Claimed: 1/2 Rookie of the year?

[Tyler 885]

Rookie of the Year award too close to call

 

 

An award that usually isn't totally sought after is rookie of the year. It is just the beginning of your VHL career so a lot of the time people don't tend to care so much about winning it. This year there are a few candidates and I think the race is going to come right down to the wire and could well end up being one of the most interesting award races of this season. It seems to be coming down to a handful of candidates right now with no clear or obvious front runner. Slava Aleksei of the Riga Reign, last years first draft choice Gabriel McAlister of Seattle, Mattias Forsberg (also of Seattle) and Niko Bogdanovic of the Reign are seeming to be the top candidates at this rate, but dark horses like Davos' Peter Quil are closing in on the top candidates.

 

Handicapping the race is not easy. For one, using a text based simulator it is impossible to really judge which players are truly performing the best. If STHS offered us advanced stats or something it might be easier, but with the current limitations we have to basically go on the stats given to us. Right now with 36 games played Aleksei has 43 points, McAlister has 39, Forsberg has 33 and Bogdanovic, a defenseman, has 29.

 

For simplicities sake I will look at the Reign players first. Aleksei is a Season 54 draft pick and is looking like a steal in that draft. He was a second round pick and is blossoming in to a legitimate option up front for the Reign. He has 16 goals and 27 assist while playing mostly second line minutes on a very good Riga team that is second in the league at the time of me writing this. His 45 plus minus is also very good and is showing he is not a liability in his own zone, something that will benefit him come award season. With the players being so close a key stat is power play points. Aleksei has got just 13 of his 43 points with the man advantage, meaning he is a force at even strength as well. He only has 3 hits and 8 shots blocked which may cripple his chances in the end, however. Bogdanovic has 7 goals and 22 assists while maintaining a plus minus of 43. The Serbian has 74 hits and is showing himself to be one of the up and coming best young defenseman in the league. He is yet another steal having been taken in the second round of the Season 55 draft. Riga's drafting has been excellent and has allowed them to move in to a place of competition earlier than most expected.

 

In Seattle a pair of rookies are pushing their team in to a playoff spot. Gabriel McAlister was the runaway first overall pick in Season 56 and is showing everyone why that was the case. He has 20 goals and 19 assist for 39 points but he is a minus 8 on the season. His 31 hits is very good for a skilled franchise type of forward and his 28 shots blocked is proving his worth. With just 8 points with the man advantage he is also showing his worth at even strength. A bit of an outsider but with a solid shot is Mattias Forsberg a Season 55 draft pick playing on the Bears. He has 17 goals and 16 assist but unlike McAlister he is a plus 4 on the year which is very good for a team like Seattle. He has 49 hits and 9 shots blocked showing he is not just a skilled forward but that he plays with grit.

 

It is a close race between 4 or 5 people right now and it's almost impossible to pick a front runner. I would say Aleksei or McAlister will end up winning it in the end but it's really too close to call between the two of them. There are a few things that benefit either player and it could come down to team performance in the end. If the Reign keep it up and remain the top team in the tough European Conference, it may open the door for Aleksei, but if the Bears separate themselves from the Wranglers then McAlister will be a key reason why.

Edited August 27, 2017 by punkhippie

[Gudnason 607]

Review: Nice analysis of what each potential candidate has going for and against them. I agree that you and Bogdanovic have been big steals for Riga, and your contributions are as equally as important as those of the player she that Riga acquired from NY. Definitely more interesting now that McAllister has competition and is not running away with it like some expected.