Rookie Watch

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

VHL Mag 248 - S43 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy – E’Twaun Delicious

 

At the beginning of Season 43, I wrote an article detailing who the front runners were for this past season’s Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy, given to the player the VHL General Manager’s deem the league’s top rookie. This story was based off of both the predictions of various VHL pundits as well as my own opinion. Quite frankly, many in the VHL got this one wrong. The recipient of the S43 “Stolzy” was none other than right winger E’Twaun Delicious of the New York Americans. I think it’s safe to say that Delicious exceeded the expectations of many VHL followers. From a personal standpoint, I thought New York would be too weak of an overall team for Delicious to put up the points necessary to win the award. I’m free to admit that I (as well as many others) were wrong. In fact, the only person to correctly predict this award was none other than Muffins, the player agent of Delicious.

 

E’Twaun Delicious joined the VHLM during Season 41 via the league’s waiver process, where he was claimed by the Ottawa Lynx. With a bare roster, the Lynx struggled as a team, but Delicious was able to put up very respectable numbers. In 54 games, Delicious recorded 23 goals and 32 assists for 55 points, all while somehow coming out with a team worst +/- of -48. While the playoffs were out of reach for the Lynx fairly early in the season, it quickly became apparent that E’Twaun had the potential to become one of the league’s star players.

 

In the Season 42 VHLM Dispersal Draft, the Brampton Blades selected Delicious with the first overall pick in the draft, further cementing just how valuable teams saw this player. The Blades were also able to select center Bronson Faux with the 6^th overall selection, after the young center was the surprise draft day faller. Together, this duo was able to help carry the Blades to 126 points and the top spot in the VHLM and a first round bye in the playoffs. In 72 games, E’Twaun amassed 126 points, 61 of which were goals and 65 of which were assists. The Blades would prove to be the best team in the VHLM during Season 42, as they defeated the now defunct Minot Gladiators 4-2 in the North American Conference Semi-Finals and the Oslo Storm 4-2 in the Founder’s Cup. During the playoff run, Delicious totaled 18 points (12 of which were goals) in only 12 games.

 

In Season 43, E’Twaun was once again selected first overall, this time by the New York Americans in the VHL Entry Draft. Immediately one of the best skaters on a relatively weak roster, Delicious quickly became one of the faces of the franchise, and the rookie did not disappoint. While the Americans failed to qualify for the playoffs, E’Twaun put up a very strong 28 goals, 58 assists, and 86 points, while also accumulating 205 hits. It’s safe to say that Delicious will be underwriting no more, and I would not be surprised to see his name on award ballots in the seasons to come.

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

Rookie Watch 249 - S44 Pre-Season Stolzschweiger Favorites

 

With the start of Season 44, it’s time to announce the pre-season favorites to this year’s Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy. This crop of rookies appears to be better than average, so competition for this award may be fierce. Who will follow E’Twaun Delicious as the VHL’s best rookie?

 

Tim TebowGow – C – CAL

 

Joining the Calgary Wranglers organization via the VHL’s general manager player rule, TebowGow is looking to continue his hot play from the VHLM, where the young forward won numerous awards, put up an illustrious 69 goals, 116 assists, and 185 points in 72 games, and helped lead the Bern Royals to a Founder’s Cup. As one of the faces of the franchise, TebowGow is expected to help re-build Calgary’s reputation in the VHL, as the Wranglers have not been a force to be reckoned with in a long time. The team’s second line center behind recently acquired Tyler Cote, TebowGow will theoretically be able to go up against his opponent’s weaker competition, which may help the young center inflate his scoring totals. This future star of the VHL (who models his play to VHL great Scotty Campbell) is my pre-season pick for the Stolzschweiger.

 

Edwin Reencarnacion – LW – NYA

 

The recent first overall pick of the Season 44 VHL Entry Draft, winger Edwin Reencarnacion is looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow teammate E’Twaun Delicious in his quest for best rookie. Although Reencarnacion “only” amassed 44 goals and 44 assists for 88 points, his 350 hits were tops in the VHLM during Season 43. As one of the most developed rookies in recent seasons, expectations are high for the young winger, with many media members selecting Edwin as their favorite for rookie of the year. The choice between Reencarnacion and TebowGow is a hard one. For me, what potentially separates the two is that New York may have limited scoring opportunities this season, and playing with equally skilled forwards may result in the points being shared between Reencarnacion and his linemates. Whether Edwin wins the Christian Stolzschweiger or not, it’s safe to say that this young winger has hall of fame potential.

 

Golden Jedtsson – D – NYA

 

Defensemen Golden Jedtsson is my dark horse for this season’s Stolzschweiger. As a defensemen who spent an extra season in the minors, Jedtsson doesn’t have the fanfare or reputation that most rookie of the year candidates do. However, with his extra year in the minors, Golden is currently more developed than most rookies, and his training doesn’t appear to be slowing down. In addition, Jedtsson has the opportunity to be New York’s number one defenseman this season, which should allow the young player to be put in a position to succeed. Golden is looking to build on his great season last year on the Brampton Blades, where he put up 16 goals, 87 assists, for 103 points in addition to 220 hits and 107 blocked shots. 

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

Edition 252 – Surprise Rookies

 

It seems like at the beginning of every season, there’s a common consensus of which rookies are predicted to have stand out first seasons in the VHL. However, there are always those who exceed expectations and have much greater seasons than anticipated. This year has been no different. Specifically, there are two members of the last place Helsinki Titans who are providing the fans in Helsinki hope that their fortunes will soon change.

 

Souryuu Kaminogi – LW – 229 TPE

 

Kaminogi has flown under the radar his entire career. Originally the 21^st overall selection in the S42 VHLM Dispersal Draft by the Ottawa Lynx, Kaminogi proved his doubters wrong by committing to his training.  This caught the eye of Jack Reilly, General Manager of the HC Davos Dynamo, who rewarded the young left winger by selecting him 13^th overall in the S43 VHL Entry Draft. However, an off-season trade between the Dynamo and the Helsinki Titans saw Kaminogi move to the Helsinki organization before Kaminogi even had time to unpack his bags. Souryuu had a very good year for the Lynx, putting up 42 goals and 43 assists for 85 points before moving up to the big leagues this season. Currently, Kaminogi has 32 goals and 28 assists for 60 points through 58 games, but he has a staggering +/- of -52. More impressively, Souryuu currently leads all rookies in points, 3 ahead of New York Americans forward Edwin Reencarnacion. Kaminogi may continue to fly under the radar and not get the respect he deserves around the VHL, but he’s already been a success for the Titans, and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

 

Thomas Duddy – LW – 241 TPE

 

Unlike Kaminogi, Duddy has had a little more recognition around the VHL than his teammate and fellow rookie. Similar to Souryuu, Duddy was originally selected by the Ottawa Lynx in the S42 VHLM Dispersal Draft, but he was taken 10 spots higher at 11^th overall. Duddy’s activeness around the league and regular training made him a valued commodity at draft time, at which point Don Draper selected the left winger with the 6^th overall selection of the S43 VHL Entry Draft and the first of their two first round picks in that draft. Duddy did not disappoint the fans in Ottawa, as he led the team with 56 goals and 59 assists for 115 points. Thomas’s VHLM success has followed him to the VHL, where he currently has 26 goals and 20 assists for 50 points to go with his +/- of -62. Duddy is currently 3^rd in the league in rookie scoring, although he is tied with defensemen Jorma Ruutu of the New York Americans.  Again, just like Kaminogi, Duddy may never receive the accolades that some of the more prominent players in the VHL do, but he can be a very good player for any team moving forward.

[Ahma 1,443]

*Not part of the article. My first Magazine article is here Go easy on me*

 

Edition 262 – Titan Rookies

 

The S45 regular season is done and over with. Playoffs have already started, but we will look back at how this season’s rookies did. There has already been a lot of talk about Helsinki’s own rookie Aleksi Koponen and Toronto’s Danish rookie Max Molholt. We won’t talk about them, we’ll see how the two other rookies in Helsinki Titans did. Phil Hamilton and Tylar Faux.

 

Phil Hamilton – D – 418 TPE

One of the 3 Hamilton brothers, Phil was drafted 1^st overall in the S45 Draft. He joined the VHL right away. Almost everyone had high expectations for Phil Hamilton. Although, he didn’t have as much hype around as the 2^nd overall of the S45 Draft, Greg Clegane. There was many people who predicted Hamilton to be a Top Rookie contender and an amazing defenseman right from the beginning. Phil Hamilton didn’t answer to those high expectations. Only few people see him having a not-so-good season. Phil has himself stated that he doesn’t expect a good season, saying that next season he will be a beast.

Hamilton ended up getting 6 goals and 36 assists. His defensive side of the game seemed to be okay. 3^rd most shot blocks (86). He didn’t hit as much, but Phil’s hits/hits taken ratio is pretty good with 90 hits and only 44 hits taken. He haven’t very physical game. Worth noting is that he has huge amount of penalty minutes compared to the low amount of hits, he got 100 penalty minutes. Hamilton’s +/- is very good (+54), but that comes with the team he plays for. Helsinki Titans can considered as the best team in the VHL.

During the season Hamilton logged up 2^nd most ice time in the stacked Helsinki squad. Only the superstar, Thomas O’Malley got more ice time than Hamilton. You could say that Phil Hamilton could have done better, but he played on a stacked team where defensemen didn’t get many points.

 

Marcel Faux – LW – 393 TPE

Marcel Faux was drafted in the S44 Draft, unlike Phil Hamilton Faux played one more season in the VHLM. During his last season in the VHLM he was arguably the best player in there. He got 3 individual awards and 2 team awards (won the championship), he played for Saskatoon Wild. Also, a season before that Faux won the championship too, but he was in Bern Royals that time. He definitely improved a lot during his time in the VHLM.

But how did he do in the S45 season? Well, there was probably higher expectations for Marcel, but he had a decent rookie season. He finished 4^th in rookie scoring with 29 goals and 35 assists totaling 64 points. Rocking a very good +/- like almost every Titans player. Marcel Faux played very disciplined with only 12 penalty minutes, he wasn’t very physical either (27 hits). As good as Helsinki is with The Alleycat and Klose scoring there, it isn’t that much of a surprise that Faux got 64 points. Trough out the season, Marcel Faux has been bumped to second line and brought up to the 1^st line. In the end, it was an ok season for Faux and he will come back next season bigger and better. For now, the focus is in the playoffs!

Good luck to every team in the playoffs!

[Ahma 1,443]

Not as good as my last article, but should be doable (at least I got it done).

 

Edition 263 – Rookies In Playoffs

 

The playoffs are almost at the end, soon we will crown Season 45 Continental Cup champions, there are only max. 3 games left to be played. Will we crown new champions, Helsinki Titans or will Calgary Wranglers get their 2^nd Continental Cup in 2 seasons? The series could go either way. At the moment Calgary Wranglers lead the finals series 3-1.

Calgary doesn’t have any “real” rookies on their current roster. Although, they have rookie Hudson Backenbauer, he has only 1 minute played in 13 playoff games. He doesn’t get any ice time in Calgary. Is the S39 Draft class rookie Backenbauer, worth the 3^rd round draft pick Calgary traded for him?

On the other hand, Helsinki has many, many rookies. Last time I wrote about two of them, Phil Hamilton and Marcel Faux. Helsinki Titans also have center Aleksi Koponen, goaltender Greg Clegane and defenseman Theo Matsikas. Out of all of them Koponen, Hamilton and Clegane are all S45 Draft class players. Marcel Faux is a little older player, he is S44 Draft class and Theo Matsikas is S43 Draft class, making him their “oldest” rookie.

Helsinki has a very young team with veterans in the mix too. Calgary is a bit older with some younger players too. We will see who wins the championship!

 

Notable rookie success in playoffs:

 

Number One:

Phil Hamilton. He has stepped up his game a lot, by a lot I mean a lot. Hamilton has been playing better than he played in regular season. His every stat is a lot better. Hamilton’s overall play is much better now in playoff games. If you remember VHL Magazine 262 Edition’s Rookie Watch, you know that Hamilton’s regular season wasn’t so good. Maybe Hamilton is a big game player, strives under the pressure. At the moment Phil Hamilton has 3 goals and 5 assists. He also has 23 shots blocked 9 games and 13 hits. He leads his team on shot blocks and he is tied for 3^rd in the league in shots blocked. Phil Hamilton is also +3 in +/- category. Defensively he definitely has been really good.

Hamilton’s improved play has most likely affected positively Helsinki Titans games.

 

Number Two:

Aleksi Koponen. The native Finn has not played in the playoffs as well as he played in the regular season. Although his point production has dropped, he has still been producing offense; 3 goals and 3 assists in 9 games. Koponen haven’t helped Helsinki defensively that much with his low amount of hits and shot blocks. Neither is Koponen’s faceoff percentage that good. Maybe his underperforming is one of the reasons why Helsinki is down 3-1 in the finals? When Koponen gets his line going, will Helsinki’s game see a huge difference?

 

Number Three:

Simon Valmount. The other Finn on the list and who doesn’t play for Helsinki. HC Davos Dynamo, team Valmount plays for, felt disappointment and lost against Helsinki Titans in conference finals. Like Koponen, Valmount didn’t play as well as expected. He had good regular season, but playoffs didn’t go as hoped. He had only 5 points in 9 games. Defensively Valmount played ok, he had 11 shot blocks which is most of the forwards in Davos Dynamo. Also, 28 hits but 23 hits taken, decent but not near Valmount’s regular season production. In the end Valmount didn’t play bad, but there is a lot of room for improvement.

 

"Rookies usually doesn’t have as good playoffs as their regular has been, playoffs are known to be more suitable for experienced players."

[Ahma 1,443]

Edition 265 – Season S46 Rookie Lookout

 

For this season we have nice group of rookies. Some of them come straight from the S46 VHL Entry Draft, some come from a season in the minors.
The rookies of this season are all full of talent. Most of the newcomers are very well-known in the VHL. They have made a name of themselves. For example, Zach Parechkin had an amazing season in the VHLM last season, and now he is one of the top candidates for winning the Top Rookie Trophy.
Only three of the rookies might not be as well-known as the rest. They are Giovanni Reuel, Bubba Nuck and Jace Hines. But don’t get me wrong, those three mentioned are also known around the league. But the other rookies come from player agencies which have received lot of attention in the VHL.

S46 Effect

The Season 46 Draft was done last week in during offseason. Out of the 8 rookies there are in total, 3 came straight to play with the big boys to the VHL. Usually, you see drafted players going down to the VHLM for another season before joining the VHL. Although there has been only 2 regular season games played, Season 46 draftee rookies are in favor on winning the Top Rookie Trophy.

How much the rookies will affect how their team is doing?

That is mostly based on how good their team is. But most of the rookies will make a difference. One of the rookies stands over the rest on how much they will affect his team play, he is Sandro Clegane. Sandro is Season 45’s Top Rookie awards winner’s brother. He definitely has higher than normal expectations and pressure on him. Sandro had an amazing season in VHLM last season too. Currently he the Cologne Express’ number one goalie. He himself can win games for Express’ or they might lose because of him. Goalies are a big factor in team success.
Next one is Zach Parechkin. The highly hyped S46 Draft’s First Overall selection comes from a great season in the minors too. He has a lot of weight on his shoulders. Lot of pressure and the hype he has around him is a lot. Parechkin will affect Toronto Legion’s success with his play. There are some high expectations, he is part of Toronto’s future.
There is a rookie who most likely won’t make much noise, Giovanni Reuel. He was drafted back in Season 44 Entry Draft. He is finally playing in the VHL, he spent last 2 seasons in the VHLM. He plays for Helsinki Titans. And as many members know, Helsinki Titans team is stacked. They have the depth, and Reuel is a depth player for them. He won’t get as much ice time as other rookies and so he will do work behind the scenes.

In the end all the S46 rookies are looking good, some of them will get more done and are more flashier than others. But they all have their strong points and weak points.

[Ahma 1,443]

Edition 266 – Strong Defense

With little under 20 games played, some rookies have had huge effect while others has struggled.

This year the rookie defensemen are top class, not taking anything away from forwards. But there are 5 rookie defensemen this year. One of them was called up lately, Erik Hedman. A rookie playing for Stockholm Vikings. The defense is strong.

Most notable defenseman so far is Toronto Legion’s rookie, World B. Free. He has 19 assists in 17 games, but no goals. He also has 72 hits… but is he over performing? Because World B. Free has only 171 practice hours, usually players on that level stay in VHLM. But World B. Free was called up and has made it clear why he is in the VHL and not in the VHLM. With his 75 hits, 42 shots blocks and 19 points, World B. Free is a candidate for Sterling Labatte Trophy (Top Defenseman). But can he keep up this current pace?
During last few games, Toronto has slowed down offensively and defensively. Their last 3 games have been losses with only 2 goals for. World B. Free has gone cold with the whole team, but can they turn it around?

Seattle’s Strong Defensive Rookie Core stands up.
Seattle Bears has their future defensively taken care of. They have big names in there… Jeff Hamilton, Arcturus Mengsk and Bubba Nuck. All S45 players or younger. At the moment Seattle is not that strong and they are rebuilding. Their team is 2^nd last in overall standings with only 5 points. And that it shows up in Hamilton’s, Mengsk’s and Nuck’s stats. But in the future you can only imagine how good Seattle’s defensive core will look like, you could argue that it might be the best at some point.

Erik Hedman.
A mysterious name, what not so many have heard about. Hedman hails from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. The huge defenseman is 6’6” tall and weighs 225 lbs. He was drafted back in Season 43 VHL Entry Draft by Stockholm Vikings 15^th overall. Hedman must have been happy to play in his home country. In the same draft year, Hedman was drafted by Saskatoon Wild. Unfortunately, he got stuck in the VHLM and spent three whole season with Saskatoon Wild in the VHLM.
Just lately, Hedman was called up from the VHLM to Stockholm Vikings. It is a very strange fact that Erik Hedman has actually played in the VHL and in the VHLM at the same time. Mysterious player indeed.
In the 7 games he has played with the big boys, Hedman has used his size and physicality exceedingly well. 24 hits and only 8 hits taken is a decent for a player with only 122 practice hours. But otherwise, he has not been that impressive, like the whole Stockholm team. They are dead last in the VHL.

[Ahma 1,443]

Edition 267 - Look For The Top Rookie

 

The Top Rookie of the Season 46

Number one favorite for winning the career wise noteworthy Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy, is the highly hyped and a well-known player around the league. He is Canadian, Toronto Legion's own, British Columbia's native, the one and only... Zach Parechkin! He is ahead of all other rookies. Parechkin has the highest chance of winning it this season, but he has been streaky player so far. He is also in the shadows of his line mates, Max Molholt and Joseph Roy III. But everything is possible, it is still early in the season. Parechkin's team mate World B. Free or Cologne Express' goalie Sandro Clegane are next ones on the list in chances of winning the Top Rookie trophy.

Zach Parechkin's joined the VHL right after the Season 46 VHL Entry Draft, before that he single-handedly dominated the VHLM. In Season 45 VHLM, Parechkin played in Bern Royals. During those 72 games, he racked up 78 goals (over goal per game, which is amazing) and 85 assists, compiling total of 163 points. Plus to all that offense Parechkin brought, he was defensively responsible too. 20 shots blocked and impressive 202 hits.
After the Season 45 ended Parechkin cleared the awards table with 4 individual awards.

 

Then the draft came Parechkin was drafted 1st overall. Jeff Hamilton, Sean Blacker and World B. Free for example, were all taken after Zach Parechkin.

He was instantly moved to the Toronto Legion. He has almost averaged 29 minutes played per game, Parechkin is playing in first line, first line powerplay, second line penalty kill. He leads the rookie scoring by 8 points, Parechkin's team mate World B. Free is second with 29 points.
With 36 games in the season, Zach has 37 points, 16 goals and 21 assists. He falls behind in offensive production compared to his line mates. Also, he has only 9 points in powerplays, while Roy III and Molholt both have way more. But you can see the effect of going all-out offense in Toronto. Parechkin has continued to bring physicality from his VHLM seasons to the VHL team. He stands in 8th overall in league hits with 144 hits. He has been very disciplined as well, only 43 penalty minutes. The PIM/hit ratio looks promising. In Toronto's last 10 games, Parechkin has 10 compiled, while he got 15 points in the first 10 games of the season. It's also impressive to see that Parechkin is +16 though playing a team which is not considered a top team, Toronto is in Goals Against/Goals For difference -46.

Does Parechkin look like a better player when he plays with such a high scoring line mates? He definitely benefits from that, but this is his first season in the VHL and is a skilled player for sure. All of what Parechkin has done can't be coming as a "gift" from his team mates. Parechkin has a lot of skill and potential, and is definitely impressive player.

[Ahma 1,443]

Edition 268 – The Interview I – Jeff Hamilton
 

This time we have an interview from a rookie Jeff Hamilton. In the interview later, we will hear Hamilton’s opinions and thoughts of this moment, and of what the future might bring.

How has Jeff Hamilton’s VHL career been so far?
When he declared for the first time that he will join the VHL, there was a lot of excitement. Jeff Hamilton comes from a Player Agency which everyone knows. That Agency has produced countless of amazing players. Jeff Hamilton has a lot of pressure on becoming a successful player.
Hamilton’s VHLM career began in Bern Royals. He had an great season, Hamilton was one of the best VHLM players in Season 45. He compiled total of 126 points! 34 goals and 92 assists, a very good season. He was defensively ok, 67 blocked shots and 110 hits, which isn’t bad for a player who is not so good at defense and also not known as aggressive hitter.

The S46 VHL Entry Draft, the draft where Jeff Hamilton was drafted second overall. He was drafted by Seattle Bears. Hamilton entered Season 46 as one of the favorites on winning the Top Rookie Trophy, but sadly he hasn’t answered to those high expectations everyone placed upon him. He is playing surprisingly low minutes in Seattle, considering he is their second best defenseman.

Hamilton’s season has been disappointing. He is an offensive-minded defenseman, who is not very good at defense. But he has been focusing on improving his defense. Although being highly offensive focused, Hamilton’s numbers doesn’t match the expectations you would expect of an offensive defenseman. He plays in Seattle, last team in the standings with only 10 points(!), so his production is kind of understandable. So far, he has 11 goals and 18 assists, which is not good enough.
Hamilton’s plus minus is -68, that is not a nice number to see on a player playing in the VHL. He needs to improve his defensive play, but the team he plays for is also why Hamilton’s +/- is so low.

Jeff Hamilton can only improve, and he will, a lot. I bet that in few season Jeff Hamilton is one of the best defensemen there are in the VHL. His first season will go down in history, and it will be forgotten. But the name Jeff Hamilton will be remembered from all the amazing seasons and things he had/did.
 

The Interview I
 

How has your season gone, what are your thoughts?

It's gone about as well as you could expect on a pretty bad Seattle Bears team. I'd like to finish the season on a high note. Maybe get up to or over 15 goals. We'll see how it finishes off.

Any huge disappointments?

Playing for a last place team I'd say. I've never been a part of a losing team so it takes a bit to get used to. I just hope our management has a good growth plan in place for the coming years or else I'll be looking to test free agency.

Or big surprises?

Not really. I'd say perhaps I've done worse statistically than I'd hoped for, but we don't have much in terms of skill, depth or heart at the moment.

How high hopes you have on Seattle Bears' future?

If we can find a goalie and another centre, I think we stand to be good in a few years. Who knows what the true future will hold for the team though. Like I said, if we're not winning by season three, I'll be testing the market.

What do you expect of your second season in the VHL?

I expect to improve a lot more. Maybe notch 20-25 goals and 60 points. I've improved my defensive game a lot since starting the year and I expect to continue to train toward that skill over the foreseeable future.

What do you think of your fellow rookie team mates?

I haven't heard much from them this season. To be fair, we've spent a lot of time drinking our sorrows away after games. We've been getting crushed most nights and we're all waiting for some better fortune to come. I hope some other guys can step in and make an impact next season.

When you first stepped on the ice on your first VHL game, how did it feel?

I've been on the ice pretty much all season since that first game. I was hopeful then, but in the ensuing months I've become a little more hardened to the game. It's beginning to slow down as much as it can when you're constantly shorthanded. I was pretty excited regardless.

 

Thank you Sterling for this interview!

 

Edited December 9, 2015 by Ahma

[Ahma 1,443]

Edition 269 – World B. Free

This time we have World B. Free on Rookie Watch.
The young right-handed defenseman came into VHL from a good season in the minors. In the Season 46 VHL Entry Draft, Free was drafted in the second round, 13^th overall. He was the 4^th defenseman drafted in the S46 Draft.
Right after the draft, the tough playing defenseman from Cologne, Germany, made a hard decision between staying in the VHLM for one more season or go to play in the VHL? He decided to go to play with the big boys. And that decision has paid off positively. World B. Free has had an amazing season so far.

With 66 games in the season, Free has compiled total of 54 points. But he isn’t a goal scorer or a shooter, he has only 71 shots and 7 goals. But he is a skillful passer. He has been feeding Max Molholt and Zach Parechkin with great passes, so Free has 45 assists.
On the other hand, World B. Free is a physical presence on the ice. With his 226lbs. body he has racked 271 hits and only 55 hits taken! But he is lonely in top of the leagues penalty minutes. He has 194 penalty minutes, with quite a big lead to 2^nd player in the PIM list.
Free’s 173 shot blocks are very impressive also and his +/- is +6, which is good too considering that he plays on a rebuilding Toronto team.
World B. Free will be an exciting player to follow in seasons to come. But he may have been “overplaying”, because he is only at 194 practice hours.

Now the interview…

 

What were your thoughts when Toronto Legion announced that they drafted you?

I was very pleased. The Toronto GM got in touch with me after the start of my full VHLM season and I developed a great liking of that organization. In fact, there were the only franchise to contact me before draft day, so I think I ended up in the right location. Looking at this right now, I can't do anything but underline these words. The city of Toronto welcomed me with open arms and helped me adjust to being a true professional.

You have had a quite good season so far, opinions?

Personally, I'm the most puzzled one of all people. The decision to play all 8 eligible seasons with the pros in the VHL wasn't an easy one, but looking back at it now I'm really happy with what I did. Of course, I've had my ups and downs throughout the season - stretches where I played really well, stretches where I probably should have even gotten up that morning. But that's part of being a rookie, and I believe I have coped well with it. If this is what my rookie season feels like, I'm more than eager to see what the next years will be like.

Toronto is having a playoff race with Quebec City Meute, do you think Toronto can beat them?

It would be a great pleasure for us to reach the playoffs once the regular season ends, but I don't think we're quite ready yet. We're just rookies, so I think we lack some of the experience that is needed to win these close games that are needed for playoff eligibility. Also, we traded away a couple of integral parts of this season's team lately, and the adjustment period is taking longer than I expected. We're still giving it our all, but unfortunately I see Quebec making the playoffs over us. Nevertheless, we'll still fight until the last puck before we give up.

What do you think about Toronto's rocky season so far?

To be honest, we performed a whole lot better than I expected us to do. We don't have a lot of young talent, or talent let alone whatsoever to account for, so the whole regular season is a learning process for us. I think we did pretty well there seeing how we put up quite the fight for some teams and some goals. Going into next season, I think this is something that we can work with in the future. Our mentality, and our chemistry, seems to be there already and I can't wait see how this will develop further.

How do you like playing with Molholt and Parechkin? 

It's been great. Like for real, it has been really awesome to bond with these two guys so early in my career. Seeing how they both have had some stellar seasons individually, I'm really happy to have them on my team. It just makes life easier for you if you know that there people on your squad who have the awareness to do the right thing every time they are on the ice. People don't credit them enough for the stellar season we're playing.

 

What about DAV C?

Ay, that son of a woman working in the horizontal business is the worst. Basically, nobody in the whole world knows why he ended up on our roster so it's all a great mystery. He is detrimental to any synergy developing within the squad. I can't wait for the moment he leaves the team, because greatness will ensue.

Where do you see yourself and Toronto Legion in few seasons?

 

Hopefully at the top of the standings. I believe that our management is clever and insightful enough to keep their stellar work up. When they drafted me, they presented me a long run-down of what the future hopefully looks like here in Canada. A year and a half later, this still stands and my faith in the front office has been strengthened. We've had a great draft last year, and I think they will build on it this offseason. There are still one or two waiting to come up in the VHLM, and with the picks we have this year it's only a matter of time before we rise and shine - hopefully.

 

Thank you Stevo for this interview!

[Ahma 1,443]

here you go @Molholt

 

Edition 270 – Sandro Clegane’s Interview

 

(Written before Sandro Clegane was traded, and the interview is answered in Jardy’s player character.)

Sandro Clegane, a right-handed goalie from Switzerland. Sandro is the other one of the Clegane brothers in the VHL. They both are goalies and they both were drafted in the Season 45 Entry Draft. Sandro Clegane was drafted 4^th overall, 2 picks behind his brother, Greg. Sandro Clegane was one the four goalies drafted in the first round. Cologne Express was the team which drafted Sandro.
Sandro Clegane entered his rookie season with 4 VHLM major awards, 2 individual (playoff MVP and Top Goalie) and 2 team awards. He was the best goalie in the VHLM.

Sandro jumped straight to VHL. His rookie was not the worst, but not the best either. He played in older Cologne team, and they almost made it to the playoffs. Sandro was a solid through the season.

His 2.82 GAA isn’t that good, but that category is affected by the team ahead of him. Sandro’s Save Percentage was ok as well, but it could have been better. 0.906SV% can be improved a lot. But he got the wins for the Express, 33 wins and 26 losses (4 OT losses).

So to say, Sandro Clegane has a lot of potential and can improve a lot. He has a bright future ahead of him!

 

Regular season is over, how happy are you about your success?

Happy? I'm not fucking happy at all. Happiness is a lie people tell themselves so they don't fucking kill themselves. My team was shit and couldn't defend a puck if it was the only thing they had to do. It's a little difficult to be successful with a team full of duds and has-beens isn't it? The franchise is doomed at this rate, but as long as I get a paycheque, I don't give a damn.

Davos and Cologne had a little playoff race, but Cologne didn't make it, why?

Both teams are full of miserable useless shits, and I guess Davos managed to be slightly less shit. Probably doesn't hurt that their CoachReilly is in the Board of Governor's pants. These governing bodies don't give a shit about "parity" or "equality" like they're always rambling about. As long as they get the status quo results. Aye, but Davos at least had the spine to try to compete this season. Our coward GM just tried trading everybody to cover up for his own failures of putting together a decent team. That'll do you in every time in this world.

Do you feel like you're in Greg Clegane's shadow?

People seem to think the whole world is in my brother's shadow, but he bleeds just the same as the rest of the miserable wretches in this league. I'm sure all the stupid adoring fans think they love Greg and his Knight-like talents, but the moment he crosses my path is the moment I finally have to kill him. We'll see how much his "fans" enjoy that, huh? Hah!

When you're in net against Helsinki Titans and Greg is in net on the other side of the ice, thoughts of that? Would you call it a "rivalry"?

Hah! Yeah, a rivalry, that's certainly a word you sports-types would like to use to describe it. My thoughts are that Greg is the biggest cunt the VHL has to offer, and his path here is one paved with blood and crime. I suppose none our games together so far have gotten too out of hand yet, but that won't last. Greg's got a temper, and his ruthlessness has earned him a lot of shiny awards so far. He'll try to take those awards from my dead body when it inevitably becomes my turn to win them, but that's the day I put him in the ground once and for all.

Cologne Express' is an older team, how good is Cologne's future looking?

The Cologne Express don't have a future. It's a team of tired old men and useless green boys who couldn't hold a stick if it was permanently shoved up their arse. That being said, as long as I'm saving pucks for them, they won't find themselves dead in the water. I don't give a damn what Lord Harbinson has planned, as long as I can take everything my brother claims to hold dear when the opportunity comes.

Which team you would most like to see win the Continental Cup?

Fuck the other teams, and fuck the Continental Cup.

 

Thank you Jardy for this interview!

Edited December 31, 2015 by Ahma

[Ahma 1,443]

@Molholt

 

Edition 272 – Quebec

In Season 47, we have many promising rookies. There are lots of potential in these rookies. At the moment there are total of 14 rookies playing in their specific teams. Some of them are older rookies who have been playing their career so far in the minors, and now they have been called up or signed to the VHL.  Odd thing is, that all those 14 rookies are either forwards (10) or defensemen (4). No rookie goalies.
The current rookie class is one of the better sets in a while. At least compared to last season’s set.

Specifically Quebec’s rookies are looking very good. They have three rookies who are all considered top rookies. The first pick of the Season 47 Draft John Sleeman, Tom Lincoln and Season 46 8^th overall pick Olivia Diamond. All of those players come from a well-known and great Player Agencies. Lincoln is their future number one center, whereas Sleeman is the #1 future defenseman and Diamond (left winger) looks like a good pairing with Lincoln. But the Quebec City Meute is not doing so well right now, they are dead last in the standings. But they are, for sure, set for future. All they need is a good prospect goalie and they will be a force in to be reckoned in the future.

Tom Lincoln. The Quebec City Meute’s future forward corps cornerstone. He comes from Brovy’s Player Agency, which is has produced players like Sergei Brovalenko and Bruno Wolf. Both of them had great careers in the VHL and they were known for their offensive produce. Lincoln looks to continue and succeed the great careers and fame Wolf and Brovalenko had, but it will take one or more seasons for Lincoln to break out. His first season haven’t started as he and the Quebec team hoped for. He definitely wants to improve his play and the whole team’s play. If the whole Quebec team improves, we will see Lincolns numbers go up.

He is their number one center and logs up 30 minutes of average ice time per game. More than anyone in the team. He has not been that bad offensively so far, but we all know that he can do better. And wants to do better. In 20 games, Lincoln has 5 goals and 9 assists. But his defensive play has been lackluster. -14 and he is winning faceoffs with under 50 faceoff percentage.
But you have to remember, this is his first season. He has many seasons to come and lots of improvement to do.

While Lincoln has been at least putting up points, the other three hyped Quebec rookies haven’t been doing any good. The team performance really shows up in the youngins playing. Diamond and Sleeman have compiled 4 more points than Lincoln has himself. Diamond has 8 points and Sleeman 10 points. But Sleeman has decent 30 shot blocks and Diamond is Quebec’s most physical player with 71 hits and only 11 hits taken.
They are all rookies, who will only improve and they have many good seasons ahead of them. Quebec has their future set now after coming from a tough rebuild. In the next three seasons, you can expect Quebec to be a top team.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Ahma

[Ahma 1,443]

Edition … Top 3 Top Rookie Trophy Favorite’s

 

The season so far has been very good for rookies, there are five rookies with, 37 or more points. Which is pretty good in 45 games played. We have some surprising names on top and surprising names who aren’t doing so well. Many of us thought that John Sleeman would do great this season, but he most likely won’t win the Top Rookie trophy. Overall, the rookie class is very strong.
Now, let’s look at the current Top Rookie trophy favorite winners.

 

S47 - Joel Järvi (D), Cologne Express

Joel Järvi joined the VHL right away. He was drafted to Cologne via GM rule after playing in the VHLM for 2 seasons of dominating the VHLM. Although Järvi played only 25 games in season 45, he got 25 points. Joel Järvi dominated the 46 season. In 72 games, he scored 35 goals and 89 assists. In total of 97 games, he got 124 points.
After that good season in the minors, he is expected to continue playing in high-level. Järvi has continued that. He is second rookie scoring, almost point per game with 40 points in 43 games. He will be top defenseman of the Cologne in few seasons, although, he already is. He leads the league in 31.83 average minutes played in a game. Cologne’s future looks bright with Joel Järvi leading their defensive corpses.

 

S46 - LeAndre St. Pierre (RW), Toronto Legion

The Frenchman looks like an amazing draft pick by Toronto Legion. St. Pierre was drafted in Season 46 draft by Toronto Legion, only 9^th overall. He could have been drafted higher based on how good he has been. Last season St. Pierre lead the VHLM by 15 points. He was clearly the best player in the VHLM then. St. Pierre’s good flow has carried over to the VHL.
Currently he leads the VHL rookie scoring with 47 points. St. Pierre also has the most goals scored by rookie (26 goals). LeAndre St. Pierre has also been blocking shots a lot, although his +/- is not that good.
If he continues in this pace, you could say that he will win the Top Rookie trophy for sure.

 

S47 - Tom Lincoln (C), Quebec City Meute

Quebec City Meute’s future top center joined the VHL via GM rule after coming from a great season in the VHLM. He was second in points and second in goals, in the minors.
In the VHL, Tom Lincoln has only 39 points, he is capable of doing a lot better in the rest of the season. He can catch up St. Pierre in points. Lincoln is a great playmaker with 25 assists, although not known as a sniper, he has 14 goals. Lincoln also leads Quebec’s team point-wise.
Just like Joel Järvi, Tom Lincoln logs huge minutes of ice time per game (30.90 m/per game).

 

In the end, St. Pierre looks like a lock-up for winning the trophy, but Lincoln has potential to catch him and Järvi is a defenseman with almost point per game pace. Any one of those can win it. It will all come down to GM voting…

Edited January 31, 2016 by Ahma

[Ahma 1,443]

Edition 275 -  Rookie Right Wingers

 

Toronto Legion’s and Seattle Bears’ futures are looking very promising. They both have many rookies playing this season. In this Rookie Watch edition, we will focus and take look at some Legion and Bears rookies.

 

Niels Skovgaard (RW) is the first name on the list. The skilled sniper from Denmark was drafted in the first round in Season 46 Entry Draft, 10^th overall. Seattle Bears was the team to draft him, so far he looks like one of the best S46 draft class players. In 52 games played, Skovgaard has the second most goals out of all rookies. 23 goals and 20 assists, those numbers tell that Skovgaard has offensive potential. He’s 5^th in rookie scoring and 3^rd in Seattle’s inside scoring. Skovgaard is also doing his job in defensive zone too, he is a +10 and his hits/hits taken ratio is decent, considering Skovgaard is not known for big hits, rather he is known for flashy dekes and beautiful goals. Niels Skovgaard looks like a solid piece of Seattle’s future.
While playing in the VHL minors Skovgaard compiled 67 goals and 110 assists in two seasons (177 points).
 

Pete Stockton (RW) entered the Season 46 Entry Draft with high hopes. Just last season in the VHLM, he won the Founder’s Cup (VHLM Championship). During his time in the minors, Stockton got 135 points, over half of them being goals. While Stockton isn’t as a slick dangler or fast skater like Skovgaard is, Stockton is a heavy shooter and heavy hitting power forward kind of player. In the Season 46 Entry Draft, Stockton was drafted as high as 5^th overall by Toronto Legion. He comes from a well-known Hybrid1486 Player Agency.
So far in the VHL, Stockton maybe hasn’t played as good as some VHLers hoped for. He is a -39, but he has shown offensive skill and Stockton has been checking hard. 54 games in, and he has 187 hits, only 62 hits taken. Pete Stockton stands in 3^rd spot of rookie scoring with 20 goals and 24 assists.
Stockton’s activity level has decreased over the last few weeks, but if he picks up the pace, he has a great future ahead in Toronto.

 

Shawn Muller (RW). Another Seattle Bears rookie featured in this edition. Back in S46 Entry Draft, Shawn Muller was drafted 4^th overall. Muller also won the Founder’s Cup in S45, like Pete Stockton did.
Now in Season 47, the German born right winger has been playing in the VHL for the young Seattle team. Muller has been a little under performer so far. He has 14 goals and 39 points, that’s good enough for 7^th in Seattle’s inside scoring and 6^th in rookie scoring. But Muller is a player who can do it all in the ice, does all the little things right. He is an all-rounder, unlike the other two rookies mentioned earlier who specialize in mainly 1 or 2 things. He brings a lot to the team with his skill.
We also got Shawn Muller himself to comment on his season so far:

Quote

“Hmm, I think my season is going steady, I'm not putting up as much points as I'd like but that's ok because we are winning, I've taken on a slightly defensive role as well because only myself and Klose have put any hours in on defense, the others forwards have not, but like I said that's ok because we are winning.” Muller said.

 

Edited February 4, 2016 by Ahma