<div align="center">Top 100 SHL Players of Today!
Season 34

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Season 33

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Welcome back everyone, to the seasonal top 100 players of today. So for those who do not know, this is the 15th edition of this article, awarding the top 100 players heading into the 34th season.

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

Experts: ArGarBarGar, Captain Crazy, Lunaro, Abdeezy, RED
Experts and Writers: ArGarBarGar, Baelor Swift

Together we made a panel of 5 experts who graded over 120 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.

100. (S24) D (West Kendall Platoon) - Fife Gibbs || New Entry
Average Grade: 70.80
Past Seasons: None

Starting out the top-100 is Fife Gibbs of the West Kendall Platoon. Fife hasn't been a big contributor with the Platoon, as leading up to this season his season high in points was 16 back in S30. However he had quite a breakout year (9 years later, but still) with 4 goals and 24 points. Perhaps a late bloomer? It is unlikely the physical defenseman will see himself on this list again due to the fact he is hitting regression and simply isn't that good, but he is on this time.

99. (S30) D (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Danny Foster || -22
Average Grade: 71
Past Seasons: S33-77

At 99 is Steelhawks defenseman Danny Foster. Foster is a young player, one of the many young talents that are already making their case for the top-100. Foster scored 3 goals and 23 points on the season, which wasn't quite what he provided during his rookie season. He has fallen from the list and will need to get his offense going a little more consistently for him to get back up on the list.

98. (S28) RW (West Kendall Platoon) - Mikko Linna || -17
Average Grade: 71.20
Past Seasons: S32-76, S33-81

Another young talent who fell off a bit is Mikko Linna, Platoon winger. Linna has been pretty darn consistent the last few seasons, scoring at least 15 goals and 30 points the last three. Linna has even seen their hits ramp up and is becoming a better two-way player overall. It is strange to see Linna fall back on the list considering the youngster has clearly been improving on all other aspects of the game, but with more consistency Linna will be moving back up.

97. (S31) C (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Ronnie Westbrook || New Entry
Average Grade: 71.20
Past Seasons: None

The first new entry onto the list is Ronnie Westbrook who comes in at number 97. Westbrook scored 11 goals and 32 points in his rookie campaign, not too shabby for a center with a lot of room to grow. Westbrook is one of the many Steelhawk young guns who is being productive, but with the players getting better Westbrook will need to prove he deserves the ice time to keep that production up.

96. (S26) D (New England Wolfpack) - Mattias Holmberg || -16
Average Grade: 71.60
Past Seasons: S33-80

At 96 is Wolfpack defenseman Mattias Holmberg, dropping back on the list due to his zero goal, 22 point season, proving his big year in S31 was probably just an aberration. Holmberg seemed to have the right kind of game to thrive in Portland's system, and so far New England has not been a good fit. They did win the cup with him on the roster, and he did seem to chip in at the right times, so maybe that is the only fit that he needs.

95. (S24) C (Calgary Dragons) - Alex Mack || -13
Average Grade: 72
Past Seasons: S29-72, S30-65, S31-63, S32-50, S33-82

At 95 is Dragons center Alex Mack, who has been on an up and down trajectory the last couple of seasons. Calgary was looking to have the next big young star a few seasons ago when Mack was making waves in the scoresheet, but lately has not been able to repeat those numbers. Mack scored 10 goals and 33 points in S33, registered 15 hits, and had very few minutes on the PK. Not that great.

94. (S31) LW (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Taro Eichelele || New Entry
Average Grade: 72.40
Past Seasons: None

AT 94 is Taro Eichelele, another one of the Steelhawks youth starting to make a name for himself. Eichelele scored 10 goals and 34 points, not too shabby for a second season in the league as a winger. Like with most young players, hitting is a non-factor for Eichelele, and despite the production it didn't lead to a lot of winning for Hamilton.

93. (S32) LW (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Luke Atmey || New Entry
Average Grade: 72.40
Past Seasons: None

At 93 is a Steelhawks youngster with talent, Luke Atmey. Atmey had a killer season debut, scoring 16 goals and 35 points, getting some hits in, and joining the many young players who have produced on this young roster. Atmey is one of the best among them, so he has the biggest leg up. But that doesn't mean he won't get passed up by his other counterparts.

92. (S31) D (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Ludwig Koch Schröder || +6
Average Grade: 73
Past Seasons: S33-98

At 92 is Ludwig Koch Schröder of the Hamilton Steelhawks. Have I mentioned the Steelhawks have a lot of young talent that has been producing over the last couple of seasons? Well here is another one. Schröder scored 12 goals and 29 points on the year, and absorbed a lot of pucks in the process with 91 blocked shots. I'm sure Waters appreciated that even though they were still a team that allowed a lot of pucks to get to him. Schröder is another player who will have to pick it up as his teammates get older and wiser.

91. (S31) G (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Ben Waters || New Entry
Average Grade: 74.20
Past Seasons: None

We get it, Hamilton, you have a lot of young talent. Ben Waters enters the list at 91 with a "respectable" rookie starter campaign. He didn't get his winning record above .500, and his save percentage wasn't exactly that impressive, and his goals against average was above 3, but he is showing signs of improvement and has been working his behind off every single day at practice. This may not translate into success but he does have raw skills that he may grow into an utilize.

90. (S26) C (Toronto North Stars) - Sven Karlsson || -44
Average Grade: 74.40
Past Seasons: S29-85, S30-61, S31-78, S32-74, S33-46

Sven Karlsson enters the list at 90, a sizable step down after his 40 point debut with the Toronto North Stars. Karlsson scored 14 goals but only 27 overall points, and did not see his hitting numbers go up (and remained an easy target for hits himself). His faceoff numbers have improved, though, and he may consider himself the next Dean Colt if the offense can't improve. That's something, right?

89. (S30) LW (Buffalo Stampede) - Nolan Angello || -25
Average Grade: 74.40
Past Seasons: S32-91, S33-64

At 89 is Stampede winger Nolan Angello, part of the young Buffalo Core. Angello dropped in producting in S33, scoring 16 goals and 30 points behind his 17/36 totals from a season prior. Angello also fell back in every intangible measure according to experts, and some are wondering what is happening with the young player. Now with teammates involved in scandals and the team under the microscope, what does the future hold for these young stars like Angello?

88. (S23) C (Seattle Riot) - David Benson || -25
Average Grade: 74.40
Past Seasons: S28-98, S29-29, S30-72, S31-64, S32-69, S33-63

At 88 is Riot center David Benson. Benson has been an interesting case during his career. Was considered one of the top talents in the S23 draft, but took a bit of time before he actually got going. Then after his 53 points and 47 point seasons, has had trouble getting back to that level. With regression hitting, Benson has fallen even further, scoring 10 goals and 30 points. Benson has been a consistent scorer, though, with 10 goals the last 7 seasons. Not enough to get him higher on the list, but not too shabby.

87. (S25) D (Toronto North Stars) - Cynthia Taylor || New Entry
Average Grade: 74.40
Past Seasons: None

At 87 is a player I expected to be on this list much sooner for some reason. Cynthia Taylor is a North Stars product who really hasn't quite made her mark on the league. Taylor, being part of the S25 superclass, has floundered a bit, and even with her getting on the list only scored 4 goals and 28 points. She has been a hitting machine, though, with 150+ hits four years running, and has been a major contributor for the North Stars in their playoff runs. But can the offense get there?

86. (S21) RW (Manhattan Rage) - Tommy Creller || -37
Average Grade: 74.60
Past Seasons: S22-99, S23-40, S24-38, S25-11, S26-51, S27-20, S28-25, S29-30, S30-68, S31-45, S32-39, S33-49

At 86 is Tommy Creller, coming back home to Manhattan after a bit of jumping around in the Western Conference. Creller had a pretty good run, averaging 36.75 points over that span and winning a cup with the Dragons in S32. Creller has been consistent even during his later years, and will be a welcome return addition to the Rage as they try to bounce back and win him his third Challenge Cup.

85. (S20) LW (Texas Renegades) - Yuri Boyka || -11
Average Grade: 74.60
Past Seasons: S22-97, S23-64, S24-55, S25-17, S26-53, S27-25, S28-66, S29-34, S30-17, S31-38, S32-14, S33-74

Yuri Boyka enters the list at 85, getting back into form despite his advanced age. Boyka scored 15 goals and 37 points, but his intangibles are pretty much non-existent right now. Boyka was also a -12, the second time in his career he has been a minus player. Boyka doesn't appear to be long for this league and Winnipeg seems like an odd final team to play for if he does end up finishing his career there.

84. (S30) C (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Jon Ross || +5
Average Grade: 74.80
Past Seasons: S33-89

At 84 is Jon Ross, making a bit of a climb upwards after a solid 11 goal 38 point season. Jon Ross was a heralded pick back in S30, and already has begun to get very comfortable in the league. His two-way game has began to improve and he has started to at the very least attempt the physical game (though he is failing right now). Ross needs to keep it up, but he is a player to look out for very soon if the production continues.

83. (S32) RW (Minnesota Chiefs) - Terrance Nova || New Entry
Average Grade: 74.80
Past Seasons: None

At 83 is rookie Terrance Nova of the Minnesota Chiefs, coming out gangbusters on a team that had nobody else to look for offense. Nova scored 15 goals and 36 points, one of the best rookies in offensive production, and even got a couple hits in. One thing to look out for is exhaustion and fatigue, because playing that many minutes his rookie season could prove to be a problem going forward.

82. (S19) C (Texas Renegades) - Liam Kinsler || -38
Average Grade: 75.60
Past Seasons: S24-75, S25-25, S26-7, S27-1, S28-2, S29-19, S30-41, S31-25, S32-43, S33-44

At 82 is Renegades center Liam Kinsler, starting to finally show his age after 5 seasons of regression. One of the oldest players in the league, Kinsler scored 17 goals and 33 points, which considering the amount of talent that resides in the SHL is pretty impressive. Kinsler hasn't exactly been the physical specimen that saw him #1 and #2 in the league back in S27 and SS28, but the guy does all the little things right and continues to show up on the list.

81. (S23) D (Toronto North Stars) - Lukas Johnson || -36
Average Grade: 75.60
Past Seasons: S27-83, S28-80, S29-64, S30-49, S31-86, S32-57, S33-45

At 81 is Toronto North Stars veteran Lukas Johnson. Johnson has remained a staple in the North Stars lineup, and you can take that for a good thing or a bad thing. Unfortunately after his first season of regression he has started to show his age with only 7 goals and 29 points on the year, 56 blocked shots and only 28 hits. Could this be the last of Lukas Johnson?

80. (S29) G (Buffalo Stampede) - Casey Holmes || New Entry
Average Grade: 75.60
Past Seasons: None

Finishing up the 80s is Casey Holmes, who was able to steal away a playoff berth from the Rage with his .907 save percentage. His win/loss record isn't very impressive, but on a team that sees 27+ shots a game, he can't exactly expect a fantastic record in that regard. Holmes has improved every single season he has been in the league, and with time could be a franchise player for Buffalo.

79. (S24) RW (Portland Admirals) - Ray Pejonis || +11
Average Grade: 75.80
Past Seasons: S31-98, S32-36, S33-90

At 79 is Admirals winger and future Florida resident Ray Pejonis. Pejonis scored 20 goals for only the second time in his career, while registering 36 points. Is he going to light the world on fire next season? Probably not, since he is going to be doing his farewell tour and may just focus on collecting one final paycheck. Pejonis has been an interesting type of player since being drafted in S24, but he has had a lot of character and been a fun player to check out.

78. (S31) RW (Manhattan Rage) - Ace Redding || New Entry
Average Grade: 75.80
Past Seasons: None

At 78 is Ace Redding, a player who actually was able to steal some ice time away from the Manhattan Mafia and make some noise. Redding scored 16 goals and 35 points while registereing 183 hits. Clearly the mafia has started to grow on him and despite being underrated on this list is expected to see a big jump in production once he gets 28+ minutes a night like the majority of his teammates.

77. (S23) RW (West Kendall Platoon) - Slappy McDoodle || -17
Average Grade: 76
Past Seasons: S29-95, S30-57, S31-67, S32-59, S33-60

At 77 is Slappy McDoodle, with another pretty solid season by his standards. McDoodle scored 5 goals and 28 points, kept the hits up with 184 and had another season of 100+ penalty kill minutes. Mcdoodle has not been the most productive player at winger during his career, but he has filled a spot in the Platoon lineup that clearly makes him valuable to the team.

76. (S25) C (Texas Renegades) - Evandrus Jesster || -28
Average Grade: 76.20
Past Seasons: S28-64, S29-60, S30-48, S31-80, S32-27, S33-48

Another player who has had some trouble making their mark compared to their hype is Evandruss Jesster, who hits the list at 76. Jesster was selected #1 overall in the S25 draft, a distinction that gives a lot of players trouble when the pressure starts to pack on. Jesster has had some solid moments, but has not been as consistent as one would expect. Jesster scored 19 goals and 32 points for the Renegades, making him one of the very few "goals only" types of players in the league. His physicality isn't too bad, though, so there is that.

75. (S22) RW (Calgary Dragons) - Pierre-Luc Laflamme || -30
Average Grade: 76.60
Past Seasons: S24-92, S25-95, S26-18, S27-17, S28-47, S29-40, S30-14, S31-58, S32-62, S33-38

At 75 is Calgary Dragon, Pierre-Luc Laflamme. Laflamme hasn''t been the incredible prolific scorer that he was in Toronto, but he has been a productive player over the last couple of seasons. Laflamme scored 13 goals and 30 points in S33, but right now is fighting regression and is hoping to get a couple more years of first line play before he can't handle it any longer. He may need to tone down on the hits for that to last.

74. (S23) D (Manhatta Rage) - Pål Vikingstød || Returning Entry
Average Grade: 76.80
Past Seasons: S26-69, S27-88, S28-62, S30-89, S32-93

Pål Vikingstød comes in at 74, a player who has had some issues getting a consistent spot on this list as well as being in a consistent home in the SHL. Manhattan is currently his fourth team in his relatively young careerk and for the first time since his final year in Portland is starting to put up respectable numbers. Vikingstød scored 2 goals and 38 points, a major assist man to the top-tier forwards in front of him, and was a physical specimen again with 130 hits.

73. (S25) D (Texas Renegades) - Cody Black || -5
Average Grade: 78
Past Seasons: S30-81, S31-91, S32-28, S33-68

At 73 is Renegade Cody Black, taking a bit of a drop despite a solid season with the renegades. Black is still having trouble getting back to his S31 peak, scoring only 2 goals and 36 assists on the year. Black's hits went down, too, and while his blocked shots remained steady he just didn't quite have the defensive season that we have seen from him in previous years. Black may have one more solid season before regression but right now it is looking like he is a one-year wonder.

72. (S28) D (Los Angeles Panthers) - Marc-Andre Malkin || +3
Average Grade: 78
Past Seasons: S32-86, S33-75

At 72 is Panthers defenseman Marc-Andre Malkin, a player who hasn't quite found a niche with a certain team just yet. Malkin has seen three teams so far in his young career, but Los Angeles has started to open up to his odd personality and playing style. Malkin scored 10 goals and 37 points, with a +13 to boot. Malkin hasn't been very physical, though, and his small frame may be the culprit.


71. (S25) D (West Kendall Platoon) - Maria Maximova || -14
Average Grade: 78.40
Past Seasons: S27-96, S29-71, S30-96, S31-95, S32-52, S33-57

Maria Maximova enters the list at 71, her third 30+ point season in a row. Unfortunately she has been bounced around in a few places, playing forward at times due to some roster issues on the Platoon roster. She scored 12 goals and 34 points in S33, got her hitting back up, but only blocked 41 shots and seemed to not have a real identity during the season.

70. (S31) G (Los Angeles Panthers) - Timo Haas || -19
Average Grade: 78.60
Past Seasons: S33-53

At 70 is Panthers goaltender Timo Haas, falling a bit down to earth after a head-turning 35-7-2 season with Los Angeles in his rookie year. Haas went 25-13-5, still respectable, but his save percentage fell back, with a .899 clip and a 2.892 goals against average. Haas has room to grow, and most should not have expected his rookie season to be the norm this early, so he should be fine.

69. (S27) LW (Calgary Dragons) - Shane Gagner || New Entry
Average Grade: 78.80
Past Seasons: None

At 69 is Shane Gagner, having a major breakout season and finally getting on this list for the first time. Gagner scored 11 goals and 39 points with the Dragons and was a major contributor to their finals run this season. Gagner still has his youth, and may start to actually be picking things up, though that isn't a certainty at this point in time. Physical game is definitely going to help him the next couple years.

68. (S22) D (West Kendall Platoon) - Ales Smirnov || -29
Average Grade: 79
Past Seasons: S26-84, S27-58, S28-93, S29-56, S30-47, S31-46, S32-31, S33-37

At 68 is Platoon defenseman Ales Smirnov who has another very productive season. Smirnov scored 19 goals and 38 points, not quite his 40 point expectation like the last three years, but at the very least has been a consistent penalty killer and physical force. Smirnov has gone under the radar a bit these last couple of seasons, but remains an important piece to the Platoon.

67. (S20) RW (Seattle Riot) - Dean Colt || -24
Average Grade: 79
Past Seasons: S25-73, S26-25, S27-62, S28-21, S29-51, S30-12, S31-47, S32-53, S33-43

At 67 is Riot winger Dean Colt, who has finally been knocked off the faceoff pedestal with a mere 55.80% clip. Colt is the only player in the league who never stops talking about his faceoff numbers, and with his production waning (9 goals and 27 points in S33), I don't entirely blame him. Colt is a member of the big S20 class, meaning he is multiple years into regression. Going to be hard to get back into that faceoff mix at this age.

66. (S22) C (Toronto North Stars) - Andrey Barbashev || -4
Average Grade: 79.20
Past Seasons: S27-87, S28-30, S29-44, S30-23, S31-23, S32-42, S33-70

Andrey Barbashev enters the list at 66, falling back a tad but remaining pretty consistent over the last few seasons. 47 points in S30, 39 points in S31, and 44 points in S33. Barbashev has appeared to learn from his suspension in S32, and used that to be one of Toronto's best players, and while regression continues to be a factor Barbashev may be getting better with age at this point.

65. (S24) D (Edmonton Blizzard) - Winston Windsor || Even
Average Grade: 79.40
Past Seasons: S27-71, S28-60, S29-77, S30-43, S31-40, S32-63, S33-65

At 65 is Winston Windsor of the Blizzard. Windsor was quite the goal scorer in S33, registering 18 on the year. That is pretty impressive considering his teammates Sarantez and Kane were busy stealing all the goals away. Windsor has picked an interesting time to start getting his goal scoring acumen up, because regression is starting to hit regression and it will be interesting if this new skill he has found will keep him up in this list.

64. (S20) D (West Kendall Platoon) - Bojo Biscuit || -35
Average Grade: 79.60
Past Seasons: S22-64, S23-36, S23-29, S25-26 S26-20, S27-35, S28-8, S29-14, S30-26, S31-20, S32-26, S33-29

At 64 is Platoon defenseman Bojo Biscuit, taling a bit of a dip in these last ranking despite having another solid defensive season. It is clear the defensive defenders don't get the attention they normally do, as Biscuit's 4 goals, 31 points, 51 hits, and 128 penalty kill minutes were not enough to get him back into the top-20. Biscuit isn't too worried about this, though. As one of the biggest leaders on the Platoon he has been very important to keeping that playoff streak alive.

63. (S26) G (Texas Renegades) - Christoffer Björnsson || -31
Average Grade: 79.60
Past Seasons: S31-55, S32-32, S33-32

Björnsson hits the list at 63, his stats taking a significant dive and throwing him and the Renegades out of the playoffs despite a lot of promise. Björnsson went 15-23-6 with a save percentage of .900 and goals against average of 2.957, and those kind of stats really are not going to be winning any awards, team or individual, any time soon. Björnsson has a couple more years to get into his prime, but there are a lot of young goaltenders making their mark, and it will be harder for him to break out as desired.

62. (S24) D (West Kendall Platoon) - Klaus Wagner || -26
Average Grade: 79.60
Past Seasons: S29-93, S30-73, S32-20, S33-36

At 62 is Platoon defenseman Klaus Wagner, who has not been able to recover since losing out on the Stevens two seasons ago with his 54 point campaign. Wagner has seen his point totals drop two seasons in a row, this season scoring 11 goals and 31 points with 69 blocked shots. Wagner's physical game has not materialized, either, which may be affecting him as things aren't coming quite as easily as they used to.

61. (S27) RW (Los Angeles Panthers) - Jaxson Reynolds || New Entry
Average Grade: 79.80
Past Seasons: None

At 61 is Panthers winger Jaxson Reynolds, entering this list for the first time with a huge explosion of production. Reynolds has been a pretty middling to low-end forward the last couple of seasons, but in S33 had a major campaign with 21 goals and 46 points, almost doubling his season high in points. Hitting is starting to get somewhere, and now he just needs to get better defensively so he can be used on the PK. With it taking this long to have a productive season, that may not happen, but it is at least something to look at for S34

60. (S22) D (Winnipeg Jets) Rembrandt Q. Einstein || -32
Average Grade: 80
Past Seasons: S23-85, S24-94, S25-89, S26-57, S27-78, S28-23, S29-36, S30-4, S31-21, S32-51, S33-28

At 60 is Rembrandt Q. Einstein of the Jets, falling back after being unable to repeat his solid 40 point season in S32. Einstein scored only 2 goals and 30 points, 37 hits, and 60 blocked shots. Not all that great for a player who has been hyped up over the years for being the next "big thing". Einstein has begun to regress, and right now it appears to be hitting him pretty hard, which means he may be continuing on the down trend.

59. (S29) LW (Los Angeles Panthers) - Sebastian Strange || -28
Average Grade: 80
Past Seasons: S33-31

At 59 is Panthers winger Sebastian Strange, dropping back in the list after a drop-off in production. The goal scoring was still there, as Strange scored 19 goals on the year which was only 3 fewer than S32. However he did not rack up many assists, leading to a decent but not great 35 point season. Hitting increased, as did his PK minutes. But overall game is still not yet complete for the young forward.

58. (S28) G (Seattle Riot) - Michael McFadden || -2
Average Grade: 80.40
Past Seasons: S31-73, S32-73, S33-56

At 58 is Michael McFadden, Riot goaltender and the future of the franchise. McFadden had another 20+ win season (two 25 win seasons in a row), and while his save percentage somewhat dipped to .905 he has been just about as consistent as ever with the Riot squad. McFadden has a couple more seasons before he starts to really get in his prime, so if he continues to improve he could be a perennial McBride candidate.

57. (S23) D (Calgary Dragons) - Michael Boychuk || +10
Average Grade: 80.20
Past Seasons: S28-97, S29-67, S30-53, S31-41, S32-25, S33-67

Michael Boychuk enters the list at 57, a solid showing by the veteran defenseman. Boychuk has been an unsung hero for the Calgary Dragons in recent years, with multiple 40+ point seasons and solid two-way play to boot.Boychuk scored 9 goals and 43 points and was one of the top producers among defensemen last season, and may even get a few Stevens votes in the upcoming awards show. Regression has begun, so it will be interesting if Boychuk can get back to the top-30s.

56. (S27) LW (Buffalo Stampede) - Maximillian Wächter || +23
Average Grade: 80.20
Past Seasons: S32-98, S33-79

Maximillian Wächter enters the list at 56, jumping up the list with a big season by his standards. Wächter is starting to find his edge in the game with Buffalo, registering 11 goals and 42 points, not to mention 186 hits on the season. Wächter is looking like one of the few power forward playmakers in the league, which is an interesting combination that will give Buffalo fans something fun to watch over the next few seasons.

55. (S24) D (Seattle Riot) - Jack Burton || +33
Average Grade: 80.20
Past Seasons: S28-102, S29-79, S30-92, S32-88, S33-88

At 55 is Riot defenseman Jack Burton, coming in hot with his first major offensive season in his career. Burton has always been considered the guy who keeps pucks OUT of the net and doesn't always put the puck IN them, but this season he did both and was rewarded for it. Burton scored 8 goals and 33 points, registered 159 hits, blocked 85 shots, all with 116 minutes of penalty kill time. Burton has always been a touch underrated and now people are starting to take notice of all his skills.

54. (S18) LW (Calgary Dragons) - Esa Anrikkanen || -4
Average Grade: 80.40
Past Seasons: S20-45, S21-48, S22-35, S23-6, S24-7, S25-34, S26-14, S27-27, S28-29, S29-12, S30-11, S31-5, S32-15, S33-50

At 54 is Dragons winger Esa Anrikkanen, king of parms himself. It seems the carbs have finally started to catch up to this old vet, as Anrikkanen has started to fall back in a few ways. He had a bit of a resurgence this season with 21 goals and 37 points, but has clearly not looked himself the past couple of seasons and is looking like his career is starting to take a downturn. Anrikkanen still has a lot of hockey left in him, but it is doubtful that hockey will be giving him more top-50 selections.

53. (S22) G (Toronto North Stars) - Mark Harter || +2
Average Grade: 80.20
Past Seasons: S24-101, S25-78, S26-89, S27-69, S28-22, S29-25, S30-30, S31-44, S32-17, S33-55

Mark Harter enters the list at 53, one of the most unlucky goaltenders in the league as of now. Harter has had 7 straight seasons with a .900 save percentage or higher, but has been unable to make it to the big dance with his club. As regression starts to hurt and the team in front of him fails to make it to the post-season, Harter is going to have an even bigger hill to climb to finally earn that cup ring.

52. (S26) D (Winnipeg Jets) - Scott Robertson || -1
Average Grade: 80.80
Past Seasons: S31-76, S32-49, S33-51

At 52 is Jets defenseman Scott Robertson. One of the S26 crew (the "Underrateds"), Robertson has started to make a name for himself as a consistent backend piece of the Winnipeg Jets. Robertson has scored 35 or more points four years in a row, which with the amount of competition at defense is really saying something. Robertson scored 7 goals and 36 points on the year, and while he wasn't very physical he did help keep the puck out of the net most of the time.

51. (S28) RW (New England Wolfpack) - Dieter Dominique || New Entry
Average Grade: 80.80
Past Seasons: None

New Entry on the list at 51 is Dieter Dominique, coming into his game at just the perfect time for a team that was looking for an infusion of young talent to replace their regressing stars. Dominique scored 23 goals and 44 points in his breakout season, a surefire contender for the Richan trophy. The biggest surprise is nobody really even thought of Dominique as much more than a reserve guy to help clean things up on the bottom six, so this production is unanticipated.

50. (S20) RW (Seattle Riot) - Jed Lloren || -34
Average Grade: 81
Past Seasons: S22-83, S23-68, S24-62, S25-19, S26-21, S27-68, S28-59, S29-46, S30-51, S31-65, S32-34, S33-16

At 50 is Jed Lloren, failing to replicate his monster season of 25 goals and 53 points. Lloren still had a solid showing, with 17 goals and 35 points, but did not pass the bar he set the previous season and his physicality also took a big hit. Lloren is still kicking, but this could very well be a downtrend from his peak season, and that would be pretty disappointing.

49. (S25) C (Portland Admirals) - Jonathan Lundberg || +10
Average Grade: 81
Past Seasons: S30-82, S31-94, S32-65, S33-59

At 49 is Admirals center Jonathan Lundberg, constantly improving and proving that his acquisition from New England was not a mistake. Lundberg scored 19 goals, 44 points, had a huge physical season with 156, and even blocked 14 shots as a forward. Faceoffs were a bit down, but remained above 54%, which is a solid effort for a guy like Lundberg who some teams just were unsure of in recent seasons.

48. (S26) LW (New England Wolfpack) - Mainio Makinen || +18
Average Grade: 81.20
Past Seasons: S31-72, S32-44, S33-66

Mainio Makinen hits the list at 48, back into the top-50 after a bit of a down season in S32. MAkinen scored 22 goals (a career high), 46 points, and had their second 100+ hit season in their career, all while getting back into the penalty kill and showing their defensive prowess. Makinen's role with New England proves that you don't always need a bunch of super stars to win it all. You gotta have players like Makinen to play the good all around game.

47. (S26) RW (New England Wolfpack) - Tim Buckner || +25
Average Grade: 81.40
Past Seasons: S33-72

At 47 is Tim Buckner, another Wolfpack player getting back into the top-50. Buckner took a bit of time to get into the swing of things as far as scoring is concerned, but has been on a steady trajectory upwards the last four seasons. Buckner scored 18 goals and 43 points with 163 hits, and was another one of New England's fearsome depth forward unit, giving them the kind of season that many teams would kill to have even once.

46. (S25) C (Lose Angeles Panthers) - Ryan King || -11
Average Grade: 81.80
Past Seasons: S32-85, S33-35

Ryan King hits the list at 46, with a surprising drop despite the steady production with 23 goals and 43 points. King has gotten an unfair rap at times from the media and fans, but he has continued to be reliable and Los Angeles has gotten a ton of production out of him during his tenure so far. As each season goes by Seattle must be kicking themselves letting a player like King go.

45. (S29) LW (Manhattan Rage) - Harry Hans || -3
Average Grade: 82
Past Seasons: S33-42

Harry Hans is another Manhattan Rage youth who is coming out with hot fire during the S30s. Hans had another season with 40+ points, only in his fourth season to boot, and in both the last two seasons has averaged 20 goals. While he isn't quite on the level of Wollker and McZehrl, he has been a major threat every time he has stepped on the ice the last 100 or so games. Hans has even started to get stronger and more physical, making him yet another physical force that will be a problem for just about every player in the league trying to defend him.

44. (S24) C (Los Angeles Panthers) - Kaapo Kekkonen || -22
Average Grade: 82.20
Past Seasons: S31-69, S32-47, S33-22

Kaapo Kekkonen comes in at 44, unable to keep his 40 point pace together with the Panthers falling back to earth a little bit in team production. Kekkonen scored 17 goals and 39 points, but the big news with Kekkonen was the hit totals. 210 hits on the season, one of the best in the league in that regard, and his defensive responsibilities ramped up as well, which makes it surprising he fell this far from the list. If anything, he has become a more well-rounded player.

43. (S25) LW (West Kendall Platoon) - Adam Falk || -3
Average Grade: 82.20
Past Seasons: S30-76, S31-24, S32-37, S33-40

At 43 is Adam Falk of the Platoon, sticking around the top-50 while seeing a pretty steady decline the last few seasons in the rankings. Falk scored 17 goals and 39 points, which is just about in line with the last couple of seasons. Falk hasn't been training all that often, which is too bad because Falk was one of the major prospects coming out of the S25 draft class. He does have one more year before regression hits, so hopefully he can get a big season in before it begins to crash down for him.

42. (S23) D (Edmonton Blizzard) - Viktor Svensson || Returning

Entry
Average Grade: 82.20
Past Seasons: S28-86, S29-89, S30-54, S31-93, S32-90

At 42 is Viktor Svensson of the Edmonton Blizzard. Svensson simply feasted off the forwards in front of him, going from 2 goals and 15 points to 1 goal and 42 points in the span of a single season. You rarely see that kind of jump in assist totals unless it is for something outside of their own control. Svensson should be credited with giving guys like Kane, Sarantez, and Koroviev the puck, but a lot of that production is due to their ability to move the puck and finish after having gotten it. Unlikely Svensson repeats that performance, unless all three previously mentioned players have another insane run.

41. (S27) D (Los Angeles Panthers) - Chris Crutchfield || -22
Average Grade: 70.40
Past Seasons: S31-81, S32-72, S33-19

Chris Crutchfield enters the list at 41, with the pressure to reproduce his S32 numbers clearly getting the better of him. Crutchfield scored 4 goals and 35 points, which isn't half bad, but he was not going to keep his spot in the top-20 without either a lot of offense or offense and defense mixed in, which he hasn't really done much during his later career. Crutchfield's youth is still an advantage, but it is strange how his hitting numbers have basically fallen off a cliff since S31.

40. (S22) C (Calgary Dragons) - Bubba Nuck || -4
Average Grade: 78
Past Seasons: S24-98, S26-59, S28-51, S29-74, S30-63, S31-3, S32-40, S33-69

Bubba Nuck enters the list at 40, starting to come back a bit in the league with a bounce back season. Nuck had two awful years following his Stevens/Khan/Mexico 60+ point dominance, scoring a grand total of 49 points and generally being a non-factor. This season was a resurgence, with Nuck scoring 6 goals, 39 points, 158 hits, and 70 blocked shots. His PK minutes went down, but perhaps that is the price Nuck has to pay to produce.

39. (S26) RW (Winnipeg Jets) - Don Pellegrino || +48
Average Grade: 83.20
Past Seasons: S33-87

Making a huge jump to 39 from 87th last season is Jets forward Don Pellegrino. After a bit of a drop in production in his first season with Winnipeg, Pellegrino has returned to form as he finished Season 33 with 22 goals and 47 points. His increased production was certainly encouraging for the Jets as they continue to improve and with some key players nearing regression, he will be relied on heavily over the next few seasons.

38. (S25) C (Texas Renegades) - Jack Durden || -30
Average Grade: 79.60
Past Seasons: S30-76, S31-24, S32-37, S33-33

Jack Durden enters the list at 63, dropping back for some odd reason. 11 goals, 46 points, plenty of time on the penalty kill? This is an odd one. Durden has been the most consistent Renegade the last three seasons, and right now they are having to deal with depth issues. That really isn't on Durden. This may even motivate him to have an elite season in S34 and prove all the voters they were wrong.

37. (S27) RW (New England Wolfpack) - Raven Silverwing || [color=green ]+15[/color]
Average Grade: 82.80
Past Seasons: S33-52

Wolfpack forward Raven Silverwing ranks in at 37 for the Season 34 edition of the SHL Top 100. For inexplicable reasons, Silverwing debuted on the list only last season, where he nearly cracked the top half after some solid seasons paving the way for New England’s offense. In Season 33, he finished the season with a career high 50 points, the best among Wolfpack players. His 26 goals also were the most on the team as he continues to establish himself as a premier player in the league.

36. (S31) LW (Buffalo Stampede) - Eduard Selich || +48
Average Grade: 83
Past Seasons: S33-84

At 36 we have Stampede winger Eduard Selich, who is clearly a key part of Buffalo’s future. Improving upon a strong rookie season, Selich helped get the Stampede to the playoffs in Season 33 with a team-leading 21 goals. He plays a solid all-around game and with his youth, has plenty of room left to grow. Eduard Selich very well could develop into one of the SHL’s elite players over the next few seasons.

35. (S24) LW (Toronto North Stars) - Damien Wert || -11
Average Grade: 83.20
Past Seasons: S28-99, S30-98, S32-96, S33-24

Dropping in the rankings for 24 in Season 33 to 35 for Season 34 in North Stars forward Damien Wert. After breaking out in with a new team in the North Stars last season, his production dropped slightly, finishing the season with 40 points. However, Wert’s ability to find the back of the net has not seen much of a decline as he scored 22 in Season 33. The North Stars will be hoping to get similar production over the next few seasons out of their star forward as regression may begin to take its toll.

34. (S30) D (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Ben Dover || +54
Average Grade: 82.60
Past Seasons: S33-88

After solid rookie and sophomore campaigns, Ben Dover was looking to take his game to the next step in Season 33 and he certainly did so and, in the process, has jumped 54 spots to number 34. He broke onto the SHL scene in Season 31 and picked up a cool 29 points and 10 goals as one of the Steelhawks’ top defensemen. After having a similarly successful Season 32, he led Hamilton in both goals and points with 18 and 41 in Season 33. He certainly put on a great display for Hamilton fans looking forward to the future and Dover is beginning to establish himself as the face of the franchise. At his age, he should only continue to improve and will likely be a mainstay in the top half of this list for the foreseeable future.

33. (S25) C (Winnipeg Jets) - Travis Kudleychuk || +28
Average Grade: 84
Past Seasons: S30-95, S31-68, S32-60, S33-61

At 33 is another Jets forward in Travis Kudleychuk, making his debut in the top half of the list in this edition. Kudleychuk has become a key contributor for Winnipeg, scoring a career high 48 points and leading the team with 22 goals. In addition to his offensive prowess, Kudleychuk once again dominated in the faceoff circle, winning more than 54% of faceoffs taken, giving his team an edge in any way he can. However, he may only have a limited timeframe to continue to play at such a high level as regression is looming over him.

32.(S25) RW (Edmonton Blizzard) - Ivan Koroviev || +9
Average Grade: 81
Past Seasons: S31-70, S32-64., S33-58

At 32 is Ivan Koroviev, having a hell of a season with the Blizzard after some growing pains getting past that plateau of 30-40 points. Koriviev scored 18 goals and 56 points, lighting up the league alongside teammates Sarantez and Kane. With this recent surge in points Koroviev is now poised to contend for a top-10 spot next season.

31. (S21) G (Calgary Dragons) Hunter Wong || +8
Average Grade: 84.60
Past Seasons: S23-94, S25-82, S26-83, S27-63, S28-46, S29-31, S30-33, S31-18, S32-11, S33-39

At 31 is longtime Dragons goaltender Hunter Wong. Wong, who has enjoyed a long and successful career filled with plenty of individual and team success, jumped in the ratings after bringing his save percentage back up to .900 and picking up 4 shutouts. However, he is no longer the dominant goaltender that he once was as regression is beginning to catch up to him. He likely has a few more good years left in him but Calgary certainly has to be keeping an eye out for Wong’s successor, who will have huge shoes to fill.

30. (S23) D (Winnipeg Jets) - Connor O'Reilly || +5
Average Grade: 79.20
Past Seasons: S27-82, S28-101, S29-65, S30-42, S31-53, S32-67, S33-71

At 66 is Jets defenseman Connor O'Reilly, moving back up trying to get into the top-50 again. O'Reilly scored 8 goals nad 44 points, blocked 71 shots, and was arguably the best Jets defenseman (though Manious looked to be the better of the two during the season). He had respectable stats in just about every category, making it a wonder why he isn't higher on the list as of now.

29. (S30) C (Buffalo Stampede) - Steven Stamkos Jr. || +63
Average Grade: 84.60
Past Seasons: S33-92

At 29 is Steven Stamkos Jr., Buffalo Stampede Product who has already earned a 50 point season in his young career. Stamkos has only played two seasons, and his rise to prominence has been quite something. Stamkos Jr. hasn't quite ramped up the physical play as of yet, and his faceoff numbers leave a lot to be desired, but he saw a lot of minutes on the penalty kill, and for a player of this young age that is still impressive no matter what way you look at it. Plus, his performance was a major reason why the Stampede actually made it to the playoffs for the first time in their history.

28. (S25) C (Edmonton Blizzard) - Nikolaus Scholz || -12
Average Grade: 84.80
Past Seasons: S31-69, S32-47, S33-17

Nikolaus Sholz enters the list at 28, dropping off a bit in both production and on the list. It is a bit surprising to see him drop off the list a bit considering despite the dip in offense his defensive game improved a great deal, but what can you do? It doesn't help that Scholz is probably the most overlooked player from the S25 draft class. Scholz scored 21 goals and 45 points, registered 217 shots, played 75 PK minutes, and had a 53.49 faceoff percentage. Getting to his prime and looking good while doing so.

27. (S24) D (Seattle Riot) Patrick Brumm || -14
Average Grade: 85.20
Past Seasons: S27-89, S28-63, S29-91, S30-88, S31-87, S32-55, S33-13

At 27 is Riot defender Patrick Brumm, from the overlooked S24 draft class. You know, the draft class with like two high profile guys on it. Brumm looked like he was going to be a contender for a top-10 selection going into last season, but he was unable to replicate his superb 55 point season and had to settle for 19 goals and 42 points. Brumm kept the PK minutes high, showing off his defensive ability, but scoring 10 fewer goals really put a damper on him and kept him out of the top 10. Brumm is starting to hit regression, too, so S32 may have just been his peak. Who knows?

26. (S20) RW (New England Wolfpack) - Nathan Russell  || -19
Average Grade: 85.60
Past Seasons: S24-91, S25-72, S26-12, S27-31, S28-16, S29-22, S30-27, S31-15, S32-6, S33-7

At 26 is Wolfpack winger Nathan Russell, falling out of the top 10 after two straight appearances, but remaining a top-30 player and being a major contributor for the Wolfpack. Russell has won his fourth Challenge Cup with this team, and with 9 straight 40+ point seasons, Russell really may be the most underappreciated player in recent memory. Just ask New England what they think of Russell and you will know right away that the rest of the league should take notice. Russell scored 12 goals and 40 points, registered 103 hits, and played in all situations, not to mention a great 56.85% faceoff clip. Regression clearly has not hampered his ability lately.

25.(S25) RW (Texas Renegades) - Geoffrey Allen || +2
Average Grade: 85.60
Past Seasons: S28-72, S29-73, S30-87, S31-49, S32-30, S33-27

At 25 is Geoffrey Allen of the Renegades, moving on up and looking to get his first top-20 selection of his career. Allen scored 25 goals and 56 points, all while being pretty decent defensively. The biggest thing knocking him right now is his physical play, as he has never been the kind of guy to put up a lot of hits. Allen has one more season before regression, and this next season could be the most productive ever.

24. (S19) C (Toronto North Stars) - Zallerras Szlerchek || -9
Average Grade: 85.80
Past Seasons: S20-86, S21-58, S22-40, S23-71, S24-68, S25-38, S26-48, S27-10, S28-14, S29-4, S30-16, S31-27, S32-21, S33-15

At 24 is new North Stars center Zalleras Szlerchek, taking a little bit of a tour of the SHL at this point. Szlerchek had a pretty good season with Manhattan, scoring 16 goals and 44 points with 142 hits and play at both ends of the ice. Why did he fall 9 spots? The McZehrl effect. With players like that in the lineup it is hard to really stand out and move yourself up on the list. Of course the grading looks pretty unfair, but when you have fickle voters sometimes this kind of thing happens.

23. (S23) D (Texas Renegades) - Vladimir Lidstrom || -13
Average Grade: 86.20
Past Seasons: S27-94, S28-82, S29-62, S30-59, S31-9, S32-7, S33-10

Vladimir Lidstrom hits the list at 23, falling out of the top-10 despite three straight seasons enjoying it. Lidstrom really had a bit of a fall with Texas's poor season, scored 12 goals but only 38 points, and a -20 to top it all off, the worst plus minus rating of his career. Lidstrom, however, is not showing signs of staying down, and despite getting up there in age intends to keep on keeping on and getting even better.

22. (S27) G (West Kendall Platoon) - Matt Lewis-Flood || +32
Average Grade: 86.20
Past Seasons: S31-90, S32-46, S33-54

Goaltender Matt Lewis-Flood comes in at 22, a big asset for the Platoon at this point after winning the Jonathan McBride trophy for best goaltender with a .915 save percentage and 25 wins on the year. Lewis-Flood is coming into his own at just the right time, still pretty young with room to grow and already an elite goaltender status despite this being his fourth career season as a starter. Could Lewis-Flood be the next big superstar goaltender to sweep awards year after year?

21. (S20) D (Edmonton Blizzard) - Barney Stinson || -3
Average Grade: 86.40
Past Seasons: S23-56, S24-34, S25-28, S26-55, S27-90, S28-87, S29-52, S30-8, S31-16, S32-8, S33-18

At 21 is Barney Stinson of the Blizzard, still making a big name for himself despite being one of the older players in the league. S20 continues to show how much talent was in that draft class, and Stinson's 6 goals and 44 points makes him a prime example. One issue with his season was how many of those points were assists, as he was backing up some of the top players of the S33 season, Theo Kane, Pedro Sarantez and Ivan Koroviev. That doesn't take away from him as a player, though. Just a little bit out of the season.

20. (S20) RW (Toronto North Stars) - Kristian Eriksson || Even
Average Grade: 86.40
Past Seasons: S22-96, S23-77, S24-57, S25-40, S26-11, S27-30, S28-55, S29-39, S30-55, S31-30, S32-5, S33-20

At 20 is North Stars winger Kristian Eriksson, sticking to the same spot he was last year with a pretty similar season. Eriksson scored 24 goals and 43 points, 205 shots, 213 hits, and 14 points on the powerplay. He was not used on the PK hardly at all for the first time since his rookie year, and that is a strange thing to see after all the years he was a mainstay on their top unit.