A Look at Past and Present Hounds in the WJC

[Gustav 6,406]

This past week, rosters for the World Juniors were unveiled, and I was delighted to see that Hounds players and alumni are present on every roster. Since this is a .com article that will be way longer than a .com article, I won't get too wordy with my intro, so let's get on with it.

 

 

Team Canada (GM: @MexicanCow123)

 

Nate Telker (@Telkster)--Telker signed with the Hounds last season as one of three final signings we made just a day or two before the trade deadline. While he wasn't impressive on the stat sheet with the Hounds (just 6 assists and no goals in 32 games), his build has greatly solidified since then, and with his passing rating of 75, good defensive attributes, and the fact that he's managed over a point per game this season, figures to be a star for Canada. He'll be quite valuable build-wise if utilized correctly.

 

Brock Louth (@Beaviss)--While on paper, Louth was the second-overall draft choice, he was really the first player off the board, as his draft stock took a hit as a result of a meme trade between the Hounds and Mexico City. Like any other player Beaviss has created, Louth looks like a future star and a future franchise player for Vancouver (and as the GM player, he'd better be). Between Telker and Louth, Canada seems to have lucked out big-time in terms of builds, as Louth brings a defense rating of 80, as well as a scoring rating of 75 and a solid build otherwise, to the table. Look for Louth to be a huge factor in Canada's offensive gameplan and a dominant force on the power play.

 

 

Team USA (GM: @Berocka)

 

Aamon Grim (@aCrypticPancake)--Grim, a part of the original Hounds squad (and, in fact, a former teammate of his current GM, and my current AGM, Berocka), is an SBA guy by trade, but that hasn't stopped him from creating a solid hockey player as well. Starting out with the Hounds, he played 12 games at the end of S66 and was there for our (short) playoff run against Ottawa, putting up marginal but respectable numbers, rookie status considered. Since then, he's become quite the formidable VHLM player, and with defense at 80, scoring at 75, and puck handling at 76, he's a monster on both ends of the ice, with the ability to shut down plays as well as make them. He'll likely be at or near the top of the lineup, and there he should be, as here we see a legitimate competitor for Louth.

 

Finnegan MacBurn (@DizzyWithLogic)--MacBurn is one of the newest Hounds, having made his way in the league after being stolen 62nd overall in the dispersal draft by Ottawa last season. I gave up two draft picks, one being a first-rounder, to get him, and I couldn't be happier with the choice--right away, he's fit into the lineup very well, and presents a legitimate two-way threat with defense and passing both at 80. He'll be a wonderful linemate for Grim, being a pure passer, and with their combined defensive abilities, Team USA's penalty kill figures to be dominant. 

 

Jaxon Walker (@hewasajazzman)--Walker joined the Hounds last season (you know, the season we sucked), as a fifth-round draft choice, and I ended up shipping him off later in the season at the deadline for a second-round pick. While, with the Hounds, Walker's numbers weren't great--with Mississauga and Minnesota combined, he only put up 30 points--he's since developed into a defensive coach's dream, with some of the best defensive attributes of any VHLM forward. With defense and puck handling at 75, skating at 70, and strength at 65, he'll be near-impossible to knock off the puck, and his offensive attributes aren't too shabby either--he's over a point per game this season with the Storm.

 

 

Team Europe (GM: @Elmebeck)

 

Balentine Kidd (@TukTukTheGreat)--I'll never figure out how Kidd, an almost-capped, active center, fell to the end of the first round, but I'll take him. He's already broken the point-per-game mark for the rest of the season, even if he mysteriously disappears in the back alleys of Halifax one night and doesn't play another game. While helped out by Jerry Wang (see below), there's no doubt in my mind that Kidd would be a premier player anywhere, WJC included--his strengths include 75s for scoring and defense, making him a force to be reckoned with in either zone.

 

 

Team Asia (GM: @Greg_Di)

 

Jerry Wang (@ColeMrtz)--Wang has been the unfortunate one to trail Kidd in points by just a few all season long, and for this he gets far less credit than he deserves. He's also exceeded point-per-game status for the season already, and his capped build is nothing to shake a stick at--his 80s for scoring and skating have propelled him to almost goal-per-game status so far, and if he can score game-winners like he does with the Hounds (9 of them so far), Asia will be propelled to an upset or two.

 

Keven Foreskin (@Esso2264)--Now, Foreskin never played a game for the Hounds, as I yeeted traded him for a couple draft picks before last season started. He was our second-round choice, though, and part of the team, if only for a bit. Foreskin is one of the tournament's top defensemen, and you can't get much better--at 337 TPE, he's just under the cap, and his 85 defense and 80 passing and puck handling are there as hard evidence of Esso's good build work. So, even if Asia is forced to play defensively (and, with their strong team, they shouldn't be), they'll be very strong in that regard as well.

 

Jacob Perry (@Liberty_Cabbage)--Perry was an early waiver signing last season and managed to stay with the team the whole way, even surviving the mass exodus of almost every active player on the team. With 32 points and a -41 in his first season, Perry wasn't much to look at on the offensive side of the puck, but managed to take the Hounds' single-season hits record and is working on a strong season in Philadelphia. He recently capped, too, and a defense rating of 80 will make him a tough matchup and a deadly combination with Foreskin, Palazzo, and company on the penalty kill.

 

Lukas Schweitzer (@GlowyGoat)--Though Schweitzer, recently retired, never got anywhere earning-wise or points-wise, I can't say enough about @GlowyGoat as a wonderful, crazy-loyal person and a great locker room guy. Schweitzer was my goalie until just recently, but due to retirement I cut him for the sake of roster space. Though he's only at 60-some TPE, he's got a solid base build, and can always step in to clean up if starter Clayton Park isn't doing well.

 

 

Team World (GM: @Motzaburger)

 

Khalabib Stiopic (@SweetMike666)--Stiopic is a bit of an infamous name in Mississauga. After I drafted him with the last pick in the 7th round in S66, he earned 2 TPE and then went inactive until the trade deadline, when I threw him in as a "meaningless" addition to a trade for a higher-TPE defenseman. Since then, he's taken off, and currently sits at 200 TPA in Houston, under the member who initially recruited him in Frostbeard. While his stat line isn't the most impressive, his build is formidable, and with 80 defense and 77 scoring, he'll help World greatly on both ends of the ice.

 

Block Buster (@Banana2311)--Buster was yet another waiver signing made last season, and did surprisingly well considering the circumstances--Buster's save percentage with the Hounds is only 5 points back of rising VHL star Rayz Funk, and the Hounds were much worse as a team in S67 than in S66. While Buster is the second netminder on World's roster, this placement is only on paper, as #1 goalie Virgil Ligriv sits at 200 TPA, a mark which Buster should match in good time. There's certainly a case to be made for giving Buster some starts, too--all of the Yukon goalie's primary attributes are over 70, and with upgrades to skating and agility, there's nothing stopping Buster from blocking quite a few.

[GlowyGoat 80]

5 minutes ago, GustavMattias said:

Lukas Schweitzer (@GlowyGoat)--Though Schweitzer, recently retired, never got anywhere earning-wise or points-wise, I can't say enough about @GlowyGoat as a wonderful, crazy-loyal person and a great locker room guy. Schweitzer was my goalie until just recently, but due to retirement I cut him for the sake of roster space. Though he's only at 60-some TPE, he's got a solid base build, and can always step in to clean up if starter Clayton Park isn't doing well.

shut up nerd

[Berocka 2,263]

8 minutes ago, GustavMattias said:

Team USA (GM: @Berocka)

 

Wow such nice things said about me thanks @GustavMattias

[Matt_O 897]

FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY

[MexicanCow123 914]

Great read. I do love my Hound players! 

[Elmebeck 378]

Great write up, out of reactions ATM but I'll be back with some fire.