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Claimed: Casey Jones - Making Badass Sexy Again


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Biography

 

Standing at a slightly above average height of 6'1", defenseman Casey Jones is ready to make his mark in the VHLM and beyond. A native of New York City, the 195 pounder was a high school sports standout in hockey, baseball, basketball, and track, until a  torn ACL put a stop to his collegiate sports prospects. While playing at the Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx, Jones wore the Rams maroon and white with pride and efficiency during three and a half seasons prior to the injury. A decent skater with a heavy shot and a knack for mixing it up physically, Jones is the school's all-time leader in defensive scoring with 63 goals and 145 assists in 82 games. He struggled to excel in the classroom, but was a passable student.

 

Jones's injury occurred in a game during his senior year against the Rams' hated rivals, the Xavier Knights. Xavier winger Michael Crain dumped the puck into the Rams' corner halfway through the second period. Jones chased after the puck, but just as he was about to collect it, Crain hacked at the back of Jones's knee with the blade of his stick, tearing his ACL and sending Jones head-first into the boards. Crain was ejected from the game and served a 3 game suspension, but Jones's career at Fordham Prep had reached a bitter end. 

 

After being rushed to the hospital, Jones underwent a battery of tests. Assistant coach George Rift was by his side as much as possible during that fateful day. "I've never seen such a cheap shot," Rift would later tell a student reporter. "I've been on the phone with the CHSAA (Catholic High School Athletic Association) board to get that Crain punk expelled." Along with 23 stitches on his face, doctors declared that Jones's knee would take a 'miracle' to heal. The strong-willed Jones assured them that he would count this as his first miracle in his quest for sainthood, though the last was said with a twist of bitterness so strong that it is said Rift left the room. When word of the severity of his injury spread, collegiate programs ranging from Boston to Minnesota to North Dakota all revoked their offers, leaving Jones at a loss as to what to do after graduation. 

 

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Jones - a sexy badass

 

Jones ostracized himself from many of his teammates with his sudden aggressive attitude and temper. Without an athletic outlet for his physical gifts, Jones began to lift heavier weights while rehabbing his knee. At the time of his physical therapist declaring his knee 100 percent healed, and recalling the promise of a 'miracle', Jones had put on nearly 25 pounds of upper body muscle. Harnessing his frustrations, Jones took a hiatus from sports to fight crime in his native New York, but after aiding in the defeat of The Foot Clan, he felt the itch to return to the ice. Six months of on-ice training later, Jones would suit up for his first professional game, having signed an Amateur Tryout contract with the Las Vegas Aces of the VHLM.
 

Strengths

 

Skating
The most obvious strength in Casey Jones play is his skating ability. A recent scouting report had his skating rated as a B- on the VHL scale. Given how quickly Jones seems to be returning to form, it seems like only a matter of time before he ascends to the heights of the VHL elite in that category.

 

Scoring
As noted above, Jones has a heavy, accurate shot, which served him well at Fordham Prep. At this point, it's still coming up to speed, and scouts have rated it as a C on the VHL scale. The report also said that they expect Jones's shot to reach an A+ level in the near future. It should be noted that Jones put up 8 points in 14 playoff games, versus 0 points in 9 games during his regular season stint with the Aces.

 

Defense
While it was not necessarily a strength at Fordham Prep, Jones's extra muscle mass, coupled with a gritty determination, have led scouts to praise his play in his own zone as a strength. While there is plenty of room for improvement, most scouts have his defensive prowess rated as a C, with potential to end up in the A to A+ range, based largely on mental toughness and skating ability.

 

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Wearing alternate sweaters, Jones congratulates his goalie on a regular season win

 

Weaknesses

 

Checking
One thing that has yet to re-emerge from his earlier days is Jones's physical play. His checking is well below average even at the VHLM level, and some scouts question whether he will ever be able to be an effective hitter in the VHL. It is currently ranked as an F on the VHL scale.

 

Core Strength
Surprisingly, Jones's added musculature has yet to pay dividends in physical fitness categories. While scouts are confident this will improve in the future, as of this time they have him rated as an F in what they deem "hockey strength". 

 

Discipline
Casey Jones never had much of a reputation as being a disciplined player, but his time away from the sport, when he was fighting crime with golf clubs and cricket bats, has only exacerbated things. During the VHLM playoffs, Jones quickly earned a reputation as a trash talker. There is more leniency during the playoffs, however, so most of the time the officials let it slide. If Jones plans on being an elite scoring defenseman at the VHL level, he will need to get his temper under control.
 

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Following their game 4 defeat in the VHLM Finals, the Aces salute the home crowd, who responded with a standing ovation

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