(S62 Class) Apollo Skye

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Apollo Skye

Class of S62

Position: G
Birthplace: Bellingham, Washington, USA
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200lbs
Jersey Number: 42 
Drafted: 1st Overall (S51) HC Davos Dynamo
Username: Velevra

 

A clerical error nearly cost Skye the chance of even being on the ballet for the VHL Hall of Fame, until a member noticed that nobody had been added to the ballot in S59, the first year in which Skye would have been eligible. Once he was added to the ballot for the S62 HOF induction voting, he was practically a shoo-in for the Hall. Although his career began and ended with questionably-performing teams, Skye still cemented himself as one of the top goalies in VHL history, and he currently sits at 4th on the all-time shutout leaders list.

 

Career Awards:

S51 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy (Top Rookie)
S53 Scotty Campbell Trophy (MVP)
S53 Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved)
S56 Continental Cup (League Championship)
S57 Scotty Campbell Trophy (MVP)
S57 Aidan Shaw Trophy (Top Goalie)

 

 

S51

Regular season:
51 (DAV) 64GP | 20W - 37L - 7OTL | 0.913SV% | 2.79GAA | 3SO | 180GA | 2065SA | 3870MP
Playoffs:
51 (DAV) 4GP | 0W - 4L - 0OTL | 0.913SV% | 4GAA | 0SO | 16GA | 183SA | 240MP

Breaking out of the VHLM, Skye immediately sought out the same type of dominance he had enjoyed there in the big league. He quickly discovered that things would not be so easy. After taking the promising goaltender 1st overall, the struggling HC Davos Dynamo came in well below .500 PPCT on the season and squeaked in to the wildcard playoff round, only to be sent packing in just 4 games. Skye himself posted a respectable .913SV% in both the regular season and the playoffs, performing well enough to earn the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy as the top rookie of S51.

 

S52

Regular season:
52 (DAV) 64GP | 19W - 40L - 5OTL | 0.923SV% | 2.74GAA | 4SO | 174GA | 2264SA | 3811MP
Playoffs:
52 (DAV) 5GP | 1W - 1L - 3OTL | 0.936SV% | 2.48GAA | 0SO | 17GA | 267SA | 411MP

Even as Skye improved both his SV% and his GAA from the previous year, HC Davos' performance slumped even further from S51 to S52. As a result, they once again limped their way into the wildcard round and were bounced in quick fashion. Skye's .936SV% helped his team pull out a single win in the series and forced an additional three games into extra time, but it was clear that Davos was trending in the wrong direction for the young star. Insiders reported that Skye's interest in the league was fading and, not wanting this young talent to go to waste, HC Davos shipped Skye off to the Québec Meute for a pair of 2nd round picks. At the time, it was seen as a necessity, as HC Davos took a deeper dive into the rebuild, but it would go down as one of the most lopsided trades in VHL history.

 

S53

Regular season:
53 (QUE) 64GP | 31W - 28L - 5OTL | 0.931SV% | 2.22GAA | 11SO | 132GA | 1925SA | 3564MP
Playoffs:
53 (QUE) 5GP | 1W - 4L - 0OTL | 0.946SV% | 1.98GAA | 0SO | 10GA | 185SA | 302MP

For his first season with a competitive VHL roster, Skye wasted no time getting into the win column, earning his first winning season of his career. The Meute didn't exactly blow the league out of the water, however, and still only succeeded as much as they did thanks to Skye's .931SV%. Come playoffs, Skye would unfortunately see his third straight 1st round defeat. Once again, he managed to nearly single-handedly steal a win, but it was to no avail. He was heading into his fourth VHL season with only 4 playoff wins under his belt to that point. S53 was also the season that Skye brought home his first MVP trophy, and he took it alongside the trophy for most improved on the year.

 

S54

Regular season: 
54 (QUE) 64GP | 52W - 8L - 4OTL | 0.933SV% | 1.5GAA | 17SO | 96GA | 1427SA | 3833MP
Playoffs:
54 (QUE) 12GP | 7W - 2L - 3OTL | 0.938SV% | 1.93GAA | 0SO | 24GA | 385SA | 746MP

For his 4th season tending goal in the VHL, Skye and the rest of the Meute apparently decided to light the league on fire. Out of 64 games played in the regular season, Skye pulled out 52 wins and only 8 regulation losses. His personal stats were also impressive as always with his .933SV%, a 1.5GAA, and a staggering 17 shutouts. S54 was also the season in which Skye succeeded in his first playoff series, but the Meute would would still fall short of a Continental Cup, despite Skye's .938SV%.

 

S55

Regular season: 
55 (QUE) 66GP | 48W - 11L - 5OTL | 0.924SV% | 1.58GAA | 14SO | 104GA | 1360SA | 3938MP
Playoffs:
55 (QUE) 12GP | 7W - 4L - 1OTL | 0.931SV% | 2.25GAA | 0SO | 28GA | 406SA | 745MP

After their absolutely raucous S54 regular season, Meute took a step back, but still excelled in the VHL. Part of the reason for this stepback may have been that Skye saw his save percentage fall from .933 to .924 while his GAA rose slightly. For the second straight season though, Skye posted over 10 shutouts, with 14 in his 66 games played. Similar to his regression in the regular season. Skye's playoff performance also took a hit. The Meute did make it out of the first round for the second year in a row, but Skye's save percentage fell to .931, his worst playoff save percentage since his rookie season, and the Meute once again fell short of the Cup.

 

 

S56

Regular season:
56 (QUE) 65GP | 48W - 11L - 6OTL | 0.923SV% | 1.78GAA | 15SO | 116GA | 1514SA | 3909MP
Playoffs:
56 (QUE) 13GP | 8W - 3L - 1OTL | 0.925SV% | 2.35GAA | 1SO | 31GA | 412SA | 792MP

For the second year in a row, Skye won 48 games. In a league with only 72 games played in the regular season, this would be a impressive feat to achieve once in your career, but S56 was Skye's third straight season posting 48 wins or more. For the second year in a row, however, Skye's personal stats regressed slightly. Not necessarily to the point where his supporters were worried about his performance, but maybe just enough to bring him back from superhuman. The Meute entered the S56 playoffs ready to avoid a repeat of the past two years. This time, they were successful in bringing the Cup home, even as Skye's personal playoff stats took a step back. 

 

 

S57

Regular season:
57 (QUE) 64GP | 42W - 14L - 8OTL | 0.931SV% | 1.63GAA | 14SO | 105GA | 1524SA | 3872MP
Playoffs:
57 (QUE) 12GP | 6W - 6L - 0OTL | 0.913SV% | 2.54GAA | 0SO | 31GA | 358SA | 731MP

The Meute win machine started to show its cracks in S57. As its stars aged, including Skye, their star goaltender, Quebec's regular season stats began to come back down to earth. Skye and his team were still in the upper echelon of the league, as he finished the regular season with 42 wins, a .931SV%, and 14 shutouts, but they could not quite repeat the success that they had reached in the few seasons previous. Come playoff time, the Meute fell shy of their second straight title, even after making it past the first round. For the second time in his career, Skye earned himself the MVP trophy, in addition to the Aidan Shaw trophy for the league's best goaltender.

 

 

S58

Regular season:
58 (QUE) 66GP | 15W - 43L - 8OTL | 0.933SV% | 2.88GAA | 5SO | 192GA | 2887SA | 4006MP

As Skye entered his final season in the VHL, it was known around the league that the Meute were simply not built to compete for another season. Seemingly unable to hear these cynics, Skye continued on an elite pace with his .933SV%, but it was to no avail. He would collect more losses in S58 than he did wins in S57 and the Meute failed to even reach the wildcard round of playoffs. Although the outcome of his penultimate season may not have been what he was after, Skye proved one more time that his name deserved to be within those of the all-time elite goaltenders of the VHL.

 

Career totals:

Regular season:
Totals 517GP | 275W - 192L - 48OTL | 0.927SV% | 2.14GAA | 83SO | 1099GA | 14966SA | 30803MP
Playoffs:
Totals 63GP | 30W - 24L - 8OTL | 0.929SV% | 2.37GAA | 1SO | 157GA | 2196SA | 3967MP

It's important to note that even though Apollo Skye's personal statistics may have fallen slightly as he aged, "falling slightly" in this context really just means "slightly less insane". For a goaltender to average .927SV% over his career (especially considering Skye's relatively rough rookie year) is outstanding. Add his consistent playoff performances, his personal trophy rack, and his 4th-all-time ranked career shutouts, and you have a veritable Hall of Fame-worthy career of a goaltender.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2018 by Enorama