Login

Mika_Kandinsky · 02-16-2020, 01:48 PM

Code:
1557 words, ready for grading

Everyone remembers when Mika Kandinsky broke the rookie scoring record for the SHL in S50 when he scored an outrageous 62 points in his rookie season with the Toronto North Stars. This phenomenal season ended with a quick post season appearance and subsequent exit for the team. Mika, while a highly touted prospect, was not expected to step in and be so effective in his first season in the league. This performance took the league by storm and put Mika on the map. He also made the all star and rookie team that season. GM @ml002 made a smart move that season by putting Mika on Mikhail Lokitonov's right wing. The two found instant chemistry and finished the season as the number 1 and 2 scorers in the entire league. While their chemistry was obvious to some, others thought that Mika was finding his success via the "ML" effect. Certainly he was getting a boost by playing with the best player in the league, but just how much of it was the ML effect and how much was it Mika being a great player in his own right? Well, this season, ML has been traded away and Mika has taken over as the first line center for the North Stars. Let's take a look and see how he is faring in his new role on the team.

Currently, Mika is 12th in the league in scoring with 18 goals, 23 assists for 41 points and a -4 rating. In his second season (S51) Mika only had 36 points playing right wing next to ML. This is way down from his rookie season of 62. So you can say Mika's second season was a bit of a sophomore slump. While 36 points in the SHL is certainly respectable, it was seen as a disappointing year for the growing star and also contributed to his name showing up on many people's posts about him being the most overrated player in the SHL. So, going into his third season after ML had been traded away making room for Mika to become the first line center many expected Mika to fall into obscurity on a Toronto team that according to Steven Moyer @CanadianDuck "Let's be honest here, Toronto just doesn't have the talent right now to do much of anything but lose." Well, Toronto is currently holding a playoff spot in a very tight Eastern Conference.

So, how has Mika done to help the team find ways to win and how has he been doing in the first line center role? Well, he's having his second best season as of yet with 41 points. He's currently playing at exactly a point per game pace and he's doing this as the number one center on the team. It seems that Mika has really taken the new role on the team to heart and is doing his best to fill the hole that ML left when he was traded away in the offseason. Toronto still isn't quite where they want to be as far as their roster goes, but they have a lot of young talent that are contributing to their current success. Mika has found a way to step in and be a leader for the team. He is hitting more this season than he ever has before, despite the fact that he really isn't known for his physical play. He's playing a complete game and being defensively responsible as he has been known to do. On a Toronto team that gives up a lot of goals, Mika is a -4 which isn't too shabby considering his is seeing the leagues top talent in his match ups night in and night out. He's been helping to shut things down but also is finding the back of the net.

Something interesting that is happening this season is that without ML by his side, Mika has stepped up in driving the play for his team. Mika is shooting at only an 8.61% this season, his lowest of his career so far. Yet, he already has 18 goals which is what he ended the previous season with. This is explained when you look at shot leaders for the league. Mika leads the entire league in shots with 209 shots on goal. Mika is driving the offense and creating a ton of chances for his team. If his shooting percentage bounces back for the end of the season or next season and he keeps up this offensive drive, expect to see him score a lot more goals. He could get hot and end the season with 25 goals if his shooting percentage goes back to around 12%. Certainly, this is very encouraging for Toronto. It means Mika is showing that he is ready to drive his line and take over games now that ML isn't there. This is exactly what Toronto needs going forward and exactly what they were hoping to see out of Mika this season. They drafted Mika to be a star first line center in this league and certainly Toronto's number 1 for the future. Mika is showing that the belief that Toronto is putting in him is well deserved. Fellow teammate and send down Ruslan Zaporozhets @CptSquall took some time to give us a quote on Mika's play, "Mika is tearing it up in Toronto. I've been following along as he is in the same organization as me and played for the same junior team as well. The raging Russian is a powerhouse and will drive the team for decades to come".

Mika is also playing more than he ever has in his previous seasons. This is another sign that he's taking a big step forward. He's playing in all situations from the center position and that is a huge step for him. We've seen that he can do it in juniors, but to see it coming to fruition in the big leagues is very encouraging. Mika has 41 points, and only 7 of those points have come on the power play. Mika is an absolute 5v5 monster. We've known this for a few seasons now and it continues to hold true with him playing first line center. Mika is only going to get better and Toronto has to be happy with what they are seeing. He's also making the league take notice and probably has some people rethinking calling Mika one of the most over rated players in the league.

When asked, goalie Harry Carpet @Carpy48 had this to say about Mika in his new role, "Mika is doing extremely well, with or without Lokitonov. I'm looking forward to the many years we'll play together for this team, but I secretly hope that he could start blocking a few more shots for me." When the goalie is happy with your play, you are doing something right. His criticism of Mika's shot blocking is interesting because Mika has 15 blocks which puts him right up there with most high scoring forwards. But, goalies always want guys to get those blocks when they can.

Ultimately, Mika is not scoring at the same torrid pace as he did in his rookie season. This is not a sign of decline in his play, however. As he continues to learn the center role in the SHL he is only going to get better and will soon be scoring 60 point season once again. It will also help him out when the team around him continues to improve in their own right. Mika helps his linemates play better hockey and that is crucial to success. In fact, Mika's linemates are having incredible seasons. Rookie, Bobby Lane @Rich has 40 points in his rookie year playing next to Mika! So, are we going to read a similar article about Bobby Lane at some point? Playing on a line with Mika is giving Lane the ability to grow into the SHL and be effective as a player immediately. Sure, he has a ways to go, especially defensively, but he's already putting up big points in the league just as Mika did when he played next to ML in his rookie season. Mika's other linemate, Kevin Kazarian @Harry Hans has 38 points on the season so far. This line is doing a great job with the scoring for Toronto. This is what Mika Kandinsky can do for a team and his linemates. He gets on the ice, and he sees the game so well. He drives the play and creates opportunities for his teammates.

So, in conclusion I think we can say that yes, Mika Kandinsky was ready to take on a first line center role for Toronto. He's currently leading them in scoring and leading them in a tight playoff race. The young star is coming into his own being outside of ML's shadow. He is finding chemistry with rookie Bobby Lane, which is a great sight to see if you're Toronto's front office. These two could have a very bright future ahead of them. Certainly, Toronto's outlook is going up and we can expect them to competing for cups within a few seasons.