VHL S71 Top 25 Players, Part 2: 20-16

[Doomsday 4,034]

 

VHL Top 25 Players

 

Part 2: 20-16

 

Season 71 continues to draw nearer as teams iron out the final positions on their rosters. Some prospects will discover whether it's another season in the minors or their shot at the bigs with today's deadline, but today we'll find out which VHL talents made the cut today for the Top 25! Today features primarily offensive talents, including one who is making the switch to forward. @FrostBeard, @Doomsday, @Erik Summers, @McWolf and @Mr_Hatter are back for more, #20 to #16 are next!

 

20. Shawnomir Jagr, RW

 

Shawnomir Jagr, the man who swore two seasons ago that he’d appear at #1 on our list soon. Two seasons later, it’s still not the case, but he still manages to make the Top 25 for the second campaign in a row, thanks to two straight 30-goal, 80-point seasons. Jagr is expected to, once again, share a line with two other Top 25 regulars: Julius Freeman and Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He held more of a support role to the Vancouver Wolves’ two-headed beast in Season 69, but really stepped up last season, and actually finished tied with HHH for most points and tied with Freeman for most goals on the team. You might think that level of production should have propelled way up unto the list, closer to where his two teammates appear, but the fact that he has just started to scoring consistently - combined with the fact that age is catching up on him and he has started regressing - makes it harder to put him at a better position than #20. His numbers might drop a bit, but 25 goals and 75 assists isn’t out of the equation, as he appears to be all fueled up and ready to hit the ice for his sixth straight season with the British Columbian franchise.

- McWolf

 

 

19. Guy LeGrande, LW

 

Guy LeGrande will be looking to make a splash in the North American conference as a left-winger, having just switched to the position after playing as a defenseman his first four seasons in the VHL. An able-bodied scorer, LeGrande’s killer instinct should translate well to the forward spot. The former New York American reached his career-high in points during his sophomore season with New York, before being traded to Seattle in Season 69. As a Bear, LeGrande has struggled to find his prior scoring pace, having scored around 50 points the past two seasons. Expect this to pick up, however, with his transition towards a more offensive position. LeGrande is a phenomenal puck handler, whose quick skating will tear through any VHL defence. Seattle will look to him to be one of their leaders, as he is entering his prime as the third-highest TPA player on the roster. Due to cap issues they have had to shed some of their stars, and with only youngsters to fill the gaps, LeGrande will look to this season as an opportunity to lead by example and carry his team back to contention for the Continental Cup; expect an eye-opening performance from Guy LeGrande in his first season on the forward lines.

- Mr_Hatter

 

 

 

18. Lincoln Tate, D

 

The first overall pick of the Season 67 VHL Entry Draft, Lincoln Tate's fiery demeanour has led to him becoming among the league's most able defensemen. Scoring 20 goals to go with 88 points with the VHLM's San Diego Marlins in Season 66, Tate's electric two-way play made him a natural choice by the Riga Reign as the first overall pick. It was not, however, a seamless transition for Tate, with a 15 point, -8 season as a rookie. Struggling to contribute on offence and in his own end, it was a rough start for Tate. But whatever was holding him back as a rookie was no issue in Season 68, as Tate took a huge stride forward. His physical play improved, and he additionally more than doubled the number of shots blocked from his rookie year. With 28 points, his offensive game was now beginning to bloom. The past two seasons, Lincoln Tate has shown why he has earned his #18 ranking, becoming a consistent force for the Reign. He has scored 11 goals for two seasons running, breaking 50 points both times. His hits and blocked shots continue to climb, setting career highs in both 179 hits, 140 shots blocked) in Season 70. In his final season before depreciation begins, are we about to see the best of Lincoln Tate in Season 71?

- Doomsday

 

 

 

17. Mat Tocco, RW

 

Former 31st overall pick of S66 draft has turned his game almost completely around. Mat Tocco was known as a true hybrid player and a winger that was easily able to pass and score. His 2 seasons in VHLM showed that he has skill but he never exceeded to a level of star. His first two seasons in VHL with Moscow showed a very similar type of game, quality scoring and playmaking but yet nothing on a level we saw this past season. With the increased role on Menace, he turned his career around and clearly showed why he is one of the better players in VHL. His amazing prowess as a true goalscorer and a fairly active player on the defensive end has earned him a spot on this list. With 39 goals in 72 games played, he was a top 5 goalscorer in the league. Surely, the fact that he played on a team with Randoms and Jet Jaguar helped his case but funny enough they all together ended up on the top 25 list. In my eyes, he is a brilliant player with a wicked shot that will keep his game up if Moscow will play on a similar level as they did last season.

- Frostbeard

 

 

16. Boris the Forest, C

 

Drafted 10th overall in the S67 entry draft, Boris was a bit of a sleeper after a good, but somewhat middling season with the Mexico City Kings. He was called up immediately and had a phenomenal rookie season with 56 points. Also, despite not being a physical presence, he made a lot of great plays in his own end with 32 shots blocked. Since then, hovering right around a point per game and continuing to be a presence at both ends of the ice is still the Forest’s calling card. New York is one of the most storied teams in the VHL, but their recent history has left much to be desired. This has left Boris without many of the accolades of his peers, but he is just entering his prime so there is plenty of time for that to change. The Forest leads an exciting roster this season that looks to be part of a North American Conference changing of the guard. I don’t think it is a stretch to say that whoever wins the conference title will have to go through Boris and the Americans to get there.

- Erik Summers

 

We're ten players in, with fifteen more to go! What do you think? Some players make the list too soon? Feel like someone else is meeting with a circus monkey right now? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Players Mentioned: @TheLastOlympian07, @rjfryman, @Beaviss, @Steve, @Tate, @Matmenzinger, @hedgehog337, @gorlab, @chillzone

Edited March 22, 2020 by Doomsday

[Victor 10,534]

Still no Pavlov hmm. Either you're all very wrong or very right.

[Matmenzinger 167]

The crazy thing is that Tocco didn't play on the first line with Jet most of the season. I played on the second with Gritty and put up those numbers. Just a testament to how deep Moscow's roster is. @Victor built an absolutely stellar team.

[MexicanCow123 894]

How do you rank the people? It can't be based on TPE.

[Doomsday 4,034]

39 minutes ago, MexicanCow123 said:

How do you rank the people? It can't be based on TPE.

 

It's not, people could always look up TPE leaderboards if they wanted to. These rankings are the averages of VSN staff, who rank from 1-30. When I do mine, I factor in recent performance, along with projected performance.