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Deep Dive #1 - SHL Midseason MVP Watch
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kb.mRegistered Member
As of Friday’s sim, we are officially halfway through the 80th SHL season. I like to watch the leader boards throughout the season to see who starts off strong, how the league leaders change throughout the month, and who may make a surprise appearance or two. Over the past 5 or so sims, I’ve been honing in on a few candidates that I think will make a run for the Sarmad Khan trophy. The following is a deep dive on 3 MVP candidates, their stats, roles on their team, and overall outlook on their season.
Chris Valentine - C - Texas Renegades This name on the list will shock no one. Season 79’s MVP is looking to go back to back after notching 25 goals and 32 assists in 33 games. Regression hasn’t made a dent in their game, as the 10 season SHL veteran is on pace to set their highest point total ever. Ever since switching from Defenseman to Center in Season 76, Valentine has been an MVP caliber 2-way force. Valentine has ebbed and flowed between the top 3 and 5-10 range for points each sim, but stellar performances in the last sim have put them back at number 1 to end the first half of the season. This included a 4 point night in a routing of the New Orleans Spectres, and a 2 goal game in a thrilling 5 to 4 win against the league’s best San Francisco Pride. Critics may attribute some of Valentine's offensive success due to the fact that Texas has found the perfect line in Konig-Valentine-Diehm. Konig has brought elite offensive production that could very well warrant their own MVP discussion. League leader in hits Diehm is a dominant power forward with incredible defensive instincts, and is often the only one ahead of Valentine when examining the advanced stats. However Valentine is providing consistent possession to the Renegades top line (53% on faceoffs), and is the top Renegade for PDO, Corsi, and Fenwick. They provide a stable and elite presence everywhere on the ice, one that the Renegade have been able to build around during their push to 20-11-2 this season. The MVP is Valentine’s to lose, but there are plenty of viable candidates chomping at the bit to get a taste of the glory. The Renegade are still firmly in a playoff spot, but they have fallen behind their expected win total. I’m a firm believer that you can’t be the most valuable player if your team isn’t winning night in and night out, so Valentine and the Renegade will have to pick up the pace if they want back to back Khans. Johnny Wagner-Svenson - RW - Tampa Bay Barracuda Two seasons ago, Johnny Wagner-Svenson had one of the greatest seasons a playmaker can ever have, tallying 77 assists. This total tied them for 5th all time! Unfortunately, Wagner-Svenson couldn’t capture the same magic in season 79, having a down but still stellar 83 point season. Well Johnny is back and more fired up than ever, on pace to nearly tie their season 78 point total of 118. 24 goals and 31 assists sits them at 6 and 8 on the leaderboards respectively, and 4th for points. In addition to elite playmaking and goalscoring, Johnny knows how to throw the body around, racking up 73 hits, good for 7th in the league. The offensive toolset Wagner-Svenson possesses is overwhelming, and has led to his league leading Offensive Game Rating of 90. When I first started tracking, Johnny didn’t register for goals, and they were number 1 in hits. Johnny has consistently strung together 1-2 point nights, but occasionally will have an extraordinary game including a 5 point night in a 7-0 win over Edmonton, and a handful of 4 point performances. For how often Tampa Bay scores 7+ goals a night, getting involved on a few more of these plays would create a huge separation between Johnny and the other league leaders. Wagner-Svenson’s defensive abilities leave a bit to be desired from an MVP candidate, but it’s hard to complain about Johnny being offensive minded when they play for the Barracuda, a team with 3 of the league's top defensemen and a top goalie, leading to 4th lowest team GA of 106. In fact, Wagner-Svenson has played their role perfectly for Tampa Bay; with a +/- of +24, produce more than you give up, and be an offensive spark. The Barracuda were projected to be a top team this season, and they are still slightly beating the casino line. If Johnny keeps up this level of offensive production and the Barracuda defense doesn’t falter, I see Wagner-Svenson as a strong MVP choice. Kal Akar Kekkonen - RD - Seattle Argonauts Who says a Defenseman can’t win MVP? Well the SHL usually. From what I can tell, a defenseman hasn’t won at least for the last 5 seasons, probably the last 10. (Sidenote, if anyone can point me to historical award data, I’d love to check that out. The forum on the site is incomplete). HOWEVER the 4th year SHL player is having a monstrous start to the season, and I want to throw the name Kekkonen out there for MVP discussion. Kekkonen is currently tied for 2nd in a tight goal race amongst defensemen with 11. Their 5th best 21 assists give them the 2nd most points for a defenseman. Kal has already nearly matched their point total from last season in just 32 games. Seattle has turned from a middle or bottom team to a top 3 contender in just 1 season, and part of that can be attributed to Kekkonen’s emergent play from the second pairing. Despite not being on the Argonauts top D line, they average the most time on ice for Seattle, and they quarterback the powerplay. Kekkonen not only provides elite and efficient offense (12.8% shooting), they lead Seattle in Takeaways (34) and are 3rd on the team in Hits (47). Kal is also among league leaders in PDO, Goals For and Goals Against per 60, and Hits for a defenseman, proving themselves one of the best playmakers in the league at either end of the ice. Kekkonen has had MVP potential since being drafted 2nd overall in the season 75 draft, but it must be thrilling for Seattle to see that potential be realized so early in Kekkonens career. Seattle is absolutely crushing the casino line for total wins. An MVP is someone whose play elevates the whole team around them, and overcomes the odds against them. Listen, I know it’s a longshot and probably requires a lot of other league leaders to finish the season slower than their current pace. But if Kekkonen can keep improving upon their first half of the season, which already exceeded expectations, name them the youngest ever MVP. Final Thoughts Again, this is Chris Valentine’s award to lose. He’s one of the best 2 way Centers in the league with league leading offensive production, very reminiscent of Sidney Crosby. Wagner-Svensson could steal it with an offensive onslaught the voters can’t ignore. Kekkonen is a longshot, but would be one of the most exciting MVP’s in recent history. Realistically it will be none of them because I put the time in to research and write this deep dive. 
icewindooRegistered Senior Member 12-28-2024, 01:59 AMkb.m Wrote: (Sidenote, if anyone can point me to historical award data, I’d love to check that out. The forum on the site is incomplete). Award history is available on the portal: https://portal.simulationhockey.com/hist...ementID=39 ![[Image: Uy7TeEn.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/Uy7TeEn.jpeg)
kb.mRegistered Member 12-28-2024, 09:41 AMicewindoo Wrote: Award history is available on the portal:Thanks, not sure how I miss it. I stand corrected, there was a D MVP in S70 and S71
lukeSHL GM Admiral of the Data Seas 12-28-2024, 09:59 AMkb.m Wrote: Thanks, not sure how I miss it. I stand corrected, there was a D MVP in S70 and S71 They were Forwards when it happened. They switched to D later in their career If you go to their player page https://portal.simulationhockey.com/player/135 https://portal.simulationhockey.com/player/67 Then go into historical, click on the SHL link it will pop up their career. Love this deep dive! if you have any questions about SHL lmk through here or on discord. im everywhere
kb.mRegistered Member 12-28-2024, 10:14 AMluke Wrote: They were Forwards when it happened. They switched to D later in their careerI stand corrected again! At some point I want to make a media that looks through award history and identifies trends. Appreciate the help!
lukeSHL GM Admiral of the Data Seas
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