01-04-2017, 02:15 PM
<div align="center">Edmonton Blizzard: Season Highlights</div>
<div align="center">![[Image: 14tq6q9.png]](http://i61.tinypic.com/14tq6q9.png)
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With the end of the season just around the corner, and the Edmonton Blizzard still very much fighting to retain their playoff spot, it’s worth looking back at some of the key themes with the Blizzard’s performance this season. This will be broken down in to three key stories, and statistics will be considered from the past three seasons (S30-S32) to consider Edmonton as a ‘post-Challenge Cup’ team, rather than including statistics from its last championship-winning run. As the season is still ongoing, the statistics raised are subject to change: and though it’s unlikely that something substantial will occur with just five games left to go that would affect the overall themes of this article, this still needs to be considered before any conclusions are drawn concretely.
<div align="center">Offensive Decline: A Team in Transition</div>
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for the team this season has been their continued offensive decline. In just two seasons, they’ve gone from being second only to Minnesota in terms of scoring prowess, to being a decidedly middle-of-the-pack offensive team. Although they’ve tightened their defensive play enough that this doesn’t necessarily stand as a significant weakness over the course of the season, the weak offensive production means that the team is overly dependent on its defenders and especially on Broadway not to have a bad game. Where this could really come back to bite them is during the playoffs, or in the crucial last games of the season, fighting for points as the Texas Renegades eye a playoff berth. The first statistic worth looking at is simply the overall production:
- S30: 179 Goals For, 131 Goals Against
- S31: 149 Goals For, 125 Goals Against
- S32: 131 Goals For, 109 Goals Against (in progress)
There is a clear decline in both goals for and goals against across the last three seasons: albeit, season 32 isn’t over yet, and so both numbers will inevitably raise in the next five games. In looking at the performance of individual rosters, the decline appears to be less of a problem in coaching or managing, and more the natural result of a steady changing of the guard that has been occurring in the aftermath of the team’s attempt to rekindle it’s Season 29 Cup run. Notably, Jackson Rogers-Tanaka retired, leaving the team significantly weaker on the blue-line. In fact, in an attempt to remedy the loss of Tanaka’s offensive skill on the first line, they opted to drop Theo Kane from the first line and onto defense. Although he has performed well in the role, he has seen a bit of a decline from his point-per-game effort last season. Viktor Svensson’s continued regression has also hurt the team’s offensive production from the back end, as he appears on pace for one of his worst seasons yet.
There is some reason for optimism, however, as gaps in the top six have been filled by good seasons on the part of Nikolaus Scholz, who has already eclipsed his past efforts, Zalleras Szlerchek, and surprisingly, Evgeni Karpotsov. Pedro Sarantez may finish under a point per game for the first time in a fair few seasons, but his play remains of a high calibre. Overall, the decline in production should be viewed as part of a natural transition and a struggle to find chemistry in a team that has been undergoing a steady, but marked change from its previous, championship-winning roster. Perhaps the clearest path forward for the team to solve its offensive struggles is, in fact, to patch its defensive corps’ weak points and shuffle up the pairings.
<div align="center">Goaltending Excellence: A Worthy Successor to Aittokallio</div>
Brett Broadway is a good goaltender. That much has been obvious ever since his first couple of seasons in the SMJHL, where he proved himself through an early championship win. His play since becoming Edmonton’s starter has been admirable, easing the concerns of players and fans alike with the retirement of Jakub Aittokallio. Although there was some doubt as to whether the team would be able to find playoff success without the legendary netminder, Broadway proved himself to be more than capable of bringing the team (almost) all the way, with consecutive appearances in the finals. He further solidified himself as a starting goaltender the next season, when he built upon his earlier success for an even better showing. With the team’s steady offensive decline, already discussed, Broadway’s play has become increasingly crucial to the team’s overall success: so much so that a large part of the team’s playoff contention this year is depending upon what has become, thus far, a career year for him. Again, it is worth examining the past three seasons side by side:
- S30: 41 GP, 29W-10L, 0.917PCT, 2.46GAA
- S31: 44 GP, 26W-13L, 0.918PCT, 2.15GAA
- S32: 40 GP, 27W-12L, 0.923PCT, 2.07GAA (in progress)
The statistics which improved the most for Broadway have been his save percentage and, although it’s more of a team stat, his goals-against-average. With the marked decline in goals for on the part of the team, Broadway has been under more and more pressure in close games where one or two slip-ups on his part could cost the team both the win, and as their overall performance in the standings has dipped this season, a crucial two points in their fight to keep their playoff hopes alive. Some teams, however, simply have Broadway’s number. The Los Angeles Panthers and Winnipeg Jets in particular have a habit of lighting Broadway up, and he’s never fared particularly well against the New England Wolfpack from the East. Overall however, Broadway’s excellent performance has to be viewed as one of the major positives for Edmonton: especially considering his long-term contract, and the likelihood of Broadway turning out to be a career-long member of the Blizzard. Anything can happen, but as of yet, there’s no indication he wants to go anywhere else.
On the flip-side of things, however, Edmonton’s back-up goal-tending has weakened considerably. In Broadway’s first season, he benefited both from the mentor-ship and the solid (if less remarkable than before) play of the venerable Jakub Aittokallio, who opted to play one last season for the team as the back-up to help phase Broadway into his new role. In this, Aittokallio registered a .903 save percentage and a 2.76 goals against average. This would be considered a poor season for Aitto himself, but stands up reasonably well when considered against SHL back-ups more generally. The next season saw the much less seasoned Emmett Roy take over as back up. His save percentage dipped from Aittokallio’s at about .884, while his goals against average shot up to 4.17. He played his role, but was routinely shaky in net. This season, however, has been particularly bad for Roy: it’s hard to pinpoint what is going on with him that’s led to such a drop-off, but he’s registered a meagre .830 save percentage and a 5.20 goals against average this season. Losing four of his five games so far, the team has found no success with him between the pipes. If the Edmonton Blizzard cannot pull ahead and clinch their slot in the playoffs, the play of their back-up will stand out as one of their biggest downsides.
<div align="center">Karpotsov’s Swan Song: Why Not to Retire Early</div>
On some level, Edmonton’s offensive decline and Broadway’s continued development as a starting goaltender could have been predicted simply due to the make-up of their roster, coaching decisions and the direction the league has been moving in. Perhaps the strangest silver lining admist the team’s struggle to score goals has been the performance of the retiring Evgeni Karpotsov. Bearing the hopes of a storied legacy on his shoulders, Karpotsov has been one of the lesser of his dynasty, even while his family’s return to Edmonton sparked hope amongst the fanbase. Although popular in the locker-room, Karpotsov never amounted to a significant offensive threat, and opted to retire after a poor Season 31. However, after formalizing his retirement papers and preparing for life after hockey at the conclusion of this season, his performance has changed substantially. This may have to do simply with him being forced to play a more prominent role with the changing nature of the team, but suffice to say Karpotsov may be regretting his decision to retire at this point.
- Season 30: GP 50, 12G, 11A, 22P
- Season 31: GP 50, 4G, 11A, 15P
- Season 32: GP 45, 12G, 23A, 35P (in progress)
Far and away outdoing his previous point totals, and matching his Season 30 goal totals before the season has even concluded, Karpotsov has been an unpredicted and welcome offensive threat. Accordingly, he has seen his time on ice jump by nearly ten minutes since the last season, something which may have as much to do with this heightened production as his actual development as a player. Playing on both the second and third lines, Karpotsov has benefited from playing alongside Nikolaus Scholz, who himself is having a career year, and has continued to play with veteran Chico Salmon. Although it’s true that he won’t be winning any scoring races his year, and the extreme pressure of playing so many minutes as a forward has led to a defensive decline on his part, there’s no doubting that when Karpotsov looks back from his farm in Season 33, he’ll want to remember this season as that most indicative of his potential as a player. In fact, years from now, the story of Karpotosv’s career may well be one of lost potential: a talented player buried beneath a stacked roster, unable to prove himself until he had already made the call to hang up his skates.
Words: 1647
<div align="center">
</div>With the end of the season just around the corner, and the Edmonton Blizzard still very much fighting to retain their playoff spot, it’s worth looking back at some of the key themes with the Blizzard’s performance this season. This will be broken down in to three key stories, and statistics will be considered from the past three seasons (S30-S32) to consider Edmonton as a ‘post-Challenge Cup’ team, rather than including statistics from its last championship-winning run. As the season is still ongoing, the statistics raised are subject to change: and though it’s unlikely that something substantial will occur with just five games left to go that would affect the overall themes of this article, this still needs to be considered before any conclusions are drawn concretely.
<div align="center">Offensive Decline: A Team in Transition</div>
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for the team this season has been their continued offensive decline. In just two seasons, they’ve gone from being second only to Minnesota in terms of scoring prowess, to being a decidedly middle-of-the-pack offensive team. Although they’ve tightened their defensive play enough that this doesn’t necessarily stand as a significant weakness over the course of the season, the weak offensive production means that the team is overly dependent on its defenders and especially on Broadway not to have a bad game. Where this could really come back to bite them is during the playoffs, or in the crucial last games of the season, fighting for points as the Texas Renegades eye a playoff berth. The first statistic worth looking at is simply the overall production:
- S30: 179 Goals For, 131 Goals Against
- S31: 149 Goals For, 125 Goals Against
- S32: 131 Goals For, 109 Goals Against (in progress)
There is a clear decline in both goals for and goals against across the last three seasons: albeit, season 32 isn’t over yet, and so both numbers will inevitably raise in the next five games. In looking at the performance of individual rosters, the decline appears to be less of a problem in coaching or managing, and more the natural result of a steady changing of the guard that has been occurring in the aftermath of the team’s attempt to rekindle it’s Season 29 Cup run. Notably, Jackson Rogers-Tanaka retired, leaving the team significantly weaker on the blue-line. In fact, in an attempt to remedy the loss of Tanaka’s offensive skill on the first line, they opted to drop Theo Kane from the first line and onto defense. Although he has performed well in the role, he has seen a bit of a decline from his point-per-game effort last season. Viktor Svensson’s continued regression has also hurt the team’s offensive production from the back end, as he appears on pace for one of his worst seasons yet.
There is some reason for optimism, however, as gaps in the top six have been filled by good seasons on the part of Nikolaus Scholz, who has already eclipsed his past efforts, Zalleras Szlerchek, and surprisingly, Evgeni Karpotsov. Pedro Sarantez may finish under a point per game for the first time in a fair few seasons, but his play remains of a high calibre. Overall, the decline in production should be viewed as part of a natural transition and a struggle to find chemistry in a team that has been undergoing a steady, but marked change from its previous, championship-winning roster. Perhaps the clearest path forward for the team to solve its offensive struggles is, in fact, to patch its defensive corps’ weak points and shuffle up the pairings.
<div align="center">Goaltending Excellence: A Worthy Successor to Aittokallio</div>
Brett Broadway is a good goaltender. That much has been obvious ever since his first couple of seasons in the SMJHL, where he proved himself through an early championship win. His play since becoming Edmonton’s starter has been admirable, easing the concerns of players and fans alike with the retirement of Jakub Aittokallio. Although there was some doubt as to whether the team would be able to find playoff success without the legendary netminder, Broadway proved himself to be more than capable of bringing the team (almost) all the way, with consecutive appearances in the finals. He further solidified himself as a starting goaltender the next season, when he built upon his earlier success for an even better showing. With the team’s steady offensive decline, already discussed, Broadway’s play has become increasingly crucial to the team’s overall success: so much so that a large part of the team’s playoff contention this year is depending upon what has become, thus far, a career year for him. Again, it is worth examining the past three seasons side by side:
- S30: 41 GP, 29W-10L, 0.917PCT, 2.46GAA
- S31: 44 GP, 26W-13L, 0.918PCT, 2.15GAA
- S32: 40 GP, 27W-12L, 0.923PCT, 2.07GAA (in progress)
The statistics which improved the most for Broadway have been his save percentage and, although it’s more of a team stat, his goals-against-average. With the marked decline in goals for on the part of the team, Broadway has been under more and more pressure in close games where one or two slip-ups on his part could cost the team both the win, and as their overall performance in the standings has dipped this season, a crucial two points in their fight to keep their playoff hopes alive. Some teams, however, simply have Broadway’s number. The Los Angeles Panthers and Winnipeg Jets in particular have a habit of lighting Broadway up, and he’s never fared particularly well against the New England Wolfpack from the East. Overall however, Broadway’s excellent performance has to be viewed as one of the major positives for Edmonton: especially considering his long-term contract, and the likelihood of Broadway turning out to be a career-long member of the Blizzard. Anything can happen, but as of yet, there’s no indication he wants to go anywhere else.
On the flip-side of things, however, Edmonton’s back-up goal-tending has weakened considerably. In Broadway’s first season, he benefited both from the mentor-ship and the solid (if less remarkable than before) play of the venerable Jakub Aittokallio, who opted to play one last season for the team as the back-up to help phase Broadway into his new role. In this, Aittokallio registered a .903 save percentage and a 2.76 goals against average. This would be considered a poor season for Aitto himself, but stands up reasonably well when considered against SHL back-ups more generally. The next season saw the much less seasoned Emmett Roy take over as back up. His save percentage dipped from Aittokallio’s at about .884, while his goals against average shot up to 4.17. He played his role, but was routinely shaky in net. This season, however, has been particularly bad for Roy: it’s hard to pinpoint what is going on with him that’s led to such a drop-off, but he’s registered a meagre .830 save percentage and a 5.20 goals against average this season. Losing four of his five games so far, the team has found no success with him between the pipes. If the Edmonton Blizzard cannot pull ahead and clinch their slot in the playoffs, the play of their back-up will stand out as one of their biggest downsides.
<div align="center">Karpotsov’s Swan Song: Why Not to Retire Early</div>
On some level, Edmonton’s offensive decline and Broadway’s continued development as a starting goaltender could have been predicted simply due to the make-up of their roster, coaching decisions and the direction the league has been moving in. Perhaps the strangest silver lining admist the team’s struggle to score goals has been the performance of the retiring Evgeni Karpotsov. Bearing the hopes of a storied legacy on his shoulders, Karpotsov has been one of the lesser of his dynasty, even while his family’s return to Edmonton sparked hope amongst the fanbase. Although popular in the locker-room, Karpotsov never amounted to a significant offensive threat, and opted to retire after a poor Season 31. However, after formalizing his retirement papers and preparing for life after hockey at the conclusion of this season, his performance has changed substantially. This may have to do simply with him being forced to play a more prominent role with the changing nature of the team, but suffice to say Karpotsov may be regretting his decision to retire at this point.
- Season 30: GP 50, 12G, 11A, 22P
- Season 31: GP 50, 4G, 11A, 15P
- Season 32: GP 45, 12G, 23A, 35P (in progress)
Far and away outdoing his previous point totals, and matching his Season 30 goal totals before the season has even concluded, Karpotsov has been an unpredicted and welcome offensive threat. Accordingly, he has seen his time on ice jump by nearly ten minutes since the last season, something which may have as much to do with this heightened production as his actual development as a player. Playing on both the second and third lines, Karpotsov has benefited from playing alongside Nikolaus Scholz, who himself is having a career year, and has continued to play with veteran Chico Salmon. Although it’s true that he won’t be winning any scoring races his year, and the extreme pressure of playing so many minutes as a forward has led to a defensive decline on his part, there’s no doubting that when Karpotsov looks back from his farm in Season 33, he’ll want to remember this season as that most indicative of his potential as a player. In fact, years from now, the story of Karpotosv’s career may well be one of lost potential: a talented player buried beneath a stacked roster, unable to prove himself until he had already made the call to hang up his skates.
Words: 1647
Ily