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karlssens · 12-19-2019, 02:40 PM

SHL Franchise Rankings

I find myself with some more free time at work so I decided to dig in to the archives and revive what was one of my more popular articles. Last time around I called it Dynasty Rankings and it reviewed each team over a period of 5, 10 and 15 seasons respectively. 9 seasons have passed since I did that one so I thought it'd be fun to re do the process this time looking over a period of 5, 10, 15 and 20 respectively. Since that time the Seattle Riot moved to Tampa Bay and changed their name to the Barracuda, and we introduced two new franchises, the New Orleans Specters and the Chicago Syndicate. Fortunately they joined/moved exactly 5 seasons ago so this worked out nicely. It'll be difficult to rank the two expansion teams given the lack of data, but I'll try to justify it as best I can.
So how do you define the rank of an SHL franchise? My three main points of contention are wins, playoff appearances and naturally the most important of all, Challenge Cup wins. Deep playoff runs certainly help your case, but again the goal is to win it all, not play runner up every season. Other factors include goal differential and win percentage, which are both an extension of all time wins to a lesser extent. To do this I collected each team’s seasonal data over the last 5 (S46-S50), 10 (S41-S50), 15 (S36-S50) and 20 (S31-S50) seasons and tossed it all in to a series of tables that can be found HERE.

16. The Texas Renegades

5 year record: 106-122-22 (234 points) (15th)
10 year record: 234-229-37 (505 points) (12th)
15 year record: 365-323-62 (792 points) (9th)
20 year record: 494-420-86 (1074 points) (8th)
Playoff Appearances: 1/3/6/9 (5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years)
President Trophy Wins: 0
Challenge Cup Wins: 0/0/1/1
It has been a rough few seasons for the Texas Renegades to say the least. Last time I did this article the final season used was S42. Since then these fellas have struggled to find any consistency and it shows as seen in the last 5 and 10 year window. Tied for the worst record over the last 5 seasons, they won the tie breaker by having one more win than the Minnesota Chiefs. Their record over the last 10 seasons is better, but unfortunately they only managed to qualify for the playoffs 3 of a possible 10 times. They're last cup win came back in S36 and they're just one of three teams to fail to qualify for the playoffs at least 10 times over the last 20 seasons. The bright spot? Things are definitely signs of improvement here in S51. While not leaps and bounds better they are still in the playoff hunt with 12 games remaining and while by no means a favorite to win anything can happen in the playoffs. The first step is to get in.

15. The Portland Admirals/The San Francisco Pride pride

5 year record: 128-103-19 (275 points) (9th)
10 year record: 210-244-46 (466 points) (14th)
15 year record: 321-362-67 (709 points) (14th)
20 year record: 428-487-85 (941 points) (14th)
Playoff Appearances: 3/3/4/6
President Trophy Wins: 1/1/2/2
Challenge Cup Wins: 0
I wanted to put these guys ahead of the expansion teams, I really did, but man have they struggled to find any sort of groove over the last two decades. The owner of the worst record over the last 10, 15 and 20 year windows they definitely are no stranger to a losing season. I almost put them at #16, but their recent success, including a president's trophy winning season in S50, are enough to put them over the previously mentioned Texas Renegades. While that Challenge Cup victory still eludes them they're definitely on the right track as of late. It's very interesting to see that over the last 15 seasons they managed to qualify for the post season just 4 times, but in two of those occurrences they led the entire league in regular season points. That's Simon for ya.

14. The Chicago Syndicate

5 year record: 115-117-18 (248 points) (13th)
10 year record: n/a
15 year record: n/a
20 year record: n/a
Playoff Appearances: 1
President Trophy Wins: 0
Challenge Cup Wins: 0
Less is more on this one. Yes their record is worse than San Francisco, and yes they've only qualified for the playoffs once in the last 5 seasons, but they also don't have a history of losing (yet). I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and optimistically guess things will continue to trend upward for the Chicago based squad.

13. The Minnesota Chiefs Chiefs

5 year record: 105-151-24 (234 points) (16th)
10 year record: 237-222-41 (515 points) (10th)
15 year record: 374-299-77 (825 points) (6th)
20 year record: 493-413-94 (1080 points) (7th)
Playoff Appearances: 1/5/10/12
President Trophy Wins: 0
Challenge Cup Wins: 0/0/1/1
Much like the previously mentioned Renegades it has been a rough ride for the Minnesota Chiefs since the last time I did this article. In the last 10 seasons they've qualified for the post season a respectable 5 times, but 4 of the 5 are outside of the last five seasons so it's definitely been a downward trajectory as of late. A Challenge Cup victory in S39 definitely helps them here, but based on their performance over the last 5 seasons it's a stretch to say they'll regain that form soon. Much like the Renegades though they have some strong pieces eager to rite the ship and are still very much in the playoff picture here in S51. While I doubt both them and the Renegades will qualify, it's a safe bet to say one of them will taste post season hockey in S51.

12. The Seattle Riot/Tampa Bay Barracuda

5 year record: 122-92-36 (280 points) (6th)
10 year record: 228-216-56 (512 points) (11th)
15 year record: 344-326-80 (768 points) (12th)
20 year record: 468-425-107 (1043 points) (10th)
Playoff Appearances: 4/5/8/11
President Trophy Wins: 1/1/2/2
Challenge Cup Wins: 0
If you were to do this again in five seasons I'd anticipate these fellas to land much higher, but as they are now just entering their prime I'll put them here at 12th. Much like the San Francisco Pride they have a history of poor performances in the last 10, 15 and 20 season windows, but are trending in the right direction over the last 5 seasons and if everything goes to plan they'll be able to erase that donut in the Challenge Cup win column. Appearances in 4 of the last 5 playoffs, including a President's trophy winning season and a trip to finals are all good indicators.

11. The Los Angeles Panthers

5 year record: 112-116-22 (246 points) (14th)
10 year record: 255-207-38 (548 points) (7th)
15 year record: 374-312-64 (812 points) (8th)
20 year record: 526-390-84 (1136 points) (6th)
Playoff Appearances: 3/8/9/13
President Trophy Wins: 0/0/0/1
Challenge Cup Wins: 0
The Panthers have struggled mightily as of late, but that was to be expected given they offloaded a bunch of talent a few seasons back and engaged in a full on rebuild. Their record in the three other windows is actually quite good (inside the top 50% for the most part, 7th or higher), but they just can't seem to do anything with that consistency. No cups and a single President's trophy way back in S32. I recall them having some success in the playoffs as well earning a pair of trips to the finals, but unfortunately those were empty trips. Call it bad luck or poor timing, but the Panthers just don't appear to be on the right side of history on this one. Some hardware or at the very least a few more playoff appearances and this LA based squad could easily move up in to the top 10 of these rankings.

10. The Hamilton Steelhawks

5 year record: 120-106-24 (264 points) (11th)
10 year record: 251-202-47 (549 points) (6th)
15 year record: 376-298-76 (828 points) (5th)
20 year record: 469-431-100 (1038 points) (11th)
Playoff Appearances: 3/7/10/10
President Trophy Wins: 0/1/2/2
Challenge Cup Wins: 0
It's been a bit of a roller coaster for the Hamilton Steelhawks to say the least. Over the last 10-15 seasons they've been a strong team that qualified for the playoffs for often than not and even collected a pair of President trophies, but unfortunately they were unable to secure the ultimate prize during that time. Call it bad luck, but there was always another eastern team that would bump them from contention on their quest for the Challenge Cup. After a bit of a recent retool things seem to be back on course for the Hamilton based team and they're poised to make the post season again in S51. If they could've translated some of that regular season success in to better playoff performances they could've easily moved up this list as you'll quickly see with some of the later teams.

9. The Toronto North Stars Stars

5 year record: 129-104-17 (275 points) (8th)
10 year record: 250-211-39 (539 points) (8th)
15 year record: 358-324-68 (784 points) (11th)
20 year record: 483-418-99 (1074 points) (9th)
Playoff Appearances: 4/6/8/12
President Trophy Wins: 0
Challenge Cup Wins: 0/0/0/1
I'll be honest when I sat down to put this article together I thought the North Stars would be outside of the top 10, but after crunching that data they've actually done quite well over the last decade. While never a dominant squad, they've managed to qualify for the post season 4 of the last 5 seasons and 6 of the last 10. While they haven't done any real damage in those runs they've maintained respectable regular season numbers as seen their 8th overall point totals in that last decade and 9th overall point totals in the last two decades. Much like the previously mentioned Steelhawks the potential is there for the North Stars to move up this list, but the lack of any hardware to go with their regular season success puts them at 9th. The reason I have them above the Steelhawks is their lone Challenge Cup back in S35. The Steelhawks were deep in a rebuild at that time, but at least the North Stars had a taste of glory in the last 20 seasons.

8. The Manhattan Rage Rage

5 year record: 130-104-16 (276 points) (7th)
10 year record: 225-235-40 (490 points) (13th)
15 year record: 343-350-57 (743 points) (13th)
20 year record: 464-454-82 (1010 points) (13th)
Playoff Appearances: 4/4/5/7
President Trophy Wins: 0
Challenge Cup Wins: 0/0/1/2
On regular seasons alone these guys fall in the same category as the previously mentioned San Francisco Pride and could very well have been outside the top 10. Fortunately for them lady luck smiled on them in S34 and S38 giving them a pair of Challenge Cup victories despite mediocre performances in the seasons surrounding those years. Much like the Pride their stats are ugly over the last 10, 15 and 20 seasons respectively, but they've got it together here over the last 5 and qualified for 4 of a possible 5 post seasons, which is same number they qualified for over the last 10 seasons. These guys can and probably should be lower, but at the end of the day the goal is to win the cup and they've done it not once, but twice, and with their current squad could easily make it 3 (or more) over the last two decades.

7. The New England Wolfpack

5 year record: 121-105-24 (266 points) (10th)
10 year record: 238-215-47 (523 points) (9th)
15 year record: 372-308-70 (814 points) (7th)
20 year record: 529-380-91 (1149 points) (5th)
Playoff Appearances: 1/3/7/12
President Trophy Wins: 0/0/0/3
Challenge Cup Wins: 0/0/0/2
Probably the toughest team to peg, they're dynasty of the early S30's is still inside the two decade window of this article which definitely helps their cause. Outside of those finishes they've been relatively quiet as of late. They're lone appearance in the playoffs over the last 5 seasons was a notable one as they finished the regular season as the stop seed in the east and went all the way to finals, but outside of that it's been a rough road for the Boston based team. Based on stats alone I should probably have them outside of the top 10, but the glow of the dynasty years is apparent here and while they are struggling here again in S51 I think a lot of people know this team has more to give with one of the better rosters in the eastern conference. It could be very interesting to see where these guys land if I do this article again in a few seasons when their S31 and S33 (and S30 if you bump the window to 21 seasons) Challenge Cup victories aren't included.

6. The New Orleans Specters

5 year record: 145-86-19 (309 points) (1st)
10 year record: n/a
15 year record: n/a
20 year record: n/a
Playoff Appearances: 5
President Trophy Wins: 0
Challenge Cup Wins: 0
I may be a little generous here given that they only have 5 seasons in the books, but honestly short of a Challenge Cup winning season these guys have been perfect. They've qualified for the playoffs in each of their first 5 seasons since their inception, they have the best record over those 5 seasons, and even made an appearance in the finals. If we include S51 they're 6 for 6 in terms of post season appearances as they were the first team to secure a birth in the playoffs and they may even finish the season with their first President Trophy as they currently lead the league with ~10 games to go. Things look bright for this expansion team. It should be interesting to see if they can turn this regular season dominance in to post-season success.

5. The Winnipeg Jets Jets

5 year record: 114-108-28 (256 points) (12th)
10 year record: 261-186-53 (575 points) (4th)
15 year record: 421-260-69 (911 points) (1st)
20 year record: 537-369-94 (1168 points) (2nd)
Playoff Appearances: 2/6/11/13
President Trophy Wins: 0/2/3/3
Challenge Cup Wins: 0/1/2/2
Oh how the mighty have fallen. One of, if not the most, dominant regular season teams for years, the Jets were unable to retool on the fly and now finds themselves heading towards what will likely be a rebuild. Nevertheless this is one of the most decorated teams over the last 10-15 seasons and the stats and awards speak for themselves. Their three President trophies over the last 15 seasons is more than any other team and they managed to collect a pair of cups in that time frame as well. Currently on the outside looking in here in S51, it's unlikely we'll see them return to the same form we saw back in the late S30/early S40's, but given time and patience anything is possible.

4. The Buffalo Stampede

5 year record: 136-88-26 (298 points) (4th)
10 year record: 254-196-50 (558 points) (5th)
15 year record: 360-324-66 (786 points) (10th)
20 year record: 460-446-94 (1014 points) (12th)
Playoff Appearances: 5/8/10/11
President Trophy Wins: 1/1/1/1
Challenge Cup Wins: 2/2/2/2
The award for the most improved team since the last article... the Stampede. Last time around I had these guys dead last and while I had a strong feeling they'd improve, saying it and actually doing it are two different things. Over the last 10 seasons they've qualified for 8 of a possible 10 post seasons, including 5 of the last 5. Despite having the 4th best record in that time frame they have easily been the most successful securing not one, but two Challenge Cups, the only team to do so. Toss in a President's Trophy and these guys are the cream of the crop over the last 5 seasons. Fortunately for the next 3 teams the window is much wider than five seasons, but if the Stampede can maintain this pace they'll easily slip in to the top 3 next time around.

3. The Edmonton Blizzard

5 year record: 136-98-16 (288 points) (5th)
10 year record: 297-166-37 (631 points) (1st)
15 year record: 406-282-62 (874 points) (4th)
20 year record: 534-382-84 (1152 points) (4th)
Playoff Appearances: 5/9/11/14
President Trophy Wins: 0/2/2/2
Challenge Cup Wins: 1/2/2/2
My boys!! Call me bias, but Edmonton has been a powerhouse for that last decade and the stats more than prove it. The best record in that time frame, they're equally impressive over the last 15 and 20 seasons with the 4th best record over those time frames as well. Much like the previously mentioned Stampede I have them up here because they've been able to translate that regular season success in to hardware as shown by their pair of President Trophies and Challenge Cups over the last decade.

2. The West Kendall Platoon Platoon

5 year record: 144-85-21 (309 points) (2nd)
10 year record: 278-174-48 (604 points) (2nd)
15 year record: 409-273-68 (886 points) (3rd)
20 year record: 537-374-89 (1163 points) (3rd)
Playoff Appearances: 3/8/11/15
President Trophy Wins: 1/1/1/1
Challenge Cup Wins: 1/3/3/3
Moving up several spots, the Platoon have been able to translate their regular season dominance in to playoff success since the last article. They had qualified for the playoffs 12 of a possible 15 times, but only managed to claim glory the one time. This time around they've qualified for 15 of a potential 20, and won it all 3 times, a much better conversion rate. What's more impressive is all three of those championship winning seasons came in the last 10 years. If this article were to be based purely over the last 10 seasons these guys would likely be #1, but unfortunately for them there is one team that has been equally impressive and over a much larger window.

1. The Calgary Dragons Dragons

5 year record: 137-89-24 (298 points) (4th)
10 year record: 272-188-40 (584 points) (3rd)
15 year record: 417-270-63 (897 points) (2nd)
20 year record: 568-349-83 (1219 points) (1st)
Playoff Appearances: 5/9/14/18
President Trophy Wins: 1/1/2/3
Challenge Cup Wins: 1/2/3/4
As it was last time I put this together, the Dragons reign supreme. I guess you could say they've slipped ever so slightly as they've fallen out of the top two in terms of overall record in the 5 and 10 year window, but top four is still a fantastic accomplishment. The biggest takeaway is that the Dragons are the only team to win four challenge cups over the last twenty years and what's even more interesting is that they managed to win one in each of the 5 year windows. They've qualified in an insane 18 of a possible 20 post-seasons too. If that's not the definition of a perennial contender I don't know what is. To cap it all off they won the challenge cup in the anniversary 50th season. Very fitting.

Thanks for reading. Gimme that bread.