Top 15 Forwards of All Time

[Victor 10,536]

Top 15 Forwards of All-Time

This was by far the hardest one to rank – for a few reasons. Firstly, it's obviously the most popular position in the league, which means it's always attracted the highest TPE earners as well as being naturally more conducive to lending itself to superstardom. In addition to there being so many more players to choose from, there's also less to rank them by, as you don't want to put too much weight into hits, so really it comes down to points and awards. As it happens, that's allowed me to identify a clear top 5 and then two parallel branches – one for the players who put up the better stats, and another for those with more awards and therefore, in theory, more dominance in their own time.

 

It's up to you which you prefer, but I think the top 5 is fairly set in stone for now, as of Season 65. Thus, behold the final all-time list, the top 15 forwards to ever play in the VHL.

And in case you missed it:

Top 10 Playoff Performers

Top 10 Defencemen

Top 10 Goaltenders

Top 10 Two-Way Forwards

 

 

Section 2A: The Guys with the Stats
 

5. Volodymyr Rybak (S28-S35) 

398 goals (7^th), 884 points (8^th), 1.53 points-per-game (T-13^th)

Campbell x1, Szatkowski x1, Brooks x1, Boulet x1

1 Continental Cup (CGY)
 

An often forgotten forward in a very talented generation, Volodymyr Rybak was a career Wrangler during a period of sustained success, and was the one constant in a perennial offensive powerhouse. Dovetailing most famously with compatriot Alexander Chershenko but also the likes of Jarvis Baldwin, Michal Wozniak, and Clark Marcellin, Rybak skyrocketed up the all-time points table and remains one of the finest players in VHL history. And to think where he could have been on this list if it wasn't for a 48-point sophomore season.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

4. Lars Berger (S17-S24) @Victor

396 goals (T-10^th), 882 points (9^th), 1.53 points-per-game (T-13^th)

Boulet x3, most assists x1

3 Continental Cups (CGY x2, TOR)
 

A mid-tier entry onto the top two-way forwards list, Berger also makes an appearance on this ranking as a result of being the highest scoring of those who make the cut into the top two-way forward bracket. Frequently unable to grab the individual awards of the likes of Tarik Saeijs, Anton Brekker, and Markus Strauss, Berger was probably the most consistent of his contemporaries, always being in the conversation if rarely considered the league's best. That is very much the definition of this section – the players whose appreciation came later when the big picture was seen.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

3. Phil Rafter (S27-S34) @Phil

407 goals (T-4^th), 892 points (6^th), 1.55 points-per-game (11^th)

Slobodzian x1, Szatkowski x1, Brooks x1

1 Continental Cup (DAV)
 

The first player to break the 400-goal barrier in nearly 25 seasons, perhaps the finest player from the Phil Knight agency opened the door for modern VHL forwards to aim for records which seemed untouchable. Rafter was one half of the famous Davos partnership with the hard-hitting David Smalling, which often precluded him from recognition at the awards ceremony but the freedom afforded to Phil to weave his offensive magic was one most VHL teams couldn't deal with. A clinical scorer, and one of the finest at that.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

2. Max Molholt (S45-S52) @Molholt

407 goals (T-4^th), 869 points (12^th), 1.51 points-per-game (T-18^th)

Szatkowski x1, Brooks x1, Beketov x1

3 Continental Cups (TOR x3)
 

Another sharp-shooting forward in the mould of Rafter, Molholt edges ahead of the older player largely by virtue of also helping Toronto deliver the famous threepeat (nearly fourpeat) of S48-S50. In a similar duo to Rafter-Smalling, Molholt was assisted by the more defensive minded Zach Parechkin, but also excelled at a time when the Legion were not among the league's elite. That consistency and ability to perform in all situations pushes the Dane up the list.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

1. Unassisted (S48-S55) @STZ

402 goals (6^th), 886 points (7^th), 1.54 points-per-game (12^th)

Campbell x1, Slobodzian x1, Kanou x1, Szatkowski x1, Brooks x1

2 Continental Cups (NYA x2)
 

Topping this section is a player who is fittingly on the cusp of being more than award winner than statistically great. Of course, Unassisted is a bit of both but his career totals stand out in particular – a success from his early days in Quebec through a short stint in Calgary and at last team success in New York. It's important to note that this wasn't a case of it all coming together for just one season – on the contrary Unassisted was top scorer in S50 (still on his entry level contract), and got the prestigious MVP trophies in S52.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

Section 2B: The Guys with the Awards

 

5. Jardy Bunclewirth (S18-S23) @JardyB10

689 points (68^th), 1.59 points-per-game (T-7^th)

Campbell x1, Slobodzian x1, top scorer x2

3 Continental Cups (CGY x3)
 

It feels odd to include a player who played just six VHL seasons having taken his time to get to the big leagues as a third-round steal. However, once he got there, Bunclewirth took the league by storm, setting rookie records and leading the league in scoring as a sophomore. His points-per-game rate was a callback to bygone eras and remains out of reach for most players to have come since. Yet Bunclewirth makes this section of the list on the basis that the stats are naturally not that impressive over a shorter career, but the trophy case and 3 championships make up for it.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

4. Odin Tordahl (S33-S40) @BOOM™

365 goals (23^rd), 779 points (31^st), 1.35 points-per-game (T-68^th)

Campbell x1, Slobodzian x1, Szatkowski x3, Brooks x2, Beketov x1, Boulet x1

3 Continental Cups (HSK, DAV, NYA)

 

In what is a recurring theme for this part of the list, Tordahl had a slow start to his career but made up for it with a highly productive second half. Playing for four teams during his career, Tordahl can be safely said to have improved all of them and he remains one of just three players ever to lead the league in scoring on three separate occasions. Adding strong two-way play as well, the Norse god was truly one of the league's most complete players ever.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

3. Grimm Jonsson (S10-S17) @sterling

319 goals (50^th), 807 points (T-23^rd), 1.40 points-per-game (T-47^th)

Campbell x3, Slobodzian x1, top scorer x2, top goal-scorer x2, most assists x1

2 Continental Cups (NYA, SEA)
 

For quite some time, Grimm Jonsson was essentially the only answer to the question about the “next Scotty Campbell”. He has since been surpassed but younger players who put up superior stats, but still few combined his scoring prowess with a large trophy cabinet. Jonsson's peak of S15-S17 to end his career remains difficult to match, winning every trophy possible and retiring with a cup-winning goal for Seattle. Iceland's greatest export to the VHL had a trophy named after himself for exhibiting leadership, which certainly came on and off the ice.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

2. Leeroy Jenkins (S23-S30) @Squinty

325 goals (T-45^th), 815 points (22^nd), 1.41 points-per-game (46^th)

Campbell x1, top scorer x1, top goal-scorer x1, most assists x1, Boulet x4

5 Continental Cups (DAV x2, HSK, SEA, CGY)
 

Another entry on the “next Scotty Campbell” list, Leeroy Jenkins is still relatively unique in how his career went, with the unapologetic hopping from contender to contender being an undoubted success story, both in terms of team and individual success. In light of that context, Jenkins has slipped down the rankings as time went on, but remains one of the best to lace up the skates in the VHL.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

1. Alexander Chershenko (S27-S34) @Victor

387 goals (13^th), 876 points (11^th), 1.52 points-per-game (17^th)

Campbell x1, Slobodzian x1, playoff MVP x2, top goal-scorer x3, top scorer x1

2 Continental Cups (CGY, NYA)
 

Oh hello, it's me again. Chershenko was the quintessential player for this category – fewer points than his archrival Rafter and others in that section, but with a more impressive trophy case. Chershenko came in second among forwards in the playoff performance list, while also consistently being at or near the top of the regular season leaderboards – accentuated by three top goal-scorer awards and several near misses on the top scorer. Prominently featuring in the season-end award discussions pretty much every season, Chershenko is a definite top ten forward but just misses out on the top five.

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

Section 1: The Top Five

 

5. Mike Szatkowski (S3-S10) @Mike

434 goals (3^rd), 971 points (2^nd), 1.69 points-per-game (5^th)

MVP x1, top scorer x1, top goal-scorer x1

1 Continental Cup (TOR)
 

The man who has the top scorer award named after him, if only because we couldn't name every award the Scotty Campbell Trophy, was not the highest-scoring forward of his generation. That of course is because he spent most of his career competing against Campbell, but whatever offensive inflation that era generated is offset by the fact Szatkowski is still a fair distance ahead of everyone else even adjusting for that. The great sniper will probably fall into section 2A soon enough, but still hangs on in the very elite 55 seasons after retiring.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

4. Franchise Cornerstone (S53-S60) @boubabi

384 goals (15^th), 855 points (13^th), 1.48 points-per-game (T-25^th)

Campbell x3, Slobodzian x1, Szatkowski x1, Brooks x2, Boulet x2

3 Continental Cups (HSK x3)
 

The controversial Franchise Cornerstone did many things, some right, some wrong, but certainly can't be accused of not living up to his name. Spending his entire with Helsinki and leading them to three Continental Cups is a phenomenal achievement and there was no doubt that Cornerstone defined an era, for better or for worse. His final numbers are probably lower than he would have liked, but there are few careers more complete.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

3. Gabriel McAllister (S56-S63) @CowboyinAmerica

397 goals (T-8^th), 826 points (17^th), 1.43 points-per-game (T-37^th)

Campbell x3, Slobodzian x2, Kanou x2, Szatkowski x2, Brooks x1, Boulet x3

2 Continental Cups (SEA, DAV)
 

The newest entry to the list, fresh off also becoming the best two-way forward of all-time, McAllister and Cornerstone were perhaps the easiest to rank because they can be directly compared. McAllister started coming into his own as Cornerstone's career was winding down and ultimately outperformed the latter. Rather than coming into a dynasty, McAllister instead led two underdog teams in Seattle and Davos to glory, and his importance to franchises in both the regular season and the playoffs might well be unparalleled.

 

2. Thomas O'Malley (S40-S47) @Green

381 goals (17^th), 913 points (4^th), 1.59 points-per-game (T-7^th)

Campbell x3, Slobodzian x4, Kanou x1, Szatkowski x4, Brooks x2, Beketov x1

4 Continental Cups (COL, HSK x2, NYA)
 

Prior to the emergence of Cornerstone and then McAllister, O'Malley's place as the undisputed best thing bar Campbell was pretty secure. It's taken a slight hit now, but O'Malley continues to edge out his younger rivals largely by virtue of superior stats and getting to that elusive 900-point mark. This is not to undervalue his influence on his generation – during his peak, O'Malley was unrivalled and the dominant force in the league, almost a guarantee of a championship, as evidence by six straight finals appearances to end his career. To some, that, given the context of players not being able to come onto a level playing field, would definitely be enough to push him into top spot.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

1. Scotty Campbell (S1-S8) @scotty

600 goals (1^st), 639 assists (1^st), 1,239 points (1^st), 2.15 points-per-game (1^st)

MVP x3, playoff MVP x2, top scorer x5, top goal-scorer x4, most assists x2

4 Continental Cups (VIK, SEA x2, HSK)

 

However, to me it would still take something even more special to knock the legendary Scotty Campbell off his perch. It's a good sign that there is a debate to be had, meaning that Campbell's status is not unattainable, but the facts and figures above almost speak for themselves. There were many benefits that Campbell had available which simply never will be again – everyone starting from scratch at the same time, him being most familiar with the sim engine, and having access to a, at the time, rare guaranteed max TPE – but this was used to full effect and Campbell remains undoubtedly the one to beat.

 

Link to Hall of Fame article

 

Honourable mentions:

To be completely honest, there are too many to mention. If we go down the stats route, notable omissions are Christian Stolzschweiger and Kevin Brooks, who are punished largely due to playing in the higher-scoring first decade, despite hitting 900+ points. Also high up the scoring charts is Mikka Virkkunen, an 881-point sniper around the end of the second decade, whose award case pales in comparison these days. However, this is far from a complete list.

 

Another honourable mention also has to go out to Brett Slobodzian, the VHL's biggest 'what if' story, as already mentioned in a playoff context, but especially so in the regular season, where for three seasons he outpaced Scotty Campbell but was retired by the end of S5.

[Spade18 1,302]

I cant wait until I actually make a player good enough to be featured in a Victor article.

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

50 minutes ago, Spade18 said:

I cant wait until I actually make a player good enough to be featured in a Victor article.

ive been trying for 65 seasons.

 

inb4 victor makes a top 10 scrub member list

[Victor 10,536]

2 minutes ago, TheLastOlympian07 said:

ive been trying for 65 seasons.

  

inb4 victor makes a top 10 scrub member list

You'll always be top of that one.  

[BOOM 8,408]

Thanks for the mention Victor. Great article all-round. 

[Beketov 8,642]

1 hour ago, Victor said:

You'll always be top of that one.  

Idk, Robert Sharpe exists.

 

Pretty sure it’s also the only one I’d ever be featured in.

[Dil 1,744]

8 hours ago, Victor said:

@boubabi

Affective ping

[Molholt 2,183]

The first legitimately decent tag I've received on the VHL in about a calendar year. 

 

I liked Max because it felt like he was on the forefront of cracking those all-time lists that felt unattainable for a long time, as you can even see from the rest of the "stats" players before, and then came Max, Unassisted, McAllister and got within spitting distance of some of those top numbers. No one will ever break the top marks for those career numbers without a seismic shift in the VHL, but it was fun to make a run at the top 5. 

[Victor 10,536]

Week 2 of 4

[Victor 10,536]

Week 3 of 4

[Victor 10,536]

Week 4 of 4

[JardyB10 4,834]

You read it here folks, Jardy Bunclewirth is inarguably one of the Top 15 forwards of all time!

[Gustav 6,100]

7 minutes ago, JardyB10 said:

You read it here folks, Jardy Bunclewirth is inarguably one of the Top 15 forwards of all time!

I'm fairly new here, and I never knew you, but...

 

Did @JardyB10 just return and nobody noticed?

[Matt_O 896]

5 minutes ago, GustavMattias said:

I'm fairly new here, and I never knew you, but...

 

Did @JardyB10 just return and nobody noticed?

I noticed but I didn't want to say anything. I was scrolling through and saw JardyB10 posted and was like what in jahs name

 

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

Review

Another Victor article to review is always a great time. Enjoyed the read and have nothing to say about it. It was well written and well researched. The time that goes into these articles is amazing. Great stuff.

[Beketov 8,642]

So like, when are Cast and Thompson getting added?

[Victor 10,536]

21 hours ago, Beketov said:

So like, when are Cast and Thompson getting added?

An update article has actually been written and is coming before the end of S70.