Login

Meursault · 12-24-2018, 02:10 PM

[Ready to Grade- 1481 words. x2 for first media]

The SMJHL Anchorage Armada floundered in their last games of the Season 44 playoffs. Being up 3-1 in games, it’s safe to say that nearly the entire city thought beating the Vancouver Whalers one more time to end the first round series would be a breeze. And yet that never happened. Vancouver would win the final three games and move on. This is what is going to be remembered most of Season 44. This storyline will overshadow the heroics of Eero Niemi and the Armamas moving heaven and earth to make it to the second round, or the team winning four out of their last six games of the season to squeak into the playoffs. What will ring in most of our ears is the that the team let the series slip away.

And while that may be the case, when looking back at the season there are a lot of positives to take away from it. The Armada drafted seven incredible rookies, of whom two would go in the top five (and four in the top 10) in the SHL’s S45 entry draft and grabbed two more rookies in free agency, earned the most points in five years (52) for the franchise, and fought tooth and nail to get back to the playoffs after a disappointing Season 43. While the goalie situation may leave something to be desired for upcoming seasons, the majority of players really developed over this last season, and everything points for Season 45 to be a really exciting year to the team and city. All of this happened while the front office saw a changing of the guard in terms of general management.

In his first season in charge Max Brannagan has set a high standard for his team. Rumours stir that Max has instilled a very strict regime at practice and workouts. So, if drafting some of the best young recruits wasn’t enough, he’s given them every opportunity to develop into the next generation of stars for the SHL to salivate over. This bodes well for Season 45, 46, and 47, before the S44 rookies may look to jump to the big league. Brannagan, in only one season, seems to have already made his mark. He’s certainly been a busy body this offseason, making three trades, one that saw the departure of defenseman Stolp Skottson to Detroit, brought right winger Oliver Kovacs in for draft picks, traded rookie defenseman Vegeta Muerto to Halifax for Thomas Speardane and a pick, and then traded up picks in this years SMJHL draft. We were able to catch up with Max Brannagan at the season-end press conference, which took place before the SMJHL and SHL Entry Drafts:

Interview

: So, your first season as Anchorage's GM, ended up with more points this season then the last 3 or 4, a playoff berth, but ultimately a first round knock out. How would you describe your season? Good, bad, surprising?

GMMB: It was a good season. My stretch goal was to make the playoffs. Ml002's reign ended in a rebuild and luckily for me he drafted really well. However, we were still a team made up primarily of rookies and compared to some of the other teams in the league, we weren't at the same level on paper. I was disappointed that we dropped the Vancouver series after being 3-1 up but all in all it was a good season for Anchorage!

Interview

: Any lessons that you could take away from the season?

GMMB: Hah, a lot. I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning. I needed help completing most of my GM tasks. The most valuable thing I learned though was that a good locker room trumps on ice results.

Interview

: We all know that Anchorage is a pretty new team, however the Prince George Firebirds awarded the Jared Hanson Award & Brodie Witzel Award for season MVP. If you were to give it out, could you give us a hint to who your MVP of the season would be?

GMMB: I am planning on resurrecting the awards actually. They haven't been given out for a couple of seasons and I think it would be good to restart the tradition. We had a number of people put their hands up. Niemi, Xena and Colt all had good seasons points-wise and had a really impressive season for a rookie. For sentimental value Dimmadome posted career high numbers in what would be his final season with the franchise.

Interview

: Well I think resurrecting the awards could be a nice morale boost. Moving onto the off season, a number of trades were made by the Armada. Would you be willing to shed some light on these for the fans?

GMMB: Kovacs was acquired to fill in the gap left by Dimmadome as well as providing some much-needed playmaking for our many snipers. Muerto requested a trade to be with his brother and all in all I think the deals worked for both teams. Expansion rules forcing me to give up players have somewhat affected those plans. I probably wouldn't make the Kovacs trade if I had known expansion would be on the table with such harsh protection rules.

Interview

: That sounds very fair. Last two questions: 1) Any new draftees that particularly catch your eyes? 2) Any words for the fans for the last and also upcoming seasons?

GMMB: I've moved up a spot to get my number one target and there are some great new players that I've had conversations with. We won't know until people start picking players, but I'm confident we will get a really good balance of experience and newbies on the team for the next season. We will most likely be losing a couple of fan favourites, but the future is bright for Anchorage. As long as everyone keeps chipping away there is a big chance of winning it all in the next few seasons.

One of the incredible rookies that stunned the league this past year is left winger Mika Mayfield. The Italian led all of Anchorage’s rookies in points and placed third in the league for rookies in that section. Mika made an immediate impact both on and off the ice- Many teammates note that Mayfield and the Armamas a key piece to locker-room morale. A warrior in the gym, a devout student of the game, she’s become one of the faces of the franchise, and has propelled herself to the highest echelon of players in the J. We caught up with Mika on locker room clear-out day:

Interview

:You've ended the season with 10 goals and 22 assists and leading all rookies on Anchorage in points. Could you tell how you think the season went for yourself?

Mayfield: I think my rookie season was amazing! Far exceeded my expectations.
Interview

:Word with GM's and scouts alike say the same thing. They're very impressed with your results. Was there anything in particular that helped you acclimate to the SMJHL and dominate in your first year?

Mayfield: I asked around a lot about builds then ultimately made my own choice with a median concept. Other than that just luck with Simon T.

Interview

:Well we think it's more than just luck! You're currently set to take the world stage with the British Isles World Junior Championship team. What are your predictions on this year's tourney? Any expectations?

Mayfield: WJC is just something to do in my spare time. Just keeps me on my toes. I’m excited to start Season 45

Interview

:How does your future look in the SMJHL? Are you going to stay a couple of years or are you looking to get into the SHL ASAP?

Mayfield: I want to stay as long as Anchorage needs me, but I understand if things change. I look forward to my same spot in the lineup next season. I play well with Mac (Dean Colt III), love the chemistry there.

Interview

You're slated to be in the first couple of picks in the SHL draft. It's assumed that almost every team has contacted you. Some mock drafts have you going 1st overall, some have you going 2nd overall. Is going first overall important to you? And are there any teams in the top 4 (SFP, TEX, MAN. BUF)/that peaks your interest more than the others?

Mayfield: To be honest, not many teams have contacted me. I would be shocked if I’m 1st overall.

With the upcoming SMJHL draft including an expansion with two more teams being introduced to the league, teams may be in surprise for a shake up. With that in mind, the Armada look poised to have an exciting Season 45. With so much work to be done- rookies to become acclimate to Brannagan’s system, players to recoup and enter conditioning, we look forward to more progression from this junior team and can’t wait for puck drop in a couple of weeks.

Thanks to @Acsolap and @BadWolf for the interviews! Heart