[2892 words, ready to grade]

  Maine Timber Season End Report Card 
by Braut Haaland

Unfortunately, Maine's season came to an end before the playoffs started. Their inaugural season went as many people predicted: in last place. They kept pace with their first-half start, but they were in the playoff hunt right up until the last week. Even with the trade of arguably their best player of the season, Indigo Trevino, and some DFA pickups after the trade, they still had a great end of the season, and the locker room was understandably upset that they missed the playoffs by such a close margin, but many of the players knew that their core was just beginning their rise into stardom. As such, let's take a look at the team and how I grade them for their season. (Sorted by TPE of course)

Note: Games played noted for those that did not play the entire season (except goalies)

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Goalies

Olli Saarinen, Jr. 8-16-2, .913 SV%, 3.03 GAA, 924 SA, 565 TPE
Mid-season Grade: B+
Olli's second half of the season was a small improvement. Increased his save percentage by 0.07% and decreased his goals against average by 0.21 so his second half of the season saw him hit his stride more. He continued to steal some games for the Timber, but in the end his heroics at times couldn't help them make the playoffs. He still had a great season, and hopefully his next season is even better with a better team in front of him.
Season Grade: A-

Leo Bloomfield 9-14-1, .914 SV%, 3.00 GAA, 835 SA, 217 TPE
Mid-season Grade: A-
Leo came into the spotlight with low expectation. New player in a new league is always going to be rough, but especially so for a goalie who was predicted to be peppered with shots game after game. But Leo provided a spark to the Timber. He started regressing back to the mean as the season went on (mid-season he was at a .930 SV% and a 2.43 GAA), but even then, he ended with an incredibly respectable statline (helping the Timber to have the second best goalie duo in the league, in regards to SV%, behind Newfoundland.) I'm looking forward to following his development here in Maine and look forward to his career afterwards in the SHL.
Season Grade: A-

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Defensemen

Valentin Kalashnikov 9g, 14a, -13 +/-, 59 GR, 440 TPE
Mid-season Grade: A-
This dude decided to up his hit game in the second half of the season. He more than doubled his mid-season total of 74 hits and go 166 hits. By far and away the most physical player on the Timber. He was seeing the most amount of ice time on the season which saw his +/- decrease massively but also saw him have a great year offensively, scoring 9 times and assisting 14 times. Just don't forget to move out of the way when you see him since he's probably going to check you out of your shoes. Even if he was in the box more often than not, Valentin was a force when he was on the ice. Looking forward to his next season here.
Season Grade: A-

Mikkel Asmus Sondergard 6g, 8a, -16 +/-, 60 GR, 318 TPE
Mid-season Grade: B-
The 1st overall pick had a decent season. Coming out with 14 points in a rookie year with a new engine isn't anything to sniff at. While his plus minus is atrocious, so is the rest of the team's plus minus so that stat doesn't really have relevance here. While he wasn't a force on the offensive side of the rink, Mikkel had a solid showing defensively, coming out with 72 blocked shots. He needs to improve his giveaway to takeaway ratio (33 to 23) if he wants to keep it going, but what we've seen of him this season is just the beginning.
Season Grade: B

Blake Feaux 0g, 0a, -17 +/-, 51 GR, 256 TPE, 38 GP
Mid-season Grade: D+
Blake had a season to forget, no points through 38 games and the management of the Timber, rightfully in my opinion, dropped him in favor of some DFAs that were coming up. This may be the last we see of Blake due to his poor defensive stats, 2 takeaways, 12 blocked shots, 20 hits, just isn't what we want to see. Had a promising season last year, but really fell off the deep end this season. Sad to see him go.
Season Grade: F

Simon Moreau 2g, 12a, -2 +/-, 59 GR, 235 TPE
Mid-season Grade: C
Half-way through the season, Simon had 1 goal and 6 assists, he managed to duplicate that in the second half of the season showing teams that he has an eye for passing. But while he was doing a fantastic job on the offensive side of things, his defensive work was something to behold. Not a physical force of nature like Valentin, but he was a smart defender, hitting when needed (averaged one hit a game) but having fantastic defensive read taking the puck away 27 times to his 14 giveaways. He's definitely a player that I'm getting more and more interested in his progression and so far he's been the player that they've hoped he would be.
Season Grade: B-

Will Windsor 4g, 6a, -17 +/-, 56 GR, 215 TPE
Mid-season Grade: B
The Timber were not poor in fantastic rookies this year, and Will fits right in amoung the best of them. His point getting slowed down in the second half of the season, but he was getting in the way of shots and of bodies, coming in with 132 shots blocked and 99 hits (only one away from being the second player on the team with 100+ hits). Definitely looking forward to his sophomore year and hopefully he doesn't hit that slump that we saw with many players this year.
Season Grade: B

Jack Von Arx 3g, 9a, 4 +/-, 53 GR, 196 TPE
Mid-season Grade: C-
Jack didn't shoot much in the second half but came up with 6 assists in the second half of the season giving him a respectable 12 points. But we aren't here for his offense, we're here for his defense. And ouch, those stats are not the bbest. 95 hits is solid, coming in 3rd on the team, but had 5 times more giveaways than takeaways (25 to 5) and only 16 shots. Sophomore slump hit him hard and hopefully next season we see a resurgence in his game, but its not looking too bright for him.
Season Grade: D+

Rikard Bjerg 1g, 2a, -1 +/-, 56 GR, 172 TPE, 12 GP
Mid-season Grade: N/A
Rikard came in as the replacement to Blake and from what I can tell had an alright first 12 games of his career. Clocking in with 3 points and a solid game rating over those 12 games has to be solid for a defender. Definitely needs to work on his giveaway-takeaway ratio that I keep blabbering on about, but it's alright. He came into a team that was fighting a losing chance to get into the playoffs when he first stepped onto the ice but I was impressed. His second season will be a good one and who ever ends up with him will have a solid player on their team.
Season Grade: C

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Forwards

Al Kayhall 11g, 15a, -7 +/-, 70 GR, 669 TPE
Mid-season Grade: B+
The captain had a great last season for the Timber. As he is getting called up by his SHL team, the Timber are going to lose a great point getter. But what I think they're going to miss more is his defensive contribution. Al wasn't going around trucking people but instead using his head and reading the game well to the point of having more than 30 takeaways limiting his giveaways to 23. Blocked 69 shots too. He was a force every where on the rink and will be missed next season. Hopefully someone can step up in his place and get to the same mark that he set this year.
Season Grade: A-

Thicc Cheezy 5g, 13a, -14 +/-, 69 GR, 542 TPE
Mid-season Grade: B
Thicc chose to work more on his defensive skills rather than his offense and it has certainly paid off so far. While he hasn't produced a lot offensively, his defensive skill is second only to Al for the forwards. Clocking in with 108 hits and 28 takeaways, he was a force and teams had to figure a way to play around his defensive skill by attacking his other linemates. They did so with great effect, but that never got Thicc down. He tended to come up with big goals every once in a while and would spur the team on a lot. I'm sad to see Thicc called up to the SHL with his defensive production, but I'll be watching his career with great interest.
Season Grade: B

Lucas Hellquist 7g, 7a, -11 +/-, 56 GR, 338 TPE
Mid-season Grade: C-
Not sure what went wrong this season. Started to turn things around the second half of the season, but it wasn't enough to make up for his disastrous start. Ending with 14 points is a huge difference from 4 in the first half, but honestly, he should have done better. Came up with a goal here and there, but his vision just isn't the same as it was the year prior. I really do hope he steps it up next season and he really needs to with the loss of Al and Thicc. Either Lucas needs to shift into a more shooting player or into a more defensive player, but he just plainly needs to step it up in every facet of his game.
Season Grade: C

Alexander Roach 4g, 12a, -9 +/-, 61 GR, 302 TPE
Mid-season Grade: B
Roach had a decent end to his seaeson. He bested his point total from last season with 16 points so we're seeing some kind of improvement of his game, but can he sustain it next season? I really hope so and maybe him lining up with Lucas we will see an improvement in both their games. Knowing Roach, he's going to make some great additions to his arsenal and I'm really looking forward to his next season. There really isn't much that he declined in or improved in, just stayed steady throughout the season which is a good thing, but hopefully this offseason he can take that leap into greatness.
Season Grade: B

Patrick Shepherd 3g, 12a, -10 +/-, 60 GR, 284 TPE
Mid-season Grade: B-
Another of the pass-first players on the team, Patrick show-cased his defensive skills more this year and is certainly looking to be a great player in the future. While his point production decreased a little, his defensive ability made up for it. That giveaway to takeaway ratio is lower than 1 (which sadly can't be said for a lot of players) and he sacrificed his body 41 times to block a shot. Patrick had a great fundamentally sound season and hopefully continues to add to his arsenal and become a fantastic player for the Timber.
Season Grade: B-

Konrad Danke 7g, 10a, -13 +/-, 64 GR, 253 TPE
Mid-season Grade: B-
The rookie had a fantastic season offensively, coming out the highest point getter of the centers with 17 and his second half was greatly better than the first. He was alright defensively but what he did offensively is something to keep an eye on next season. Maybe next season he's the first-line center but that's up to the management. His career is something to look forward to and I'm incredibly excited about his next season to see what he brings to the table.
Season Grade: B+

Kyle Sutton 10g, 16a, -8 +/-, 59 GR, 243 TPE
Mid-season Grade: C+
This rookie had a fantastic second half. Ended the first half with 8 points, he finished the season with 26. He was leaps and bounds better in the second half and showed that the Timber had a great draft this year. Solid showing from him this season and I'm really really excited about this guy and his second season is going to be great, I can just tell.
Season Grade: B

Julien Villeneuve 7g, 7a, -6 +/-, 62 GR, 241 TPE, 23 GP
Mid-season Grade: N/A
Julien came in and decided to be a fantastic player in the 23 games he played. Hitting 14 points in just 23 games, this guy is something else. He played with some grit and was lethal when he shot. He's a sign that the Timber definitely have some great scouts working for them. I'm really looking forward to his career here in the SHL and can't wait to see him light up the scoresheet game in game out.
Season Grade: B+

Marty Sertich 6g, 13a, -7 +/-, 59 GR, 233 TPE
Mid-season Grade: B-
Marty Sertich had an alright season. Offensively he was pretty good coming out with 19 points, but he was a turnover machine. I noted this in the mid-season review, and he didn't really improve here. Went to 31 giveaways on the season, which is second on the team, but not even breaking 9 takeaways, he's gotta improve his read of the game if he wants to make it further in the league. His sophomore season was alright in the end, but hopefully next season he steps up his defensive game to make his season even better.
Season Grade: B-

Partario Scarangella 4g, 8a, -8 +/-, 57 GR, 200 TPE
Mid-season Grade: C+
Coming from a surprising first half of the season, he was a solid depth player for the Timber and I can see him continuing to grind it out on the fourth line next season if the Timber decide to keep him. His determination to get better isn't the greatest, but he still is a serviceable 4th liner.
Season Grade: C+

Rapid Eagle 3g, 7a, -2 +/-, 55 GR, 177 TPE, 38 GP
Mid-season Grade: C
Another one of the dropped players from the Timber. Before he was dropped he had a decent season, but the Timber definitely saw better players in the DFAs and decided to drop him. Sad to see him go, but the management had to make a decision and probably made the right one here. Thanks for your part in the season Rapid.
Season Grade: C-

Alexander Oscarsson 1g, 0a -2 +/-, 51 GR, 175 TPE, 12 GP
Mid-season Grade: N/A
Definitely a work in progress. Alexander showed what he was made of. Played only 12 games for the team, but he showed the rest of the league what he's made of. Shooting only twice this season but scoring 1 goal is great, but not indicative of his career. Well, maybe. I really want to see if he can keep up a 50% shot percentage in his career. How likely is it? Incredibly unlikely, but boy do I want to see if he can.
Season Grade: C+

Jax Gracie 0g, 2a, -1 +/-, 52 GR, 160 TPE, 6 GP
Mid-season Grade: N/A
Jax didn't really have much time to show what they can do, but they dished out 2 assists in 6 games and defensively was alright. Whoever picks them up in the draft will have a great locker room presence if what we heard from the Timber in the post-season interviews rings true. Like many of the DFAs, I'm excited for their careers and look forward to either facing off against them next season, or continuing to write about their fantastic ability and how they fit in with the Timber perfectly.
Season Grade: Not enough time to judge.

PeaKay Soupcan 7g, 5a, -4 +/-, 56 GR, 159 TPE, 44 GP
Mid-season Grade: B-
PeaKay came up big for the Timber in a few games this season when people least expected it. After the first half, anytime we saw him shoot, we had thought it would go in. Still boasting the highest shot percentage on the league (other than a player who's only shot 2 times and scored once) with 15.6% but thats a far cry from his first half 27.8%. Was dropped by the management near the end of the season, but his name and legendary 2 goal games will live forever in the Timber's history books.
Season Grade: C+

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Well there you have it. Sadly the Timber missed the playoffs after a great push, but ultimately fell short. The team has a lot of potential and if they draft well again in the upcoming draft they will be a force next season and possibly, if I may predict a bit, not be the worst team in the league and actually be in a comfortable position come playoff time. Well, after a lot of talking about the giveaway-takeaway ratio I can safely say that the team has a great future and next season should fare better as long as the team grows in the way that they have been this season so far. Really excited to say that I've been signed back on to follow the team for next year and look forward to bringing even more news about the Timber.

Thanks for the season! I only joined in towards the late stages, and it sucked not reaching the playoffs.

Also a big shoutout for the warm welcome I received.

Theodor Larsson


SMJHL

Team: Maine
Drafted: 21st OA
By: Maine Timber
Games played: 228
Goals: 49
Assists: 79
Points: 138
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Playoffs
Games played: 41
Goals: 5
Assists: 17
Points: 22



SHL

Team: San Francisco Pride
Drafted: 8th OA
By: New England Wolfpack
Games played: 195
Goals: 15
Assists: 49
Points: 64

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Playoffs
Games played: 11
Goals: 1
Assists: 4
Points: 5



Achievements/History

S53 WJC Silver
S54 Team Sweden WJC GM
S55 Assistant Captain of Maine Timber
S56-S57 Captain of Maine Timber
S57-S59 New England Co-GM
S57 WJC Silver
S59 Traded to San Francisco Pride
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LETS GO MAINE! great write up!

Valentin Kalashnikov || D || Baltimore Platoon || 2106 TPE

6'3'' || 225 lbs || Grozny, Russian Federation

S52 SMJHL Entry Draft 5th Overall (Halifax Raiders)

S53 SHL Draft 12th Overall (Tampa Bay Barracuda)

S52 WJC IIHF Champion (UCORCAL)

S53 WJC IIHF Bronze (UCORCAL)

S55 WJC IIHF Champion (UCORCAL)

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SMJHL Season Stats

Szn || Team || GP ||  G||  A||  P|| +/- || HIT || SHB || TOI ||

S52 || HFX  || 50 ||  4|| 11|| 14 ||  -7 ||  85 ||  47 || 1093|| 

S53 || MET || 50 ||  9|| 14|| 23 ||  -13 ||  166 ||  85 || 23:20 ||

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Playoffs Stats

Szn || Team || GP  || G || A || P || +/- || HIT || SHB || TOI ||

S52 || HFX  || 6/6 || 0 || 4 || 4 ||  +2 ||  12 ||  5 || 127 ||

S53 || MET  || DNQ || 0 || 0 || 0 ||  0 ||  0 ||  0 || 0 ||

        

Great write up! Excited to see what we can do next year!

    

Alexander Roach: Center - 2111 Peak TPE
Halifax Raiders Free Agent S52
Drafted 55th Overall by the Stampede in S53
Named Assistant Captain of Maine in S54
S55 Brandon Holmes Winner
S55 SMJHL 2nd All Star Team
S55 Challenge Cup Champion*
S60 Challenge Cup Champion
S62 Jeff Dar Winner
Season Stats -
S52 Halifax Raiders - 5G/9A/14P/31H/2SB
S53 Maine Timber - 4G/12A/16P/29H/52SB
S54 Maine Timber - 14G/18A/32P/69H/53SB
S55 Quebec City Citadelles - 17G/18A/35P/55H/122SB
SMJHL Totals - 40G/57A/97P/164H/229SB
S56 Buffalo Stampede - 8G/11A/19P/35H/12SB
S57 Buffalo Stampede - 8G/23A/31P/70H/34SB
S58 Buffalo Stampede - 15G/19A/34P/100H/48SB
S59 Buffalo Stampede - 19G/31A/50P/146H/44SB
S60 Buffalo Stampede - 23G/46A/69P/128H/88SB
S61 Buffalo Stampede - 28G/36A/64P/148H/73SB
S62 Buffalo Stampede - 26G/53A/79P/124H/111SB
S63 Buffalo Stampede - 16G/33A/49P/150H/71SB
S64 Buffalo Stampede - 25G/45A/70P/142H/79SB
S65 Buffalo Stampede-


Alexandre Coquerelle - QCC Co-GM
QCC Co-GM S55-65
QCC Head GM S66-Present
Ireland Fed Head S55-62
S57 Laurifer Trophy
S57 Nour Harrak Winner
S58 Four Star Cup Champions
S66 Laurifer Trophy


Nikolai Skovgaard - Right Defense
S65 - 13G/31A/44P/59H/39SB
S65 Esa Anrikkanen Trophy Winner
S66 - 8G/20A/28P/78H/86SB
S67 - 7G-31A/38P/111H/61SB