Esports League - Dad's Top Left Defense

This one was by far the toughest to do - i did not realize how stacked LD is. I feel like most of these players are interchangeable in the rankings. I went off a combination of recent and past success in LGHL, ESHL, Pro Series, and from playing with and against them. I had to guess the primary side for a few players and left them off thinking they are RD (@P E R I D O T 9 and others). I also though @Desjy99 was a RD and realized he isn't once I was done, but he would be in the top-20 somewhere (put him at 31 cause it was easiest, and I don't feel like doing anymore).


1. @SkillzPayBills3 – Rating: 96

It was a tough decision who to put #1, Pattelite or Skillz, but this guy has had too much success, winning 3 Canam Golds (2 on PS4) and 2 ESHL events (one on each system). He’s a great lockdown d-man, but I think he is the most skilled in the offensive zone with the ability to find forwards cutting to the net for dunks. It should be impressive to see him on 19 with the new skating mechanics.

2. @Gwan – Rating: 96

Honestly, there is too much to write about Gwan – Canam Gold, Stanley Cups, ESHL Championships, Norris Trophies, the list goes on and on. Like Skillz, he can shut it down in the defensive zone, but his vision on the breakouts is what separates him from the rest – great seam passes to spring his forwards and the ability to carry it if there is not a pass open. I got to play a couple games in beta with Gwan, and it looked like he will be even better.

3. @TypicalPlayer33 – Rating: 95

You can argue that Devin would be a top 5 at any position, but I went with LD. It’s too tough to separate his achievements on LD vs. other positions, but he has over 220 wins in LGHL in 325 games played. He was also an important part of ’s year-end ESHL championship, going 8-1 in the playoffs.

4. @G lR ii M x – Rating: 94

I’m only going to look at what he has done on this account because I would have to spend a whole day just doing the research on Grim alone. Grim won 2 ESHL events with 2 different teams – and Icebreakers, which is pretty impressive. He also won Gold in the most recent Canam. Putting his questionable actions aside, there is no denying his skill and his ability to be a top 5 LD.

5. @Optehic – Rating: 93

Sound the Rated R alarm! Optic continues to get better every season in LGHL. He is still relatively new, being the #1 overall draft in S27. Already a 3x All-Star (I am willing to bet it is 4 including S30), Optic has won a Stanley Cup and is one of the favorites to take home his first Norris Trophy. He has also played a major role with the success of Rated R in ESHL.

6. @xW 4 R D – Rating: 93

Rumor has it that Ward is making his comeback. While he has not played a game on LG in over a year, I am still taking him high at the LD spot, assuming he will be as good, if not better, than he was back in the day.

7. @Boany – Rating: 92

Boany is regarded as one of the best with multiple Canam selections and winning one Gold Medal. He has been an All-Star multiple times in LGHL with a total record of 203-93-21. He is another elite player that does not play the game much any more, but he doesn’t seem to miss a beat when he does get on for some games.

8. @Nuge – Rating: 92

Nuge has had a lot of success in his long NHL career, and I believe he has switched his focus recently to HUT / Verses (I may be wrong here). If an esports league happened, I believe Nuge would be back on the 6s scene, and would be every ounce as good as he ever was.

9. @officialmark07 – Rating: 91

Omark showed he is still elite most recently in Canam, going 3-1-1 and helping his teach capture the Gold. He is also an impressive 224-110-43 in LGHL with a Norris Trophy to show for it. Another guy that seemed more interest in NHL a few years ago than he is now, but maybe an NHL league would give him incentive to get back into it.

10. @TurboYuri – Rating: 90

I begged Sejje to let me trade for Yuri in S29 like a child begging his parents for a puppy, and he wouldn’t let me. I believe that was during S3 of ESHL, and I remember watching one of his games and thinking “who is this LD” – he was just controlling the game when his team was outmatched on paper. I think Yuri has a high ceiling that he can reach, and we may see that again in NHL19.

11. @DurkRiot – Rating: 90

One of the up in coming d-men, Durk has the potential to be a superstar. He is already great and continues to improve. He has an impressive 67-17-8 record in just 3-seasons on LGHL. I think he has a similar skillset to Gwan, which is a huge compliment.

12. @Jer Dubz – Rating: 90

A great 6s player that has recently been focusing on verses, almost making the tournament in Vegas. If he had a reason to switch that focus to 6s I can see him being one of the most skilled LD that falls out of the top 10. He has an impressive record in LGHL, sitting at 150-63-9, and he played a major role for Hall of Fame in ESHL, putting up an impressive fight against in the year-end tournament.

13. @LiLNickaI93 – Rating: 89

My boy Johnny Appleseed, another Rated R d-man that has most recently taken a backup role to Optic, but I believe he has the potential to be on the same level. He is one of my favorite LD to play with even though we do not have a ton of games together. He won a cup in S24 of LGHL and recently has had some insanely high contracts on below average teams, but he still manages to go above .500 every season (not easy to do as a d man on bad teams).

14. @Terry No LOVE – Rating: 89

Terry has a Canam Gold in S4 and has had some impressive LGHL seasons in the past, but recently has focused on ESHL with his team, Hall of Fame. He has an impressive ESHL record (63-37-12 with a +39), and they almost broke through in S4, but lost to Icebreakers in the finals and taking Silver.

15. @Dxwny – Rating: 89

I don’t know too much about Dxwny on new gen, so I may have him lower than he should be. He has a reputation of being a great d-man, and I believe he is a younger kid that will have time to play the game a lot if he enjoys it. He has been a member of Composure and Common Kings in ESHL.

16. @Tom 0 – Rating: 89

We thought Tom 0 was a robot when he destroyed us on Motor City Magic during a Pro Series event. Tom continuously has success in every league, making 3 All-Star teams in LGHL and playing pivotal roles with Turning Point in ESHL.

17. @Curi0sity – Rating: 88

I told Sejje that he was my sleeping during S29 bidding – he only went for $8m… I guess he wasn’t much of a sleeper. While he went for quite a bit in bidding, I think he is a bit of an unknown player on Xbox, but having a ton of success on PS4. He carried that PS4 success to xbox ESHL and has an impressive 38-20-8 record with a +37 over two seasons.

18. @Dumba x 55 – Rating: 88

Surprisingly, I played with Dumba for the first time ever in NHL 18, and I immediately loved how he played. Solid all around, great in the d-zone and makes nice breakout passes. He has had some nice seasons in LGHL, most recently going 19-6-3 with the S30 Oilers.

19. @GETHESEHANDS – Rating: 69

Everybody’s favorite LG personality, Frank. After playing the beta, I feel like EA watched Frank over the last 2-years and made a game specifically for him. When he is on the ice, it is tough to tell if it is a hockey game or a mosh pit at a 90s rock concert, bodies are flying everywhere. He might not even need a stick in NHL19 to make the top 20 list. You would have to assume he would be surrounded by great players in an esports league, so I do not think there would be much to worry about, and I think he would be able to play seriously. Even if he does screw around NHL19 is made for it, and he would still be elite. He is already practicing the new game style during the current LGHL playoffs, ripping off the RB button from his controller.

20. @I_Smash_Fatties – Rating: 88

One of the major players for the S29 Stanley Cup Jets, I_Smash_Fatties was an absolute pain in the ass to have in my conference. He continues his winning ways each season and has recently captured his 200th win.

21. @iTz x Luigi x

22. @mayweddaa

23. @lF0Xl - I don't think he will play LD, but I couldn't leave him off with his recent performances.

24. @goonderk

25. @SchroyDaddy

26. @l FreeStyle 7 l

27. @Nybo x 3

28. @ka2good

29. @Landy Byng

30. @Brisan66

31. @Desjy99


Honorable Mention

61. @Pattelite – Overall: 59

After coming off an impressive S29 with the Blackhawks, it seems the Anaconda Stud has gotten some major shrinkage, getting only 6-wins on above average teams in S30. I was hoping S29 wasn’t an outlier, but it looks like my friend Patt is struggling. I truly hope he can get back to his S29 form in NHL 19, but he did not have a great start with @SNipeSHow Inc coning him and scoring 6 goals in a beta game.

Again, apologies for anyone I missed.

 

jeeeeesus dan, 28th? rip

 

Nice job buddy

 

You don’t have enough lg / eshl stats and I need to use some numbers to back up rankings! Plus you are 57 years old, you gotta be on the decline in 19 I’m guessing.

 

@D4D USA what about Ptecyr smh

 

Great writeup! I feel my my LG stats especially on the Xbox side don't show much of how I am as a player. I can tell you put some time into this great stuff!

 

I had him but couldn’t find his gt and I don’t know much about him so I just left him off haha

 

rip my dream

 

@D4D USA he changed it to NoThumbsSweatyAF

 

lol nuge ahead of @officialmark07 ? yikes...

 

Brisan is ass

 

I actually flipped these two a couple times but the deciding factor was patt would be more pissed the higher nuge was.

 

What position am i considered?

 

I figured lw but wasn’t sure

 

@GETHESEHANDS Rating “69” lmao

 

Haha that’s the position i have played least. Do a utility player list. I play all the positions

 

Thanks for the mention @D4D USA You are right tho I am switching back to lw...for now at least

 

My son @Vargy isnt here

 

@MattMurr

Needs to be on the list if you are gunna list mark, nuge and boany imo