S49 had 3, not 2 great performances

[Victor 10,831]

S49 was a weird year. From Quebec's 27-game win streak to Toronto rampaging to a second consecutive cup anyway while a midseason trade record was set and still Europe couldn't become anywhere near cup contender status. In the midst of it all, three S45 players had some of the best seasons the VHL has seen.

 

The Lucky One – Greg Clegane

Somehow I ended up with both the Campbell and the Slobo trophies and if the second one makes sense, I was pretty certain Molholt would get MVP... although my personal choice would have been someone else.

 

Generally speaking, ever since shots faced went down in S12/S13, .935 SV% has been the benchmark for amazing seasons. Before Clegane, only Labatte (S32) and Moher (S40) did it, and of course Tukio set the modern day record of .937 in between. Coupled with the all-time record GAA and second-best 16 shutouts, I suppose it was a pretty decent season. But not the only stand-out of S49...

 

The Bridesmaid – Max Molholt @Molholt

Before S49 started I looked at all-time career stats and thought Molholt had a very good shot at the top 10 in points. After a monster season, he can now set his sights on the truly elite 900 point mark.

 

But he doesn't have a lot of individual awards just yet. Ironically, after one of the best recent rookie seasons in S45, Molholt lost the Stolzschweiger to Clegane, and now after one of the best offensive seasons in recent years, Molholt missed out on two awards which would have been his in most other years if not for Clegane. 89 assists and 145 points isn't unheard of but is still very impressive – it'll be interesting to see if both Molholt and Clegane have peaked or this mini-rivalry will continue.

 

The Forgotten One – Phil Hamilton @Phil

A weird season for Phil – he missed out on his Grimm Jonsson Trophy because Cologne had named their captains before trading for him. He then had an amazing season on defence but everyone was too busy focused on Clegane and Molholt.

 

When doing the BOG ballot for awards voting, I thought Hamilton should have won MVP. He was head and shoulders above everyone else in Cologne, unlike Molholt who had Wingate and Parechkin and Clegane who had Koponen and other top scorers. But it's fine if the award deserved to go to Toronto or Quebec more than Cologne – that makes some sense. Nonetheless, one of the best Labatte winners ever has flown under the radar.

 

Yeah, 101 points isn't the greatest ever, although no other defenceman got to triple digits since Jake Wylde in S43. What really sets Hamilton apart is his all-around game. 321 hits is an amazing amount for a defenceman, especially one who can score – most Labatte winners end up between 150 and 250 – in fact only two have ever hit 300. 163 shots blocked is also above average and came on what was nonetheless the 4th best team in the league.

 

 

There were 3 great seasons in S49 and still 3 more to go.

[Phil 5,111]

YAY! Recognition! Thanks for the read! I knew I put up insane numbers, that's why I went back to check the last time a defenseman got +100 points... but how many have gotten +100 points and +300 hits, I wonder?

[Molholt 2,185]

145 points is kind of unheard of, at least for the past 15 seasons. 

[Higgins 3,618]

Molholt would have probably won or co-won if people didn't switch their damn votes

[CowboyinAmerica 2,840]

3 minutes ago, Higgins said:

Molholt would have probably won or co-won if people didn't switch their damn votes

 

I just switched my vote the other way. You're retroactively co-winners now.  

[Victor 10,831]

4 minutes ago, Molholt said:

145 points is kind of unheard of, at least for the past 15 seasons. 

Thomassen had 141 and 92/89 assists which is pretty damn close enough.

 

Also it's not like the early 30s had a particular advantage over now so might as well look at the whole 20 seasons.

 

I mean, obviously you'd win in 15 of the 20 seasons. That's the point.