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CleverPin · 08-28-2019, 03:32 PM

1,731 Words

We're back for another episode of CP's corner. I know it's been a little while since the last one, but in this time I had the wonderful opportunity to experience my sister's wedding which was a complete blessing in my life and made me feel more single than ever. Maybe at some point I'll find love, who knows. I'm going to stop that tangent right there, because we really don't need to go off on that right now. Instead, let's talk about some fake simulation sports and what has been going on in my world over the past couple of weeks.

Regular Season
Oh what a wonderful year it has been in the SMJHL. I've been super excited all year long to be a part of this league and have really loved the fun it has offered me thus far in my campaign as a rookie. The Whalers locker room is great, and while I'm a quieter figure among the team I like to just watch and listen while I take in what everyone is talking about. I've had some good opportunities to talk to our guys, and see how people have felt about the season thus far and among the team, we understand that our position is just something that needs to happen (this will be talked about more later in this article). The SMJHL standings are completely unset as of right now, with nearly every position being up for grabs. As Kelowna and Detroit fight it out at the top of the standings for the first seed heading into playoffs and currently rest only separated by two points, the top seed is all but secure right now. Once we move into the bottom six teams, you can see just how dense this year's talent pool is with the 4th seed team in the Vancouver Whalers currently only five points ahead of the 10th place Anchorage Armada. Position in standings seems to have no weighting as of right now as team's have been shifting around all year. Only a few short days ago the Whalers sat at dead last in the league, but after trading away arguably their two strongest players on the team for picks, they still have managed to pull out two wins in the most recent sim and shone up to the top.

As far as the individual stats go for this season, Gaspard Boone (@Im_A_Boonana) has been looking spectacular for the Montreal Militia as he currently leads the league in goals with 22 and sits second in points with 48 behind only Nicolaj Muller (@esilverm) of the St. Louis Scarecrows. Muller and Boone are going to continue their fight for dominance in these final seven games of the season as the pair are currently neck and neck for both points and goals. Basil Magnicotta (@Rancidbudgie) has been showing off his ability to produce offensively from the blue line this year as he has an impressive 39 points, helping out the Scarecrows in a lot more ways than one. Derek Bohne Jr. (@wumaduce) of the Colorado Raptors has been an incredible defensive talent and has racked up not only a league leading amount of PIM's with 77, but also a league leading 63 shots blocked and impressive 92 hits. Currently holding the league in hits is Atlas Rush (@Rublic), the Raiders talented veteran power forward. Rush isn't just a defensive player though, as he's shown up on the score sheet two with a respectable 20 points. When we get down into goal tending, Emiko Spector (@"MantoRune") is rapidly closing on the SMJHL record for shutouts in a season, and currently sits atop the GAA category, 0.18 GA/G ahead of his competition in Alexander Thorstrom (@Jesster) who has back stopped the Kelowna Knights to their incredibly rapid change they've seen from last season. It doesn't seem to be the year of the goaltender though, with no goaltender currently resting above a 90% save percentage, although Biz Nasty (@GrilledTwinkiez) of the Halifax Raiders and Mike Hunt (@"AtlasHunter"), the veteran goaltender of the Montreal Militia currently trail behind by only 0.1% with 89.9% save percentage for both. This stat becomes more impressive when you take into account that both goaltenders have faced the highest shot totals in the league with Mike Hunt breaking the 1,000 shot threshold at 1,015 and Biz Nasty being right on the cusp with 999.

Rookie gameplay has been extremely exciting this year with Akira Ren (@Velevra) of the Lethbridge Lions currently leading his class with 26 points. With 23 of those coming from assists, Ren is a stalwart play making threat who should be regarded with the highest of honor. Alexei Rykov (@RaginCajun) and Bobby Lane (@Rich) have both done exceptional jobs in Montreal as they sit tied for the rookie goal scoring lead this year with 12 apiece. Amongst the goaltending crop, Ian Venables (@"toirekari") has had a lot of weight placed on his shoulders as the young starter for the Armada and while he's struggled, has done a tremendous job. Similarly, Markus Tegernako (@KlusteR) has shared starting duties with veteran Nolan McHahon (@Reynolds) in Lethbridge this season, while late bloomer Tobias Lindeman (@dynamite) of the Anaheim Outlaws has seen a handful of starts playing backup. For a great rookie class that is massive and talented, these guys have not let us down in the slightest.

SMJHL Intern
So in case you missed it, I got named one of two SMJHL interns this season alongside @Thatguy91 and I've had a great time in the role so far. Of course during my hiatus to my sister's wedding Head Office had an extremely large number of changes to make and rulings to decide, and unfortunately I wasn't able to be a part of that discussion. With the trade deadline having just passed, I'm glad to say that I finally have been of some use as I've gotten around to approving some of the newer guys into the league, and I'm excited to continue to hold a role in Head Office as we move into a very busy off season with this year's Reddit class preparing for the SHL Draft and a new batch of young studs looking to make their mark on the SMJHL. With a lot of big things coming it's an exciting time to be a part of head office discussions, and I think you'll all be impressed with what we have come up with as a group so far this season. There are big things coming to the SMJHL.

Retooling
If you weren't around the league recently you may have missed the fact that the Vancouver Whalers organization moved Jimmy Slothface, shipped out Jon Forty-One, and said goodbye to Kaspars Claude in what was a terribly sad end to an era in Vancouver hockey. Despite winning the Four Star Cup last season, the Whalers couldn't seem to find their stride and recreate the success, and it was time to say goodbye to the veteran presence the team still had in return for building for the future. All in all, the team was able to acquire a 1st round, 2nd round, and a Reddit 6th round pick in return for their star studded past, and it means that there are big things coming for the Whalers franchise. With the window being all but fully closed and a hungry group of youngsters primed to take on the league for the foreseeable future, the Whalers had to make the decision to retool and let this season go in order to keep up with the rapidly changing scenery of the SMJHL. It's always sad to see some of the guys who have defined your franchise leave for better places, but it when comes down it we will see those players have another opportunity at a Four Star Cup while also helping another franchise grow in the mean time. It was quite the brilliant move by the Whalers management and I'm excited to see where the team heads in the next few seasons.

As one of the younger players on the roster, the move helped me in my personal career as I shifted up to find top six minutes with the team alongside Jean-Paul Boivin (@Nokazoa) and Jan Zacha (@StaticShocked) on the second line. This new fresh faced top six will be deadly as we enter this final leg of the year and prime ourselves to look forward to playoffs and S50. It's a big time for the team, and it means young players will get an opportunity to shine. As someone who intends to stay down in the SMJHL for a few seasons, I'm going to be lucky enough to ride out this whole rebuild with the team and really prep myself for what's coming. My personal expectation is that you'll see the Whalers franchise back at the top of the standings by S51, and I'm happy to say I don't think that's an unrealistic expectation due to the team we have built around us.

The End
Well, thanks for listening to me ramble on again, I enjoy getting to write about stuff that I feel people care about. As I finish up my first season in the league, I want to give a big thank you to everyone who has helped me out with my first venture in simulation sports. @MCP_ and @dmills3 have both been integral towards my success and being active in this league, and have really been a bright light for the community. Other members who've given me help and shown enough interest to keep me intrigued and enthralled in this community are guys like @Noble and @NJBadApple who showed interest in selecting me at first overall, and my fellow big three rookies in @Naosu and @Rankle, both of whom are outstanding sim league members and I'm sure will go on to make incredible players.

Cheers, CP

Noble · 08-28-2019, 03:37 PM

Thanks for the mention! Super excited to see what you continue to do in the league! Big tings from you homie

Henrik · 08-28-2019, 04:20 PM

Good stuff man!

dmills3 · 08-28-2019, 05:23 PM

Thanks for the kind words CP! Glad we have you on our side and I’m excited for the next few seasons with you! You’ve been a great addition to this site and are bound to do great things here.

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