"Oh Me Nerves!"
An Exploration of NLB's Closing Cup Window

The S81 Newfoundland Berserkers are really good. Like, really really good. And because they are currently the only team ahead of my beloved Citadelles in both points percentage (.716 vs .700) and total goal differential (+87 vs +75), I decided to look deeper into their story...

The Berserkers are the only team this season to have two of the top 10 scorers in goals, assists, and points across the league and, more impressively, they have SIX of the top 10 skaters in plus/minus rating. QCC had previously dominated that leaderboard with their own players since S79, when they supplanted the S78 Cup-winning Maine Timber with the lion's share of highest plus/minus players. Coincidentally, you have to go back to S78 to find a #1 and #2 in regular season standings that wasn't QCC and NLB. So while their success isn't new, they are undoubtably hitting an apex this season and potentially coming out from the shadow of the Citadelles for the first time in a long time.

What They Paid

Building a top contender without some serious drafting luck isn't cheap. In a highlight of their recent transactions, Newfoundland traded away their 1st and 4th round picks plus Ottawa's 3rd in the S81 draft to Nevada for Slava Kasyanenko, Kiwi Soderberg-Snooks, and Badger Hennessy. Before that, they gave up their S81 2nd and 3rd round picks to Detroit for Jimbob Ghostkeeper. The Berserkers had made some similar buying moves in the last couple seasons, such as trading their S80 2nd round pick to Kelowna for No This Is Patrik, though he has since aged out. The overall picture is that of a team that is ready to pay whatever it takes for the ultimate goal, which their management has done with admirable results.

What They Got

So who are the pillars of the S81 Berserkers? Well, for starters, that trade with Nevada paid off big-time; Slava © and Badger (RW) have the third and fourth highest point totals on their team and combine with Jason Bourne (LW) to make up a MONSTER of a second line. Ivan Ivanovitch and Big Sweg hold down the second D pairing that most often plays with this line, and it's no coincidence that they're both in the top 3 for plus/minus. You might be wondering why I've focused on their second line so much, and the answer is that aside from their 1C Hamper Linthome (who leads the team in points), the bulk of NLB's scoring comes from their trade-constructed second line. Any opponent who survives that top six has to contend with Jimbob centering a defensively-responsible third line that provides more than enough secondary scoring, and a generally deep roster all around. To cut a long story short, the Berserkers are the real deal.

What Comes Next

Every contending team has to pay the piper eventually, and whether Newfoundland lifts the Cup this season or not, Season 82 is looking ROUGH for them. The trade-off of having a veteran roster with 12 max-TPE players is a having a team with 12 players who are aging out of the SMJHL at the end of this season, leaving three players from the S80 SHL draft class and only one player from each of the S81 and S82 SHL classes. The Berserkers are looking at a full rebuild next season, which they did begin preparing for with a foresightful trade to acquire St. Louis's first round pick in the S82 draft (a pick that looks to be quite early in the round), but there will likely be growing pains no matter how well they draft.

In summary, the Newfoundland Berserkers are exactly where they should be; they paid a high price in futures to acquire remarkable players who have given them the best points percentage in the league, with all indicators pointing to a deep playoff run. And they don't lack for motivation, as this is their final go-for-it year before things get ugly. Will they finally overtake QCC to send their veterans off to the SHL with shiny Cup rings, or will they fall short of their high aspirations? Oh me nerves, what a playoff season is waiting for them...

  

Johan Lodewyk | #3 | Defense | Québec City Citadelles

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SMJHL Statistics:

S81

(Regular) GP: 66 | G: 11 | A: 35 | P: 46 | +26

(Playoffs) GP: 10 | G: 2 | A: 3 | P: 5 | -1

S82

(Regular) GP: 66 | G: 11 | A: 42 | P: 53 | +32

(Playoffs) GP: 6 | G: 0 | A: 2 | P: 2 | -5

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WJC Statistics:
S81 Team World
GP: 12 | G: 6 | A: 6 | P: 12 | -6
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Highlights:

S81

-Drafted 16th OA by Québec City Citadelles

S82

-Drafted 8th OA by Baltimore Platoon

-Led SMJHL in takeaways

-2nd in points by SMJHL defense

-T-1st in points and goals by WJC defense

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Get the cup, Newfoundland.

BRING OUR FORMER RAMS TO GLORY!!!

Claude L'Castor #70||Goaltender||Nevada Battleborn/Buffalo Stampede  

  

Buffalo Stampede co-GM: s82-Now



[img=0x0]https://i.imgur.com/vzTvb91.png[/img]

[img=0x0]https://i.imgur.com/lsZOwSK.png[/img]

+5 tpe, approved

“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. ... There are neither beginnings nor endings to the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.”





Ólafur Atlason| C | SMJHL Prospect | Madison Valkyries
Birthplace: Reykjavik, Iceland
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Transactions
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Awards
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Achievements
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SMJHL Season Stats
S76: GP: 0 | G: 0 | A: 0 | P: 0 | 0 | PIM: 0 | Hits: 0 | |
SMJHL Playoff Stats
S76: GP: 0 | G: 0 | A: 0 | P: 0 | 0 | PIM: 0 | Hits: 0 | |
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SHL Season Stats