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supertardis101 · 02-28-2021, 06:00 PM

ISFL PT - https://forums.sim-football.com/showthre...#pid431332

***Vandy*** · 02-28-2021, 06:21 PM

For me there are two competing storylines for this season. The first is whether or not this will be a redemption year for Quebec City after a disappointing showing in the playoffs. The second, how close will the scoring race end up being. Lets look at QCC first, again first in the division and on pace for a second Laurifer trophy but with end of season callups a possibility is there enough in the tank for depth and role players to step up and complement smaller pieces. I would like to think so considering the strength of Mew Two and Brian Davenport so far this season.

The scoring race is also a lot closer than people realize. QCC has good representation in the top 15 with Big Z of course leading it all. We've also seen more high scoring games this season which has helped to inflate numbers. I am not going to jinx myself, but I see QCC taking the scoring title again this season but not by a blow out.

CrazyMojito · 02-28-2021, 06:31 PM

I'm sure its pretty much everyones answer but I am really pleased to see the emergence of Toronto in the Great Lakes. Its not a surprise to see them tied for Hamilton for first in the East though. You can see clear progression for this club if you look through the past few seasons standings. They've only been getting better each season and this season they've finally managed to break through. Wouldn't it be a story line if one of last seasons best team and the Challenge Cup champs missed the playoffs this season? It's hard to tell if it'll be Buffalo who misses the playoffs or Chicago who sits a few points back of the Stampede but do have a couple games in had.

A storyline that I am a little more invested in is my teammate Barret Blackwood's season. Currently sits two points back of Bobby Sharp for league lead while having a few extra games on most people at the top. My 1/3 season hot take is Blackwood is going to lead the league in scoring when the season is all said and done.

Spartan · 02-28-2021, 06:41 PM

Newfoundland has definitely been off to a strong start this season, and I think that's a solid storyline to follow. Led by Captain Vaseline Podcalzone and our alternates, Newfoundland is sitting at 2nd in their conference with 45 points, a mark that's good for 3rd in the SMJHL. The team has also been top 3 when it comes to offense, with 116 goals for, and a strong defensive performance with only 75 goals against. While the goals come fast in furious in some games, the team can struggle to get the puck in the net even when they have dominant shooting performances. Consistently will be key for the Berserkers for the rest of the season, as it'll be important to see if this young team can work together to be more consistent with their performances and find a way to be a top challenger for the championship this season.

enigmatic · 02-28-2021, 06:56 PM

Being a player for the Québec City Citadelles, the story that I have been following (and one of the only I've been interested in if I'm honest) is who of us or the Kelowna Knights will finish first this season. I'm not sure if they ever even took the lead but they've been breathing down our necks all season long and actually have more wins than us. One could argue that the sim is rigged and we can't win an overtime game to save our lives and that's why they are in this position but the numbers are still there. We've been a bit better offensively and they've been a bit better defensively so I think this race is very even and exciting to follow. I would even be okay with them passing us for the first place in the league because the team that finishes first rarely wins the championship and quite frankly, I care more about championships than finishing first in the regular season.

*Count Chocula* · 02-28-2021, 06:57 PM

I think there are a couple of huge storylines going on this season across the league. The power shift in the Eastern conference is one of the most surprising. While it was expected that perennial powerhouse Hamilton would be one of the top teams, no one expected them to be first in the East. Certainly, nobody expected them to be battling Toronto for the top spot. Chicago, the reigning champions are still in a cup hangover and are sitting firmly in 4th place. Many of their top stars have regressed this season with only Martijn Westbroek earning over a point per game.

The big story out West is the emergence of the Renegades. While they flirted with breaking out the past few seasons, they flew out of the gate this time with a staggering 32-4 record. They lead the entire league in points, goals, and goals against. Karlo Kekkonen has had a breakout year and leads the team in scoring and is currently 5th overall in the league.

overdoo · 02-28-2021, 07:10 PM

Conner Hutton is a bust?!?!?!

While Hutton came into the SMJHL as a relatively good player, and proved himself quick, especially in the S54 Four Star Cup run. He improved in his second season in Carolina, after being drafted 4th overall to the New Orleans Specters. Obviously, the improvement was a good sign, and provided a sort of aid in the next offseason for the Specters. In a market that was already short in defenseman, the Specters lost a couple. They did find a plug in Bohne Jr., but it left another hole that had to be filled, and just wasn't by preseason.

Queue the Hutton debut, first in preseason, and just shortly after in his first SHL game, which he proved what he could be capable of. Against his former Kraken teammate, Frans Eller, Hutton put up 2 goals and an assist for a win in his first game, and needless to say fans were impressed. Could he keep it up? Probably not, but that is a sign you like to see. Hutton ended up having a great rookie season, all things considered, and made the All-Rookie team in a relatively strong class, with names like Minamino, Harrington, and Wagner.

However, it seems like that was his peak so far. In the next season, Hutton beat out his previous point total by 1, although it was in 16 more games with recent changes to the season. He was trusted with more minutes, but broke down defensively, and could not outproduce that flaw offensively. This year looks to be even worse, so what is the issue?

Of course, one could look at the abrupt retirement of Bohne Jr., a partner that Hutton worked very well with frankly, but can we really say that is the problem when he has been seen with Johnson, and Odelein III since? Then, there is an argument with the Specters team becoming much worse, with many departures and frankly no one to fill the holes. It would make it harder for a young player to find himself in the league, that is for sure.

Could it be that he was rushed into the league? He was the only player from his draft class to be called up when he did, and even the following season only saw some of the most dynamic players, or some on lesser teams who fought, and won, a spot on the roster. However, there is one positive for Hutton. Could his numbers just be a result of the team he is on? With the eye test, he most definitely hasn't been as great. Maybe it comes down to confidence in himself, the team, whatever, but he hasn't been himself, or who he has shown he could be. If you're into advanced stats, he has actually proved to be more useful to the team when he plays, improving gradually since he first came into the SHL. However, how much does that matter when the coach, or management doesn't see it that way? He has already taken a TOI hit for special teams, and 5v5 time.

So what is going on, we aren't really sure, and might not know for a while still. Obviously his career thus far has been disappointing, but he has not really been set up well for success. One can hope that with the many rookies in the cupboard for the Specters, he'll find his way, and mesh well with them.

Gumbaman · 02-28-2021, 07:42 PM

ISFL PT#4

*Scrufdaddy* · 02-28-2021, 07:55 PM

The biggest storyline is Slip McScruff having both a goal and two power play points. You really don't expect it, and the Winnipeg success is inversely related to Slip's offensive performance. He's trending at 2x the rate offensively with as many points in half as many games. On the flip side, Winnipeg is trending at almost half the win% through the stretch.

You gotta hope this doesn't continue and Slip steps back from the offensive role to elevate his team. It's really selfish of him to be taking so many shots this late into his career. He's had his day and he should really put the stats of his teammates ahead of his own. How can he swing this around?

For starters, the PIMs. Slip is trending at half the rate for PIMs which means the team is getting less penalty time. Consequently, WPG is trending at half the rate of Short Handed Goals. He's gotta find more ways into the box to facilitate the desperation heroics that WPG excels at.

***Patty*** · 02-28-2021, 07:55 PM

This season's hottest story is Patric Twist on Atlanta's first line. Twist historically hasn't been all that committed to training. Taking off entire weeks or months at a time. Not even seeing the inside of a rink or gym. This may have been why Twist was exposed by Chicago in the expansion draft a few seasons ago. And why he wasn't signed by his draft team San Francisco. Despite all that he's shown a high level of commitment since joining Atlanta. Turning into a regular gym rat. Over the past 2 or 3 seasons he hasn't missed a single opportunity to train. So Atlanta might be rewarding him by giving him those first line minutes. When you consider how weak Atlanta is at forward past their 2 high end players, it makes sense for them to reward a guy like Twist. He figures large into their future and could very well lead their upcoming group of young talent.

shutdown · 02-28-2021, 08:10 PM

I think the real standout in an absolute thunder dome of a division nonetheless has to be the Toronto North Stars. The Great Lakes division is a bloodbath every season and Toronto has been on the receiving end of many a shellacking over the past few seasons. However, great drafting and some promising young players finally getting up to speed in the big leagues have turned this perennial basement dweller into a team tied for not only 1st in the division but also 1st in the Eastern conference and 2nd in the entire league. Rebuilding can be extremely painful for the players, fans, and management but if done right it can set a team up for the foreseeable future to be a powerhouse. Stocking up draft picks and hitting on those draft picks are the keys to rebuilding as well as continuing to compete even after your window has seemingly closed.

JumpierPegasus · 02-28-2021, 08:14 PM

It's homer time

One of the most interesting storylines in the league -- that isn't related to a team -- is the rookie race for the top scoring rookie in the league. The reason I mention this, is because Yngve Simonsson is the top scorer currently of the rookies in the SHL. Not only that, but Simonsson is in the top 25 in goals league wide and is 1 goal away from a top 15 spot. Why is this incredible? Rookies can perform well, Simonsson has PP1 time, of course he is scoring

Well, Simonsson is a Season 56 draftee, not a Season 55 like many of the players currently top in the league in scoring for rookies. It's rare and unusual for a player to only spend 3 seasons in the SMJHL now adays, due to the more competitive and difficult nature of the SHL to combat the cheating Steelhawks in S54

Second, Simonsson may have PP1 time but he is on one of the worst teams in the league in San Francisco. He is 3rd in team scoring, close to Sven Svensson who is a veteran SHL'er at this point, and phenomenal player in his own right. This is fantastic for a rookie, and being at the top of his teams scoring is fairly unheard of, especially for someone this young

Tomasnz · 02-28-2021, 08:14 PM

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ztevans · 02-28-2021, 08:25 PM

I think one of the most intriguing storylines in the SMJHL this season has been the rise of Mew Two and Brian Davenport in Quebec City. Still in just their second seasons, Two is sixth in the league in scoring with 30 points through the first 35 games of the campaign, with Davenport just one point behind at 29. Sure, they have the benefit of playing on an explosive Citadelles squad, where names like Zdenko Beranek, Igor Petrov, William Salming and Mikael Koskinen. Still, the sophomores have done their fair share of heavy lifting for the Citadelles in Season 58. This will be especially critical moving forward, as more of the players who have been a part of Quebec City since its inaugural season will start making their way to the SHL. Players such as Mew Two and Brian Davenport will be critical to the team's success moving forward, and it appears they are up to the task.

MCP_ · 02-28-2021, 08:27 PM

The biggest developing storyline in the SHL this season HAS to be the ever-developing rivalry between Tampa Bay Barracuda defenseman Joorgustraad DuBolk and Minnesota Monarchs forward Johnny Shuffleboard. While the exact starting point of this rivalry isn't entirely known, it is theorized that it started during their time in the SMJHL, after a confrontation between the two went south, causing them to always exchange words during the games. However, the place where this rivalry has really come to a head on Twitter, with numerous jabs being exchanged over a period of less than a season so far. While many creative exchanges have been had, the most common exchange is this:

"MCP Bad"

"Shuff Bad"

It is quite interesting that DuBolk's nickname somehow stands for MCP, but that's for another time

More recently, Shuffleboard has made comments about wanting to fight DuBolk, citing that he will be using axes. However, during the last game they played against each other, Shuffleboard did not attempt to fight DuBolk, like the pansy he is. Whether or not they will fight is all up to Shuffleboard, as DuBolk is ready any time, anywhere.

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