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***Jexter*** · 03-02-2024, 08:31 PM

Hello and welcome back to the power rankings, playoff edition!

We are going to look at the overall record, the last ten games to see how the team is trending, who they are going to play next, and then have a bit of analysis with a look into who are the players to watch. All bets are usually off when it comes to the playoffs, but you can bet on is that two teams will definitely not win this year as they have not made it. They will not be in the main list for the power ranking and instead will be off to the side with some analysis and a brief look at the team.

1. Quebec City Citadelles

Previous Rank: 1
Record: 51-12-3
Last Ten Games: 9-1
First Round Opponent: Bye
The Citadelles have a bit of deja vu this season as they again pulled off some great dominance with their roster of many returning players. With a first-round bye once again secure, nothing less than a Four Star Cup will satisfy this team, especially after last year’s crash in the playoffs. They may need to hope that they won’t have to meet the Falcons who have had their number in the playoffs for years now, but with several high scoring players, offense in spades, a maturing defense, and a great goalie tandem, they are the odds-on favorite. Not to mention, the Owls have only lost 3 games at home all season and with home ice advantage secured through the entirety of the playoffs, this could spell doom for their opponents. Much has been said about the pure offensive power of the Owls, but to have a goal differential of +173, you need a solid defense. Two of these somewhat unsung heroes are Demir Bellona and Juan Tymer who both have plus/minuses of over 50 and have combined for 125 takeaways and 166 blocked shots. With players like these, it is hard to imagine a world where the Owls do not at least make the finals. When asked for comment, Juan Tymer said "back to back regular season champions means nothing without the cup." This sentiment was echoed by other key contributors on the Owls including Frøya Solberg and Celeste Desjardins.

2. Colorado Raptors Raptors

Previous Rank: 3
Record: 44-21-1
Last Ten Games: 5-5
First Round Opponent: Bye
When the dust settled in the intense, bloody, and downright cruel 510 Division, the Raptors have emerged on top. Colorado ended with the second highest goal differential in league, but what is troubling with this team is that they did have a mediocre record to end the season. Granted their last 10 games had a mix that included some very good teams, you would want more from a team that wants to hoist the Cup at the end of playoffs. Still the offensive depth and power of the Raptors is not to be understated, led by Shadow Fenix who gathered over 100 points this season. Xavier Beausoleil and Jussi Mutou also had immensely impressive seasons, but what could be the true difference maker could be the play of Herman Stahl, the goaltender with only 3 losses and 27 wins this season, a GAA of 2.34 and SV% of .915. Will the Raptors utilize this hot goaltender or go back to their struggling Tanner Pitts who did lead them to the final last year? Either way, the Raptors will have some time to figure out their next moves thanks to their bye.

3. Maine Timber Timber

Previous Rank: 2
Record: 45-17-4
Last Ten Games: 7-2-1
First Round Opponent: St. Louis Scarecrows
The Timber might be in for a relatively easier time in the first round of the playoffs, but their season was a Sisyphean task in attempting to catch the soaring Citadelles for first place in their division. The Timber ended their season with a 7-game win streak, a bad omen for the Scarecrows. Maine is 6-0 against the Scarecrows this season and only one of those meetings was even close. Maine will be looking to close out this series in 4 games, taking care of business. The second-year players in the Lavoies have arrived in full force for the Timber, leading their team, but Maine has been incredibly deep, a staple of Timber hockey for the past few seasons. With these persistent contenders once again back into the limelight, we should wonder if we should be worried about another Cup being added to Maine’s trophy case.

4. Detroit Falcons Falcons

Previous Rank: 4
Record: 40-22-4
Last Ten Games: 6-2-2
First Round Opponent: Vancouver Whalers
The defending champions are going to be fighting in the weeds to start these playoffs, having failed to secure a first-round bye thanks to being in the brutal 510 Division. Still, the Falcons will be the favorites in the coming series against the Whalers, having beaten them 3 times already this season, however, the Whalers have been a hard team to put down for the Falcons. If the Falcons want to continue to defend their crown, they will need their new top goaltender Anastasia Soderstrom to keep her impressive rookie campaign going. Soderstrom had 5 shutouts, a GAA of 2.68 and a SV% of .910. Goalscoring has been a little lacking for the Falcons as they have the fewest goals for of any team in the top 10 in the standings. Marek Carda led the very deep roster of the Falcons in terms of scoring, but with no player eclipsing 70 points on the season, it feels like the winning formula for the Falcons will need to be a total team effort. Marek Carda said, “Our division is insane and proof that expansion or realignment was necessary. Just happy to be back in the playoffs.”

5. Newfoundland Berserkers

Previous Rank: 9
Record: 37-27-2
Last Ten Games: 10-0-0
First Round Opponent: Bye
The Berserkers were placed in the easiest division to win with their divisional rivals being the 13th and 14th place teams in the league. However, rather than take it easy, the Berserkers roared through the latter half of the season and currently boast a 13-game win streak heading into playoffs. Honestly, it might be a little bad for this team to have a bye week since they were coming in so guns blazing. Speaking of blazing, Sabage Cabage and Sad Ketchup both had great seasons with 92 and 86 points, respectively. Cabage in particular has been a main stay for the Berserkers with 21 minutes on average a night, playing both the power play and penalty kill. Let’s see how many the Newfoundlanders can make it in a row after the first round is decided. Then again, it does not matter how many it is in a row, as long as they come in bunches of 4.

6. Yukon Malamutes

Previous Rank: 7
Record: 36-26-4
Last Ten Games: 7-3
First Round Opponent: Bye
The Malamutes had high expectations for this season, and did end up winning their division, just not in the manner they were hoping. Well below the points totals of the teams above them, the Dogs went from near favorites at the start of the season to semi dark horses. Yukon will have a lot of players who will be leaving the team after this season due to age outs, so the pressure is on to have playoff success. As the lowest point total of the teams who got a bye, the Malamutes will need to be on guard for the highest seed to come out of the first round. Should the favorites win, this would mean another meeting with their long-time playoff bane in Maine. Even if Maine somehow loses, the next round will of course be a tough one for the Dogs with the Malamutes having a hard time finding consistency. After a very slow start, Langston Hardison-Laurent ended up as the leading points gatherer for the Dogs, but it was Vyacheslav Shevchenko who buried the most in the net, ending the season with the second highest shot percentage in the SMJHL. Kristian Seppanen and Florian Soderberg-Moltya set Yukon Franchise records in blocked shots, assists by a defender, and assists straight up and are hoping to have some more accolades after the end of this season. Third-year defender Kaarlo Koivunen said in an interview about the season, “"start was bad but at the end we actually started playing well".

7. Regina Elk Elk

Previous Rank: 6
Record: 35-24-7
Last Ten Games: 5-3-2
First Round Opponent: Nevada Battleborn
The Elk ended up getting the last ticket out of the 510 Division, managing to pull clear of the Grizzlies towards the end of the season. Stuck in a division with 3 other top 8 teams meant that this roster never could find time to be at peace, constantly battling. They had a huge win over Nevada early in the season, but the more recent games have been much closer. What could be a strength is also a bit of weakness as there is no singular player that stands heads and shoulders above the rest on the Elk’s roster. Red Panda and Mary Hollywood are among some of the higher scoring players, but with the second fewest goals in the top ten of the J, the Elk will need every goal they can get. Troy McClure IiIi said, “I love me some 7-game series, I would like to play in 4 of them this season!"

8. Anchorage Armada Armada

Previous Rank: 5
Record: 35-29-2
Last Ten Games: 3-7
First Round Opponent: Carolina Kraken
The Armada had the lead in their division until a late surge by the Malamutes stole it from them. Now they will have to face the Kraken in the first round when their puck luck has turned for the worst in recent games. The Armada have a record of 3-1 against the Kraken this season which does bode well for them. This will be the last dance in the J playoffs for Ubba Lodbrok, who led the Ships with 95 points this season, but Lucki Blackwood looks to be the next skater up with 41 goals. Rookie defender Deth Klaw has put up 40 points while shouldering a pretty big workload and led the team in blocked shots. The Armada will need all hands on deck if they want to get away cleanly from the tentacles of the Kraken and they did have an impressive amount of goals as a team with 294, tied for the fourth most. If Vanbiesbrouck or Gun can find their game, the large amount of scoring should pull them clear.

9. Carolina Kraken Kraken

Previous Rank: 10
Record: 29-31-6
Last Ten Games: 5-5
First Round Opponent: Anchorage Armada
The Kraken were placed in a 3-team division, but had some trouble keeping the goal differential up, ending with a +1. They will look for redemption in the first round of the playoffs, up against a divisional rival in Anchorage. Despite losing 3 games to the Armada this year, the Kraken took one of those games to a shootout and won the most recent match 6-2. In a very uncertain time, the Kraken may be able to pull off the upset against the boat, taking them from the dark waters and dragging them below. Betzee Nickelback will be heading on up to the older league (finally), but she is making sure that her mark has been left on the SMJHL with another great season. She finished this season with 89 points, 43 of them goals. The Kraken will miss that scoring next season, but hopefully can capitalize with a playoff run as a sendoff for her.

10. Nevada Battleborn

Previous Rank: 11
Record: 24-42-0
Last Ten Games: 2-8
First Round Opponent: Regina Elk
The Battleborn had a very embattled season, and their goal differential goes a long way to show it. Sitting at a -147, they will have to batten down the hatches and attempt to wear down their opponents. The Battleborn have been playing that hard-nosed, in-your-face style of hockey all season. Against the Elk this season, the Battleborn have been able to split their four matchups, with three of them being decided by only one goal. Given how much the Battleborn have been giving up in terms of goals, the lack of ability on the side of the Elk to convert scoring chances consistently could play into the Battleborn’s favor. Cal Juice led Nevada with 78 points, but we do need to mention Jim Wieners who has a fantastic 64 points as a rookie. If Nevada can pull the Elk in a muddy, shootout of a series, the Battleborn could very much pull ahead.

11. Vancouver Whalers Whalers

Previous Rank: 14
Record: 16-45-5
Last Ten Games: 2-8
First Round Opponent: Detroit Falcons
The Whalers had a rough season that will be rewarded with a fight versus the Falcons. One might initially look at this matchup between the reigning champs and the 13th place team in the league and think that they will know exactly how it will end. However, this season’s games between the Whalers and the Falcons have been very heated. Though the Falcons won 3 of the 5 matchups, the Whalers forced the Falcons into extra time for 2 of those with one going to a shootout. If Vancouver wishes to make an upset, all eyes are on Lily Jin Morrow, the top scorer for the Whalers who is looking to end her final season in the J with a little bit of playoff pride. With Morrow leaving, the duties in goal scoring will likely be left to GM’s Son who has continued to have a great J career.

12. St. Louis Scarecrows

Previous Rank: 13
Record: 15-50-1
Last Ten Games: 2-8
First Round Opponent: Maine Timber
The Scarecrows were a hard watch this year as they struggle to recover from their rebuild. They were the only team to have a goal differential that went beyond -200 and that does not exactly bode well for the playoffs. However, we have seen upsets in the past, notably in S73 when the Grizzlies upset a top 3 team in the J and almost took down the top team the following round. Maybe the Scarecrows will have more than hay up their sleeves. Keep an eye on the fantastic rookie play coming from Alexa Johansen and Jack Booth, who have managed extremely respectable seasons on a tough roster. Facing Maine in the first round will be a daunting task for a team that failed to hold Maine to fewer than 5 goals all season and goal scoring has been a weak point for St. Louis all season. For St. Louis, all they can do is take it one game at a time and keep their heads up. On the bright side, St. Louis is a very young team and this playoff experience, however long it is, could be great for them.

NOT IN PLAYOFFS

The Great Falls Grizzlies

Previous Rank: 8
Record: 35-29-2
Last Ten Games: 4-6
It is horrifying to see such a talented team with a record better than near half of the league not in playoffs, but this is also a fitting send off to the accursed current playoff system as the new one will come in with the looming expansion. Still, it will be a very small consolation to this team that they will be the last to suffer this fate. The Grizzlies fought tooth and claw to try and beat out the Regina Elk for the last spot out of the 510 Division, but ultimately were unable to make up the 5-point difference that kept them out of the playoffs. It will be nearly useless to point fingers as to why this team did not make the playoffs, so instead we are going to be looking ahead with this roster. Only one member is going to be aging out, meaning the rest will very likely be returning to the J next season and with a large amount of the roster being so young, we could see GFG emerge as a powerhouse next season. Gordon-William Gibbles led the Bears in goals and points, but even their 84-point season and will likely be returning alongside rising seniors John Peanut, and Poiklm. Personally, I think a lot of teams should be on notice that the rebuild is nearly complete with this roster. With a rookie goalie tandem that got some great experience, watch out for this hungry beast coming out of hibernation.

Kelowna Knights Knights

Previous Rank: 12
Record: 20-43-3
Last Ten Games: 1-9
The Knights will once again miss out on playoffs, having been in a decent scrap with the Battleborn for the last spot out of their division. Unfortunately, they were unable to capitalize on Nevada’s poor ending to season and playoffs remained out of their reach. The Knights will be looking for magic in the draft again as they attempt to cultivate their current prospects. The Knights got their X factor in James MacAvoy who schooled other teams who thought that the Knights could not get in the net, but MacAvoy along with three other players will be departing the Knights in the coming season. The Knights are still in the midst of building their team up, but with eyes to the future, Kelowna can continue their player development in the coming season.

As always, this list is completely up for debate and discussion is encouraged. Do not be surprised to see some upsets in the playoffs. Given how tight the standings were, we could be in for big treat this post-season. With Expansion right around the corner, this will be the last time we see this silly playoff format and I must say that the 510 Division made sure that it went out with a bang. While the first round may not have a ton of upsets, we could see a very heated second round as there was a very close mid pack this season. Here is hoping I am wrong and we some fun series out of this round.

Until next time! (Definitely after the SMJHL Draft, but unsure of if it will be sooner.)

WC: 3013