IIHF Dream Team

[DMaximus 1,046]

When I think of Dream Team, of course the first thing to come to mind is the original dream team, the 1992 US men’s basketball team. The greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet. That got me thinking that I should make a VHL dream team based upon performance in the IIHF tournaments, the World Juniors and the World Cup. Here’s my IIHF VHL dream team.

 

Offense

Lars Berger @Victor (S20, S22, S24 Gold Medals, S16 Silver Medal, S18 Bronze Medal. Sweden and Scandinavia)

Name	GP	G	A	P
Lars Berger	60	45	39	83

 

Berger was an integral part of Scandinavia’s early World Cup success. He led the entire tournament in scoring in S20 and S24 (and maybe more, but some records have been destroyed). Berger recorded the 2^nd most points in the history of the VHL IIHF, just behind England’s David Smalling. Berger makes the team over Smalling because of how successful him and his teams were.

 

Scotty Campbell @scotty (S6 Gold Medal, S4 Bronze Medal. Team Switzerland and Team Central Europe)

Name	GP	G	A	P
Scotty Campbell	18	21	36	57

 

It would be hard to have any VHL dream team list and not include the greatest scorer in the history of the league. Campbell appeared in 3 World Cups and lead the tournament in scoring in each of them. He averaged 3.17 points/game in World Cup play. In the S2 World Cup he recorded and absolutely bonkers stat line of 6GP, 9G, 16A, 25P.

 

Leph Twinger @DollarAndADream (S62, S66 Gold Medal, S64 Bronze Medal. Team Canada)

Name	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	HIT	HTT	SHT	SHT%	SB	MP	AMG
Leph Twinger	57	32	38	70	25	47	103	115	304	10.53%	35	1413	24.79

 

Leph had a respectable career in the VHL, but they really turned into a monster during international competitions.  He burst onto the scene by helping Canada win gold in both the Junior Worlds (recording 21 points in 10 games) and the World Cup (recording 13 points in 12 games). A strong S66 performance led Leph and Canada to a 2^nd gold medal. His dominance in S62 earned his way onto the dream team.

 

 

Defense

Kristian Carlsson @sherifflobo (S20, S22, S24, S26 Gold Medals, S18 Bronze Medal. Sweden and Scandinavia)

Player Name	Team	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Kristian Carlsson	SWE	60	9	40	49

 

Kristian’s stats have largely been lost to time and there is not a lot of footage to view on this player. But the stories told of this heroic Sweden national are all you need to know to recognize they deserve a spot on this dream team. The most decorated IIHF player of all time, they won 4 gold medals and one bronze medal for Sweden and Team Scandinavia.

 

Tzuyu @tfong (S64, S70 Gold Medals, S66, S68 Silver Medals, S62 Bronze Medal. Team World)

Name	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	HIT	HTT	SHT	SHT%	SB	MP	AMG
Tzuyu	72	15	42	57	9	32	77	82	200	7.50%	142	2038	28.3

 

Tzuyu has played the most international games in the history of the VHL. Actually, he’s tied with teammate Ryan Kastelic. Tzuyu gets the nod on to the dream team because Kastelic switched to a forward for his last tournament. Tzuyu was the stalwart defenseman who helped team World’s run of 6 consecutive medals.

 

Goalie

Brick Wahl @BladeMaiden (S66 Gold Medal, Canada)

Name	GP	W	L	OTL	PCT	GAA	MP	PIM	SO	GA	SA	SAR	A	EG	PS%	PSS	PSA
Brick Wahl 2	49	32	13	3	.931	2.10	2937	8	5	103	1486	0	1	1	.824	14	17

 

The 2^nd coming of Brick Wahl was an absolute beast in international play. A save percentage of .931 and a Goals Against Average of 2.10 are both the best of any goalie playing more than 15 games. Their 32 wins is 2^nd best all time and their winning percentage of .667 is one of the top winning percentages of any goalie with 15+ games played. Their legendary performance in the medal round of the S66 World Cup with a save % of .965 and a GAA of 1.33 was strong enough to win Wahl the Top Goaltender and the Tournament MVP awards.

[DollarAndADream 3,357]

What a crazy career Twinger had. Just dominates on international ice, but pretty average otherwise.

[Victor 11,043]

20s Scandinavia OP