As before, a quick background: These rankings are based on TPE and S52 production, as well as a little bit of FHM builds and opportunities. I cannot predict how GM’s might deploy their lines, so this is supposed to represent the absolute best (TPE wise) line that a GM could make using mostly players in their natural positions. Now lets get into the LW rankings!
16. Kalevi Karhunen Kevin Kazarian, Toronto North Stars
TPE: 621
S52 Stats: 12G, 31A, 43P, -8
Buoyed by strong seasons from Bobby Lane and Mika Kandinsky last season, Karhunen vastly outperformed their TPE level. A natural defender, Karhunen was Toronto’s top line left wing in S52, likely due to the extensive rebuild underway in the north. With a lack of wingers on the roster, I expect Karhunen would get another shot at the top line LW spot, and if not, it would be a similarily low TPE player, perhaps rookie’s Kevin Robinson or First-Name Last-Name. As it stands, Karhunen is 400ish TPE below the next ranked LW.
So I got confused with the double KK's.... despite this, Toronto has two options on the LW, S38 vet Lyndis Vakarian or S47 youngster Joeseph Laraque. Both are just above 500 TPE, so this ranking stands.
The S37 Stalwart for the Blizzard, Rockefeller held down the top line LW spot with 34 points in a season that saw Tony Pepperoni lead the Blizzard with only 39 points. As the old man on the block, Rockefeller is at a disadvantage TPE wise, as he is many seasons into regression at this point. Still, if the Blizzard turn the corner and produce as they can, Rockefeller might deserve to be slotted up a rank or two on this list. Eventually, Rockefeller will be replaced by young talent on the wings, there is just not an obvious candidate to start the year in that position.
14. Petr Mikulak, West Kendall Platoon
TPE: 1012
S52 Stats: 21G, 17A, 38P, +5
Just ahead of Rockefeller is West Kendall Platoon’s S46 draftee Petr Mikulak. With 21 goals and 38 points in S52, he slightly outperformed Rockefeller on the stats sheet. This, along with the fact that he is 9 seasons Rockefeller’s junior lead me to rank him just above, despite the tight TPE difference. Hopefully for West Kendall, Mikulak will continue to score at an average pace for a top line LW. In the midst of a rebuild, that is all they can ask of a 1000 TPE winger. A dark horse candidate to gain the top line LW spot at some point this season is Karl Krashwagen, the S50 draftee who is entering his 2nd season in the pros. Still with a ~100 TPE gap to Mikulak, the Platoon could see the benefit of giving the younger prospect time on the top line.
13. Nolan Sawchuk, Tampa Bay Barracuda
TPE: 1179
S52 Stats: 16G, 23A, 39, -1
All alone around the 1200 mark for TPE of a top line LW, Nolan Sawchuk does not quite measure up with the tight grouping of wingers in the 1300-1500 range, but clearly establishes himself as better than the previous entrants because of his TPE earning. As mentioned in the Center power rankings, Tampa missed the playoffs and is in a bit of a re-tool. Sawchuk was able to post 39 points last season, and should be a top scorer on a weaker team this season again. He will benefit from the other members of the top line being strong earners, and should elevate his play to meet their level.
Here begins a run of 8 forwards from ranks 5-12 that are very tight when it comes to TPE. All sit roughly in the 1300-1500 bracket, and the differentiators between them are slim. Noah Gallagher of the Chiefs ranks at the bottom of this grouping with the lowest TPE, and the lowest production. In fact, this was the lowest production of all first line LWs in S52. With a wide open depth chart, and the chance to play big minutes again on a rebuilding team, Gallagher should step up and chip in a few more points in S53. If he cannot, he should keep one eye in the rearview mirror for highly touted prospect Cal Labovitch who will look to represent Minnesota one day in these rankings.
Here comes the tough part, because as close as the 8 left wings from 5-12 were to rank, the 4 from 8-11 are nigh on indistinguishable. For his part, Nicky Pedersen Jr. just entered regression, and had the worst year of the 4 in S52. He scored a respectable 38 points for the Dragons, but as a top line player, that was not enough to measure up to the rest. Pedersen did play center last year, but as I said with the rankings, we are looking at these players in the “best possible lineup” with as much respect to their natural positions. Because Pedersen is a natural winger, that is why we find him here. Pederson’s 1511 TPE is not enough to elevate his ranking beyond 11, showing how deep the field is at first line LW.
Squeaking right above Pedersen is Commander Shepard of the Winnipeg Jets. Posting a respectable 45 points, he has the edge over Pederson in that department. Most notably is his +17 rating compared to Pederson’s +2. Playing for a team that missed the playoffs, Shepard gaining a +17 rating was very impressive, and showed off his 2-way game. For some reason among left wings, +17 was a very common number, with 5 of the SHL’s top line LW’s recording said number. It was however, the highest among the same group.
9. Cameron Carter II, Chicago Syndicate
TPE: 1393
S52 Stats: 16G, 35A, 51P, +17
Coming in 9th, despite the 11th most TPE by a top line LW is CC2 himself. With an impressive 35 assists in S52 (highest among first line LW) and 51 points, Carter is a force to be reckoned with. Two seasons into regression, his TPE is dipping a little, but his production is clearly not. Carter and our 8th ranked LW are in a virtual dead heat, as they tied in points last season, and are within 20 TPE of each other. Carter was one of the 5 top line LW’s to gain a +17 rating as well, showing that despite his scoring prowess, he was also a dynamo on the defensive end.
Just barely above Carter is Hamilton Steelhawk’s Flacko Lagerfield. Having played most of his prime in Tampa Bay, the S41 draftee is now in his second season since joining the Steelhawks via trade. In his first season there, he posted an impressive 51 points. What gives him the slight edge is that he played on Hamilton’s de facto 2nd line and posted the same numbers Carter did on the first. While Lagerfield may find himself on the second line again, Hamilton utilizes a balanced lines approach, and in the “Best line available” method, he would clearly be the top LW for the Steelhawks.
A step above the last group in terms of TPE, Viktor Marius is the first of 3 more top line left wings that are very hard to distinguish. Overall, the SHL has a very strong top end LW group. With 46 points on a stacked Stampede team in S52, Marius is once again in a position to thrive in one of the leagues best offenses. A veteran by any standard, the S39 draftee is one of 12 from his draft class still going. He is part of the 2000 TPE club before regression, and if he hasn’t slowed down yet, there is no reason to believe he will in S53.
6. Dick Clapper, New England Wolfpack
TPE: 1534
S52 Stats: 24G, 23A, 47P, +9
Very close to Marius in terms of TPE and point totals in S52, Dick Clapper is on the other end of his career than Marius. Drafted in S46, Clapper is on the rise, and could end up this season at a higher rank than here. What differentiates him slightly above Marius is his small edge in TPE as well as a +9 rating to the previous +1 of Marius. It is not much, but on a team that shockingly missed the playoffs in New England, being a plus is impressive.
5. Jeff Brogen, San Francisco Pride
TPE: 1493
S52 Stats: 27G, 23A, 50P, +9
This is the ranking that I feel might be the most fluid. Placing him ahead of Marius and Clapper has a lot to do with his playing situation. Whereas Marius is on a loaded Buffalo team that will look to spread the load around, and Clapper has S47 #2 TPE earner Eko van Otter not far behind him in the depth chart, Brogen has more room and opportunity to play with. The Pride’s strength is their defense, and as such, they are not as deep on the wings. Brogen should be the beneficiary of that again, as he posted 50 points in S52, and should rack them up again in S53.
4. Nicholas Williams, New Orleans Specters
TPE: 1738
S52 Stats: 14G, 30A, 44P, +6
At #4 is where the top tier of left wingers separates themselves. There is a 200 TPE gap between Williams and Brogen, making for a clear separation. Williams is an elite playmaker, more than doubling up his goals with assists in S52. He was a respectable +6 to establish himself as a two way forward, and with his high TPE levels, should produce even more in S53. His ranking at the bottom of the elite level top line LW’s is mostly due to his S52 production, as it cannot quite stand up to the best of the best.
3. Philipp Winter, Los Angeles Panthers
TPE: 1644
S52 Stats: 27G, 29A, 56P, +17
Leading the entire league in scorers in S52, Philipp Winter checks in at #3 on our list. With an outstanding season, he in all likelihood will not reach those levels again, but he should still produce for a strong Panthers team. With solid linemates such as Max Mauldin, Winters will continue to be a leading scorer on the team, if not the league. Coming off of his MVP caliber season in S52, the only thing keeping him this low are two generational talents above him.
Andreas Kvalheim has been an absolute beast for the Texas Renegades. Drafted 2nd overall in the S45 Draft, the 3rd highest earner in his class is already at 1739 TPE. He will certainly be gunning for the 2000 TPE mark before regression hits in a few seasons. Kvalheim had an excellent season with 51 points and a neutral rating on a very bad Renegades team. He carried the load and will certainly be the man to do so over the next several seasons. His TPE edge, career trajectory, and opportunity with Texas lead me to ranking him second here. He has a shot to reach the top of this list in the next few seasons, but our #1 LW will not make it easy.
Hitting the 2000 TPE mark before regression, Luke is a legend with both his player and on site. He has played the #1C role for Manhattan since he arrived, but he created as a LW. This is one of the grey areas in my analysis, as leaving out Jax Aittokallio at 1800 TPE from their best line felt wrong. In this scenario, we are looking for the “best line the team could make” while generally sticking inside the bounds of what position a player created at. So for the sake of this, Thomason is their top line LW. In any case, he would have ranked atop the charts in the center power ranking as well. Thomason is a once in a generation kind of earner, and he had the production in S52 to back it up, posting 53 points with a +17 rating en route to winning his first Challenge Cup. He has occupied this spot for several years, and will likely occupy it for a few more, until Kvalheim catches up. Look for Luke to be one of the top scorers in S53 after the transition to FHM.
Check back tomorrow for the rankings of all teams top line right wings!
Thanks Wasty, Carpy, JSS, TurdFerguson, Geekusoid and Awesomecakes for the sigs!
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