Expansion Era (S31-S47) Official IIHF VHL Rankings (1/2)

[Corco 1,124]

Expansion Era Official IIHF VHL Rankings

All of the countries in the world that had VHL and/or VHLM representation from S31-S47

 

This is a side project of my first IIHF VHL Rankings, found here, in case you haven't seen those. I did the same thing I did for those rankings here, however in these rankings I only included players of the expansion era, excluding players currently playing and players who are retired, but younger than S47.

 

 

1st.  Finland 

81 Points Overall (# of Players: 26 (6th) / Average TPE: 410 (12th) / Total TPE: 10,656 (3rd))

Spoiler

(S31) G - Tuomas Tukio, TPE: 1,400 @Higgins
(S31) RW - Teemu Lehtinen, TPE: 534 @Sixersfan549
(S33) RW - Jarkko Olsen, TPE: 762 @Molholt
(S33) RW - Karsten Olsen, TPE: 843 @CowboyinAmerica
(S34) D - Ville Sixten, TPE: 603 @jack
(S36) C - DuJuan Cook, TPE: 62 @BagelBites
(S36) D - Sami Kravinen, TPE: 353 @Wasty
(S36) RW - Markku Mikkola, TPE: 16 @Cowboy
(S37) G - Kimmo Salo, TPE: 407 @Seth
(S37) G - Santeri Heikelä, TPE: 10 @Kitnox
(S38) G - Matti Auvinen, TPE: 0 @Essbee
(S38) LW - Leo Tesla, TPE: 327 @Otrebor13
(S39) C - Hunter Backenbauer, TPE: 106 @Banjo
(S39) LW - Hudson Backenbauer, TPE: 99 @Seventy-Four
(S39) RW - Heinrich Backenbauer, TPE: 0 @HabsFanFromOntario
(S40) C - Niklas Kurri, TPE: 465 @nikkurri17
(S40) RW - Mikko Koskinen, TPE: 70 @grimmsterj
(S41) RW - Teuvo Ruutu, TPE: 417 @iRockstar
(S43) LW - Jorma Ruutu, TPE: 876 @jRuutu
(S44) D - Kerkko Hyvärinen, TPE: 422 @diamond_ace
(S44) RW - Simon Valmount, TPE: 612 @Ahma
(S45) C - Aleksi Koponen, TPE: 1,190 @Will
(S45) D - Marquis Hyvarinen, TPE: 373 @Munk
(S45) G - Teuvo Rinne, TPE: 69 @Jala
(S46) RW - Stumppell Aurinkoinen Jr., TPE: 0 @Paananen
(S47) C - Joel Järvi, TPE: 640 @gregreg

Finland is definitely a hockey country, that's a given, but being ranked 1st overall in these rankings from S31-S37 is arguably the biggest surprise of this list. Surpassing the typical hockey giants Canada and the United States is no small feat, but the Finns managed to squeak into first place in these rankings by one point over their friends across the Atlantic. The biggest reason for Finland being ranked this high is that they had a very large amount of highly successful players in this time with (compared to other countries) very few low-tpe VHLM fodder players. The country produced all tiers of players in this era; Hall-of-Famers (Tuomas Tukio), Superstars (Aleksi Koponen, Joel Järvi, Jorma Ruutu,etc.), Stars (Simon Valmount, Jarkko Olsen, Ville Sixten, etc.), Depth (Sami Kravinen, Kerkko Hyvärinen, Teuvo Ruutu, etc.), and VHLM Lifers (Hunter Backenbauer, Teuvo Rinne, DuJuan Cook, etc.). Of the 26 players Finland had in the era, only TEN never made it to the VHL, giving them a 62% rate of producing VHL level players, which what propels them to the top spot.

 

2nd.  Canada  

80 Points Overall (# of Players: 143 (1st) / Average TPE: 251 (20th) / Total TPE: 35,962 (1st))

Spoiler

(S31) C - Kameron Taylor, TPE: 1,303 @Kendrick
(S31) C - Steven Stamkos, TPE: 358 @TheLastOlympian07
(S31) D - Lucas Smith, TPE: 172
(S31) D - Malcom Spud, TPE: 704 @philthethrill81
(S31) G - Jordan Hall, TPE: 0
(S31) G - Skylar Rift, TPE: 830 @Devise
(S31) LW - Captain Bacon, TPE: 14 kebrik
(S31) RW - Bossman Johnson, TPE: 0
(S31) RW - Zach Cuff, TPE: 362 @Cuffy
(S32) C - Ugot Change, TPE: 0
(S32) D - James Lefevre, TPE: 653 @Noah!!
(S32) D - Matt Rielly, TPE: 100
(S32) D - Moe Mills, TPE: 61
(S32) D - Xavier Troup, TPE: 30 @briten29
(S32) LW - Chico Salmon, TPE: 598 @xDParK
(S32) RW - Jamie Shetler, TPE: 295 @Goaltender344
(S32) RW - Marcus Figgarowta-Nahimal, TPE: 251
(S32) RW - Scott Riley, TPE; 28
(S33) C - Adam Kylrad, TPE: 339 @Kylrad
(S33) C - Justt McCauley, TPE: 0
(S33) C - Wesley Kellinger, TPE: 903 @Jericho
(S33) D - Chad Werek, TPE: 0
(S33) D - Dan Tremblay, TPE: 244
(S33) D - Hashtag Manning Jr., TPE: 0
(S33) D - Willie Weber, TPE: 548 @snipealldaylong
(S33) G - TotallyNotA Bear, TPE: 22
(S33) G - Zach Fucale, TPE: 112 @WHEELsnipePARTY
(S33) LW - Dan Jones Jr., TPE: 19
(S33) LW - Shadhu Rathod, TPE: 60 @Mr.Baller
(S34) C - Kevin Despaties, TPE: 13
(S34) D - Doug Clifford, TPE: 551 @Frank
(S34) D - Nick Becker, TPE: 8
(S34) D - Shane Baker, TPE: 494 @Velevra
(S34) D - Simon Tremblay, TPE: 311 @Megster
(S34) G - Connor Elliot, TPE: 0
(S34) G - Steven Smyl, TPE: 744 @Toast
(S34) LW - Boone Cassidy, TPE: 135
(S34) RW - Aelred Leskowsky, TPE: 101 @TheDanglingCellist
(S34) RW - Jaden Button, TPE: 36
(S35) C - Frédérik Ernst, TPE: 135 @djlista
(S35) C - Naomi Young, TPE: 1,013 @JardyB10
(S35) D - Tyler Owens, TPE: 180 @Tyler
(S35) RW - Carter Deaton, TPE: 66 @JaysFan26
(S36) C - Damon Tyrael, TPE: 774 @Bushito
(S36) G - Brick Wahl, TPE: 963 @Advantage
(S36) G - Mike Szatkowski Jr, TPE: 875 @Mike
(S36) LW - Andrew Jackson Jihad, TPE: 0 @Buster
(S36) LW - Luke Riggs, TPE: 150 @Riggsy
(S37) C - Bennett Wahl, TPE: 632 @Munk
(S37) C - Lars Strummer, TPE: 234 @Strummer
(S37) D - Logan Laich, TPE: 750 @Devise
(S37) G - Blaine Olynick, TPE: 543 @AwfulHomesick
(S37) LW - Dexter Jonty, TPE: 0   @briten29 
(S37) LW - Maxwell Dorian, TPE: 1 @MaxwellDorian
(S37) LW - Mike Lien, TPE: 0 @MikeyBoy44
(S37) LW - Rick Ross, TPE: 0 @HawksFan19
(S38) C - Don Draper, TPE: 1,011 @Will
(S38) C - Forrest Josef, TPE: 0 @Forest322
(S38) D - Pierre-Luc Tanguay, TPE: 10 @iPL
(S38) LW - Cameron Greening, TPE: 11 @off the rails    
(S38) LW - Joseph Baker, TPE: 8 @JoBa
(S38) LW - Josh Bennett, TPE: 11 @Patrick39
(S38) LW - Steve Tremblay, TPE: 259 @Tremblay
(S38) LW - Walt Pringle, TPE: 46 @mr.pringles
(S38) RW - Aaron Hartley, TPE: 34 @.cLassic
(S38) RW - Noah Jackson, TPE: 0 @Nuka
(S39) C - John Heffley, TPE: 0 @Really
(S39) C - Kayl Kuzie, TPE: 78 @Kuzie17
(S39) C - Leo Dalton, TPE: 21 @Justdean10
(S39) D - Jordan Cousins, TPE: 15 @jCousins12
(S39) D - Lights Bokan, TPE: 69 @off the rails
(S39) G - Mark Sanders, TPE: 0 @lightdeath
(S39) LW - Braxton Hunter, TPE: 27 @dshervill
(S39) LW - Dylan Raseri, TPE: 19 @FURY
(S39) RW - Daniel Acker, TPE: 0 @MacH
(S39) RW - Jackson Miller, TPE: 825 @Beketov
(S39) RW - Jarome Iginla, TPE: 264 @HawksFan19
(S39) RW - Matt Gilbert, TPE: 0 @Syraz
(S40) C - Alecs van der Merder, TPE: 79 @Alpha1
(S40) C - Griffin Simons, TPE: 307 @Gunner
(S40) C - Tanner Tavares, TPE: 0 @SnipeShow
(S40) C - Tyler Cote, TPE: 768 @Ball
(S40) D - Jaime Hill, TPE: 503 @Caillean
(S40) D - Joshua Rubin, TPE: 400 @FueledByRamen
(S40) LW - Bo Reinhart, TPE: 0 @Sublimeknight
(S40) LW - Da'Brickashaw O'Neal Jr., TPE: 29 @nibbz
(S40) LW - Jacques Grande, TPE: 59 @Evans
(S40) LW - Marcus Hurley, TPE: 547 @Cuffy
(S40) LW - Matt Giacomello, TPE: 0 @PavelsElbow
(S40) LW - Tie Probert, TPE: 0 @elitedangler
(S40) RW - Alexander Adams, TPE: 12 @Adams
(S40) RW - Cody Nichushkin, TPE: 0 @marty
(S40) RW - Eti Yoman, TPE: 0 @etiets
(S40) RW - Lloyd Light, TPE: 981 @Streetlight
(S40) RW - Ryan Cattrall, TPE: 346 @Denver
(S40) RW - Sachimo Zoidberg, TPE: 745 @Jala
(S40) RW - Shadhu Rathod Jr., TPE: 679 @Mr.Baller
(S41) C - Blake Benson, TPE: 0 @WoodyP
(S41) C - Gifford Shock, TPE: 477 @Noah!!
(S41) C - Nicolas Caprivi, TPE: 659 @RomanesEuntDomus
(S41) D - P.K. Subban, TPE: 0 @SubbanMan101
(S41) RW - Brady Stropko, TPE: 657 @Bushito
(S41) RW - Gilbert Allaire, TPE: 0 @JayWhy75
(S42) C - Sam Teibert, TPE: 159 @Schneiderman
(S42) D - Joseph Roy III, TPE: 333 @Mr. Hickey/@Hickey
(S42) D - Ken Anderson, TPE: 91 @lere2001
(S42) G - Jax Barnstormer, TPE: 307 @Jericho
(S42) RW - Vogon Jeltz, TPE: 318 @jack
(S43) C - Bronson Faux, TPE: 761@Jamie 
(S43) C - Grady Simons, TPE: 19 @JPL
(S43) D - Francis York Morgan, TPE: 623 @Christmas
(S43) D - Pablo Escabar, TPE: 430 @Laflamme
(S43) LW - Dan Humphrey, TPE: 11 @easymoneysniper
(S43) RW - Doug Glatt, TPE: 12 @Goon
(S44) C - Alexander Davidson, TPE: 147 @BigTittySmitty
(S44) C - Oliver Cleary, TPE: 13 @Buster
(S44) LW - Marcel Faux, TPE: 716 @Tylar
(S44) RW - Ash Stevens, TPE: 6 @Jasmine
(S44) RW - R Truth, TPE: 105 @xDParK
(S45) C - Bobby Boucher, TPE: 85 @LeafsNation
(S45) D - Bubba Nuck, TPE: 377 @NUCK
(S45) D - Maxime Wright, TPE: 67 @701
(S45) LW - Matt Johnson, TPE: 41 @M-Dawg
(S45) RW - Ethan Henderson, TPE: 63 @Creative Name
(S45) RW - Matty Gatsby, TPE: 12 @emveegtg
(S46) C - Aidan Rozel, TPE: 0 @easymoneysniper
(S46) C - Jonathan Killeen, TPE: 97 @Daniel
(S46) C - Kol Mikaelson, TPE: 82 @Leonidas
(S46) C - Mathieu Baptiste, TPE: 101 @iRockstar
(S46) D - Benjamin Tumack, TPE: 126 @Splat
(S46) D - Jon Panik, TPE: 144 @Kyle
(S46) D - Pierre-Luc Lefrançois, TPE: 0 @iPL
(S46) G - Chris Fekete, TPE: 22 @ChrisF
(S46) LW - Zach Parechkin, TPE: 1,083 @DollarAndADream
(S46) RW - Freddy Schultz, TPE: 0 @Schultzy x 91
(S46) RW - Saul Hackett, TPE: 174 @Renomitsu
(S47) D - Sam Weaver, TPE: 54 @Gunner
(S47) G - Atticus Von Braxton IV, TPE: 516 @Advantage
(S47) G - Joseph Peltier, TPE: 0 @HailRetroFPS
(S47) LW - Tom Lincoln, TPE: 1,004 @Pablo
(S47) LW - Vincent Virtanen, TPE: 515 @Lunaro
(S47) RW - John Sleeman, TPE: 647 @Frank
(S47) RW - Surly McGrath, TPE: 30 @MikeyBoy

Canada's usual #1 spot in international rankings is stolen from them here. Despite being ranking 1st overall in Total TPE count and number of players enrolled, the Canadians were undone by a very low average TPE figure, due to having a talent pool that is far too spread out and far too large. Not every player is going to be a star, and no country is arguably more negatively affected by this than the Great White North. Players like Kameron Taylor, Brick Wahl, Skylar Rift, and Zach Parechkin were all-time greats and deserving of all their glory, as well as the supporting players a step below them: Malcom Spud, Mike Szatkowski Jr., Jackson Miller, Sachimo Zoidberg, etc. The problem though, is that there simply aren't enough of players like the aforementioned. Canada's roster from the era is littered with VHLM-lifers/busts, the busts being guys such as Maxine Wright, Mathieu Baptiste, and Jon Panik, who all were represented by agencies known for creating successful players prior. The sheer amount of VHLM-fodder guys like Grady Simons, Lights Bokan, and TotallyNotABear are the reason for Canada's dethroning from the #1 spot.

 

3rd.  United Kingdom 

78 Points Overall (# of Players: 28 (5th) / Average TPE: 374 (15th) / Total TPE: 10,467 (4th))

Spoiler

(S31) C - Mathieu Perrault, TPE: 0
(S31) RW - Haggard Slobban, TPE: 46
(S33) D - Edward Eldred, TPE: 170
(S34) G - Que Cumberbatch, TPE: 117 @Munk
(S35) D - Matt Bentley, TPE: 1,221 @Victor
(S35) LW - Brennan McQueen, TPE: 1,051 @Jamie
(S36) D - David Januzaj, TPE: 172 @Knight
(S36) D - Phil Villeneuve, TPE: 801 @Phil
(S36) G - Martin Brookside, TPE: 908 @diamond_ace
(S38) D - Ryan Barrett, TPE: 16 @Taurus
(S40) D - Ed Grr, TPE: 239 @Edgar
(S40) D - Kurtis Hunter, TPE: 791 @Toast
(S40) LW - Superbman, TPE: 79 @xDParK
(S40) RW - Jarome Ritchie, TPE: 3 @francis2466
(S41) C - Charlie Conway, TPE: 0 @JHS
(S41) D - Dyemond Fondalear, TPE: 0 @Taurus
(S42) D - Atticus Finch, TPE: 44 @JHS
(S42) RW - Travis Willcox, TPE: 114 @twillcox94
(S43) D - MC Hammer, TPE: 197 @Andybj
(S43) LW - Kewl Runnins, TPE: 22 @Taurus
(S43) G - Hans Wingate, TPE: 1,301 @CowboyinAmerica
(S45) D - Michael Burch, TPE: 51 @carousel182
(S45) D - Phil Hamilton, TPE: 1,459 @Phil
(S45) LW - Kane Hamilton, TPE: 14 @Bengals1fan
(S46) C - Sean Blacker, TPE: 277 @frescoelmo
(S46) D - Jeff Hamilton, TPE: 1,037 @sterling
(S46) G - Craig Fernzy, TPE: 13 @Mulisha
(S47) D - David Hamilton, TPE: 324 @Knight

The United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales; which is the main reason that they are ranked so high. Their overall rosters consists of players from all four locations, which when separated, would certainly not be ranked highly. However, they are all considered part of one overall country, and that means that the United Kingdom as a whole produced a staggering number of FIVE players (Matt Bentley, Brennan McQueen, Hans Wingate, Phil Hamilton, and Jeff Hamilton) who eclipsed 1,000 TPE; that means that nearly 1 in 5 players from the United Kingdom in this era were VHL megastars. Three others, Phil Villeneuve, Kurtis Hunter, and Martin Brookside, were all relatively close to the talent level of their countrymen, although in the end they settled for regular superstardom. These super and megastars are the biggest reason for the U.K. coming in 3rd in these rankings, the nation(s) lacked much depth after them; aside from Sean Blacker, David Hamilton, MC Hammer, and Ed Grr, all of the other registered players never made a big impact on the VHL. Despite ranking behind Canada, the U.K. is basically a smaller version, albeit more successful version of their former commonwealth colony.

 

4th.  United States of America 

77 Points Overall (# of Players: 130 (2nd) / Average TPE: 247 (21st) / Total TPE: 32,118 (2nd))

Spoiler

(S31) C - Rehn Miller, TPE: 52
(S31) D - Chris Serpe, TPE: 0
(S31) D - Dale Kent, TPE: 53
(S31) D - Oliver Closoff, TPE: 1
(S31) G - David Poulin, TPE: 222 @Arce
(S31) LW - Reggie Dunlop, TPE: 537 @kovy17
(S32) C - Dwayne Chocolate, TPE: 36 @swoosh
(S32) C - Tobias Funke, TPE: 49
(S32) C - Zack Sound, TPE: 604 @gregreg
(S32) D - Bodie Broadus, TPE: 80 Wadey
(S32) D - Damien Sandow, TPE: 276 @JBlaze
(S32) D - Jack Sound, TPE: 635 @Edgar
(S32) D - Jacob Peterson, TPE: 22
(S32) D - Jason Waterfalls, TPE: 0
(S32) D - John Langabeer, TPE: 18 jjlangabeer
(S32) D - Roland Brice, TPE: 24
(S32) LW - Cassius Dooley, TPE: 36 Dooley
(S32) RW - Cody Inko, TPE: 428 @LVShark
(S33) D - Cap Walters, TPE: 0
(S33) LW - Rick Roll, TPE: 45
(S33) LW - Riley Stevens, TPE: 201 @McNeil
(S33) RW - Sebastian Ball Jr., TPE: 779 @Ball
(S33) RW - Thomas Landry, TPE: 794 @Doomsday
(S34) C - Davey Jones, TPE: 684 @Da Trifecta
(S34) D - Gabrial Johnson, TPE: 129
(S34) G - Atticus Von Braxton, TPE: 0
(S34) LW - James Ryan, TPE: 28
(S34) LW - Mikey Blade, TPE: 692 @iRockstar
(S34) RW - Anderson Pooper, TPE: 0
(S35) C - Cam Rivers, TPE: 10
(S35) D - Nas Price, TPE: 52 Nas
(S35) G - Lennox Moher, TPE: 812 @CoachReilly
(S35) LW - Conner Low, TPE: 1,166 @Smarch
(S35) LW - Earl Parker, TPE: 112 @The Q
(S36) C - Robin Gow, TPE: 924 @Fire Hakstol
(S36) D - Herman Mudgett, TPE: 34 @AIM-11
(S36) D - Kyrie Knight, TPE: 86 @Kyrie
(S36) D - Triton Jackson, TPE: 144 @701
(S36) LW - Gordon Bombay, TPE: 47 @And1
(S36) RW - Robert Gow III, TPE: 802 @eaglesfan036
(S37) C - John Otter, TPE: 0 @vdubs90
(S37) C - Tom Slaughter, TPE: 1,326 @sterling
(S37) D - David Hall, TPE: 0 @ErectionForOvechkin
(S37) D - Jack Ryan, TPE: 135 @Keenan    
(S37) D - Penis Anthony Hudson, TPE: 156 @Zero
(S37) G - LeBron King Gonzalez, TPE: 0 @LeBron King Gonzalez
(S37) LW - Dexter Morgan, TPE: 230 @Maxy
(S37) LW - Matthew Jay Banks, TPE: 0 n/a
(S37) RW - Azmet Ali, TPE: 383 @MapFreak
(S37) RW - Jack Griffith, TPE: 0 @jesterx7769
(S38) C - Seth Rollins, TPE: 50 @JBlaze
(S38) D - Chris Raymond, TPE: 403 @Creative Name
(S38) D - Jake Wylde, TPE: 1,116 @STZ
(S38) G - Brock Waldron, TPE: 762 @Hybrid1486
(S38) LW - Alex Vaklav, TPE: 0 @Vas0917
(S38) LW - Rocky West, TPE: 0 @The Fighter
(S38) RW - Andrew Sorensen, TPE: 0 @mnskater
(S38) RW - Ashton Galbraith, TPE: 122 @marshall_222
(S38) RW - Bruno Wolf, TPE: 1,165 @Pablo
(S38) RW - David Sharp, TPE: 0 @dfr3ak
(S39) C - Tyson Stokes, TPE: 630 @fever95
(S39) D - Mikkel Boomgaarden, TPE: 180 @Boragina
(S39) G - Jose Canseco, TPE: 78 @Tim
(S39) LW - James Faraday, TPE: 1,020 @Higgins
(S39) LW - Tyrone Williams, TPE: 411 @Koradek
(S39) RW - Dan Cooper, TPE: 9 @Nick
(S39) RW - Sam Keeler, TPE: 215 @Kyle
(S40) C - Thomas O'Malley, TPE: 1,287 @Green
(S40) D - Brock Weathers, TPE: 14 @TMI
(S40) D - Danny Schneider, TPE: 154 @Da Bearfan
(S40) D - Mason Richardson, TPE: 1,307 @Kendrick
(S40) D - Mike Jones, TPE: 0 @LBC
(S40) D - Wesley Matthews, TPE: 377 @701
(S40) LW - Chase White, TPE: 0 @Bengals1fan
(S40) LW - Emidas Blair, TPE: 49 @emidas
(S40) LW - Jerrick Poole, TPE: 801 @Ninetyfourgoalie
(S40) RW - Bobby Ricky, TPE: 111 @VHLwhat
(S40) RW - Edgar Balthazar, TPE: 40 @Underoath10
(S40) RW - Joey Saffron, TPE: 0 @Taquiq
(S41) D - Brandon Holmes, TPE: 268 @BPH
(S41) D - Jack Harkness, TPE: 51 @Lenny
(S41) D - Jakob Ackerman, TPE: 438 @James
(S41) D - Zach Voss, TPE: 0 @STLZACH
(S41) G - Coca Cola, TPE: 172 @Bojo
(S41) G - Niklaus Mikaelson, TPE: 799 @Da Trifecta
(S41) LW - Antoine McColister, TPE: 7 @AceHood
(S41) LW - Jesus Christ, TPE: 0 @Narconis
(S41) RW - Jack Kowalski, TPE: 572 @Doomsday    
(S41) RW - Kyle Kingma, TPE: 185 @Kingma
(S42) C - A.C. Savage, TPE: 385 @Molholt
(S42) C - Jacob Winters, TPE: 0 @Xamboni
(S42) C - Joe Moore, TPE: 0 @steezo
(S42) D - Patrick Demko, TPE: 300 @rum_ham
(S42) G - Blake Campbell, TPE: 595 @Banackock
(S42) G - Callum Sinclair, TPE: 744 @solas
(S42) LW - Freedom McJustice, TPE: 947 @CoachReilly
(S42) LW - Hashtag Jeffership, TPE: 8 @JeffD
(S42) RW - Alex DeLarge, TPE: 12 @6DoubleFive321
(S42) RW - Mac MacInnis, TPE: 74 @Merica
(S42) RW - Scott Kibbie, TPE: 0 @Kibbie
(S43) C - John Moretta, TPE: 0 @Mutiny
(S43) C - Screw Mark, TPE: 0 @MarkIsALiar
(S43) D - Chuck Goody, TPE: 253 @Nike
(S43) D - Franklin Romanowski, TPE: 66 @Midas Whale
(S43) D - Jed Mosley, TPE: 23 @NotJayTee
(S43) D - Marlon Duke, TPE: 0 @Maxxwolf
(S43) D - Michael Clardy, TPE: 292 @mpclardy
(S43) LW - Josh Merica, TPE: 107 @Merica
(S43) LW - Josiah Parks, TPE: 13 @Milldaddy
(S43) RW - Larry Esposito, TPE: 0 @JBlaze
(S43) RW - Ryan Carlson, TPE: 15 @mrt3991
(S44) C - Jefferson Jackson, TPE: 67 @VHLwhat
(S44) D - Archie Wagner, TPE: 69 @Milldaddy
(S44) D - Supa Hot Fire, TPE: 61 @Seth
(S44) D - Xavier Kirkland, TPE: 8 @Stonepillar
(S44) G - Lenny Face, TPE: 65 @Edgar
(S44) LW - Kyle Keenan, TPE: 0 @Keenan
(S45) D - Benjamin Bellamont, TPE: 0 @AntiEstablishment
(S45) D - Tanner Hynes, TPE: 66 @Tanner
(S45) G - Ryan Price, TPE: 156 @GreatOneHimself
(S45) RW - Jace Hines, TPE: 274 @HF92    
(S45) RW - Lucas Galeano, TPE: 51 @brooks.
(S46) D - Zach Voss, TPE: 66 @STLZACH
(S46) G - Cooper Supernaw, TPE: 59 @Killjoy
(S46) LW - Jordan Maverick, TPE: 377 @Dmoushey_31
(S46) RW - Brandon Lapham Jr., TPE: 0 @b ran    
(S46) RW - Pete Stockton, TPE: 272 @Hybrid1486
(S47) C - Sir William Covington III, TPE: 769 @BobertZ
(S47) C - Vincent Adultman, TPE: 253 @Nobody
(S47) RW - Kasey Morgan, TPE: 34 @Denver

The United States finishes just mere inches behind Canada in player enrollment, average TPE, and total TPE, and this explains their numbers landing them just behind their neighbors to the north [and former mother country across the ocean]. They share the same symptoms of having too many 0 TPE VHLMers and not enough middle-level (350TPE-500TPE) players to compensate with the two nations directly above them in these rankings. The USA had a high number of HOFers (Bruno Wolf, Jake Wylde, Thomas O'Malley, Tom Slaughter, Mason Richardson and Conner Low), as well as those just a cut below them (James Faraday, Lennox Moher, Sebastian Ball Jr., Robin Gow, Jerrick Poole, etc.). Along with those players, the Americans loved their patriotic players Freedom McJustice, Thomas Landry, and Josh Merica more than anything else, even if the last was a bust. Speaking of busts, the USA had quite a few, such as Mikkel Boomgarden, Penis Anthony Hudson, Triton Jackson, and David Poulin.

 

t5th.  Germany 

76 Points Overall (# of Players: 30 (3rd) / Average TPE: 268 (18th) / Total TPE: 8,038 (5th))

Spoiler

(S31) D - Till Lindemann, TPE: 443 @der meister
(S32) D - Mattis Trumbauer, TPE: 361 @PensFan101
(S32) G - Dizzy Dean, TPE: 18 @leafssteen
(S33) C - Chris McZehrl, TPE: 91 @Chris-McZehrl
(S33) LW - Darius Fisher, TPE: 32 @Boomcheck
(S33) RW - David Collier, TPE: 684 @RomanesEuntDomus
(S34) C - Daniel Kreutzer, TPE: 25
(S35) D - Tony Stark, TPE: 400 @Jonessee27
(S36) LW - Molson Keith, TPE: 0 @leafssteen
(S37) D - Ron World Peace, TPE: 587 @stevo
(S38) C - Peter Keller, TPE: 0 @Apollo
(S38) RW - MF Percy Miller, TPE: 206 @Retired MF
(S38) RW - Mirko Draisatl, TPE: 8 @Handling
(S39) RW - Mike McGrattan, TPE: 72 @Flames1848
(S40) C - Marcus Eisenhower, TPE: 31 @Mark Money Mayweather
(S40) LW - Christoph Klose, TPE: 840 @der meister
(S40) RW - Alistar Graves, TPE: 210 @kikish18
(S41) C - Til Baumann, TPE: 77 @Clankt
(S41) RW - Dirk Firkley, TPE: 202 @pxzero
(S41) RW - Jakub Rhinehart, TPE: 392 @Boomcheck
(S41) RW - Markus Muller, TPE: 84 @kovy17
(S42) C - George Patton, TPE: 224 @Ramicus 
(S42) C - Severin von Karma, TPE: 869 @Velevra
(S42) LW - Marcio Greusinho, TPE: 41 @Chris-McZehrl
(S42) LW - Wolfgang Strauss, TPE: 595 @Wasty
(S45) D - Geoff Reid, TPE: 27 @BaconManic
(S46) D - Daryn Petersenn, TPE: 0 @Hockeyman9114
(S46) D - World B. Free, TPE: 626 @stevo
(S46) G - Carson Shmyr, TPE: 0 @ShmyrVHL
(S46) RW - Shawn Muller, TPE: 893 @TheLastOlympian07

Thanks in part to the addition of the Cologne Express as a VHL team in S31, Germany shot up into the world hockey rankings. In these rankings, Deutschland sees themselves tied for 5th place with fellow European neighbors Norway and Denmark, which certainly gives the Germans a good sense of pride. Their main strength is having a large number of VHL players who certainly saw time as stars, but not maybe to the level of superstardom or Hall-of-Fame level. The nation's best offensive players were David Collier, Christoph Klose, Severin von Karma, Wolfgang Strauss, and last but not least, Shawn Muller, who is perhaps one of the most successful German-born VHLers of all time. On defense the Germans were stingy, having only one or two real stars on defense (World B. Free and Ron World Peace), but the rest of the defense corps (Till Lindemann, Mattis Trumbauer, and Tony Stark) were all seasoned players who patrolled the blueline faithfully.

 

t5th.  Norway 

76 Points Overall (# of Players: 8 (11th) / Average TPE: 507 (6th) / Total TPE: 4,055 (9th))

Spoiler

(S32) C - Jakub Kjellberg, TPE: 770 @Sandro
(S32) G - Fernando Pergher, TPE: 31
(S33) RW - Odin Tordahl, TPE: 1,311 @BOOM
(S37) D - Slaeter Fjorsstrom, TPE: 647 @sherifflobo
(S37) LW - Kristian Stormborn, TPE: 64 @Matt
(S44) C - Tim TebowGow, TPE: 683 @eaglesfan036
(S44) G - Bernie Gow, TPE: 508 @Fire Hakstol
(S47) LW - Bjorn Kobayashi, TPE: 41 @d3vilsfire

Sadly, the Norwegians have no current representation in the VHL. However, that doesn't mean that they weren't well represented in the expansion era. Norway only produced 8 VHLers in the aforementioned era, but only three of those eight weren't star players. Bjorn Kobayashi, Kristian Stormborn, and Fernando Pergher are the only Norwegians from S31-S47 to NOT be star VHL players. All other players went on to achieve some level of stardom in the big leagues, and one even managed to reach the Hall of Fame (Odin Tordahl). The rest, Bernie Gow, Tim TebowGow, Slaeter Fjorsstrom, and Jakub Kjellberg were all bonafide VHL superstars for their respective teams, the latter being one of the faces of the Toronto Legion franchise for the time. What Norway lacks in quantity, they certainly make up for in quality.

 

t5th.  Denmark 

76 Points Overall (# of Players: 9 (10th) / Average TPE: 473 (8th) / Total TPE: 4,259 (8th))

Spoiler

(S37) LW - Marcus Bjorkstrand, TPE: 44 @WoldenGhore    
(S39) C - Aksel Thomassen, TPE: 1,078 @Frank
(S39) LW - Andrew Erikson, TPE: 313 @eQuilibrium
(S40) C - Oskars Harumpf, TPE: 725 @Harumpf
(S40) G - Gunnar Skovsgard, TPE: 168 @Kyrie
(S44) LW - Jensen Svendsen, TPE: 0 @Fikus
(S45) RW - Max Mølholt, TPE: 1,042 @Molholt
(S46) C - Jory Rose, TPE: 260 @Zero
(S46) RW - Niels Skovgaard, TPE: 629 @Tim

The last of the three tied for 5th place in these rankings, Denmark is very similar to their northern Scandinavian neighbors, Norway. The nation is largely led by a few superstars, those being HOFer Aksel Thomassen, Oskars Harumpf, Max Møholt, and Niels Skovsgaard. The rest of the roster is nothing really to write home about, as Andrew Erikson, Gunnar Skovsgard, and Jory Rose never really had a huge impact on the VHL, let alone one comparable to their countrymen. Thomassen was an elite point producer for the Meute and Reign in his career, scoring nearly 1.5 points per game over the course of his career.

 

t6th.  Somalia 

72 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (16th) / Average TPE: 1,036 (1st) / Total TPE: 2,072 (13th))

Spoiler

(S42) D - Prince Gigga-Bijou, TPE: 511 @Gigga-Bijou
(S42) LW - Lord Karnage, TPE: 1,561 @boubabi

This has to easily be the next biggest surprise on this list. This country located on the western coast of Africa probably only has one ice rink in the entire country, but that didn't stop Prince Gigga-Bijou and Lord Karnage from reaching the VHL. Both were impact players at the VHL level and were heroes in their home country, although this sadly didn't inspire any youth in their homeland to take up the sport, as no Somalis have been in the VHL since these two. Prince Gigga-Bijou was a solid defender in his career, finishing 56th all-time in blocked shots, but Lord Karnage is the big reason for Somalia being ranked so high. The face of the Stockholm Vikings franchise for nearly all of his career, Karnage certainly more than earned his place in the pantheon of VHL greats; he won the Scott Boulet (Best Two-Way Forward) Trophy a staggering four seasons in a row from S44-S47, finished 22nd in VHL scoring all-time, and finished with the VHL record for most TPE earned with a single player. 
 

t6th.  Russia 

72 Points Overall (# of Players: 18 (7th) / Average TPE: 292 (16th) / Total TPE: 5,259 (7th))

Spoiler

(S31) C - Sergey Brovalenko, TPE: 803 @Pablo
(S31) D - Nikita Lebedev, TPE: 596 @Kel
(S32) G - Evgeni Chekhov, TPE: 675 @Beketov
(S32) LW - Aleksander Stepanov, TPE: 82
(S33) LW - Evgeny Namestnikov, TPE: 516 @FueledByRamen
(S33) LW - Mikhail Mikhailovich, TPE: 200 @elitedangler
(S34) D - Willie Kutyanutzov, TPE: 3
(S36) D - Andrey Zadorov, TPE: 646 @Tylar
(S36) RW - Tihon Kalstad, TPE: 0 @swoosh
(S37) C - Konstantin Azhishchenkov, TPE: 396 @d3vilsfire
(S38) D - Krill Lokomotiv, TPE: 1 @Solduc77
(S40) D - King Czar III, TPE: 332 @Riggsy
(S40) D - Vladamir Komarov, TPE: 503 @Gooningitup
(S40) RW - Boris Belov, TPE: 35 @Fisticuffs
(S41) LW - Valentin Taneyev, TPE: 166 @Cowboy
(S43) C - Santi Piñeiro, TPE: 0 @SaNTii
(S45) LW - Lucas Zhukenov, TPE: 245 @Sandro
(S47) RW - Mikhail Gribov, TPE: 60 @crutchfield

This is about where you would expect the Russians to be ranked. They are a country known for their enigmatic superstars, and there certainly were some that fit this description in the VHL (Dynamic journeyman forward Sergey Brovalenko comes to mind). Russia certainly had more success churning out effective VHL players in the first half of the expansion era than the second half. The 1st half saw the former Soviet Union produce players like Evgeni Chekhov, Evgeny Namestnikov, Nikita Lebedev, Andrey Zadorov, and Konstantin Azhishchenkov, all of whom made a positive impact on their VHL teams. The second half (S38-S47) of the era saw the motherland only produce three VHL players, King Czar III, Vladimir Komarov, and Lucas Zhukenov, and of those three Komarov was the only to achieve a notable level of stardom.

 

7th.  Ukraine

69 Points Overall (# of Players: 7 (12th) / Average TPE: 423 (10th) / Total TPE: 2,961 (11th))

Spoiler

(S33) G - Vladimir Bodnar, TPE: 80 @Gamingexpertzcom
(S37) C - Travis Boychuk, TPE: 926 @DollarAndADream
(S37) D - Vasily Miroshnychenko, TPE: 0 @Ruski
(S40) C - Jody 3 Moons, TPE: 931 @gorlab
(S41) G - Fedir Okranitz, TPE: 281 @Mook
(S45) C - Wesley Babiy, TPE: 264 @BeanSobie
(S45) LW - Arcturus Mengsk, TPE: 479 @Mike

The Ukrainians slide in at 7th thanks to having a ~70% success rate at sending their players to the VHL. Of the seven players they produced in the era, only Vladimir Bodnar and Vasily Miroshnychenko weren't VHL-worthy players. The other five players all made it to the VHL, although two stand out above the rest, Travis Boychuk and Jody 3 Moons. Both centers finished their careers in the top 100 all-time for VHL scoring, and both reached the 100-point plateau two or more times. The rest of Ukraine's talent pool (Fedir Okranitz, Wesley Babiy, and Arcturus Mengsk) were all serviceable VHL depth players, but none of them even sniffed the level that Boychuk and 3 Moons did. 

 

8th.  Sweden 

68 Points Overall (# of Players: 29 (4th) / Average TPE: 225 (24th) / Total TPE: 6,531 (6th))

Spoiler

(S32) C - Christian Thorstrom, TPE: 44
(S32) D - Jesper Hellqvist, TPE: 222 @Wasty
(S32) D - Niklas Valiq, TPE: 831 @Squinty
(S33) C - Niklas Lindberg, TPE: 1,125 @boubabi
(S33) C - Tomas Valiq, TPE: 525 @Kyle
(S33) D - Razzle Dazzle, TPE: 71
(S33) LW - Alexander-Sven Lakatos, TPE: 30 @Nucker
(S33) LW - Mikael Eriksson, TPE: 25    
(S33) LW - Mikael Lindberg, TPE: 0
(S36) LW - Henrik Hedman, TPE: 13
(S36) LW - Johan Hallstrom, TPE: 387 @James
(S37) C - Mikael Svensson, TPE: 72 @Rogueginger
(S37) D - Jakob Linholm, TPE: 252 @RandomHero
(S37) LW - Fredrik Andersson, TPE: 0 @jeben23
(S38) RW - Kristoffer Ruud, TPE: 30 @ByrdeMan   
(S39) C - Devin Sundberg, TPE: 750 @gregreg
(S39) D - Lukas Nykvist, TPE: 273 @Motzaburger
(S40) LW - Rami Jakobssen, TPE: 559 @philthethrill81
(S41) D - Borje Samuelsson, TPE: 231 @R1c3Muncher
(S41) D - Nicklas Karlsson, TPE: 454 @Lunaro
(S42) LW - Joakim Videl, TPE: 30 @BIRKS
(S43) D - Erik Hedman, TPE: 122 @GoodLeftUndone
(S43) D - Golden Jedtsson, TPE: 404 @Kel
(S45) D - Mikael Lagerkvist, TPE: 0 @swoosh
(S45) G - Filip Lundqvist, TPE: 19 @NYR84
(S46) C - Manhole Siegfried, TPE: 0 @kabuto
(S46) D - Alessandro Hedfors, TPE: 13 @PastaKing73
(S46) LW - Tomas Andersson, TPE: 24 @Maceior
(S46) RW - Jayden Fasth, TPE: 25 @Matt

For the Swedes, S31-S47 was actually a bit of a lull in terms of producing elite VHL talent. Niklas Lindberg (as well as Niklas Valiq) is an exception, as he enjoyed a HOF career playing for the Toronto Legion, Vasteras Iron Eagles, and Riga Reign, finishing inside the top 50 all-time in scoring. Niklas Valiq enjoyed a successful career as well, although not as successful as Lindberg; Valiq finished his career at nearly a point per game, no small feat for a defenseman. But aside from those two, Sweden din't have much luck producing stars, Rami Jakobssen, Tomas Valiq, and Devin Sundberg were the next best players, and behind them came Jesper Hellqvist, Golden Jedtsson, Nicklas Karlsson, and Johan Hallstrom, who had decent careers as depth players but they weren't skilled or successful enough to push Sweden higher in these rankings.

 

t9th.  Dominican Republic 

67 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (16th) / Average TPE: 895 (3rd) / Total TPE: 1,789 (16th))

Spoiler

(S35) D - Edwin Encarnacion, TPE: 710 @YEAH!stlemania
(S44) C - Edwin Reencarnacion, TPE: 1,079 @YEAH!stlemania

This Caribbean country is far more famous for producing baseball talent, rather than hockey players. So, it should be no surprise that their VHL talent is actually a baseball player, and that same baseball player re-incarnated to play for eight more seasons. Edwin Encarnacion proved to be one of the great two-sport athletes of his generation, making a smooth transition from the baseball diamond to the ice rink. The Dominican was a noted pugilist and feared competitor, as he finished 2nd all-time in penalty minutes and 6th in hits. After his retirement, he died and was re-incarnated as a forward, and he saw much more offensive success, closing out his career as the 60th all-time scorer in VHL history. Both players came from the same agency though, so it appears that despite Encarnacion's best efforts, the sport is finding it tough to market in his home country.

 

t9th.  France 

67 Points Overall (# of Players: 8 (11th) / Average TPE: 384 (14th) / Total TPE: 3,071 (10th))

Spoiler

(S31) G - Remy LeBeau, TPE: 1,301 @Green
(S34) C - Emma Watson, TPE: 0 idot
(S41) LW - Saoul Commeunebotte, TPE: 1 @HabsFanFromOntario
(S43) RW - E'Twaun Delicious, TPE: 578 @.sniffuM
(S44) C - Maxime Perron, TPE: 245 @JumpierPegasus
(S44) D - Benjamin Dupont, TPE: 256 @Advantage
(S45) C - Maxime Deschamps, TPE: 201 @scotty
(S46) D - LeAndre St. Pierre, TPE: 489 @atw2592

Despite many Canadian-born players having French ancestry, that doesn't mean that they are French. France currently doesn't have any representation in the VHL, but that doesn't mean they didn't have a decent amount in the expansion era. The French actually did quite well, with only two of their produced players not making it to the VHL (Emma Watson and Saoul Commeunebotte), the rest were quite respectable depth players, excluding one. That one exclusion is Hall-of-Fame goaltender Remy LeBeau; Lebeau collected numberous awards throughout his career, winning the Kanou, Shaw, and Marta trophies [some more than once]. The rest of the roster, Dupont, Delicious, Perron, St. Pierre, and Deschamps, all provided good depth to their respective clubs.

 

10th.  Japan 

66 Points Overall (# of Players: 6 (13th) / Average TPE: 419 (11th) / Total TPE: 2,514 (12th))

Spoiler

(S33) C - Keiji Toriyama, TPE: 658 @Streetlight
(S37) LW - Kai Randal, TPE: 138 @Runny Nose
(S38) C - Kitsune Yamasaki, TPE: 0 @hockeynerd67
(S39) D - Koji Yamazaki, TPE: 403 @Samurai7
(S43) D - Souryuu Kaminogi, TPE: 462 @Kylrad
(S45) D - Biggu Kyanon, TPE: 853 @tfong

The Japanese were quite well-represented during this time, with only two players (Kai Randal and Kitsune Yamasaki) not making it to the VHL. The rest were all solid VHL players who you could argue were actually stars. Keiji Toriyama paved the way for the rest of his countrymen in this era, as he enjoyed scoring over a PPG in his career; Koji Yamazaki was next, and he was actually a very highly touted prospect who may have dipped below expectations a bit, but still enjoyed success in his career. Defenseman Biggu Kyanon was a noted powerplay specialist, as he finished 60th all-time in powerplay goals. Japan certainly misses these players in current time, as they truly lack any player who will make an impact in the VHL in the immediate future.

 

t11th.  China 

63 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (16th) / Average TPE: 664 (4th) / Total TPE: 1,327 (19th))

Spoiler

(S36) RW - Xin Xie Xiao, TPE: 1,019 @tfong
(S41) C - AIM-11, TPE: 308 @AIM-11

China's VHL representation in the expansion era is kind of the opposite of what you would expect. Instead of the usual quantity over quality, the Chinese went the opposite way. They only produced two players, one a HOFer, and the other a decent depth player. The depth player, AIM-11, was a robot produced by the top minds of China in an attempt to see if they could find success with it before mass-producing it in sweatshops. They didn't exactly succeed, but they didn't exactly fail either; many VHL GMs were hesitant about sending a robot onto the ice, and this was the reason that AIM-11 bounced around from team to team during it's career. The human player China produced though, Xin Xie Xiao, was a feared two-way player during his career, amassing points and hits by the plenty. 

 

t11th.  Kazakhstan 

63 Points Overall (# of Players: 3 (15th) / Average TPE: 503 (7th) / Total TPE: 1,510 (17th))

Spoiler

(S32) RW - Anatoli Zhumbayev, TPE: 935 @fever95
(S45) RW - Evgeny Nezhmetdinov, TPE: 175 @Alucard
(S47) G - Artom Zhumbayev, TPE: 400 @fever95

Kazakhstan has perhaps the best success rate for developing VHL-worthy players, even if their roster is only 3 players. Anatoli Zhumbayev was the crown jewel of the Kazakh hockey program, as he was wildly successful in his VHL career, scoring the cup winning goal for the Helsinki Titans in overtime of game 7 in S34. Evgeny Nezhmetdinov was much less successful offensively than Zhumbayev, although he did play over 300 games in the VHL, so he was at least able to hang around with the big boys. Lastly, Kazakhstan produced Artom Zhumbayev, the son of Anatoli. Artom never quite reached the superstar level of his father, as he bounced around from club to club as a journeyman netminder.

 

t12th.  South Africa 

58 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (17th) / Average TPE: 971 (2nd) / Total TPE: 971 (25th))

Spoiler

(S42) C - Bismarck Koenig, TPE: 971 @BOOM

South Africa is the first country of only one player on this list. Bismarck Koenig was born in Bloemfontein, but was raised in Germany, giving him dual-citizenship for both countries, although he chose to play for Team Europe in international VHL tournaments due to South Africa's lack of a team. Koenig's career was short, but oh so sweet. He had FOUR seasons of over 100 points, as well as collecting an absurd amount of hardware: 2 World Cup Gold Medals, 2 Top World Cup Forward Awards, 1 World Cup MVP Award, 2 Virkkunen Trophies, 1 Dustin Funk Trophy, 1 Brooks Trophy, 1 Campbell Trophy, 1 Slobodzian Trophy, 1 Szatkowski Trophy, and 1 Beketov Trophy. I may be wrong, but Koenig may have the most hardware of any VHL player of all-time.

 

t12th.  Israel 

58 Points Overall (# of Players: 3 (15th) / Average TPE: 429 (9th) / Total TPE: 1,287 (20th))

Spoiler

(S43) D - Thor Weinstein, TPE: 0
(S44) C - Le'Sean Coutzen, TPE: 248 @Sixersfan549
(S45) G - Ariel Weinstein, TPE: 1,039 @Smarch

The Israeli's have star goaltender Ariel Weinstein to thank for this spot in the rankings. Without Weinstein, Israel would certainly plummet in this list. Le'Sean Coutzen played in the VHL for awhile, but he was never much of an impact player in the offensive zone, only scoring 97 points in around 300 games. Ariel Weinstein was a VHLM superstar, winning a Founders Cup, Skylar Rift Trophy (Playoff MVP), and Benoit Devereux (Top Goalie) Award in S44 with the Saskatoon Wild. Ariel would continue to find success in the VHL winning the Dustin Funk (Most Improved) Trophy in S47, as well as finishing inside the top 15 for all-time wins by a VHL goalie.

 

13th.  The Netherlands 

54 Points Overall (# of Players: 8 (11th) / Average TPE: 235 (23rd) / Total TPE: 1,877 (14th))

Spoiler

(S34) LW - Willem Janssen, TPE: 968 @solas
(S36) RW - Franz Monster, TPE: 44 @JumpierPegasus
(S39) RW - Splorg Hansburgersteinewalden, TPE: 39 @boulder
(S41) G - David Blind, TPE: 120 @Knight
(S42) D - Martin Van Nostrand, TPE: 0 @JaysFan26
(S43) RW - Casper Solomon, TPE: 72 @svb
(S44) C - Thaddeus Humbert, TPE: 634 @Devise    
(S45) LW - Danger Van der Merwe, TPE: 0 @Denver

The Dutch just missed out on having possibly the greatest Dutch VHLer of all time (Ansgar Snijider) on this list due to forward being created too early for consideration on this ranking. Thus, their spot in the rankings suffered. The Netherlands only really sent two quality players to the VHL in the expansion era, Left Wing Willem Janssen and Center Thaddeus Humbert. Goaltender David Blind had great potential due to his agency, although he ultimately busted, negatively affecting his country's ranking in the process. Franz Monster, Casper Solomon, and Splorg Hansburgersteinewalden all did some damage at the VHLM level, but overall lacked the skill and drive required to reach the VHL.

 

14th.  Spain 

53 Points Overall (# of Players: 3 (15th) / Average TPE: 398 (13th) / Total TPE: 1,195 (21st))

Spoiler

(S33) C - Felix Zamora, TPE: 612 @frescoelmo    
(S33) C - GIYGAS, TPE: 547 @.sniffuM
(S46) LW - Lucas Villa, TPE: 36 @Arce

Fun fact: Spain used to be home to a VHL franchise; the Madrid Thunder. Anyway, Spain ranks 14th on this list thanks to a duo of Centers, Felix Zamora and GIYGAS. The third member, Lucas Villa, sputtered out in the VHLM. Zamora finished his career just narrowly missing out on a point-per-game, with GIYGAS also falling short of the mark; that's not to say they didn't have successful careers though. Both players came from respected agencies who may have fallen off a bit in recent times, but are still very reputable overall.

 

15th.  India 

52 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (17th) / Average TPE: 648 (5th) / Total TPE: 648 (28th))

Spoiler

(S36) RW - Godavari Yumalatopinto, TPE: 648 @8Ovechkin8

Godavari Yumalatopinto was born in India, but raised in Ontario, thus giving him the full benefit of being raised in a hockey community where he could greatly improve his skills. India's ranking is what improves from this though, not Canada. India's ranking here is similar to South Africa's, in having just one player, but that player being a superstar; not nearly the level of Koenig, but a superstar no less. Godavari was a decent defender in his time, even if his career totals weren't exactly eye-popping.

 

t16th.  Latvia 

48 Points Overall (# of Players: 14 (8th) / Average TPE: 128 (31st) / Total TPE: 1,794 (15th))

Spoiler

(S34) D - Lauris Prikulis, TPE: 273 @Prikulis5
(S36) D - Kaspars Tsizling, TPE: 25 Ace
(S41) C - Girts Valdmanis, TPE: 0 @TrussArBiss 
(S41) C - Raphael Pettyfer, TPE: 553 @Paramorise
(S41) G - Kristers Daugavins, TPE: 32 @hatrrick44
(S41) G - Valts Pumpurs, TPE: 0 @matiss.kokins
(S41) LW - Carl Sledgehammer, TPE: 21 @Maus
(S41) LW - Maris Ziedins, TPE: 120 @LVShark
(S41) RW - Arthur Grosberg, TPE: 50 @SnickersLV
(S42) D - Artemis Fowll, TPE: 36 @Fowll
(S42) D - Cap'n Crunch, TPE: 51 @leafssteen
(S42) G - Ivars Klajums, TPE: 96 @RMiner57
(S42) LW - Benjamin Zeptenbergs, TPE: 526 @hedgehog337
(S42) RW - Barney Tuzis, TPE: 11 @Viedais

Latvia was just beginning to show it's influence in sim leagues during the start of the expansion era, although what they produced in that time was certainly more quantity than quality. Raphael Pettyfer, Lauris Prikulis, and Benjamin Zeptenbergs were the only three Latvians to reach the VHL in that time, and none were true superstars. Zeptenbergs was a key piece in two of Toronto's cup wins during the late S40's, although he finished his career with only 526 TPE. Meanwhile, Pettyfer played for Toronto, Riga, and Helsinki, but was mainly known as a complimentary forward during his five seasons with the Reign.

 

t16.  Austria 

48 Points Overall (# of Players: 4 (14th) / Average TPE: 282 (17th) / Total TPE: 1,129 (23rd))

Spoiler

(S34) G - Eggly Bagelface, TPE: 818 @Corco
(S40) RW - Sepp Reiter, TPE: 0 @O4L
(S43) D - Thomas Duddy, TPE: 297 @Duddy
(S43) G - Not Active, TPE: 14 @Storm

Despite sharing a language with two of its two neighbors, Germany and Switzerland, Austria does produce nearly as many hockey players as the two aforementioned countries. Austria exported four players to the VHL from S31-47, and two of them reached the VHL. Defender Thomas Duddy was a reliable two-way defender during his career, although he certainly wasn't flashy and wasn't the most memorable of players. The other Austrian to make it to the VHL, Eggly Bagelface, is a bit more memorable thanks to his name and skill level. Bagelface won a Shaw Trophy in his career, and is a big reason Austria is ranked inside the top 20, but he failed to win the elusive Continental Cup.

 

17th.  Ireland 

46 Points Overall (# of Players: 10 (9th) / Average TPE: 133 (29th) / Total TPE: 1,330 (18th))

Spoiler

(S36) C - Prizza Dringus, TPE: 33 Kraphf
(S36) G - Jimmity Kricket, TPE: 54 @HabsFanFromOntario
(S37) C - Kez Kincaid, TPE: 276 @kincaid
(S38) D - Spud Murphy, TPE: 26 @Chad
(S40) LW - Chris MacAuley, TPE: 0 @GoldHooker
(S40) LW - Phillip McCracken, TPE: 0 @King Heffy
(S42) G - Jim Moriarty, TPE: 10 @JPL
(S45) G - Greg Clegane, TPE: 908 @Victor
(S45) LW - Azor Ahai, TPE: 12 @JPL
(S46) LW - Patrick Brumm, TPE: 11 @probablydrunk

Although not ranked nearly as high as their rivals, the United Kingdom, Ireland actually achieved a decent amount of VHL fame thanks to two players: Kez Kincaid and Greg Clegane. Kincaid, a forward, wasn't too flashy, but he did manage to have a career PPG rate of 0.70, which isn't too bad for a player of his caliber. Clegane on the other hand, was a VHL superstar, winning the ROTY Award (S45), MVP (S49), and the Shaw (S49). Clegane is the biggest reason for Ireland's rank here, as he put the country on his back to solidify their place on the VHL World Map.

 

18th.  Italy 

40 Points Overall (# of Players: 9 (10th) / Average TPE: 129 (30th) / Total TPE: 1,163 (22nd))

Spoiler

(S33) LW - Mario Corvia, TPE: 112 Claudio
(S33) LW - Milan El Shaarawy, TPE: 1
(S34) RW - Matteo Gallo, TPE: 325 @Quik
(S35) LW - Vincenzo Valentini, TPE: 107 @JORDAN22
(S40) G - Ikier Manushez, TPE: 63 @Sixersfan549
(S41) RW - Mario De Rossi, TPE: 319 @KitRas
(S43) D - Dennis Saad, TPE: 0 @Sirmore
(S44) G - Corey Marino, TPE: 0 @tzaWatermelom
(S44) RW - Giovanni Reuel, TPE: 236 @Glaciem

The Italians biggest star of this era was Mario de Rossi, who despite lacking the superstar-level talent his peers had, still found a way to rack up points for the four different VHL teams he played for. Fellow countrymen Matteo Gallo and Giovanni Reuel also made it to the VHL, although they weren't much more than depth players. Italy's biggest weakness is the lack of a superstar player to help boost them in these rankings.

 

19th.  Switzerland 

38 Points Overall (# of Players: 7 (12th) / Average TPE: 158 (28th) / Total TPE: 1,103 (24th))

Spoiler

(S37) D - Remy Devereux, TPE: 0 @Cowboy    
(S38) RW - Antoine Sauvé, TPE: 24 @WHEELsnipePARTY
(S41) RW - Yannik Zug, TPE: 74 @djlista
(S42) D - Merlin Malinowski, TPE: 0 @HabsFanFromOntario
(S42) RW - Paul Ready, TPE: 64 @TheFlash
(S43) G - Roland Rengel, TPE: 40 @Kyle
(S45) G - Sandro Clegane, TPE: 901 @JardyB10

Despite having the most players in the HOF other than Canada, Switzerland falls very far in these rankings due to terrible depth. The only player of note for the Swiss in this era was Sandro Clegane, superstar goaltender of Cologne, Davos, and Seattle. Despite always being in the shadow of his older brother, Greg, Sandro was easily one of the top goaltenders in the league during his prime. Despite Clegane's star power, the rest of the Swiss roster is putrid, with nobody else even eclipsing 100 TPE.

 

20th.  Mexico 

36 Points Overall (# of Players: 4 (14th) / Average TPE: 204 (26th) / Total TPE: 816 (26th))

Spoiler

(S33) RW - Akila Beast, TPE: 43
(S40) D - Gunzerker Salvador, TPE: 120 @duckberg32
(S47) C - Felipe Rodriguez, TPE: 623 @evrydayimbyfuglien
(S47) LW - Maximum Lock, TPE: 30 @Andybj

At this point in the rankings, a lot of teams are reliant on one player to give them a boost. In Mexico's case, this player is Felipe Rodriguez, who managed to accumulate over 600 TPE during the course of his career. Rodriguez was a star in the VHL, and without him, Mexico's rank would be much lower, as they would be relying on Maximum Lock, Akila Beast, and notable bust Gunzerker Salvador. Should hockey continue it's southern expansion from the U.S.A.'s Sun Belt, Mexico should become a hockey country eventually.

 

21st.  Slovakia 

35 Points Overall (# of Players: 3 (15th) / Average TPE: 220 (25th) / Total TPE: 660 (27th))

Spoiler

(S33) C - Pavol Ottosson, TPE: 0
(S39) RW - Milos Denis, TPE: 594 @Tyler
(S41) LW - Matej Nemecek, TPE: 66 @RoughHands

Slovakia being ranked this low is a bit surprising, because I definitely see them as a "hockey country". They only produced three players in the expansion era, and winger Milos Denis was the only one who made an impact on the VHL. Denis scored over 200 goals and 300 assists in his career, and enjoying great success as a member of the New York Americans and Quebec City Meute. Overall though, I feel like Slovakia definitely should have produced more VHL players.

 

t22nd.  Bosnia and Herzegovina 

34 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (16th) / Average TPE: 239 (22nd) / Total TPE: 478 (30th))

Spoiler

(S40) C - Shawndre Bović, TPE: 27 @Wilson/@svb
(S41) C - Rift Pajodcast, TPE: 451 @Corco

Rift Pajodcast and Shawndre Bovic are the only two players from this war-torn nation to make it to the VHL (or the VHLM in Bovic's case). Pajodcast is notable for being the VHL's first 3-headed player, and was an integral part of the Seattle Bears improbable S43 Continental Cup run as a shutdown #2C. After that though, his interest in the VHL visibly waned, to the point where it was obvious that he was just mailing it in during his later years.

 

t22nd.  New Zealand 

34 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (17th) / Average TPE: 252 (19th) / Total TPE: 252 (32nd))

Spoiler

(S46) LW - Olivia Diamond, TPE: 252 @Da Trifecta

Widely regarded as a bust, Kiwi Olivia Diamond only played one season in the VHL after being drafted 8th overall by the New York Americans. Her stats were nothing to write home about, as she didn't even score 20 points her rookie year. Perhaps she was homesick?

 

23rd.  Czech Republic 

29 Points Overall (# of Players: 7 (12th) / Average TPE: 82 (32nd) / Total TPE: 572 (29th))

Spoiler

(S32) G - Ondrej Cajanek, TPE: 13
(S33) LW - Petr Janus, TPE: 21
(S38) D - Vojczek Svoboda, TPE: 470 Slobo
(S39) G - Andrej Hasek, TPE: 0 @Daug
(S41) G - Jakub Kubicky, TPE: 0 @skuciuscz
(S44) LW - Matej Kriz, TPE: 30 @Jedi
(S46) LW - Lars Siktanc, TPE: 38 @Boragina

You have to expect the Czechs to be higher on this list, no? Perhaps if Vojczek Svoboda didn't bust as hard as he did, they would be higher; the Czech defender was signed to one of the most prestigious agencies in VHL history, but prompty retired extremely early in his career, leaving us only with a sense of wondering waht could have been. No other Czechs were anywhere close to Svoboda's level in this time, sadly.

 

24th.  Greece 

28 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (16th) / Average TPE: 187 (27th) / Total TPE: 373 (31st))

Spoiler

(S36) D - Stelio Kontos, TPE: 46 @Hybrid1486
(S38) D - Dimothenis Vlasis, TPE: 327 @TheLastOlympian07

Defenseman Dimothenis Vlasis' agency is known for being pretty hit or miss with superstar VHLers, and Vlasis was a bit of a miss. He wasn't a bad player by any means, but he certainly didn't pull you out of your seat with his play. Kontos is similar, but busted before he even left the VHLM.

 

25th.  Belgium 

20 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (16th) / Average TPE: 60 (33rd) / Total TPE: 120 (33rd))

Spoiler

(S40) G - Soren Douffet, TPE: 92 @Spangle
(S46) C - Gregory Fallum, TPE: 28 @linsangeles

Both Soren Douffet and Gregory Fallum never made it out of the VHLM talent-wise. The Belgians aren't a huge hockey country though, so this is okay.

 

26th.  Vatican City 

18 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (16th) / Average TPE: 56 (34th) / Total TPE: 112 (34th))

Spoiler

(S43) D - Stabby McFullO'Schmidt, TPE: 102 @John Scott
(S43) G - Holy the Goalie, TPE: 10 @Mahoogany

Stabby McFullO'Schmidt and Holy the Goalie. One of these players is not like the others; one is definitely more pious, fitting his home country far better than the other. Somehow though, McFullO'Schmidt was 10x more talented than Holy. Who knew?

 

27th.  Liechtenstein 

16 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (16th) / Average TPE: 31 (35th) / Total TPE: 62 (35th))

Spoiler

(S36) D - Franz Backenbauer, TPE: 0 @HabsFanFromOntario
(S36) D - Hanz Backenbauer, TPE: 62 @Seventy-Four

This tiny European country provided the Backenbauers to the VHL, but they didn't really do much. Liechtenstein's size is relative to its impact on the VHL.

 

28th.  Jamaica 

13 Points Overall (# of Players: 2 (16th) / Average TPE: 27 (37th) / Total TPE: 53 (36th))

Spoiler

(S43) C - Kawkh Blawka, TPE: 0 @PT9357
(S45) LW - Super Cock, TPE: 53 @Heisenberg

Super Cock really could have been a big deal in the VHL and I'm quite disappointed he wasn't. Also how tf did Jamaica manage to produce not one, but TWO VHLers?

 

t29th.  South Korea 

10 Points Overall (# of Players: 3 (15th) / Average TPE: 15 (40th) / Total TPE: 46 (37th))

Spoiler

(S37) RW - Jihoon Park, TPE: 0 @Watercow
(S45) D - M. Nocturne Shamalamalamalon, TPE: 0 @Tixe
(S45) LW - Lee Sang-Hyeok, TPE: 46 @cHaOs

Stick to Kpop South Korea, hockey isn't working out for you.

 

t29th.  Iceland 

10 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (17th) / Average TPE: 30 (36th) / Total TPE: 30 (39th))

Spoiler

(S47) RW - Jonathan Stark, TPE: 30 @Winter is Coming

The North remembers. But Jonathan Stark forgets [to log in and update].

 

30th.  Bulgaria 

9 Point Overall (# of Players: 2 (16th) / Average TPE: 19 (39th) / Total TPE: 38 (38th))

Spoiler

(S40) RW - Aleksander Petrov, TPE: 38 @Magenta 

(S46) LW - Kenny Keeley, TPE: 0@HawksFan19

Aleksander Petrov updated a little bit, but nothing aside that from Bulgaria. Fun fact: they're the lowest ranked country with two players!

 

31st.  Republic of Congo 

7 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (17th) / Average TPE: 26 (38th) / Total TPE: 26 (40th))

Spoiler

(S33) D - Ludovic Kabambi, TPE: 26

Ludovic Kabambi? Ludovic Kambambi.

 

t32nd.  Estonia 

3 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (17th) / Average TPE: 0 (41st) / Total TPE: 0 (41st))

Spoiler

(S36) D - LaMichael Charmander, TPE: 0 @The Mystical Cha

See: Republic of Congo
 

t32nd.  Australia 

3 Points Overall (# of Players: 1 (17th) / Average TPE: 0 (41st) / Total TPE: 0 (41st))

Spoiler

(S42) LW - Steven Bradbury, TPE: 0 @Joester09

See: Estonia

[Molholt 2,183]

Jarkkooooooooooo

[Da Trifecta 1,896]

She was very homesick

[KitRas 188]

De Rossi was a GOD

[BOOM 8,435]

The first good player you have is your favourite. I miss Odin. Great read once again.

[Megster 63]

When you rise from the grave because you were tagged in the most random of articles lol

[CowboyinAmerica 2,731]

1 and 3, not bad. Those Scandinavian World Cup teams in the '30s were ridiculous.

[boubabi 4,725]

Somalia over russia

 

Da pride

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

wow i didnt realize from the expansion era I had to most TPE for a german player

[Victor 10,569]

This is good shit. Would have been my drug about 2 years ago but still good shit.

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

REVIEW:

 

Very interesting article. Biggest surprise for me is the UK above the US, even with the good points you made in the article itself. I know we have a few prominent members from across the pond, but I still would have expected the US to be ranked above them. I think it's also somewhat interesting that we've never been able to recruit/retain some of the Latvian  members that are over at the SHL (or at least were the last time I was there).