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ImASurvivor · 10-24-2019, 02:20 AM

700 words, reading for grading
S50 is already 80% over and while many teams are turning their heads towards the impending playoff pushes that will need to be made in order to snag the Four Star Cup from the now Carolina Kraken, many top players, including Ricky Bobby, are starting conversations about who could potentially be nominated for any of the SMJHL awards. In this article, we'll be going through a list of awards that Ricky Bobby could be put up for, given his solid play continues through to the end of the season.

Vyacheslav Onoprienko Trophy - Given to the Most Underrated Player
During the most recent offseason, many pundits looked at the reigning Four Star Champions, the Carolina Kraken, and thought that Ricky Bobby would have a significant sophomore slump based off the depth upfront that is present for the Kraken. Ricky Bobby began S50 on the third line and many critics believed that even with his solid build, the best-case scenario for a third-liner would be 30 points, and no clear opportunities to move up the lineup were visible in the Kraken ranks. Ricky Bobby proved otherwise, by being among the Kraken's second-best offensive producers since the puck dropped at the beginning of the season. His 18 goals and 16 assists in just 42 games place him second among all Kraken players, showing that his offensive awareness has been key to his success, while at the same time proving to be a defensive stronghold by being a +20 when he is on the ice at even strength or short-handed. This level of offensive and defensive talent shown throughout the grueling SMJHL season has even earned Ricky Bobby a promotion onto the second line and the chance to play with captain Phineas Gold, and if that isn't being underrated and overcoming that, then I don't know what is.

Zach Miller Trophy - Most Dedicated Player
Off the ice, Ricky Bobby has not only been a significant presence in the locker room with rookies and fellow sophomores but also led his team by example even without a letter on his sweater. Prior to the season, Ricky Bobby sat and analyzed each and every prospect in order to help his management team best prepare for the draft and even joined his GM team in the war-room during the draft, welcoming two bright faces into the Carolina organization. Ricky Bobby also wrote an article with the Athletic that broke down each team's depth charts and was praised by the media for their depth as well as accuracy despite being brand new to the SMJHL scene. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Ricky joined the league office as the assistant to the budget director and has been speedily processing transactions and learning quickly from his mentor Serpe. Finally, Bobby has not missed a beat in terms of updating or claiming potential TPE and has made progress towards catching up with the TPE leaders from his draft class. All of these reasons add up to Ricky being the best candidate in terms of dedication.

Brandon Holmes Trophy - Top Defensive Forward
As mentioned above when stating my case for most underrated forward, Ricky Bobby has proven not only to be an offensive powerhouse but a defensive one as well. He is currently in the top-5 in the league in +/- with a +20, most of which has been mounting ever since he joined the second line, also known as the RBG line. Ricky is only seeing 16 minutes a night but is making sure that those minutes are used primarily to keep opponents from scoring as well as scoring himself. He is doing all of this while being significantly less developed than a few of the older players around him.

These are three awards that could very likely see Ricky Bobby's name under nomination when the time comes for the Awards Committee to decide. So be on the lookout as the future Winnipeg Jet is a truly dynamic player as he is expected to return to the Kraken for his third season, in S51, where he will be able to come back as an even more complete player before heading up to the Jets. Who knows, maybe Ricky Bobby will explode during the playoffs and earn himself some extra hardware as well.

Z0REM · 10-24-2019, 08:35 AM

Sources check out. I'd give it to him!

Kraken

Credit to Vulfzilla for the awesome render pic

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