Claimed:Slaughter Breaks Out

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Slaughter Breaks Out

New York American forward Tom Slaughter has had a good season thus far, sitting third on the Americans in points behind his two linemates Xiao and Tordahl. There is some discussion about whether the forward is a product of his linemates or if he has improved enough to be putting up the points he has so far this year. Everyone in the league knows Tordahl is one of the best forwards in the VHL, but has Slaughter arrived at that point yet?

"I have one of the best supporting casts in the league on my team, I think I've been pretty lucky to be playing with these guys. Tordahl alone is what I would call the best player in the game today. I mean his stats speak for themselves over the past few seasons. I have learned to just give him the puck and good things happen. He has a lot of talent and I am real lucky to be centring him. Xiao provides a lot of physicality to our line and he's a terrific all around player," Slaughter said.

New York's top line is one main reasons for the team's dominant record so far. The Americans currently sit first overall in the league with a 38-3-2 record through 43 games and appear to be destined for one of the best records in league history. The team hasn't showed many weaknesses thus far, going through contenders and weak teams with relative ease. Of course the top line remains unmatched, one of the best combinations of chemistry and skill in the VHL regularly dominates other lines in the league.

Slaughter currently sits third in league scoring with 70 points in those 43 games, many of those points coming as assists (48) on Tordahl or Xiao goals. Slaughter remains one of the top defensive forwards in the game with a +47 plus minus rating, leading the team in penalty kill minutes and an improved 61% face off win rate. The forward has certainly improved a great deal over his rookie season sitting only 6 points short of the 76 he notched last season. Of course the ever humble Slaughter has bigger things on his mind as of late.

"It will be really disappointing if we play this well throughout the season and don't get to the finals for a chance at the Cup. I really think we have a championship team this year. We have a lot of chemistry and a lot of skill. We have the best goalie in the league and the best forward and a lot of nice depth. I think we can challenge any other team in the league in a seven game series. We've added a lot of veteran experience and we have some great leadership here. I'm really excited for the playoffs, screw the regular season man," Slaughter said.

Of course the Americans could be getting too confident for their own good with the recent streak of success. The team needs to remain grounded to their limitations which is best brought up in how they lost out in the playoff hunt during the last game of the season last year. Slaughter remains one of the more vocal players preaching the calm, silent approach to their success. "I try not to get too involved in the hype right now because I don't think we're the best team in the league. I think we have a lot to prove. Teams like Riga and Davos have more success than we have had in recent years. We have to remain grounded in what we're doing and then I think we'll play like we should all the way through," he said.

[BOOM 8,846]

It's a pleasure to be on the same line as XXX and yourself.

[Guest Svoboda_3]

Content: 3/3

613 words. This sounded like S1, when the Wranglers went 69-3, but lost in the finals. You exemplified the success of Slaughter and the Americans this season. It was well-written and flowed real nicely.

Grammar: 2/2

Not bad at all.

 

team, = team;

all around = all-around

reasons = reason

Appearance: 1/1

Bland, but gets the job done.

Overall: 6/6

[Kesler 1,514]

Claimed