Mercenaries looking to prove the doubters wrong [1/2]

[oilmandan 686]

The S64 World Cup is upon us and as the 6 teams gather in Moscow to start play, one team has gotten next to no love in the predictions. The Mercenary team is selected with players that didn't make the other squads in the tournament. As is the case most years, this edition features player from Canada mostly.

 

The actual Team Canada is one of the favourites to bring home the gold, but even though the players on the Mercenary squad are all solid VHLers in there own right, no one seems to believe in them outside the locker room.

 

In goal Shawn Brodeur and Brick Wahl rank 3rd and 8th respectively in earned tpe from all netminders in this tournament. Wahl could have even started on other rosters.

 

They have experience together, sharing the goal in Calgary last season. They have great chemistry and will push each other in practice for the starting role.

 

On defense they are lead by Samuel Gate and LPLL. While rookie of the year candidate Ryan Sullivan Jr teams up with Lando Baxter on the second pair. The two pairs seem almost made for each other, as their skill sets should compliment each other very well.

 

Gate and Baxter are both more than able to bring solid offense to the game and push the play quickly out of their own end. Sullivan Jr provides a solid all round game, he was the only New York American to have a positive plus minus. LPLL is the prototypical shut down defender and will be tasked most nights with smothering the oppositions stars.

 

Up front the Mercenaries will be lead by a great group of forwards, looking forward to proving their own countries made major mistakes in not bringing them along. Most of the players up front are shoot first types and should keep goalies busy.

 

Wingers Jake Davis and Dan Wilinsky have both put up back to back 30 goal seasons in the VHL and will likely both be on the top line. In between them will probably be rookie star Kronos Bailey, who may have some of the fastest faceoff hands in the entire tournament. All three love to shoot, so it will be interesting to see if they stay together.

 

The second unit is full of solid players as well. It's a more rounded out line with shooter Rylan Peace in between all round wrecking ball Randoms and set up man Adam Warlock. All three have the skill to switch out to the top line in a heartbeat without missing a beat.

 

The special team units remain to be seen, but it was rumoured every player can expect plenty of opportunity to make their mark. In the mini camp that just wrapped up, chemistry between the players was clearly apparent and everyone seems ready to go.

 

While the experts are mostly just spitballing on their rankings, the Mercenaries are using it as fuel to drive them during every practice and wont be satisfied until they are stepping over the strewn bodies to take their place on the podium at the end of the tournament.

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

Review

Nice read on the team. I forgot Brodeur was named on this team but i mean, if i had to pick 1 player for myself to just to erase from everything it'd be Brodeur. Goalie sucks that bad.