With a large and talented draft class entering the Simulation Major Junior Hockey League in Season 55, it was a challenge at times to evaluate all the up-and-coming talent.  As we get closer to seeing those names called in the Season 56 Simulation Hockey League draft, here is a look at some of the top statistical performers from Season 55.

Rock Strongo, Colorado: The latest in the great line of players represented by the all-time great Damian Littleton, Strongo made his presence known early in his career by leading rookie scorers.  Strongo tallied 32 points with the Mammoths in Season 55, leading rookies in points, goals (14) and assists (18). 

Vili Afalava, Nevada: This defenseman was thrust into action in a big way for the expansion Nevada Battleborn, playing more than 22 minutes per game.  The Tongan took that responsibility in stride, tallying 101 hits and 31 takeaways for Nevada.  While the hits paled in comparison to a historic performance by another rookie (we’ll get to that later), the takeaways were tops for rookies. 

Boris Petrov, Quebec City: Of course, you can’t discuss statistics and leading rookies without discussing Boris Petrov.  With an insane 326 hits, Petrov didn’t just lead rookies, he led the entire SMJHL with 326 hits.  Granted, he also led the entire SMJHL in penalty minutes (211) and fights won (9), tying for the league leader in total fights (15).  Simply put, Boris is a menace on the ice.  A team looking to add some physicality to their prospect pool will definitely not have to look any further than this guy.

Sachimo Zoidberg, III, Nevada: Another defenseman for the Battleborn, Zoidberg was third in the entire SMJHL in blocked shots, getting in the way of 127 shot attempts.  Granted, Nevada gave Zoidberg practice, allowing a league-leading 42.3 shots per game, but hey, he did it.  Zoidberg also led rookies in the obscure FHM-generated “game rating” stat, which I believe can be best described as what my friends who actually watch television would call “wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff.”  Did I get that right?

Dee Centerman, IV, Vancouver: It is perhaps fitting that Dee Centerman was a pretty good center man in Season 55.  He won 414 faceoffs over the course of the season, converting on 52.6 percent of his faceoff opportunities.  A handful of rookies, such as Jst Maro and fellow Whaler Rikki Petrov, posted better faceoff percentages, but none did so with Centerman’s volume and workload.  Still, these are several names for teams to consider in that important facet of possession.

Phillip Weaver, Nevada: Evaluating this season’s goalie corps is particularly challenging, because there are several solid candidates and many of them didn’t get starter’s workloads but performed well when called upon.  Names like Ragnar-Alexandre Ragnarsson-Tremblay and Chimkin Tendy fit that description, as well as the Quebec platoon of Mat Smith and David Danielson.  Weaver was the best performer out of rookies thrust into starters roles in S55, posting a .902 save percentage in 38 games during the regular season.

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