Complimenting the Big Four

[VanCanWin 180]

     Last week I wrote an article bringing attention to a phenomenal young group of defence for New York. This week I asses the remainder of the roster and shed light on exactly how bright New York’s future is.

 

     I will dive deep into each of the forwards who matter today and most importantly, for the future.  While there are some other vets and league minimum youngsters, it’s this group of seven forwards who best represent the future. 

 

The Forwards

 

Boris the Forest @chillzone

15G 17A 32P 162S 9H 20SB

 

     Boris the Forest was drafted in the Season Sixty-Seven draft at tenth overall as a center. Boris quickly became the future for New York up front as they had thinner themselves out quite a bit and were beginning their rebuild. Boris is an offensive wizard who also plays very responsible hockey in his own end. Already, Boris has a lethal shot and a very good defensive mind although the rest of his game still needs to catch up some.

 

     Boris is playing this season as the clubs number one center and is doing everything he can to justify it. Scoring at nearly a point per game for New York, Boris is their number one offensive weapon. He gets plenty of offensive ice time resulting in a total of one hundred and sixty-two shots already.  

 

     Boris will continue his development on his other attributes as he continues to form into a top center in the VHL. New York is counting on his development being key to getting the forward ranks up to par with the skill and potential of the defence. Boris is by far the most promising piece up front that New York has.

 

Alexander Rodriguez / Nethila Dissanayake @Jtv123 @nethi99

26G 43A 79P 215S 186H 17SB Combined Stats

 

     Alexander Rodriguez and Nethila Dissanayake are two Season Sixty-Six players for New York who have taken on a more leadership type of role with this young club. The two players are welfare players but dedicated nonetheless and now sit each close to the five hundred TPE mark making them New York’s top two wingers by skill and experience. 

 

     The two have combined for a lot of scoring this season, each scoring over a point per game. Alex and Nethila also bring a lot of grit to the Americans as they have combined to lay down one hundred and eighty-six hits just thirty-five games into the season.

 

     Alexander and Nethila both are playing pivotal roles for New York even though they may never reach superstar status that Boris the Forest brings to the club. One thing to count on though is their dependability and that may be enough to help bring New York back to contention.  Both players are signed to just one year contracts though I’m not sure they would rather play anywhere else than where they currently are. 

 

Dalton Wilcox @Dalton Wilcox

17G 17A 34P 161S 33H 10SB

 

     Dalton was drafted by Malmo twenty-eighth overall in the Season Sixty-Seven draft. Dalton was lost in the depth on Malmo and because of this Malmo included him in a trade with New York that saw Malmo snag Ryan Sullivan Jr.  There was room on a rebuilding team like New York which presented a golden opportunity for Dalton to take the next step in his promising career.

 

     Since coming over in the trade, Dalton has shot out of the gate for New York scoring at nearly a point per game in his first season here.  He’s firing a multitude of shots - one hundred and sixty-one already while doing all the little things to help his teammates win games. Probably a simple case of extra playing time is helping him score so many points but nothing should be taken away from him and his production to date.

 

     Dalton should continue to get plenty of ice time and opportunity this year and we’ll see if his production can keep up like it has the first half of the year.  Dalton may not have the obvious ceiling that Boris the Forest has but with dedication and hard work can still turn into a very solid complementary piece to this outstanding group of youngsters playing in the Big Apple.

 

Frans Eller / Michael Sage / Owen Nolan @studentized @AcousticKazoo @Ace

 

     With Boris the Forest and Dalton Wilcox leading the rebirth at the forward positions and Rodiguez and Dissanayake being solid veterans on this team, the future of the forward ranks depends very much on this trio of youngsters.  Frans Eller, Michael Sage, and Owen Nolan are three Season Sixty-Eight draftees that are growing together as they acclimate to life in the VHL. Already all hovering around the three hundred TPE threshold, if these three can continue to put in the hard work and grow their talent, the future of New York’s forwards is very bright. Should this trio falter though, New York doesn’t have anyone else. 

 

     The three rookies have had varying levels of success so far this season in diminished roles.  They have been providing solid depth for an inexperienced New York squad and should continue to grow being the bigger four in front of them. There is definite opportunity for these three to gain ice time and move up the lineup should they continue to earn TPE at solid rates. Together, the three represent the difference between a powerhouse future for New York and a New York that has too many holes to really contend. 

 

 

The Goalie 

 

A Red Guy @.sniffuM

8W 13L 4OTL 0.894SV% 3.19GAA

 

     A Red Guy has jumped onto the scene being drafted eighth overall in Season Sixty-Eight. New York already had a young goaltender in Thorvald Gunnarson but the potential in A Red Guy intrigued them so much that they used a first round pick on him. The decision really can’t be argued as he has jumped straight into the number one role passing Gunnarson on the teams depth chart within the first half season of his career. It’s safe to say, the future in goal for New York is A Red Guy and him alone.

 

     A Red Guy, though full of potential, is still generally raw and his stats show just this. Don’t let that fool you on his talent and his potential though. By the time his teammates develop into contenders, A Red Guy will be contending for being the leagues top goaltender. There should be no concerns here.

 

     That wraps the in-depth look into New York’s future. The defence and goaltending are locks to be a phenomenal group but though the forwards are less of a sure thing, with proper development, expect New York to be a powerhouse within a few seasons. 

 

On behalf of VSN News and all the great staff there, my name is Trevor Van Lagen and I’m signing off until next week.

[ThePerfectNut 563]

Funny thing about this is that Aleksander Rodriguez is going to become a Center once I put them tpe in FO stats. Tired to see that we are the second option of Boris even tho we are playing a lot better alone.

[ThePerfectNut 563]

Green article tho. Me, Gunnarson and Nethilla Dissanayake are ready to open some people eyes. Motivationnnn

[AcousticKazoo 73]

Awesome article! One minor thing, though....it's MICHA Sage. lol. Great read, though! I appreciate the shout.