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Thelastheraclid · 07-21-2020, 04:51 AM

Ross Rickenbaum - Baltimore Sun

The Baltimore Platoon’s first season after moving from West Kendall did not go the way that many fans had hoped but maybe the way they figured finishing sixth in the eastern conference with a 15 wins 33 losses and 2 overtime losses. The Platoon are without a doubt the best of the rest in the east after league wide rule changes have taken out some of the random shenanigans the SHL dealt with in the past. Many hoped that last season the young group of Toonzas would be able to hold their own against the monsters of the league but more often than not they couldn’t.

The team didn’t come out of the season feeling sorry more themselves and they don’t go into this one feeling sorry either. There is a strong sense of camaraderie in the locker room and everyone is on the same page when it comes to reasonable goals and expectations and goals for the team. Captain Nat Emerson told us, “We are rebuilding and sometimes it is a hard road to walk. Nobody wants to lose more than they win but we aren’t going to feel bad for ourselves and have a pity party. We know there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel and right now we have to be patient and develop the talent we have on the roster now and give the young stars we have down in the J time to grow and be ready to play from day one when they make the jump up. I’m not going to say we are going to be the best team this year but we are going to compete like hell.”

It is easy to see the youth movement in Baltimore. The roster currently sports 8 players from the S50 to S52 draft classes with nine more prospects from the S53 to S55 draft classes training in the wings waiting for their shot in the show. In this most recent draft the Platoon ended up with five new players to bolster their future. The Platoon ownership and management are taking the slow and steady approach to developing the team. Attempts at retooling on the fly unfortunately didn’t work and rather dig themselves deeper into a hole to try and compete now are setting them up for the future.

In order to sow the seeds of future development some tough decisions had to be made in the offseason. The Platoon said goodbye to top pair defenseman Geoff Moore, star forward Ethan Ross, rising star Yoshimitsu McCloud, and top prospect Pojo Biscuit.

With a rather large shake up happening with the Platoon here is the Baltimore Sun’s breakdown of the team and its prospects along with potential lines that we will see this season.

First up, the goalies:

S51 Luca Del Vecchio
1080 TPE
Del Vecchio is a future star goalie in the SHL and one of the brightest spots on this Platoon roster. After a brilliant debut season where he earned a rookie of the year nomination Del Vecchio had a bit of a sophomore slump last season. He posted a respectable .911 save percentage with a 3.57 goals against average for the season with 3 shutouts on the year. LDV was by no means a bad tendie last year, just a minor set back in his road to glory. LDV is best known for his incredible positioning and strong glove hand and will continue his role as the starting goaltender for the Platoon with that not changing for quite a long time. We expect better numbers from LDV this season thanks to another year of experience under his belt. Since the team is rebuilding we don’t expect the best numbers in the league but most likely an even better save percentage and slightly better goals against.

S49 Marques Brownlee
253 TPE
Brownlee is a career back up goalie and not a fantastic one. Expect him to get the bare minimum amount of starts this season against the weakest opposition the Platoon face. If he can win half of the games that he starts Brownlee will have done his job this season.

On to the defense:

S52 Sabo Tage
760 TPE
Tage is a good young defender that you will most likely see playing on the second pairing this year getting around 12 minutes of ice time a night. Last season, Tage put up 3 goals and 3 assists while blocking 84 shots. Tage is definitely more comfortable in the defensive zone and is a well balanced player. We expect him to come into the season a little faster and stronger than last year and continue his strong play.

S51 Danila Zhernov
484 TPE
Unless I am missing something, Zhernov did not play last season in the SHL or the J. The young Ukranian must have been training privately. Zhernov is a number 6 defenseman or, if the Platoon make a move for another depth defenseman, a 7th d-man to use in a crisis. We see Zhernov as a player to use now while the youth develops and will be gone once the new core is ready to go. Expect DZ to play under 10 minutes a night and even then those minutes will be very sheltered.

S50 Jack Wilson
595 TPE
Wilson was an up and comer who’s development has stalled. As it stands he is a fine enough bottom pairing guy who actually put up an impressive 10 points last season. Unless Wilson gets his act together and starts training with purpose like he did a few seasons ago he is going to find himself off the team once the new core is in their primes maybe even earlier so the young guys can get their beaks wet in the SHL.

S49 Delver Fudgeson
1042 TPE
Fudgeson is a quality defenseman who is comfortable in either the defensive or offensive zones. We expect him to finally get a crack at top pairing minutes this season and get a chance to really show what he is capable of doing. Last season he put up 13 points and blocked a respectable 85 shots. With the jump up to the top pair we expect Fudgeson to work on his stamina and skating game to better shoulder all the minutes he is going to be eating.

S49 Derek Bohne Jr.
704 TPE
DBJ came to the Baltimore Platoon in return for Geoff Moore this off season. Being a new addition has not been an issue for DBJ. He has come into the new locker room and really asserted himself as a player that is here to give it his all. He has been a perfect fit with the team and has clicked with everyone. Expect him to be playing on the second pair for probably around 12 minutes a night. At the moment DBJ’s biggest strength lies in how he can read the game defensively but he was able to put up 8 points last season which is a good sign for his development. With his attitude we expect him to make leaps and bounds this year and really cement himself as a quality second pairing d-man in the league.

S45 Nat Emerson
1562 TPE
Emerson is the aging captain and number one defender of the Platoon. Last season, Emerson put up 18 points with a career high 6 goals but that is certainly not where his strength lies. Emerson has always been a defense first player and we expect that to stay the same especially with age starting to catch up to him. We expect him to be pulling top minutes and playing in all situations for the Platoon. We imagine that his offensive numbers will drop a bit and he will focus on playing ultra efficient defensive hockey as he starts the beginning of the tail end of his career.

Next up, the forwards:

S52 Simothy Drunkebird
594 TPE
Snatched off the waiver wire this off season Drunkebird looks to jump right into the Platoon’s roster. Most likely he will slot in as the wing and secondary center on the Platoon’s third line. The Czech born center likes to play as a power forward. Last season in the J he put up 32 points and laid down 146 hits to go along with them. Right now he is a bit undersized for the big boys in the SHL but we expect him to adapt quickly as he bulks up.

S51 Henrik Lundqvist Jr.
747 TPE
HLJ is another prospect who looks to have stumbled in his development. We expect him to be the main center on the third line this upcoming season. Last season HLJ put up 12 points which is near the top for a bottom line player playing at the amount of time he gets. We expect him to play about the same this year as last but unless he gets back to training he will be losing a spot soon to an up and comer.

S51 Indigo Trevino
661 TPE
Rounding out the third line and the only natural winger is Indigo Trevino. Trevino put up nine points last season with 12 minutes a night. I would expect to see around the same from the Latvian this season as well. We haven’t heard much from Trevino since some off season moves were made. He might be upset about something. I would imagine if the attitude doesn’t change he will be out of a Platoon sweater sooner rather than later.

S50 Karl Krashwagen
1168 TPE
Krashwagen will most likely be the big threat on the second line this coming season and a powerful addition to the power play unit. Last season the big German racked up 26 points and 112 hits. With the style of hockey he plays Krash is a fan favorite in Baltimore and we expect him to be even more popular as his game continues to grow. Rumor has it that Krash has been putting in a ton of work in the off season and will see a big bump in the coming season.

S46 Kristoffer Svensson
928 TPE
Svensson comes to the Platoon after a stint in Winnipeg with the Jets and looks to jump in as the center on the second line taking the reins from seasoned veteran Dayymo Ralchankinov. Svensson is another once promising player who has stagnated due to the pressure of the SHL. He will be a serviceable center for the second line and will most likely be used in more defensive situations because his skills lend him more to a defensive center than the playmaker he was touted as. We expect that he won’t be putting up many points, somewhere in the 10 to 15 range.

S46 Petr Mikulak
1078 TPE
Mikulak is going to continue playing wing on the top line this season as expected. Mikulak was one of the team leaders in assists last season but we assume he will be potting some more goals this season. Mikulak is a very good skater with a scary accurate shot. We expect another strong season from him.

S45 Nickolas Klaus
1121 TPE
Klaus was the leading goal scorer for the squad last season and also second in points. He will once again center the top line and be a leader on the top power play as well. Klaus still possesses an excellent shot but in his age is losing his skating game a bit. We expect that his numbers will drop a bit as he struggles to keep up with better skaters but seeing a more careful deployment will be able to help with that.

S44 Brock Nuck
1163 TPE
We believe that Nuck is going to be picking up whatever goals Klaus loses this season. Nuck is starting to get a little long in the tooth but it still a good first line option on the wing. He will definitely be one of the more exciting players for fans to watch this year because he tends to focus much more on the offensive side of the game.

S41 Dayymo Ralchankinov
753 TPE
DR is the oldest player on the Platoon but he still has a knack for the game. Most likely he will be getting second line minutes but at his age he could drop to the third and give someone with more pep in their step a chance. Ralchankinov doesn’t have much of a shot anymore but he still has silky hands and can dish the puck pretty well. We expect DR to put up 10 to 15 points again this season and continue his legacy in Baltimore.

Be prepared for another uphill battle of a season for the Platoon. Last season and probably the next couple are the bitter medicine that the fan base needs to swallow before recovering. We expect the Platoon to play a real no frills type of game focusing on playing tight defensively and making the most out of the chances they do get. It is going to be hard nosed blue collar hockey in Baltimore and now is the time to prepare for the future. Get in now before the bandwagon get full.

(2195 words)

*CementHands* · 07-21-2020, 06:46 PM

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