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*SimmiZ* · 11-08-2015, 08:50 PM

Bursts · 11-08-2015, 08:51 PM

PIMs â€“ William Fedorov

Who would have thought?! William Fedorov was viewed by many as the model of a gentlemanly, play-by-the-rules defenseman, yet the pre-season showed us a different side than the writers sold us. We expected to see the big Russian throw the body cleanly and make slick passes up ice on the breakout, and while we saw some of that in his game, the man racked up enough penalty minutes to reach the vaunted fourth spot on the League Leaderâ€™s board! We certainly didnâ€™t think he wasnâ€™t going to get any penalties, but we didnâ€™t see this many in his future when pre-season started.

What were some of the ways he amassed so many PIMs? Let me tell you.

First we have a strange incident where at the tail end of a 5-3 powerplay Fedorov pinched low to help the cycle, and after throwing it back around behind the net to the other side began skating backwards toward the point since the penalties were about to expire. In the process of not really skating hard or even trying to check anyone, he ran over both men coming out of the box seconds apart and got two interference penalties. When have you ever seen that happen?! Despite the obviously accidental contact, and the fact that only one minor at most should have been handed out if anything, Fedorov was sent to the box for 2 minutes, while another player had to serve his other two minutes giving the opposing team a strange transition from a 5-3 PK to a 5-3 PP. I was astounded when I saw it, and Iâ€™m still astounded writing about it!

Next we have the game where William was given 5 minor penalties all for delay of game. 10 minutes of delay of game penalties!!! When have you ever seen that from a single team much less a single player on one team? The man just could not stop getting easy, lofting clearing attempts stuck in the rafters. Technically they never left play but there are still 2 pucks on top of the video board, 1 wedged between two PA speakers, and 2 resting on various girders up there. Since they never came back down, the referees had no choice but to hand out delay of games for each puck lost like that since they never ricocheted off of anything beforehand. Fedorov was put through clearing drills for a week after that game.

The final instance Iâ€™ll bring up wasnâ€™t as crazy as the last two, but still managed to add a big chunk to Fedorovâ€™s time in the box. Yes, Iâ€™m talking about that game. Fedorov managed to get more than half of his PIMs in the pre-season from a single game! He started the tally out around the 7:30 mark of the first when he put an opposing forward over the top of his own net from behind. He chased him back there, and just shoved him off the puck, but he went tumbling over the top of the net and over goaltender Adam Demko. As we look back at the hit, we really donâ€™t see that he did anything wrong, but at the same time; what do we expect the linesman to do in that situation? When you see a player just go sailing over the net like that, you hand out a penalty. 5 minute major right out the gate. During the 2nd and first half of the third he racked up a few more expected penalties: 2 minutes for roughing during an after-the-play scrum, 2 minutes for cross-checking while clearing the crease, and 2 more for interference. The rest all came from the last 3 minutes of the game when he got into his only fight of the pre-season. Demko had been pulled after allowing 6 goals before the third period, and was replaced by Selena Bauer. Conall Mcleod had just threaded a beautiful shot right over Bauerâ€™s glove and then decided to taunt her a little bit. Tensions had been running high all game what with all the penalties from the Falcons and all the goals off the power play for Halifax. We still donâ€™t know what was said, but Fedorov took exception and went after Macleod. Danny Ridley was NOT happy about anyone going after his teamâ€™s leading scorer and stepped in. If you want to see one of the most epic pre-season fights, go over to SMJHLHockeyFights.orgnet and watch this thing. Fedorov only got tagged for one fight despite trying to fight two more players after his fight with Ridley. Of course, his behavior was so ridiculous that the refs also had to hand out an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a 10-minute game misconduct. 17 minutes of penalties added on to an already impressive total of 11. Fedorov finished one game in a season where he topped out at 43 penalty minutes with 28!

The unpredictability of William Fedorov where he spends most of his time out of the box but then goes on a ridiculous sin bin spree, is why I have to put him at the top of my list for who will come out of the SMJHL Regular Season as the penalty minutes leader.

(This was like 850+ words because I just had too much fun writing it!)

Beaty · 11-08-2015, 10:04 PM

David Dvorak will lead the league in rookie scoring and be the most impressive rookie this season.

David Dvorak entered this draft a little under the radar and was taking in the third round by the Colorado Mammoths. Before he left his home country of Czech Republic, Dvorak played in a men's league where he led the league in goals and points and went on to win the ZaÃ©lic trophy which is giving to the MVP of the season, as well as having a trophy named after him for breakout performer of the year. The showcase was his first time playing competitively in North America he showed amazing moments of pure brilliance where he could control the game and set up plays as if he was a veteran. He has a nice shot that doesn't need a lot of room to be lethal and he can skate quite well too. A likely linemate for Dvorak will be fellow rookie Sim Browski. The duo could prove to be a deadly one if the players can create chemistry. Through 4 games, the Mammoths are the top team in the league, and Dvorak has 3 points while playing 3rd line minutes. If he continues with these numbers you can expect for him to move up the depth chart and potentially slide into the 2nd line. With more ice time he could most certainly be a point per game player. He has also been working on improving his passing since joining the team, which could make him even more of a threat if he were able to either snipe a goal top shelf, or thread the needle to give a teammate a chance.
Whether he is on the third line, or second line, David Dvorak is a force to look for in this SMJHL season.

[301 words]

Cyanide · 11-08-2015, 10:47 PM

The Whalers are coming into this season with a roster filled with young talented defensemen such As MVP, while some retiring favourites such as Cody Black. Other defensemen on this stacked team include Alexi Orlov, Rostislav Pirozhkov, Colin Wood, Mike Mann, Paska Jakatis and Curtis Crawford. With all these players on this roster, it is hard to choose who is number one, but when it comes down to it, I believe the leader in points by a defensemen will be Cody Black.

Cody Black is a defensemen who can do it all. He can crush enemy teams with his body, score with a precision shot, pass with lighting fast speed, and log large amount of minutes at a time without breaking a sweat. An Example of Black being an insane machine include playing an average of about 19 minutes per game. He also played over 900 minutes doing last seasons 50 game campaign. What a tank! Now that he has top line responsibilities he is up for bringing that number of minutes higher.

Another reason that I believe Cody Black will lead the league in defence man scoring is his passing ability. No one on the team gets more hours on passing practice than he does. He can go tape to tape 10 times out of 10 times, not to mention his near perfect passing percentage. To off you aim hacks please; it isn't fair. Last year, Black has 21 assists in 50 games and 1 more assist in 5 playoffs games. The grand total being 22 assists in 55 games. You can expect for Black to Back that number up.

The Third reason I think he will lead the SMJHL in scoring is his Flash like speed when skating. He is a great skating being able to go coast to coast in the blink of an eye. With such grace he effortlessly flies on the ice. Another stat I believe that shows skating ability is Hits Taken. His ability to avoid being taken down by apposing players is important. In 50 games last year Black only took a measly 34 hits. Just 34! Thats about 0.68 hits taken per game. In the playoffs that number went up a little bit with 6 hits taken in 5 games but on the season total it was on 40 hits taken in 55 games, he just can't be touched.

Last but not least, another reason I believe he will lead the league in defenseman scoring is his defensive play. How can the ability to play a shut down defensive role add to someone's offence you may ask? You see, when you coach believes he can put you out there without and worry that you won't be any good in your zone, you will get all the icetime you want. You know what that does? More time to score.

For all of these reasons I believe that Cody Black will lead the SMJHL's Defence in Points without any trouble what so ever.

500 on the dot.

Credit to Wasty
[Image: wolfpack3.png]

Credit to Sulovilen

JHS · 11-08-2015, 11:09 PM

<div align="center">WHY PATRICK MCEICHEL WILL LEAD ALL CENTERS IN POINTS</div>

It's difficult playing under the shadow of giants. This is something Whalers' center Patrick McEichel knows all too well, having had played his rookie season under veteran center and SMJHL superstar Jack Durden, who managed a stellar 45 points (21 G, 24 A) on route to becoming the 4th best center in the league. That being said, there was a lesser seen fact, something that while not as conspicuous, was equally if not more impressive: McEichel was tenth on that same list. Thats right, as a rookie, Patrick McEichel was the tenth best center in the league as a ROOKIE. That's very, very impressive. And now that he's a little older, a little wiser, and has increased his minutes on ice noticeably as a first liner, it's high time McEichel took his place as the league's top center.

When looking at the Offensive aspect of McEichel's game, there's one obvious thing that stands out, or rather, an obvious lack of something: that is, a weakness. whether its passing, shooting, or awareness off the puck, McEichel can do it all. He never turns it over, and has a spectacular knack of finding space to exploit when handling in the zone. His linemates Zach Zyvelski and Rick James are the perfect complement to him, having the ability to feed him when he's in position to score and knowing where to be when he's trying to dish it. With the combination of linemates who compliment him, an improved skill set and an absolute fresh, new mindset, it looks like it truly is Patrick McEichel's time to shine.

One sportswriter had this to say about McEichel: "The man is truly majestic. He doesnt skate, but rather glides down the ice like the most majestic of hawks, that is to say, steelhawks. The kid has SHL talent already, and JHS must be praising the hockey gods for being able to have him return to his lineup this season". After that disappointing postseason exit last time around, its extremely obvious that McEichel is hungry to take revenge for the failures of the past and lead his team to the promised land as one of the main leaders of this talented squad. This core is written off, as it has been in the past, but as everyone in the league remembers, the last time one of JHS's teams was written off they ended up coming back and winning the cup. Will history repeat itself yet again? Only time will tell.

In addition to this, He had trained with a new partner this offseason: presidential candidate and rookie stud Bernie Sanders, along with his friend and mentor, John Heimer-Schmidt. JHS, while in his last season as an SHL player, has began running training sessions for athletes in his native Boston during the offseason. Because he has been GM'ing McEichel for more than a season now, he understands how tough of a player he is, and knew exactly what he had to do to get him ready for the season. Now, it's obvious that not only has McEichel become a more complete and talented player than ever before, but now he's gained a mental toughness and absolute resolve that will be difficult for anyone, especially rookies, to beat in the race for top point getting. Now that he's seen what he can do, and is ready to take on the top spot, and with it, the responsibility of both top line center and assistant captain, there's little doubt in anyone's mind that he will rise to the challenge and compete for the crown of top SMJHL center in terms of point getting.

Alfie · 11-08-2015, 11:14 PM

There are many exciting players this year on every team in the SMJHL. There are certainly many favorites to lead the league in scoring. There are some dark horses as well and I want to talk about one of them. Ryan King of the St Louis Scarecrows is looking like a possible candidate to lead the league in goals. Last year King led the Scarecrows in goals with 24 and points with 52 in 50 games. He was also fifth in the league in both goals and points. King only scored one goal and four points in a disappointing five game series where the Scarecrows lost to the Halifax Raiders. King then went 19th overall to the Seattle Riot. Now with King being sent down for one last season in the SMJHL he will look to make his final mark on the league. King will be playing on a line with Ben Troy and John Wick. Both Wick and Troy are pass first players and have great play making skills. King has always been a shoot first player which gives the St Louis Scarecrows a really good dynamic on the top line, The Scarecrows look to be a top team again this year after having the first overall pick in this years SMJHL draft where they drafted young center Kryzstof Kowalski who will give the Scarecrows some good offensive relief lightening the load on Ryan King. Another thing King has going for him is the very active defense of the Scarecrows. John Mathews leads the defensive corps. Mathews had 32 assists and 38 points and is staged to have an even better year this season. He will be playing on a line with Johnny Cahill. Cahill had 23 assists and 30 points last season and has only improved this season. St Louis also drafted two new comers in Chris Crutchfield and Alfred Holiday. Both of the rookies look to have high offensive upside. Another thing that is working in King's favor is the highly offensive strategy the coach is using. Offensive coach TML99 has a history of a strong offense and is setting this team up to be the same. We spoke with King about his role and the high expectations coming this season and he had this to say:
"I'm very excited about this season especially getting to play with my good friends John Wick and Ben Troy. I have a good feeling about this season. The Scarecrows look like a team to beat. I know some people are worried about how many goals we score but I think the most important thing is how many wins we record. If I score four goals all season and we win the Championship I'll be happy. That being said I'm going to do everything I can to make a contribution to this team and if that means scoring lots of goals so be it."
One thing is certain considering all these facts Ryan King is a definite candidate for the league lead in goals and points this season.

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