For my second deep dive, i have decided to pretty much look into the SMJHL regular season standings and pick the team which i feel stands out the most. And, in my opinion, even though they are currently 2nd in the league standings, with 1 game in hand compared to the Newfoundland Berserkers, the Anchorage Armada stands out for me. I can tell you that the thing that really impressed me is the fact that they are the top offense and top defense so far, with 82 goals scored to 33 conceded, for a +49 difference, which i think is really good.

Looking into the past seasons, it is incredible the consistency they have been showing. 3 finals presences in the last 3 seasons, with 1 win in season 57 and 2 losses in seasons 58 and 59 really speaks volumes to their management and players. In this league it is not very easy to regularly top the standings, due to player turnover, call ups etc, but that is something they are definitely capable. And this season they are going the same route, looking into going far in the playoffs, for a 4 finals presence in as many years.

One of the biggest reasons a team can be so good for so long, is obviously on their roster. And they have one of the best, if not the best, in the league. It is a very experienced roster, mainly with season 58 and 59 players, which means that "true" rookies are not very abundant in Anchorage. Which is probably a good thing, due to the cold and all that. And this shows by looking at the team stats, as Gregory Goode (S58 RD) is really having a great season, with 6 goals and 16 assists, for +22 points. Somewhat surprisingly, or maybe not, he has Mikhail Novikov company, a S60 Center player, also with 22 points from 8 goals and 14 assists. But nobody on the team is below 5 points, and that is a big sign that the team is playing very well, using all its players. Their top scorer so far is a rookie, Winger Towelie, with 10 goals, #3 in the league.
If we look into league stats, they sure have players in nearly every ranking, but the most impressive one has to be "Plus Minus", where they own the top 6 and have 7 players in the top 8. Incredible.

We know that the season still has a long way to go, many games still to be played, but i have no doubt in my mind that Anchorage will be the #1 seed for the playoffs. Obviously that the playoffs are a completely different thing, and while they can sure talk the talk, it remains to be seen if they can also walk the walk. And if they make their 4th final games in as many years, the word "dinasty" is probably going to be thrown away a bit. But, in my opinion, they still need a little more meat on the bones to reach that point.

(511 words)

Approved! +5 TPE @Opera_Phantom