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roastpuff · 07-11-2021, 11:30 PM

S59 IIHF Final Report and Awards
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Hi SHLers! I am really sorry for the delayed end of IIHF report - life got in the way, and this got delayed a lot - I'm sorry! But better late than never! This past season, we have our first new gold medal winner in a while, with Team Japan winning Gold for the first time in their history in the IIHF! Team Czechia has a silver medal, as they fell to Team Japan in the gold medal game, and this is their first medal since S53, when they also won silver in the finals matchup against Team USA. Team Norway defeated Team Switzerland for the bronze medal, and this marks their first semi finals appearance, and their first medal in the FHM era!

Gold Medal Winner
Japan

Team Japan Japan

Silver Medal Winner
Czechia

Team Czechia Czechia

Bronze Medal Winner
Norway

Team Norway Norway

Post-tournament, the federation heads also nominated players who they feel were outstanding during the round robin portion. The awards for best forward, best defender and best goaltender are as follows:

Best Forward

Bobby Lane had an incredible tournament with a 24 point performance in the round robin, scoring 13 goals and 11 assists, with a 15.7% shooting percentage. Along with Bobby Sharp, the two Bobbys were absolute weapons for Team USA and helped dominate opponents on the ice, especially on the power play.

Runner-ups:

Monkey D. Luffy continues to show that he is the sharpest sword in the Japanese sheath as he led Team Japan in scoring with 19 points in the round robin, comprised of 10 goals and 9 assists. The engine of the Japanese offense, Luffy finally has the IIHF gold medal that he’s been seeking for many seasons.

Tony Pepperoni might be aging but he is showing that he is still a potent force for Team Germany. Scoring 20 points (12 goals and 8 assists), Tony Pepperoni also featured on both special teams for Team Germany and had a sky-high shooting percentage of 20% showcasing his deadly shot.

Best Defender

The points on the scoresheet might not be there for Cassius Darrow, but he was outstanding defensively with 52 blocks and 18 hits, while also contributing six points (1 goals 5 assists) to Team Germany’s offense. Darrow had the highest average ice time on Germany as well, playing both the power play and penalty kill for over four minutes per game combined.

Runner-ups:

Keith Lee was outstanding for Team Ireland as he had 32 blocks and 16 hits for a team that was routinely outshot by opponents. He also contributed seven points (2 goals, 7 assists) to Team Ireland, and has a monstrous 3:18 average penalty kill playing time.

Michael Fox was highest scoring defender in the tournament, as he contributed 11 points for Team USA (3 goals 8 assists) including five power play points. Fox also had over 24 minutes a game for Team USA, most of which was spent on the power play as Team USA took advantage of opposing team’s penalties.

Best Goaltender

Samat Beibitzhanov had a tremendous tournament for Team Russia and fully deserves the best goaltender accolate for the tourney, as he posted an immense 0.938 save percentage/2.83 goals against average, and faced 370 shots overall, which was one of the higher totals in the tournament. Backstopping Team Russia to a couple of wins which could have gone the other way, Beibitzhanov was a difference maker in this tournament.

Runner-ups:

A Jobin had the second lowest goals against average for starters in this tournament, with a sterling 2.19 goals against average, and a great 0.926 save percentage. Starting ten games for Team Sweden, Jobin faced just under 300 shots, and had two shutouts during the tournament.

Harry Carpet nearly carried Team Finland to the quarterfinals on sheer will, as he had a terrific performance in net. Carpet had a 0.932 save percentage, tied for third best in the tournament, and a 2.41 goals against average, which is in the top five for starting goalies.

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For the gold medal winning team and the individual award winners, the IIHF HO has commissioned a banner and award signatures which will be forthcoming.

Thank you all for an amazing first IIHF as commissioner, and I apologize for the lateness of this post! Next IIHF tournament is coming soon and we hope to see you there!