Admin Victor 10,940 Posted July 29, 2019 Admin Share Posted July 29, 2019 Defence is an odd position in the VHL. Historically undermanned and underappreciated, and for a long time represented by just one award, the Sterling Labatte Trophy, it's a position which has often been dominated by one or two defencemen. Just a quick look through past Labatte winners, starting with Labatte himself, and we see multiple 3- or 4-time winners such as Tomas Jenskovic, Daniel Braxton, and of course 5-time winner Conner Low. Even as recently as the 50s, there were only a handful of defencemen in the conversation for the best in the league – Fabio Jokinen, Ay Ay Ron, and Mats Johnsson – fittingly the defencemen most recently inducted into the Hall of Fame (or likely soon to be, in AAR's case). Now though, with more awards than ever, but also probably more elite defencemen than ever, tracking down the best defenceman in the league is quite difficult. Since the Labatte Trophy was reinstated in S63, giving defencemen 3 trophies to compete for, the 12 awards up for grabs have been spread between 8 players. So, who are the contenders to be the best of this generation? Let's have a look. Maxim Kovalchuk At the moment the only active defenceman with a clear route to the Hall of Fame – just don't fall off the pace. Kovalchuk definitely benefited from the high-scoring S62, announcing himself to the league with 117 points and a Valiq Trophy in his rookie season. To his credit, he didn't rest on his laurels and added more to his game, as evidenced by two Wylde Trophies and a Labatte since. His first season in Calgary was low on individual accolades, but statistically still a very healthy performance – above point-per-game and over 200 hits. The slow start made by the Wranglers in S67 is a concern but shouldn't discredit Kovalchuk's credentials unless it becomes a long-term problem; for the time being he is the gold standard on the blue line. Ryan Kastelic Although without an individual award to his name, Kastelic has quietly put up very consistent numbers through his 4 and a bit season so far. Not a massive physical presence before S67, a statement season is needed for the runaway leader in TPE among defencemen and it would be a shame if Kastelic was dragged down by the bizarre gradual decline which has affected Riga for a few seasons now. Defencemen like Kastelic have been known to make the leap into the Hall of Fame with one or two exceptional seasons prior to retirement – the likes of David Walcott and Matt Bentley come to mind. Joseph McWolf A natural talent at the start of his career, McWolf burst onto the scene on a young New York team and was crowned Labatte Trophy winner in his sophomore year in S64. After that things flatlined however, both for the Americans rebuild and McWolf personally and the move to Riga as part of New York's firesale might be the boost the hard-hitting Brit needs. On paper, McWolf and Kastelic is the best pairing in the league, but both need to take the next step in the second half of their careers if they are to overthrow Kovalchuk and fight off younger rivals. Tzuyu Knowing his limitations in terms of work ethic, Tzuyu has unashamedly focused all his time on becoming the most dangerous offensive defenceman on VHL blue lines. It worked at its best when he won the Valiq in S65 and as the constant presence on a Toronto team exceeding expectations for five seasons now, Tzuyu certainly has carved a nice niche for himself in the league. Will it be enough to be considered the best in an era with lots of well-rounded rivals? Probably not, but a big offensive season or two between now and retirement will make Tzuyu hard to overlook in the HOF conversation. Robert Malenko Before Tzuyu, the playmaking defenceman niche was filled by Malenko and he remains the biggest challenger statistically to teammate Kovalchuk (the two previously combined to great effect in Seattle). There has however been a gradual decline since the 106-point season in S64 and the championship in S65 and with a more lax attitude to training, it's unlikely Malenko will end his career on a high and will probably go down as a solid but unspectacular defenceman. Other candidates Last season saw two unlikely award winners. Malmo rookie Basaraba Moose shared the Wylde Trophy with Samuel Gate, a player who finally hit his pre-draft potential and subsequently retired, while relative Titans veteran Dan Montgomery claimed a Valiq Trophy. The Titans cup-winning team also featured the All-Star pairing of Jesse Wilson and Sidney Crosby. Both players have worked their way to the top of the league and have teased a breakthrough, with a point-per-game pace in S66 for both potentially the boost they need as they enter the second half of their careers. It might not be too late for Shawn Glade, on paper a top 5 defenceman in the league, but certainly we'll be seeing a new wave of challengers soon – the likes of Ryan Sullivan Jr, Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen and even younger S66 and S67 draftees. Baozi and McWolf 2 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Victor 10,940 Posted July 31, 2019 Author Admin Share Posted July 31, 2019 Now that @Banackock has actually self-sabotaged this time, it's all to play for! Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-650634 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banackock 8,044 Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 8 minutes ago, Victor said: Now that @Banackock has actually self-sabotaged this time, it's all to play for! I plan to just be in before Louth! Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-650637 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banackock 8,044 Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 RIP. Final game from the blue line he gets 3 G, 2A 2 GP.. hint, hint other CGY players who are playing similarly mediocre Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-650696 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Victor 10,940 Posted July 31, 2019 Author Admin Share Posted July 31, 2019 8 hours ago, Banackock said: RIP. Final game from the blue line he gets 3 G, 2A 2 GP.. hint, hint other CGY players who are playing similarly mediocre I reckon that’s now Kovalchuk, Smirnov, Forsberg and maybe even Federov who would have got into the HOF if you weren’t GM. Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-650810 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banackock 8,044 Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 4 minutes ago, Victor said: I reckon that’s now Kovalchuk, Smirnov, Forsberg and maybe even Federov who would have got into the HOF if you weren’t GM. Yeah. All 3 have been good. Though, Kovalchuk still has a chance depending on how his forward span goes, no? Especially if he collects some hardware or top 10 stats. The team has always come first. Kovalchuk might be my first player I think ever that may be forced to retire and not done so by choice. I am excited to experience just being a player one day. Rayzor_7 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-650824 Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglesfan036 4,601 Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 Smitty Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-650896 Share on other sites More sharing options...
McWolf 3,115 Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 What could have been. Good run as a dman, @Banackock. It's our time, now, @Enorama. Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-651055 Share on other sites More sharing options...
McWolf 3,115 Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 aaand Kastelic is a C now. what's happening? what have you done, @Victor? Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-651173 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Victor 10,940 Posted August 1, 2019 Author Admin Share Posted August 1, 2019 Just now, McWolf said: aaand Kastelic is a C now. what's happening? what have you done, @Victor? Cleared the path to domination for you Baozi and McWolf 1 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-651174 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire Tortorella 2,653 Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 6 minutes ago, Victor said: Cleared the path to domination for you MY TIME TO SHINE Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-651179 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devise 4,475 Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 18 hours ago, Victor said: Cleared the path to domination for you I mean yeah, I feel like McWolf probably as best well rounded D of generation and Tzuyu as best offensive is like...a lock now due to those position switches. I get that the position switches could of been more, team need, but man...like the D pool just looked like it was getting shored up and now it seems we only have a few names to top it out again for several generations. This probably bodes well for Sully Jr though who has looked lost in the shuffle. Something tells me next season when he may have a chance at leading a squad himself that could change matters. Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-651494 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkstrong 166 Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 No love for Fish smh Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-651599 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnGlade 1,010 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Damn, I think Glade legitimately had a shot as the best two way dman of this generation, but my production tailed off hardcore once i left riga. at least im an honorable mention and maybe still have a shot Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-652000 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarzalGoat 728 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Montgomery actually identifies as a defenseman (with an s) and would prefer to be recognized as an honorable mention in a separate thread. Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-652073 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Victor 10,940 Posted August 5, 2019 Author Admin Share Posted August 5, 2019 2 hours ago, HulkHogan said: Dont wory brother wait a few seasons Agreed, the scene is perfectly set for Pavlov. Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-652203 Share on other sites More sharing options...
InstantRockstar 1,243 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Love you too victor Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-659896 Share on other sites More sharing options...
McWolf 3,115 Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 we need a re-do of this article, after yet another top tier dman switching to forward. Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-663776 Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotAVHLM-GM 1,858 Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 With the S68 the next generation will want an article like this in a few seasons as well Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-663841 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gustav 6,407 Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-663854 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire Tortorella 2,653 Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 SMITTY WERBENJAGERMANJENSEN Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/66810-who-is-the-best-defenceman-of-this-generation/#findComment-663860 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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