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dogwoodmaple · 12-13-2021, 09:40 PM

Do you like fun facts?

Are you a fan of statistical oddities?

If so, I have the article for you. Feast your eyes upon 10 Incredible Stats from S62

#1 - Vlastislav Malik finished the season with 455 hits....and only 21 blocks.

I don't even know what to say about this bifurcated stat to start us off. First off, 455 hits is outrageous. That comes out to 6.9 hits per game - I just hope their opponents had good insurance because Malik was out there wrecking folks on a regular basis game in and game out. But on the other side, Malik finished with only 21 blocks. To put that in perspective, the next-lowest block total of players with at least 200 hits was 58. Maybe Malik was just too focused on laying the lumber than blocking shots. Or maybe they ended up blocking a lot of shots by simply hitting their opponent directly into the path of the puck? I'm not sure how our official statistician defines blocks, but that could be the answer to this riddle. Either way, Mailk tore up the league on defense this season and deserves all sorts of praise. Well done!

#2 - Ryuuji Minamino set the SHL record for goals in a season (60) and points in a season (106)

Since we moved to a 66 game season, no one had even topped the 50 goal mark and Minamino went out there and absolutely smashed the record book this year. They finished with the second most shots and the fourth highest shooting percentage (18.6%) among all players with triple digit shots. Just down straight up dominance from Chicago's forward. As if shattering the goal record wasn't enough, Ryuuji also added 46 assists for a grand total of 106, which was also a 66-game season record. No matter how you slice it, Ryuuji Minamino just had one of the greatest seasons in the history of SHL and hopes to continue that hot play with a long playoff run for the Syndicate. Good luck if you're going up against Minamino any time soon - you can't stop them, you can only hope to contain them. There was even a rumor that the goal horn in Chicago broke from overuse...

#3 - Cole Carter spent a combined 0:00 on the power play and shorthanded

Yes, you read that correctly. Cole Carter was the only player all season to spend every second of their ice time at even strength. Much like Thanos, Carter believed that all things should be perfectly balanced, and thus refused to take the ice when it wasn't even. Other players spent mere seconds at either one of the advantageous designations, but Carter somehow defied the odds and went the entire season this way. And it wasn't because they never played - they averaged ~15 minutes of ice-time per game and finished the year with a very respectable 57 hits to go along with their 15 takeaways and 5 goals. This is a significant departure from S61, where there were three such only-even-strengthers. But this year, the spotlight belongs to you, Cole Carter. We may not have a trophy to give you, but you'll always have a home on odd fact lists.

#4 - Juni Panda had 201 penalty minutes (39 more than second place)

With a whopping 201 minutes (second place came in at 162), Panda was a regular fixture in the penalty box.Word on the street is that Panda was in the box so often, the officials allowed Panda to keep snacks, books, various games, and puzzles in there during games to help pass the time. Were all of the calls Panda was whistled for the correct decision? Of course not, and Panda's reputation as an enforcer probably led to more whistles than there should have been. But that's just how it goes when you're known league-round as someone not to cross. And Juni remembers grudges, too. Did you slight Panda four seasons ago? Be prepared to be checked into oblivion. Double dip a chip at one of Panda's parties? Hope you like the boards, because you're about to get sent directly into 'em. Keep your head on a swivel when Panda's out there.

#5 - Chicago had five losses in regulation (new record)

There was not a more dominant team during the regular season than the Chicago Syndicate. They had an absurd +175 goal differential and seal clubbed just about everybody they played night in and night out. But perhaps their most impressive stat? Only five losses in regulation. Five. F-I-V-E. That set a new 66-game record and will give Chicago a potential claim to greatest team of all time if they continue to maul through the playoffs. Am I saying this as a reverse jinx in case they play Hamilton in the finals? Of course not. No matter what metric you use, this Syndicate team has been as dominant a team as we've seen in the league in a while. Scoring? Check. Elite goalkeeping? Check. Suffocating defense? Check. Good luck to all who happen to draw them the rest of the playoffs...you're absolutely going to need it.

#6 - Hamilton was 0-5 in shootouts

Somehow, one of the teams currently in a good position to make it to the finals, had an abysmal shootout record. We were the only team without a shootout victory and we tallied five losses on the year. Do we lack the clutch gene? Did our opponents insert smaller-than-regulation goals before the shootouts happened? No one will ever know for sure. But it's a bizarre occurrence, nonetheless. I'd like to think we were just saving our walk-off goals for an overtime victory to clinch another cup victory, but that might just be some good, old fashioned sunshine pumping. One thing is clear, though. If you want to beat Hamilton in the regular season, at least get us to a shootout. We're essentially a minor league hockey team after overtime.

#7 - Four teams in the Western Conference had a positive goal differential - that number was seven in the East.

Another SHL oddity found after perusing the statbook - only four Western teams in the green? And one of those four was only +3? Strange, indeed. In fact, the West had the team with the worst differential (Winnipeg) and the team with the best differential (Chicago). The East, meanwhile, has seven of the top 10 overall differential teams, headlined by Hamilton and Baltimore. The moral of this story? I'm not exactly sure, but I'm sure there's some sort of hot take that can be derived from this. Winnipeg being the only Western team with a negative diff below -61 definitely threw a wrench into things. But who knows - maybe next year will bring us a wildly different landscape in terms of parity and balance?

#8 - Only two defenders had a 10.0%+ shooting percentage (Jed Mosley Jr. and Sekai Wollker)

Well the stat says it all, really. With a league full of elite defenders who are also dynamite on the offensive side of the ice, we only had two players in the entire league who are defensemen by trade with a double-digit shot percentage. Mosley Jr and Walker are the two loners in that category, which is just a further testament to their ability, acumen, and overall all-aroundedness. Mosley even logged an impressive 207 blocks to go along with the shot percentage, while Walker tacked on 99 hits. It might not have been the best year for their teams (Manhattan and Minnesota), but what this pair did this season should be celebrated and honored. Well done, you two!

#9 - One player in the league had single-digit hits (8) - Rocco Berni

Now I know what you're thinking - Berni doesn't like contact! Berni isn't physical! Berni is afraid to get dirty! Not so fast, my friends! It's not Rocco Berni's fault they're so fast and agile they can avoid the opponents while also taking away the puck, outmaneuvering them, and finding the back of the net. In short, why hit when no hit will do? Berni will be out here playing until they're in their mid-50s thanks to their dedication to body preservation and endurance. And to prove my point that they aren't afraid to mix it up? Berni finished with 155 blocks! Only sacrificing their body when it was truly necessary to help the team prevent goals. Frankly, Berni is out here using galaxy brain tactics to keep themselves healthy and keep their own net clean. We should all take a page out of Berni's book and be a little smarter with our hits (just don't tell Juni...)

#10 - Exactly one person averaged 3:00+ in power play time and 1:00+ in shorthanded time - Alexander Roach

Woooo wee, you'll be hard-pressed to find a more dedicated and balanced player in the league than the Roach. Alexander averaged 3:07 each game on the advantage, helping Buffalo score at will when they had a man up on the ice. On the other side, Roach was a regular on the penalty kill, having spent an average of 1:14 when the Stampede were down a player. No matter what the task, what the job, or what the team in Buffalo needed, Alexander Roach was the player for the job. There's a reason Roachy is a fan-favorite - they do it all! I just hope they do slightly less here in the rest of this playoff series...

(1,565 words)

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