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***hhh81*** · 05-19-2021, 05:59 PM

The Argonaut Report, S59 Edition

By: Harry Hemmert, The Athletic Abroad

Hello new readers and longtime supporters; I’ve returned. They may have run me out of North America, but my commitment to covering the SHL remains steadfast and unwavering! My whereabouts must remain unknown, but I’ve made a lengthy career for myself covering the SHL and SMJHL, and that continues!

Facing the first playoff series of the young franchise's career (at publishing, SEA had a 2-1 lead on the San Francisco Pride), this was a season of firsts and new milestones for the Argonauts!

Big Milestones for the Argonauts

In the face of another SHL expansion, several Argonauts had career seasons. Bo Kane (62), Jack Kanoff (52), Thomas Vanice (52), Reid Sutherland (48), Satoshi Zigzagooney (31), and Abel Skinner (34) all had career best seasons for scoring. Vanice moved from 4th all time to 2nd in goal scoring, while holding onto a franchise record for assists. Abel Skinner saw his role change, moving onto the top powerplay unit; this deployment change allowed him to jump from 8th to 6th in franchise scoring; he also moved from 9th most hits to 4th with 117 hits. Additionally three players: Thomas Vanice, Jack Kanoff, and Bo Kane, surpassed 100 career assists for Seattle.

The biggest movers up the franchise leaderboards were for forwards Reid Sutherland and Jack Kanoff. In his second season as an Argonaut, Sutherland moves into the top 10 in goals (36, 7th), assists (49, 10th), points (85, 10th), and blocked shots (154, 9th). Jack Kanoff, after seasons of bouncing around, found real success flanking Bo Kane and Michael Scarn. His 52 points helped him move up to 3rd most points as an Argonaut, with 137 points in 248 games. He also added a little grit to his game, moving from 10th up to 7th place in hits (226).

The major addition of the offseason, Michael Scarn wasted no time leaving a mark on the Seattle franchise. His season was good enough to move into 12th for goals, assists, and points in franchise history, as well as 16th in hits. While his scoring totals aren’t as high as some may have expected, he’s well poised to smash his way into the top 10 next season. He already holds one franchise record: his +17 rating puts him first on the leaderboard, overtaking former loser Tig Murphy’s previous record of +9. That’s 1st in career +/- and best single season +/-.

On the goalie side, Thor Odinson continues to set records in all goaltending categories. He’s first in almost every category of note—he saw his 50th career win and 150th career SHL game while setting a single-season and career records for most shutouts (7 and 10, respectively). New backup Peter Ramsay premieres at third in most relevant goalie categories. With Yanno Rosejac primed to jump the SHL, at least one of this year’s goalies won’t be back in net for S60 (more on that later).

A pair of outstanding rookies set the league on fire (and the Seattle record books in the process). Podcalzone set new franchise records for rookie goals (17), points (36), plus/minus (+6), shots on goal (131), and believe it or not, shots blocked (46). Young Salming also holds a franchise record with 22 takeaways. One franchise record that stands is best points per game as a rookie; Kriss Darzins set the mark in S56 with a 0.64 PPG; Podcalzone fell a bit short with only 0.545 PPG. Regardless, this season is just the beginning for the young Argo forwards. The expansion draft likely will open up more opportunities for the duo to step into larger roles in S60. When all is said and done, I think Podcalzone will retire with the franchise record in goals. He’s just too skilled not to be a game breaker for a long time.

Team Leaders Hit Major Marks
Arguably the two faces of the Seattle team since rejoining the league, captain Cassius Darrow and assistant captain Bo Kane both saw major career milestones this season. With his move to the wing after being a top six center for much of his career, Kane became the first player in Argonauts history to score 100 goals with the franchise, and the only player with 100 goals and 100 assists. His 205 career points in 248 games leads the Argonauts. He’s also just 2 SHL games away from 400 in his career and 15 points shy of 300 career points. He should surpass both of those milestones next season. In addition to goals and points, Kane holds the franchise records for shots on goal (515) and Powerplay Points (43). He also moved up the career record books, moving from 5th to 2nd in assists among Argonauts.

Team captain Cassius Darrow has continued to add to a potential Hall of Fame career. Early in the season Darrow scored his 100th point as an Argonaut (one of 6 to do so through S59). He also met important career milestones picking up his 100th goal, 300th assist, and 400th point all in the same game versus Atlanta. Against the Atlantic-leading Inferno, Darrow scored a goal and an assist to eclipse those career milestones and move the Argonauts closer to clinching their first playoff berth! Next season, Darrow will likely be the first defenseman in franchise history to have 100 assists, while also playing in his 700th career game (he’s just 2 away).

After S59, Darrow is top five in points (125, 5th), assists (94, 4th), powerplay points (24, 4th), shorthanded points (3, 2nd-T), shots on goal (509, 2nd) and holds the franchise records in hits (500), blocks (895), and takeaways (203). While as he moves later into his career some of those offensive metrics may slide, he will likely continue to build a commanding lead as one of the best defensive defenseman in the league. This season Darrow also surpassed 1600 career shots on goal and 1500 blocked shots. It’s easy to see Darrow will surpass Alonzo Garbanzo’s league record of 1882 blocked shots very soon, and it’s very possible Darrow could be the first player in league history to have 2000 career blocks.

Expansion Woes?
Few could have anticipated the SHL expanding again so soon. When the league expanded in S56, it had been 10 seasons since Chicago and New Orleans joined the league. Heading into S60, Montreal and Philadelphia will now join the SHL, meaning the up-and-coming Argonauts will lose some key contributors. General Manager Tiggie Smalls has some major decisions to make. Will he try to keep his rock solid top 4 together, and risk exposing top defensive prospect Ren-Ekelemchi Shimizu-Okoli? Seattle has finally started to build some solid forward depth after several years of offensive struggles. Rookie forwards Vaseline Podcalzone and William Salming both feature prominently in the future of the franchise; it’s hard to imagine either of them exposed. Reid Sutherland is coming into his own as a two-way center in the top six, and young winger Kriss Darzins has slowly but surely cemented himself as a fan favorite. I’d imagine both of them will also claim protection slots.

After that, there are plenty of questions. Will former league MVP Michael Scarn be looking to sign an extension with the Argonauts? If not, could he be an attractive option for expansion? Will they expose their most productive forward, Bo Kane, in hopes that an expansion team will bite on his salary? Could Fred Wanesly, a well-appreciated depth forward and long-time Tiggie Smalls disciple, earn the respect of Philly or Montreal and get drafted? Jack Kanoff has always flirted with free agency; could he inform Smalls he wants to bring his talents elsewhere? A few good forwards will be available if Montreal and Philadelphia want to bite.

Regardless of who Seattle protects, some quality goaltending options will be available. The team has top prospect Yanno Rosejac graduating from the SMJHL, and the tandem of Thor Odinson and Peter Ramsey were a very solid pair in net for Seattle. I would think any could be attractive options to the expansion squads. I have to imagine the young Rosejac will be given every opportunity to own the net next season after a four-year run of excellence with Colorado.

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