New York Americans - possible trajectories into the hall of fame

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As it stands right now, New York looks like it will be able to keep their S67/S68 core together for a few more seasons. Whether or not anyone from this group makes it to the hall of fame will depend on how the group performs together. Naturally, the biggest roadblock for any of these players will be if they retire without a cup and given that the group has committed to each other for the next few seasons, each player’s best chance at a cup probably lies in New York.

 

So let’s assume a cup happens. Who has the best chances to get HOF status (based on results thus far into their career)? The answer is pretty obvious if you know a bit about the team. You’ve got the career long captain and leader Boris the Forest @chillzone, the hard-nosed and well respected former ROTY in Lance Flowers @CowboyinAmerica, and the rock that holds everything together, A Red Guy @.sniffuM. The combination of all three of these guys together is the best reason to think NY can bring home a cup soon and so probably stand the best chance that any one of them make it into the hall.

 

Now for some personal predictions. I really think there is a chance Boris walks away with one of the most underrated careers in recent history. He rarely places in the highly visible top 10 leaderboards for a lot of stats, but if you ever look a bit further, he usually sits just outside. Combine that with his loyalty, leadership and highly consistent play (pretty much the only New York American’s player who's never had a down year) and it makes him the player I root for the most to get in. That being said, just with how competitive it is to get in, it will probably take not only a cup or two as captain, but a couple of seasons in that top 10 in points, goals, or assists to get him some of “fame” he needs. Even if he never gets to be inducted into the VHL HOF, he will almost certainly retire as an all-time New York Americans great.

 

The player I’d place with the best odds amongst the team is A Red Guy. He’s another guy who so far has been just so consistently good, even if not taking home the best goalie award thus far. Why it matters more, is that consistently good as a goalie provides your team a chance to win every year. New York just finished a disappointing S70 season, missing the playoffs by 1 point after a bit of a slide towards the end of the year. I expect that is as wide a margin they will miss by ever again as long as A Red Guy stands in net. I fully believe they will be a playoff team going forward, and it just takes one of them to have ARG guide them to the cup. Goalies are probably the most competitive position to get in and at this point it means you need to have team success and individual success to get in. Hoping ARG gets a lot more of both in the next few years.

 

Finally, defencemen Lance Flowers probably shows the best potential of anyone to elevate his game to heights we’ve not yet seen. Starting his career off hot before cooling down in his sophomore year, this past season showed a glimpse of what Flowers once showed he’s capable of; top end physical and defensive play that helps his team out offensively. In every year he’s played on New York, he’s always been the #2 guy shadowed by LeGrande in S68, Elmebeck in S69 and McWolf in S70, Flowers should be the unquestionable #1 for the remainder of his time in New York. I’ve been a big fan of his play even during his down years, so it’s exciting to think what he’ll bring to the team as the bonafide #1. Hopefully a cup.

 

Claiming for theme week.