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TOTAL RECALL: IGOR VICTORY S55 PROSPECT (2x DRAFT MEDIA)
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(This post was last modified: 07-13-2020, 09:12 AM by Wearingabear.)

TOTAL RECALL


The party’s over, the CD’s skipping, it’s time for Victory to put a rest on his rookie season.The Finnish Defenseman has a respectable rookie year while playing for the Anchorage Armada. Under the guidance of GM Max Brannagan, and the help of the rest of the Armada, Victory found himself adjusting to the intense travel, the brutal practices, and higher expectations that were put upon him in his first year playing outside of his native Finland.

The Tampere product found himself spending the majority of his year playing on the 3rd line, where he averaged around 18 minutes a night. He was able to net 4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points total. It was a bit far from the production levels he was achieving back home in Finland, but will look to take a big step forward this off season and spend some time focusing on his fitness and working with skills coaches to learn some new tricks for next season.

This playoffs saw Igor come out strong in the first game, where the Armada bested the 1st place Knights 6-2. He also secured his first SMJHL playoff goal and point, had 2 blocked shots and came out of the game with a plus 2 rating. He played all 7 games the Armada competed in, getting eliminated in game 7 against the Kelowna Knights, in a OT battle. Igor struggled a bit during the remainder of the games, with a stat line of 1G, 1A, 2P, -2 rating, he was physical on the ice with 1 fight, 9 hits, and 10 blocked shots.

After elimination from the 4 Star Cup playoffs, Victory joined team Finland for the WJC. This was his first time representing Finland in an international contest. Team Finland currently has a plethora of veteran blue liners, so Victory joined the team as a big puck moving 4th line checker.

No matter what he achieved during his rookie year, the big highlight for Igor Victory was getting drafted by the Anchorage Armada. It’s a moment that a lot of players dream of, but it’s not the end for him. After being drafted 48th overall, he had a lot to prove to himself, his coaches, his team, and the rest of the league. He’s now positioned himself to make sure he’s a strong case for a 1st or 2nd round draft in this year’s SHL draft. We asked him a few questions about this year’s draft.





DSL: Igor, you’ve had a fine rookie year, and seem like you’ve assimilated into Alaskan and American culture so far. How are you feeling about this year’s SHL draft?

IV: Thanks Dick, I’m feeling great about it. I put in a lot of work during the playoffs, and currently at the WJC and feel like I could make a difference at the big level.

DSL: Have any teams reached out to you pre-draft?

IV: Yeah, I’ve had a fair numbers of conversations with a couple of GMs and scouts from across the league. A lot of get-to-know-you type conversations, they’ve really only seen one year of me playing and we’re a bit isolated up here in Anchorage.

DSL: Any team that you’re favoring right now?

IV: Nobody in particular. I’d love to be on a team that has a strong work ethic, a prideful fan base, coaches that know how to get the best out of a team, and are poised to make some deep runs in the playoffs. Of course, less travel time would be nice, but that a minor detail.

DSL: Being up in Anchorage, how has the travel routine gone for you? That’s a lot of miles to travel anytime you play away.

IV: It’s brutal at times, but it makes it so the boys and I have a lot of quality time together. You learn something new about these guys all the time. Like, did you know that Chris de Siren loves playing pranks on the boys? I think he’s pulled one on every one except TURG, nobody wants to see the wrath of TURG on a plane.

DSL: I don’t envy spending that much time with TURG TURG. Let’s talk more about the draft, how are the pre-draft jitters treating you?

IV: Well, you know, after taking part in the SMJHL draft, I don’t quite have the same anxiety now that I did back then. Of course I’m still nervous, but I feel more confident in my abilities, my understanding of how North American hockey plays, the customs.

DSL: But this is the big leagues now, you’re seeming pretty confident in your play right now.

IV: Yeah, I’ve spent a lot of time this off season watching videos from my games, working with a specialty skills trainer, same guy that helped out Selanne, so I’m feeling pretty good about everything.

DSL: Anything you want SHL teams to know about you that they don’t already?

IV: There’s a lot more to me than what you’ve seen. This is only the beginning of my journey and I plan on being around the league for a long time.

DSL: Do you have any family coming out for the draft?

IV: Oh yeah, my mom, dad, and brother will all be out this year. It’ll be an exciting time to have them state side. I’m looking forward to hanging out with them.

DSL: Iggy, you just recently hosted the SHL Hall of Fame Ceremony, that's a pretty big thing to be doing, especially as a rookie. How was that experience?

IV: You know, when I found out that they wanted me to host this year, I was flabbergasted. Apparently they like rookies to do it to get a bit of exposure into the big league and learn more of the history of the SHL. So, of course I had to say yes. You can't turn that down. I got to meet some amazing players, see some great bands play, they had David Hasselhoff present, and Dominik Hasek, Sean Avery. An amazing time all around, I hope I'll be able to do it again, and if not, hopefully see my jersey hung up there one day.

DSL: Thanks for the time Igor, best of luck in this year’s draft.

IV: Thanks Dick, I’ll see you around.





It seems that young Igor, or Iggy (as in Iggy Pop), as the fans call him, has gained a lot of confidence in himself this year. Which he’ll need moving on up to the SHL, that league senses fear a mile away and if you’re not playing at your best every game, you’ll be back down in the ‘J for a while.

ESPN43 reporter Lubec Cebul has this quote from an unknown SHL GM about Igor:


Quote:“Igor possesses the ability to be a versatile blue liner. He has a commanding presence in his own zone, plays responsibly in the neutral zone, and makes every attempt to contribute while playing in the offensive zone. His physical stature is intimidating to a lot of the smaller, quick forwards coming in the league these days. From the point he can play either side, his slap shot is fearful for the goaltender, if he keeps up his training he could easily compete in the hardest shot competition. His shot has laser accuracy as well. Any team would welcome Igor on their blue line.”


We have a few more days before this year’s SHL draft, and from a lot of sources across the league, this is shaping up to be an extremely strong draft class. We hope that Igor has done enough to set himself apart from the rest of this year’s prospects. Good luck Igor Victory and everybody participating in this year’s SHL S55 draft.


Dictated, not read by Dick S. Lapper

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