As I've done for the past two seasons for SMJHL players, I thought I'd turn my eye to highlighting some of the SHL players who had a great S78 but who were not nominated for awards. As with most of my other analysis, I make heavy use here of the stats-based Player Contribution system that I use for the player cards shown below.

Taking nothing at all away from the players who were nominated, here are some players who maybe should have been in consideration for some of the award categories.


Best Rookie: Sebastien Levesque - TEX



While most people looking at stats focus on the offensive numbers, the Player Contribution model measures performance on both sides of the puck. Texas rookie Sebastien Levesque's offensive numbers don't jump off the page as being impressive (he managed just 23 points), but a closer look at all of the numbers show that he was very effective at doing what he was on ice to do: defend. His team-average plus/minus of +29 on a team of very good players cannot simply be attributed to riding the coattails of his teammates. He also contributed significant time on ice to the league's busiest -- and one of its best -- penalty kills. He showed that despite his significant TPE disadvantage, he belongs in this league.


Best Two-Way Forward: Derek Martin - LAP



Personally, I think it's weird that there's an award for best two-way forward.  Shouldn't every forward be expected to contribute at both ends of the ice? I was tempted to change my interpretation of this award to be for the best defensive forward, until I looked at the numbers and realized that one player really does contribute at an elite level on both offence and defence. LA forward Derek Martin does it all: he kills penalties, he scores on the penalty kill, he scores at even strength, he scores on the power play, he wins face-offs, he blocks shots, etc, etc.


Best Defensive Defenseman: Luca Hunziker - BAP



There's not a whole lot to say about Baltimore defender Luca Hunziker except that he is a specialist in not letting that puck go into his own net.  His plus/minus rating of +37 leads his team by a margin of 8 points, and given that his point total is fairly low, it's a safe bet that his offence is not contributing to that amazing rating. Though I don't normally look at the advanced stats, his team-low GA/60 stat confirms that defence is his strong point.


Best Defenseman: Hodor - TEX



Though Hodor is consistently in the running for the Best Defensive Defenceman award (and is nominated yet again this season), it says here that he should be in the running for Best Defenseman (i.e., overall) as well. His defensive abilities are well-appreciated, but his offensive numbers are significantly underrated. The fact that he gets almost no time on the power play limits the number of points he is actually able to accumulate. However, only three defenders in the league had a higher rate of points per minute at even strength in S78. It is entirely reasonable that he has been asked to focus on defence for his team since he is so strong in that role, but one wonders how high his ceiling could be if he had a bit more freedom to contribute offensively.


Best Goaltender: Rhett "Shaggy" Carpet - WPG



With only 24 wins and a GAA of 3.71, Winnipeg's Rhett "Shaggy" Carpet doesn't look at first glance like an elite goalie, but he is. Shaggy plays behind a team defence that is below average, but he picks up the slack with a save percentage that is well above average, and he does it day in and day out consistently, putting in 56 appearances in S78. His total of 22 goals saved above expected is better than all but two goalies in the league.


Most Valuable Player: Adam Prpich - LAP



It is admittedly a bit of a stretch that the top scorer on the league's best team -- and two-time Ron Mexico winner -- would be considered an "unsung hero".  Los Angeles C Adam Prpich is well-known as an elite player. But his performance in S78 is no less worthy of consideration for the MVP award than those of this year's nominees.  He is an excellent contributor on both power play and penalty kill, but only one player in the league scored at a higher rate per minute at even strength. It doesn't get much better than this.