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Segi · 03-10-2019, 02:14 PM

About half of the season 46 has been played and the Anaheim Outlaws greet the rest of the SMJHL from the top of the standings. It's only the second season for the expansion team from Orange County and not a lot of people could see them in the position, they are in now. So let's have a look at this surprising, young team.

Goal tenders

Tibuk "the wall" Soonika @chetib
15 GP (8-4-3), 0.887 SV%, 2.69 GAA

The Canadian goal tender has been picked by the Outlaws in round 4 of the S45 SMJHL entry draft and has been the Outlaw's 1A goalie since about the half time of season 45. Soonika is now a prospect of the SHL expansion team, the Chicago Syndicate and has already played 3 games in the big league. He managed to get one win and bring another game to overtime.

Mike "big mouth" Hunt @"AtlasHunter"
13 GP (6-1-2), 0.907 SV%, 2.26 GAA

Anaheim's goalie 1B comes from Austria and has been picked up by the Outlaws in round 6 of the S45 SMJHL entry draft. His development is a bit behind Soonika's, but he still puts up very good numbers. Like his rival goalie, Hunt is a prospect of an SHL expansion team as well - his future lies in New Orleans with the Specters. He has also been called up for 3 games so far and managed to put up the exact same record as Soonika.

Defenders

Thomas "the benevolent" Speardane @Benevolent Thomas
2 G, 10 A, 24 PIM

Thomas Speardane is the oldest member of the S46 Outlaws team. He has joined the SMJHL in S42 as a 7th round Halifax Raiders pick and has joined the Outlaws in the past off season as a free agent. His 24 penalty minutes don't show it, but Speardane is a very nice person off the ice and is always happy to help his younger team mates out. He is currently playing on the first defensive pairing.

Osbert "weed" Whacker @BWIII
4 G, 11 A, 16 PIM

Osbert Whacker is Speardane's partner on the first defensive pairing and is another member of the big S46 draft class. He was picked by the Outlaws in round 3 and always puts up very solid games. Of course he only got his nick name because it sounds funny in combination with his last name and not because of any other reasons. In the S46 SHL entry draft, he was picked at the same time as his team mate and goalie Mike Hunt, by the New Orleans Specters.

Mathias "Bob" Seger @Segi
2 G, 19 A, 26 PIM

On the second defensive pairing, the Outlaw's play their alternate captain Mathias Seger. The Swiss defender has had a great rookie season which has culminated in him being picked 5th overall in the S46 SHL entry draft by the Minnesota Chiefs. In comparison, he joined the Anaheim Outlaws as pick #70 in his SMJHL entry draft. In the current season, Seger is up there with the best scoring defensemen of the league and has the second most assists of all the SMJHL players.

Corey "pink hat" Kennedy @SDCore
3 G, 4 A, 10 PIM

Joining Seger on the second pairing is rookie Corey Kennedy. The Irish offensive defender has joined the Outlaws as the 2nd overall pick in the recent SMJHL entry draft and has definitely shown that the team was right to pick him early. He has earned his nick name when the team made him play in some extra gear for his first practise, among which was a pink helmet.

Milo "daddy" Momoka @milomomoka
0 G, 6 A, 8 PIM

The third defensive pairing is lead by the second oldest member of the team, Canadian Milo Momoka. He joined the Outlaws before the last season as a free agent and his experience is of good use for the defensive depth of the team.

Gustav "Gussi" Steen @gussi
1 G, 7 A, 12 PIM

Momoka is joined by rookie Gustav Steen, who was picked in round 6 of the S46 SMJHL entry draft and probably one of the weakest players on the team. However, Steen still manages to put up good numbers and help the team a lot.

Forwards

Kristers "the Latvian" Dzelme @Didza
1 G, 9 A, 19 PIM

The Latvian is the Outlaw's first center. He was aquired in a trade in S45 from the Halifax Raiders for a conditional 2nd round pick. Dzelme is not the biggest scorer, but his play helps the team in other ways. He's a prospect of the Calgary Dragons and might soon join his SHL team.

Collin "the professor" Gibbles @SpartanGibbles
10 G, 10 A, 0 PIM

On Dzelme's left wing, the Outlaws count on Collin Gibbles. The American winger was picked by both the Anaheim Outlaws in the SMJHL and the Minnesota Chiefs in the SHL in round 2 of their respective entry drafts. Gibbles has been on pace for a point per game for a long time in the beginning of this season, but he's lost that pace in the last couple of matches. Nevertheless, he's still one of the best scorers on the team and one of the reasons, the Outlaws are so good this season.

Hiro "the captain" Fujikawa @"Marley"
12 G, 13 A, 12 PIM

Anaheim's first line right wing is their top scorer and captain, Hiro Fujikawa. The Japanese soon to be international, has joined the Outlaws in the SMJHL expansion draft. He was a round 1 pick of the Los Angeles Panthers in the S45 SHL entry draft and will likely join his SHL team in the following season. Opposed to Gibbles, Fujikawa is still on pace for a point per game and is definitely capable to keep this throughout the season.

Martijn "JNH" Westbroek @JNH
2 G, 7 A, 6 PIM

Martijn Westbroek has joined the Outlaws as a 3rd round pick in the S46 SMJHL entry draft and is spending his rookie season as the second line center for the Californian team. Like the first line center Dzelme, Westbroek leads his line without scoring a lot himself. However, with his game, Westbroek has caught the eyes of the SHL scouts and can hope to be a high pick in the upcoming S47 SHL entry draft.

Sacha "Panini" Selman @Donini13
3 G, 5 A, 0 PIM

Sacha Selman is an old friend of Westbroek and has joined the Outlaws in free agency in the beginning of this season. He has since been promoted to play on the second line already and is showing great games for his young age. He's also expected to be drafted early in the upcoming SHL entry draft.

Jerry "the snake" Mander @GCool
9 G, 7 A, 25 PIM

Jerry Mander has likely the most interesting back story on the team. The returned American ex-patriot has returned to the country he was born in to play hockey from S45. He was the first player to be drafted by the Anaheim Outlaws in the S45 SMJHL entry draft. In his SHL entry draft last off season, he was picked in the first round as well and joins Seger and Gibbles as a Minnesota Chiefs prospect. Mander is the most productive member of Anaheim's second forward line, which isn't a surprise since he's playing with two rookies.

"Mad" Max Rockatansky @jaimeac
5 G, 9 A, 2 PIM

Max Rockatansky is another member of the S46 SHL draft class, in which he was picked in round 5 and joined Hiro Fujikawa as a Los Angeles Panther prospect. He joined the SMJHL well into S45 as a free agent and has since steadily improved. That a player like him plays as the third line center speaks for the depth that this team has.

Gunnar "the gunner" Petrov @Hanson94
4 G, 0 A, 4 PIM

Winger Gunnar Petrov has been drafted by the Anaheim Outlaws in round 4 of the latest SMJHL entry draft and has had a respectable season so far. As Rockatansky's left wing, he has scored 4 goals already, even though the limited time he has on the ice are mostly defensive oriented.

Seemu "Teemu Selanne" Telanne @hockeyis66
7 G, 6 A, 4 PIM

Seemu Telanne is the other rookie on the third line and he's a productive one. The second Swiss player joined the Outlaws as a second round pick in the past SMJHL entry draft and has already got the confidence of his coaches. Telanne would likely play on the second line in most other SMJHL teams and he will certainly rise through the Outlaw's ranks soon enough.

Slap "McFaceoff" McShotty @bbjygm
1 G, 1 A, 8 PIM

Slap McShotty joined the Outlaw's squad as their 5th round pick in the most recent SMJHL entry draft, but he's shown so far that other teams missed out in passing on him. While he doesn't stay true to his name and hasn't got the strongest slap shot, he is the second best face off center in the league.

Yoshimitsu "the ninja" McCloud @Thunfish
3 G, 7 A, 8 PIM

Yoshimitsu McCloud is the second Irish player on the Outlaws, although his looks and play style are much more Japanese. He joined the team during S45 as a free agent and has been a more valuable asset in the locker room than on the ice. Nevertheless, having a player like McCloud on the 4th line tells a lot about the depth on this team.

Jaco "the quiet" Petermen @JC488
1 G, 2 A, 8 PIM

Jaco Petermen is the third player who joined the Outlaws during the last season as a free agent. Contrary to McCloud, he's not as likely to get away from the 4th line. Petermen's future is uncertain, especially since he went undrafted in the S46 SHL entry draft.

This might be the team to claim the S46 Four Star Cup or it might not be. In any case this is a stronger team than anyone would have imagined an expansion team to have in their second season.