Fire Tortorella 2,653 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Robin Gow Joins Rebuilding Riga Reign Coming off of a successful campaign with the Founder’s Cup winning Ottawa Lynx in S35, center Robin Gow knew that he was going to be a sought after player in the S36 VHL Entry Draft. After being contacted by multiple VHL general managers, Gow had an idea of where he was going to be selected in the draft, but it wasn’t confirmed until 7:59 PM EST on Sunday, December 22nd, 2013. Riga Reign General Manager Mike Szatkowski approached the podium and stated: “The Riga Reign are proud to select with the second overall pick in the Season 36 VHL Draft center from Philly, PA Robin Gow.” During S35, when people spoke of the S36 draft, it was almost always stated that defenseman Godavari Yumalatopinto and winger Xin Xei Xao were the consensus top two draft choices. After the draft, Robin had this to say about his apparent snub: “Yeah, it hurt a little bit to see those two constantly referred to as the cream of the crop of this draft class. While they may have had slightly more practice hours than I did at the draft and during the season, I always felt that I was on their level in terms of potential. I think all three of us, as well as center Damon Tyrael, all have the ability to be franchise changing players. Not seeing myself talked about on the same level as those guys definitely motivated me before the draft to consistently put in the effort needed to reach my potential.” After winning the Continental Cup in S33, the Riga Reign began a rebuild in S35, shipping off any of their worthwhile assets left from their cup run. With those trades and an additional trade on the day before the draft, the Reign had acquired three of the top five picks in the S36 VHL Entry Draft, as well as a swap of first round picks from S35 with the Seattle Bears that saw winger Brennan McQueen traded for defenseman Edwin Encarnacion. While McQueen may have had problems with management in Seattle, it seems clear that at this point in time, Riga has won that trade by a fairly large margin, as Encarnacion’s progression has recently stalled. Riga’s two other top-five picks netted the Reign center Damon Tyrael from the Brampton Blades and winger Robert Gow III, cousin of Robin Gow, from the Ottawa Lynx. With their last pick in the first round, the Reign selected defenseman Phil Villeneuve, former member of the Saskatoon Wild. While Villeneuve has a renowned agent, Phil has not lived up to his pedigree yet, although his career is just beginning. In addition to those drafted, goaltender Mike Szatkowski Jr. was also added to the club this off-season through the VHL’s General Manager Exception rule. Gow, Szatkowski Jr., Tyrael, McQueen, the other Gow, and Villeneuve are expected to be the vast majority of the main core of the Riga Reign for seasons to come. While the Reign are only at the beginning of their rebuild, they currently have some of the pieces in place to build a team that can compete for a Continental Cup in the future. While the team has a good amount of offensive prospects and a goalie for the future, they are currently lacking in defensive prospects and players. This is the biggest need for the Reign moving forward. While it would be great for none of the current members of the Reign to be moved in order to get an impact defenseman, this is definitely a potential solution to the black hole that is Riga’s defensive pipeline. Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/3514-claimedrobin-gow-joins-rebuilding-riga-reign/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike 708 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 We got Teeko late in the draft too who has been a pleasant surprise. Definitely happy with where Riga stands right now and I'm more motivated to be part of this team and this league than I have been possibly ever. Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/3514-claimedrobin-gow-joins-rebuilding-riga-reign/#findComment-25030 Share on other sites More sharing options...
AwfulHomesick 148 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Content: 3/3 - I liked how half of it was about Gow and the other was about Riga's rebuild. Undoubtedly, with all the firepower, Riga is something the rest of the league has to look out for in the near future. Really showing off GM Szatkowski in good light. Grammar: 2/2 - Didn't find anything. Nice work! Appearance: 1/1 - Very unique and team colors oriented. Excellent job. Overall: 6/6 Final: 6/6 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/3514-claimedrobin-gow-joins-rebuilding-riga-reign/#findComment-25159 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Claimed Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/3514-claimedrobin-gow-joins-rebuilding-riga-reign/#findComment-118521 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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