The general conclusion I have come to is that most rookies can expect to play in a 3rd line capacity for the start of their rookie year. Therefore I decided to have a look at each team's 3rd line this past year and see where a good fit may be for Laraque in the upcoming season. I also included a bit of a background of each team and how their season this year went in my eyes.

Anaheim Outlaws

The Anaheim Outlaws being the first of two expansion teams this season they opted to pick first in the expansion draft rather than pick first in the entry draft. This strategy seems to have paid off as they enjoyed a better season than their expansion counterpart Lethbridge. Finishing 8th overall out of 10 it seems as though they have outperformed their initial expectations for the season. Anaheim employs 11 rookies making them just above the average of 10.6 in the league.

Good Fit?

Vital Kravtsov - 2-10-12
Jaco Petermen R - 9-10-19
Max Rockatansky R - 0-2-2 (22GP)

The Anaheim 3rd line ranks 9th on my personal list. While they do have two solid passers in Peterman and Kravtsov and a solid scorer in Rockatansky, these players are less well rounded than some of the other team's third liners. The point totals really speak for themselves when it comes to this 3rd line. The lack of talent makes this team one of the better fits for Laraque. Anaheim has some legitimate potential in their rookies and could take a big step forward next season.

Anchorage Armada

The Anchorage Armada fresh off a rebuilding year have performed a bit above expectations finishing 2nd out of 10, beating out their projection of 4th. They will look to continue their upward trend into next season and beyond. If only they could've solved their issues on the road, they could have easily finished in the 1st spot. Their 8 rookies will look to improve and push the team to the next level.

Good Fit?

Dean Colt III - 10-17-27
Bust - 7-9-16
Olivier Cloutier R - 6-7-13

The Armada have the second best skill out of all the 3rd lines in the league in my rankings. They are employing only one rookie on their third line, so I would expect this to be the case anyways. Surprisingly though the numbers do not coincide with the skill level in my opinion. This may be due to the fact that there is no pass first player on the line. Colt, Bust, and Cloutier are all shoot first players so this line may lack the natural passing talent needed to succeed. Because of this, I don't see the Armada being a great fit for Laraque going into next year.

Colorado Raptors

There isn't much to say about the Raptors who are really a middle of the road team who put in a middle of the road performance over this season. Overall I'd say they had a disappointing season versus where they were projected. They finished a measly 7th compared to their projection of 5th. They do have an above average amount of rookies at 12 so at least there is some youth there.

Good Fit?

Michael Scarn R - 6-13-19
Daniel Smeb R - 8-15-23
Nick Brain R - 7-6-13

The Raptor's third line ranks 5th in my rankings and is a pretty well balanced line overall. Smeb being the primary passer (and a good one at that; in fact the best one on all of the 3rd lines) it seems like Scarn and Brain directly benefited from his ability. If one of either Brain or Scarn rounded out their games a little bit, this line could really explode. Due to this line's chemistry and youth, Colorado wouldn't be one of the better spots for Laraque to end up.

Detroit Falcons

Are there any holes in this Detroit team? The easy answer is no. They have enjoyed an extremely successful season this year and are projected by many to win the Four Star Cup to top it off. You can't really call it an above expectations season, but they were projected to finish 2nd this year. They have a total of 8 rookies this year who will look to continue the success next season.

Good Fit?

Raino Kyllonen R - 11-21-32
Kit Smeb R - 14-12-26
Waffles Man - 3-4-7 (10 GP)

Detroits third line comes in at 4th in my rankings between all of the teams. Smeb is the guy who really drives this line, his top level goal scoring ability and overall effectiveness pushed this line. Kyllonen surprisingly put up a healthy number of goals even though being known more for passing the puck. Difficult to assess Waffles Man as he only played 10 games for the club, but did produce at an alarming rate. Being that Waffles was a late addition and should be seen as an over achiever, Detroit could be a good option for Laraque come draft day.

Halifax Raiders

The season they should have expected to have is how I'd describe Halifax this year. With the league high of 14 rookies on their squad they are certainly in a full-blown rebuild and performed as such. Is next season going to be their year or will they continue their dreadful run? My money is on somewhere in between.

Good Fit?

Kristoffer Matsson R - 9-10-19
Tobias Viklund - 18-16-34
Gaspard Boone R - 2-5-7 (29 GP)

The Raiders rank 7th in my list and that is primarily due to Boone's lack of offensive talent compared to the average third liner. Viklund had an extremely good year for Halifax and Matsson was no slouch either. With another year of progression and with a 3rd added piece in the upcoming season this line could really take off and be something great in the SMJHL. Halifax seems to be one of if not the best landing spots for Laraque.

Kelowna Knights

The over-achiever award of the year goes to...... Kelowna! Finishing 4 spots ahead of their projection, the Knights enjoyed a season beyond their ultimate expectations this year. Much of this comes from their promising group of rookies (12 in total) and they should continue to develop. Look for this team to keep trending upwards into next season.

Good Fit?

Barry Batsbak R - 8-5-13
Nathan Explosion R - 4-3-7 (48 GP)
Liam Hutchinson R - 5-8-14

Kelowna's third line comes in at the 10th spot... or should I say dead last. They are really lacking in offensive talent down the line-up and it shows with how this line produced throughout the year. They do have upside though being a line of true rookies and certainly could surprise some people next season. Batsbak is the real bright spot here though moving forward. The Knights would be a solid landing spot for Laraque, but would the offensive upside be capped?

Lethbridge Lions

As the second expansion team to the party, Lethbridge did not have a good time this year to say the least. Sporting the worst goal difference, worst record, and allowing the most goals against this year they finished right where they were expected to. The one promising aspect is the amount of rookies they have (14) and the potential they possess. I don't see much changing next year but they could take a small step forward.

Good Fit?

Cant Eykhil R - 6-3-9
Nick McKee - 9-5-14
Jordan Joestar R - 6-12-18

The Lions show up at the 6th spot in the rankings and McKee is a big reason for that. He is the most talented goal scorer out of this group of forwards. With some further development from Eykhil and Joestar this line could be a powerhouse next year against their peers. The Lions don't look to be a good fit here as they don't really need to shake this line up.

Montreal Militia

Montreal had the honors of selecting 1st overall in the league's biggest ever draft in history. It seems as if they added what was needed into their lineup as they finished in a promising position. With the league's most amount of capped TPE players they will be all in or bust this year in the playoffs. Their below average number of rookies (9) will have them looking to add a few in the draft.

Good Fit?

Kristoffer Svensson R - 5-5-10
Commander Shepard R - 4-3-7
Hans Zucker R - 4-5-9

The third ranked third line in the SMJHL happens to be the Montreal Militia. The combination of Shepard and Svensson dishing the puck to Zucker who likes to pull the trigger looks good on paper. For whatever reason it didn't click this year for this line though. Perhaps some more seasoning and building of chemistry could see this line perform better next year. Laraque wouldn't really fit in on this line so Montreal doesn't seem like the best fit here.

St. Louis Scarecrows

A season of what could have been for the Scarecrows... They have an absolute stacked roster as far as TPE goes but yet they fell short this season in 6th after being projected to win the league. Not only that but they also have a league low 7 rookies so it seems their future isn't quite as bright as others.

Good Fit?

Rainbow Dash - 10-21-31
Tyler Tougard R - 11-18-29
Michael Fox R - 8-9-17

The Scarecrows didn't meet their expectations in the regular season, but their third line pushed their expectations to the next level this year as they come in at 7th on the list. The numbers this line put out bring one word to mind; surprising. This offensive output was certainly not expected from these three. Breaking this line up would be a fool's errand and for that reason it would not be a good fit for Laraque in St. Louis.

Vancouver Whalers

The Whalers overachieved quite a bit this year finishing 2 spots up from their projection. They are certainly a contender this year and look to increase their chances next year with their league average 10 rookies developing further.

Good Fit?

Borromini Cannellini R - 5-13-18
Petr Mikulak R - 8-6-14
William Goose - 7-2-9

With the best ranked third line in the SMJHL, this group of Whalers did not disappoint to prove why they deserve the ranking. The only question mark here being why Goose didn't accrue more assists with the two deadly scorers on his line in Mikulak and Cannellini. Certainly a bit more time together would make all the difference for next year for this trio. Vancouver does not look like the best landing spot at all for Laraque in that case.

*Projections were based on TPE totals of teams and overall stats of players.