Miami Dream Team

[Ricer13 2,592]

      Miami has only been around for two and a half seasons but in that short time there has been come certified studs that have come across our locker room. It is still to early to say if the newest players will live up to the hype of the players of the past but I am going to assemble my dream lineup of Miami Marauder's. There will also be some honorable mentions because it was far to difficult to narrow this down to only six players.

The Center
 

      This was tough because we have had some legendary centers come through the Miami locker room. I went with probably the best offensive center to have come through the Miami organization. Dakota Lamb @dlamb came out in his rookie season with 93 points in 72 games. He played second line minutes on a middle of the pack Miami team and put up some serious numbers to lead all forwards in points that season. He also led the team with 37 goals which led to the inaugural goal scoring trophy to be named after Dakota Lamb himself. He followed up a spectacular rookie season with another 90 + point season which saw another increase in goals scored up to 44 which was yet again tops on the team. This led to him winning the Dakota Lamb Trophy in back to back seasons. While Lamb was an amazing player on the ice where he really shined was off the ice. He was always in the locker room engaging with his team and was an even bigger presence in the VHL discord which many had taken notice. He is now having an unbelievable rookie season with Warsaw and the future is sure to be bright for this star player. 

Honorable Mention: Andre Lebastard @Andre LeBastard was the captain of the Miami Marauders for two seasons. He played a huge role in bonding the Miami teammates together and creating one of the best locker room environments to be in. Unfortunately he parted ways with the game due to personal reasons and that is why he is an honorable mention.

The Right Winger
 

Again this was a close one for me but I am going to have to go with right winger Patrik Laine @PatrikLaine. Miami lucked out when drafting this young player as he was destined to play in the VHL last season. Miami took a flyer on him with a fifth round pick and boy did it ever pay off. Helsinki ended up sending Laine down the the minors where he would immediately make an impact on the Marauder's team ASAP. Laine came in a bit cocky and wanted to score 50 goals but was humbled by the process of playing on a team with a lot of great young players. He had to share the ice and he did so willingly. Laine was a player that spent time on almost all 4 lines last season and and still put up 76 points in 72 games. The best part about Laine though is his passion for this league. He spent a lot of time interacting with other members while pumping out a ton of content for the VHL. You really got to know Laine as well because he would constantly be writing articles updating you on his player throughout the season. He is having a decent rookie season up in the VHL now with Helsinki playing limited minutes but its only a matter of time before this young star breaks out!

The Left Winger?

     So my choice for this position is actually another right winger. Its the VHLM so wingers can play wherever I want haha. Oh Sens @osens is who I would slot on the other wing to play along side Lamb and Laine. Sens loved to walk the line in the dressing room. He knew how to push other team mates buttons but he was always there to have his team mates back. He was always very consistent on both ends of the ice I would even say the best two way winger to have played in Miami to date. He racked up 134 points in 144 games while finishing with a plus minus of +37. He is a player I could move up and down the line up and he would elevate the play of lines that may have been slumping. He is now up in the VHL where he was just traded to the Toronto Legion. He has had a bit of a slow start from a production stand point but has been given limited minutes. He is going to be a solid player for seasons to come and that is why he would slot into a winger position on my Miami dream team.

 

Honorable Mention: Luke Thornton @Jtv123 I have to mention because he made a big impact during his one season with Miami. He was a playmaking winger who could slot in anywhere in the lineup. He began to excel once I moved him on to the top line to play along side Lamb and Sens or Laine. What impressed me the most about this player was the amount of work he put into training. He worked so hard on and off the ice that he earned himself a number one overall ranking in the S74 VHL draft. He ended up sliding to Calgary in the draft which in my opinion was the steal of the draft as they now have a winger who is going to run their top line for many seasons to come. 

The Defenders

     This was relatively easy for me to choose who my two defensemen would be. They are the first two guys I think of when I think of Miami and defensemen. The first player I will mention is Kosmo Kramerev @Mongoose87 who spent only one season with Miami during their inaugural season. This guy was an absolute machine on the ice. He is a huge reason the Marauder's made the playoffs that first season putting up 106 points in 72 games as a defensemen. He had 259 shots from the back end in that season and contributed 142 blocks. He did it all for this team and it was sad to see it cut short. He was called up to the Calgary Wranglers where he played his rookie season in the VHL. He did very well considering he was getting very limited minutes racking up 36 points in his rookie season. Now Calgary has moved out some players Kramerev will be looking to log some big minutes and will soon shine again.

     Secondly is my personal favorite Wolf Stansson @ahockeyguy. He is currently second all time in points by a Marauder and he plays defense. He totaled 145 points in 144 games played for Miami and was the constant on the back end for the team. He had a leadership presence in the locker room and all of his team mates looked up to him. You could pair Wolf with anyone and he would instantly make them better. Unfortunately it seems his activity has dipped a bit as of late but I hope that turns around. He is a great member in this league and could really prove to be a solid piece for Moscow in the near future. So based on his play on the ice and the friendly nature of the player off the ice that is was Wolf Stansson would slot beside Kosmo Kramerev on my Miami dream team.

 

Honorable Mention: Matty Socks @fishy played one season with Miami but damn was it a good one. She put up 104 points as a defensemen in 72 games with Miami and played very similarly to how Kosmo Kramerev did in his first season with Miami. She played a ton of minutes for Miami and was a big part of the reason they made it to the finals. Her consistent play on the ice is why I would consider her an honorable mention. She wasn't always very active in the locker room but was constantly working to improve her player and the future is bright for this future star.

The Bacon (Goalie)

This was easy. Who doesn't love bacon? I know I love bacon and so did all of his teammates. He was an absolute monster in net for Miami backstopping them all the way to a Founder's cup final last season. He was always a slow earner but made up for it with his locker room presence. He was a locker room favorite because of his great sense of humor and how supportive he was of the team. He was basically an entire cheerleading squad for the team. He still plays up in New York but is still earning at a slower rate. His attention has been focused more on being an AGM of the Mississauga Hounds where he is doing a fantastic job. For all the reasons mentioned above that is why @Baconis my choice for my Miami dream team.

There you have it. While Miami is still a fairly new franchise there has been some amazing talent come through and this is who I would choose to squad up against any of your rosters. There is bound to be some amazing talent to continue coming through here and I can't wait to write about this again in the future. 

Word Count: 1559

[Ricer13 2,592]

Claim for doubles

[dlamb 1,299]

If only Kramerev had stayed for another season, and Andre was around. What could have been....

[fishy 1,755]

8 minutes ago, Ricer13 said:

damn was it a good one

you're damn right it was a good one, all for an honorable mention smh

[Ricer13 2,592]

Claim 1/3

[Ricer13 2,592]

Claim 2/3

[Ricer13 2,592]

Claim 3/3

[a_Ferk 760]

Hello. I liked your dream team article, and thought your selections were pretty good, though I bet this was easy because of how short Miami has existed lol. Anyways, I would have maybe did something different with the headers for each player. I think it would have benefit from having a label for each player as well as each position. Other than minor formatting changes I think this article is worthy of 10/10