S53 Awards Nominations: Day 3

Last off-season some of the fellas in the awards committee got together to pump out a few articles highlighting each award and the list of nominees it hopes of generating some hype and discussion ahead of the ceremony. It went over well so we're back at it again in S53! Much like last time we'll highlight the awards over the course of the next few days in the following order...

Day 1 - Bojo Trophy and Jesster Trophy
Day 2 - Dar Trophy and Richan Trophy
Day 3 - McBride Trophy and Uppercut Trophy
Day 4 - Stevens Trophy and McKeil Trophy
Day 5 - Mexico Trophy, Razov Trophy and Littleton Trophy


John McBride Award
The first award up for discussion is the John McBride Award, given to the league's top goaltender in a given season. Our nominees are...

Johannes Leitner (6) - The New England Wolfpack had a great season and a big reason for this was the play of their goalie, Johannes Leitner. His seven shutouts and .924 save percentage paced the league while he also allowed a miniscule 1.84 goals per game en route to a near-unanimous nomination.

Cedric Robinson (6) - Also receiving six nominations was Cedric Robinson of the Buffalo Stampede. Like Leitner, he had a tremendous season, matching Leitner's .924 save percentage and finishing the season with the second most shutouts in the league with five.

Aleister Cain (5) - Our final nominee is Aleister Cain. The longtime New Orleans Specters goaltender put together a similarly dominant season, picking up five shutouts and a gaudy .923 save percentage.

Other notable goalies that received nominations include Geezus Kryyst (4).


Lance Uppercut Award
The other award we're looking at today is the Lance Uppercut, awarded to the best general manager (or tandem) in the SHL. This award is typically based on both team performance and the groundwork that was put in to build a given team, be it through impact trades, shrewd drafting, and/or impressive asset management. Our nominees this season are:

Ace & hotdog - New England Wolfpack (5) - The Wolfpack wound up with the league's best record in Season 53 thanks to a very strong squad, on paper and in reality. A combination of strong player development and the addition of key pieces via trade, Ace and hotdog made the right moves at the right time to build the Wolfpack back into an elite cup contender.

WannabeFinn & Tomen - Buffalo Stampede (4) - The Stampede have been a model of consistency in the SHL, with minimal roster turnover and a constant replenishment of retiring players with those developed in the team's system. Perhaps this boring consistency has, at times, gone unnoticed but they will be recognized with an Uppercut nomination this season.

Wasty - Los Angeles Panthers (4) - Also picking up four nominations is the tandem from LA. Wasty, who has now picked up his eighth nomination for this award, certainly deserves this one. The Panthers finished the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference and boast a team that has largely been developed within the Panthers system. However, smart trading on the part of this GM tandem has played a significant role in their success.

Other notable GMs that received multiple nominations include Keygan & TommySalami (3) and ThatDamnMcJesus & Waters (3).

That will be all for today. Tomorrow will bring you the Stevens and McKeil Awards!

@"AndrewWarren13" @grok @SlashACM @Ace @hotdog @WannabeFinn @Tomen @Wasty