VHL S72 Top 25 Players, Part 3: 15-11

[FrostBeard 2,061]

 

VHL Top 25 Players

 

Part 3: 15-11

 

S72 has already started and VSN is back here again to rank and show who we think is going to be the best player of S72! There are amazing new candidates and many older players who are all showcasing their strengths and immense talent so be ready for our next iteration of VSN's Top 25!

 

This season, VSN Editor-in-chief @FrostBeard, writers @Doomsday, @Erik Summers, and @Patrik Tallinder, along with voice and video masters @Berocka and @Esso2264 and also with our distinguished guest @rjfryman ranked and debated who is going to be the top dog in Season 72. They are joined by @Mr_Hatter, VSN's VHLM aficionado, for the write-ups. Part 3 will feature four immensely talented defencemen and a player who last season found a new home! 
 

15. Apollo Hackett, D

Drafted 16th overall in S66 Draft, Apollo has been amazing for Riga Reign team who have made playoffs 10 seasons in a row. His best statistical season was S69 when he traded some physicality to become a stronger player in terms of offensive production. He finished 2nd in points for defensemen and was one of the better goal scorers on the blue line. Even though his production has slipped down a bit, Apollo hasn’t lost any of his abilities, he is still one of the best defencemen in VHL, With Riga again being a strong team with quality players, Apollo will be an instrumental piece for Riga’s S72 playoff run. Even after regression and seasons where luck was not at his side, I see no reason to doubt Hackett. His defensive and offensive game is adapted to be efficient and robust. His role as of the leaders for Riga Reign is not recognized enough. In the end, I see a great talent that is being overlooked because of younger, similar players that are just showing their first sparks of greatness. 

FrostBeard

 

14. Micheal Gary Scott, D

 

Micheal Gary Scott, drafted 8th overall in the stacked Season 67 draft class, has had quite the tumultuous year. After back-to-back 30+ goal seasons in Seasons 69 (nice) and 70, MGS suddenly declared that he would be switching to defence in the middle of the Vancouver Wolves' first-round loss to the Seattle Bears. While Scott did indeed make the switch, it was not for Vancouver, seemingly giving him what he wanted by moving him to the New York Americans. While he had successfully gotten out of the perceived shadow of Hunter Hearst Helmsley, he now had the task of leading New York's blue line, as opposed to the centre, where he had excelled. With 13 goals and 46 assists, it was a solid first season at defence, but the Americans missed the playoffs, with MGS again outshined by a teammate, Lance Flowers. With New York poised to make a run, they'll need MGS to step it up and VSN believes he'll do so. The lasting legacy of his career depends upon it. 

Doomsday

 

Tied-12. Vladimir Pavlov, D

 

Russian defender Vladimir Pavlov has had quite the successful career to date, especially when discussing team-based achievements. Pavlov won the Founder’s Cup in S65 with Minnesota, and more recently, the Continental Cup in S70 with Moscow. He has not just been along for the ride though, proven by the fact that he has the most points by a defenseman in Moscow’s franchise history, as well as their record for shots blocked in both the regular season and playoffs. He has cracked 55+ points on three occasions, with one being an incredible 74 points the season that Moscow won it all. In addition to that, he has reached double-digit goal totals in every season since his total of 7 as a rookie. Pavlov’s offence is driven by some elite instincts with the puck and precision in everything he does. His shots from the point seem to always find their way to the net, and his passes find their target nearly every time. Defensively, he is able to read the play well, and either break up plays before they develop, or block the shots if he can’t get there in time. He has spent his whole career in Moscow so far and has undoubtedly become one of the greatest players in the team’s history.

Patrik Tallinder

 

Tied-12. Boris the Forest, C

 

A lifelong American, Boris was traded at the deadline last season to the D.C. Dragons. Although his offensive production seems to have plateaued, or perhaps started to taper off, the Forest brought an exciting new aspect to his game last season, extreme physicality. He was third in the league in hits. An interesting side-note is that first on that list was John Frostbeard, for whom Boris was traded. I am hopeful that the new scenery in D.C. will help propel the Forest to the next level this season as he and Benny Graves battle for the top centre position on the depth chart. One consistently impressive stat from Boris is his production on the powerplay. Historically, a quarter of his goals have come with the man advantage, which makes him the ideal player to run the special teams through. In New York, the Forest was often surrounded by other weapons, but those rosters never seemed to quite a mess, leading to limited postseason experience for a veteran entering his sixth season. However, if D.C. figures out their goaltending, I can see the Forest taking them on a deep playoff run on the back of his consistent play and leadership.

Erik Summers

 

11. Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen, D

 

And so it comes to an end. We come into Season 72 saying goodbye to one of the recent greats of the VHL. Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen (henceforth referred to as Smitty) is a future Hall of Fame defenceman, drafted second overall by HC Davos Dynamo in Season 65. A stalwart force on the Davos blue line, he spent the first half of his career there but was never quite able to bring the Dynamo a cup. After the free agency implosion following Season 68 in which he scored a career-high 27 goals, Smitty tested the waters of free agency for the first time, ending up in Russia playing for the Moscow Menace. After three fantastic Seasons with the Menace (the first two a bit better than the third), Smitty left again in free agency with Moscow unable to keep him for cap space. This time he crossed the pond, ending up in beautiful British Columbia with the Vancouver Wolves, looking to return to the finals for a third consecutive season. In his career, Smitty has amassed a significant trophy case, including three Sterling Labattes for the top defenceman, tied for third all-time along with a few other VHL greats such as Labette himself. He has two Alexander Valiq’s and one Jake Wyld for an offensive and defensive defenceman, respectively. In Season 70 in perhaps his crowning achievement, Smitty led the Moscow Menace to their first-ever Victory and Continental Cup, earning the Brett Slobodzian Trophy for the most outstanding player as voted by his peers. With one last shot, Smitty has a chance to secure a tie for second on the all-time list of Labette winners, and immortalize his name even further into the history books of the VHL. One thing is for certain; we won’t take our eyes off him. 

Mr_Hatter

 

Do you think VSN got it right? Do you think anyone else should be on this list? If so, post in the comments and debate it all! Top 10 is coming in next!

People mentioned: @Renomitsu, @Motzaburger, @Beaviss, @CowboyinAmerica, @Victor, @chillzone, @flyersfan1453 

Edited May 24, 2020 by FrostBeard

[Victor 11,021]

Pavlov still being rated, smh.