Claimed: The Road from Hope to Disappointment

[Gudnason 607]

With the now biannual World Cup right around the corner, I looked at the S52 World Cup rosters earlier in the week to see if my new center Rudi Ying had any chance of making Team World. What started off as real hope was negated by a corresponding loss of hope, and soon after I found the nail for my proverbial coffin. Let me walk you through this beautiful journey.

 

As a center myself, I first went to the S52 Team World roster and saw that 214 TPE Franchise Cornerstone and 165 TPE Alexander Thrower were selected to lead the team from the front in the last edition of the continental tournament. As a S53 draftee, Cornerstone managed to make the roster while still in the VHLM. That seemed like a glimmer of hope for my chances. Now at 518 TPE, the native of Ulan Bator is almost guaranteed a spot for the S54 roster. He has consistently been played ahead of veteran Sir William Covington III while on the Helsinki Titans for the past two years, and the Mongolia forward is closing in on 50 VHL goals.

 

I recently discovered that Alexander Thrower, who hails from Sydney, Australia, has made a position change from center to defenseman since the last World Cup. Now anchoring the blue line for the Stockholm Vikings, last year's undoubted rookie of the year has translated his rookie season performance of 43 goals and 120 points to a very respectable sophomore season of 52 points in 56 games from the back line. This performance puts him right on par with rookie defenseman Roman Sokolov's stat line. This position change by Thrower seems like a perfect opportunity for Ying to take the second line center duties, but you will see this is not as the case if you read on.

 

Star blueliner Felipe Rodriguez, who will be playing in his final World Cup before retirement, has made the position change in the other direction as Thrower - from defenseman to center. Despite being a depth player for the conference-leading Quebec City Meute, the Mexican has still had a respectable 31 points in 56 games in his swan song season. And one of the reasons why a 623 TPE player is being a depth forward for the Meute?

 

Of course it's because of rookie center Fook Yu! The giant from Hong Kong just put the nail in my proverbial coffin for any last chance Ying had to make the World Cup roster. Depending on how the Team World GM balances youth and experience, the two centers that will make the team will probably be a combination of the three above - Franchise Cornerstone, Fook Yu, and Felipe Rodriguez. That leaves YIng as, at best, the fourth best option and left on the outside looking in.

 

Until the S56 World Cup I guess...

[hedgehog337 3,480]

There are Mercenaries also. 

[Gudnason 607]

Just now, hedgehog337 said:

There are Mercenaries also. 

I doubt I am making that with the surplus of Canadians and Americans

[boubabi 4,725]

Mongolian star