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NightRobin · 04-12-2020, 08:05 PM

[2808 words, ready to grade]

Maine Timber Mid-season Report Card

by Braut Haaland

We're one game away from being halfway through the season for the Timber and I've decided that I want to take a look at each player and grade their performance so far. The Timber started off the season fairly poorly, but have since started to show some life. Currently in 4th place in the East with a 8-14-2 record, they have started to hit their stride and while they may not be able to take on Detroit game after game, they certainly have the ability to take down any team in the league any day (right Detroit?). Ranking them from most TPE to least TPE in their group, et's see how the individual players have done so far this season:

Goalies

Olli Saarinen, Jr. 4-9-2, .906 SV%, 3.24 GAA, 523 SA, 565 TPE
The goalies have been a bright point this season for the Timber. Olli is having a incredibly solid year this year. Coming off a season where he had a .878 save percentage, he's put together a real good season so far coming out with a .906 save percentage, but the question is will he be able to keep it up throughout the entire season? Overall, he's helped the team steal some games that they probably shouldn't have with his great goaltending. I'm looking forward to Olli stepping in the crease and helping his team to victory.
GRADE: B+

Leo Bloomfield 4-5-0, .930 SV%, 2.43 GAA, 313 SA, 197 TPE
The only reason he's given a higher grade than Olli is due to his league leading .930 save percentage. In his 9 games so far, he's been the brightest of bright points for the Timber. Definitely one of the best picks for Maine this year in how he's stepped up to the plate and delivered. The fact that he didn't get a spot in the SHL All-Star game is a bit disappointing to me, but one thing is for sure, Bloomey will use that snub and improve his game even more.
GRADE: A-

Defensemen

Valentin Kalashnikov 4g, 6a, -8 +/-, 61 GR, 388 TPE
When you think of a freight train, you might as well picture Valentin. Dude is a truck. Leading the team with 74 hits (which gets him into some trouble, 39 PIM) he's arguably the most feared player on the Timber just due to his physicality. But the buck doesn't stop there. He's solid defensively as well. His +/- may be low, but it might be due to increased ice team and the team hemorrhaging shots left and right, while not shooting as much. He's also nearly doubled the amount of giveaways in takeaways (13 takeaways vs. 7 giveaways). Compared to his rookie season, he's on pace to beat his stats from last year. He finished with 4 goals and 11 assists last year and is only 5 points away from that mark this season. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Valentin (especially in the box) for the games to come.
GRADE: A-

Mikkel Asmus Sondergard 3g, 4a, -9 +/-, 58 GR, 257 TPE
The first overall pick in this seasons SMJHL draft. He's looked solid pairing up with Valentin this season, but his plus minus begs to differ. Coming in at a -9 is a bad sign, yet he is second in average total ice time. Maybe his exposure to so much game time is bringing down his +/-. From the eye test he's been solid at least defensively. 25 hits, and almost as many takeaways as he does giveaways (16 takeaways vs. 17 giveaways). He's also willing to take shots for the team providing a solid 32 blocked shots. For a rookie, he's been putting up solid numbers. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Mikkel in the near future, both here in Maine and eventually up in the SHL.
GRADE: B-

Blake Feaux 0g, 0a, -9 +/-, 52 GR, 256 TPE
We're seeing something of a sophomore slump. Last season he ended with a respectable 1 goal, 8 assists, and with a team leading 10 +/-, but so far this season, he's tied for the worst +/- in the team and has no points to show either. He's also not doing so well in the takeaway column as through 24 games, he's only had a singular takeaway. Ouch. I hope he can get out of this slump and show why the former Raiders picked him last year.
GRADE: D+

Simon Moreau 1g, 6a, 3 +/-, 60 GR, 235 TPE
Defensively, he's a good pairing for Von Arx. Both depth defensemen have had solid starts to the season so far, and Simon has been safe with the puck so far. He has double the amount of takeaways as giveaways (10 takeaways vs 5 giveaways) and has been solid for the Timber this season. He has some work to do, and we have to see if he can get to that next level that people want him to.
GRADE: C

Will Windsor 2g, 5a, -9 +/-, 54 GR, 215 TPE
This rookie is showing us why he deserves to be playing here. Leading the team in shots blocked with 69, we can safely say this guy is not afraid of getting down and blocking some shots to help the team. He's also second on the team in hits and the Timber management are surely happy they were able to get a defenseman who will help to impose their will when they need him too. He's also not bad offensively, giving the team 2 goals and 5 assists. This is definitely a player for the future and I think Maine got a bit of a steal here.
GRADE: B

Jack Von Arx 3g, 3a, 5 +/-, 50 GR, 196 TPE
Another 2nd year player who's experiencing a minor type of sophomore slump. Von Arx is having a decent season so far, he's matched his goal total from last season in 12 less games. Maybe he's taking the next step and working on his defense rather than offense. His takeaway number is poor, another 1, as well as shots blocked (7 through 24 games), but his small offensive production makes gives him a small boost to his grade. Has to work on his game if he wants to see himself playing for longer.
GRADE: C-

Forwards

Al Kayhall 4g, 8a, -1 +/-, 71 GR, 614 TPE
The captain is having a decent year, at least in comparison to the rest of the team. Currently second in points, he's showing he still has the touch, but one has to wonder, what's the deal with his slow down? Last year he racked up 40 points over 50 games, yet this season he's managed less than half of that. Sure the team is struggling in general, as well as the switch to FHM (new engine is always gonna give problems), but we hope we can see the captain pick it up in the second half of the season and remind us all why he's the captain of this team. Defensively he's been solid. As to be expected of him, he rarely coughs up the puck and has been a force in getting the puck back for the team with 17 takeaways to his name. Also leading the forwards in shots blocked, the points may not matter much to him this year, but making sure his team is following in his direction to take one for the team. His leadership on the team is something you can't put on stats and you can see how the young guns look up to him, so even if he's not producing stats, he's giving an example for the rest of the team to follow.
GRADE: B+

Thicc Cheezy 3g, 6a, -3 +/-, 72 GR, 528 TPE
Thicc is one of those players you just expect to play his heart out each night. Even with 3 goals to his name, he's not deterred from shooting the puck, shooting it 69 times so far this season. I expect him to light up the lamp a few more times this season due to his stellar year last year with 18 goals and 30 assists. Thicc is definitely more of a pass-first player, but his willingness to shoot is unparalleled on the team and will only result in him becoming more lethal as time goes on. He's also been a rock defensively, stealing the puck 19 times while only coughing it up 10 times. Blocking shots is another forte of his and he's been doing just that with 54 shots blocked so far. He's been the best defensive forward on the team so far and combined with his passing ability, he's definitely one of the stars on the team.
GRADE: B

Indigo Trevino 7g, 8a, -2 +/-, 63 GR, 526 TPE
So far another solid, team leading year for Indigo. Not on the same pace for over a point per game this season like he was last season (50 GP, 53p), but he's still leading the charge for the Timber. Definitely someone to watch for when he's on the ice. He coughs up the puck more than he steals it away, but he's out there doing what the team needs: shooting the puck. He's not a liability on defense, though his numbers can improve there, but his value comes from his scoring ability. Second on the team in shots, he's showing why he's worth the money the GM has spent on him so far. I'm liking what I've seen so far and am hoping that he continues to produce for the Timber in the second half of the season.
GRADE: A

Lucas Hellquist 2g, 2a, -4 +/-, 56 GR, 287 TPE
Lucas has had a rough year so far. Not really able to recreate his exceptional rookie season where he ended tied for 2nd in rookie points (9g, 21 a). I'm not quite sure what went wrong with him at least offensively as he was hyped for being a great playmaker, but we haven't really seen that from him yet. He has been alright on the puck, coughing it up 8 times so far, but he still shows his worth every once in a while. He's just eeking by the eye test, but can't get the stats to back that up. Hopefully we see a resurgence from him in the second half of the season, but so far, he's been lacking in what he did best last season.
GRADE: C-

Alexander Roach 2g, 7a, -2 +/-, 61 GR, 258 TPE
Alexander Roach doesn't understand the definition of a sophomore slump. He's on pace to beat his point total from last season (14 points last season to 9 so far this season). Points wise he's producing better than he was last season and we're looking forward to seeing more of his great offensive skill. He hasn't been too much of a liability defensively, but like most of the team, we're hoping he picks it up to help Maine surge their way into the playoffs.
GRADE: B

Patrick Shepherd 1g, 8a, -6 +/-, 59 GR, 254 TPE
He's definitely not a shoot first kind of player, but he makes up for that being a fantastic set up man for the team. Tied for the lead in assists, the 3rd line center has had a really good season so far and is stepping up on defense shift in shift out. Not doing anything fantastic on defense, but has been helpful with 11 takeaways so far and blocking 21 shots so far. Not doing anything flashy, Shepherd just follows the fundamentals and so far has given him a good season so far.
GRADE: B-

Konrad Danke 4g, 4a, -1 +/-, 66 GR, 247 TPE
This rookie center has shown that he's going to be a valuable piece for the Timber in the seasons to come. He's slowly improving game after game and you can clearly see that. He's can only do so much on offense as a rookie in this league, but he's been rock solid pairing up with Indigo and Thicc. I'm expecting his numbers to increase as the season progresses, but so far he's looked very solid and I'm looking forward to his career here in the SMJHL and eventually the SHL.
GRADE: B-

Marty Sertich 4g, 6a, -6 +/-, 60 GR, 226 TPE
A lot of second year players here not really hitting that sophomore slump. Sertich has had a really solid year so far, tied for second in points with 10. He makes every second on the ice count, though his puck control and passing need some work as he's leading the team in giveaways with 18, and defensively has had trouble only taking the puck away 4 times. If he can work on his defense just a bit he can be a solid player for the Timber in the years to come.
GRADE: B-

Kyle Sutton 4g, 4a, -5 +/-, 57 GR, 220 TPE
Another rookie who has shown some great potential so far. Shooting the puck well, and defensively has been solid as well, though he can improve on his takeaways a bit. He definitely has some some things to improve on, but the foundations he has built so far will help him go far in this league. But other than that, he's looking to be a great pick-up from the S53 SMJHL draft and hoping he continues his development well into his career here.
GRADE: C+

Partario Scarangella 0g, 7a, -5 +/-, 57 GR, 200 TPE
One of the surprising players for the Timber this year. He's not getting a lot of minutes, only averaging 9:46 per game, but he has been making the most of it. Tied for second in assists on the team, he's showing that he will step up to help the team when they need him. I'm really exciting to see what he can do for the remainder of the season especially down on the 4th line. He needs to be solid defensively especially being on the 4th line and he's done just that so far blocking 26 shots so far. He's looked solid and is a great depth player for Maine.
GRADE: C+

Rapid Eagle 2g, 3a, -3 +/-, 55 GR, 177 TPE
Another 4th liner who is showing that he can hang with the others. Rapid is having a solid year as well. While not blowing up the numbers too much, he's shown stability that the Timber need him to be on the 4th line. Don't expect too much more from him, but continue to expect solid defensive play night in night out.
GRADE: C

PeaKay Soupcan 5g, 1a, -4 +/-, 57 GR, 159 TPE
Easily the most surprising player so far this season. PeaKay doesn't really score over time, he just builds it up and scores two goals in a game to help his standings, but he makes each shift count. Clocking in with an average time on ice of 9:09, which is good for second least on the Timber, he shows that when he shoots the puck, he is lethal. Blowing the rest of the team away with a 27.8% shooting percentage is something that can't be scoffed at. He's already topped his total from last year where he had 2 goals and 2 assists. He's been alright defensively which is what we can expect from a player who hasn't shown much improvement from last year, but he's been a solid 4th liner so far and will probably stay that way his entire career. But I'm looking forward to his second half of the season.
GRADE: B-

So there you have it. The Maine Timber mid-season report card. A lot of good players who have developed well (Valentin, Roach) while some have had disappointing seasons so far (Hellquist, Feaux). The team has a lot of work to do overall, especially in terms of limiting shots against and taking more shots, but recent games have shown that the work they have put in are paying dividends. The Timber's management have put together a good group of guys and have started to right the ship after a brutal start to their season. As long as those players that have been disappointing thus far make improvements to their game to help the team, I can see them snatching a place in the playoffs, maybe even as the 3 seed if things start to go their way. I'm looking forward to seeing these guys play in the second half of the season, and if the tail-end of the first 24 games have told us anything, it's that these guys have it in them to make those improvements to work their way into the playoffs and even surprise a couple of people with their results.

charlieconway · 04-12-2020, 08:17 PM

You're very right about Kalashnikov being a physical force. Hoping the Timber can turn things around in the second half, just gotta believe.

This was great, thanks for the article!

suavemente · 04-12-2020, 08:22 PM

Great write up!
Timber

***hockeyiscool*** · 04-12-2020, 09:05 PM

Bloomy got shafted, at least he stopped making scarecrow noises and is making tree noises.

Carbine · 04-12-2020, 09:50 PM

holy shit i got an A

thx bb

***Faelax*** · 04-12-2020, 10:29 PM

Great article!

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