Slaughter HOF [Reviewed]

[Smarch 3,153]

C – Tom Slaughter

Birthplace: Everett, Washington, USA

Height: 6'3" 

Weight: 210lbs

Jersey Number: 66

Drafted: S37 (3^rd Overall) NYA

Username: Sterling 

When the Sterling agency declares a player eligible for the Victory Hockey League good things usually follow, and in the case of Slaughter the story followed the same script. Right from the start of his career Slaughter showed himself as a leader and winner, winning two Founders Cups, despite playing slightly over a season in the VHLM. From that point forward, Slaughter would get better and better each season, making those around the league take notice of the playmaking center. These players don’t come around each and every day and that’s why Slaughter found himself being awarded by the league by being inducted alongside the other greats in the VHL Hall of Fame.

Career Awards:

S35 Founder Cup - VHLM Championship

S36 Founder Cup - VHLM Championship

S37 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy - Rookie of the Year

S38 North American Conference All-Star

S38 Victory Cup - Regular Season Champions (NYA)

S39 North American Conference All-Star

S39 Mikka Virkkunen Trophy - Most Sportsmanlike

S39 Victory Cup - Regular Season Champions (NYA)

S39 Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy - North American Playoff Champions (NYA)

S39 Continental Cup - Playoff Champions (NYA)

S40 North American Conference All-Star

S40 Victory Cup - Regular Season Champions (NYA)

S40 Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy - North American Playoff Champions (NYA)

S40 Mikka Virkkunen Trophy - Most Sportsmanlike

S41 North American Conference All-Star

S41 Victory Cup - Regular Season Champions (NYA)

S41 Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy - North American Playoff Champions (NYA)

S43 Victory Cup - Best Regular Season Record (STO)

S43 Scotty Campbell Trophy - MVP

 Season 37 Statistics:

Regular Season:

S37(NYA) 72GP | 22G - 54A -  76P | +43 | 248SHT | 6GWG |  7PIM |  0HIT | 19SB | 56.6FO%

 

 

The league was introduced to Slaughter after he was drafted Third Overall by the New York Americans in the Season Thirty-Seven VHL Entry Draft. With 300 practise hours at the time of the draft, many were surprised when Riga passed on Slaughter with the First Overall pick, but for the Americans who held the next three draft picks things couldn`t have been planned any better. Slaughter would join the team in his first eligible season in the VHL and went on to have a great first season. Playing an Americans teams that was still a season away from exiting the rebuilding stage, Slaughter put up twenty-two goals and fifty-four assists. Those totals were good enough to let Slaughter bring home the Christian Slotzschwiger trophy for the league`s top rookie, but not enough to push the Americans ahead of the Seattle Bears, as the Cinderella Americans fell one points short. Slaughter got accustomed to the speed of the game throughout the season, which did wonders for him and the Americans going forward.

 

 

 

Season 38 Statistics:

 

Regular Season:

S38(NYA) 72GP | 29G - 66A -  95P | +50 | 320SHT | 4GWG |  0PIM |  1HIT | 11SB | 60.9FO%

Playoffs:

S38(NYA)  6GP | 1G - 2A -  3P | -3 | 25SHT | 0GWG |  0PIM | 1HIT | 4SB | 57.5FO%

 After three seasons on the outside looking in when the playoffs started, the Americans brass and their fans were looking for more out of Season Thirty-Eight. The team was built for success but lack many players that have had playoff experience, so the team needed someone to lead the pack. That task landed squarely on the shoulders of Slaughter and he took the reins and ran with it. The team improved from an eight-three point performance last season to lead the league in Season Thirty-Eight with 116 points. With than improved play, everyone on the team seen their stats take a hit and that included Slaughter as well. In just his sophomore season, Slaughter rose to the top of the leaderboards in points with twenty-nine goals and sixty-six points. Slaughter finished third on the Americans with his ninety-five points, helping lead the Americans once again back to the playoffs to face-off against the Toronto Legion in the Conference Finals. The series was a tough fought series for both the Americans and Legion, with three games in the series heading to overtime, but in the long run the Legion were too much for Slaughter and the Americans. After a much improved regular season, Slaughter struggled slightly in his playoff appearance, but this only fueled his hunger for greatness moving forward.

 

 

Season 39 Statistics:

 

Regular Season:

S39(NYA) 72GP | 39G - 49A -  88P | +34 | 439SHT | 7GWG |  2PIM |  2HIT | 22SB | 64.4FO%

Playoffs:

S39(NYA) 10GP | 3G - 5A -  8P | +4 | 76SHT | 0GWG |  0PIM | 1HIT | 2SB | 58.6FO%

 Expectations were at an all-time high for the current group of Americans, and management took notice, acquiring more fire-power heading into the season. Another centerman was brought in to supplement Slaughter on the second-line, but was also paired with better line-mates. This took a bit of a chunk out of the offensive totals from his previous season, but the team first Slaughter never batted an eye. Even with the seven point drop in points, Season Thirty-Nine was a huge season on the ice for Slaughter and the Americans. Slaughter and the Americans cruised through the regular season and continued that torrid pace in the playoffs as the team lost only one in each playoff season on the way to the first Continental Cup for the franchise in seven seasons. Slaughter played a bit of a secondary role with the veteran players the Americans brought in in Season Thirty-Nine, but he would be asked to take the next step next season with those veterans leaving town in the off-season. 

 

 

Season 40 Statistics:

 

Regular Season:

S40(NYA) 72GP | 41G - 66A - 107P | +47 | 519SHT | 7GWG |  2PIM |  4HIT | 30SB | 66.0FO%

Playoffs:

S40(NYA) 10GP | 4G - 8A - 12P | -5 | 51SHT | 0GWG |  2PIM | 1HIT | 0SB | 58.6FO%

 With the salary cap crunch in full effect in New York, the Americans were running with more depth than star power in Season Forty, so Slaughter jumped in the front of the line to lead the team. Slaughter put up a career high in goals with forty-one, matched a career high in assists with sixty-six, and hit the century mark for the first time in the VHL. Slaughter was started to round in to shape as a top line centerman in the league as well sporting a league leading face-off percentage of sixty-six. Slaughter helped lead the Americans to another Victory Cup for most points in the VHL, but most importantly he helped earn them another bye into the Conference Finals. Slaughter led the team into battle against the Calgary Wranglers, helping dispose of their North American rival in just five games.  The Americans then turned their focus to the Riga Reign, a team that the Americans have been at war with since Slaughter entered the league. The Reign were ultimately too much for the Americans in the finals and would put the team away in five games to take the Continental Cup out of the hands of the Americans. Slaughter had a good playoffs even though it didn’t end in the ultimate prize, putting up twelve points in the ten American playoff games. Slaughter and the team turned the page very quickly on the Finals lose, moving full steam ahead with off-season training as soon as game five ended.

 

 

Season 41 Statistics:

 

Regular Season:

S41(NYA) 72GP | 43G - 79A - 122P | +62 | 516SHT | 9GWG | 16PIM | 65HIT | 26SB | 66.2FO%

Playoffs:

S41(NYA) 12GP | 8G - 6A - 14P | +4 | 74SHT | 3GWG | 13PIM | 8HIT | 8SB | 60.2FO%

 After his most successful season in the VHL, many wondered what Slaughter would have left to give the VHL. He answered that question with his best year to date in every offensive category. Slaughter put up forty-three goals to go along with seventy-nine assists. Those 122 points were of course a career high for the Washington Native, but again he showed his worth as an overall player by besting his face-off percentage of last season by 0.02 percent, good enough again to lead the entire VHL. For the third season in a row, Slaughter and the Americans won the Victory Cup as the league’s top regular season team, heading to the Conference Finals to await their playoff opponent. Slaughter and the Americans would take on a young Quebec Meute team, who they would quickly dispose of in five games. Slaughter had a decent playoff series putting up five points, but the young man from Everett would save his best for the finals. One again squaring off against their rivals across the pond, the Riga Reign, Slaughter and the Americans were looking for payback on last season’s embarrassment in the finals by the hands of the Reign. The series was very back and forth between the two powerhouses, and with the Americans on the brink of back to back Continental Cup defeats, Tom Slaughter put the franchise on his back in games six and seven. At the 14:38 mark of overtime in game six with the Reign up 3-2 in the series, Slaughter took a Matt Bentley pass in the slot and fired into the back of the net. Then next night in New York thirty seconds after the Reign tied the game with less than five minutes left to play in the third period, Slaughter won a key face-off in the Riga zone and once again found mesh with his shot. Slaughter was a superstar player in the league, but there was no bigger moment in his career to date then his performance in games six and seven against the Reign.

Season 42 Statistics:

Regular Season:

S42(NYA) 72GP | 52G - 67A - 119P | +47 | 438SHT | 7GWG | 55PIM | 58HIT | 26SB | 65.2FO%

Playoffs:

S42(NYA) 12GP | 6G - 8A - 14P | +3 | 65SHT | 2GWG |  2PIM | 5HIT | 7SB | 61.3FO%

 

 

Season Forty-Two was going to be more of a challenge to repeat for Slaughter and the Americans we the young rosters starting to take form in Quebec and Helsinki, but Slaughter had never back away from a challenge yet in his VHL days, so nothing different was expected in his case. Once again the franchise and the fans alike were awarded for having Slaughter in an Americans jersey as he broke the century mark for the third straight season, while hitting the fifty goal mark for the first time in his VHL career. Slaughter and the Americans put up another 100 point performance in the regular season, but it wasn’t enough to win the conference as they would have to play in Semi-Finals for the first time in four seasons. Slaughter would lead the team into battle against the Toronto Legion, who threw a scare into the Americans fan base with a win in game one. The Americans would go on to win the next four games to advance ahead into the Conference Finals against the Meute, and for the first time in Slaughters career, he went into a Conference Finals as somewhat of an underdog. The series would go the distance between the two teams and despite Slaughters best efforts with ten points in the seven game, the Americans reign of terror in the North American Conference came to and end on Monday April 13^th, 2015.

 

 

 

Season 43 Statistics:

 

Regular Season:

S43(STO) 72GP | 45G - 77A - 122P | +70 | 496SHT | 7GWG | 38PIM | 54HIT | 30SB | 66.1FO%

Playoffs:

S43(STO)  5GP | 4G - 2A -  6P |  0 | 20SHT | 0GWG | 17PIM | 3HIT | 4SB | 63.5FO%

After six seasons in an Americans jersey, time has come for a full on rebuild in New York, which in turn meant Slaughter would likely find a new home heading into Season Forty-Three. That’s exactly what happened in the Season Forty-Three off-season as Slaughter and three of his American team-mates were shipped off to the European Conference to suit up for the Stockholm Vikings. The veteran forward would make a huge impact in his first year in Europe with Stockholm, matching a career high in points with 122. After years of constant great seasons in New York, Slaughter was finally rewarded for his great play as he was awarded the Scotty Campbell Trophy for the league’s Most Valuable Player in Season Forty-Three. Although the individual accolades were welcomed by Slaughter, he was always known as a team player that valued championships more than personal awards. Like many seasons before Slaughter helped lead his team to a Conference Finals bye with a strong regular season performance, so the team awaited the winner between Cologne and Davos. After waiting the full seven games for a winner to be decided in the Semi-Finals the Vikings were ready to take on the Cologne Express with the winner heading to the Continental Cup Finals. The Vikings headed into the playoff match-up as the heavy favorites with their offensive juggernaut on the ice, but that was anything but the case in the short five game series. The team were snake bitten around the net with Slaughter leading the team with four goals in those five games, but secondary scoring just never showed up. After a great success in the regular season for Slaughter he couldn’t help but feel disappointed with the way things ended in Season Forty-three.

Season 44 Statistics:

Regular Season:

S44(STO) 72GP | 51G - 58A - 109P | +43 | 410SHT | 7GWG | 9PIM  | 10HIT | 26SB | 66.0FO%

Playoffs:

S44(STO) 14GP | 1G - 6A -  7P | +2 | 67SHT | 1GWG |  5PIM | 2HIT | 5SB | 59.3FO%

 As Season Forty-Four was getting ready to fire into gull gear, Slaughter headed into a VHL training camp for the final time. Some players retire because they can’t keep up to the rigors of the tough and tumble job each and every day, but with the way Slaughter played in his final season that didn’t seem to be his case. Slaughter hit the fifty goal mark for just the second time in his career, netting fifty-one which was one short of his career high. He also put up 100 plus points for this fifth straight regular season, which is a rare feat especially in your seventh and eighth VHL seasons. Slaughter once again lead his franchise to the playoffs, and for just the second time in his VHL playoff career, Slaughter would have to play in the Semi-Finals first. The Vikings would find themselves in tough against the Dynamo in the Semi-Finals, but they would eventually push through in game seven to head to the Conference Finals. The Vikings would again see the team that ended their playoff hopes the season prior, the Cologne Express. Like the semis, the Vikings would force a deciding game seven against the Express, but like the playoffs in Season Forty-Three, the Vikings were snake bitten around the net in game seven. The curtain would close on the Vikings season and on the career of Slaughter after the loss in game seven, but the legacy of Slaughter will live on for many more seasons to come.

Career Totals:
 
Regular Season:

576GP | 322G - 516A - 838P | +396 | 3386SHT | 54GWG | 129PIM | 194HIT | 190SB | 63.93%

 

 

Playoffs:

 

69GP | 27G - 37A - 64P | +65 | 378SHT | 6GWG | 39PIM | 21HIT | 30SB | 59.86%

With a career that spanned eight seasons and two franchises, Slaughter was a force to be reckoned with from the moment he stepped on the VHL ice surface. From his Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy win in his rookie season to his Scotty Campbell Trophy win in his second last season, Slaughter brought his best each and every night for the fans and his team-mates. This is evident in the fact that Slaughter finds himself currently at number thirteen on the all-time point leaderboard in the VHL. Although he doesn’t have the personal accolades that some players have when they enter the shire that is the Hall of Fame, Slaughter has definitely earned his spot in the hall amongst the greats

Edited August 30, 2016 by Smarch

[Smarch 3,153]

For Snatch

[Devise 4,475]

Smarch pounding our these HoF articles, great work sir.

[BOOM 8,745]

Excellent write up and well deserved accolades for Slaughter. Was a pleasure to be a teammate during my time with New York.