<div align="center">Edmonton Blizzard: A Year in Review

After having made a public announcement stating they were entering a rebuild at the beginning of the season and the sheer depth of the western conference, it’s no surprise the Edmonton Blizzard finished where they did. With an overall record of 19-26-5 (43 points) they closed the season 6th in west, and 12th overall. At times the Blizzard showed some promise, most notably early in the season where they won 4 of 5 and briefly held a winning record (and playoff spot), but over the course of a 50 game season the stronger, and deeper, teams such as the Renegades, Panthers, Dragons, Admirals (hell, all of them) proved to be too much. Never the less the season was not in vein, as the Blizzard locked up the 1st overall pick in the upcoming draft, re-signed several key members and expanded their staff behind the bench.</div>



<i><div align="center">Top 5 performances of the season</div></i>
1. Back when the Blizzard were the big dog in the west earning back to back trips to the challenge cup final there was one team that refused to back down (or barely even lose a game). S30 and S31 saw the Blizzard and New England Wolfpack go head to head twice in the finals with the Wolfpack making short work of the talented western champs with a combined record of 8-1. Well that was not the case in S35! Call it petty, or a consolation prize on a losing season, but the Blizzard managed to go 2-0 against the “rival” Wolfpack this season, winning 3-2 and 6-5. Suck it NEW.

2. With 14 goals and 25 points on the season, the veteran Finnish goal-scorer Reinis Aumeisters (<a href='index.php?showuser=1625' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-66'>aumicc83+</a>) had a solid season, one he hopes to build off of, but in game 184 he found a whole new level posting 3 goals and an assist en route to a convincing Blizzard win. It would be his first hat trick of his career and one he surely won’t forget.

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Big win for the Blizzard and an even bigger one for Reinis.</div>

3. It’s a been a few seasons now since Brett Broadway (<a href='index.php?showuser=51' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>Toast</a>) posted back to back McBride trophy campaigns in S31 and S32, but the Norwegian net minder is still just as good as ever finishing top 7 (top half of the league) in league save percentage, goals against average and shots faced. Some of his more notable games include a convincing 30 save 2-1 overtime win against the Jets in game 36 and a 3 game ride (122, 129 and 135) that saw the Blizzard out score their opponents 9-3 in front of a near unbeatable Broadway.

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Broadway up to his old tricks, keeping the Blizzard in it once again.</div>

4. Only Kane (<a href='index.php?showuser=1344' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-63'>Lunaro</a>) could put up 45 points and a call it a poor season. While it wasn’t the most illustrious season for the Canadian sniper on the score board, he was his typical self in just about every other aspect, most notably surpassing the 200 hit threshold yet again. The next closest on the team was Leuan Llewellyn with 149 and after that no one even came close to 100.

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Theo Kane can do it all, and sometimes even score.</div>

5. Last season the two tied for the team lead with 46 points apiece, but this season the German stands alone as Nikolaus Scholz posted a decisive 57 points, including 40 assists, most among all forwards in the league. With the departure of 2nd line center Kowalski to retirement the pass first center man will need more of that in S36 if the Blizzard hope to stand a chance in the western conference.

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Tic, tac, goal. Another apple for the big kraut.</div></i>



<i><div align="center">Upcoming draft</div></i>
Deemed as one of the deepest drafts in recent memory, the upcoming S36 “reddit” draft will be a huge opportunity for the rebuilding Edmonton Blizzard. Finishing 12th overall gave them a strong chance to win the lottery and win they did, locking up the 1st overall selection. Time will tell if the Blizzard management opts to “trade down” like they did with the 1st overall selection in last year’s S35 entry draft, but needless to say, the Blizzard management have their work cut out for them. With a wealth of talent to choose from, it’s doubtful they could go wrong, but the right piece could be all the difference when in rebuild mode. Since receiving the 1st overall selection several draftees have reached out to voice their interest in the Edmonton Blizzard and their desire to hear their name be the first off the board, so you could definitely say the hype train has left the station and is building up speed.

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And the first overall selection in the S36 SHL entry draft goes to...</div>


<div align="center">Head Scout and Media Director</div>
With the draft fast approaching it has become apparent that the Blizzard will need all the help they can get to help sort through the vast variety of talent available, and there is no one more suited for the role of judging talent than last year’s 1st round selection Mike “the Augment” Izzy (<a href='index.php?showuser=2585' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>Coach Biz</a>). Since being drafted, he has hit the ground running, following the path and progress of the upcoming draft class and who could be a good fit for the rebuilding Blizzard. Izzy has effectively been playing this role all season long and it’s about time he receive the title to back it up.
In addition to his new role as head scout Mike Izzy will also be filling the newly introduced role of media director. It’s been a while since the Edmonton Blizzard have committed to a rebuild and as a result it has become quite clear that Edmonton is not the most desirable location for up and coming talent. As media director, Izzy will take on the task of enriching the overall image of the Edmonton Blizzard in all media avenues including, but not limited to, the rookie locker room, SHL and SMJHL media sections and SHL and SMJHL related discord channels. The addition of this role, in conjunction with a successful injection of youth in the S36 and S37 draft should hopefully begin to reverse that. Congratulations Mr. Izzy!

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Edmonton Blizzard GM welcomes new head scout and media director to management team.</div>

Feel free to ask any questions to either myself or our new media director Mike Izzy (<a href='index.php?showuser=2585' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>Coach Biz</a>).

<div align="right">-Karlssens </div>