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reid · 03-27-2020, 10:27 AM

(2450 words, ready for grading)

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||Center||Left Wing||Right Wing||Defense||

As before, a quick background: These rankings are based on TPE and S52 production, as well as a little bit of FHM builds and opportunities. I cannot predict how GM’s might deploy their lines, so this is supposed to represent the absolute best (TPE wise) line that a GM could make using mostly players in their natural positions. In the case of goalie, it was usually pretty obvious who would be getting the start, as most teams do not carry two high TPE goalies. That said, some of the teams had tandems that split starts, so I nominated the higher TPE goalie as the starter. Now lets get into the goalie rankings!

16. White Goodman, Texas Renegades

TPE: 664
S52 Stats: 23-12-9, 0.905 Sv%, 2.58 GAA (SMJHL Stats)

The starting goalie for the Vancouver Whalers in the SMJHL last year, White Goodman had an excellent season in S52. He was the top goalie in the juniors, and was a nominee for the MVP trophy. In terms of TPE, he is not far behind the bottom half of the starting goalies in the SHL, but given his lack of experience and slight TPE disadvantage, I felt he should be the lowest ranking goalie. He has loads of room to improve, and his TPE indicates that he should climb up these rankings in no time. It is not often a rookie is handed the starting reigns for an SHL club, but Goodman should get the chance to carry the lions share of the minutes for the Renegades. It might be a rough year for Goodman with a rebuilding team in front of him, but in future seasons, with a strong team in front of him, Goodman has the potential to be great.

15. Beaujeaux Biscuit, West Kendall Platoon Platoon

TPE: 731
S52 Stats: 18-25-1, 0.900 Sv%, 3.27 GAA

The seasoned veteran who is the starter for West Kendall, Biscuit was drafted in S37, and is going strong for a player of that age. His stats were not great in S52, but he also had a weaker team in front of him, so if the Platoon’s defense improves, his stats should as well. The good news for West Kendall is that they have promising rookie Luca Del Vecchio waiting in the wings to take over. Del Vecchio was the starter for the Kelowna Knights last year, and had an excellent season. He has almost equal TPE as Biscuit, so we could see them split starts, and Del Vecchio could take the starting reins this season, and surely next.

14. Patrice Nadeau, San Francisco Pride pride

TPE: 723
S52 Stats: 8-5-0, 0.902 Sv%, 2.95 GAA

The backup for the Pride last season, Nadeau played in 13 games and put up decent stats. With one of the best defenses in the league in front of him, Nadeau likely does not to be any better than average to have an excellent season, but it is his lack of starting experience and lower TPE that ranks him here. The Pride made it all the way to the Challenge Cup Finals last season, and will be counting on Nadeau to be good enough in S53 so they can take another shot at it.

13. Cederic Robinson, Buffalo Stampede

TPE: 729
S52 Stats: 26-17-2, 0.905 Sv%, 2.97 GAA

Cederic Robinson had a pretty good season last year for Buffalo. Another goalie with one of the better defenses in front of him, Robinson is set to have another good season for the Stampede. Unfortunatley for him, Robinson just hit regression for the first time this season, and with his already below average TPE total, that might play a factor in his S53 season. For Buffalo, they have superstar prospect Elizabeth Doyle in the wings set to replace Robinson in a few seasons. Already with almost as much TPE as Robinson, Doyle is the St. Louis Scarecrows starter for S53, where she will get one more season of development time before being called up to the Stampede.

12. Vivian Leblanc, Winnipeg Jets Jets

TPE: 816
S52 Stats: 23-21-0, 0.901 Sv%, 2.88 GAA

Winnipeg starting goaltender Vivian Leblanc checks in at number 12. A small step above Robinson in terms of TPE, Leblanc carried the load for Winnipeg, and put up respectable numbers for a team that missed the playoffs. She has a few more seasons until regression, but the Jets top prospect in Strom Chamberlain is knocking on the door. He should be up in the SHL within a few seasons and should at least split starts with Leblanc once he gets there. For now, Leblanc is a serviceable starter, and should be fine for the Jets, but they will need Chamberlain to make the leap to superstar status in order to carry them to playoff contention.

11. Markus Tegernako, Minnesota Chiefs Chiefs

TPE: 855
S52 Stats: 18-21-5, 0.910 Sv%, 2.86

A rookie for the Chiefs in S52, Markus Tegernako stepped up in a major way, and put up quality stats for a team that did not have the strongest defense. His 0.910 save percentage was 5th among all starting goaltenders analyzed, made even more impressive given his 18-21-5 record. He is the 13th ranked player, and top ranked goalie in terms of TPE earning for S50 draftees and should continue to rise up the ranks as the seasons wear on. His rookie season was very impressive, and he should repeat his stellar goaltending in S53, although hopefully for him, with more winning results.

10. Knox Booth, Los Angeles Panthers

TPE: 1023
S52 Stats: 15-15-2, 0.889 Sv%, 3.29 GAA

Booth had a rough year for the Panthers, with the worst save percentage, and the second highest GAA among all starters analyzed. He split starts with fellow S49 draftee Nolan McMahon, but as he has a 300 TPE advantage on McMahon, and played in the majority of the games, I am giving him the starter designation. Booth is the second highest earner of TPE in S49, second only to Panthers teammate Elijah Jones. He has a bright future ahead of him, and should help lead the youth movement at goaltender along with Tegernako and some of the prospects I have mentioned before. With any luck, Booth turns the corner and rebounds with a solild S53. His ranking ahead of Tegernako is mostly to do with his large TPE advantage.

9. Benjamin Blue, Tampa Bay Barracuda

TPE: 1173
S52 Stats: 16-25-3, 0.902 Sv%, 3.52 GAA

Blue suffered in S52 due to a lack of support in front of him. Tampa Bay is a rebuilding team, and that is never easy for goalies with regards to their stat line. Only winning 16 games this year, Blue had an average 0.902 save percentage, but paired that with a 3.52 GAA, worst among all starters by a wide margin. With the Barracuda drafting two defenseman in the first round of the S53 draft, help is on the way for Blue, but it may be too late. Blue is a S41 draftee, so may have regressed too much before Tampa’s defense straightens itself out. The Barracuda did draft goaltender Jerry Huuveri as well, so it is possible that he will be the goalie of the future for Tampa Bay.

8. Johannes Leitner, New England Wolfpack

TPE: 991
S52 Stats: 22-17-5, 0.900 Sv%, 3.18 GAA

With less TPE than Blue, Leitner checks in at 8th overall in these rankings, ranked ahead of Blue and Knox because of his better performance in S52. His 22 wins were very good, especially for a team that missed the playoffs in New England. His 3.18 GAA was not super strong, but with the addition of high TPE defenseman Rex Kirkby this offseason, Leitner should have more help in S52 and we should see an improvement in his stats. For the next few seasons, Leitner will be the man for New England, as he only just hit regression. Stud backup Frans Eller is in the pipeline to take over, but was only drafted in S53, so will need several more seasons to develop before Leitner is ready to hand the reins over.

7. Tommy Tuck, Edmonton Blizzard

TPE: 892
S52 Stats: 19-10-1, 0.916 Sv%, 2.49 GAA

Having announced his retirement to take place after S52, Tommy Tuck has been one of the better goaltenders for many seasons. The S39 veteran split starts last season with Emiko Spector, but as he started 30 of the 50 games, and as a nod to his illustrious career, I called him the starter. In the games he did play, Tuck was excellent, posting a 0.916 save percentage and a 2.49 GAA. Those numbers were second best and best respectively among all starting goaltenders, albeit with the caveat that he played limited games compared to most of the other starters. Tuck should have another excellent season splitting starts in S53 on a farewell tour before Spector takes over the starting role. For his part, Spector will be a part of the youth movement at the position, and should ensure no drop off in the quality of netminding for the Blizzard.

6. Harry Carpet, Toronto North Stars Stars

TPE: 1346
S52 Stats: 19-18-7, 0.915 Sv%, 3.08 GAA

Carpet is the first of the group of top end goaltenders. The top 6 goaltenders in the league are a clear step above the rest, and it is no surprise that most of them are a part of elite, competitive teams at the moment. Harry Carpet does not belong to that category, as the North Stars are in the middle of an extensive rebuild. That is by no means Carpet’s fault, as he was likely the reason he dragged the North Stars to the playoffs in S52. His 0.915 save percentage was perhaps even more impressive given the strength of the team in front of him, or lack thereof. The S47 Draftee will have plenty of time to improve more and shoot up these rankings, as he is the youngest of the top flight goalies.

5. Tibuk Soonika, Chicago Syndicate

TPE: 1239
S52 Stats: 26-14-4, 0.916 Sv%, 2.84 GAA

Another younger goaltender is Chicago’s Tibuk Soonika. Although he is one season older than Carpet, he does have slightly less TPE. Playing behind the superior Syndicate defense and team, Soonika had a better statistical season to Carpet. His 0.916 save percentage was second best overall, and his 2.84 GAA was third best among all starters analyzed. I would expect another strong season out of Soonika, as the Syndicate have only gotten stronger with the further development of stars Corey Kennedy. Soonika should be a solid starter for several more years for Chicago, and is poised to stay a part of this top tier of netminders for a while.

4. Kata Vilde, Calgary Dragons Dragons

TPE: 1621
S52 Stats: 20-20-4, 0.900 Sv%, 3.18 GAA

With the second highest TPE at the goalie position, Kata Vilde is right at the forefront for best goalie discussions. Her TPE total is what is keeping her above Soonika, but her production in S52 is what keeps her ranked 4th and not any higher. With a disappointing 0.900 save percentage and a 3.18 GAA, she did not have the production that you would think for a goaltender of her caliber. A .500 win percentage was not ideal either, and she will have to pick it up in S53. The Dragons did finish on the bubble of the playoffs, only just making it, but it is tough to tell if that was in part due to Vilde, or if she was the only reason that they made it to that spot.

3. Peter Larson, Manhattan Rage Rage

TPE: 1303
S52 Stats: 24-18-1, 0.921 Sv%, 2.66 GAA

If we were doing rankings based on only S52 production, Larson would be the runaway winner. The netminder was nominated for the MVP trophy, and had an outstanding season for the Rage. He continued his stellar play in the playoffs and was part of the reason that the Rage walked away from S52 with the Challenge Cup. The reason that I struggled to place him higher is mainly due to TPE. As with some of my previous rankings, the idea that TPE differences will be accentuated in FHM played a big role in the ranking for Larson here. His TPE is still that of a top 4 goalie, and he has a very strong team in front of him, so this ranking could make me look foolish in the end. I just think the top two had good enough stats with much higher TPE to make their rankings at #2 and #1 worth it. It is a very close race between the top three netminders.

2. Geezus Kryyst, Hamilton Steelhawks

TPE: 1569
S52 Stats: 29-13-2, 0.909 Sv%, 3.03 GAA

The third highest TPE for a goalie, and 270 TPE above the 4th placed Larson is the Hamilton Steelhawks reborn son Geezus Kryyst. Kryyst had a stellar season last year, posting a league high 29 wins with only 15 combined regulation and overtime losses. His 0.909 Sv% was good for 7th in the league, and 6th among starters for S53. His 3.03 GAA was not as good, but his overall record and TPE total makes up for it. He is playing in front of a really strong Hamilton team, which should be the case again next season – and probably for a few more after that as well. Kryyst is a S42 draftee, and with his TPE total, he has plenty of time to go before Hamilton needs to think about replacing him.

1. Aleister Cain, New Orleans Specters

TPE: 1745
S52 Stats: 22-16-6, 0.906 Sv%, 2.95 GAA

The highest TPE goalie by a long shot, Aleister Cain is a goalie who has been plagued by inconsistency in his career. His production does not always stand up to being the top TPE goalie, but I am hopeful for him in FHM, and behind a solid defense in New Orleans that he can rise to the occasions and prove the haters wrong. In S52, Cain had a solid goals against average and save percentage, ranking 7th and 8th league wide in those categories. He also had a good record with 22 wins, helping the Specters to another successful season. I have high hopes for Cain in S52, and am really hoping that his Simon performance does not prove to make me look foolish for ranking him so high.

And that’s it! Hope you all enjoyed reading these as much as I enjoyed making them ?
I will be posting a summary of the Power Rankings and the average scores of the top line shortly!