It’s no secret that the Whaler’s season could have gone better this year. But this was a season of growth for our many rookies and sophomores, and many personal goals were accomplished. While the group looks to hit their stride for a dark horse playoff run starting in Carolina, let’s look at the roster and what they’ve accomplished this season.


Nikolaj Boyle LW - 25 goals, 31 assists, 56 points. 111 blocked shots and 18 power play points. Boyle was the heart and soul of the Whalers this season, putting the team on his back for a team leading 56 points, good for a top 10 spot in the league among points leaders. He was no slouch defensively, blocking 111 shots as a forward. His contributions on the power play made Vancouver a threat in any odd man situation.


Alexis Saint-Michel RW - 16 goals, 26 assists, 42 points. 16 power play points. ASM picked up right where he left off last year after a ROTY contending season. Eclipsing 40 points in his sophomore season proves that he’s no flash in the pan and is looking to be an integral part of the offense for the Whalers for the next few seasons. 


Lev Lebedev LW - 18 goals, 17 assists, 35 points. 3 power play points. Exploding onto the ice in S59 is UDFA Lev Lebedev, instantly injecting himself into ROTY talks. Lev’s 35 points are good for third highest on the team and second highest among rookies in the league, and he has done almost all of it in even strength situations. He has 62 shot blocks to add, proving he’s not only contributing in the offensive zone.


Robot Sunfish RW - 17 goals, 18 assists, 35 points. 3 fights taken, 2 fights won. Robot has continued to add grit to a Whalers squad that is always welcoming more of it. He’s proven he’s not just a goon though, showing he’s just as good with a soft touch as well as a hard punch. Adding 105 shot blocks and 78 hits, he’s a force everywhere on the ice every night. 


Ako Zile C - 9 goals, 25 assists, 34 points. 15 power play points. Zile showed off his playmaking abilities this season, setting up his teammates as often as he could. His 15 power play points were only eclipsed by Boyle’s 18, and he’s also been known to drop the gloves with 3 fights taken on the season. 


NeverBrokeAgain YoungBoy RD - 11 goals, 23 assists, 34 points. 28 takeaways. The second sensational Whalers rookie, NBA YoungBoy, stepped right into the top defensive pairings for the Whalers and proved he belonged there. His 11% CF Rel is second only to his partner’s, and his positive giveaway/takeaway ratio has ensured the team is able to be offensive when he’s on the ice. Another exciting ROTY candidate.


Narboza Manyhands LD - 10 goals, 21 assists, 31 points. 23:18 average time on ice. Everyone’s favorite alien Narboza Manyhands was a workhorse for the Whalers this season. He spends damn near half the game on the ice any given night, and has the best CF Rel % numbers on the team with a 12.6%. Narboza spends ample time on the ice during even strength, power play, and penalty kills. He just does it all, and he does it all WELL.


Sven Svechnikov RD/RW - 9 goals, 18 assists, 27 points. 1 shorthanded goal. Another all arounder, Sven spent lots of time on all 3 units this season. He transitioned to RW in the last quarter of the season to shore up some gaps in the forward unit and has contributed to a solid shutdown line. His 21 minutes of average ice time leads forwards on the team.


Makrus "The Tater" Jager C - 9 goals, 16 assists, 25 points. +6, Faceoff god. Makrus’ first full season in the league has proven to be a good one. After putting up 3 points in 30 games last season, he put up 25 this season and is consistently in the top 5 for faceoff win percentage in the league. His +6 is tied with Robot Sunfish for top on the team, as he anchored a very successful second line that carried a lot of weight for Vancouver this season. His 2 PIM are the lowest on the team, making him the least goon-ish player on the team.


Zayne Rotzbua LD - 5 goals, 17 assists, 22 points. 136 PIM and 398 hits. The human wrecking ball, Zayne Rotbua. Yes, you read that right: 398 hits. A new SMJHL hits record, and one his opponents paid for every night. Zayne also added 122 blocked shots and 4 fights. You could see the fear in his opponents eyes every time he swung his legs over the bench onto the ice. 


Strawberry Sailfish RW - 7 goals, 13 assists, 20 points. Second best fish on the team. Sailfish played some valuable 4th line time for us this season, and any time you have a 4th line skater get 20 points on the season they’re doing something right. But Frost still sux.


Austin Smith C - 7 goals, 10 assists, 17 points. Austin added some much needed depth for us this season, playing just about every position besides goalie at one point or another. Working with Strawberry Sailfish on the 4th line, it’s obvious they’ve developed some chemistry and are not just a pure grind line now.


Ragnar Ragnarsson RW - 10 goals, 6 assists, 16 points. Viking. Ragnar is boasting an 11% shot percentage this season, which is very solid for a rookie on the third line. He’s begun to hit his stride as of late, putting together scoring sequences much more often. His 56 shot blocks and 28 hits proves he fits right into the Whaler’s aggressive style.


Elvis Alexander LW - 2 goals, 9 assists, 11 points. Elvis had to wait the longest of all the Whalers for his first goal, finally arriving in game 51. He didn’t wait that long to tally his second, and he’s been remarkably successful in the defensive end as part of the teams shutdown line. Elvis spends a lot of time on the penalty kill, a testament to how much upper management trusts his defensive skills.


Uhtred Ragnarsson C - 3 goals, 8 assists, 11 points. The second of the Ragnarssons in Vancouver. He has a nose for the puck, generating 22 takeaways so far despite his limited time on the ice. His chemistry with his fellow Ragnarsson has developed throughout the season and we’re very excited to see where it ends up in the playoffs. 


Dara McQuick LD - 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points. Speedy and responsible defensively. Dara lived up to his name, dashing on both ends of the ice with 108 shot blocks, 81 hits, and a team leading 53 takeaways. If he has the puck he’s looking for the breakout, and if he doesn’t have it then he’s going to get it sooner rather than later. 


Doug Glatt RD - 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points. 22.2% shot percentage. Doug was the first DFA pickup for the Whalers this season and has added 6 points in 16 games, making his presence felt immediately. His shooting percentage is likely unsustainable, but welcome for now. 


Adelie de Pengu LD - 0 goals, 4 assists, 4 points. The second DFA pickup for Vancouver, Adelie is still looking to light the lamp but has been involved offensively with 4 points in 14 games. It’s truly only a matter of time with the way Adelie’s been playing, and there’s no better time than the playoffs.


Jon St. Ark G - 35 games played, .907, 1 shutout and 3.16 GAA. The veteran netminder returns for one last season with the Whalers. After being called up to the SHL to win some games in New Orleans, he has been invaluable for Olof’s development and is chasing some Vancouver postseason franchise records to add to his many other franchise records. He helped shore up a very rocky early season where a young team left him out to dry more often than not, and stole more than a couple games. 
 
Olof Karsikko G - 34 games played, .924, 2 shutouts and a 2.81 GAA. We’re going to call it now, this is the Goalie of the future in the SMJHL. Olof got fed to the wolves early on, having to cover for St. Ark during his calls up to the SHL and he more than rose to the occasion. His .924 is good for second highest in the league, only behind veteran netminder Vincent Mietitore. His GAA and SO on the season were both among the top in the league. We are very excited to see what Olof can do once he grows and the team grows with him.


So we can see that even though the season wasn’t a resounding success, there were many highlights, personal bests, and just general growth this season. The Whalers open the playoffs against the Kraken in Carolina, and while it may be easy to sleep on the 10th place team in the league, do so at your own risk. This group isn’t shying away from any adversity, and is ready to shock the league.


WHALE NAYSH

A good summary human. Well done.

Signature courtesy of sulovilen.  May his name be exalted in Sardangian lore.