Welcome back everyone, to the seasonal top 100 players of today. So for those who do not know, this is the 3rd edition of this article, awarding the top 100 players heading into the S22 season.

I'd like to give a big thanks to the following users that helped me make this article possible.

Experts: McZ, Vbottas, JayWhy
Experts and Writer: Lunaro, Anchorage42, Mac, Birks, Mryourface.

Together we made a panel of 9 experts who graded over 130 players, narrowing the list down to 100 and ranking those elite 100 players of the SHL.

I'd like to ask the media grader to wait for my PM before grading this article, as there are 6 people who participated and deserve payment.

So here is your top 100!


102. (S17) D (Texas Renegades) - Xavier Gauthier || -4
Grade: 20/45
Past Seasons: S20- 79, S21- 98

Falling four more points this year, the second line defenseman for the Texas Renegades is falling out of favor of the voting committee. Despite sharing a line with Maxim Horvat and putting up 24 points and a beautiful 78 blocked shots, Xavier Gauthier barely made the cut this season. Why, you might ask? Likely because he’s become overshadowed by phenomenal teammates (who arguably are the reason for his high numbers), the fact that he hasn’t been actively updated since August of 2014, and because of his relatively low 511 TPE for someone that’s been in the league for 5 seasons.

NHL Player Comparison: Dan Girardi



101. (S10) D (Seattle Riot) - Drizzy Drake || -23
Grade: 21/45
Past Seasons: S20- 58, S21- 78

Another big name that’s fallen from glory hard and fast, like a shooting star, is Drizzy Drake. Last years predictions and comments still hold true today, though things are even more magnified now. The Riot are coming off of what can reasonably be called an excellent season and largely, Drake played third defensive line minutes at only 20 percent. His numbers have also declined fairly dramatically accordingly, netting only 2 goals and 18 points; far removed from his 30 plus point seasons that he was projected to continue having. If this was a stock, Jim Crammer would advise you to sell.

NHL Player Comparison: Mark Streit

Anchorage42 aka Ben Reid continues his take on the list with the 91 to 100 range, which features many new entries and a couple of falling vets.


100. (S16) RW (Texas Renegades) - Bradley Wingels || -10
Grade: 21/45
Past Seasons: S20- 74, S21- 90

Posting up at the round number of 100 is the Renegades third line right winger. Getting 25 percent of the 5-on-5 time, he played a pretty even-handed offensive game contributing about equally to his teammates scoring as well as himself (14 and 11 points respectively). Playing third line can often be a toss up but on a team like the recent Texas Renegades it can still be fruitful. 25 points would be solidly decent on most teams despite it being lower for the Renegades. Again, here we have another player that’s been here for 6 seasons with a relatively low TPE in the 500s.

NHL Player Comparison: Tommy Wingels



99. (S21) RW (Manhattan Rage) - Tommy Creller – New Entry
Grade: 21/45
Past Seasons: None

One season in the league and this pure rookie has already made a name for himself on a rebuilding Manhattan Rage. He put up an impressive 13 and 17 goals and assists — respectively — while playing an average of about 20 minutes per game. Getting 35% of the 5-vs-5 time, he actually ran as a Center for the Rage on the second line between Bryan Whisonant and Colt Constantine, who also appears on this list. Sign this kid to an extended contract because his stock is definitely on the rise, so long as he keeps putting in the work. Hopefully Manhattan can breed some loyalty, otherwise they could lose him to a motivated team.

NHL Player Comparison: Mikael Granlund



98. (S20) RW (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Bryson Thomaz - New Entry
Grade: 21/45
Past Seasons: None

Bryson Thomaz made a jump mid-season from the West Kendall Platoon, now affectionately referred to as the Mexico City Aztecs, to the Hamilton Steelhawks. While we suspect that there was bad blood involved, the move boded well for the young Hamilton winger. With an overall 38 points notched for the team on the left side of the second line, Thomas is sitting pretty with a solid career ahead of him. One thing to watch is his plus/minus, however, as that will follow him around and eventually make suggestions about how he meshes with his line-mates. He can be a serious threat for the Steelhawks if they treat him right.

NHL Player Comparison: Ryan Johansen



97. (S20) LW (Los Angeles Panthers) - Yuri Boyka - New Entry
Grade: 21/45
Past Seasons: None

Another true rookie fresh on his first season out of the SMJHL, Yuri Boyka had an impressive first season with the Los Angeles Panthers. A wonderful +8 plus/minus, 36 points, and some serious power play efforts landed Boyka in the TOP 5 slots for the Los Angeles Panthers. Playing on the left with Nicholas Pedersen and the once-heralded Jackson Hauke on the right, Yuri Boyka could end up being a solid second liner for the Panthers as they attempt to climb the standings this season and hopefully make a playoff run.

NHL Player Comparison: Curtis Lazar




96. (S20) RW (Toronto North Stars) - Kristian Eriksson - New Entry
Grade: 22/45
Past Seasons: None

Just reinforcing that the season 20 draft class contained some serious future stars, Kristian Eriksson made his name known with the North Stars this season while running incredible hot on the first power play line. Despite playing on the second line at 30% of the 5-vs-5 time, he added 14 goals and 19 assists to the North Stars score sheet. While he’ll likely have to remain a second liner for the time being if he’s going to stay with the North Stars, he will be an incredibly solid piece of asset as the seasons and his experience progresses.

NHL Player Comparison: Jonathan Drouin




95. (S16) D (Seattle Riot) - Peter Parker -6
Grade: 22/45
Past Seasons: S20- 73, S21- 89

Spiderman, spiderman, doing the things that a spider can… or at least he used to. Peter Parker came on to the scenes in season 16 with a tremendous amount of expectation as a defender. The name thrown around over the past few seasons was Jason Due but now it’s looking like Peter Don’t. Contributing only 5 goals, 10 assists and 37 blocked shots to the Seattle Riot’s season, he caught time on the third line with also-lister Drizzy Drake. It seems a slow steady decline for Parker and this one is sad to see. Many members of the SHL predicted that there would be a star rising here but all we’re seeing is broken hopes and expectations. Our guess is that unless he steps up his game and gets back to the task at hand, Parker will not be making an appearance on this list and we even question his inclusion today; likely for historic purposes and because he was loved so deeply by the league. Hopefully, this will serve as a reminder for him to step up his game and give him a chance to reclaim some of his potential glory.

NHL Player Comparison: Jay Bouwmeester




94. (S20) G (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Jakob Tanner - New Entry
Grade: 22/45
Past Seasons: None

Goalies are a challenging group of people to begin with but even more so to try and include in a Top 100 list because the direct comparisons just aren’t there. This, however, is one guy that we’re glad to see added to the list because we see his future being very bright. While notching up a 3-6-0 record in his first season, he performed admirably playing backup to a highly-skilled Edwin Ask. While it would be easy to look at his record and use that as judgement for his overall abilities, looking deeper at the statistics shows otherwise. He put up a .902 save percentage while only allowing an average of 2.68 goals in the games he started. This means that even in the six losses that he has, they weren’t blow outs but controlled games that just didn’t go the right way for the Hamilton Steelhawks. We’re expecting to see some Eddie Lack-like performance here in the near future with a big breakout season on the way.

NHL Player Comparison: Frederik Anderson




93. (S17) C (Manhattan Rage) - Thor Ludvigsen -1
Grade: 22/45
Past Seasons: S20- 84, S21- 92

While he still has his seniority on the Manhattan Rage, Thor Ludvigsen could very quickly lose his first line spot to up-and-comer Tommy Creller. While he posted up lower scoring stats compared to his teammate, he played last season more like a Power Forward, dishing out the body more often and taking on some more penalty minutes for the Rage. Much like last seasons report, we haven’t quite seen anything magical out of Ludvigsen, but rather just solid play. We’ll give him credit for pushing through the Manhattan Rage rebuild though and hopefully his patience and efforts can pay off for him down the line.

NHL Player Comparison: Dale Weise






92. (S20) RW (Manhattan Rage) - Colt Constantine - New Entry
Grade: 22/45
Past Seasons: None

Here he is. The potential future for the Manhattan Rage’s rebuild to being a cup-worthy team. A true rookie on paper but a monster in his first season, he comes in only second to Daniel. Friggin. Merica. on the Rage stats sheets. They say that if you put a fish in a small fish bowl, it will remain small and that if you put that same fish in a large bowl, it will grow tremendously. So, too, has Colt Constantine grown for the Manhattan Rage. He has risen to the occasion to play winger and has done so in a rather glorious way. We expect you to keep your eye on him if you want to see the future unfold before your eyes. Also, grab a jersey now and get an autography from his rookie season… set yourself up for retirement and your kid’s college fund while you can.

NHL Player Comparison: Tanner Pearson






[b]91. (S20) RW (New England Wolfpack) - Niklas Wikstrom - New Entry[/b]
Grade: 22/45
Past Seasons: None

One of my favorite players on this list, Niklas Wikstrom deserves to be higher up there in my opinion. Centering the second line for a howling New England Wolfpack, he had an explosive 31 point season, a plus 3 rating, minimal time in the penalty box, and was a star of the game 8 times. He kept company with the luminary Rehn Miller and Phil Schenn to make a 99 point second line for the Wolfpack. We’ve had the chance to catch this player on the ice and caught up with him during some of his workouts in the pre-season and he’s clearly firing up to be an even bigger part of the New England Wolfpack offense over the next few seasons. Rumor had it that he was going to jump ship after their unfortunate defeat in the playoffs last season, but we think it was a wise move for him to stay on board and help the Wolfpack to the Championship Cup victory that they’re so badly after.

NHL Player Comparison: Mike Hoffman



Thank you to Anchorage42 for this write up.


The trend continues with numbers 90 to 81 being either new entries or decreasing players. It's nice to see all this fresh young blood making the list, and it really promises for an interesting season. Lunaro had this to say:


90. (S20) D (New England Wolfpack) - Benjamin Reid - New Entry
Grade: 22/50
Past Seasons: S21-/

One of many S20 rookies that the Wolfpack drafted, Ben Reid ended last season playing on the top defensive pairing with Willie Weber. Reid improved on his rookie numbers and scored 10 goals on the season finishing with 27 points as well as blocking 62 shots second only to his defensive partner. Look for Reid to continue developing his game and becoming a staple for New England on their blue line for many seasons to come.

NHL Player Comparison: Justin Faulk




89. (S19) G (Toronto North Stars) - Dymo Ranjan - -32
Grade: 22/50
Past Seasons: S21-57

There was high expectations for Ranjan going into the year after the great performance in net for Toronto in S20. Things didn't go quite as planned however as the Toronto netminder number's regressed across the board as he finished 2nd last in the league statistically with his .884 SV% and 2.91 GAA. He did manage 4 shutouts in his 18 wins but still posted a negative record of 18-19-7 in 44 starts. Can he bounce back and become the goalie that many thought he would be or will this slump continue?

NHL Player Comparison: Semyon Varlamov



88. (S21) D (Los Angeles Panthers) - Fredrick Wastlund - New Entry
Grade: 23/50
Past Seasons: S21-/

The rookie defenseman Wastlund had a very respectable season as the Panthers iced both their top blueline prospects from the S21 draft together in Fredrick Wastlund and Marek Martinek. Wastlund finished with 20 assists in 24 points to go with a whopping 71 blocked shots. The Panther's were not expected by many to make the playoffs but their success could certainly be attributed to the play of their rookies and Wastlund definitely stood out on LA's second defensive pairing. He is quickly making a name for himself as a future star in this league.

NHL Player Comparison: Nathan Bealieu



87. (S5) D (Calgary Dragons) - Vladislav Smirnov || -11
Grade: 23/50
Past Seasons: S21-76

Old reliable Smirnov slides a few more spots down from last year as age seems to have finally taken it's toll. He has stated that this will be his last season and the Dragons will look to send him off with a bang as they ice what looks to be a very competitive team. Will old man Vlad have enough in the tank to help the Dragons make it through a very tough Western Conference?

NHL Player Comparison: Marc-Edouard Vlasic



86. (S20) D (Calgary Dragons) - Sachimo Zoidberg - New Entry
Grade: 24/50
Past Seasons: S21-/

Another S20 draftee breaks into the list; At 86, Zoidberg put in a solid sophomore year, doubling his rookie point totals. 6 goals and 21 assists for 27 points and 57 blocked shots for Sachimo Zoidberg while playing on the first pairing with Jalopski as the Dragons just barely missed the playoffs was enough to get him on this list. We look to see him continue to improve and produce like a top pairing defenseman this year as he is touted as one of the hardest working players in the talented S20 draft.

NHL Player Comparison: Adam Larsson



85. (S15) LW (Calgary Dragons) - Krists Zommers || -5
Grade: 24/50
Past Seasons: S21-80

Zommers continues to bring Calgary consistent forward depth as he put up 23 points and 13 goals in roughly 16 minutes a game. The Latvian forward's minutes and production have been on a slow decline the last 4 seasons but we expect to still see him put up another 20 points for Calgary this season.

NHL Player Comparison: Ales Hemsky



84. (S10) G (Minnesota Chiefs) - Edwin Ask - -12
Grade: 24/50
Past Seasons: S21-72

A passing of the torch took place in the playoffs as Hamilton went to Tanner in the finals against Texas. Ask started most of the season for the Steelhawks but finished in the bottom 3 in terms of GAA and SV% despite the Steelhawks managing 27 wins to finish in second place in the East. He continued to do enough to help Hamilton win their way to the finals in a rematch with Texas before Tanner stepped in and played amazingly in a mismatched finals before losing in 5. With Hamilton seemingly ready to hand the reins to Tanner, Ask was shipped out to Minnesota where the Chiefs were looking for some improvement in net over Chamas. What can we expect to see from an aging Ask as he takes over the starting position on a young rebuilding team?

NHL Player Comparison: Ryan Miller


83. (S20) RW (West Kendall Platoon) - Jed Lloren - New Entry
Grade: 24/50
Past Seasons: S21-/

Another promising young player from the S20 draft breaks into this list at 83. Jed Lloren managed to improve on his 20 point rookie season by scoring 15 goals and adding 15 more assists to that tally for 30 points in his sophomore year. Lloren broke onto West Kendall's 1st PP unit and put up 11 of his 30 points with the man advantage. With Ivo Willems resigning with the Platoon we expect Lloren to stay on the second line and we'll see if he can manage to improve on his production in his third year in the league.

NHL Player Comparison: Filip Forsberg



82. (S10) C (Winnipeg Jets) - Terry Bullis - -21
Grade: 25/50
Past Seasons: S21-61

Coming off a 44 point season and with Kovalenko leaving the Jets, many expected Bullis to be the one to lead Winnipeg in scoring but perhaps time has finally caught up with the veteran. Bullis managed only 29 points on the season and the Jets finished last in the West. It may be time for Bullis to transition into a depth role for Winnipeg as the long time Jet seems to be slowing down.

NHL Player Comparison: Patrice Bergeron




81. (S11) G (Calgary Dragons) - Mike Verminski || -16
Grade: 25/50
Past Seasons: S21-65

After a bad season last year Calgary went back to Verminski with their future goaltender Wong on the bench. Verminski started 46 of the 52 games and ended up in the middle of the pack in terms of GAA and SV% and finished with a 25-18-3 record which was just short of getting Calgary in to the playoffs as they lose the tiebreaker to LA. Verminski slips another 16 ranks on our list this season as regression is starting to make a major difference in his play and it looks like Wong is going to be taking over sooner rather than later if Calgary wants to make the playoffs.

NHL Player Comparison: Roberto Luongo

Lunaro continues his expertise, with these 5. We've got 3 players who are making their way down the list, and 2 excellent new entries.


80. (S17) C (Minnesota Chiefs) - Mr. Feeny - -7
Grade: 25/50
Past Seasons: S21-73

Mr Feeny slips another few spots from last season's list to 80 on this year's list. He put up 18 goals but only 9 assists for 27 points in S21 which is right about where he's been for most of his SHL career. On a young rebuilding team Feeny has stepped into a leadership role and we expected him to produce more but it looks like Feeny has hit his ceiling of being a good but not superstar-calibre forward. Another concerning thing is the lack of assists for Feeny this season as he managed only 9 assists compared to his 18 goals on a line with Sarantez and Reinhart. Feeny will have to broaden his offensive approach if he wishes to elevate his game to the next level and not be a one-dimensional scorer.

NHL Player Comparison: Patric Hornqvist



79. (S12) RW (Seattle Riot) - Claude Perron - -9
Grade: 25/50
Past Seasons: S21-70

The quiet Perron put up another respectable 25 point season which seems to be the norm for him. This was following a 35 point outburst the season before but Perron has always been consistently providing secondary scoring throughout his career and this season was no different. This will be his tenth season in the SHL and age and regression will soon be taking its toll on him but we expect him to still being a solid depth player for Seattle.

NHL Player Comparison: David Perron



78. (S11) C (New England Wolfpack) - Rehn Miller - -7
Grade: 25/50
Past Seasons: S21-71

Rehn Miller was traded to the New England Wolfpack after spending most of his career in Hamilton and is bringing a veteran prescence to the team while also contributing on the second line. His 32 points shows he's still a dangerous offensive player and plays a big part of New England's scoring depth. He had a dismal 6.78% shooting percentage so it is possible he could still improve on the 32 points from last season and continue to make New England very dangerous offensively with their many scoring options.

NHL Player Comparison: Marian Hossa




77. (S20) C (Los Angeles Panthers) - Adrian Thomaz - New Entry
Grade: 26/50
Past Seasons: S21-/

Another Panther rookie in the top 100! Adrian Thomaz stepped into a first line center role in LA after leading St.Louis to a 4 Star Cup the season before. Thomaz's scoring prowess translated to the SHL game seamlessly as he ended up second to only Morley on the team in scoring with 42 points in his rookie season. He has affirmed himself as a star in the league already and the question is now that if he can repeat his rookie performance and can he keep up these offensive numbers.

NHL Player Comparison: Vladimir Tarasenko



76. (S20) D (Los Angeles Panthers) - Valterri Bottas - New Entry
Grade: 26/50
Past Seasons: S21-/

Valterri Bottas was touted as an offensive minded defensive prospect coming into the league and in his rookie season he put up an impressive 20 points but this season he seemed to have focused on improving his play in his own zone as he lead the team shots blocked while still managing 29 points. He's not the most physical defenseman but he has turned into a great two-way defenseman in the league in just his second season. He slotted into the top defensive pairing with DuJardin and averaged almost 25 minutes a game for the Panthers. With DuJardin leaving the team and offensive-minded Ravchitikov coming in to replace him Bottas will look to be the anchor for LA defensively this season and with what we've seen so far we expect him to excel in this role.

NHL Player Comparison: Aaron Ekblad


Thank you to Lunaro for that write up.


With another couple of new entries, and our first big climber! Benjamin Reid is back with another excellent piece.


75. (S20) LW (Minnesota Chiefs) - Pedro Sarantez || New Entry
Grade: 26/45
Past Seasons: None

Making his debut on the Top 100 list this year is Pedro Sarantez. His first season was absolutely explosive with 23 goals, 18 assists, a plus/minus of -9 and 16 shots blocked. He ended up playing with the first line for much of the season but on the right side instead of his usual wingin’ on the left. Part of the dynamite Season 20 draft class, he will continue to be a large part of the Chiefs rebuild. I think the only reason why he is so far down the list is because he is a new entry and the voting committee wants to see how he performs moving forward. In addition, he was also likely shorted for playing on the Chiefs who had the worst record in the league at 11-32-3.

NHL Player Comparison: Alexander Barkov





74. (S16) LW (Seattle Riot) - Snowden Manning || -8
Grade: 27/45
Past Seasons: S20- 64, S21- 66

Fresh off his stint hiding out in Russia, this classified secret-leaking winger has been on the decline for a long time as the Seattle Riot have increased in both depth and quality. Manning put up a lowly 17 points — lowly in the sense that he used to be a 30+ points per season player, then a 20+ points per season player. His status in the league is keeping him around but without future development or reclaiming his fire, the Season 20 draft class will slowly begin to push him out of the top ranks.

NHL Player Comparison: Brandon Prust




73. (S14) LW (Calgary Dragons) - Belial || -4
Grade: 27/45
Past Seasons: S20- 52, S21- 69

Belial is a name we hear around the boards quite a bit, coming in and representing strong for the Season 14 draft class. He’s only slid down the list four spots this year, which is a strong holding considering all of the talent on this list. Currently, he’s playing second line center for the Dragons but the first and second lines are rolling the same amount of time so it doesn’t matter much. He’s playing on a line with Birkavs, the high roller of the Dragons, and Zommers who is also a 20+ point player. I think that Belial could hold on to this spot and maybe creep up the list if he had a good season and remained active in his training. This seems like a fair place for him this year, though I’m sure he’d think it was a little low.

NHL Player Comparison: Tyler Ennis




72. (S17) LW (Seattle Riot) - Chara Brojled || +9
Grade: 27/45
Past Seasons: S20- 85, S21- 83

Just like a Burger King burger, Chara Brojled is stacked, hot and ready as a member of the Seattle Riot. 16 goals & 13 assists in only 880 minutes played is the all-beef patty. Dar and Flamel serve as the sesame seeded bun (lightly toasted of course). 13.45% shooting percentage serves as the ketchup; 8 shots blocked as the mayo but unfortunately, his -10 plus/minus stat is the soggy, misplaced pickle on this late night treat. If this number were otherwise different, he would be higher up the list, but there is just so much talent on the Seattle Riot that there isn’t much room for him to be higher up on this list. With a great namesake, he’ll be a fan-favorite for a while and will continue to climb the list for a few seasons if he keeps up the good work.

NHL Player Comparison: Bobby Ryan




71. (S19) D (New England Wolfpack) - Martins Daugavins || +30
Grade: 27/45
Past Seasons: S21- 101

This rating is the most striking to this reviewer. Daugavins is only two seasons into the SHL and had a HUGE blowout season with the New England Wolfpack. Considering that he’s a Defenseman, his 41 points, +9 plus/minus, 57 shots blocked and an average of 24 minutes a game, Martins was a huge player for the Wolfpack this season. The Wolfpack rotated their defensive pairings all season and it seems like they have good chemistry across the board and that’s no more evident than in Daugavins play. Effective on the power play and penalty kill, he played all over and was just too damned good. The fact that he’s sitting at 71 is only supported by the fact that he’s only two seasons in and this could all be a fluke. However, I think and expect that he’ll be 60+ next season. Buy this stock

NHL Player Comparison: Jason Demers

Thanks to Reid for his great work, now we move to Briks' work with 4 breakout years and 2 big drops.

70. (S13) D (Edmonton Blizzard) - Matthew Buchesner || -27
Grade: 28/45
Past Seasons: S20- 63, S21- 43

The fact that Matthew Buchesner is this high on the list is impressive. The only player on this list that I’m unfamiliar with, it’s downright insulting that he’s higher than Daugavins all things considered. After climbing 20 spots in Season 21, he’s crashed back down 27 spots this year based on his performance. I don’t have a whole ton to put in here about him. A tremendous shot blocker and hit maker, most of his contribution seems to be in the physicality of his play and his defensive efforts for the team. This doesn’t get nearly enough respect in the league but hey, that doesn’t always push a team into the Championship Cup and that seems to be the case here for Matthew Buchesner and the Edmonton Blizzard.

NHL Player Comparison: Jake Muzzin




69. (S15) LW (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Arthur Grosberg || -10
Grade: 28/45
Past Seasons: S20- 90, S21- 59

After a huge breakout season in Season 21 with 40 points, Arthur Grosberg was a big hit through his transition to the Hamilton Steelhawks, coming close to Joe Mckeiz’s goal total. This placed him high up the Top 100 list from his first year there but unfortunately, it seems he’s settled down a little bit in the rankings despite holding pretty strong in the scoring department. 38 points with a +7 in 1144 minutes played across the season is a solid place on any team’s stat sheets and would be a good reason to be higher up on the list but he may be another member that fell through the cracks of the voting committee’s tough, long-winded job. He may not be the flashiest player in the league — or the most vocal — but count on him to be counted on.

NHL Player Comparison: Rielly Smith




68. (S15) LW (Texas Renegades) - Mikhail Krivokrasov || -1
Grade: 28/45
Past Seasons: S20- 61, S21- 67

A solid shot percentage at 18.28% over the season, an even balance of goals and assists for a total of 33 points, and being on the winning Texas Renegades has earned Mikhail Krivokrasov a firm position on this list. He’s continued to get a little better each season and has been a steady force for an incredibly deep team. 33 points would have him high on the horse in most organizations, but hey, he’s on the Renegades. Cry me a river, am I right? Watch him for another solid season and another steady contribution to the Renegades.

NHL Player Comparison: Evgeni Kuznetsov






67. (S18) D (Winnipeg Jets) - Zanis Zarins || +13
Grade: 28/45
Past Seasons: S21- 79

New to the Top 100 list last season, Zanis Zarins brings Latvia some additional representation here. Staking some claim as a stay-at-home defensive defenseman, it’s hard to earn the glory. Yet after being a strong assist machine (26 assists) he’s really made his usefulness known for the Jets. He’s climbed thirteen spots this year due to his consistent play, 78 shots blocked and almost 200 bone-crushing hits. I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw his name come up for some defensive awards in the next few seasons.

NHL Player Comparison: Brent Seabrook




66. (S20) C (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Griffin Simons || New Entry
Grade: 28/45
Past Seasons: None

More magic from the Season 20 draft class, Griffin Simons is making this list as a pure rookie. His first season in the SHL was, to be quite honest, fucking ridiculous especially considering he was playing for the strong and sexy Hamilton Steelhawks. Another guy that is limited on the charts by his young age and entry to the game, if we continue seeing what we’re seeing here, we’ve got a future legend in the making. One might think that he was playing some freakish amount of time on ice but he’s not, at just a bit under 1100. His -1 plus/minus isn’t a huge deterrent as he’s shown some maturity on the ice but we’ll see if he ends up being consistent or if this was just a random fluke. Welcome to the big leagues, kid.

NHL Player Comparison: Alex Galchenyuk




65. (S17) D (Minnesota Chiefs) - Walter “Heisenberg” White || -12
Grade: 29/45
Past Seasons: S20- 47, S21- 53

While playing consistent in the points category from last season to this, there is not enough crystal meth in the world that could fuel the Chiefs to the playoffs after last season. The bulk of the team had a plus/minus in the double digits and Walter White was no different with a -16. Despite solid play for the Chiefs, it seems the recipe wasn’t quite right to make the magic happen that they needed from him. Hopefully Minnesota will find the right mixture of chemistry this season to pull them out of the nose dive that they’re in. Listen, White gave it his all out there but sometimes it’s just not enough. Hopefully he can help the team get it together before they’re all living in an RV out in the desert.

NHL Player Comparison: Johnny Boychuk





64. (S20) D (West Kendall Platoon) - Bojo Biscuit || New Entry
Grade: 29/45
Past Seasons: None

Another Season 20 player making it on the list, this one’s a fan-favorite. He became a household name almost instantly and he put in consistent time and effort to build one hell of a brand. Fortunately for him, that’s built on incredibly solid play as a defenseman for the West Kendall Platoon. 35 points and 68 shots blocked, averaging 24.21 minutes per game is a big haul for a guy in his second year but it’s paying off for the Aztecs….er… Platoon. With Miami nearby, there was easy room for distraction (though a dramatic shortage of actually-good biscuits) but he didn’t let that get to him. The spotlight has served him best on the ice and while he’s only coming in at number 64, look for his name a little higher up on the charts next season. He will be a dominant force in the East and will prove himself as a solid defenseman in all three zones.

NHL Player Comparison: Dougie Hamilton




63. (S18) D (Edmonton Blizzard) - Magnus Vikstrand || +0
Grade: 29/45
Past Seasons: S20- 88, S21- 63

Magnus Vikstrand didn’t move at all on the charts this year and while a solid defenseman, his record is tarnished by the Blizzards lack of sunshine. 29 points, 62 shots blocked and what we’ve seen as 4 full seasons of concerted effort, his hard work and play has cemented him a spot just below the midpoint on this list. One area to really pay attention to him is on the power play. He posted 13 of his 29 points there and he seems to find the back of the net or the man with the cannon quite often. Hopefully the Blizzard will take advantage of his talents and help him take his ranks among quality young defenders in the league.

NHL Player Comparison: Nick Leddy




62. (S19) G (Los Angeles Panthers) - Jackson Weekes || +13
Grade: 29/45
Past Seasons: S20- 91, S21-75

Again, goalies are hard to plug into this list but Weekes has found his way to number 62 in only a few Years. With a save percentage of 90.4 a Goals Against Average of 2.53 and a shut out, he was in the Top 5 goalies for keeping the puck out of the net this season. His record of 22-18-6 helped keep the Panthers competitive last season and I expect he will play at least the full 46 he’s permitted to this upcoming season and hopefully for them, well into the Playoffs. Up thirteen spots this year, he’s really making a name for himself in the starting spot.

NHL Player Comparison: Jake Allen




61. (S9) LW (Edmonton Blizzard) - Lucas Smith || -6
Grade: 30/45
Past Seasons: S20-54, S21-55

Lucas Smith a.k.a Old Man Rivers has been around for 13 seasons now. Holy shit. I mean, that’s some dedication to the league. A career Blizzard, he’s seen his fair share of sunshine and snow. No longer a top-liner or top scorer for the Blizzard, it seems his primary role on the team is to be a strong support player and a mentor for the younger guys. He is a strong scaffold to rebuild a once-glorious Championship team upon and he’ll do so over time. For many of the younger guys, they would be served well by establishing that relationship and taking his wisdom now before he retires where he began, leaving them without that sense of history and respect for the older, better day. Down only 6 spots, this is a solid spot for him to be in.

NHL Player Comparison: Danny Heatley

60. (S18) RW (West Kendall Platoon) - Oliver Pettyfer -19
Grade: 30/45
Past Seasons: S20-87, S21-41

Pettyfer had 45 points in S20, she slowed down a bit and scored 34 points in 52 games playing in West Kendall's first line which is still pretty good, but her performance dropped and thats why she lost 20 positions in this list.

NHL Player Comparison: Jiri Sekac


59. (S16) C (Texas Renegades) - Alexandre Daigle +22
Grade: 30/45
Past Seasons: S20-76, S21-81

At number 59 is right winger from Texas Renegades Alexandre Daigle. S21 was a breakout year for Alex and he scored 17 goals and added 21 assists playing in Renegades 2nd line. Daigle also won his second cup and he was a big reason why.

NHL Player Comparison: Dustin Brown



58. (S14) LW/RW (Edmonton Blizzard) - Emīls Vilmenietis -11
Grade: 31/45
Past Seasons: S20-39, S21-47

Finishing at 56th place is another Latvian player, this time it's Emīls Vilmenietis. Emīls never been a true leader on the ice, never been a player with over 40 points, but he always puts up very good numbers and just like this season. 36 points for Vilmenietis in S21. We probably cant hope anything more from Emīls, since he will be regressing already after 2 seasons, but for few more years he will be a great top 6 player for every team.

NHL Player Comparison: Thomas Plecanek




57. (S16) RW (Calgary Dragons) - Niklas Stryker -19
Grade: 31/45
Past Seasons: S20-42, S21-38

Stryker, one of the newest additions of Calgary Dragons finished at 55th place. Niklas finished with 36 points last season, although Dragons were waiting for something more from him. Overall 55th place which is not very good!

NHL Player Comparison: Jarome Iginla




56. (S20) (Manhattan Rage) - Chuck Goody - New Entry
Grade: 31/45
Past Seasons: /

Finishing at number 58 is young defenseman Chuck Goody who is new in this list, but he's already very high in this list. Goody's playing top line minutes for Rage and we can see that in his point totals. 30 points for this young defenseman in S21.

NHL Player Comparison: Tyson Barie



55. (S18) G (West Kendall Platoon) - Colin Schmidt +9
Grade: 31/45
Past Seasons: S20-92, S21-64

Schmidt is a big reason why in the past seasons West Kendall Platoon were able to make the playoffs. Schmidt is getting better and better with every season and the future looks very good for him. Colin had little bit over 91 save percentage and Im sure he will look even better in S22.

NHL Player Comparison: Sergei Brobrovsky




54. (S19) D (New England Wolfpack) - Kaspars Tzisling +29
Grade: 31/45
Past Seasons: S20-/, S21-86

At number 57 defenseman of New England Wolpack Tsizling. Tsizling and the Wolfpack had very good year and Kaspars was very important person in New England's defense, since he scored 28 points for them and had over 150 hits in just 52 games!

NHL Player Comparison: Torey Krug





53. (S20) LW (Los Angeles Panthers) - Jhonas Skarsgaard +31
Grade: 31/45
Past Seasons: S20-76, S21-84

Fininishing in at number 53 is left winger from Los Angeles Panthers Jhonas Skarsgaard. Jhonas played his first season in LA's first line, since he took over Brandon Donini who got traded to NEW. He finished Season 21 with 40 points in 52 games.

NHL Player Comparison: Sean Monahan




52. (S16) RW (Toronto North Stars) - Tom Sawyer +2
Grade: 32/45
Past Seasons: S20-49, S21-54

Tom Sawyer, captain of the Toronto North Stars. Sawyer was very close to leave North Stars, but he resigned. Tom is one of the best two-way forwards from the league and he showed that very great last season finishing with 38 points in 52 games.

NHL Player Comparison: Magnus Grigenson




51. (S16) D (Texas Renegades) - Maxim Horvat +26
Grade: 32/45
Past Seasons: S20-94, S21-77

At number 51 player who was drafted way back there in S16 as first overall pick. Last season Horvat won his 3rd cup and looks like he finally has reached his potential since he scored 40 points for his team in the last season which is very good from defenceman.

NHL Player Comparison: Cam Fowler

Big thanks to Birks for his piece, now we move to Yousuf to do part of the top 50!


50. (S19) D (Minnesota Chiefs) - Ryan Sullivan +10
Grade: 32/45
Past Seasons: S20-89, S21-60

Ryan is a player still trying to learn his defensive side of the game. with 61 shots blocked, an impressive 30 points and 1 assist away from leading the team, he had a horrendous -18 and for a defender that is not acceptable. There goalie was definitely a factor in this, but the blame cannot be pinned on him. Ryan needs to really focus on the defensive aspect of hockey because if the Chiefs ever want to build back that cup team, it starts with him getting better. I expect him to be around the same area when next seasons report comes out as with the current Minnesota team, there defense is lacking and with only 3 reliable defenders, they are going to be pulverized unless Chamas plays like a God every game.

NHL Player Comparison: Nicklas Kronwall





49. (S15) G (Manhattan Rage) - C.J. James +3
Grade: 32/50
Past Seasons: S20-51, S21-46

CJ has an above average year. missing the .500 win total he still put up a .900+ save percentage and a good 2.57 goals against average. The Rage didn't have too much defense though to back him up and CJ couldn't rely on most of his team defenders to contain the opponents offense. I feel that CJ is set to put up the same type of stats this season, but I can see him reaching .500 wins at least this year with the Rage getting better every day and if they make themselves a threat to the league, this man is one of the few that will make it possible.

NHL Player Comparison: Jaroslav Halak



A small interruption here, Abdeezy takes over for a couple as Yousuf could not finish on time.


48. (S15) D (Texas Renegades)- Jim Lahey +3
Grade: 32/50
Past Seasons: S20-46, S21-51

Lahey has won his 2nd straight cup, and has proven yet again that he is a big difference maker for his team. Playing on the first line pairing for any team is an accomplishment, and doing it for the cup champs 2 years in a row definitely puts you among the top 50 players in the league. Playing alongside Chris Partlow does lower his rating abit, as there aren’t many defenders that have the opportunity to play next to such a fantastic player.


NHL Player Comparison: Andrei Markov





47. S20 D (Hamilton Steelhawks) Fredirich Muller +55
Grade: 32/50
Past seasons: S20 - /, S21-102

Muller is this season’s breakout star. He has jump of 55 spots to go from an honourable mention, to a top 50 player. Muller single headedly carried the Hawks defense last season, posting great offensive numbers along with some serious playing time and high shot blocking numbers. Muller is still one of the younger defenders in the league, and will definitely be looking to become one of the elite in no time.


NHL Player Comparison: Ryan McDonagh


and were back with Yousuf until 41


46 . (S18) D (Manhattan Rage) - Roy Razin[/color [color=green]+16
Grade: 32/50
Past Seasons: S20-82, S21-62

This guy is the next partlow. I'm already calling it. His offense and defensive stats (build wise) are impeccable, he is a play making maniac (28 assists), +100 shots blocked (that's gotta be a league leader, or at least close to one) and he still has so much of his career left ahead of him. Like Ondrej, he needs to improve that +/- stat a bit, but averaging the most minutes on the team gives him a little slack. He is perfectly ranked for his last season performance, but I can definitely see him cracking a low-mid 30 spot next year. He's gonna be a huge reason why the rage are going to be a good force in the eastern conference and could possible give the eastern conference for competition, if they play it right.

NHL Player Comparison: Oliver Ekman-Larsson






45. (S16) RW (Toronto North Stars) - Jarkko Kallestrom -9
Grade: 32/50
Past Seasons; S20-44, S21-36

Jarkko was one of Toronto's less reliable players. Along with Blaine, Yousuf and Forsberg, these four players just had an off season. Jarkko managed to get 33 points and being one of the five players to have a +. He has the chance now to throw away that bad season and create a new identity for himself this year. I feel he is ranked right where he should be and I'll be watching him on the ice as he's going to be Toronto's X factor this season.

NHL Player Comparison: Ryan O’Reilly





44. (S13) C (Minnesota Chiefs)- Rufus Reinhart -2
Grade: 33/50
Past Seasons: S20- 55, S21-42

He was one of the players that gave the chiefs a chance last year. Now it's obvious playing on such a bad defensive team reflects in a bad +/-, but he had the best one on the team, even though it was -5. His 41 points shows that no matter how bad the standing situation looked, he'd always hope that a W was never impossible. With 12 power play assists as well, he was the play maker for the entire Chiefs offense (led the team in assists with 26). I wouldn't be surprised if Rufus was to pull out another 40+ point season as the potential is there and for any team, he would be a solid play maker. I feel that his poor +/- brought him down to the 46 spot, but it that was higher I could see him easily grabbing the 40th spot.

NHL Player Comparison: Mike Ribeiro




43. (S15) D (Calgary Dragons) - Krišs Labsvārds +2
Grade: 33/50
Past Seasons: S20-50, S21-45

This player was a great help for the dragons both offensively and defensively. His 37 points and 52 shots blocked shows that he is not afraid of sacrificing his body for the team and that whatever needs to happen to get the W, he will do it. I'm a little shocked to see him below Ondrej as he clearly had a better season and I'm sure that he is one of the Dragons more valuable members. Look out for this name because at this rate, he will have an exploding season.

NHL Player Comparison: Seth Jones




42. (S14) D (Los Angeles Panthers) - Ondrej Ravchitikov +10
Grade: 33/50
Past Seasons: S20-59, S21-52

Ondrej is a defense men that sometime forgets he's a defense men. With 30 points last year and a minus five, he sometime go involved too much in the offense and couldn't bail himself out while skating back to D. He did however have the 2nd most assist total on the Blizzard and 2nd most power play points on the team. So his offense abilities did shine and his smooth passing was a big factor for the Blizzard that year. I see him being a great second line defense men or a first liner that plays alongside a very defensive minded blue line partner. He has the ability to improve any roster significantly, and if his defensive side were to improve, he could be one of the deadliest defense men in the league.

NHL Player Comparison: Tobias Enstrom




41. (S17) D (Seattle Riot) - Vladimir Bodnar +15
Grade: 33/50
Past Seasons: S20-78, S21-56

Bondar is your perfect two way defense men. He might not be as productive as Partlow, but when you need him the most he's there to either score that game winner or create that crucial play that ties the game up. With 10 power play goals (Most on his team) and 6 power play assists, he's turns into an offensive machine and on the power play goalie might as well leave the next completely open as its been hard stopping him. with 34 points and a +19, he has the perfect mix of offense and defense and whats what earns him place 41 on this ranking article. Well deserved, I wouldn't be shocked if he moves up a few spots in next years article.

NHL Player Comparison: Alexei Emelin



Here comes Mac, bringing us all the way to the top 20!


40. (S19) C (West Kendall Platoon) Zallerras Szlerchek +18
Grade: 33/45
Past Seasons: S20-86, S21-58


A force for the West Kendall Platoon at center, he has managed to bring some respect and competitiveness to the Platoon for awhile before the Season Twenty draft instilled a new energy and talent into the Florida community.
In one of the largest leaps down the list, Szlercheck rose an impressive eighteen spots from fifty-eigth up to the top half of the list firmly at forty.
Since last seasons rankings, where he had posted fifteen goals, sixteen assists, 135 shots and eight power play this time his stats were the same for goals but with slightly less assists. His two short handed goals were among the leagues leaders as well.

NHL Player Comparison: Johnny Gaudreau




39. (S11) LW (Calgary Dragons) Käri Bärköv -10
Grade: 34/45
Past Seasons: S20-29. S21-29

Usually one of if not the leader for the Dragons but the league as a whole in several categories, Barkov is one of those players who you think will start to decline soon but hasn't.
Dropping down the list this much is an indicator of that as many expect the deterioration to be imminent however Barkov has shrugged off the normal downhill decline and managed to play at a level that most would expect from a player of his caliber.
Last time, Barkov posted a twenty and twenty six season, registering 113 shots on net however this time, he dipped which reflects his ten position fall.

NHL Player Comparison: Mikko Koivu





38. (S18) C (Seattle Riot) Thomas King +6
Grade: 34/45
Past Seasons: S20-65, S21-44

Seattle's heart and soul, Thomas King cracks the top forty with a movement from forty four to thirty eight. A small respectable increase among a lot of massive jumps for newer players. Look for the elite talent you would expect from from his agent, T. Duddy.
The season eighteen draftee has managed in his time in the SHL to post last season sixteen goals, fifteen assists and a little over a hundred shots. This season, the term breakout will apply posting a nineteen twenty-one season with eighty more shots on net.

NHL Player Comparison: John Tavares





37. (S15) G (New England Wolf Pack) Jermaine Tennyson +4
Grade: 34/45
Past Seasons: S20-35, S21- 41

One of the most talented goaltenders in the league, but unfortunately one of the most inconsistent performers as well. Tennyson has the skills of an all star goalie but has so far been unable to pull it together and post stats reflective of it. His wins and losses are what you'd expect, but his save percentage and goals against tend to be a bit off the mark.
A small increase on the rankings show that due to his work in several categories, he should be able to post more consistent numbers in the future.
However disregarding wins, his numbers have unfortunately remained fairly similar. With a 0.895 posted last season with an 0.898 posted prior, as well as a 2.72 compared to a 2.56, Tennyson still made a small gain on the Top 100.

NHL Player Comparison: Tuuka Rask



36. (S16) D (Toronto North Stars) Azriel Stryfe +2
Grade: 34/45
Past Seasons: S20-42, S21-38

On a Toronto squad that has seen some turmoil in the last few seasons in regards to steady presences with the departure of a Scherbluk, the slight decline of Stryfe is unwanted. Dropping thirteen places in the list, as well as registering a single goal compared to ten and nineteen assists compared to twenty nine assists has nearly twenty points missing from last year. His hundred eleven hits were slightly down as well as his shots blocked. Look for another fall down the list next year as a great player begins the decline.

NHL Player Comparison: Victor Hedman




35. (S18) LW (Calgary Dragons) Esa Anrikkanen +13
Grade: 35/45
Past Seasons: S20-45, S21-48

With another climb in the rankings, you can expect point totals to increase and that it did, with two more goals, six more assists and four more power play points than last season. Esa is and will continue to be a force for the Dragons as they add another premier forward to an already up and coming lineup featuring older vets.

NHL Player Comparison: Kyle Turris




34. (S11) LW (New England Wolf Pack) Brandon Donini -2
Grade: 36/45
Past Seasons: S20-22 , S21-32

A slighlt slip shows the small decline that Donini found the last season, he became less of a power forward and more or a finesse player now that he is getting older. Tossing over a hundred and twenty less hits but piling twenty more shots on net.

NHL Player Comparison: Evander Kane




33. (S15) LW (Texas Renegades) Lionel Byrde -3
Grade: 36/45
Past Seasons: S20-38, S21-30

A lynchpin of Texas offense, Byrde coupled with Hall, Partlow and FourFour make up the core of the franchise at the moment and while a slip in points shows the slight fall down the list tossing forty more shots at the net along with seventeen more shots shows his other numbers aren't declining.

NHL Player Comparison: Marian Gaborik




32. (S9) RW (New England Wolf Pack) Phil Schenn -11
Grade: 36/45
Past Seasons: S20-15, S21-21

A big drop down the list for Schenn would indicate his stats have declined in the last season but not as terribly as it would spell out, actually scoring a goal more his assists dipped as well as his shot totals and he tossed a few more hits then he normally would have. He feasted on the powerplay with twenty two points compared to a previous nine.

NHL Player Comparison: James Van Reimsdyk




31. (S10) D (West Kendall Platoon) Logan Valentine || -5
Grade: 36/45
Past Seasons: S20-20, S21-26

You'd think a trade for a veteran and a drop on this list would result in a percentage of the points that were previously posted but in this case, it'd be an increase. With ten goals and thirty assists, both increased. Nine more hits and twenty eight more shots on net and you've got a player looking like a player five years younger.

NHL Player Comparison: Alex Pietrangelo



30. (S15) C (Calgary Dragons) Roberts Birkavs +5
Grade: 37/45
Past Seasons: S20-62, S21-35

As I said before in regards to Calgary, Birkavs is another player whom makes up the strong forward core of the team. Coming into his prime, his point totals barely changed but nearly forty more hits and twenty plus shots have him becoming a nightmare to play against as well.

NHL Player Comparison: Zach Parise






29. (S11) D(Toronto North Stars) Dave Smith -11
Grade: 37/45
Past Seasons: S20-21, S21-18

Another veteran sliding down the list as new players and stars emerge, Smith actually had an up year with three more points, forty more hits and ten more blocked shots shoes while he may get long in the tooth the old horse still has bite.

NHL Player Comparison: Keith Yandle




28. (S12) LW (New England Wolfpack) Alexey Kovalenko -16
Grade: 37/45
Past Seasons: S20-28, S21-12

One of the larger drops, we may have witnessed Kovalenkos first year of decline with six less goals and sixteen less assists, eighty less hits and nearly a hundred less shots on net look for a further drop should this trend continue.

NHL Player Comparison: Jamie Benn




27. (S14) D (Calgary Dragons) Steven Jalopski -5
Grade: 38/45
Past Seasons: S20-30, S21-22

A player who has seemingly been on the cusp of a breakout season for five seasons now, a small drop might show that he might be declining but no, three more assists and twenty shots more for twenty hits less and he may have finally found that scoring touch.

NHL Player Comparison: Ryan Suter





26. (S18) LW (Winnipeg Jets) Vidrik Onoprienko +22
Grade: 38/45
Past Seasons: S20-67, S21-49

After hovering near the middle of the list for two seasons, Vidnik climbed to the edge and free fell before latching on all the way down at twenty six. A twenty two spot jump which is one of if not the largest on the list. A dedicated player who is now surronded by some elite developing talent for the first time in Winnipegs history look for his totals to increase more than the ten goals and two assists it already has. Consistent in hit totals but tossing nearly twenty more shots on net look for this name further down next year.

NHL Player Comparison: Henrik Zetterberg




25. (S15) LW (Edmonton Blizzard) Riko Muerto +8
Grade: 39/45
Past Seasons: S20-41, S21-33

A player hitting his prime with a notable absense of dominant top talent, Muerto has been the cornerstone of that offense. Tossing twenty one in and helping on twenty three more, a drop in hits and shots shows more finesse and less grittiness, a small gain in the list is definitely justified.

NHL Player Comparison: David Backes




24. (S17) C (Texas Renegades) Chico Salmon -4
Grade: 39/45
Past Seasons: S20- 43, S21-20

Breakout, nothing more. A drop in the list here doesn't make any sense in my opinion as he posted three more goals, four more assists and twenty more shots on net then last year.

NHL Player Comparison: Anze Kopitar




23. (S8) C (Edmonton Blizzard) Yousuf Scherbluk -9
Grade: 40/45
Past Seasons: S20-8. S21-14

A veteran continuing his decline with a slip down the list, three less goals and five less assists, twenty less hits and more power play points shows this old horses effectiveness is leaving at a fast pace.

NHL Player Comparison: Joe Thornton



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