Simulation Hockey League

THIS PT IS FOR SHL PLAYERS AND SEND DOWNS. IT IS NOT FOR SMJHL ROOKIES.

Below are some water cooler topics for discussion. Feel free to mix and match!

Task Choices:
Pick 1 topic = 150 words or more
Pick 2 topics = 75 words or more each
Pick 3 Topics = 50 words or more each










Graphic:  (pick 1 below)






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You will receive 3 capped TPE for fulfilling all requirements.
This PT will close Sunday, January 20 at 10PM EST.

Welfare claims are accepted! *if you’re claiming welfare and have a different username on the affiliates site then you need to state that in your post to get credit.*

Any questions/concerns, please PM me.
Note: Tasks with malicious intent will not be graded.

Topic 1 -After an unpresidented run of prosperity which includes making the post season in 20 of the last 21 seasons, the Calgary Dragons dealt Joe Kurczewski and Roman Augustus in a series of draft pick trades wiping 3400 TPE off the roster. Is this the end of an era? Put your pundit cap on and let us know whats in store for the Dragons moving forward?

Even when the Dragons don't look the strongest, they'll somehow make the playoffs or just squeak into the playoffs. So no this really isn't an end of an era until they start consistently tanking to get high draft picks. This run is very imminent of the Detroit Red Wings in real life in that they were able to make the playoffs for 25 seasons straight and won a handful of cups while also drafting and developing prospects and finding gems in the later rounds like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk and grabbing guys from other leagues like the Russian 5 and Swedish Elite League with Lidstrom, Kronwall, Holmstrom and the list goes on. It's all in the hands of the management core to see if this is a truly a start of a new era or a continuation of another. With Detroit now they're in full rebuild and trying to gun for the first pick in this draft with Jack Hughes. Maybe Calgary is gearing up for their Jack Hughes in the next few seasons.

Topic 1 -After an unpresidented run of prosperity which includes making the post season in 20 of the last 21 seasons, the Calgary Dragons dealt Joe Kurczewski and Roman Augustus in a series of draft pick trades wiping 3400 TPE off the roster. Is this the end of an era? Put your pundit cap on and let us know whats in store for the Dragons moving forward?

There is no doubt that losing Joe Kurczewski and Roman Augustus hurts the Dragons right now and that is displayed in their current standing of just barely hanging on to a playoff spot. I don't know if they will make the playoffs this season or next, but I don't think that they will be down for long. That being said, I think the biggest advantage going forward that the Dragons have is having Esa at the helm of the organization. It's no secret that he is masterful at his craft, I mean you can see that from the results that the Dragons have had during his tenure. It also helps that they still have some star players to fill out their roster. All-in-all, my take on the Dragons is that in the short term, yes they are being hurt by player departures, but in the long term they will be fine given all of the success that they have had under Mr. Steelhead.

Topic 2 -Were more then half way through the S45 season in whats been an historic rookie class in the SMJHL, put your pundit cap on and let us know which players are beggining to make a name for themselves on or off the ice and why... as our highly anticipated SHL draft approaches  -> *tag player*


Now in my 10th season i admit i dont follow the SMJHL like i once did, but the rookie class of the Kelowna Knights has sparked my interest which has even pursaded me to click on the SMJHL index to see how there doing. Ive noticed a defender named Guy Zheng who's having a strong rookie campaign scoring 19 points and 26 blocks in 27 games! Also on line 2 is a forward named Dick Clapper who boasts 8 goals and 18 points in under 15 minutes a game!... and a pure center anchoring line 3 for Kelowna is Barry Batsbak who brings a work ethich that looks promising for future progression as he moves past the 230 TPE mark midway into the season. Off the ice Zheng and Clapper have moved into the audio arena where they run a podcast through the eyes of a new 1st generation member, which is refreshing for us older members who have forgotten some of the trials and tribulations that we went through in our rookie seasons. I see big things for the kelowna knight prospects moving forward.


@Katth
@5ympathies
@goldenglutes

Topic 1 - After an unpresidented run of prosperity which includes making the post season in 20 of the last 21 seasons, the Calgary Dragons dealt Joe Kurczewski and Roman Augustus in a series of draft pick trades wiping 3400 TPE off the roster. Is this the end of an era? Put your pundit cap on and let us know whats in store for the Dragons moving forward?

Honestly, it was low key pretty rough seeing Joe Kurczewski and Roman Augustus being traded off of one of the only teams they've known for seemingly their entire career. It's a pretty bold statement by the Calgary Dragons too, which is less of a "we're better off without you" and more of a "we don't feel like we can win with you anymore". Obviously right now the team is struggling with only a finger hold on a playoff berth. They do have a solid future, but keeping one of Joe or Roman would have helped them so much more, even if this is just going to be a short rebuild on the fly.

Again, it was just pretty rough seeing two of the Dragons' biggest stars just traded like that. But Esa is a smart guy, and I'm sure the Dragons are feeling confident in his abilities to find players in the upcoming drafts who could just be as good as Joe and Roman, or even better.

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Topic 1 -After an unpresidented run of prosperity which includes making the post season in 20 of the last 21 seasons, the Calgary Dragons dealt Joe Kurczewski and Roman Augustus in a series of draft pick trades wiping 3400 TPE off the roster. Is this the end of an era? Put your pundit cap on and let us know whats in store for the Dragons moving forward?

This is 100% the end of an era. For a long time the Dragons have always had a great top 6 and a nice top 4 on defense. After this season they'll still have an okay top 4 with 4 of them above 1k TPE and with Kaiser and Creller both only being semi active and in regression they'll be falling below 1k very soon meaning Driftwood and Maksimov will be carrying a huge part of the load. On offense they still have Mike Izzy, but with rumors of him already looking to get out of Calgary there's a good chance that their best forward next season will be Hunter Jones or Shooter McGavin. They'll still be a good team for a while, but the Calgary Dragons have been perennial conference finalists with an expectation of winning the cup and anything else being disappointment. Now I think getting to the finals will be an achievement.

I'm clearly biased towards my Crow boys, so I'm proud of what they've been able to accomplish so far this season.  As of right now, Tyler Tougard (@Durden) is representing the Crows on the Rookie leader board, and he's one of two rookies to earn two first stars, the other being Gordie Boomhoover (@gordieboom).  Our rookie that's had the biggest impression on me off the ice is definitely Michael Fox (@FuzzSHL).  He's got a solid player, earning a star at each rank and just behind Boomhover for P/20, but I've also worked with him on some great media.  I think if he can get some exposure with the SHL GMs, they'll find he's a solid early pick and great addition to the LR.

I also want to call out Guy Zheng (@goldenglutes) and Dick Clapper (@5ympathies) from Kelowna.  These guys are both top rookie point earners on the ice, including some heavy, productive PP minutes (and PK for Zheng).  But they're also adding quite a bit off the ice with their podcast.  You'd like to see them keep playing together in the big show, but I don't see one falling a round below the other so we'd have to see some pick trading for that to happen.  On the upside, I'd love to hear what happens on their podcast if they start playing against each other.

Topic 1 - I don't think this is the end of an era for Calgary. If you drafted well in the s43 draft, which Calgary did, you can extend your window by quite a few seasons. As long as you don't ship em off for nothing, s43 draftees can change the trajectory of your team and I think we'll see the impact very soon. Hamilton has a couple as well, and they'll keep earning even on the third line until theyre the next superstars of the league. With Nicky Pedersen Jr. and Mikael Choybuk earning the way they are, soon Calgary will be right back at the forefront of the Western Conference. They have a young goalie in Kata Vilde, but are okay with letting him learn by starting him even though he's under 1000 tpe, a smart move to go with the younger goalie with a higher ceiling than the older goalie who will bring down your team in the future.

After finding success in multiple seasons, the Calgary Dragons are clearly making steps to improve the future of the team including trading some of the core players that lead the Dragons to success in the last few years and I think this decision will end up paying in the long term, because the Dragons are putting themselves in a position to go back to the top by rebuilding with a new core of young players that will improve together. They already have two future top pairing defensemen with Maksimov and Driftwood and their current starting goaltender, Kata Vilde, a S41 draftee, is already performing at a good level. The offensive side will still need some work, but McGavin, Pedersen, Nuck and Bouchard constitute a great start to improve the future of their attacking force. They still have players like Adam Kaiser and Mike Izzy who could land a significant return in the future if they choose to trade them. They also position themselves in a good way for the next draft with six picks in the first fourth rounds and two first round picks.
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Topic 1 –

It’s always been crazy just how lucky the Calgary Dragons have always been. While I was there for my damn near 15 seasons, it was insane how the Dragons would never have that random awful season that STHS likes to spit out for every franchise. Even without Augustus and myself, the Dragons still have the greatest GM in SHL history on their side. @Steelhead77 is the reason the Dragons have been so good for so long, not the players. He’s not going to miss a beat.

Topic 2 –

I’ll take a second to mention some of my Scarecrows: Gordie Boomhover ( @gordieboom ) is a star in the making. He’s made an awesome history of the SHL and is looking to do more with it. His player is rapidly improving. So is Michael Fox ( @FuzzSHL ) , as he’s been gaining TPE and is a future playmaking star in the league. I have so many rookies, as we all do, but both of these guys are making names for themselves. (172)

The Calgary Dragons have long been a banner franchise for the SHL and that is in thanks to their strong management. Esa is a smart man and knows how to keep his team afloat and he does it by knowing when to move players and when to bring them in. Sometimes he sits pat and sometimes he is aggressive and to a lesser extent, sometimes he ships out talent. Knowing that he had the potential to lose some of the more talented players on his squad to expansion he made a shrewd move to acquire assets to keep the Dragons marching along. The most hated talent of the Dragons management is their ability to woo free agents so I do not believe this is the end of an era but merely a re-tooling phase. A marque free agent will sign with Calgary, everyone will bitch, and the Dragons will keep on soaring to the playoffs.

I think the Calgary Dragons will be just fine. They may take a hit this season and next, but they have some promising pieces still in the system with your Shooter McGavins and your Otis B Driftwoods, plus as long as you have a 1000+ goaltender, they're always going to be in games. It is the end of an era, but it doesn't necessarily have to be the end of them being a good team in this league. Even if expansion didn't mess everything up and they weren't forced to trade Joe K and Roman Augustus, they were being passed by Edmonton and Texas anyways, so they needed a shakeup regardless, and adding a few different pieces like draft picks and new voices in the locker room may be just what they needed.

In my unbiased Texas opinion, even a loaded up Calgary team is going to have trouble beating Edmonton and Texas. The expansion process gave them an excuse.