RavenSkill Development Feature Article #2 — Ready For The Spotlight: Alex Letang

[Patrik Tallinder 1,087]

Ready For The Spotlight: Alex Letang

Presented By Lucas Tallinder

 

Moscow is a team with a rich history of defensemen. Dean Clarke, Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen, Oskar Lagesson, and the current leader for the Beketov Trophy, Vladimir Pavlov, all find themselves in the top 10 in all-time points for the club. However, with Pavlov retiring at the conclusion of S74, that leaves big shoes to fill for next season. There is a player on this roster who has proven himself as more than worthy of this opportunity, and that is Alex Letang.

 

Let’s face it; Everyone knows who @Spartan is. This article isn’t highlighting some up-and-coming player that is under everyone’s radar, but rather it is providing insight on an impending breakout season for the former first round prospect.

 

Build

Alex Letang is a smooth two-way defenseman with outstanding hockey sense that serves him well all over the ice. He rarely makes poor decisions with the puck, and moves the puck up the ice with ease. His physical play has not been up to par with the rest of his game, but it is an area that is gradually improving, judging by his +10 upgrade in CK since the end of S73. It is indisputable that he is a remarkably effective player at both ends of the ice, and it is a crazy concept that he is still relatively early in his development.

 

TPE Earning

It has been 31 full weeks since Letang was created, and he is yet to have missed any capped TPE. His 372 capped TPE from completed weeks (so not including the weeks ending or starting today) places him 7th in the S72 draft, and every player above him created their player at least two weeks before he did. He has also averaged 20 TPE over his last 6 full weeks, which is obviously fantastic.

 

Next Season’s Opportunities

At the moment, Letang is getting really solid minutes with the Menace, but they will be increasing even more in S75. Next season, Moscow’s defense likely looks like this:

 

Lagesson - Letang

Stansson - Palloon

 

The second pair is obviously a step down from the top pair, even if Palloon is a really solid rookie to have for next season. This will likely result in even more even-strength icetime for Letang.

 

Also, the Canadian defender will make the transition to the top powerplay unit alongside Oskar Lagesson. I expect him to add some extra tallies on that unit, especially considering some of the weapons it consists of.

 

Conclusion

While Letang is no hidden gem, I believe that the significance of his next season can not be understated. He is already top 10 in points among VHL defensemen, yet there could be another gear for him to reach; one that will establish himself as one of the league’s premier players.

 

 

Just as a side note, we would like to give a massive congratulations to our very own Lincoln Tate @Tate on an amazing career! We will be covering his career in another feature article, so stay tuned for that. Here’s to hoping he can finish it with another Continental Cup. Red Lite is also welcome to join the program if he wishes!