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***WannabeFinn*** · 01-19-2018, 05:03 PM

TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.

I think that the answer is Richard C. Hocolate for the Calgary Dragons. He's spent so much of his career as a backup goaltender and has even won two Cups along the way. But this season is his Cup run. Hocolate plays only 6 games in a season for seven straight seasons. This season, his first as the undisputed starter for the Dragons, he posted respectable numbers. 21 wins, .908 sv%, 4 shutouts.

For the Rage I would say that Erik Lundqvist had the longest, hardest path to the Cup. The Swedish goaltender spent the first 14 seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Panthers. He struggled along the way to do enough for his team to make the playoffs. The Panthers never made the playoffs with Lundqvist as the starter. He made a few playoffs runs as backup goalie with the Panthers, but never played any meaningful minutes and never walked away with a Cup win. Once again, Lundqvist finds himself as a sparingly used backup goaltender. But when he has been called upon by the Rage, he's been phenomenal.

TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

The unsung hero for the Calgary Dragons thus far has got to be Connor O'Reilly. The aging veteran logged considerable top 4 minutes in the playoffs at 21.83 average minutes per game, with nearly 3 minutes of that each night being spent on the penalty kill. Despite such a defensive-heavy deployment, O'Reilly still managed to be an offensive factor in even strength situations. The Irishman chipped in 2 goals and 7 assists through 17 games as well as a +12 plus/minus rating. Every good team needs players like Connor O'Reilly who can anchor a 2nd pairing and truly solidify their depth.

For the Manhattan Rage, I'll say that Bennett Jones is the unsung hero. Following a mid-season trade from the Buffalo Stampede to the Manhattan Rage, Bennett Jones has been able to add some complementary scoring from the 3rd line. Despite playing a little more 13 minutes a night, Jones still managed to score 3 goals and add 5 assists in 20 games. Every Cup contending team needs consistent scoring from their bottom 6 forwards and Bennett Jones added that element to boost their strong group of top 6 forwards.

TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

Look for Dani Forsberg and Roman Augustus to make names for themselves on the Calgary Dragons. The 2nd year professional out of Sweden has produced a significant amount of offense along the way for Calgary with 15 points in 17 games. And he's producing all of this while only playing a hair over 18 minutes per night. Roman Augustus has stepped into the Dragons' top 4 and despite some struggles has done an admirable job for such a young player. He's been deployed with limited offensive opportunities and as a workhorse defensively.

Manhattan will have Brett Kennedy looking to make a name for himself in these playoffs. He's hoping to assert himself as a key piece of the Rage's top 6 and not just as a complimentary piece of it. Despite rarely shooting the puck this postseason, Kennedy still played well in a defensive role and as a playmaker. 60 hits and 53% faceoff wins are strong numbers from this young 2nd line center.

TASK SIX: You’re the coach of a team in the finals. What changes would you make to the roster, lines or strategies of the team to give the team a better chance at winning the series? Must be at least 150 words.

If I'm Calgary, I swap Jagr and Izzy on the 2nd and 3rd lines respectively. Jagr might play a better defensive game, but his offensive abilities at this point in his career do not warrant top 6 ice time or time on the power play. I also understand why Calgary has loaded their powerplay units with forwards and only utilize Boychuk on the man advantage. But I think I would have a little more faith in Augustus and allow him to play on the powerplay ahead of Jagr.

If I'm Manhattan, I don't touch a thing. Getting great production out of the blueline, especially from recent acquisition Winston Windsor. The forwards are getting played big minutes but they're making out just fine. Goaltender Jason Aittokallio is playing lights out and is in a groove. Don't want to change anything up and potentially mess with what's working right now. Impressive job all around.

wumaduce · 01-19-2018, 05:34 PM

TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.

Geoffrey Allen. People don't understand how much adversity Geoffrey Allen had to overcome to get to this point in his career. Being born in Buffalo, Allen grew up not knowing anything about success. He was a fan of the Sabres and the Bills growing up, and was used to soul crushing defeats. Allen fought through loss after loss. He started playing hockey, hoping some day he would carry the Sabres to a Cup win. Well, that didn't happen. Allen ended up in the SHL, where he took the league by storm. There are two big moments in his career that happened off the ice, and he doesn't like talking about, that really shaped his determination to take over the SHL. When he was in the SMJHL, he went to use the showers after his first practice and couldn't figure out how to turn on the hot water. No one would tell him, either, they just laughed and laughed. Eventually the water started to boil from the steam coming off his head. Allen essientally went Super Saiyan and started to take the league by storm. The other time was his first practice after coming up to the SHL. In an attempt to prank the new guy, someone hid his skates before practice. Allen once again overcame all odds and had one of the best practices of all the guys on the ice. It earned him a great deal of respect. Allen is a true champion, and has overcome
everything thrown at him to really prosper in the SHL.

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TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

I would have to say that the unsung hero in the S38 playoffs would be Winston Windsor of the Manhatten Rage. After being traded from the Texas Renegards to Manhatten in the offseason, he put up an extremely impressive 38 points in 50 games this season. However, it's the playoffs where he really shined and proved that the trade was one that was going to pay off for quite a long time. During the playoffs, Windsor ended up coming in third on the team with 11 points in 14 games. Windsor lived up to, and surpassed, every expectation that the Rage had for him after aquiring him from Texas. After having a great first season with the Rage, there's high hopes for Windsor moving forward to next season. He's proven himself to be an upcoming first pair defenseman, and if he can continue his play he could become a shutdown defenseman for the Rage for quite a long time.

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TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

Roman Augustus, the rookie superstar from Calgary, is the standout rookie from the Finals. He ended up second in scorig for Calgary with 18 points in 50 games, but finished with a -4 rating overall. He was a shot blocking monster, leading the team with 78 blocked shots over the course of the season. His legs weren't exactly happy with him. Once the playoffs started, he decided to really turn his game on. In 11 games, he scored 8 points and managed to block another 14 shots. His legs, once thinking they'd get a break, didn't. While a lot of people didn't see Calgary making it out of the first round, Augustus managed to help carry the team into the Finals. He blew the critics out of the water and cemented himself as an up-and-coming stud for the Calgary defense. Hopefully he's able to continue on this path, and be a shutdown defenseman next season.

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TASK SIX: Youâ€™re the coach of a team in the finals. What changes would you make to the roster, lines or strategies of the team to give the team a better chance at winning the series? Must be at least 150 words.

As a coach of a team in the finals, the biggest changes I would be able to make to give my team a much better chanc eof winning the series would be to keep the hot players together, if they have chemistry. I feel like the better the team plays together, the hotter the players are, and the more damage they can inflict on the opposing team over the course of a seven game series. If we start allowing too many goals, I'd probably shuffle the defense around to make sure that the my shutdown defenseman is on the ice against the top line, possibly even top two lines as much as possible. He may get tired over the course of the seven game series, but he's got all summer to recover from it. If we end up with a solid lead, I'd even switch to a 1-3-1 defense regardless of how much of a game killer it is.

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ArGarBarGar · 01-19-2018, 06:01 PM

TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.

Bubba Nuck clearly had to deal with the most adversity to get to where they were at. He started the season with nobody really thinking he had the chops to be a major player in the league any longer, and he went out and had a pretty good season all things considered. From there he was a major contributor for the Rage in their first round matchup. However, the second round was a problem for Nuck because he had a horrible first three games and from there the team was only one loss away from being eliminated from the playoffs entirely. That is where Nuck had to deal with the most adversity. He went up against the top lines each and every single matchup, then was able to use his veteran wiles to will the team to a game 7 matchup, and from there he was able to do what needed to be done to get it done.

TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

Jones of the Rage may not be the best talent in the league, but I consider him to have been a major factor in Manhattan having made it this far, and if they win it all, he will be a reason. Jones has only spent 189 minutes on the ice, a full two and a half hours less than teammate Wyatt Wolker. In that time, however, he has played amazing hockey. To begin with five blocked shots would be impressive for ANY forward over an entire season, not even considering the fact that he was able to do that in two hard fought playoff series (only 14 total games). That ability to hold opponents in check might be all a GM would ask for from depth players, but Bennett Jones has also scored six points, with one goal and five assists. Being good enough to limits goals allowed while aiding goals scored makes him good enough to be on the ice in any situation. For that combination of performances, leading to a +/- of +5 overall, Jones is the man I would consider to be the unsung hero in these playoffs.

TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

There is only one rookie who is really looking to make a name for himself in these finals, and it is Roman Augustus of the Calgary Dragons. He started his career with an okay run, scoring 3 goals and 18 points, but was a -4 and only played 21 minutes a night. Augustus has been using these playoffs to try and make a name for himself and prove that he could be the next great defender coming out of Calgary. Can he do it? It really depends. But so far Augustus has certainly produced to a small degree. What he really needs to do is keep up the blocked shots, as he had 78 blocked shots over the course of the regular season. Unfortunately nobody on Manhattan is really trying to make a name for themselves, as Evgeny Yakikov didnâ€™t even play and he was their only rookie on the roster.

TASK SIX: Youâ€™re the coach of a team in the finals. What changes would you make to the roster, lines or strategies of the team to give the team a better chance at winning the series? Must be at least 150 words.

The Dragons are on their heels in this series, going into Manhattan down 3 games to 2. They need to do something drastic to win these finals. What they need to do is get Pedersen off the top line. He has been terrible and him being a long standing veteran doesnâ€™t mean he deserves the spot. I would give it to Mike Izzy, as he and his name have been a major contributor to the Dragons wins, and being relegated to the third line simply isnâ€™t enough for me to accept. Izzy is the ace in the hole, and with Kurczewski and Randleman feeding him passes regularly, he could score 50 goals in the playoffs alone. With such a terrible defense on the roster (I canâ€™t even begin to think of what to do with that monstrosity), they can only rely on scoring a lot of goals, and Mike Izzy is surely the key.

Alonzo Garbanzo Final Tallies (Among Defensemen):
2nd in Goals (208), All-Time Assists Leader (765)*, All-Time Points Leader (973), 3rd in Hits (2587), All-Time Blocked Shots Leader (1882)*
*All-Time Leader Among All Skaters
Player Profile | Update Thread
[Image: IeEV7Iv.png]

Kylrad · 01-19-2018, 06:15 PM

1. Out of all the players in the finals Luke Atmey of the Manhattan Rage definitely had to overcome the most adversity to get here to have his shot at the cup. He started off his career in the SMJHL as a free agent signing with the falcons for a playoff run before being entered in the SMJHL draft, once in the draft despite his talent being clearly above everyone else he fell heavily in the draft due to concerns over his commitment and attitude and fell right into the lap of the falcons again becoming a steal. He proved his talent once again in the smjhl and got drafted top 3 in the SHL draft by the Hamilton Steelhawks. There his career was almost ruined as he had to suffer the reign of Hallsy, a trauma that many never recover from. Luckily however he was traded to the rage and has constantly been a top scorer in the league since and now sees himself in the finals with a shot at the cup.

2. The unsung hero of the playoffs is clearly Luke Atmey. He has all the normal stats such as Luke Atmey leading the rage in goals with 9 and being 4th in points while having less ice time than those above him as well as +6. More importantly however is the fact that nobody likes Luke Atmey. He's cocky, arrogant weak, soft and a prick even if he looks good and gets everyone looking at him. Even his own team doesn't like him since he's a puck hog leading them in shots. Due to him being such an annoying player as well as weak with only 8 hits and 6 shots blocked, that makes him a target that everyone wants to take out. Teams often get distracted trying to hit Luke Atmey that they end up chasing him around the ice and this opens up the rest of the ice for his team to take advantage of and cash in.

4. Neither the Rage or the Dragons are particularly young teams with that many standout rookies or young players making in impact as both are backed by a veteran core. One younger player however who is having quite an impact in the playoffs for the dragons and could prove themselves even further in the finals is Dani Forsberg. Forsberg has 15 points in 17 games the 4th most on the dragons and has been a heavy play maker with 12 assists all with way less ice time than everyone above him. He's also had a good physical presence with 53 hits and 12 pims. If Forsberg can continue his playmaking ways in the finals along with his physical presence and potentially score some key goals in the finals he could really show himself as a top and up and coming player in the league at a very young age in his career.

6.The Calgary Dragons are a much deeper and better team than the Manhattan Rage, hence why so many are surprised how the Rage made it this far and lucked their way to the finals. One thing the rage do have going from them however is that they have some great top end talent as well as in net. So if I was the coach of the Rage i would just play those top players since they can't compete with the depth of Calgary at all and the Rage players never get tired for some reason. This is basically already what the rage are doing with their top 2 forward lines each getting 45% and their top 2 d pairs getting 40% each. In order to guarantee a cup however i'd take this one step forward and just play Luke Atmey the whole game. Atmey is clearly their best player and never gets tired so keeping him on the ice the whole time is a easy way to win the cup.

Jenny · 01-19-2018, 06:26 PM

TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.

The player who had to experience the most hardship and horror on his way to the Challenge Cup finals in S38 is most definitely the one and only Lukas Muller, a rookie defenceman on the Manhattan Rage. After being drafted in the early rounds of the SHL draft by the New England Wolfpack, Muller had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He returned to the Halifax Raiders of the SMJHL as a star player and performed well on the ice - but the off-ice drama in the league got to him, and he started to express doubts about his long-term SHL goals. After leaving New England, Muller became a career SMJHL player - or so everyone thought. When Muller was traded to the Detroit Falcons, he refused to play for them, and ultimately ended up as a roster filler player in Manhattan instead. Not exactly the typical path to the SHL that a top prospect takes, but hey - doubts and toxicity aside, Muller has achieved the ultimate dream of winning the Challenge Cup.

TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

I don't profess to know anything at all about the inner workings of an SHL team's roster (save for my own), but the Manhattan Rage seem to have successfully built a team with fair few rookies this season - it makes sense, considering this is not the first time the Rage has visited the finals in recent seasons. But the one rookie they do have listed on their roster is Evgeny Yakikov, and he was definitely looking to make an impact on the roster throughout the postseason. In fact, in the twenty games Yakikov "played" as a part of the Rage in these playoffs, he posted one minute of ice time. His average ice time of 0.03 minutes per game gave the veteran players some essential extra seconds of rest, and of course, they were motivated to make sure he didn't spend more than his deserved time out there. Definitely a contribution to the team worth talking about.

TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

I am of the opinion that the Manhattan Rage's unsung hero of the hour in these S38 Challenge Cup finals was none other than Niklaus St. Croix, a third pair defenceman who performed well under pressure. Despite his inability to buy a goal, St. Croix played a solid defensive game, which is exactly what the Manhattan Rage needed from him. With fourteen average minutes per game throughout the twenty the Rage played, St. Croix blocked twenty shots and laid 53 hits, putting him on par with guys like Hunky Monkey, Bubba Nuck, and Brett Kennedy, all of whom played around twenty-three to twenty-four minutes per game. St. Croix's job was to ensure that those guys could get back on the ice and help their forwards make the offensive plays without worrying that their time on the bench was going to end up with a goal against and a trailing score to catch up with.

~~formx~~ · 01-19-2018, 06:35 PM

TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.

This is a story about Winston Windsor. A man who went through many miserable years with the Edmonton Blizzard. One day he was suddenly traded to the Texas Renegades. This situation brought him happiness as he finally found a winning team to be on and he made good friends. Being with Texas, he had won that first cup in 8 years, but he had also found his first love. His lover being Beau Bent, the offensive black hole for the Renegades. Winston finally found his happiness being with Bent. But that happiness ended a year after the cup victory. Believing he found a home in Texas, the tampering situation regarding GM Conklin Owen had happened. Due to the harsh penalties levied upon the Renegades, Owen was forced to trade Windsor to the Manhattan Rage. Windsor who was much saddened due to leaving the place he considered home, and being separated from the love of his life. Due to this adversity, Winston felt it was his duty for the last season of his career to win one more cup for the state of Texas, and for the love of his life Beau Bent. Winston had done that and proposed to Bent where they will make glorious love for the rest of their days.
TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

The unsung hero of the S38 playoffs has to be Winston Windsor. The former Texas Renegades defenseman had to endure a tampering scandal with the Texas based club. As a result he was traded to the Manhattan Rage. Due to the trade and it being his last season, he was not expected to have a great season. But he proved all of them wrong. In the Rage's cup winning campaign, he was tied for the Rage's scoring lead with 18 points. He was also a force on the Powerplay for the Rage scoring 3 PP goals, 3 PP assists, for a total of 6 PP points. Windsor also had taken 7 faceoffs with a winning percentage of 43% which is extremely impressive considering he is a defenseman. He is a player that can do it all and one can argue that Windsor's versatility is what led the Manhattan Rage to the S38 Challenge Cup.

TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

A young player that had name a name for himself is Paddy Kane-Rielly. The young Firebirds star made a huge contribution towards breaking the Firebirds 30 season cup drought. During the playoffs he had 6 goals and 8 assists in 14 games while also having shooting percentage of 14.6%. It was in the finals where he really showed up. In game two he was the driving force of the 6-0 Firebirds win where he had 2 goals and an assist in the blowout win. He as also the first star in a 5-2 Firebirds win where he assisted on a Blåbär Bananerström that had given the Firebirds the lead and later he had scored the goal that cemented the victory for the Firebirds. Finally in Game 7, he had made an important interception of a Viktor Kolesnikovs pass which led to the game winning goal by Dionýz Vyskoč. Paddy Kane-Rielly made a name for himself in the most important way possible. If you look back at the S38 Firebirds playoff run, you gotta think of what Paddy Kane-Rielly's contribution was.

TASK SIX: You’re the coach of a team in the finals. What changes would you make to the roster, lines or strategies of the team to give the team a better chance at winning the series? Must be at least 150 words.

If I were the coach of the Calgary Dragons for Game 6, I would've made these changes which I feel would've helped Calgary win game 6 and force a game 7

Center Left Wing Right Wing
1 Joe Kurczewski Nicholas Pedersen Randy Randleman
2 Shane Gagner Esa Anrikkanen Dani Forsberg
3 Alex Mack Mike Izzy Schnitinfritz Jagr
4 Randy Randleman Shane Gagner Joe Kurczewski

5 vs 5 Defense
Defense Defense
1 Michael Boychuk Connor O'Reilly
2 Roman Augustus Pierre-Luc Laflamme
3 Casey Creller Chuck Goody Jr.

The only changes here is that I would switch what lines players Schnitinfritz Jagr and Esa Anrikkanen play. Esa Anrikkanen despite his age is a player that can definitely play and still be able to be able to produce on a 3rd line with Mike Izzy and Alex Mack. Meanwhile, Jagr is not able to find chemistry with forwards Shane Gagner and Dani Forsberg. I think that 2nd line is one that needs a lot of chemistry and experience. I think putting Esa on a 2nd line would reunite him with a familiar line mate in Gagner and I think it would fix Gagner's own scoring woes during the playoffs. And for Jagr, playing on the 3rd line would put him up with Alex Mack who has been carrying his line all playoffs and bringing the best out of his line mates. I think if this change was done, the Dragons would've forced Game 7 and perhaps even win the Challenge Cup.

Sleepy · 01-19-2018, 06:53 PM

***CampinKiller*** · 01-19-2018, 06:56 PM

TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.

Geoffrey Allen from the Manhattan Rage had to overcome some of, if not the most adversity to get to where he is now.

Allen had spent his whole SHL career as a Texas Renegade and from what we can tell, he never wanted to leave. He is in his final SHL season and very well could have retired as the rare never moved teams player. This did not happen, obviously. A late offseason trade sent Geoffrey Allen and team mate Winston Windsor to the Manhattan Rage where they are now in the SHL finals for one last kick at the can.

If this trade doesnâ€™t put him at the top of the overcome adversity list then remember he also had really bad chapped lips this season and he never once complained. He took those dry cracked lips and used it to motivate him to be that extra offensive talent Manhattan needed to make it to the finals once again

TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

I believe the unsung hero of the S38 Challenge Cup playoffs is Winston Windsor of the Manhattan Rage. An off-season addition at the beginning of the season, Windsor and fellow renegade Allen were brought in for this exact purpose, to get the Rage over the hump and in to the playoffs. So far they've done that and then some as the Rage are set for a 7 game winner take all series with the western conference champions, the Calgary Dragons. Whether with Tanaka and Muller in Edmonton, Kaiser and Vader in Texas or Nuck and Wollker in Manhattan, Winston has always played second fiddle in a top defensive pairing, yet manages to rise to the occasion when it matters most. This post-season is no different. 3rd in team scoring, and 2nd in defensive scoring, Winston has managed to score 11 points in 14 games, including 6 goals. Throw in a team leading 36 blocked shots and you can't deny the amazing value Winston brings to the team as the 4th defenseman in the depth chart for the Manhattan organisation. Can Winston Windsor help carry the Rage to another 7 game series victory and lift the cup for the 3rd time in his illustrious career? Stay tuned.

TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

Lets be real here, this was Dani Forsberg's coming out party. He finished the playoffs with 15 points in 17 games despite playing predominately on the 3rd line and 2nd PP. That's good for the 3rd highest scoring forward on the Dragons behind only the two goats, Randleman and Kurczewski. On top of that, he was 3rd on his team in hits with 53. The playoffs are a whole different beast compared to the regular season and bringing physical play to the table is absolutely necessary for success. His shooting percentage was really low coming in at 5.77% (despite 99 Scoring) so that tells me that Forsberg performed actually below his absolute peak while still also putting up as many points as he did. It's looking like this guy could be a really important playoff performer already early on in his career. It's a valuable asset to have for any team knowing they can count on a player to perform when the lights shine the brightest.

TASK SIX: Youâ€™re the coach of a team in the finals. What changes would you make to the roster, lines or strategies of the team to give the team a better chance at winning the series? Must be at least 150 words.

I think the adjustment I would make to Calgary would be a slight adjustment to the defensive pairings in order to reduce their goals against which currently sits at 3.00 per game compared to 2.2 for the Rage. I would put Boychuk and Augustus together since Boychuk is more defensive minded and Augustus is more offensive. They compliment each other in other ways too as Boychuk is a better passer, skater and checker while Augustus handles the puck better. Then I would put Oâ€™reilly and Creller on the second line together since one is defensive minded and Creller is offensive. Creller brings a little more physical presence than Oâ€™Reilly does but Oâ€™Reilly can pass and handle the puck better. The third line would be two defensive minded players in Laflamme and Goody Jr. Neither will bring much hitting or offense to the table but can skate, pass and handle the puck well and can match up against the other teams first or second lines.

academydropout · 01-19-2018, 06:57 PM

Quote:TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.

There is a case to be made here for the entire Prince George Firebirds organisation, but one man in particular stands out among the multitude of names on the roster. DionÃ½z VyskoÄ. The man known to the "spicy chickens" locker room as Dildo. Questionable "affectionate" nickname aside, VyskoÄ has suffered "the curse" for his entire time in Prince George. The extreme drought that has kept the Firebirds' trophy cabinet barren hit the talented forward -- notably, he has suffered defeat in the playoffs in every one of his previous three seasons in Prince George, despite the talent on every incarnation of the team -- and in his final year of eligibility, the entire organisation contrived to win the Four Star Cup for their beloved leader.

Some would partially blame VyskoÄ for the controversial trade made by the Firebirds this year to bring in veteran talent in a last ditch attempt to, as the hashtag says, "win it for Dildo". Despite the criticisms, VyskoÄ just did what he does best, and was arguably the team's MVP in their championship winning playoff run, culminating in his game seven overtime winner.

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Quote:TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

The unsung hero of the playoffs is a guy who is consistently doing the dirty work for Prince George Firebirds, always willing to lay the lumber -- even if it gets him minutes in the box -- to make sure his team doesn't get bullied, or intimidating. To make sure the spicy chickens stay spicy, in fact. That man is John Grossman Jr.

The big defenseman led all defenders in the playoffs in hits, with forty-three. That's more than three hits per game on average, the best ratio in the playoffs this past season. Many have expressed concern over Grossman's discipline, but by his standards, he was restrained in the playoffs, racking up only twenty-two penalty infraction minutes -- less than two minutes per game. This meant he was on the ice as much as could be reasonably expected for a heavy-hitting, lumber-laying defenseman such as he. Sure, there are more things to be concerned about when evaluating performance, but it's hard to imagine the Firebirds going toe-to-toe with the Militia and Falcons over seven games and coming out on top. The extra edge afforded to the team by the presence of Grossman was enough to put them over, but he won't be revered like their free-scoring forwards, or seemingly unbeatable goalkeeper. He probably should be.

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Quote:TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

The rookie to watch in the playoffs was definitely Mikhail Petrikov of the Prince George Firebirds. The first year junior quickly rose to the first line alongside Maurice Picard, and anchored an excellent Firebirds defense throughout the playoffs. Much like Picard, more-so in fact, Petrikov was a clear factor on offense, contributing nine points in the playoffs to be highest point-scoring rookie defenseman in post-season and help fire the spicy chickens to the Four Star Cup. Notably, Petrikov was involved in the build-up to the eventual game-winning goal in game seven of the Four Star Cup final series.

In addition to his offensive contributions, Petrikov still chipped in on defense -- twelve blocked shots is comparable to his line-mate and noted defensive presence Maurice Picard -- while taking care to remain on the ice as much as possible. Just four penalty infraction minutes through the playoffs, meaning his shooting and playmaking ability was available to the Firebirds throughout most of his time on the ice, and when your rookie defenseman shoots 13.64% at a rate of 0.62 points per twenty minutes (the highest among all your defensemen) ... you want to keep him on the ice.

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Quote:TASK SEVEN: Design a t-shirt or a rally towel for one of the teams in the finals. Must include some text (a slogan), the teamâ€™s logo and a local sponsor for the giveaway.

PeanutButter · 01-19-2018, 06:57 PM

TASK ONE: Dick Chocolate has faced the most adversity between all the players in the playoffs. He had to be drafted to the Calgary Dragons, a team that had their franchise goaltender well before he even thought to be in the SHL, which means he was never going to get a fair shake on the team. Now with him finally getting a chance, he has been pretty inconsistent, which is probably because he didn't get much playing time for most of his career (thanks to Wong). He did okay against Seattle last year, but then again they didn't do well as a team so it didn't matter, but with that in mind he was finally able to get his act together towards the end of this season and make a playoff run that Wong would be proud of. They didn't even up winning it, but considering his very small number of starts, he is almost like a rookie at this point. Too bad he isn't as young as a rookie, since his career may not have much in the tank after this.

TASK TWO: The unsung hero for the Manhattan Rage would be Geoffrey Allen. Allen was once a top forward in the league but the grizzly Veteran has seen his play dip a bit, and considering he had to move on to Manattan despite being the major piece of the Texas Renegades, that makes things even worse for him.. He has been a staple on the Rage's top line getting 8 points in 14 games. He averages 24.14 minutes per game which is really good for a veteran player. His 42 penalty killing minutes in these playoffs is outstanding (although the Rage's PK only sits at 78%). Allen also plays on the power-play. 4 of his 87 points have come on the man advantage. The Rage have a 21.62 power play percent which is a lot better than the Dragons at 15.79. So Allen's power play presence may be a difference maker. I think having a grizzled Veteran like Geoffrey Allen is making a massive difference on the Rage both on and off the ice. Allen brings cup experience and the winning mentality to any team.

TASK FOUR: Roman Augustus has been great for the Calgary Dragons. A former captain of the St. Louis Scarecrows, Augustus has had no problem adjusting to the SHL. He leads all rookies in playoff points with 8 (all assists), which is very impressive for a defenseman. Playing with a great veteran like Pierre-Luc LaFlamme has really helped Augustus, as LaFlamme has taken a mentorship role. Augustus also has blocked 14 shots, second on the team behind Michael Boychuk (who has 25 blocked shots and like I said before deserves a lot of praise himself). He hasn’t been afraid to put his body on the line to help block shots. Augustus is going to be a future star, and the Challenge Cup Finals could be his coming-out party.

TASK SIX: The two teams somewhat run a different style of offense and defense, considering the Rage had a more top-heavy offensive unit and better depth and defense in comparison to the Dragons. If anything, with the way the series has been going the Dragons should try and emulate more on the Rage's side, but in the opposite direction. They only have one or two really good defenders, and with that in mind they need to lean on them much more. As far as forwards they need to spread the wealth around and force the Rage to get their top guys tired. With that the Dragons may be able to pull this thing off completely (not taking into account the fact the Dragons lost anyway).

TheWoZy · 01-19-2018, 07:05 PM

1. It has been a long road for young star Luke Atmey. In S32, Luke Atmey was at third overall by the Hamilton Steelhawks. He then helped the Detroit Falcons to make an epic comeback against the Montreal Militia and the Halifax Raiders. Unfortunately, the Falcons got swept by the Knights in the Four Star Cup final. In S33, he was called up to play in the SHL for the Hamilton Steelhawks. For three years, he has won a few trophies as a steelhawks but he was never able to make to the playoffs. The management lost their faith on him and they traded him to Manhattan. The next two seasons, he failed again and again but he didn't give up. He knows that he's skillful, he just need to be more consistent and to never give up. Today, he made it to the playoffs and beat the best two teams in the Eastern Conference. He's now one series away to win the Challenge Cup.

2. In my opinion, Brett Kennedy is the unsung hero of the S38 SHL playoffs. Some of you might be shocked by this one but I really do think that Kennedy has been a very important player for the Rage success in the playoffs and we should give him some more credits for his hard work. He has only scored 2 goals during the playoffs but he has been a very good playmaker and he has over 10 points. He's also playing around 24 minutes per game. He has been very physical through the series with over 60 hits. I feel like him playing that much minutes and putting up a lot of hits is really underappreciated but he's working way much than the players that are averaging a shooting % under 10. He also has been the best defensive forward on the team. He's not shooting a lot but at least he's scoring and he's positive rating.

4. Dani Forsberg has been a great forward for Calgary. He has never been in the final before so this is his first experience. He has already scored more than 10 points and he has been a very tough player, adding a +50 hits during his playoffs run. He has 12 assists in 17 games which is very good but he needs to change his play style. The finals will be the most important series for him and his team and he really needs to step up his game. It's great to score a lot of points but Dani Forsberg is known for shooting skills. So far, his shooting % is around 5 and he has only 3 goals. So if he could just score more goals during the final, he would be the hero for Calgary and plus, he has already a lot of points so his stats would be even better than it used to be.

6. If I was the manager of the Detroit Falcons, I would have played the BBB line during the final. Last season, they won the cup with the BBB line. They beat the Scarecrows, which were the best team after the trade deadline in my opinion, in 7 games. Then they swept the Militia in the final. The BBB line scored the championship goal and they were the hero of the playoffs run. This season, they keeped again versus the Scarecrows and they won the series so easily. For some reason, the coach decided to change the lines before the final started and it was a terrible mistake. It's true that the Firebirds are the favorite to win the Four Star Cup but you cannot let them intimidated you. They might have selled their future for superstars players but you have the best line in the league. There's no reason to breakup the BBB line. I bet you they would have swept the Firebirds.

Camo · 01-19-2018, 07:15 PM

TASK FIVE:
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TASK SEVEN:
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storm · 01-19-2018, 07:20 PM

1. Geoffrey Allen is an interesting story in the SHL in terms of how he’s done over his career and specifically his postseason successes and failures. Allen was once drafted to the Texas Renegades and immediately became a solid player for them, putting up an impressive 37 points in only his 3rd season in the SHL. Allen also eventually took over the reins of management for the Renegades, eventually leading them from the basement to one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Although it was lengthy and saw many failed attempts, Allen finally put together the perfect roster with the perfect lines and managed to win the Challenge Cup. While this might not seem like a “hardship” to some, I think it’s really impressive how long Allen stuck to his plans and eventually was rewarded a cup win. After this cup win Allen decided to step back from the management side of things, which allowed the Texas GM to trade his player while they started to retool. Allen was traded to Manhattan and in his old age was able to really dominate and help his team reach the cup finals. I find it really awesome that Allen, having just been shipped to a new team with after only playing on one team his entire career prior, was able to slide right into that top line role and kick some ass.

2. Since this is the only task I can homer it up on, I’m going to take advantage of that and talk about my beloved Wolfpack. In the 7 games that the New England played against the Manhattan Rage in the 1st round of the SHL Playoffs, there were very few consistent players from the squad. Dieter Dominique, Raven Silverwing, Jasper Clayton, sure they all played well, but all of those players had some trouble keeping consistent, however one player really put the team on their back and that is goaltender Mikke Laukkanen. Laukkanen had a very off S37, which helped the Wolfpack miss the playoffs for the first time in seasons. However, in S38 Laukkanen had a bounce back year of sorts, and that was demonstrated perfectly in the playoffs. Laukkanen faced a total 229 shots and managed to save all but 16 of those goals, which resulted in an impressive .930 save percentage and a great goals against average of 2.26. Overall Laukkanen was a bright spot in an otherwise dull playoff run for the Wolfpack.

4. Since all of the other rookies had pretty piss poor playoff performances, I’m going to do what I’d imagine everyone else did and talk about Roman Augustus. Augustus joined the Dragons this season and became a pretty important part of their unexpected Challenge Cup run. Augustus logs roughly 21 minutes a night for the Dragons, which as a rookie, is no small feat by any means. Right now he seems to be a bit snake-bitten when it comes to scoring goals, but he’s definitely done well in the assists category, putting up 9 of em’ in the 16 games he played. He certainly has made a name for himself as a possible break out player for next season, which I assume he will accomplish with ease. Although he was a -4, and clearly needs to work on his game in almost every aspect, he still seems like a promising and dedicated player who will have a long and successful career. Best of luck to him.

6. Since I’m actually an SHL coach this task pains me quite a bit. Just needed to say that. If I were the coach of the Calgary Dragons I’d be looking at a few changes to their defensive game and their special teams, specifically. First of all, I don’t know what the hell they were thinking dropping Joe Kurczewski from forward to D on the power play. I’ve had very little success running a forward on the power play defence during my time as a Co-GM and as a coach. I’d probably drop Mike Izzy, who’s been having a pretty rough playoffs, and move Kurczewski alongside Randleman and Pedersen on that first line to emulate their dominate 1st forward line. I’d also run a 1-0-4 on that line, just because they aren’t strong enough in the passing game to get away with running a 0-0-5 on the power play. I’d slot in Forsberg on that 2nd line power play and I’d probably drop them from 40% to 35%, and I’d highly consider running 1 point in physical or 1 point in defence, since I just don’t think they’ve played well enough so far. Aside from that, their team looks really solid, but at the very least I’d probably utilize that fourth line on both offence and defence a bit more than they currently do.

Gooney · 01-19-2018, 07:23 PM

TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.

I think there is a few players here you could choose. But I am going to go with Manhattan rage winger Luke Atmey. Atmey has had a very strong career so far. He already has multiple 50 point seasons in his career. He got drafted to the Hamilton Steelhawks, 3rd overall back in the S32 draft. He looked like he was going to be a star player their for years. After the S35 season where he was able to put up 56 points for the Steelhawks, he was moved to the Rage unexpectedly in a huge deal. I think that was probably a big shock to him. He had still never made the playoffs at this point. The S38 playoffs was actually the first time Luke Atmey had actually made it to them. I think he had great playoffs for them. He came up huge in game 6. Scoring the game winner late in the 3rd, which ended up winning the Rage the Challenge Cup.

TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

My unsung hero of the S38 playoffs would have to be Crossfit Jesus of the Manhattan Rage. Jesus did not put up huge offensive numbers for the Dragon. But I think he was integral to them winning the Challenge Cup. He played a lot of minutes for the Dragons. Averaging about 21 minutes a game for them. He played some solid hockey out there. Making it hard for his opponents. Crossfit Jesus finsihed the playoffs with a +/- of plus 5. That is pretty solid. He also came up big for his club in some huge moments. Probably the biggest goal of his career came in game 6 of the SHL finals. It came about half way through the second period. He was able to put one past Chocalate, giving the Rage a 3-2 lead at the time. They would go on to win 4-3 in that game and win the challenge cup. Jesus had a solid playoffs.

TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

I think one of the young players in the finals that is looking to make a name for themselves would be Calgary Dragons Rookie defense Roman Augustus. Augustus was a highly touted prospect coming into this season. I think overall Augustus had a solid post season for a rookie. In his 17 games he was able to put up 9 points, all of them being assists. He did wind up being a minus player finishing as a -4. Although his stats were not amazing, he was one of the Dragons better defender. He played some huge minutes for them. Averaging almost a total of 22 minutes per game. I think Roman Augustus has made a name for himself in these playoffs. He is soon going to be one of the best defenders in the SHL. I think if the Dragons did not have him, they probably would not have made the finals.

TASK SEVEN: Design a t-shirt or a rally towel for one of the teams in the finals. Must include some text (a slogan), the teamâ€™s logo and a local sponsor for the giveaway.

[Image: V41S4j5.png]

Eggy216 · 01-19-2018, 07:23 PM

TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.

Connor O'Reilly has had one hell of a road to the Challenge Cup finals. He started out his career playing for the New England Wolfpack, just missing the team's first ever cup victory by one season (he wasn't yet called up), and then proceeding to miss the team's second cup victory due to a trade out of the organization (the offseason before the team would go on to win the Challenge Cup). That's a pretty rough road to the finish. After he hit that point he struggled to find a new home as he bounced around from team to team, initially going to the Hamilton Steelhawks who quickly entered a rebuild and going to a few more homes (possibly the Jets? I'm drawing a blank but I'm pretty sure that's right) before he finally was able to end up in Calgary and get that Challenge Cup that had always been just a hair out of reach throughout his entire career.

TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

I'm going to have to go with Pietra Volkova for this one. With the Winnipeg Jets, she's been putting up some impressive numbers in these playoffs. In 13 games she's got 17 points, and as a newcomer to a squad that many thought would be towards the bottom of the league this year I think it's safe to say that her numbers have been standout. Maybe she's been too good to really be the "unsung hero," but considering she was an offseason addition to a team many thought would be free falling towards the bottom, I think it's save to honour her with this recognition. Plus she had 31 hits which is pretty good in 17 games, that's up there on the Jets roster. Her shooting percentage is a little low, a hair under 10%, so maybe with a little more puck luck these numbers could have been higher. Look for her to continue making an impact as the Jets push again next season.

TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

Roman Augustus for the Calgary Dragons 100%. He's looking to show that young guys still have a place on the rapidly aging roster that is the Calgary Dragons. I mean fuck I'm pretty sure I saw Esa skating with a walker when he stepped out on the ice for the warmups before game 2, what's up with that <a href='index.php?showuser=1045' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-13'>Steelhead77</a>. And he's done just that in these playoffs, putting up 9 assists from the blue line. He doesn't have any G's yet but that's not what they're looking for out of him, ya feel? This is a guy who's expected to help his teammates out, not shoulder the weight himself. For a young guy just making his way in the league, he's put up some numbers in these playoffs that show not only can he hold his own against some of the best in the league, but that he can pave his own way amongst them. He's gonna be killer down the road.

TASK SIX: You’re the coach of a team in the finals. What changes would you make to the roster, lines or strategies of the team to give the team a better chance at winning the series? Must be at least 150 words.

If I were the Calgary Dragons and I wanted to win the Challenge Cup, I'd be benching Randy Randleman. He's absolutely overrated and doesn't deserve his spot on the roster. 25 points in 17 games. What kind of example is that setting for the rest of his team? He needs to be prepared to put up at least 3 goals per game, and maybe a few assists on top of that if he's feeling generous. This needs to be a guy who makes every fan in Calgary buy extra hats because he's getting so many hat tricks. They're gonna need to be renaming them randletricks. But if he's not playing up to that level of 3 goals per game, then the coach has gotta be benching him to send a message and tell him to step it up and show the rest of the team, nay, the rest of the league, how it's done. <a href='index.php?showuser=1643' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>Ballerstorm</a>

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