Prompt 1

At this point of his career, M’Baku Olubori has strong chemistry with many of his teammates, to the point many teammates hope they can play with him (because then they all perform better). Erik Bergmark in particular was disappointed when he found out Baku would not be his center this season—since his longest time linemate, Adrian O’Rugg, retired, Bergmark has seen himself have the zenith of his career with Baku as his center. Last season, as this one, Baku started off centering the 3rd line with sophomore Brandon Gilleyes and rookie Inge Baardsen. By midseason, however, Baku had moved up to center Bergmark, and both took off offensively.

This season, that did not happen. Baku started and finished the season with the Gilleyes-Baardsen duo, as both saw improvements—Baardsen had a career season offensively (13-39-52), while Gilleyes saw career highs in goals (21) and game winners (4) flanking the veteran Olubori. Beyond the counting stats, Olubori helps bring a calming presence to the young players as they continue to develop their games. It’s fair to expect a big jump in S80 for the young wingers, whether or not they play alongside the Nigerian during his 13th SHL season.

Bergmark, while learning how to play with newest Platoon member, Peter Tingle, had a career low for goals (28) and his lowest offensive output since the S72 season. He was still effective, but not always the gamebreaking scorer we’ve come to expect from the Baltimore captain.