Writing About My Team

Advantage · August 4, 2019

So I was thinking about what to write and I felt I should give a shout out to my awesome team who have been so thrilled to be members of the Malmo Nighthawks. How am I going to do this? Well, I will write an article on every member of my team and talk a bit about the player and the member themselves.

So far it has been a fantastic experience being a General Manager for the Malmo Nighthawks and I couldn’t ask for a better team supporting me. We have come a long way in such a short little time and I’m thrilled to see where we end up in the end. Now, let me introduce you to my team:

D - Basaraba Moose – The first team captain we ever had and a solid two-way defender that came to Malmo in a trade shortly after the Expansion Draft. Moose, who definitely fits the bill as a defender that can play in any situation, has had a solid impact on the green and black thus far during his career. Moose has recorded 73 points in 117 career VHL games (the first two seasons of his VHL career) and he has also recorded 183 hits and 266 blocked shots over that time. More importantly, Moose was one of our most enthusiastic members when first joining the team, and while he has become far busier and sadly not around as much, he will always hold a special place in the heart of Malmo’s fans.

LW - Blake Gaudette – Blake was not one of my Expansion picks but he has been a member of our franchise since the Inaugural season. Just like Moose, Gaudette came over in a trade from another European team in the Davos Dynamo. Gaudette had some controversial moments over on that team but has rounded out nicely for Malmo as both a member and player. With over 300 TPE as a S66 player, Gaudette looks to be a figure for the future with the Nighthawks and given that he is one of the more active members in our discord, he has been an important piece for us. With 38 points in 45 games, Gaudette is having an excellent year and should figure into the Rookie of the Year voting.

RW – Brian Strong – Wheaties is a member I have been familiar with since the Elite Football League, as he was my GM for a number of seasons there. He was selected by me in the Expansion Draft as the player that we took from the Wranglers, and has quietly become a solid young player for our team. With 300 TPE as a Season 65, Strong won’t blow you away but with a well-rounded power forward build, he will be an excellent accessory piece going forward. Additionally, he has always been a loyal member and someone that is an excellent teammate through and through. So far in his rookie season, Strong has recorded 11 points in 45 games playing third line minutes for the Nighthawks.

RW – Jack Lynch – Our selection in the Expansion Draft from the Davos Dynamo, Jack Lynch has quickly developed into one of the leaders of our team. With almost 500 TPE as a Season 65 player, Lynch has found a place as one of the best players on our VHL team. Starting out as a more defensive player, Lynch has developed quickly into a well-rounded talent that is a consistent offensive threat. After a 63 point rookie season, Lynch is coming close to a point per game total in his sophomore season. With 106 points in 117 career games with Malmo, Jack Lynch is only getting better and will be a long-time fixture for the team into the future as a potential top line player.

D – Jerry Garcia – One of the star young talents on our team, Jerry Garcia was our first Dispersal Draft selection in Season 66. As a stingy defensive defenseman with a talent for separating others from the puck, Garcia is improving his offense during his sophomore season. After a 31 point rookie campaign, that saw the defender record 119 hits and 145 blocked shots, Garcia has improved to be a 23 point player in 45 games, while recording 88 hits and 107 blocked shots. He seems destined to likely pass his rookie numbers and if he keeps it up, he could find himself in the discussion for some hardware soon enough.

RW – Matthew Materazo – As our best offensive player, Materazo has come some way from being the Americans cast out come Expansion Draft. After a 33 point and 58 point campaign in his first two seasons, Materazo has had an incredible breakout year with 51 points in 45 games as the leading scorer of the Malmo Nighthawks. Matt, like Jerry, has grown into being one of our biggest leaders on our team. At one point he was the Assistant GM and has been one of our letter holders since he came onto the team in Season 66. Ultimately, I feel strongly in Materazo’s career and he seems to only be getting better. He recently signed an extension all the way through Season 70, and I couldn’t be happier to be committing long-term to Materazo.

C - Mikka Pajari – Devise has our veteran player and while Pajari is probably not the star I expected him to become when I traded for him prior to Season 66, it is hard to argue with the presence he has become on what is generally a very young Nighthawks squad. Since joining the Nighthawks, Pajari has recorded a respectable 92 points in 117 games and has been a consistent physical threat with 493 hits over that span. While it’s unlikely that he continues to become a top line center, Pajari does project to be a solid veteran player as he enters his last couple seasons on what will be a much improved team going forward.

D – Morpheus Destructious – MORPHEUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS……..listen…..this man was the 57^th overall pick in the Season 66 draft……..how crazy is that?!!! He was an excellent steal as a pure defensive defender who throws massive body checks and entertains with his infectious personality. Destructious has played a fairly solid role on the team as a second pairing defender, recording 8 points in 45 games with 144 hits and 90 blocked shots. The question will become, can he take his game to the next level and ever evolve further than what he has become? I’m confident that if he keeps updating, he will achieve those goals.

C – Phil Marleau – Our third overall pick in S67 has continued his growth into a top center and he will likely continue that development going forward. With 32 points and 218 hits in 45 games, Marleau has had a good rookie season and should be a fixture in the Rookie of the Year voting at the end of the season. Phil has always been a tremendous member and nothing has changed now that he is a member of the Malmo Nighthawks. He projects as our future top line center and it wouldn’t surprise me if he takes that role on next season.

D – Rusty Shackleford – Mr. Shackleford was my second round pick back in Season 66 and despite deciding to stay down for a second VHLM season, he has become one of our best players as the partner of Jerry Garcia on our top pairing. Shackleford’s offense has been developing, but he still projects best as a great skater who plays stingy defense and throws his weight around, not unlike Garcia. With a solid rookie campaign a little over half way complete, Shackleford sees himself with 29 points, 105 hits and 99 blocked shots in 45 games, which puts him on a solid place overall. On top of that, the member is consistently active and he is someone that I trust with some of my decisions when I am contemplating a move. Shackleford is someone I want to lock up long-term and I am thrilled to have him on the team now and going forward.

C – Teagan Glover – Teagan Glover was our top forward last year, recording 71 points in 72 games during his rookie season. He was the Riga pick during the Expansion Draft and has blossomed into a solid forward. Unfortunately due to the minute restraints of having three lines, Glover has only recorded 18 points in 45 games. With that being said, the team has made it clear they want to improve his minutes and give him a better shot going forward, one that he deserves and has proven to do a lot with in the past. The member itself is quiet generally but consistent and has embraced being a part of the Malmo Nighthawks thus far in his career.

C – Trevor Van Lagen – One of our third round picks in Season 67 was an absolute steal and that player is Trevor Van Lagen. Taking on a role as mainly a penalty killer and third liner, Van Lagen has put up respectable numbers despite these difficult time restraints. Recording 17 points in 45 games, Van Lagen’s consistent improvement will result in more minutes going forward and a certainly increased role, especially with the likes of Pajari getting older and closer to retirement.

G – Michael Johnson – As for our top goaltender, Michael Johnson is the guy we are counting on to be our franchise goaltender going forward. It hasn’t been the easiest year for Johnson, who has been stuck playing behind a younger team, but he has still had some pretty incredible moments on route to a 18-22-5 record, .907 save percentage and 3.46 GAA. While it remains unclear if he can hang with the top goaltender in his class, Rayz Funk, Johnson has embraced being a Nighthawk unlike his competitor ever would have, and has been very outspoken about his love for the franchise. I couldn’t be more proud to have this guy as a member of our team and I expect some great things going forward from him.

Edited August 4, 2019 by Advantage