An Unsung Hero from each S30-S35 Continental Cup Team

[Corco 1,281]

The VHL's Continental Cup

 

 

Season 30:  Calgary Wranglers 

Unsung Hero: D - Klaus Muller @solas

Klaus Muller certainly wasn't a gamebreaking star; he didn't pull fans to the edge of their seats with electric rushes or bone-crunching hits; that wasn't his style. The German-born defender was the kind of player that you don't notice, the kind of defender who does all of the little things right, making the safe play instead of the high-risk high-reward play. He was finally rewarded for his defensive aplomb and reliability in Season 30, when his Calgary Wranglers won the Continental Cup; he led the team in Blocked Shots (26) while also logging over 30 minutes of TOI in those playoffs.

 

Season 31:  HC Davos Dynamo 

Unsung Hero: D - Emerson Byer @frescoelmo

Outside of Emerson Byer, the blue-line for the Dynamo in S31 was very weak; Kraphf Dringus and Aldo Shcarps were the only other defenders, and opposing forwards definitely licked their chops when matched up against them; they certainly weren't licking their lips when they lined up across from Byer though. The American blueliner was a force in the playoffs for Davos that year, amassing 42 Shots Blocked and 52 Penalty Minutes, both of which led the team.

 

Season 32:  New York Americans 

Unsung Hero: D - Malcom Spud @philthethrill81

Spud the Stud. Malcom led the Americans in blocked shots during the S32 postseason with 40, as well as logging over 30 minutes a game. And while fellow defenseman Radislav Mjers took home the Kanou trophy at the end of the playoffs, Spud was the defensive anchor that allowed Mjers to join the rush and score so many points during New York's run.

 

Season 33:  Riga Reign

Unsung Hero: LW - Josef Heiss Jr. 

Josef Heiss Jr. is a bit of a forgotten name in the VHL now. He was a can't-miss prospect in the early S30's, and was one of the first ever 1st-gen 1st-overall picks. He retired after just 3 seasons in the VHL, but not before helping make his mark on the Riga Reign. He provided Riga with key-depth scoring during their S33 championship run, only behind Elijah Incognito and Michal Wozniak in team postseason goals. Fun fact: Malcolm Spud was also on this team.

 

Season 34:  Helsinki Titans 

Unsung Hero: C - Brody Hodgson @Tylar

Even though he lost out on the Kanou trophy during S34, Brody Hodgson certainly made his presence felt on the rink in the S34 playoffs; the #2C potted 10 goals during the Titans run, scoring on a ridiculous 21.74% of the shots he took. Of those 10 goals he scored, nearly half were game-tying or game-winning goals as well.

 

Season 35:  Quebec City Meute

Unsung Hero: RW - Roberto Martucci @Otrebor13

While he may not have led on the scoresheet, Roberto Martucci certainly led by example. The veteran forward led all Quebec forwards with 17 Blocked Shots in the S35 playoffs, despite only having 5 hits. Martucci routinely laid his body on the line for the boys, and it resulted in a championship for the fledgling young Quebec franchise.

 

 

509 Words

[Corco 1,281]

Claiming for next week (12/23-12/29) as I already had a multi-week MS to be claimed for this week

[frescoelmo 1,282]