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BDonini · 06-16-2019, 06:49 PM

We are back for another edition of this year's inside look at the SHL award voting, after the success of last season's edition, ex-SHL player Brandon Donini will be joining us again to give us a rundown of his awards ballot and of his thoughts on this season's awards. Joining him will be SHL player agent and award committee member Frith Johnson (@frithjofr ) to give his thoughts on this season's nominees and final votes for the Mexico, Biscuit and Richan awards. The SHL public is already familiar with Donini but since it's is Johnson's first season on the committee we've decided to let him introduce himself.

Johnson Wrote:Hey. My name's Frith, I usually try to stay in character as Darnell but I wanted to take some time to introduce myself properly here. Without going too much into my personal background, I'm a bit of a nerd, especially when it comes to math and science. I use stats and analyze medical data as a chunk of my job, so in a sense this was right up my alley. My first round of nominations was still a pretty cool learning experience. I'm brand new to the awards committee, which makes me a pretty good audience surrogate, and I'd love to share my process for some of the big awards.

Ron Mexico Award (League MVP)
1. DeMaricus Smyth [Image: specters.png]

- Smyth led the league in points with 62 points and his 7.96 point shares also led the league as the veteran forward had a season to remember, standing out on a very good Specters team. Smyth's game was about more than just points as he played 146 minutes on the power play, 124 minutes on the penalty kill, has 16 blocked shots and 97 hits. His underlying stats just solidified his case as he had an incredible 59.67% CF% and a strong 74.7% IPP.

2. Luke Atmey [Image: syndicate.png]

- For the 2nd year in a row Atmey put up stellar performances on a weak syndicate team and this season that performance was good enough to drag the Syndicate into the playoffs. Atmey finished 5th in total point shares with 6.93 and points with 58. The most impressive part of Atmey's season by far is his 86.6% IPP showing just how valuable he was on the ice. His 50.32% CF% is nothing special but once again 5.73% RelCF% tells the story of just how valuable he was individually.

3. Dani Forsberg [Image: platoon.png]

- Forsberg's 60 points were the 4th most points in the league this season, he finished 9th in total point shares with 6.63. He also made big contributions defensively for West Kendall being relied on for 124 minutes of pk time and blocking 16 shots. Forsberg's IPP was an impressive 78.9% and his CF% was also strong at 54.26%.

Final Ballot:
1. DeMaricus Smyth Specters

2. Tommy Tuck Blizzard

3. Mikhail Lokitonov Stars

Comments:

Donini Wrote:Smyth was the easy winner here for me, he had an absolutely dominant season in all aspects and was clearly above his peers. I was surprised by the omission of Luke Atmey from the final ballot seeing as he had an all around amazing season and was a large part of the Syndicate qualifying for the playoffs. Tommy Tuck being on the final ballot was also surprising, while he did have a great season, his performance wasn't even close to that of Benjamin Blue from S46 who was not on the Mexico ballot.

Johnson Wrote:So, first off, let's be clear. There are certain expectations that immediately come to mind when considering the league MVP. In general, I'd agree with all of the nominees, and in fact, the nominee list for this award might have been the shortest out of any of the awards. It was great to see. The criteria for this one is pretty much what you'd expect, an outstanding player in the league and on their team posting big numbers. When it came down to final voting I looked at first the player's position in the league in the flashy stats, then at their position relative to their teammates. Some of the secondary and more advanced stats became a tertiary condition.

John McBride Award (Best Goaltender)
1. Tommy Tuck [Image: blizzard.png]

- Tommy Tuck led the league in Sv% (.919), shutouts (4) and GAA (2.48), he was also second in wins (30). He was a big part of Edmonton's success, contributing 9.92 point shares, enough for 3rd among goalies. His underlying numbers were also impressive as he once again led the league in both quality starts (30) and GSAA (19.49).

2. Jay Bae [Image: syndicate.png]

- Jay Bae led all goalies with 10.27 points shares. Finished second in quality starts (27), GSAA (15.14), Sv% (.915) and tied for the most shutouts (4). An impressive season by all means for Jay Bae who played a huge part in the very young Chicago Syndicate making the SHL playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

3. Kata Vilde [Image: dragons.png]

- Vilde had a solid season for the Dragons once again, putting up the 3rd best Sv& (.912) and GAA (2.79) as well as the 4th best point shares at 9.49. Vilde's 25 quality starts were good enough for 3rd in the league and so was a 11.87 GSAA.

Final Ballot:
1. Tommy Tuck Blizzard

2. Jay Bae syndicate

3. Kata Vilde Dragons

Comments:

Donini Wrote:Another fairly straightforward award, Tuck was the clear leader with Bae and Vilde also comfortably being 2nd and 3rd. Probably the easiest ballot for me.

Scott Stevens Award (Best Defenceman)
1. Tigole Bitties [Image: wolfpack2.png]

- Bitties led all defensemen in points this season with 54, 19 of which came from his astounding 180 power play minutes. He finished 2nd among defensemen in total point shares with 6.77 and had impressive underlying metrics with a 51.22% CF%, 5.13% RelCF% and 71.1% IPP. He was also very good defensively with 145 hits, 76 blocked shots, 124 minutes on the penalty kill and 999 steals.

2. Otis B. Driftwood [Image: dragons.png]

- Driftwood finished 5th among defensemen with 6.15 total point shares and had the 2nd most points for dmen with 53. On the ice he was a force at both ends playing 122minutes on the power play and registering 11 ppp to go along with his 120 pkm, 67 blocks, 161 hits, 979 steals and an impressive 1.25 steal/turnover ratio. His 76.8% IPP is impressive and he has solid possession metrics with a 51.31% CF% and a 1.63% RelCF%.

3. Liam O'Callaghan [Image: renegades.png]

- O'Callaghan's 6.45 total point shares were good enough for 3rd among dmen. He played a very well balanced game for Texas this season contributing offensively with 47 points and 13 power play points in 128 power play minutes. He was also solid at the back, being relied on to kill 133 penalty minutes and contributing 88 hits, 65 blocked shots and 792 steals for a 1.09 steal/turnover ratio.

Final Ballot:
1. Tigole Bitties Wolfpack

2. Otis B. Driftwood Dragons

3. Brady McIntyre Blizzard

Comments:

Donini Wrote:The Stevens is interesting, while Bitties and Driftwood were easy nominees, I felt that McIntyre's underlying numbers were really bad. Having a negative CF% and RelCF% is not a great look for the league's supposed best all around defenseman so I was surprised to see him on the final ballot. That being said the award will likely be contested between Bitties and Driftwood anyways.

Ryan Jesster Award (Best Rookie)
1. Maxime Bouchard [Image: dragons.png]

- Bouchard led rookie scoring by a fairly large margin and also had one of the largest IPP% among rookies at 66.7% and was among the top rookies in CF% as well. He led all rookies with 3.56 total point shares. The rookie forward was a big part of Calgary's power play, playing 119 minutes on the man advantage but in total played less than other top rookies on a strong Dragons team giving him the opportunity to do more than his fellow rookies in less ice time.

2. Sanyi Kocsis [Image: chiefs.png]

- Kocsis finished tied for second in rookie scoring as a defenseman and led all rookies with a 49.2% CF%. Kocsis had 65 blocks, a 1.22 steal/turnover ratio and played 101 minutes on the penalty kill as he made huge defensive contributions to the Chiefs this season. His all around game was also strong as he had 14 points on the powerplay and 29 points in total. He did all this with a 937 PDO meaning he was extremely unlucky to not have done better.

3. Nolan Sawchuk [Image: barracuda.png]

- Sawchuk had 29 points leaving him tied for 2nd among rookies, his underlying numbers were not as strong as the other two nominees but still had him comfortably above most of the league's other rookies. He had a 47.73% CF% and 2.63 total point shares to go along with a 58% IPP% giving him a solid rookie season.

Final Ballot:
1. Maxime Bouchard Dragons

2. Sanyi Kocsis Chiefs

3. Guy Zheng Wolfpack

Comments:

Donini Wrote:Bouchard stood out above the other rookies for me and should win the Jesster relatively easily, after that the field was wide open as several rookies had some very good seasons. It was interesting to see the opinions of other committee members and while Zheng wasn't in my personal top 3 it would be unfair to say that he wasn't deserving of a nomination.

Jeff Dar Award (Best Two-Way Forward)
1. Mike Izzy [Image: dragons.png]

- Izzy was a fantastic player at both ends of the ice for Calgary this season putting up 50 points while leading the league with 208 hits. He also blocked 26 shots and played 120 minutes on the penalty kill for Calgary. His 0.93 steal/turnover ratio was strong for a forward and he had good possession numbers with a 52.43% CF%.

2. Viktor Marius [Image: stampede.png]

- Marius was once again one of the league's premier power forwards putting up the 2nd most hits in the league at 195 and adding 50 points to prove that he's also an offensive threat. Marius also had 18 blocks and a very good 54.31% CF%.

3. Sophia Bennett [Image: platoon.png]

- Bennett was among the league's leaders in defensive point shares for forwards with her 1.91 dps being good enough for 4th among forwards. She had strong possession numbers with a 53.83 CF% and on the ice she was a force, putting up 52 points and 154 hits.

Final Ballot:
1. Mike Izzy Dragons

2. Viktor Marius Stampede

3. Teddy Cuddles Blizzard

Comments:

Donini Wrote:Similar case to the Stevens here where the award will likely be fought out between Marius and Izzy. Izzy just edges it for me this season. Beyond that it was a pretty open field, there were about 4-5 potential candidates for the 3rd nomination and Cuddles is certainly a good choice.

Bojo Biscuit Award (Best Defensive Defenseman)
1. GOD McZehrl [Image: stampede.png]

- McZehrl finished 4th in defensive point shares with 3.78, he had 104 hits and 60 blocked shots to go along with 114 minutes on the league's best penalty kill showing how reliable he was for Buffalo in the defensive zone. His underlying numbers tell the same story as he had a strong CF% at 56.58% and a solid RelCF% at 2.84%. His 916 steals and 1.27 steal/turnover ratio just solidify his case as the league's best defensive defenseman even more.

2. Tigole Bitties [Image: wolfpack2.png]

- Bitties finished slightly lower than the other nominees in defensive point shares coming in at 8th with 3.61, what was most impressive about Bitties' season was his RelCF% which at 5.13%, blew most of the other contenders for the Biscuit away. He played 128 minutes on the penalty kill for New England and his in game stats were just as impressive as his underlying stats with 145 hits, 75 blocked shots and 999 steals. His 1.06 steal/turnover ratio was a little lower than some of the other contenders but not enough to outweigh everything else.

3. Geoff Moore [Image: chiefs.png]

- Moore deserving of a nominee for a second straight season as he's proving to be one of the league's more underrated defensive defensemen, Moore had the 6th highest defensive point shares in the league with 3.66. What he lacked for in hits he made up for with his 76 blocked shots, 925 steals and a 1.24 steal/turnover ratio. He also had strong underlying numbers with a 52.2% CF% and a 3.79% RelCF%.

Final Ballot:
1. GOD McZehrl Stampede

2. Richard Physt Specters

3. Clint Eastwood Specters

Comments:

Donini Wrote:For the second season in a row the Biscuit award featured a very wide field of potential nominees. McZehrl stood out above everyone else and should win the award. I was hesitant to include Bitties due to his nomination for the Stevens but his defensive performance was just too good to overlook. Physt being a nominee does not surprise me as he had a very good season and was close to being on my ballot, Eastwood on the other hand was not one of the players that I thought would make the cut. For the second season in a row Geoff Moore missed the cut which is unfortunate as he had a quietly good season once again, a very underrated defenseman.

Johnson Wrote:My player, Darnell Johnson (Go Boats! Go Ghosts!) is a Defensive D-Man himself, so I've often thought hard about... Just what stats reflect a good stay at home d-man. This award was really contested in the nominations, and the final nominations list doesn't look anything like my own. However we can agree that all of those players deserve to be up there. It's a really tough thing when you look at a defensive d-man in the SHL, because you don't get the "eye test" like you do in real life. You're stuck with stats, and stats alone, and a lot of those stats are what I'd call false friends. You might think "Oh, the guy blocking the most shots should probably be up there," but not necessarily. You'd have to consider why they're blocking so many shots, why is the opposition allowed so much possession time to get those shots off? Maybe they had disproportionate time on the PK, maybe their partner gives up a lot of turnovers. For this award more than any other, you really have to look at all the stats together and sort of let them form a web.

Aidan Richan Award (Most Improved Player)
1. Brady McIntyre [Image: blizzard.png]

- In a season that was almost worthy of a Stevens nom, McIntyre had a career year in points, hits, shots, blocks and power play points taking him from a good 2nd pairing defensemen to one of the league's best defensemen in just one season.

2. Mikhail Lokitonov [Image: stars.png]

- Lokitonov is another player who had a career year pretty much across the board with his 61 points being a 15 point increase from last season but it wasn't just points that stood out in Lokitonov's game this season, he became a much more complete player as he had some of the best numbers of his career in hits, shots and blocks as well.

3. Artemi Berezin [Image: platoon.png]

- Berezin absolutely took off this season, doubling his point total from last season with 58 points and beating his career high in points by 23, looks like the mid season trade paid off for the forward who's 7th year in the league was an elite one.

Final Ballot:
1. Rafe Ulrich Wolfpack

2. Artemi Berezin Platoon

3. Piotr Czerkawski Specters

Comments:

Donini Wrote:Last season this was one of the hardest awards to find suitable candidates for, this season there were too many suitable candidates. There were several players who either had breakout seasons or bounceback seasons and while Ulrich was not on my original ballot, the more I thought about it, the more I believed that he should have been and that he's the most deserving of the 3 final nominees. I was shocked not to see McIntyre who really took the step from a solid defenseman to an elite defenseman this season and I feel that Lokitonov, who has been an elite player for the most part but who had an off season in S46, should also have been nominated.

Johnson Wrote:This was a really interesting award to vote for, this was my first season in the league, so I was looking at data from before I was even involved. I thought that was pretty cool. There was some variance between my own nominees and the final list submitted and I can't really say I disagree with the final list. I think in general it's a bit harder to see improvement from d-men between seasons, the fewer points they score make improvement a little harder to sort out from randomness or variance, while at the same time going from, say, 10 to 15 points in a season is a 50% increase, but it's also not a super meaningful increase, and as I've already discussed with the Bojo Biscuit award, defensive stats are a bit harder to quantify in general. I'd have loved to have seen a d-man up in the list of final nominees, but it's a strong group as is.

Lance Uppercut Award (Best General Manager)
1. @Tomen & @WannabeFinn [Image: stampede.png]

- The Stampede have spent seasons building one of the league's most dominant teams and while they didn't make the same game breaking moves that other teams made this season, they did an excellent job at keeping their talented roster together while leaving cap space to set themselves up well for the future. They also added veteran rental Noro Wozy at the trade deadline to make them one of the league's deepest teams and keep up with their rivals who were stocking up to surpass them.

2. @JR95 & @Wongy [Image: platoon.png]

- The Platoon had a hell of a task on their plate to challenge the stacked Stampede roster and their GMs answered the call making 3 major trades throughout S47, adding Artemi Berezin, Joshua Woodcroft and superstar forward Sophia Bennett without losing any major roster pieces. The moves paid off for the Platoon who finished the season with the most points in the league after Bennett's post trade explosion. The Platoon made all the right moves to make themselves a legitimate threat to the Buffalo Stampede.

3. @JayWhy & @GeckoeyGecko [Image: Rage-Emote.png]

- Things were already looking good for the Rage coming into the season with a strong S46 showing and a very young roster, Manhattan's management decided to take the next step in their rebuild by adding star forward Matthew Auston and award winning defenseman Poopity Scoop in mid season trades. The Rage made a statement with their moves this season and as a result will be among the league's serious cup contenders in the very near future.

Final Ballot:
1. West Kendall Platoon Platoon

2. Manhattan Rage Rage

3. New Orleans Specters

Comments:

Donini Wrote:The biggest surprise here for me was the inclusion of the Specters who did nothing of note to improve their team this season and who's performances were really not that much better than last season's. I felt that the Stampede's management, while not as flashy in their moves, have quietly done an amazing job building their team and continued to do so this season by picking up two 1st round quality players in the 2nd round of the draft and then making a deadline move to compete with their conference rivals down the stretch.

Joe McKeil Award (Best Coach)
1. @Nobody & @ml002 [Image: stars.png]

- The North Stars were supposed to be in a transition year with one of the worst teams on paper in the league, instead, their excellent coaching had them playing well above expectations as they not only made the playoffs but they also challenged the powerhouse Buffalo Stampede for 1st in their division for most of the season.

2. @JR95 & @Wongy [Image: platoon.png]

- The Platoon undoubtedly had one of the strongest rosters in the league this season but on paper they were much closer to the other top teams than their performances showed. The Platoon were absolutely dominant all season, finishing with an impressive 36 wins making them the only team in the league to get more than 70 points. Even with a strong team, that kind of coaching deserves recognition.

3. @Velevra & @O4L [Image: syndicate.png]

- In just their 2nd season of existence, the Chicago Syndicate managed to land themselves a playoff spot. The young Syndicate team were not expected to do much this season as many saw them missing the playoffs by a lot once again however with solid goaltending and some good coaching they managed to exceed expectations and seal a playoff spot.

Final Ballot:
1. West Kendall Platoon Platoon

2. Chicago Syndicate

3. New Orleans Specters

Comments:

Donini Wrote:Once again here I was extremely surprised by the New Orleans nom, not to take anything away from their season but to me they just didn't stand out or exceed any expectations that anybody already had for the S46 finalists. Toronto on the other hand wasn't even expected to be a playoff team and they ended up challenging the Stampede for 1st in the Great Lakes division. Amazing season thanks to amazing coaching that I'm surprised didn't get any recognition. As for the winner, I'd like to think West Kendall should take it, despite having one of the best teams they were simply on another level this season, blowing everybody out of the water.

Damian Littleton Award (Most Dedicated Member)
1. @aaronwilson - After being inexplicably snubbed last season by the SMJHL awards committee, Aaron is finally getting the recognition he deserves for adding a huge new aspect to the league. His advanced stats have caused a major improvement to awards voting and have also been a big boost to the SHL community as a whole as members now have new ways of looking at their players' performances for this season and additional resources to create media with.

2. @caltroit_red_flames - Cal created an update assistant for the league helping to simplify one of the league most important but tedious tasks. The update assistant is a fantastic resource for new members who may be intimidated or confused by the updating process and is also a good resource for veteran members who want to simplify the updating process and makes less errors in their updates.

3. @DrunkenTeddy - While usually the simmer gets recognition in this award for doing a job that is crucial to the league, I felt that this season should give a nod to someone who also does work that is crucial to the league. As the site's main maintenance guy Teddy does a lot of work that goes unnoticed but it is still a demanding job that is obviously very important for the league.

Final Ballot:
1. @aaronwilson
2. @DrunkenTeddy
3. @JR95

Anton Razov Award (Playoff MVP)
1. Beaujeaux Biscuit [Image: platoon.png]

- Biscuit was the easy number one for the playoff mvp as the standout performer for the Platoon on their way to the Challenge Cup. Biscuit was the playoff leader in Sv% by a large margin and also had the best GAA, he faced the 3rd most shots as well despite only playing 15 games and had an astounding 4 shutouts in those 15 games which also led the league.

2. Dani Forsberg [Image: platoon.png]

- Forsberg finished 2nd on the Platoon in points with 15 points in 15 games but his all around game is what made him stand out as the star forward contributed 18 hits and 3 shots blocked while also playing 45 minutes on the power play and 41 minutes on the penalty kill.

3. Otis B. Driftwood [Image: dragons.png]

- While none of the other Platoon players really stood out from their teammates, Driftwood absolutely did, leading his team in points as a defenseman on their route to the finals. His 15 points, 53 hits, 17 blocked shots, 39 power play minutes and 31 penalty kill minutes were not only impressive but a crucial part of the Dragons playoff run.

Final Ballot:
1. Beaujeaux Biscuit Platoon

2. Crossfit Jesus Platoon

3. Otis B. Driftwood Dragons

Comments:

Donini Wrote:No surprises here for me, the winner should easily be Biscuit who was absolutely lights out in the playoffs for the Platoon, the most valuable skater for West Kendall was close between Forsberg and Jesus and Driftwood had too good of a playoffs not to be nominated, despite not winning he was by far Calgary's best player in the playoffs

Thanks for another great season, we hope this inside look helped answer some of your questions and concerns regarding awards and we'll see you again for next season's edition!

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@frithjofr: 600 words

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Fordyford · 06-16-2019, 06:57 PM

Really good to have insight into your voting this season! Curious as to why aaronwilson didn’t win the award last season tbh, but that’s just me. Bojo I also thought was hugely deserving of the Littleton for his banking system, is be interested to see if he made any ballots...

ml002 · 06-16-2019, 07:07 PM

Considering I've already won a Richan I don't think I'm really eligible for another

Credit to Copenhagen, Wasty, FlappyGiraffe, InciteHysteria, and caltroit_red_flames
[Image: MM4nqx6.png]

karey · 06-16-2019, 07:11 PM

06-16-2019, 07:07 PMml002 Wrote: Considering I've already won a Richan I don't think I'm really eligible for another

You're a rollercoaster

BDonini · 06-16-2019, 07:29 PM

06-16-2019, 06:57 PMFordyford Wrote: Really good to have insight into your voting this season! Curious as to why aaronwilson didn’t win the award last season tbh, but that’s just me. Bojo I also thought was hugely deserving of the Littleton for his banking system, is be interested to see if he made any ballots...

I think last season there was general consensus that he'd win most dedicated for the SMJHL awards so we didn't really vote for him and then he inexplicably was not even nominated in the SMJHL awards so here we are.

Personally kept Bojo off my ballot since the banking system wasn't implemented yet when we voted but he'll obviously be on it for next season.

*Gwdjohnson* · 06-16-2019, 07:31 PM

Good article and good stuff my dude @frithjofr

*Leppish* · 06-16-2019, 08:01 PM

Good stuff! And cheers for the recognition for Moore!

Boomcheck · 06-16-2019, 08:09 PM

god bless

wonder if i was one of those in the running for that 3rd dar nom spot

dar noms

**.bojo** · 06-16-2019, 08:42 PM

06-16-2019, 06:57 PMFordyford Wrote: Really good to have insight into your voting this season! Curious as to why aaronwilson didn’t win the award last season tbh, but that’s just me. Bojo I also thought was hugely deserving of the Littleton for his banking system, is be interested to see if he made any ballots...

<3

But yeah it's technically this season.

daBenchwarmer · 06-16-2019, 09:13 PM

Kosher was snubbed

pls @ me

Velevra · 06-16-2019, 09:16 PM

Thanks Donini, I appreciate the love for Atmey Smile

Grapehead · 06-16-2019, 09:54 PM

06-16-2019, 07:07 PMml002 Wrote: Considering I've already won a Richan I don't think I'm really eligible for another

lmao... although I always thought the Richan was "breakout" and not "most improved" so I think you'd still be eligible to improve.

ml002 · 06-16-2019, 09:59 PM

06-16-2019, 09:54 PMGrapehead Wrote:
06-16-2019, 07:07 PMml002 Wrote: Considering I've already won a Richan I don't think I'm really eligible for another

lmao... although I always thought the Richan was "breakout" and not "most improved" so I think you'd still be eligible to improve.

It definitely was called breakout star when I won it in S42

Credit to Copenhagen, Wasty, FlappyGiraffe, InciteHysteria, and caltroit_red_flames
[Image: MM4nqx6.png]

*Weretarantula* · 06-17-2019, 07:45 AM

Great write-up! Enjoyed the read :D

Grapehead · 06-17-2019, 08:47 AM

06-16-2019, 09:59 PMml002 Wrote:
06-16-2019, 09:54 PMGrapehead Wrote: lmao... although I always thought the Richan was "breakout" and not "most improved" so I think you'd still be eligible to improve.

It definitely was called breakout star when I won it in S42

When did it change? I totally missed that haha

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