft but he's also fantastically skilled. He has so much potential but, when a guy is in the spotlight like he is, they're going to over-analyze you and pick at your flaws. I guess he just couldn't handle that level of critique. I'll be sure to catch his VHLM games though, I'm excited to see what he does."  

 

Nonetheless, fans of the VHLM are excited for the arrival of the exciting offensive dynamo and should prepare to hear his name on the loud speakers often as he lights the lamp for the Oslo Storm this season. Storm fans have been flocking to buy his jersey and a large contingent of French-Canadians have begun learning Finnish and buying into the VHLM Sports Package planning to support him even thousand of miles away in a league they, traditionally, don't really watch.