S35 Super Cup

[HOF 91]

Season 35 VHL Super Cup

The inaugural VHL Super Cup was held in the off-season after the first season on the VHL's third website and enthusiasm was high following a great all-around league effort in saving the VHL before Season 35. Poor draft planning resulting in a two-week draft and a lack of prepared playoff structure was a sign of some growing pains, but on the whole, the tournament was a success.

The Pogge Sticks became the first Super Cup champions after defeating The McCreath Eaters 2 games to 1 in the final series.

The Teams

Maximum Desny

Former New York Americans GM and later Cologne Express GM Ryan Power (Devise22) was one of six GMs appointed and he chose to name his team after legendary Helsinki Titans goaltender Maxim Desny, one of the top goalies in the first 5 seasons of the VHL and the first ever playoff MVP in a losing effort in Season 3.

The team had a little superstar talent in first overall pick Ethan Osborne and Devise's own goaltender Skylar Rift, reigning playoff MVP, but sacrificed success for activity and went for youngsters such as Conner Low, Naomi Young, Matt Bentley, and Robin Gow. Maximum Desny was eliminated without making the playoffs as they finished with the worst record in the tournament.

McNeil and the Steals

About to be named GM of the young Toronto Legion, Tyler Edgar gained some managing experience in the inaugural Super Cup. His team name was inspired by Alex McNeil, best known for his expoits in Seattle alongside Scotty Campbell and Scott Boulet's main competition for the title of the VHL's best two-way forward in the league's first 6 seasons.

Edgar banked on the upcoming success of teams like Toronto and Davos and was rewarded with superb performances from the likes of Davey Jones, Reggie Dunlop, and Felix Zamora. The team has the luxury of one of the VHL's top centers Kameron Taylor merely providing depth scoring (still above a point-per-game pace) and were rewarded by finishing in overall first place in the regular season. Entrusting another Davos player, rookie Lennox Moher in goal, however, led to an upset in the first round by the eventual champions.

Pogge Sticks

One of the Super Cup's most dedicated organisers, Squinty, was rewarded by building the champions and honouring the name of Matthew Pogge, Maxim Desny's main goaltending rival all those years ago and the league's first ever playoff MVP. Pogge was a staple of the best 4 seasons in Vasteras IK history which ended upon his retirement.

An unfancied squad at the end of the regular seasons, the Pogge Sticks pulled through two gruelling 3-game series thanks to recent cup-winning experience from Quebec trio Wesley Kellinger, Niklas Valiq, and Roberto Martucci, along with Helsinki Titans goaltending superstar Tuomas Tukio.

Shirokov Not Stirred

Perhaps this Super Cup's least-known GM, Alex Kachur, appropriately named his team after a relatively forgotten Hall of Fame defenceman Petr Shirokov, one of the VHL's first Hall of Famers and a star of any team he played for during his short 4-season career.

Kachur was dealt a tough hand in the draft lottery with the last pick of the first round but he used that and the first pick of the second to draft the underrated Evgeni Chekhov and Anatoli Zhumbayev. Chekhov outperformed many much more heralded goaltenders and was possibly MVP of the tournament, but the fairy tale ended with a sweep by The McCreath Eaters.

The McCreath Eaters

The tournament's only first-gen GM, Green, in the midst of Remy LeBeau's prime, built a team which came within one game of winning the Super Cup. Perhaps it was the power of two-time Continental Cup champion Adrian McCreath, a member of the great Seattle Bears dynasty and another goalie, successor to Desny and Pogge's throne.

The roster was not a pre-tournament favourite but with LeBeau channelling his well-known "LeGod" mode and Yuri Grigorenko leading all players in scoring, the Eaters delivered the only sweep of the playoffs in the first round.

The Reynaud Raid

Sebastian Ball, Seattle's captain in Seasons 13 and 14, opted to name his team after an earlier Bears defenceman, the pioneering offensive defenceman Patrice Reynaud. One of the longest-serving players of the first decade, Reynaud was yet another member of the S4-S5 Seattle Bears who swept all before them.

Their first pick was the modern Reynaud, goal-scoring blue-liner Alexander Valiq. He now had cup-winning pedigree too and led the team in goals but it was a couple seasons too soon for the likes of Sergey Brovalenko, Willem Janssen, Sebastian Ball Jr. and Eggly Bagelface.

First Round Draftees
1. MAXIMUM DESNY: C - Ethan Osborne
2. MCNEIL AND THE STEALS: C - Kameron Taylor
3. POGGE STICKS: G - Tuomas Tukio
4. THE MCCREATH EATERS: RW - Yuri Grigorenko
5. THE REYNAUD RAID: D - Alexander Valiq
6. SHIROKOV NOT STIRRED: G - Evgeni Chekhov

Full draft: http://www.vhlforum.com/index.php?/topic/2694-s35-vhl-super-cup-draft-thread/

Top Scorers
1. Yuri Grigorenko (McCreath) - 33
2. Davey Jones (McNeil) - 31
T3. Reggie Dunlop (McNeil) - 25
T3. Malcom Spud (Reynaud) - 25
5. Matteo Gallo (McNeil) - 24
T6. Ethan Osborne (Desny) - 22
T6. Felix Zamora (McNeil) - 22
T6. Till Lindemann (McNeil) - 22
T9. Wesley Kellinger (Pogge) - 21
T9. Kameron Taylor (McNeil) - 21
T9. Sergey Brovalenko (Reynaud) - 21
T9. Doug Clifford (Desny) - 21
T9. Leon Leitner (Reynaud) - 21
T9. Mattis Trumbauer (McCreath) - 21

Full list: http://www.vhlsim.net/35-SuperCup/SC35-ProLeaders.html

Final Results
1. Pogge Sticks
2. The McCreath Eaters
T3. McNeil and the Steals
T3. Shirokov Not Stirred
5. The Reynaud Raid
6. Maximum Desny