Ranking the S72 Saskatoon Alumni’s VHL Seasons

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Lucas Brandt | C | Moscow

 

Unsurprisingly, Brandt has had the superior rookie season out of the four Saskatoon alumni from S72. This is due to Moscow’s partial rebuild phase, in which some rookies are getting large amounts of ice time. This statement is not to take away from Brandt’s success so far this season, however. The centre is currently in a tie with James Rose for 1st in rookie scoring with 39 points. He’s also second in Moscow’s team scoring, trailing behind only Henrik Zoiderberg. Brandt’s VHL numbers are kind of alien in comparison to his VHLM stats, in the sense that he is projected to finish the season with more goals than assists. This is something he has never done before. Lucas has demonstrated that he is clutch when it counts so far this season, as he is tied for second for game winning goals league-wide.

 

Grekkark Gyrfalcon | G | Malmo

 

Malmo is in a somewhat similar position as Moscow, in that they are in somewhat of a rebuild which allows rookies to play. Grekkark Gyrfalcon benefited greatly from the expansion, getting the starting job in his new home in Malmo right away. They are a lower tier team that gives up a lot of goals, which shows in the stats department. Gyrfalcon has given up the third most goals in the league, while also dropping out of the top 10 in goals against average. However, he’s stepped up in the role reasonably well for a rookie, with a current 0.918 save percentage. A high goals against average with a reasonably high save percentage shows that his high number of goals allowed is a team issue, not his own. 

 

Tyler Walker | D | Malmo

 

The other Saskatoon alumni that frequents the Malmo roster is defenseman Tyler Walker, who also benefits from a large amount of ice time with the squad. While it is difficult to compare individual performances between positions, I believe Gyrfalcon has had the better performance so far of the two Malmo rookies. Walker is currently second in scoring by defensemen on the Nighthawks, following behind star defenseman Condor Adrienne. Tyler has relatively low numbers in terms of points with 29 points in 39 games, but don’t let this fool you. He is a full year or two behind many of the current rookie point leaders, and many say that he is the best player to come out of the S73 VHL draft. Walker showed that he was ready to lead a team after only a single full season in the VHLM, and will become a star player in the VHLM.

 

Timothy Brown | RW | Seattle

 

Timothy Brown was Saskatoon’s leading goal scorer a season ago, but of the four alumni he has fared the worst so far. With only 17 points in 39 games, he is last in points of the three skaters in the bunch and also second last in scoring on Seattle’s team. Many believe that Brown’s difficulty scoring stems from his limited ice time with Seattle. The Bears are currently in second place behind Helsinki in the standings, and they rely on their stars quite a lot. The fact that Seattle’s only other rookie, Jacob Tonn, has also done poorly further strengthens this theory. Many believe that Brown is the best pure goal scorer of the Saskatoon alumni, and if he is able to find his scoring touch at the VHL level he will be able to become a star.