Prague Phantoms' S71 Team Awards

[animal74 1,863]

S71 Prague Phantoms' Team Awards

 

Coming off of their first playoff appearance in only their third season in S70, the Prague Phantoms had served notice to the VHL that they were a team on the rise. After a surprise trade that brought in veteran center Joel Ylonen from Davos in the off-season, the Phantoms were ready to make some noise. And they did just that. Prague played a punishing brand of hockey that helped them stay near the top of the European Conference for most of the season.

 

Then with 17 games left, GM @diamond_ace decided that the roster needed tweaking so in two separate deals he shipped off life-long Phantoms Scotty BigShotty and Willie Dredge to Helsinki and Calgary for former Phantom Blake Laughton and young winger Ondrej Ohradka respectfully. The new players seemed to provide a spark for the Phantoms. They almost grabbed the top seed in the European Conference as they tied Moscow in points but had one less win when they lost by a shootout goal in the last game of the season. Prague made the playoffs for the second straight season but also lost in the first round for the second consecutive time as they fell to Riga in six games.

 

There were many bright spots for the Phantoms in S71 – from Brick Wahl’s career year to the emergence of Cinnamon Block and Seabass Perrin as one of the league’s premier defense pairings to Joel Ylonen’s 9-point series against Riga. The team has many reasons to feel positive about the future, including a fantastic comradery.

 

Shortly after the loss to Riga, the players and significant others dressed in their finest and joined together for the team’s Awards Ceremony at the Zlaty Strom nightclub in Prague.

 

And now, here are the S71 Prague Phantoms’ Team Awards as voted by the players...

 

 

Best Defenseman

Cinnamon Block

@omgitshim

 

“Cinna”, as her teammates call her, had a career year for the Phantoms while becoming one of the best two-way blueliners in the league. She led Prague in ice-time and posted career-highs in assists (57), points (69), and plus/minus (+19), all numbers which led the team, and also potted a career-high 12 goals. Those totals put her third in the league for assists, tied for third among all defensemen in points and tied for 8^th in the league for plus/minus. She was also tied for fourth in the league in power play assists (18) and tied for 9^th in power play points (23). Both of those marks also led the Phantoms.

 

Runner-up: Seabass Perrin @Seabass

 

Block’s defense partner also had a fantastic year leading Prague in shot blocks (122) and short-handed points (2) while posting career-best offensive numbers and ranking second on the team in many categories including ice time, assists, points, and power play goals.

 

 

Unsung Hero

Alex Pearson

@Jayrad28

 

On a team that lacked a true sniper and relied on a “scoring by committee” approach every night, it’s no surprise that all the players took turns as the unsung hero on a game-by-game basis as opportunities allowed. This was one of the most tightly contested awards as seven players each received at least one vote. Alex Pearson seemed to provide an offensive spark whenever he was on the ice as he led the team in shots (267) and led the forwards in assists (35) and points (54), both career highs. He also became the Phantoms leader in career goals during the season. But it was more the way he went about his business each night, while playing with heart and drive every shift, he was also very often unnoticed and with very little flair. On the most penalized team in the league, he had the fewest PIM and hits.

 

Runners-up: Roll Fizzlebeef, Thomas Landry II

 

Fizzlebeef provided veteran leadership and consistent scoring as he led the Phantoms in goals (24) and power play goals (10). The 10 PPG also tied career-high and put him among the top ten in the VHL. Landry II was a force as a rookie and led the team with six game-winning goals.

 

 

Most Energetic

Thomas Landry II

 

Already known for his hard-driving, tenacious, physical play during his junior days with the Calgary Hitmen and his time with Halifax and San Diego in the VHLM, American-born power forward Thomas Landry II lived up to his reputation in his rookie season. He led the Phantoms with 223 hits and was second with 140 PIM. His non-stop motor made him a dependable penalty-killer as well as he led Prague forwards with 23 shot blocks and scored one of the team’s two short-handed goals on the year. He was also a constant source of enthusiasm in the locker room and quickly became one of the more vocal leaders.

 

Runner-up: Seabass Perrin

 

Perrin’s never-say-die attitude fueled his team-leading 122 shot blocks and he inspired his teammates with constant encouragement on and off the ice.

 

 

Most Gentlemanly

Dagmar Havlova @diamond_ace

Ondrej Ohradka @animal74

 

This award may seem ironic for the team that led the league in hits and PIM in the regular season. Perhaps many of the players were considering “least ornery” when they voted as a total of nine players received votes for the Most Gentlemanly award. Two players each received two votes, though, so this will be the second award shared by the European forwards, Dagmar Havlova and Ondrej Ohradka, as they both won a Founder’s Cup with the Saskatoon Wild in S69. Havlova had less penalty minutes and hits then Ohradka, who was more considered a gentleman in the locker room.

 

Runners-up: Seven players

 

 

Rookie of the Year

Thomas Landry II

@Doomsday

 

Being the defacto winner as the Phantom’s only rookie on the roster shouldn’t diminish Landry II’s fantastic first season in the league. As noted earlier, he led the team in hits and game-winnings goals and was as important to the team on the ice with his physical dominance as he was off it with his growing influence in the locker room. His 39 points were 7^th in rookie scoring and he enjoyed success on both the power play and penalty kill units.

 

 

Most Valuable Player

Brick Wahl

@BladeMaiden

 

Much has been said about Brick Wahl’s brilliant season. His MVP-caliber play will garner much reflection during the VHL Awards and deservedly so. But perhaps most importantly, his teammates voted him as the most valuable player to the Phantoms in S71. Wahl set team records and career highs. For a team that depended on defense and penalty-killing, he was the stoutest defender of them all. It’s fair to say that the Phantoms would not have made the playoffs without him. Prague will miss him between the pipes next season but he gave the team everything he had left before retiring.

 

Runner-up: Cinnamon Block

As one of the leaders on the Phantoms, Block’s career year led the team with her two-way play.

 

 

Phantom of the Year

Seabass Perrin

@Seabass

 

Although still a young franchise, the Prague Phantoms have grown a culture and developed an environment in which players want to play. The expansion label has been ripped off now with two straight playoff appearances and the players understand what it takes to win. The Phantom of the Year award honors a player who exemplifies the characteristics valued by the team: dedication, perseverance, leadership, mentorship, etc.

 

It was a close vote, but Seabass Perrin was the winner of the Phantom of the Year for S71. Perrin’s dedication to the Phantoms is unquestioned. An original member since being drafted by Prague 17^th overall in S68, he is the franchise all-time leader in shot blocks and a great teammate on and off the ice. He never has anything bad to say and keeps the team loose with his positive, laid-back attitude. Veterans and young players alike look to Perrin for inspiration, advice, and a listening ear.

 

Runners-up: Thomas Landry II, Brick Wahl

 

Along with Perrin, Landry II and Wahl formed the core of the Phantom’s locker room. Using their distinct vocal styles, Landry’s enthusiastic encouragement and Wahl’s calm veteran mentorship helped to gel and unify the team.

 

 

3-Stars Award

 

At the end of each regular season game, the three players who performed the best get awarded the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Stars. The point totals associated with each “Star” are as follows: 30 – 1^st Star, 20 – 2^nd, 10 – 3^rd. Those points were totaled at the end of the regular season and the Phantoms’ 3-Star Award was determined.

 

All 15 players on the roster garnered at least one selection with 12 earning at least one 1^st Star during the course of the season. Five players each earned at least 11 total star awards, amassing 200 or more points. The 2^nd – 5^th point totals were close, but the winner was not a surprise.

 

The winner of the Prague Phantoms’ 3-Star Award for S71 led the team between the pipes and in the locker room. He’ll have to make space in his trophy case after a career year saw him end his career with four VHL awards and now two team awards.

 

Congratulations to…

Brick Wahl!

 

The full standings are below:

 

Player	1st	2nd	3rd	Star Points	Total Stars
Brick Wahl	12	5	3	490	20
Cinnamon Block	4	7	3	290	14
Roll Fizzlebeef	5	4	2	250	11
Joel Ylonen	2	7	2	220	11
Thomas Landry II	4	1	6	200	11
Wolf Stansson Jr	2	3	3	150	8
Alex Pearson	2	1	6	140	9
Seabass Perrin	1	1	4	90	6
Ben McGirr	2	0	2	80	4
Ondrej Ohradka	0	3	1	70	4
Solomon Crawford	1	1	0	50	2
Dagmar Havlova	1	0	0	30	1
Gert B Forbe	1	0	0	30	1
Blake Laughton	0	1	0	20	1
Jacob Perry	0	1	0	20	1

 

@omgitshim @Jayrad28 @Seabass @TacticalHammer @Esso2264 @Cornholio @Doomsday @cartoes @diamond_ace @Grape @NumberJ5 @Liberty_Cabbage @BladeMaiden @AW13

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