Welcome one and all, to my offseason compendium of all the goings on with our beloved Halifax Raiders. As you can probably tell, this is a very belated round up, but a much needed one, especially for my poor bank account. It was a tops- turvy season for sure, with Halifax showing early signs of competitiveness before succumbing to a cruel fate of having the worst record in the SMJHL and having an early exit from the playoffs. While it was a rough season in the win-loss column, this Raiders franchise showed a lot of promise with a lot of young talent added to the roster from the S50 SMJHL Draft. These high-flying rookies were asked to pull more weight than a standard rookie would, and they did, earning some crucial early game experience that should pay dividends in the very near future as Halifax looks to complete their franchise rebuild. With so many rookies playing so much, it was unsurprising to see five of the six returning rookies taken in the first round of the S51 SHL draft. This depth of talent hopefully will lead Halifax back to the promised land of being competitive and winning a coveted Four Star Cup.

The first rookie with an outsized impact on the Raiders was former SMJHL first overall pick Abel Skinner (@KC15). The young defenseman from the United Kingdom was arguably the most prolific of the rookies, although that shouldn’t be surprising since he averaged nearly 20 minutes a game shoring up the moribund Raiders defense. Skinner, who was selected third overall by the Chicago Syndicate in the recent S51 SHL Draft, led all the Raiders rookies in points, accumulating 5 goals and 22 assists while also earning 50 hits and 57 blocked shots. This jack of all trades defensemen projects to be one of the SMJHL’s best as he enters his second season and will likely move up to the first defensive pairing with Raiders stalwart Adam Barron (@charlieconway). In the interim, however, you will find the young Skinner anchoring the British World Junior Championship defense and being mentored by such SMJHL defensive greats as Colorado Raptors all-star Denver Wolfe (@iRockstar).  Undoubtedly, Skinner will take the mentorship and the experience he is gaining to heart and improve his game even more and provide Halifax with a steadier blue line presence
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The next player to be profiled is former number 22 overall draft pick, Indigo Trevino (@Carbine). Trevino, a feisty winger who hails from Latvia and is built like a brick shit house, may not have earned the most accolades as some of his Raider rookie compatriots but he more than proved his ability to play in the SMJHL. While averaging 16 minutes a game, the young Trevino scored 11 goals, tallied 6 assists and accumulated 55 hits, a great season in its own right for a power forward. However, not everything was bright for the rookie, as he had a team worst -25 +/- rating. While this would normally appear to be doom and gloom for such a young player, it is clear that Trevino has taken his defensive deficiencies to heart as he has spent extra hours in the Halifax training facility during the offseason. The extra offseason work is showing in his recent WJC round robin play where he has tallied 5 goals to lead the UCOCAL team while only averaging 12 minutes a game. More importantly, for the Raiders and UCOCAL, Trevino has stayed on the positive side of the +/- and shown his value as an all around player. So impressive has this turnaround been that SHL franchises took notice and Indigo jumped up a few picks from his 22nd in the SMJHL to being selected 16th overall by the West Kendall Platoon. If Indigo continues to improve, he could turn into the next Karl Krashwagen (@CementHands) and provide a devastating 1-2 punch combo among the Halifax forwards.

Similar to the improvement seen by Indigo Trevino, the Raiders are hoping for similar improvement from one of the more heralded rookies, Julien Villeneuve (@adamantium), a Center hailing from Monte Carlo but playing in international play as a Russian national. Villeneuve, the only current player in the league from Monaco, tallied 7 goals and 10 assists during the season and lead the franchise in faceoffs and faceoff percentage, earning critical possession opportunities for the team. This former 7th overall draft pick showed plenty of potential during his 17 minutes a game, enough to catch the attention of the Manhattan Rage who selected Villenveuve 8th overall in the recent SHL draft. Julien will continue to develop as he gains more experience, earning limited minutes for a stacked team Russia in the WJC. It will not be surprising at all to see Villeneuve’s play improve by leaps and bounds during S51 as he competes for first line minutes in the very near future.

Another player looking to make the jump from rookie to veteran is Canadian left winger Thicc Cheezy (@sailingdrumstick). The former SMJHL 26th overall pick made significant advances throughout the season, notching 4 goals and 12 assists while playing limited minutes. As the season progressed, it was clear to see that Cheezy was improving week to week, enough so that Raiders GMs @Flareon and @Citizen of Adraa rewarded his tough gritty play with first line minutes down the stretch. Thicc was so impressive in his play as of late that the Minnesota Chiefs took a flyer on the young talent, selecting him 18th overall. Both the Chiefs and Raiders are looking to continue to see Cheezy develop into a true first line talent, and they will not be disappointed. Playing for team Canada in the WJC tourney, Cheezy has already made a significant impact for the Canuck (sorry, I had to do it, he’s a legit Canucks fan) team scoring 2 goals in 3 games during early round robin WJC play. Learning from the likes of fellow Canadian greats Bo Kane (@NONAME), and Raiders teammates Atlas Rush (@Rublic) and Adam Barron, it is certain that Thicc will make a significant contribution jump in the upcoming season.

As this saga continues, we will look at two final S50 rookies that are looking to progress into greater roles on the Raiders team (I am taking a much-needed coffee break and need to break up the monotony). Both of these young diamonds in the rough came into the season relatively unheralded but ended it with a bang, showing greatly improved play and the making of a solid core for future seasons.

The first of our remaining S50 rookies is none other than Swedish center Bjornoson Bjornosonson (@HyperboleJoe). The 16th overall pick in the S50 draft, Bjornosonson showed his potential late in the season as he progressed to earning first line minutes and was able to accrue 8 goals and 7 assists in his rookie campaign while averaging 18 minutes a game. This balanced play-making forward has the potential to mold himself into an Esa Parmborg (@Steelhead77) type talent with continued experience and development. A naturally talented player with boatloads of potential, it is yet to be seen if the young Swede’s work ethic will push his progression. The Raiders are hoping some needed development will occur during WJC play where Bjornosonson is anchoring the Swedish third line. With such natural talent, though, it is hard to see how Bjornoson will become anything but a household name with both the Raiders and the Winnipeg Jets, who took Bjornosonson with the 35th overall pick late in the draft.

The final S50 rookie that the Raiders will look to for more impact in the near future is right winger Al Kayhall (@mxman991). A big, American playmaker, Kayhall came into the SMJHL as the 18th overall pick and did not disappoint. A less naturally gifted player, Kayhall became a staple in the Raiders locker room early on, putting in extra sessions in the training facility and working with Raiders coaches and veterans to improve his game. That steady improvement led Kayhall to notch 8 goals and 7 assists during SMJHL play. While Kayhall’s +/- shows a need for significant improvement after going -19 on the season, his work ethic is undeniable and led to him being selected by the Hamilton Steelhawks with the 14th overall pick. Al’s dedication to improving his play has been consistent and is evident by being selected to represent team USA in the WJC tourney. While playing on sparing minutes, Kayhall has already shown his ability to make big plays as he leads team USA with 4 assists in 3 games. A clearly gifted player in terms of his desire and dedication, it will not be surprising to see the young American turn the corner this season and earn first or second line minutes.

With that, this closes out Part One of the annual Raiders Review. For Part Two, we will go over the recent additions the Raiders have made in the S51 SMJHL draft and look to see how these new puzzle pieces will fit in with the Raiders youth movement and the franchise looks to restock talent and develop into a consistent winning franchise.