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mee · 04-14-2023, 04:03 PM

With the third overall pick in the SMJHL S54 Entry Draft the Vancouver Whalers select, Johnny Shuffleboard, Defense.

The minors career of Johnny Shuffleboard actually begins prior to the S54 SMJHL Entry Draft. At the tail end of S53 Shuffleboard signed a DFA contract with the Whalers. In 13 games he scored no points despite almost 15 minutes of ice time. The offensive d-man had just 6 shots on goal. The real sinker? An unreal 20 PIM. It was not a DFA campaign for the ages as they say. This occured as the Vancouver Whalers fell out of a playoff spot, as their 37 points was 2 points behind Carolina for the 8th seed in the playoffs, in part due to a 2-9-2 record after signing Shuffleboard.

Despite all of that, the Whalers selected Shuffleboard at 3. It was rumored that the Whalers were considering Jöörgüštrâäd DuBølk at the spot, but went with the young American instead.

In S54 the Whalers had an all-time season, but for all the wrong reasons. Hoping to build on a near miss of the playoffs the year before, the team added some young talent and return most of the vets. However, an extremely slow start led them to sell off some of their top players, including sending the captain Sven Yxskaft to Carolina where he could chase a championship. Yxskaft's dream would come true when the Kraken knocked off the St. Louis Scarecrows in 7, the Newfoundland Berserkers in 7, and the Anaheim Outlaws in 6 to win the Four-Star Cup. For the Whalers however the season ended not much unlike it started, an incredible disappointment, at 11-37-2, 23 points shy of the playoffs. For Shuffleboard personally, a 4-17-21 scoreline was good enough for second on the team in scoring, just 3 points behind captain William Hartmann for the team led.

In S55 the Whalers finally began to right the ship. While new league rules put every team in the playoffs, the Whalers didn't have to come on to the change, finishing in 8th place of the newly expanded 12 team minors. They managed to sweep away St. Louis, the nine seed who finished with 40 points eleven less than the Whalers 51, before being swept by the defending champions the Carolina Kraken. Shuffleboard himself had a bit of a down year, the same 4 goals but just 15 assists, his 19 points just 6th on the team in scoring. William Hartmann in his final junior season put up 41 points to lead the team.

In S56 in finally all fell together for the Whalers. A fantastic 39-11 season a comfortable 14 points up on the second place Kraken gave them home-ice throughout the post season. They swept away their arch-rival the Kelowna Knights, before meeting the Kraken due to an odd playoff structure. The Kraken went the distance with Vancouver, but a game seven hat trick by Wile Coyote gave the Whalers a trip to the final against Newfoundland. In a thrilling 6 game series the Whalers won 4-2, Devin Basher scoring the OT series winner in game 6. For Shuffleboard personally he put up a 9 goal 15 assists season, the 9 goals a career high, even if the 15 assists were not. Not the best possible season, as the Whalers scored a lot more as a team, but a marked improvement nonetheless.

In S57 Shuffleboard played his final season with the Whalers. Losing countless players to the SHL the Whalers fell off the high pedestal of champions finishing just 30-30-6, 9th in the league. They put together a little run in the playoffs, knocking off Nevada in 5 and Detroit in a sweep, but fell in 5 to Anaheim. Shuffleboard personally had 15 goals and 29 assists, the 15 goals were second in the league for defensemen, his 44 points put him third.

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642 words
A bit about my last player in the minors and the Whaler team he was on
Whalers

***boom*** · 04-14-2023, 04:12 PM

such a fun team, also gotta shout out that S57 team for winning like 10 games in overtime/shootout and another 3 or 4 iirc on last-minute goals and making it to the semifinal off the back of one line and PP1

Great read!

mee · 04-14-2023, 04:17 PM

04-14-2023, 04:12 PMboom Wrote: such a fun team, also gotta shout out that S57 team for winning like 10 games in overtime/shootout and another 3 or 4 iirc on last-minute goals and making it to the semifinal off the back of one line and PP1

Great read!

Don't think team stats are anywhere in the index, put I think like half our goals were by that first unit. Koopa-KOBO-Petrov-Shuff-Burke, greatest PP ever.

chetib · 04-18-2023, 02:21 PM

Approved good write up! +5TPE for @"mee"

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