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reid · 07-24-2020, 05:28 PM

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Click here for other positions power rankings:

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As before, a quick background: These rankings are based on TPE and S54 production, as well as a little bit of team situation and player opportunity. They are a follow up to my pre- S53 rankings, so we have a bit better idea of how FHM impacts player performance. I cannot predict how GM’s might deploy their lines, so this is supposed to represent the best line that a GM could make using mostly players in their natural positions. The TPE was taken last week pre-regression, so if a player has a * next to their TPE, that indicates that they are in regression and their TPE to start the season will be 100-200 TPE lower than listed.

An additional note about goalies – it is really hard to separate what they are able to do vs what is due to the team in front of them. I will do my best to differentiate it, but the fact is that goalies on the worst teams will not put up good statistical seasons no matter what they do.

As with my other articles, I wanted to showcase some of the up and coming talent in the league! These players were either recent rookies or upcoming rookies in the SHL and are all challenging for their team’s top line position. For one reason or another, they aren’t quite there, but they are all players on the rise to keep your eyes on. Now let’s get into it!

YOUNG GUNZ:

Cillian Kavanagh, San Francisco Pride pride

TPE: 832

S54 Stats (SMJHL): 22-11-6, 0.915 sv%, 2.14 GAA

A true rookie in the SHL this season, Kavanagh played 4 seasons for the Kelowna Knights and recently won the Corcoran award for being the best goalie in the J. Kavanagh was slated to be the starter for the San Francisco Pride before the shocking trade that brought Geezus Kryyst to the team. With Kryyst signed for a few seasons (and 400 TPE higher than Kavanagh), he will likely keep the starting position for the duration of his contract. Until then, Kavanagh will have to fill in as the backup role and bid his time.

Olli Saarinen Jr, New Orleans Specters

TPE: 782

S54 Stats: 7-3-0, 0.897 sv%, 2.31 GAA

Olli Saarinen Jr is the backup for the New Orleans Specters – playing in 10 games for the reigning champions in S54. As a true rookie, he had a good win/loss record, but struggled to stop a lot of shots with only a 0.897 sv%. With incumbent starter Aleister Cain still at a high TPE level, Saarinen will have to wait a bit for a shot at the starting role. Cain is a free agent after this season however, so it will be interesting to see if New Orleans re-signs him or decides to embrace the youth movement and promote Saarinen to the top spot.

POWER RANKINGS:

16. Frans Eller, New England Wolfpack

TPE: 687

S54 Stats (SMJHL): 28-10-5, 0.909 sv%, 2.43 GAA

The starting goalie for the Carolina Kraken this past season, Eller was called up after his 3rd season in the J to start his tenure as the New England Wolfpacks starter. After acquiring Benjamin Blue for only one season, the New England Wolfpack shipped him back to Tampa Bay in order to call up their young goalie. New England doesn’t profile as a bottom dweller, but doesn’t profile as a playoff team either – so they are likely destined to be a middling team in the East. With a decent top line defensive pairing in front of him, Eller could see ok stats – even if they will get crushed a bit by the likes of Buffalo, Hamilton and Chicago. Ultimately it is his low TPE and uncertain team outlook that keeps him at the bottom of the pile.

15. Benjamin Blue, Tampa Bay Barracuda

TPE: 1223*

S54 Stats: 25-17-1, 0.900 sv%, 2.23 GAA

As mentioned above, Benjamin Blue spent S54 with the New England Wolfpack after being traded from the Tampa Bay Barracuda in the offseason. Now back with the Barracuda for his final SHL season, Blue is set for a tough season. The former superstar had a solid season in S54, posting 9 shutouts which is quite impressive. He will not have such luck this season, as the Barracuda are a significant downgrade in front of him. This version of the Barracuda is a far cry from the S54 squad that went 0-50 however, and Blue could steal them a game or two. With his regressing status and unfortunate team situation, I struggled to rank him much higher than here.

14. Strom Chamberlain, Winnipeg Jets Jets

TPE: 905

S54 Stats (SMJHL): 19-13-0, 0.903 sv%, 2.89 GAA

Our second rookie goaltender on this list is Strom Chamberlain – the top earning goalie from the S52 class! Strom is set to light up the SHL and is an immediate upgrade on the teams old starter, Vivian LeBlanc. With a relatively low TPE for a starter, he might struggle to put up insane numbers in his rookie season, but I wouldn’t count on him struggling either. Winnipeg has a solid defense (one 2K player, top 4 is all >1K TPE) and that should allow Chamberlain to have a solid season for the Jets. As for the team itself, it is unclear where they will finish in S55, likely fighting for the last playoff seed in the west with Texas and Los Angeles. This isn’t an enviable position to be in for great stats and impact as a goalie, so that plus is lower end TPE is what keeps him here. Chamberlain is a future star however, so I wouldn’t expect to see him this far down the list in the future.

13. A Jobin, Hamilton Steelhawks

TPE: 648

S54 Stats (SMJHL): 17-15-2, 0.916 sv%, 2.64 GAA

The lowest TPE starter on the list is our 3rd and final rookie set to take the starting reigns for an SHL team. Jobin graduates from the Detroit Falcons after an amazing SMJHL career. He gets the enviable job of stepping into the Hamilton Steelhawks – one of the best teams in the league – and also one of the best defensive teams in the league. With 3 1500 TPE defenders in front of him and a team that drives play a ridiculous amount (9 of the top 25 players in the SHL in CF% were from Hamilton) I would expect Jobin to have an easier job than most of the other rookie starters. That is enough to lift him up at the top of that tier, but ultimately not enough to lift him up into the next round, due to his TPE.

12. Markus Tegernako, Minnesota Chiefs Chiefs

TPE: 1116

S54 Stats: 12-30-2, 0.916 sv%, 4.13 GAA

Tegernako checks in at 12 and is an interesting situation among SHL starters. While he ranks top 9 in terms of starter TPE, Tegernako suffers from playing on the Chiefs. He is very close in ranking to the #11 spot, as both are Western Conference teams that will struggle to win games. With only a few solid defenders in front of him, Tegernako will face a lot of shots. That will lead to a similar stat line we saw in S54 – high save percentage but an accompanying high goals against average. As the Chiefs improve in the next few seasons, we should see Tegernako rise up these charts – not many are as good of earners as he is. For now, it is his team situation and the slight disadvantage in terms of TPE that keeps him ranked behind our #11 starting goalie.

11. Geezus Kryyst, San Francisco Pride pride

TPE: 1467*

S54 Stats: 32-9-2, 0.913 sv%, 2.22 GAA

One of the best goaltenders in the league for several seasons, Kryyst sees a tumble down these rankings for a few reasons prior to S55. For one, he is regressing – and several seasons into it at that. Word has it that he might not be fighting regression, so that could seriously impact his production in S55. The second – and probably most impactful reason – is his trade to the San Francisco Pride. While his team outlook didn’t look that bad prior to the San Francisco firesale, it does now. Losing two almost 2K defenders and a few decent forwards will do that to a team. Unfortunatley for Kryyst, that means he must try and steal some games for the Pride if they have any hope of finding success in S55. He likely won’t repeat his 8 shutouts though.

10. Luca Del Vecchio, Baltimore Platoon Platoon

TPE: 1009

S54 Stats: 10-32-2, 0.911 sv%, 3.57 GAA

Checking in above Kryyst is Luca Del Vecchio of the Baltimore Platoon. Entering his 3rd season as Platoon starter, Del Vecchio is a bright spot for the team that struggled in S54. Del Vecchio is the 3rd highest earner in the S51 class, making him a unique brand of top end TPE earner and young starting goalie for an SHL team. Del Vecchio may not get a ton of support from his team in front of him – Baltimore sold off some pieces in preparation for an extended rebuild – but what he does have over the other goalies on rebuilding teams is the division that he plays in. With the division of Manhattan, New England and Tampa, there is high potential to steal some games for Del Vecchio. Especially with three of the teams essentially rebuilding, we could see Del Vecchio put up some solid win numbers this season.

9. White Goodman, Texas Renegades

TPE: 871

S54 Stats: 24-15-5, 0.918 sv%, 2.70 GAA

By far the lowest TPE starting goaltender in the top 10, Goodman is in an interesting situation. Texas exploded out of nowhere last season, and almost qualified for the playoffs. Goodman was a big part of that, and his stats outperform his TPE level by a decent margin. What ranks him ahead of the other goalies below is the Texas defense in front of him. Sneakily they have been getting much better – with the top 4 all around 1200 TPE or more to start S55. The bottom pairing of Adam Scianna and Guy O’Shea are young rookies and will surely develop into studs soon. This sets Goodman up for success and should see him turn in similar numbers in spite of his lower TPE.

8. Elizabeth Doyle, Buffalo Stampede

TPE: 996

S54 Stats: 35-7-2, 0.913 sv%, 1.91 GAA

With S54 stats such as those, this may seem like a ridiculous position to rank Elizabeth Doyle. She had an incredibly impressive rookie season, posting 8 shutouts and leading the majors in GAA. She did an excellent job behind Buffalo’s stacked team and stopped the shots she needed to in order for them to win the Presidents trophy. The question just comes into play about how much the insanely stacked Buffalo defense comes into play with her stats. I am a firm believer that she should be getting Jester and McBride looks for her S54 performance, all the goalies in front of her have a much higher TPE level, as well as a significant enough team situation that I believe warrents her ranking at 8th.

7. Knox Booth, Los Angeles Panthers

TPE: 1292

S54 Stats: 20-16-0, 0.916 sv%, 2.45 GAA

Settling right above Doyle in the standings is S49 standout Knox Booth. The 5th ranked TPE earner in his class, he has a 300 TPE advantage on Doyle, which is enough of an edge up for me to rank him here. Los Angeles should have a very solid defense in front of him, and I anticipate they will not be as bad as some people are saying. They only really sold off a few pieces, so the defense in front of Booth should be largely the same. Their depth is increasing as well, as standout Disisde Dayudie crossed 1200 TPE in the offseason and should fortify their defense. This should lead to Booth having another stellar season and hopefully replicating that 0.916 save percentage.

6. Emiko Spector, Edmonton Blizzard

TPE: 1119

S54 Stats: 28-14-3, 0.910 sv%, 2.74 GAA

Emiko Spector had an excellent season in S54, registering 5 shutouts on the way to leading the Blizzard to the top spot in their conference. She checks in slightly lower in terms of TPE than Booth, but to me she has a much more advantageous team situation. With stalwarts such as Karlstabe Scholz and Brady McIntyre in front of her, she has the potential for another spectacular year for the Blizzard. With trading for Theo Morgan, I expect the Blizzard to be one of, if not the top teams in the west. This will lead to them driving play a lot, and should allow Spector to be the reliable backstop for Edmonton once again.

5. Tibuk Soonika, Chicago Syndicate

TPE: 1382

S54 Stats: 29-13-2, 0.914 sv%, 2.25 GAA

Ranking in his exact position as my last poll is Tibuk Soonika of the Chicago Syndicate. Soonika has jumped to almost 1400 TPE – good for 5th among all starters. He has also seen marked improvement from the team in front of him, as Chicago excelled last season to finish in playoff contention for the first time in a while. With studs such as Corey Kennedy and Parker Smeb in front of him, Soonika is poised to have another killer year for the Syndicate. The only disadvantage Soonika has is that he has to play Hamilton and Buffalo 6 times each this season, which is never a good thing, as they tend to dominate on shots and offensive production in general.

4. Kata Vilde, Calgary Dragons Dragons

TPE: 1715*

S54 Stats: 21-19-4, 0.890 sv%, 3.32 GAA

This ranking might come across as a little controversial, as it is obvious that Vilde had a seriously bad S54. In fact, Vilde turned in a 0.890 save percentage, worst among starters. This was in spite of playing behind a pretty loaded team TPE wise in Calgary. Calgary as a whole struggled – barely making playoffs, so I believe it is a symptom of the whole team play rather than the goalie himself. With Vilde regressing, he wont be playing at as high of a TPE level, however, his 1500ish TPE to start the season is still exceptionally high for a starting netminder – likely 3rd in the league. Vilde has had the entire offseason to re-work his build, and that plus the addition of Leopold Lockhart to the Calgary blue line is what made me rank Vilde here.

3. Peter Larson, Manhattan Rage Rage

TPE: 1379

S54 Stats: 23-17-4, 0.916 sv%, 2.55 GAA

Another rank, another familiar face, as Peter Larson checks in exactly where he was pre- season 53. Larson had a solid season in S54, with a 0.916 save percentage and 4 shut outs. His TPE is also growing, as his 1400ish TPE is one of the better marks in the league. What really is his greatest strength is his team situation for S55. With the New England Wolfpack rebuilding in S55, the Manhattan Rage should have their walk of the division. This includes 18 games that should be relatively easy wins. Not saying they are guaranteed, but having to play less games against Buffalo and Hamilton is always a good thing. His numbers should see a jump as well, as Manhattan brought in Geoff Moore and called up mediocre prospect (not actually mediocre) Jukka Timonen to solidify the blue line in front of him.

2. Harry Carpet, Toronto North Stars Stars

TPE: 1633

S54 Stats: 10-30-2, 0.922 sv%, 3.47 GAA

Likely surpassing our #1 ranked goalie in TPE for a starter is Harry Carpet – one of the premier netminders in the SHL. With a gaudy 0.922 save percentage, Carpet led the SHL in that category. He went above and beyond what any “good goalie on a bad team” could be expected to do, and was without a doubt the reason that Toronto had so many wins (or so many more than expected) in S54. He will continue to lead this team, and with multiple blue line callups this season, Toronto’s overall blue line got stronger. This should lead him to an even better season – even if he still has to face Hamilton, Buffalo and Chicago 6 times apiece.

1. Aleister Cain, New Orleans Specters

TPE: 1818*

S54 Stats: 23-13-4, 0.903 sv%, 2.78 GAA

The highest TPE goaltender before regression bumps him down past Harry Carpet is recent champion Aleister Cain. Turning in a solid but not spectacular season in S54, Cain turned it on down the stretch, fueled by a build change late in the season. This hot play carried into the playoffs, where Cain put up a master class and was a huge contributing factor in the Specters cup win. With New Orleans acquisition of stud defender Rex Kirkby, the Specters defense should be further solidified to keep pucks away from Cain. All in all, Cain should have an excellent season in S55 once more.

*Indicates player in regression and TPE to start the season will be 100-200 TPE lower than shown

And that’s it! Hope you all enjoyed reading these as much as I enjoyed making them ?

***Wally*** · 07-24-2020, 05:34 PM

I'd have an opinion, but Reid doesn't approve of me having one. So good article. Goalie love.

reid · 07-24-2020, 05:50 PM

07-24-2020, 05:34 PMWally Wrote: I'd have an opinion, but Reid doesn't approve of me having one. So good article. Goalie love.

Lmfao. Hit me with that opinion, whatcha got?

***Wally*** · 07-24-2020, 05:53 PM

07-24-2020, 05:50 PMreid_sutherland Wrote:
07-24-2020, 05:34 PMWally Wrote: I'd have an opinion, but Reid doesn't approve of me having one. So good article. Goalie love.
Lmfao. Hit me with that opinion, whatcha got?

Lol... Just kidding... Seriously... I love this article. Always enjoy goalie reads Wink

***Chevy*** · 07-24-2020, 05:54 PM

Goalie love <3

***Wally*** · 07-24-2020, 05:56 PM

Great seeing so many young goalies finally breaking into the league and getting a shot!

*Zoone16* · 07-24-2020, 05:58 PM

Top 10. Nice. You get to keep your grader job for this season.

jk. you're a great grader/. Love the article. It's been a solid series.

SlashACM · 07-24-2020, 06:14 PM

I think I'll be ahead of carpet for oneee more season before handing over the reigns

reid · 07-24-2020, 06:17 PM

07-24-2020, 06:14 PMSlashACM Wrote: I think I'll be ahead of carpet for oneee more season before handing over the reigns

Impossible, I was told you suck

reid · 07-24-2020, 06:18 PM

07-24-2020, 05:58 PMZoone16 Wrote: Top 10. Nice. You get to keep your grader job for this season.

jk. you're a great grader/. Love the article. It's been a solid series.

Ty Zoone bb, now gib big bonus plz and thanks

SlashACM · 07-24-2020, 06:21 PM

07-24-2020, 06:17 PMreid_sutherland Wrote:
07-24-2020, 06:14 PMSlashACM Wrote: I think I'll be ahead of carpet for oneee more season before handing over the reigns
Impossible, I was told you suck