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***Acsolap*** · 08-13-2018, 10:29 AM

End of Season rookie defensemen analysis.

Half season analysis link

We are back to have a look at how all the first year defensemen across the SMJHL did over the second half of the season. Who pushed on and made a claim for one of the coveted first round picks? And who failed to get their head down and put in the work required to make it in the big time? In the half season report we had 19 defensemen to choose from but already Ricky Weaver has dropped out putting us down to 18. We will also be taking a closer look into special teams action and make mention of those rookies that took the game by the horns and showed just how good they could be.

Anchorage Armada [Image: armada.png]

Name: Rex Kirkby
Drafted: 42nd
Archetype: Two way Defenseman
TPE at halfway: 228 (4th)
TPE at finish: 249 (3rd)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 28 2 5 7 -14 20 34 17 12 16.67 528
Rank: - =4th =13th =11th 19th 15th 4th 15th 11th 4th 7th

Full: 50 4 16 20 -13 36 70 39 26 15.38 944
Rank: - =5th =7th 8th 16th =13th 3rd 14th 9th 5th 7th

Summary: After a pretty slow first half of the season Kirkby made a big effort to pick it up for the rest of the season. He moved up in almost all categories only dropping slightly in goals scored ranking and shot percentage. He clearly looks to set up team mates first which was displayed by the fact that he made the biggest ranking leap in the assists category and finishing up the season with a very respectable 13 points in 22 games. While still having one of the worst plus minus ratios in the league he went a +1 in the second half and continued to be physically dominant on the ice. Could still work to help out his goalie with a few more shot blocks but otherwise a great end to the season.

Power play: (156 PPM, 58 PKM, 3 PPG, 5 PPA, 1SHA) Kirkby spent over 20% of his ice time on the special teams units particularly with the man advantage. He is being groomed into a power play quarterback role and has been growing into it as the season progressed ending up scoring three quarters of his goals and more than a quarter of his assist on the special teams units. While used sparingly on the penalty kill.

1st star: 2 2nd star: 1 3rd star: 2

Verdict: After an underwhelming start to the season Kirkby finished strongly and can be happy with the way the season ended up. Needs to make sure he starts strongly in the upcoming playoffs to give himself the best chance of being drafted highly.

Name: Tucker Baloo @Tucker Baloo
Drafted: 74th
Archetype: Two way Defenseman
TPE at halfway: 198 (12th)
TPE at finish: 198 (12th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 28 1 7 8 0 18 35 24 14 7.14 542
Rank: - =12th =9th 10th 7th =13th 3rd 9th 10th 14th 6th

Full: 50 2 11 13 1 28 48 44 15 13.33 870
Rank: - =13th =10th =10th 6th 12th 6th 10th =12th 7th 10th

Summary: After being the Armada's best rookie defenseman for the first half of the season Baloo really petered out. Perhaps burning himself out with the more rigorous schedule and intense practices of the major junior league Baloo unfortunately regressed over the later part of the schedule. Incredibly Baloo took only one shot in twenty two games and on that shot he scored begging the question why did he not put pucks on net more often? Baloo showed himself to still be reliable in his own end but his other metrics hint to a lack of effort both at game time and in practice. He is still young so maybe he can turn it around but it will require a lot more effort than he has shown this year.

Power play: (54 PPM, 2PPG, 2PPA, 97 PKM) Despite only having a small amount of time on the power play Baloo definitely displayed an affinity for the man advantage scoring both of his goals there. Due to his solid defensive game he was also used frequently on the penalty kill.

1st star: 0 2nd star: 1 3rd star: 1

Verdict: A promising start but in the end a disappointing finish to the regular season. Baloo will be hoping that Anchorage has a deep run in the playoffs so that he has an opportunity to get back on track and show off his skills to prospective SHL teams. If he gets his head down and sorts out any off ice issues he may have then he still has a chance to have a promising

Name: Sean Stevenson jr. @Obsidian311
Drafted: Undrafted
Archetype: Defensive Defenseman
TPE at half: 199 (11th)
TPE at finish: 208 (10th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 26 2 3 5 -6 37 23 25 8 25.0 417
Rank: - =4th =15th 15th =13th 18th 9th 8th =14th 1st 13th

Full: 48 3 7 10 3 57 32 47 17 17.65 822
Rank: - =9th =15th 16th =4th 16th 15th 7th 11th 3rd 12th

Summary: The only rookie on our list not to play the entire season. Coming in as a late undrafted pickup Stevenson Jr. replaced the errant Jonatan Back on the Anchorage blue line. Despite his late start Stevenson quickly set about developing a reputation as a hard nosed D man. Good in the corners and along the boards he has shown a willingness to get in the way of shots and to stick up for team mates. His archetype doesn't lend itself to point production and that shows in his scoring metrics, however he is very good at picking his opportunities and has one of the highest shot to goal percentages among the rookie defensemen.

Power play: (27 PPM, 132 PKM, 1SHA) Stevenson Jr. was used only as a fill in on the power play not even logging half an hour over the course of the season. The penalty kill was a different story altogether. He was tied for second overall in rookies for PK mins and while Anchorages special teams were some of the least effective in the league they will be hoping that Stevenson Jr. can build on this experience for upcoming seasons.

1st star: 0 2nd star: 0 3rd star: 2

Verdict: Showed great character to come into the dressing room late and get stuck into business. He may not have the prettiest stats in the league but Stevenson Jr. has showed himself to be a no nonsense defender who will take whatever assignments the coach throws his way. Has the potential to be a real steal for whoever picks him up at the draft.

Colorado Raptors [Image: raptors.png]

Name: Jake Reid @gittsumm
Drafted: 54th
Archetype: Enforcer Defenseman
TPE at half: 181 (16th)
TPE at finish: 190 (15th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 28 0 3 3 12 51 48 27 6 0.0 524
Rank: - =18th =15th=18th 1st 19th 2nd 7th 18th =18th 9th

Full: 50 0 6 6 16 81 78 46 7 0.0 869
Rank: - =17th 17th =17th 1st 18th 2nd 8th 18th =17th 11th

Summary: The only enforcer of the current rookie crop. Reid didn't manage to light the lamp this season but this is no surprise as he only had one shot in his last twenty two games. The young Irishman was impressive on the back end maintaining the top position in plus minus ratio and coming in second in hits delivered. The only thing you might expect from someone as tough as Reid would be that he would get in the way of more shots to help out his goalie.

Power play: (57 PPM, 1 PPA, 139 PKM) Used only sparingly on the power play, Reid plied his trade mainly on the penalty kill where he logged the most minutes amongst all the rookie defensemen.

1st star: 0 2nd star: 0 3rd star: 0

Verdict: Reid didn't manage to earn himself any three star awards but could be considered an unsung hero. Players of his style and calibre are often overlooked in favour of more flashy characters. However Reid has shown an unmatched prowess for defence and while he may not offer a lot going forward there are not many if any defensemen in this draft that can match him in the defensive zone.

Name: Katsuo Yamaguchi @DeathClutch19
Drafted: Undrafted
Archetype: Two way Defenseman
TPE at half: 160 (18th)
TPE at finish: 160 (18th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 28 1 6 7 -10 12 18 29 7 14.29 394
Rank: - =12th =11th =11th =17th =8th =14th 5th 17th 6th 14th

Full: 50 3 11 14 -8 18 35 45 11 27.27 634
Rank: - =9th =10th 9th 13th 7th =10th 9th 16th 1st 14th

Summary: A surprise package perhaps seeing as Yamaguchi has been largely absent from training almost the entire season. Maybe benefiting from sheltered minutes and the fact that Colorado had an better than expected season considering how many rookies they were icing on a nightly basis. Yamaguchi's offensive production was nothing to write home about but if you take his low minutes into account then he has certainly done better than expected. This is the general theme across all of his metrics. Aside from shooting accurately he is below average in the league for most other things but is outperforming others based on his time on ice.

Power play: (4 PPM, 51 PKM) Yamaguchi had basically non existent minutes on the power play with average minutes on the kill. He didn't manage to put up any points on special teams.

1st star: 0 2nd star: 2 3rd star: 2

Verdict: You would have to think that Yamaguchi has had an outlier season. While he has performed very well based on his limited ice time he has put next to no effort in improving himself as a player. We would expect him to be a late round pick at best.

Detroit Falcons [Image: falcons.jpg]

Name: Tig Murphy @notorioustig
Drafted: 10th
Archetype: Offensive Defenseman
TPE at half: 236 (3rd)
TPE at finish: 253 (1st)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 29 2 10 12 -9 6 21 30 33 6.06 604
Rank: - =4th =2nd =4th 17th =2nd 10th =3rd 3rd 15th =2nd

Full: 50 4 27 31 -7 16 46 50 60 6.67 1037
Rank: - =5th 1st 2nd 12th =2nd 8th 5th 4th =14th 4th

Summary: One of the stand out performers this season. Murphy justified his high draft position with both his effort on and off the ice. Completing more practice hours than any other rookie defenseman this translated to his game. He led the leagues in assists and was only behind team mate Wolfhard Richter in total points scored. He maintained his disciplined start to the season by keeping his penalty minutes low and worked on his reliability in his own end by improving his plus minus ratio. The only thing we could suggest that Murphy works on would be his shooting accuracy, if he was better at placing his shots he could become a truly elite goal scorer from the point.

Power play: (154 PPM, 4 PPG, 8 PPA, 118 PKM, 1SHA) Murphy spent over twenty five percent of his time on the ice on special teams. Used extensively on both units he showed a taste for the man advantage where he scored all four of his goals. The Irishman showed this season that he can be a valuable piece for any team looking for a top level power play quarterback.

1st star: 1 2nd star: 0 3rd star: 2

Verdict: If you were to look at his star power only you might think Murphy had had an average season. In this regard he has perhaps been a victim of being on a team with an excellent defensive core but if you look deeper you will see a top tier rookie that was a big reason behind Detroits success this season. Has shown the desire required to step up to the next level and we fully expect him to be an early pick up come draft day.

Name: Wolfhard Richter @Plastic Bowl
Drafted: 28th
Archetype: Offensive Defenseman
TPE at half: 243 (1st)
TPE at finish: 243 (4th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 29 8 10 18 3 18 32 34 60 13.33 604
Rank: - 1st =2nd 1st 4th =13th 5th 1st 1st 7th =2nd

Full: 50 13 20 33 4 26 53 52 92 14.13 1054
Rank: - 1st =2nd 1st =2nd 11th 5th 4th 1st 6th 3rd

Summary: Another excellent pick up by the Falcons. Richter was top level across the board from start to finish this season. First among rookies in goals and points he scored consistently at 0.66 point per game pace across the schedule. He enabled this by combining a huge number of shots with a very respectable shooting percentage. Richter was no slouch on defense either ranking highly in hits and shot blocks as well as being equal second in plus minus.

Power play: (164 PPM, 10 PPG, 5 PPA, 119 PKM) Much like Murphy Richter spent a significant portion of his minutes on special teams. He scored a phenomenal 10 goals with the man advantage being more the go to guy rather than a quarterback. Not content to be just a goal merchant he was up there among rookies on the penalty kill as well showing his value at both ends of the ice.

1st star: 3 2nd star: 1 3rd star: 3

Verdict: Fantastic season for the German. Had more star power than the other rookies and had almost double the goals of the next highest scorer. Only negative was a dip in practice over the latter part of the season but sources tell us that he is back into it so it shouldn't have too much of an impact on his draft stock.

Name: Aleksandra Aleksandrovia @dmuda11
Drafted: Undrafted
Archetype: Two way Defenseman
TPE at half: 189 (13th)
TPE at finish: 189 (16th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 29 3 7 10 0 10 29 20 27 11.11 504
Rank: - 3rd =9th =7th =7th =4th 6th =13th 4th 10th 10th

Full: 50 3 10 13 -2 16 54 42 38 7.89 902
Rank: - =9th =13th =10th 10th =2nd 4th =11th 6th =12th 9th

Summary: The Russian seemed to stagnate over the second part of the season. A lack of work ethic off the ice translating into poor performances on it. Alexksandrovia didn't manage to pick up any more goals over the second half of the season and dropped down the rankings in assists as well as total points scored because of it. She was still relatively defensively putting up good hit numbers while remaining disciplined but this was a small aspect of success amongst an otherwise disappointing end to the season.

Power play: (2 PPM, 93 PKM) Almost unused on the power play Aleksandrovia spent the vast majority of her special teams time on the penalty kill. Acquitted herself well by all accounts.

1st star: 1 2nd star: 0 3rd star: 0

Verdict: Had the potential to step up to the next level. However a below par end to the season has done Aleksandrovia no favours and she looks to be a big risk of falling by the wayside. Only time will tell but it doesn't look hopeful.

Halifax Raiders [Image: raiders.png]

Name: Pierre Laroche-Durocher @lespoils
Drafted: 11th
Archetype: Defensive Defenseman
TPE at half: 240 (2nd)
TPE at finish: 251 (2nd)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 28 1 8 9 -3 36 49 30 18 5.55 622
Rank: - =12th =7th 9th =11th 17th 1st =3rd 7th 16th 1st

Full: 50 4 17 21 -9 64 95 64 37 10.81 1114
Rank: - =5th 6th =6th 14th 17th 1st 1st 7th 9th 1st

Summary: The defensive minded French Canadian had a stellar first major junior year. After a somewhat slow start Laroche-Durocher came home strong moving up the board in his earlier lower metrics and holding the lead in the defensive stats that he had dominated earlier in the season. Racking up big minutes he was relied on heavily by the rookie heavy Halifax team. First by a large margin in both hits and shot blocks he also added some points to round out his game. Could do with being a bit more disciplined after taking a significant number of penalty minutes and will be disappointed dropping down in the plus minus rankings although this is likely down to the poor run in by the entire team.

Power play: (147 PPM, 4 PPG, 8 PPA, 114 PKM, 1 SHA) Big minutes on both units. Laroche-Durocher proved himself as an able quarterback on the power play to back up his value to his team on the penalty kill where he managed to add an assist to his impressive number of special teams points.

1st star: 0 2nd star: 0 3rd star: 0

Verdict: Somehow didn't manage to earn himself a single star this season despite being one of the best rookies on average across the league. Consistently showed his class and impressed more and more as the season went on. We are disappointed that we won't get to see him in the play offs but look forward to draft day where we will sure that his services will be in high demand.

Name: Maximillian Egger @Moosecop
Drafted: 12th
Archetype: Offensive Defenseman
TPE at half: 223 (6th)
TPE at finish: 237 (5th)

GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 28 2 11 13 1 10 18 32 23 8.7 591
Rank: - =4th 1st =2nd 6th =4th =14th 2nd 8th 13th 4th

Full: 50 5 20 25 3 16 34 58 49 10.42 1068
Rank: - =3rd =2nd 3rd =4th =2nd =12th 2nd 5th 10th 2nd

Summary: Another one that came to the fore as the season went on. Despite being an offensive minded defenseman Egger displayed his reliability in his own end as well by moving up in shot blocks and plus minus ratio. Dropped slightly in assists and points scored over the season but that was mainly down to others have a good final surge than Egger dropping his production value. Had the second most minutes amongst the rookies and still managed to take the second least number of penalty minutes highlighting his supreme discipline.

Power play: (143 PPM, 4 PPG, 8 PPA, 128 PKM) Spent more than a quarter of his ice time on the special team. Provided a valuable scoring outlet on the power play with twelve points and also ate up the minutes while being a man down.

1st star: 0 2nd star: 0 3rd star: 1

Verdict: A very good season for the Austrian. Became stronger as the season went on and ended up making a strong case for himself despite his team failing to make the play offs right at the end. Can use the off season rest to come back stronger.

Name: Thomas Speardane @Benevolent Thomas
Drafted: 49th
Archetype: Two Way Defenseman
TPE at half: 205 (10th)
TPE at finish: 205 (11th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 28 2 9 11 -3 16 26 22 16 12.5 526
Rank: - =4th =5th 6th =11th =10th =7th =11th 9th =8th 8th

Full: 50 5 18 23 0 38 47 41 30 16.67 940
Rank: - =3rd =4th =4th =7th 15th 7th 13th 8th 4th 8th

Summary: Missed a few training sessions towards the end of the season which impacted on his practice position but is back at it now. Was very good at the opposing end of the ice putting up good numbers of goals and assists. Shot only an average number of times but made sure to make those shots count and did better in most things than his total minutes would suggest. Could afford to be braver in front of his own net to limit the number of saves his goalie has to make and also needs to work on his discipline as he took one of the highest number of penalty minutes amongst the rookies. Worked on his positioning and that showed in his improved plus minus ratio.

Power play: (45 PPM, 2 PPG, 1 PPA, 85 PKM) Received limited time on the special teams units mainly due to the proficiency the other rookie defensemen on the team showed. Still managed to put up three points with the man advantage.

1st star: 0 2nd star: 2 3rd star: 3

Verdict: A pretty decent season for the American. Did enough to put himself in the top half of rookie defensemen under consideration but not quite enough to be in the leading pack. If he puts the work in the off season we can see him having a successful career at the pro level.

Name: Craig Finley @hats_4_days
Drafted: Undrafted
Archetype: Offensive Defenseman
TPE at half: 216 (=7th)
TPE at finish: 231 (7th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 28 2 8 10 -7 6 12 22 44 4.55 564
Rank: - =4th =7th =7th 15th =2nd =18th =11th 2nd 17th 5th

Full: 50 3 18 21 -17 8 16 48 83 3.61 1022
Rank: - =9th =4th =6th =17th 1st 18th 6th 2nd 16th 5th

Summary: Halifax ended up getting very good value out of the undrafted American. It could have been a risk going to a team with so many quality young defensemen but Finley took it in his stride. Perhaps will be disappointed with his goals tally this is mainly down to having such low shooting percentage. If he works on his accuracy during the off season we could see him putting up significantly more goals next season. Displayed good discipline and a real willingness to sacrifice his body for the benefit of his goalie. Seemed a bit hesitant to get stuck in as he recorded the lowest number of hits in the rookie class and could also work on his defensive awareness as at times he was caught up ice leading to his team conceding quite a few goals while he was out there.

Power play: (157 PPM, 1 PPG, 10 PPA, 29 PKM) Used mostly on the power play Finley showed a real proficiency at spreading the puck around the ice by dishing up ten assists to his team mates. Also chipped in a goal but he had an obvious pass first mentality.

1st star: 0 2nd star: 1 3rd star: 3

Verdict: Slightly mixed bag but Finley can definitely take a lot of positives away from his first major junior season. If he sorts out his shot placement has the potential to score a lot of goals and be a valuable blue lines presence for any of the SHL teams.

Montreal Militia [Image: militia.png]

Name: Veikka Toivanen @Mazatt
Drafted: 27th
Archetype: Two Way Defenseman
TPE at half: 208 (9th)
TPE at finish: 217 (9th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 29 1 5 6 0 10 20 15 10 10.0 320
Rank: - =12th=13th=13th =7th =4th =11th 16th =12th 12th 15th

Full: 50 1 10 11 0 22 33 23 15 6.67 585
Rank: - =15th =13th =14th =7th 9th 14th =17th =12th =14th 15th

Summary: Somewhat of a tough season for the big Fin. Montreal were more reliant on their veterans than a lot of the other SMJHL teams so Toivanen and the other rookies often struggled for minutes. Finished 15th in the rankings for time on ice and managed to exceed expectations based on those minutes. Kept it clean in his own end and contributed offensively when he could but it was always going to be difficult to keep up with the other rookies, some of who received almost double the amount of time on the ice.

Power play: (55 PKM) Not used at all on the power play and only sparingly on the penalty kill so not too much to discuss.

1st star: 0 2nd star: 0 3rd star: 0

Verdict: Will be hoping that he is given a bigger role next year in Montreal. He still has the opportunity to impress in the play offs and despite his limited role kept his head down and practised hard while off the ice which will impress prospective suitors. Will have to wait and see where he goes in the draft.

Name: Marco Raanteli @Radsin
Drafted: 43rd
Archetype: Defensive Defenseman
TPE at half: 216 (=7th)
TPE at finish: 224 (8th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 29 0 6 6 0 16 20 14 8 0.00 303
Rank: - =18th=11th =13th =7th =10th =11th 17th =14th =18th 18th

Full: 50 0 13 13 0 24 36 28 10 0.00 555
Rank: - =17th 9th =10th =7th 10th 9th 16th 17th =17th 16th

Summary: Pretty similar circumstances to Toivanen although Raanteli managed to improve his rankings in most categories. Like Reid he failed to tally a goal this season but managed to put up good assist numbers considering his ice time. Was more or less consistent across the season neither pushing on or regressing and kept up his practice regime so that when he is presented with a chance he can hopefully take it.

Power play: (4 PPM, 24 PKM) Didn't even get half a game of special teams time.

1st star: 0 2nd star: 0 3rd star: 0

Verdict: Impressive that Raanteli managed to maintain or better his rankings in just about every category given how little time he was given on the ice. Slipped slightly in the practice hours rankings but was still working at the seasons end when he could have easily been discouraged. Will be looking to build through the play offs and come out strong next season.

Name: Stephen Wormster @HockeyWorm33
Drafted: 67th
Archetype: Two Way Defenseman
TPE at half: 159 (19th)
TPE at finish: 159 (18th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 29 1 3 4 5 16 26 20 8 12.5 309
Rank: - =12th=15th=16th 3rd =10th =7th =13th =14th =8th 17th

Full: 50 1 5 6 4 20 35 31 13 7.69 486
Rank: - =15th 18th =17th =2nd 8th =10th 15th 15th 13th 18th

Summary: As with the two other Montreal rookies Wormster was only presented with minimal ice time. As a result he dropped down the rankings pretty much across the board. He failed to register another goal in the second half of the season and only put up two more assists. As a result he looks to have become disenchanted with game and appears not to be putting in the time required off the ice.

Power play: (16 PPM, 1 PPA) Picked up on an assist on the power play but went largely unused.

1st star: 0 2nd star: 0 3rd star: 0

Verdict: The future prospects look bleak for Wormster. He has not even done enough to establish himself at junior level let alone make the step up to the pros and it is highly likely that his short hockey career is coming to an end.

St. Louis Scarecrows [Image: scarecrows.png]

Name: Kiko Rytmeyr @ThatIrishFellow
Drafted: 45th
Archetype: Offensive Defenseman
TPE at half: 224 (5th)
TPE at finish: 233 (6th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 27 4 9 13 -10 12 16 24 26 15.38 502
Rank: - 2nd =5th =2nd 16th =8th =16th =9th 5th 5th 11th

Full: 50 7 16 23 -17 16 25 53 61 11.48 966
Rank: - 2nd =7th =4th =17th =2nd 16th 3rd 3rd 8th 6th

Summary: Despite a poor season the Scarecrow's appear to have picked up a late gem in Rytmeyr. He clearly has an offensive focus to his game, scoring the second highest number of goals and fourth in points from the rookie class. This meant that he was a little suspect in his own end tallying the second worst plus minus ratio although some of this can be attributed to St. Louis' poor season. He did however show rare bravery by often throwing himself in front of the puck in an effort to protect his goal and did his best to keep his team at even strength by only conceding sixteen penalty minutes across the entire season.

Power play: (153 PPM, 5 PPG, 9 PPA, 132 PKM) Rytmeyr picked up very solid special teams minutes. Almost one third of his ice time came on the the power play and penalty kill with two thirds of his points being scored with the man advantage. The Irishman showed a real affinity in this area of the game and looks to be a premier special unit player.

1st star: 1 2nd star: 3 3rd star: 1

Verdict: While his team did not have a great season Rytmeyr showed his character by performing well and practising hard. There are a few top quality offensive defensemen in this draft and he can include himself in that top tier bunch. Unfortunately will be sitting out the play offs but can expect to be going early on draft day.

Name: Milo Mimoka @milomomoka
Drafted: 55th
Archetype: Offensive Defenseman
TPE at half: 191 (14th)
TPE at finish: 191 (=13th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 27 2 10 12 2 26 20 28 17 11.6 419
Rank: - =4th =2nd =4th 5th 16th =11th 6th 8th 11th 12th

Full: 50 2 11 13 -11 36 34 42 23 8.7 654
Rank: - =13th =10th =10th 15th =13th =12th =11th =10th =11th 13th

Summary: After starting fairly well it all seemed to fall apart for Momoka in the second half of the season. He only added a single point in his last twenty three games and slipped down the rankings in everything aside from penalty minutes. He earned below average minutes despite being on the poorest team in the league and that does not bode well for his future success.

Power play: (16 PPM, 2 PPA, 28 PKM) Not given a lot of opportunity on the special teams units but did show a liking for the man advantage by picking up two assists in his very limited ice time.

1st star: 1 2nd star: 0 3rd star: 0

Verdict: Another one that looks to have fallen by the wayside. Possible that Mimoka has a middling journeyman career in the minors but any hopes for a professional career look to have disappeared.

Name: Helmut Akmenlauts @CookieMonster
Drafted: 63rd
Archetype: Two Way Defenseman
TPE at half: 185 (15th)
TPE at finish: 191 (=13th)

Stat: GP G A P +/- PIM Hits SB S S% Minutes

Half: 27 1 3 4 -6 4 8 10 4 25.0 289
Rank: - =12th =15th=16th =13th 1st 19th 18th 19th 1st 18th

Full: 50 4 7 11 -3 16 21 23 15 26.67 507
Rank: - =5th =15th =14th 11th =2nd 17th =17th =12th 2nd 17th

Summary: Akmenlauts came into the second half of the season with one of the lowest minutes totals across the league for rookie defensemen and not much changed during the rest of the games in the schedule. However he didn't let this stop him from improving his performances on the ice while he worked off of it. He moved up two slots in the practice rankings and improved modestly in most metrics with his biggest gains coming in total shots which translated into more goal scoring. He displayed extreme accuracy throughout the entire season and also maintained his discipline despite the frustrating situation the Scarecrows found themselves in.

Power play: (2 PPM, 12 PKM)

1st star: 1 2nd star: 1 3rd star: 2

Verdict: A strong finish to the season alleviated a slow start. The Latvian showed resilience to keep his head down despite logging minimal ice time and being on a team that was not particularly successful on the ice. He is probably a later round pick at this stage but as long as he keeps working could end up a bargain.