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Jumbo · 09-05-2020, 01:09 AM

SMJHL S55 Most Improved Players

Now that the 4 Star Cup finals is about to start, and that we (Colorado) have had an unfortunate early exit, it is time to do some media in my down time.

For this piece I wanted to look at players (Skaters and Goalies) that had improved the most from S54 to S55 during the regular season. So I once again created a google sheet to track all of it. It looks at all the major stats and game ratings.

Here is the sheet for viewing: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...sp=sharing

So I will go team by team and pick my choice of Most Improved Player. I will also name 1-2 additional players as an honorable mention.

Anaheim Outlaws Outlaws

Most Improved Player: C - Hubert Andrews - @hughesab
-Hubert Andrews was clearly the most improved player for the Outlaws this year. Andrews improved in several categories this year including the most points gained with 19 (5 points to 24 points). He also lead Anaheim in Powerplay points gained (4 points), the most shots on goal (74 shot increase), biggest game rating and offensive game rating increase (both an increase of 9 rating). Andrews was 6th on the team in points while playing center on the top line. A great improvement all around for Hubert Andrews.

Honorable Mention:
G - Separa Borro - @Lyezech
- Separa Borro started 17 more games and got 11 more wins this year. He lowered his GAA by over half a goal, and he increased his Save percentage up to .923. Both improvements are in the top 4 for goalies this year.

D - James LeBlond - @eMLBCommish
-What stands out about James LeBlond is that he scored 19 goals as a defenseman (a 11 goal difference). That is 7 more goals than any other defenseman in the league. LeBlond also tallied 38 points this year compared to 29 last year.

Anchorage Armada Armada

Most Improved Player: G - Soochie Stratton - @honkerrs
-Soochie Stratton only started 11 more games than the previous season. But Stratton improved his win total from 14 to 30. An impressive 16 win difference. He led all goalies by lowering his GAA by 1.25 which gave him a GAA of 1.62 on the year, and he also led with a 7 shutout diffence bring his total to 9 shutouts. Stratton raised his Save Percentage to .933 for the 2nd best improvement of .026. So basically Soochie killed it this year. He led the league in all major goalie categories and with all the improvements in his game, Stratton will definitely be the favorite for the Tom Corcoran Trophy.

Honorable Mention:
C - Cyril Vyskoc - @artermis
-Vyskoc was the most improved offensive player for Anchorage. He scored 11 more goals, had 23 more points, 10 more Powerplay points, 61 more shots. A very improved offensive player.

D -Bork Lazer - @Frick_Nasty
- I almost chose Bork Lazer as the most improved player for Anchorage, but Soochie killed it this year. Lazer had a very good year on the blue line. Obviously everyone looks at offensive stats first, even I did myself, and Lazer only produced 19 points on the year (4 more). But upon further looking, Lazer had the highest increase on +/- of all players in the league with +38 (Season +/- was +36). He finished the season with a DGR of 78. I would think that all of this would put Bork Lazer in the running for the Quilha Agante Trophy.

Carolina Kraken Kraken

Most Improved Player: G - Blunt Man - @Obsidian311
-Blunt Man is another goalie that just crushed it this season. Blunt Man did start 29 more games this year than last year, but he made a huge jump in his game. He won 22 more games, 5 more shutouts, lowered GAA by 1.2, raised his game rating by 17 points. Man was top 3 in all goalie categories and will be in the running for the Tom Corcoran Trophy.

Honorable Mention:
C - Linus Grimstad - @Turd Ferguson
-Linus Grimstad is another player who did a great job at improving his offensive game. He scored 9 more goals, had 13 more assists, 22 more points, and 7 more powerplay points. The centerman showed why the Kraken had him on their top line.

C - Panda Panico - @peej2189
-Panda Panico was played center on Carolina's 2nd line. While most of his offensive stats improvements are only behind Linus Grimstad, Panico did lead the Kraken in every game rating category and hits. Panico increase his GR by 11, OGR by 9, DGR by 12, and then also increased his hits by 55. A very dependable 2nd line player.

Colorado Raptors Raptors

Most Improved Player: C - Lord Raiden - @Jumbobone19
- Now not to brag about myself but Raiden had a great year. But in the first 27 games, Raiden only had 11 points. So in the final 23 games, Raiden racked up 28 points finishing the season strong and placing 3rd on the team in points. Raiden had the best increase in assists (24), points (29), powerplay points (9), shots on goal (88), GR (11), OGR (11), and tied DG (9). Not sure if worthy of any recognition but I am a happy camper with that effort.

Honorable Mention:
There are a few of fellow Raptors I would like to name here (APF) but 2 players stick out as most improved.
RW - Gudmundur Kristjansson - @Fluw
- Looking at most improved players, Gudmundur Kristjansson was really only behing Lord Raiden on the team. Kristjansson only produced 8 points last year, which he increased this year to 35 points (4th on team). He had a 22 assist increase trailing Raiden by 22. The top line right winger thrived this year, hence why Colorado put him there.

RW - Juni Panda - @juniped
-Juni Panda is probably the unsung hero this season for the raptors. While some Raptors struggled out of the gate, Panda came out hot. He kept Colorado in games, and increased his points from 2 to 22. Once the other players started to play better, Panda started to focus his game on more of a physical role. Hence the 240 hit increase (I havent looked at defenseman but thats probably the best in the league by far). He also increased his penatly minutes by 104 minutes. Panda played a bunch of physical roles for the Raptors and did exceptionally well.

Detroit Falcons Falcons

Most Improved Player: RW - Zoltan Topalo - @Rangerjase
-Detroit didn’t have a clear winner, so I did a closer look at the players. Zoltan Topalo stuck out as the winner to me because he increased his goal total to 23 (good for 3rd in the league and a 14 more increase). Topalo also raised his point total to 37 points (13 point increase). Zoltan Topalo was a bright spot for the Falcons in an otherwise disappointing year.

Honorable Mention:
RW - Sammy Blaze - @hockeyfan
-Sammy Blaze was slightly better than last year in almost every category. Nothing stood out as a major step forward. But Blaze produced 17 points (8 points higher) and 97 shots blocked (61 more blocks which was 3rd among all forwards in the league). Not a bad year for Blaze but if he can keep on improving, he will be a great player for the Falcons. Blaze could also be in the running for the Brandon Holmes Trophy.

Kelowna Knights Knights

Most Improved Player: RW - James Hagan - @CampinKiller
-While some of the big guys for the Knights did not produce like they did last year, James Hagan picked up the slack for them. Hagan led the Knights in 3 most improved categories including goals (+10), points (+23), and shots blocked (+23). Hagan definitely stepped his game up this year and helped the Knights finish as the #2 seed in West.

Honorable Mention:
G - Peter Ramsey - @Hoovuh
-Peter Ramsey played in the majority of the games for Kelowna with 42. He won 28 games, 18 more than last year. He also had the 2nd most shutouts on the year with 8 (+6). A very solid year for Ramsey.

C - Daniel Laforest - @Snoopdogg
-Another player who stepped their game up this year for the Knights was Daniel Laforest. The 2nd line center had a 19 point increase over last year and lead all Kelowna players in points with 41. Laforest also was a beast on the powerplay unit, racking up 16 powerplay points (an 11 point increase). Laforest was just another reason the Knights were successful this year.

Maine Timber Timber

Most Improved Player: D - Mikkel Asmus Sondergard - @Rabidsponge21
-Maine was another team that was hard to name just one player, because there were alot of Timber players who stepped up this year (Marshall, Oscarsson, Sutton, Shepherd). But I wanted to point out one player the most, Mikkel Asmus Sondergard. The defenseman stepped up his offensive game by racking up 16 more points (6 goals and 10 assists) which also shows in his increased game rating (+12 rating). Sondergard also raised his +/- by 18 and lowered his PIMs by 29. He finished the year with a DGR of 74. A player that was very dependable on the defensive side, but jumped in on the offense when needed.

Honorable Mention:
LW - Victor Ball - @jcfbey01
-The 2nd year winger was the most improved points getter on the year for Maine. Victor Ball raised his point total by 20 (5 goals and 15 assists better). Ball did this while mostly playing on Maine’s 3rd line. He was probably the one Timber player who flew under the radar this year. But Ball produced on the offensive front.

Newfoundland Berserkers

Most Improved Player: C - Mats Marner - @leafsftw1967
-Mats Marner is definitely the most improved player in the league by far. Marner absolutely dominated every category this year. He scored 19 more goals, had 21 more assists, 40 more points, 21 more powerplay points, and that's just his improved stats. In the entire league, Marner ranked 1st in goals, 4th in assists, 1st in points, 1st in PPG, 1st in PPP, and the list goes on. Marner is in line for some serious hardware including being the favorites for the Raymond Lindsay Trophy and the Ideen Fallah Trophy.

Honorable Mention:
RW - Liam Slate - @Tylar
-It is hard to compare other Newfoundland players after Marner. Everyone seems so far behind him, but Liam Slate still produced a solid year improving in almost every category. Slate improved in goals, assists, and points but also raised his +/- by 14. Showing he made some solid decisions while out on the ice.

St. Louis Scarecrows

Most Improved Player: RW - Pavel Kharlamov - @RippleLuck
-St. Louis had a very tough year. While some players played up to their expectations, there wasn't much improvement across the board. Kharlamov was one player that had a little bit of success. He improved all of his stats just slightly. His biggest improvement was being able to play his positional role. He raised all 3 phases of his game rating this year. A lone bright spot for the Crows.

Honorable Mention:
C - Grapefruit Lizard - @Frostbite
- Grapefruit Lizard did produce again like the previous year. But this year he led St. Louis with 15 powerplay points, which was 13 better than his previous year. Lizard showed he belonged on the top powerplay unit and can produce when given the chance.

Vancouver Whalers Whalers

Most Improved Player: RW - Bryce McMahon - @MN_Moosey
- Bryce McMahon raised his point total by 23 points this year, which 20 were assists. But he also improved his +/- by 27. McMahon increased his Game Rating by 10 and his Defensive Game Rating by 15. He also got some time on the Powerplay unit and had 9 points (7 better). McMahon benefited by playing on the Whalers top line, and showed that he can handle it.

Honorable Mention:
C - Daniil Nikiforov - @DELIRIVM
-Another player on the Whalers top line, Daniil Nikiforov also had a very good 2nd season. Nikiforov scored 18 goals on the year. A pretty impressive improvement after only scoring 3 last year. He also had 22 more points, raised his +/- by 21, had 15 more takeaways. Nikiforov also could be a nominee for the Vyacheslav Onoprienko Trophy.

LW - William Hartmann - @boom
-So I guess this is just the Whalers top line show. The three players played extremely well together this season. The winger was the top points scorer for the Whalers this year with 41, which was 17 better (9 goals, 8 assists). He also led the team in powerplay points with 12 (8 more). Hartmann showed up before his call-up next season.

Expansion Teams
While being selected by and playing for an expansion team is tough enough, a few players still were able to produce and be a positive note for their team. I wanted to select one from each team.

Citadelles

C - Alexander Roach - @Faelax
Alexander Roach was an amazing player for Quebec City this year. He produced 35 points (3 better), 12 powerplay points (1 better), and 125 shots on goal (14 more). But what Roach really improved on was his defensive stats. Roach had 38 takeaways (23 more), 122 blocked shots (69 more), and got his defensive game rating up to 76 (15 better). I would say Alexander Roach is the clear favorite for the Brandon Holmes Trophy. He did extremely well on a very young expansion team.

LW - Zelma Zuntnere - @Jogurtaa
Zelma Zuntnere was the most improved player on the roster for the Battleborn, but he was also just the best player overall this year. Zuntnere had 18 goals (14 more) and 25 points (16 more) to lead the team. He also became a little more trusting in his defensive skills, hence the 13 point raise in his DGR.

So these are my choices of most improved players in S55. This is not a knock on any other players. Obviously a player could have had a great year this year but if they had a good year last year, then they aren't really the most improved. They are just great players now. Once again, I hope you all enjoyed this long media.

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Jumbo · 09-05-2020, 01:15 AM

oh and sorry about all the alerts i sent out to everyone over this article. Didnt realize everytime you save it as a draft it sends an alert... My bad