Hello out there, we’re on the air, it’s ‘Hockey Night’ tonight!

We are a week into the SMHL season and things are heating up so I thought I would write about where the season has taken us thus far, some early trends, and what this all means for the rest of the season! It is still early and there is still a lot of hockey left to play but some things are standing out to me.

As this is my first ‘sixteen thoughts’ article I am going to run through the teams as the current standings have them (based on point percentage).

Thoughts:

1. Release the Kraken!
They may only be sixteen games into the season but the Carolina Kraken are off and running! With an impressive 0.844 points percentage and second best goal differential they are top of the table and don’t show any signs of slowing down. The real story though is that of the breakout seasons and early rookie of the year favourite Kim Chaewon. Kim has twenty six points through sixteen games while averaging twenty minutes a night. The Kraken have been utilising Kim on the powerplay where they have scored six goals and recorded two assists. Greyson Willis, another Kraken rookie, is also putting up impressive numbers with twenty four points while averaging more than two minutes less ice time than Kim, another player to watch!

2. Je me souviens des Citadelles
It took two games but Quebec City has found their feet. After back-to-back seven-four losses to San Diego and Anchorage, Quebec has gone on a 13-1 run with their only loss to last year’s champion Timber. Goaltending has been a weak spot with Solberg seeming to lose the starters position this year but that has not seemed to matter to this squad. Playing team defence, they have limited shots against while dominating play offensively.

3. Special things brewing in Newfoundland
Newfoundland has had a strong start due in no small part to their special teams, especially their penalty kill. Ranked second in the league (only behind Kelowna) their penalty kill has locked things down with a 0.85 kill rate. Veteran d-pair Finnegan and Windsor stand as the pillars on which this impressive kill is built along with an impressive display from Crowder. Crowder does not usually play on the penalty kill but has been called into action when regulars are in the box. It has turned out the Berserkers favour though as she has scored a shorthanded goal and is running hot at the dot with a 9-2 faceoff record good for 81.8%!

4. Steady as she goes
Anchorage is sitting pretty in fourth hoping to be able to take that final jump up after finishing second in the table at the end of last season. Their defence has been holding strong as the team averages the fewest goals against per game of any team in the league. This strong defensive game has allowed their league average offensive to win games. Given their record from last year and their veteran team that knows what it takes to play a long season Anchorage is in a strong position.

5. I’m yelling Timber!
The Timber have already reached half the number of losses that they had last season. This is more a testament to how dominant they were last year than any weakness this season. They have seemed to come down to earth and currently third in the Southern Conference. This is a team that knows how to win though once the championship hangover is shrugged off I expect them to come charging back up the table to the spot they see as rightfully theirs.

6. Raptors on the hunt
Colorado, thus far have taken a step forward in terms of the winning percentage, but find themselves two spots back at this early point in the season. This is a team that is retooling on the fly, picking up a number of top ten draft picks to strengthen their roster while finishing third last year. As these new pieces get fully integrated expect them to start gaining even more ground on their competition. 

7. Consistent Highlanders
Ottawa is sitting seventh by point percentage and ninth by points. This basically sums up the Highlanders thus far. They are dead in the middle across the board in most stat categories and look like a team that can be consistent. Time will tell if that consistency will help them cruise to a deep playoff run.

8. Coming home to roost
St. Louis is a team that is struggling to put back-to-back wins together but has also not lost more than two in a row. The team finds itself in roughly the same position as they did last year. Hopefully the team can put some wins together and take that next step forward that Scarecrow fans are all longing to see. If they can they could easily catch up with teams like Ottawa and Colorado which are not that far ahead of them point-percentage wise. For them to do this though they will have to learn to win on the road. Their 5-1-0 home record is covering up for a lacklustre 3-6-1 road record.

9. Floundering?
Thunder Bay started strong going on a five game winning streak and winning seven of their first ten. It looked like the team's sophomore season in their new arena was going to be something out of a storybook. Things turned though with the team going on an eight game losing streak. The team picked up an important win against Kelowna. Their next game against San Diego is looking like a must win with Carolina, a back-to-back with Quebec, then Colorado and Anchorage over their next five.

10. Unlucky in Nevada
Nevada has been struggling five-on-five. Their combined special teams units rank top of the league with a penalty kill plus power play rating of 111.6. Unfortunately this has not been enough as the Battleborn are fifth in goals against per game played and tenth in goals for per game played. If the season is to turn around the team will need to find a way to start producing five-on-five.

11. Hunter vs Hibernator
When the Grizzlies score, the score in bunches and they win! Sadly, the team has been held off the scoresheet for most of the season. When the team manages to score four or more goals though they have won every single game. The issue is that they are generating the second lowest amount of shots of any team in the league. If they are to pick things up they will have to start making sure that the opposition goalie is working.

12. Strong shields, weak swords
The story of the Knights so far can be summed up with their special teams. A league leading penalty kill with a 97.2 kill rate is combined with a league worst power play at 12.2. The Knights need to find a way to start scoring goals as they currently have the second worst ‘goals for’ in the league.

13. Detroit vs. Everybody
Detroit may be a little unlucky to be where they find themselves at this point in the season. On average, the team has only 0.5 goal difference between goals for and goals against. In practice though it is a different story. The Falcon’s games have been swingy affairs with the team just as likely to win a game 6-1 or  7-2 as they themselves are to lose 10-2 or 7-4. It makes for exciting hockey but inconsistent hockey.

14. The dog days
It has not been the start that the Malamutes had wanted. It is a story that is becoming increasingly familiar as we get to this end of the standings. The team is giving up too many goals without the offensive capabilities to make up for those mistakes. There have been some bright spots for Yukon supporters though as the club put up impressive wins over last seasons champion Timber and Anchorage in front of the hometown crowd. Hopefully they will be able to pull together more home wins to give fans something to cheer about.

15. Not so hot in San Diego
Things are not looking great in San Diego. For the third straight season the team finds themselves sitting at the bottom of the table. Things looked to have turned around with a season opening win over Quebec city but they haven’t been able to pull things together so far. Hopefully the team finds a way to turn the tide.

16. Rainy days
The sun is shining somewhere but it is not shining in Vancouver. With only one win the team is in dire straits. Last in most categories across the board there is major work that will be needed if the club is to turn things around.

This concludes sixteen thoughts. I will be trying to do these week-by-week but we will see if my schedule allows it. I wish all the teams the best of luck as the season continues and hope we all can enjoy the good old hockey game.

(1521 words)

If Myers has million fans, then I’m one of them.

If Myers has one fan, then I’m THAT ONE.

If Myers has no fans, that means I’m dead.

I'm not sure if this counts as my "first submission" since my first written submission was during the draft for x2 and I have submitted a "first graphic submission" for a x2.

If Myers has million fans, then I’m one of them.

If Myers has one fan, then I’m THAT ONE.

If Myers has no fans, that means I’m dead.