VHL S71 Top 25 Players, Part 1: 25-21

[Doomsday 4,034]

 

VHL Top 25 Players

 

Part 1: 25-21

 

The Season 71 draft class has found their new homes, as have the free agents. We've had some trades, said goodbye to some legends, and recently immortalized two more. That can only mean one thing: a new season of the Victory Hockey League is just around the corner! Naturally, with a new season on the horizon, it is time once again for VSN's VHL Top 25!

 

This season, VSN top dog @FrostBeard, writers @Doomsday, @Erik Summers, and @McWolf, along with multimedia specialists @Berocka and @Esso2264, put their heads together to determine just who the Top 25 VHL players are going into Season 71. They are joined by @Mr_Hatter, VSN's VHLM aficionado, for the write-ups. For our first installment, covering #25 to #21, you'll be reading about some tough defensemen and forwards, along with a goaltender who may only be scratching the surface of his potential. 

 

25. Jerry Garcia, D

 

Starting off our list we have one of the top defensive defensemen in the league, Malmo’s Jerry Garcia. Garcia has been somewhat of a mystery in the VHL. Currently, he sits at fourth in the TPA charts for defensemen, third in TPE, but he has thus far struggled to break out onto the forefront of VHL stardom. His highest point total in a season remains at 60 from his S68 season in which Malmo made the finals, in part thanks to having Matt Thompson on the end of his passes. Hopefully, with the addition of winger Acyd Burn in the offseason, Garcia will once again shine as his playmaking can really control the tempo of the game. He just needs a team around him which can support that, something I think Malmo has built for this season.  While struggling to find points has been somewhat of an issue for him (he has still reached 40 points in all but his rookie season), his defensive contributions have been unquestionable. His shots blocked totals over the past five seasons consistently rank him in the upper echelon of defensemen, and he isn’t afraid to get physical, reaching a career-high 236 hits this past season. Keep an eye out for Garcia to make his mark on the VHL in S71 and propel Malmo to fight for the top spot in the European Conference. 

- Mr_Hatter

 

 

24. Roll Fizzlebeef, C

 

With 66 points last season, Roll Fizzlebeef came one short of beating the record for most points in a season by a Prague Phantoms skater, a record set in their inaugural season by Zeno Miniti. His 29 goals also rank him second in the three-year history of the most recent expansion team. He failed to reach the 30-goal mark, which he did the two previous seasons while playing for the Calgary Wranglers, but we won’t hold it against him, because he only missed by a single goal. One other area where the Canadian centre has always shined is the hits column, evidenced by the fact he levelled opponents 214 times last season, making it the 2nd time he broke 200 hits in his career. Now, with his team fresh off their first-ever playoff berth, Fizzlebeef is looking forward to establishing on-ice connections with offseason acquisitions Thomas Landry II and Joel Ylonen, as he enters the penultimate season of his career as, once again, the star of the Phantoms. As the supporting cast around him solidifies, we expect Fizzlebeef to take a step up as well. 

- McWolf

 

23. Berocka Sundqvist, D

It would be hard to overlook a player who has been playing amazing after switching his position from being a tough grit grinder on the forward side to an amazing two-way defenceman in just a single season. As a forward, he absolutely dominated VHLM and had an amazing performance in S67 when he was able to get 100 points with Minnesota Storm. He already in VHLM showed great promise on the physical side of hockey and clearly showed that he can block shots and be a truly hard hitter. His career has been interesting as in 3 seasons he has spent up in VHL, Berocka already has 2 Continental cup wins. As a rookie in the Playoffs, Mr. Sunqvist didn’t perform very well but still was able to contribute and help his team win it all. His next two seasons in playoffs were absolutely amazing as he improved his game and with the switch do defence, he was able to be 2nd in shots blocked in S69 playoffs and 5th in the same category in S70 playoffs with significantly fewer games played than players on the top of the list. We can only predict that his game will improve and this season he will unleash his ability to be one of the truly better defenseman in the league. My take is that he will be a Top 10 defenceman easily, just how high in the Top 10 is a mystery.

- Frostbeard

 

22. John Frostbeard, RW

 

A generational talent, John Frostbeard has been remarkably consistent in his four seasons in the VHL. Starting his career in Yukon, John had a successful VHLM career as a point-per-game or better player through two seasons. Even with the Rush, it was clear that he was going to be a powerful two-way forward. The only time this wasn’t true was in his season with the Philadelphia Reapers, where he was called into a more scoring-first mindset. Frostbeard was drafted by the Calgary Wranglers before being dished to Seattle, a decision Calgary undoubtedly regrets at this point. Once he arrived in Seattle, John returned to his true calling as one of the foremost 200-ft forwards in the league. After winning two cups with the Seattle Bears, Frostbeard left to join the fledgling D.C. Dragons in their third season in the VHL. Now having played for half of the North American Conference, it is exciting to watch whether or not he will be able to elevate the Dragons to take a conference title and maybe even a shot at the cup in the near future. Last season, Frostbeard played a much more physical game with a career-high 165 hits and 58 penalty minutes in the regular season. Meanwhile, his shooting percentage dropped significantly as he was tasked with much more of D.C.’s offensive responsibilities. I expect him to balance these aspects of his game in the coming season, which will turn him into a dominant force in the league.

- Erik Summers

 

21. Raymond Bernard, G

 

In his third season in the VHL, Raymond Bernard enjoyed a breakout season, setting career highs in games played, wins, save percentage, goals allowed average, shutouts, saves and minutes played. Getting his start with the Season 67 Ottawa Lynx that won both the Prime Minister's and Founder's Cups, Bernard was drafted 11th overall the next season by the Moscow Menace. He saw limited time as a rookie, appearing in 25 games, compiling a 16-8-1 record with a .896 record and a 3.1 GAA. Bernard became the starter in Season 69 (nice), appearing in 45 games, improving his save percentage over .900 and his GAA down to 2.81 on his way to winning 22 games. A trade by Moscow at the trade deadline for HC Davos Dynamo goaltender Finn Davison, however, effectively put Bernard's season on hold. Season 70, however, belonged to Raymond Bernard. Playing in 64 games, he was now the unquestioned starter after Davison was moved following the previous season. The Menace cut through all who opposed them, winning the Victory Cup. Bernard, however, had saved his best for last. In 15 playoff games, Bernard won 12, with a 9.37 save percentage and a 1.83 save percentage, with two shutouts as Moscow won the Continental Cup. For his outstanding play in the postseason, Bernard was awarded the Daisuke Kanou Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. Entering the prime of his career, this could simply be the beginning of Bernard's dominance, as the Moscow Menace look to continue their reign of terror on the VHL. 

- Doomsday

 

Some excellent players are already on this list, and we're just getting started. Did VSN get it right? Is somebody already too low? Too high? Be sure to let us know in the comments below. Our next installment will be featuring some big offensive talents, so you won't want to miss it!

 

Players Mentioned: @GustavMattias, @Beketov, @Acydburn, @TacticalHammer, @Zeno, @Doomsday, @Esso2264, @Berocka, @FrostBeard, @Mr_Hatter, @Poptart

[Gustav 6,099]

27 minutes ago, Doomsday said:

Is somebody already too low?

 

FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY

[Victor 10,536]

And to think Bernard wasn't even the 1st goalie taken in S68.

 

He wasn't even the 2nd. 

[Beketov 8,642]

Was really confused how I was on this list with Lahtinen being a scrub. Then I realized it’s because Thompson is mentioned haha

[TacticalHammer 95]

Great concept!