From the Minors to the Meat Grinder: A rookie’s look into the VHL’s European Conference.

[Brrbisbrr 207]

 

 

                                                                 

 

 

 

 

Shawn Glade shocked the VHL world on draft night when he took Samuel Ross 10th overall.  Samuel was the second goalie drafted overall and also one of the newest rookies signed by the Ottawa Lynx.  Ottawa, the founder’s cup champion, had both of their goalies drafted in the first round as Raymond Bernard followed closely behind Ross.  Davos already had a strong core roster, which made taking a backup goaltender an easier decision.  Ross had heard lots of talk about the European Conference being strong, but no amount of talk could prepare him for this.

 

Ross started the season on the bench as Davos looked to start out of the gates strong.  They did just that but for a surprising reason, their defense.  As of today, they still lead the league in goals against.  Finn Davison, who has a good chance of being the greatest goaltender in Davos history, currently leads the league in shutouts and is top 3 in most goaltending categories.  This leaves Samuel Ross in a tough position.  How does the rookie handle it?  “I knew going into this season I would be a backup.  I wasn’t expecting a lot of starts.  It’s fine with me, I can sit back and learn about this league, what works, what doesn’t, and all the ins and outs of being up here with the big boys.”

 

So far, Ross is doing a pretty good job hanging in there.  He is 2-1-3 with an .887 save percentage.  Ross also registered his first shutout against DC.  This came after a career high 42 saves in a loss to Prague, where his old team mate Zeno Miniti had a goal and an assist against him.  The 2 performances were a case study for life in the VHL.  “It’s strange, because I thought I played pretty well against Prague, especially after not a lot of practice.  This Conference and league is crazy, I mean I have one bad game but everything else if I make 1 save in those games we are up there in the division.”  Ross is correct with that statement.

 

That is kind of how life is for a rookie in this league.  If Ross makes a few saves, Davos is top of the class.  If Davos is in another conference, they wouldn’t be fighting for a playoff spot.  Even with all of that working against them, Davos is in the middle of the playoff hunt early in the season.  Right now, they are in control of the last seed, thanks to some awesome defense, great goaltending from Finn Davison and clutch offense from Jake Davis.

 

Of course, this article wouldn’t be complete without one last statement from Samuel Ross.  On how he feels about his status with Davos, “It’s a pretty good place to be.  Things are a little expensive, but the town is nice.  I’m getting adjusted to my teammates and we just made a big trade to push us farther up the standings.  A lot of these guys have been in the league for a while and know what they’re doing so I just try to soak up as much as I can.  It’s also nice to know these guys are on top of the Pop Tarts game.”
 

Edited October 3, 2019 by Brrbisbrr