Claimed:Across A Nation - Part 2

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Across A Nation
Part 2

Last week we took a close look at Saskatchewan, Nunavut and the Yukon in our first segment of Across A Nation. This week, as promised, we engage our focus towards Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Alberta in our feature. Enjoy!

Manitoba


Jaden Button

Not only is Jaden Button the lone Manitoban on the list, but he’s also a current inactive free agent. Hailing from Winnipeg, the former draftee of the Vasteras Iron Eagles during the Season 34 VHL Entry Draft, selected 29th overall, played last season for the Saskatoon Wild in the VHLM. In playing all 72 games for the “Bridge City Bunch”, Jaden scored only 4 goals, but added 35 assists in finishing with 39 points overall. Jaden was a physical force, adding in 147 hits and 91 penalty minutes, but was a liability defensively, capping off the season with a disappointing -30. There is a good chance that with the new crop of superstars entering the league, that Button will unfortunately remain a free agent.

Alberta


Brick Wahl
Kameron Taylor
Blake Knight
Alexander Clapperton

Not only is Alberta widely known for their cattle and beef quality, but in player development, Alberta doesn’t disappoint either. Starting with Red Deer’s own Brick Wahl, the former Midget AAA Optimist Chief and Red Deer Rebel was a free agent signee of the New York Americans after finishing his junior career. Once signed to a VHL contract, Wahl initiated the journey, playing for the Saskatoon Wild, where he collected a 41-22-9 record coupled with a 2.57 goals against average and an uncharacteristic .909 save percentage with 7 shutouts. Wahl recently completed his rookie season with the New York Americans, finishing with a 25-34-5 record, a .919 save percentage and a 3.23 goals against average with 2 shutouts. Although the numbers don’t indicate it quite yet, Brick Wahl is expected to be one of the leagues’ best netminders in the very near future.

Sherwood Park, Alberta, a Strathcona County located east of Edmonton, is the home to many notable residents, some of which include curler Randy Ferbey, NHLers Cam Ward, Andrew Ference and Tony Twist, as well as Head Coach Ken Hitchcock and the Stereos’ guitarist Miles Holmwood. But what you may not know is that the Cologne Express’ Kameron Taylor also calls Sherwood Park home. Kameron has spent his entire VHL career with the Cologne Express. The 6’4 centerman finished 3rd in VHL points last season with 123, scoring 60 goals and adding 63 assists for what would be considered a breakout season for Taylor personally. Throughout Taylor’s impressive career, 432 games played to be exact, Taylor has tallied 255 goals, 314 assists for 569 points, a +110 and 844 hits. Entering his 7th VHL campaign, Taylor could reach the 300-goal plateau, as well as picking up his 600th point and his 1000th career hit. Unfortunately these totals will probably not be accomplished in Cologne, but Taylor should go down as the Express’ modern day all-time best player.

Blake Knight is another Albertan, born and raised in Calgary. Blake is a journeyman VHLer, having spent the last two seasons with the Vasteras Iron Eagles. Prior to joining the Eagles, Knight toiled around in the VHLM, having played with the Vasteras Baby Iron Eagles in Season 29, followed by a stint with the Kolari Panthers in Season 30 and then rounding things off with a stop with the Yukon Rush in Season 31 to conclude his VHLM career. Drafted in the 3rd round, 19th overall, Blake Knight made his VHL debut in Season 32 with the Black Eagles, producing 48 points, including 20 goals and a +15 rating. Fast forwarding to this past current season, Blake’s production and skill quality dropped compared to his Season 35 totals, limiting him to 37 points, including 11 goals, but where he lacked offensively, he improved defensively with a +18 and was a physical component dishing out 198 hits. Blake will once again patrol the blue line for the Black Eagles, who are looking at moving up in the standings.

The final member of Wild Rose Country is current Saskatoon Wild forward Alexander Clapperton. The Edmonton native went undrafted during the Season 35 Draft and thus, had been relegated to the VHLM ever since. During Season 33 for the Yukon Rush, it was then and there where Clapperton made his VHLM debut, appearing in 7 games, picking up 1 lone goal and adding 4 assists for 5 points. With the Saskatoon Wild for the next three seasons, Alexander was sparingly used, collecting 23 goals, 37 assists for 60 points in 154 games before being a healthy scratch for most of the season during Season 36. Not having any practice hours accumulated may result in Clapperton’s immediate release from the Saskatoon Wild once the season gets underway.

Nova Scotia


Wesley Kellinger
Jeff Phinney
Ugot Change
Moe Mills

Ironically, all four members of this grouping all hail from Halifax, a flourishing city consisting of 413,710 proud residents. Furthermore, Halifax is known to have produced a large mass of extremely talented hockey players, some of which include Colorado Avalanche rookie Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby (Cole Harbour – suburb of Halifax), Brad Marchand, and Quebec Meute forward Wesley Kellinger. However, those aren’t the only famous Haligonians; other notables include Mike Clattenburg, Sarah McLaughlan, Ellen Page and adult film producer Peter North.

Wesley Kellinger, taken 1st overall in the Season 33 VHL Entry Draft by Quebec, is only really just starting out his career here in the VHL. Currently entering his 4th VHL season, Wesley’s journey began in Season 34, where he collected 21 goals and 46 assists for 67 points and was a +45. In Season 35, Wesley hit the century mark in points with 100, collecting 32 goals and 68 assists in the process while also maintaining his defensive stance with a +65. In his 3rd season, all with Quebec, Wesley finished 1 point shy of that 100-point plateau, but he did record career highs in goals with 37 and finished with a +38 and 242 hits. Wesley Kellinger is one of those names that you will continue to hear about as he embarks on his 4th season and more importantly, his march towards the Hall of Fame.

The remaining players from Nova Scotia, and more specifically Halifax, are all borderline fringe players at best. Moe Mills, a defenseman who stands at 6’4 and weights a whopping 230 lbs., was a free agent at one point, but was tendered an offer from the Oslo Storm in the VHLM after sitting out the entire Season 36 campaign. The last source of action for Mills came in Season 35, where for the Vasteras Iron Eagles of the VHLM, he had 11 goals and 66 assists for 77 points, finishing 4th on the team in points.

Ugot Change is a center with no past history as far as statistics are concerned here in the VHL or VHLM. He had been passed up previously in the VHLM Dispersal Draft and the VHL Entry Draft, so his stature wouldn’t be known otherwise anyways. However, the unknown was recently signed by the Helsinki Titans for $6,000,000 with hopes of filling out the line-up for the rebuilding Helsinki Titans.

Lastly on this list is Calgary Wranglers rearguard Jeff Phinney. The lanky defender is a Season 30 player who has bounced around nicely between the VHL and the VHLM. During his draft season, Jeff was drafted into the VHLM by the Oslo Storm 16th overall. After a successful VHL Draft season in which he scored 12 goals and added 81 assists for 93 points, the New York Americans selected the defender with the 5th overall selection. Jeff would go on to spend Season 30 back with Oslo before making the jump to the pros in Season 31. During the Season 30 off-season, Jeff was dealt from New York to Vasteras in a deal that saw Troy Athera and Samu Heiskinen go to the Big Apple. Then before Season 31 got underway, Jeff was on the move again, this time being traded to Seattle along with a whack load of various pieces for Genghis Khan, Cal G, Jarvis Baldwin and Bryce Willingham.

After living out of a suitcase, it appeared that Jeff Phinney was ready to settle down. Jeff spent the following two seasons in Seattle playing for the Bears, picking up 46 points in his rookie season and 54 points during his sophomore campaign. After his stint in Seattle, Jeff found his way to Quebec, where he posted a measly 15 points. Once again, a new season came about and with that a new team also followed suit, this time the Cologne Express, the recipient of Jeff Phinney. In Cologne, Jeff posted 17 points, which was a major disappointment for a former 5th overall selection. The slow decline of Jeff’s play landed him back in the VHLM with the Oslo Storm, where he was able to resurrect his career, posting 84 points in Season 35 and 77 points a season later. Jeff is now on his final eligible season here in the VHL and fortunately for him, the Calgary Wranglers were in need of a defenseman for Season 37, so they signed the well-traveled blue liner to a contract to cap off his tumultuous career.

Next week we will head to the mountains and have a look at British Columbia and then out east across the nation and into Newfoundland and Labrador.

[Doomsday 4,130]

Content: 3/3 - Jeff Phinney has been a great asset to the Oslo Storm the last two seasons, happy to see him return to the VHL. Moe Mills has also done a pretty good job so far, I'm hoping he will return and reach the pros one day as well.

 

Grammar: 2/2 - Just one little thing:

 

Black Eagles = Iron Eagles

 

Appearance: 1/1 - So patriotic!

 

Overall: 6/6 - Well done sir.

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