VHL Top 25 Players, Part II: 25-21

[McWolf 3,111]

VHL Top 25 Players

Part II: 25-21

 

Welcome back to Victory Sports News’ ranking of the VHL Top 25 Players. The first part may have left some of you wanting more, as we merely brushed our subject, only presenting you readers with four honourable mentions. Four players that barely missed the list. Today, however, we are jumping straight into said list, starting with the bottom five: players ranked from 25th to 21st.

 

25. Tyler Barabash Jr

 

As a Season 66 prospect, Tyler Barabash Jr just got out of his rookie deal and hit free agency but, since he is the Calgary Wranglers’ GM player, he is expected to sign with the same team with which he spent the first three seasons of his career. He settled as a depth player for a while but had a breakout last season, when he had career highs in literally every statistic. His 31 goals and 77 points ranked first among Wranglers skaters, while his 153 hits placed him behind only Sebastian Ironside for the lead among Wranglers forwards. It’s still unclear what Calgary’s plan is, moving forward, but one thing is clear, Tyler Barabash Jr will come back to the team and odds are he will be their best forward throughout the season, now that Ironside has retired. Another season where he scores north of 30 goals and 70 points shouldn’t be out of the question unless the team’s GM has a plan that doesn’t involve the Canadian centre.

McWolf

 

24. Diljodh Starload

 

It’s always tough to assess the value of players changing position mid-season. Such is the case with Vancouver Wolves recently-acquired forward turned defenseman, Diljodh Starload. The former right-winger had an honest career, before switching position, scoring between 27 and 32 goals in his three full seasons, but only passed the 70-point mark once, in Season 66. Now, Starload has just started regressing, but he looks like he’s in a good place as the Wolves’ top defenseman. If we’re only talking TPA, he’s actually the league’s best defenseman, though we all know that, sometimes, more TPA doesn’t necessarily equate to a stronger impact in the sim. Still, we feel like the polarizing defenseman has the skills to fight for every defenseman award this season, the Sterling Labatte Trophy, the Alexander Valiq Trophy and, to some extent, the Jake Wylde, though the latter often depends on the team situation more than the player himself. He should dangle with the point-per-game mark and he possesses a deadly shot that could help him add his name to the shortlist of modern defensemen that scored 30 goals in a season, though all of this remains unsure, as we have yet to witness the extent of Starload's impact as a blueliner.

McWolf

 

23. Jet Jaguar

 

A true steal at 10th overall for Moscow Menace, Jet Jaguar has been showing why he can be a number one centre for any team in VHL. Even though last season for Jaguar and his team was a bit of a letdown considering they were not able to make the playoffs, he was still able to get 20 goals and 40 assists. He is already developed amazing skills at taking faceoffs and will only be improving for seasons to come. His elite shot and leadership ability show why he is not only the future of Moscow but also the present leader and player that everyone can rally around. I would not expect his young age to be an issue as he will be only improving but that being said, as the talent on his team develops all around him, we could see his production be lower than expected, so for right now, we are putting him at 23. This might very well change because with improved defensive game Jet Jaguar could become one of the best two-way players in the league and even more, with his hybrid production we are looking at someone who could become the best centre of his generation.

FrostBeard

 

22. Joel Ylonen

 

A veteran presence on a young and talented team, Joel Ylonen is a team-first star. Joel has never been a scorer at the VHL level as witnessed by him only having reached the 20 goal plateau once in his five-year career.  Though he doesn’t bury the puck often, Ylonen has many skills that warrant his position on this list. Last season, he reached a career-high with fifty assists which really showcases his biggest asset - his passing.  Elite level passing, accompanied by very strong faceoff skills (58.32% last season) and the defensive acumen that most don’t have, Ylonen fits every description as a team-first, highly-skilled, veteran centre that every team would love to have.  Don’t expect Joel’s numbers to slip this coming season as he looks to eclipse a point per game pace for the entire 72 game schedule. This will be the year he is able to get over that hump and solidify his status as a star player and warrant his place on this list as the 22nd best player in the VHL.

VanCanWin

 

21. Julius Freeman

 

Julius Freeman has had back to back 30-goal, 35-assist campaigns, and there is no reason to expect a drop-off. Vancouver is looking to showcase a top line of Freeman, Hunter Hearst Helmsley and either newly turned forward Denver Wolfe or young up and comer in Michael Gary Scott. Freeman is a very low tier F2, and a high tier F3 to employ into your fantasy lineups. His player could be argued to be a high floor, low ceiling kind of guy, but we here at VSN believe he can take another step and reach the 80 point marker this upcoming season. The only aspect of his game that is lacking is his skating, and even then it is not a huge concern. A 35-goal, 45-assist season for Freeman would be a reasonable expectation to have for this upcoming season, which is why he is ranked at 21.

Matt_O

 

That's five off the list. In the next part, we'll get warmer as we hit the top 20. Let us know-nothing experts what you thought about the placement of these five and try to predict who the next five could be in the comments below.

 

Players mentioned: @Bushito, @DollarAndADream, @DilIsPickle, @gorlab, @Esso2264, @rjfryman, @Beaviss, @iRockstar, @Motzaburger

 

VSN Writer McWolf

Edited November 10, 2019 by McWolf

[zepheter 584]

Sveetness.

[Victor 10,522]

You guys really waited for Cast to retire to make this list.

[McWolf 3,111]

5 hours ago, Victor said:

You guys really waited for Cast to retire to make this list.

just to spite you

Edited November 10, 2019 by McWolf

[Beketov 8,638]

22 minutes ago, Victor said:

You guys really waited for Cast to retire to make this list.

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Best two players of the last decade retire: time to make the top player list. Clearly rigged against us.

[FrostBeard 1,973]

5 minutes ago, Beketov said:

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Best two players of the last decade retire: time to make the top player list. Clearly rigged against us.

You gotta hope that in 2 seasons your new guy will be featured on this Top 25 list! 

[Beketov 8,638]

2 hours ago, FrostBeard said:

You gotta hope that in 2 seasons your new guy will be featured on this Top 25 list! 

Doubtful, I’ve had one beast out of 10 so odds are another dud.

[rjfryman 1,120]

On 11/9/2019 at 7:36 PM, McWolf said:

Julius Freeman has had back to back 30-goal, 35-assist campaigns, and there is no reason to expect a drop-off. Vancouver is looking to showcase a top line of Freeman, Hunter Hearst Helmsley and either newly turned forward Denver Wolfe or young up and comer in Michael Gary Scott. Freeman is a very low tier F2, and a high tier F3 to employ into your fantasy lineups. His player could be argued to be a high floor, low ceiling kind of guy, but we here at VSN believe he can take another step and reach the 80 point marker this upcoming season. The only aspect of his game that is lacking is his skating, and even then it is not a huge concern. A 35-goal, 45-assist season for Freeman would be a reasonable expectation to have for this upcoming season, which is why he is ranked at 21.

 

Very good analysis and as much as I want to toot my own horn about how this season is going to be different, which I think it will be I personally think it all depends on the chemistry he gets with what ever Center they put with him. Julius has near the top of the goals leaderboard last season until the trade happened. Who knows what kind of goals he would have gotten if his line-mate wasn't traded but I think this season with a clear line-mate for the entire season, he should be much more constant point per game player.  

[fonziGG 1,065]

i didn't make it did i

[Acydburn 1,555]

20 hours ago, fonziGG said:

i didn't make it did i

There is still like 15 to 1

[fonziGG 1,065]

2 hours ago, Acydburn said:

There is still like 15 to 1

Nah there are some very good players in the league and in regards to goalies, it's undeniable that there are some better goalies out there at the moment!