S71 VHL Award Tracker

[Patrik Tallinder 1,087]

 

VHL Award Tracker

Preview of The S71 Award Races

 

Welcome everyone, to this season’s first VHL Award Tracker. Last week we took a look at the potential candidates for the VHLM awards, and this week we shift our focus to the VHL. Being 30 games into the season, we should have a general idea of the contenders for each award, though late risers and fallers are sure to impact the race down the road as well. 

 

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Mike Szatkowski Trophy

 

Awarded to the player with the most points at the end of the season, the race for the Mike Szatkowski Trophy is headlined by Seattle forward Ambrose Stark with 43 points in 30 games. Not too far behind is Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who was only a point away from this title two seasons ago. He currently sits at 40 points. With 36 points each, Julius Freeman and Tyler Barabash Jr have some catching up to do if they want to win the Szatkowski, though it is still very much a possibility that either of them takes it home. Worth mentioning is that both Julius Freeman and Hunter Hearst Helmsley play for Vancouver, so their talents could be mutually beneficial to each other’s point totals.

 

 

Kevin Brooks Trophy

 

The Kevin Brooks Trophy is awarded to the player with the most goals at the end of the season, and the top candidate right now is once again Ambrose Stark, with 20 goals. Julius Freeman only trails by 1 goal, with 19 to his name. Freeman is also only one season removed from a Brooks Trophy and has had 30 or more goals in each of his past 4 full seasons. Another forward from Seattle, Scott Greene, is close as well with 18 goals.

 

 

Alexander Beketov Trophy

 

An award dominated by defensemen, the Alexander Beketov Trophy is given to the player who finishes with the most assists on the season. Out of the top 10 players in assists 30 games in, only two of them are forwards. The leader of the pack at the moment is Hulk Hogan, with 31 assists. In the second place, and the only other player to have an assist per game so far this season is Cinnamon Block. She has an even 30 assists in 30 games played. The top forward, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, has 28, only 3 behind Hogan. Not to be dismissed is Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen, who is a constant threat for this award. He is only 4 assists behind and won this award last season after almost doing so the season prior as well. This award has many legitimate candidates, and it will be an interesting one to keep an eye on. 

 

 

Alexander Valiq Trophy

 

Given to the league’s top offensive defenseman, the Alexander Valiq candidates are very similar to those of the Beketov. Hulk Hogan and Cinnamon Block lead the way in points with 34 each, a 5 point lead over the rest of the pack. Hogan has changed his playstyle a lot recently, becoming a more skill-based player, and it is paying off nicely for him up to this point. The first overall pick of the S69 Draft, Block has had increasing point totals every season since entering the VHL, and this season looks to be no different. Trying to make up ground is star defenseman Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen, as he is tied for third place at the moment. The pair of Lincoln Tate and Apollo Hackett could also find themselves at the top if they can put together a bit of a streak.

 

 

Jake Wylde Trophy

 

Opposite of the Valiq Trophy, the Jake Wylde Trophy is awarded to the league’s best defensive defenseman. This award is much harder to track because it is harder to quantify defence. The league’s top offensive defenseman can be judged by their points, but the top defensive defenseman has to be decided by multiple factors, being shots blocked, hits, and plus-minus. Riga defenseman Lincoln Tate could be a prevalent candidate for this award, with his +14 rating, 58 shots blocked and 90 hits. Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen also has an impressive +8 rating, 64 shots blocked and 69 hits. Inactive defenseman Boone Jenton has had a very productive start as well, although his 309 TPE doesn’t suggest that he will be a major threat down the road. Lastly, another Riga defenseman, Apollo Hackett, has a +12 rating, 58 shots blocked and 84 hits. These names look to be the main competition so far, but it is still early enough that someone else could pull away with the lead.

 

Sterling Labatte Trophy

 

Now we get to the most important Trophy for VHL defensemen, the Sterling Labatte Trophy. Awarded to the top defenseman in the league, both the qualifications for the Vaiq and Wylde trophies are considered to decide on one winner. Hulk Hogan and Cinnamon Block are sure to be in the race due to their unmatched offensive production, while not sacrificing their defensive game as well. Perhaps the favourite for the award up to this point is none other than the winner of this trophy for the past three consecutive seasons, Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen. His 29 points, 64 shot blocks and 69 hits really stand out in terms of versatility, and his reputation as a three-time winner would lead me to believe he very well may have number four. Also in the conversation are the pair from Riga, Apollo Hackett and Lincoln Tate. Their offensive and defensive consistency really helps their cases, and either of them could win it as well.

 

 

Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy

 

The Christian Stolzchweiger Trophy is awarded to the top rookie in the VHL, and this season’s race has contenders from each position. Goalies Jacques Lafontaine and Jaxx Hextall have been starters for their respective teams, and Lafontaine actually has the most wins in the entire league. Hextall does have the advantage in save percentage though, which could sway some voters in his favour. Defenseman Roque Davis has put together a very solid rookie campaign fresh after being selected 2nd overall in the draft. He has 21 points, 49 shots blocked, and 44 hits, which are very impressive for a rookie defenseman, especially on a weaker team. Two forwards lead the way in scoring, as Ola Vikingstad and Kyl Oferson each have 23 points. Oferson has a slight advantage in goals, with 11 over Vikingstad’s 10. A mere 1 point behind them is Thomas Landry II, who also has a remarkable 104 hits, good for ninth in the league. This will be a tight race and a very interesting one to follow.

 

 

Dustin Funk Trophy

 

Awarded to the league’s most improved player, the Dustin Funk Trophy race is one that is always fun to watch. This season’s contenders include the previously mentioned Cinnamon Block, who has jumped from 46 points last season to an 82 point pace, going from very good defenseman to a Labatte candidate. Moscow defenseman Oskar Lagesson has already doubled his S70 point total, sitting at 22 points in 30 games after last season’s 10 in 72 games. This puts him at a 53 point pace, very solid for a sophomore defender. Wranglers forward Sigard Gunnar should have a chance as well with his 67 point pace over his S70 point total of 37. New York Center Keven Foreskin has had an incredible bounce-back season, going from 26 points to a 70 point pace. He will be a real threat if he keeps up this pace.

 

 

Scott Boulet Trophy

 

Given to the league’s best two-way forward, the Scott Boulet Trophy is a bit strange in its criteria, which makes it seemingly for the league’s best power forward. Scott Greene of the Bears has 33 points to pair with his 128 hits, second in the league in that regard. Hunter Hearst Helmsley boasts a nice statline of 40 points with his 124 hits, and he could quite possibly take it home as well. Since Greene has the edge in shots blocked, with 14 over HHH’s 8, I would give him the edge for the trophy as well up to this point.

 

 

Greg Clegane and Aidan Shaw Trophies

 

Led currently by a backup, the Greg Clegane Trophy is given to the goalie with the lowest goals-against average. While Owen May, in his second season ever as a backup, leads the way with a 0.86 GAA, that is simply not maintainable, and I expect that number to drop eventually. The other half of this section, the Aidan Shaw Trophy is awarded to the league’s top goalie. Now, the reason these two trophies are paired together is that their favourites are almost identical every season. And other than May as a possible contender for the Clegane, that is the case this season as well. There are three goalies who are above the rest right now, being Malmo’s Michael Johnson, Prague’s Brick Wahl and newly acquired Greg Eagles for Riga. Johnson has the advantage in save percentage with a very good .932. The one with the edge for the Clegane is Wahl, who has a 1.93 GAA, and Eagles is within striking distance of taking the lead in either of these categories. Raymond Bernard of Moscow could also find himself at the top with a good stretch of games as well.

 

 

Scotty Campbell and Brett Slobodzian Trophies

 

These two can also be talked about together since MVP and most outstanding player mean close to the same thing. I would say Ambrose Stark has a good chance because the lead in both points and goals is a great thing to have on your side. Hunter Hearst Helmsley should have a shot too because he is close to the points lead while also being a Scott Boulet candidate. I would say the most likely candidate among defensemen would be last season’s Slobodzian winner, Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen, with his impressive offensive and defensive numbers. I don’t think any goalies have pulled away yet, though any of the Shaw candidates I mentioned could at any given moment. This is the most coveted individual award, and it should be a great race to follow.

 

 

With the season not even halfway done, some of these candidates will likely fall out of contention, and others that I never mentioned will step it up. These awards will all be fun to keep track of, and we will return to them in a few weeks. Good luck to everyone who hopes to win one, whether you’re in contention now or not.

 

Players mentioned: @Banackock @Beaviss @rjfryman @Bushito @DoktorFunk @Hulk Hogan @omgitshim @flyersfan1453 @Tate @Renomitsu @FakeJenton @Dil @Nykonax @Doomsday @Josh @SlapshotDragon @ROOKIE745 @fever95 @Big Mac @Esso2264 @FacebookFighter @BladeMaiden @Greg_Di @Mr_Hatter

[Mike 708]

Nice to have an award named after you with the league still going strong +10 years and 72nd season on the way.

[Big Mac 310]

Keep up the great work you make amazing content, and I’ll be following you from now on absolutely amazing reads. 

[Patrik Tallinder 1,087]

1 minute ago, Big Mac said:

Keep up the great work you make amazing content, and I’ll be following you from now on absolutely amazing reads. 

Thanks man, really appreciate the praise!