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*puolivalmiste* · 07-27-2023, 12:13 AM

For my second Deep dive I’ll take a look at career that against my expectations is still going on. A story that started in october 2018, 5 seasons before my last player was created and is still going on 5 seasons after Leppänen retired. He is one of two players who are still going on from the draft class 45, Andreas Kvalheim, Texas Renegades legend who now continues on on Toronto North Stars to achieve his final goal, the career record for most hits currently held by Mike Izzy.

But such a long career also has a starting point, a place that went quiet for a while until new team settled there. We look back to season 44 when Montreal Militia was still playing, this is @raymond3000 's 3rd player, first two made it into the HoF and only reasons I can think why Kvalheim wouldn’t join them are HoF just not running anymore or him never retiring, still there was some experience behind the bench and Kvalheim had decent season for a rookie on SimonT being top rookie of the team with 7 goals and 11 assists. From there on he played for total of 3 seasons with Militia scoring total of 40 goals and 44 assists. Already during his second season with Militia you could see his ability for physical play as he managed to record more than 100 hits on both his second and third season for combined total of 285 hits during his junior career.

After three seasons in Montreal Kvalheim moved up to Texas where he ended up playing for next 25 seasons. It took him few seasons to find his game in big leagues but the season 49 was first one during which he managed to score 40 points in 50 games and to folks reading remember this is still SimonT with lot lower scoring (standing SimonT era point record is 79 points in 50 games or 1,58 P/G), this is also the season when he first managed to break the 200 hit mark for the season.

Improving from there season 50 saw Kvalheim scoring total of 49 points and setting his career record for hits with 245. These stats ensured that at the end of the season Kvalheim would win his first award, Jeff Dar Trophy, which is given to best two-way forward of the season. Seasons 51 and 52 would be good steady seasons for Kvalheim with over 200 hits and breaking both 20 goal and 50 point marks, seasons 52 being first one when he made it to the Third All-Star team.

Then the move to FMH happened and Renegades came out of the gate everything but in good shape for it. Team struggled and so did Kvalheim scoring only 30 points and recording only 151 hits. Kvalheim had been playing as a winger until this point but for the season 54 he moved to Center where he would be playing until 62. Season 54 was bounceback season for Kvalheim as he set new personal record for points with 60 on 50 games and he ended up on Third All-Star team for second time.

Season 54 was also first one of his three consecutive Jeff Dar Trophies, bringing him to total of 4 which was at the time a league record (and is still a shared one). He was the backbone of the rising Renegades and got deserved recognition for it. As rest of the team was getting better and it wasn’t all riding on Kvalheims shoulders he doesn’t get opportunities to shine as much.

Still seasons 58 and 59 are his highest for total points and only times he managed to break 70 points by scoring 71 points each seasons, though at the time already on 66 games. Season 58 was also the time when he got to lift the Presidents trophy as team captain and only season later first Challenge Cup of his career. Season 60 was the first time in his career that he scored 30 goals. Season 61 on the otherhand would see Kvalheim for first and only time break 200 hits on FHM.

Kvalheim lifts the cup for the second time at the end of Season 62 to end his best playoffs performance of scoring 5 goals and 11 assists on 24 games. Unfortunately soon after yours truly pulls the plug and team nor Kvalheim doesn’t see another cup to this day. From season 63 onward Kvalheim would be moving back to wing and we see his age starting to show on the numbers he can pull. Still as a bit of surprise during season 66 to set his goal record by scoring 31 goals in 66 games.

As of the moment Kvalheim is franchise leader for most meaningful stats for Texas Renegades has scored total of 486 Goals (5th all time), 667 Assists for 1153 Points during (3rd all time) regular season, also he is 3rd on all time hits with 3428 and has over 700 blocked shots on 1490 games played. On top of that he has scored 97 points on 157 playoff games during his career.

Altogether, impressive career that this quick look doesn’t really do justice it deserves.

*CptSquall* · 07-27-2023, 12:41 PM

Approved, +5 TPE to @puolivalmiste

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