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Sopath · 08-22-2021, 10:16 PM

The Newfoundland Berserker Hall of Fame was officially founded in S60 however it's first induction is an S56 induction from when JNH and SDCore stepped down as GMs. As this Hall is so new it doesn't yet have an official splash page or introduction, and this shall sit in its place until such an introduction is officially created.

Sopath · 08-22-2021, 10:27 PM

S56 Induction
Ryuuji Minamino "C" - RW - 11

S52-S55

Ryuuji Minamino is an all time SMJHL and Newfoundland Great. One of the most dominant players of his time. Minamino was famously a late draft pick in the S52 SMJHL Draft. Newfoundland used a 6th round pick they acquired from Kelowna to take this legend at 56th overall. Little did management know but they had just changed the course of Berserker history forever.

Ryuuji Minamino’s four seasons in Newfoundland would be remembered as some of the most dominant seasons in the history of the franchise and in the history of the SMJHL. Scoring a towering 66 Goals and 153 Points over his career, few goal scorers in the J ever achieved the heights of Minamino. Minamino’s rookie season was a tough campaign, as is typical for a rookie, but he persevered. Scouts and GMs were so impressed by Minamino’s development that they made him a first round selection. Minamino might have come into the SMJHL by being a 56th overall pick, but he was exalted into the SHL by being an 11th overall selection by The Chicago Syndicate.

Early in his 2nd season with Newfoundland Berserkers he put the league on notice when The St. Louis Scarecrows came to town and Ryuuji Minamino scored 2 goals and 2 assists. The first major performance of his career and it would be far from the last. Minamino would go on to score 17 goals and 36 points in 50 games. Minamino’s dominance only continued as he continued with his career. In his 4th season with the Zerks he achieved one of his finest career achievements when The Newfoundland Berserkers traveled to one of their biggest rivals in The Carolina Kraken. Minamino gave a performance that That The Kraken will never forget when he scored a hatrick.

In Minamino’s time with the Zerks the team went from a team that struggled in the regular season to the titan that was the S55 Newfoundland Berserkers, which finished the season 35-9-6 with 76 points. One of the most dominant seasons by any team in the history of the J. It was also the season that saw Minamino ascend to the role of Captain, a duty he shared with Steve Harrington. Together they hoisted the Four Star Cup, after defeating The Maine Timber, in their final game of the SMJHL Careers. Minamino came to the Zerks as a long shot but left the Zerks as a Champion.

Stats

GP: 200
G: 66
A: 87
P: 153
PPG: .77

League Awards: Raymond Lindsey Trophy (S54) Jared Hanson Trophy (S54) The Elias Armia Trophy (S55) Zach Miller Trophy (S55) Four Star Cup (S55)

Sopath · 08-22-2021, 10:43 PM

S60 Induction
Mats Marner "A" - C - 13

S53-S57

Mats Marner has become a legend in the history of Zerks fandom. Known over his career as one of the most lethal Power Forwards that has ever played in the SMJHL. His hulking frame of 6’4 230 put the fear of god into anyone who took the ice against him. He made a living being a behemoth in the crease but he also had incredible hockey IQ and ferocious shot. After going Undrafted in the S53 SMJHL Draft pundits remained unsure of what the Latvian’s pro hockey career would bring. Within a year he was one of the top prospects of his class and by the end of his SMJHL career the questions of Marner’s future were a distant memory.

Scouts quickly changed their tune on Mats Marner after a few games of the regular season. Marner surpassed all expectations for his rookie year. After not appearing in a game until the 7th game of the season Marner still managed to score 7 goals and 16 points in his rookie season. An impressive feat considering the amount of development he needed before the season and his limited ice time, yet most rookies that season hardly could do anything to rival his greatness when it came to offensive production.

The greatest season in Marner’s career came in S55 when Marner had one of the best seasons in the 50 game FHM era. Mats Marner scored 32 goals and 62 points en route to lifting The Four Star Cup. His performance in the playoffs was incredible but it was never better than in the deciding 6th game of the Four Star Cup Final against Maine. In that 6th game Newfoundland traveled to Maine where Mats Marner would score a goal and record 2 assists. But that goal was particularly special as it would become the Cup Winning Goal. So when fans look up into the stands and see that S55 Four Star Cup banner, just remember that it was Marner’s goal that put the banner up there.

Marner ended up going from an Undrafted Free Agent that signed with The Newfoundland Berserkers to being The 6th Overall Pick in The S54 SHL Draft by The Calgary Dragons. Marner was a player that was known for surpassing expectations and delivering when the moment was biggest. A player that coaches fretted could score a hat trick any time he took the ice and if you dared put a defensive emphasis on him, he’d find the open skater to make the open play. In the wake of Ryuuji Minamino’s Newfoundland Berserker Hall of Fame induction, the standard had been set that The Hall of Fame would be reserved for the greatest players to ever play for Newfoundland. By the time Marner had played his last game in the J and was off to Calgary, it was apparent that he was one of the greatest to ever play in the SMJHL.

Stats

GP: 194
G: 69
A: 72
P: 141
PPG: .72

League Awards: Raymond Lindsey Trophy (S55) Alex Light Trophy (S55) Jared Hanson Trophy (S55) Roberto Martucci Trophy (S55) Four Star Cup (S55)

Sopath · 08-22-2021, 10:52 PM

S60 Induction
Cale Amundsen - G - 30

S53-S56

Since Lethbridge moved to Newfoundland many goalies have played for the franchise; but Cale Amundsen is the first great Berserker Goalie. Great is no exaggeration when speaking about this legend. Cale Amundsen was regarded by many scouts as being the best goalie prospect in the S53 SMJHL Draft and ultimately Newfoundland pulled the trigger and drafted him 13th overall in the 2nd round. Cale Amundsen far exceeded even that reputation as he pulled off the rare feat of becoming a four year starter. Not only was he the starter from the time he was a rookie, he was also brilliant from the time he was a rookie. That brilliance would continue through his entire career.

Cale Amundsen’s rookie season is one of the most famous rookie seasons in all of the history of the SMJHL. In the very first game of his SMJHL Career he recorded a 25 shot shutout and set the tone for a season no one was ready to believe possible. Cale Amundsen would go on to record a .919 sv% and 5 shutouts on a very mediocre Newfoundland Berserkers team. Despite not having the best team in front he still ended up with 3rd highest win total, tied for the league lead in shutouts, and lead starters in sv%. He was named not only The Esa Anrikkanen Trophy(Rookie of the Year) Winner as he also went on to win The Cedric Robinson Trophy(Best Goalie) Winner as a rookie. At that moment the league knew that they had a new monster they had to deal with.

Cale Amundsen would go on to achieve many incredible heights after that amazing rookie season. Winning 28 of 41 games in S54 which made him tied for 2nd in the entire league. It was also the same season he’d be made a 2nd round selection by The Chicago Syndicate. In Season 55 he achieved his greatest heights when he lead the Newfoundland Berserkers to The Fours Star Cup Championship. He capped off his career by leading the league in wins again, the 3rd time in his 4 year career, and winning The Cedric Robinson Trophy for the 2nd time. The only time in the FHM era as of S60.

Cale Amundsen left the Zerks having fulfilled the expectations that surrounded him before his rookie year. He lifted the Four Star Cup, he won 100 games, and he was named the best goalie in the league twice. He achieved heights that may never be reached again and fans who saw him play will tell their kids, and their kids’ kids, about his godlike performances between the pipes. Amundsen enters the Zerk Hall of Fame as the first of his position. The standards he set over the course of his career will be difficult to live up to but he will be a continual source of inspiration for anyone who wears the Black and Red between the pipes.

Stats

GP: 166
W: 100
L: 49
OTL: 15
SO: 23
GAA: 2.38
SV%: .916

League Awards: Esa Anrikkanen Trophy (S53) 2x Cedric Robinson Trophy (S53, S56) Four Star Cup (S55)

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