Greatest UK Players of the Portal Era Pt. 2!

[SirRupertBarnes 217]

Welcome back to part 2 of the Greatest UK Players of the Portal Era. Last time we had a couple of the greatest players in VHL history, so let’s see what this part has to offer! If you’d like to check out part 1 of this list you can do so by clicking the following link; 

So far we've had 3 skaters selected, which means we have 2 more skaters and a goaltender remaining.

Now with that out of the way let’s get into the list!


D - Lance Flowers 1129 TPE  (@CowboyinAmerica)
To kick-start this list off we have defenseman Lance Flowers. Unlike the other players on this list Lance is the only player still currently active. After being selected 2nd overall by the New York Americans in S68, he has spent his career up to this point with them. In 421 contests (currently) he’s put up 58 goals and 273 assists for 331 points along with over 1500 hits and 700 shots blocked. He still has another 2 seasons left as well before he’s forced into retirement. Although New York hasn’t had too much playoff success so far, the limited time he has had he’s made the most of, recording 19 points in 19 playoff games. He was named rookie of the year in S68, as well as a two-time Jake Wylde trophy winner for best defensive defenseman. Even if Lance doesn’t win a cup in the next few seasons he’s had a great career regardless.


D - Jeff Hamilton 1124 TPA (Unknown)
Next up on the list we come to Jeff Hamilton. Jeff’s stats haven’t been fully recorded, only having stats from 5 regular seasons from S49 - S53 but was on 4 different teams in that short span. In 360 career games he recorded 122 goals and 346 assists for 468 points. He did have stats from 6 seasons in the playoffs spanning a 7 year time-frame between S47 - S53. In the 54 playoff games he put up 9 goals and 30 assists for 39 points. Although his numbers are little less than what they should be he’s still a solid defender winning the Alexander Beketov Trophy in S50 for being the league leader in points. He’s also a two-time Sterling Labatte Trophy winner for the league’s top defenseman. He also managed to win a cup in S51 with Riga. Overall not a bad career for a defenseman.


G - Finn Davison 1364 TPE (@Poptart)
Now with skaters finished off we move onto the goalie which is none other than Finn Davison. In 487 regular season games Davison posted a 230-198-53 record along with 36 shutouts and a career .920SV% and 2.54GAA. He was never able to go very deep in the playoffs only ever playing in 1 or 2 rounds. However, he did win a Greg Clegane Trophy for lowest GAA in the league in S68 along with an Aidan Shaw Trophy for the league’s top goaltender in the same season. He may not be as decorated as other goalies, he had a solid career none-the-less and deserved a mention. In my personal opinion he was snuffed a second Aidan Shaw trophy in S71 having very similar stats to the winning goalie but achieving the same amount of wins and 2 more shutouts in 6 less games played. He had a .926SV% and 2.00GAA for crying out loud.



That does it for part two of the Greatest UK Players of the Portal Era. Thanks for checking out my article and be sure to check back for more in the near future. If there’s a country you’d like to see me do next let me know!

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Edited August 20, 2020 by SirRupertBarnes

[CowboyinAmerica 2,708]

Good stuff! Hans Wingate (Scotland) just missed the portal era too being S43-50, have had good luck with UK players

[SirRupertBarnes 217]

10 hours ago, CowboyinAmerica said:

Good stuff! Hans Wingate (Scotland) just missed the portal era too being S43-50, have had good luck with UK players

Some players that made it to the portal, their stats didn’t carry properly anyway. Just look at Jeff Hamilton for example

[Plate 285]

Review

I'm here to destroy your career with bad writing advice and corn on the cob. I appreciate the changes to both the title of the series (nice way to cover yourself for not having access to information on players before the portal era). And changing the format from the best "team" from players in their history, to just ranking the best players is an improvement in my books. It lets some nations be a bit more competitive and interesting to look at. 

My vote for the next country is Germany. And just because it's in the rules for me to "rank" your article I rank it 8 Jerry's out of 10.