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Live From the Citadel - Week 2
#1
(This post was last modified: 08-11-2020, 02:03 PM by Smiley.)

Final Word Count: 3,380
Ready For Grading

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WELCOME back to 'Live From the Citadel' as hosted by yours truly, Smiley. Some big stuff has happened for me since you've been away, I'm a Head Office member now (kind of) and that means additional responsibility in the league, woohoo! Because of that, I should preface that any statements made in these media segments reflect my own views and not those of the league! Anyways, I'm excited for another week of doing these articles because they're quick and easy and fun to do! I've really enjoyed this series so far and I believe my team has as well, meaning awesome team talk for the Citadelles! I'm excited to announce the upcoming week's articles, including it's front running article; From Slovakia With Love: Zdenko Beranek!

Thanks, Max
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Contents
Article #1 - From Slovakia With Love: Zdenko Beranek (@ztevans)
Reply - https://simulationhockey.com/showthread....pid2882948

Article #2 - Holding Steady: Jasper Maximov (@enigmatic)
Replyhttps://simulationhockey.com/showthread....pid2882953

Article #3 - New To Town: William Salming (@Salming)
Replyhttps://simulationhockey.com/showthread....pid2884053

Article #4 - Split Custody: Mat Smith (@Matteo)
Reply - https://simulationhockey.com/showthread....pid2884470

Article #5 - Family Act: Bobov, Taylora, and Boris Petrov (@LimJahey @indonesianhusker @"Panda") 
Reply - https://simulationhockey.com/showthread....pid2887132

Starting Tuesday July 28th!

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#2

From Slovakia With Love: Zdenko Beranek
Week 2: Article #1
Word Count: 700

And so the season has begun, and for one player it means that his campaign towards becoming an SHL first overall draft pick is officially under way. Zdenko Beranek, selected first overall in the SMJHL Entry Draft by the upstart Quebec City Citadelles has already found out what it's like to be a part of a long and arduous fight to achieve something, but for the Citadelles it's been trying to wiggle their way into a playoff position. Beranek is an exceptional player with a bright future ahead of him, and while he has been a solid player on the ice it just hasn't been coming together for the Citadelles quite yet, who currently sit at a record of 3-8-1 over 11 games, placing them in last place in both their division, and their conference. The positive? The Nevada Battleborn sit one spot lower, although this may prove to be a hindrance towards the future prosperity of the club as this means they may not secure a first overall selection in next season's draft.

The season has been unforgiving to the young Beranek thus far, offering him up only four offensive points, with one goal and three assists from the top line through the start of the season. Posting a negative plus/minus is always a hard thing to defend, although it's not like the Slovakian winger has completely been devoid of defensive performance. With five hits and fifteen shots blocked, the young Slovak has been doing absolutely everything in his power to keep up with the other top young rookies around the league and has simply become a product of his environment. For this reason, despite his performance many teams around the SHL are still considering him to be one of the highest calibre players in this draft class and a surefire top five selection.

Riddled with questions of his ability to lead the team as their first ever captain, Beranek has a tremendous amount of pressure in all directions to be a player that can be depended on at the bat of an eye. Being pushed out for power play and penalty kill time, this man is out on the ice playing nearly fifteen minutes a night as a rookie, a tremendous workload. Here at the office though, we believe Beranek has completely done the best he can with the assets he has around him.

Beranek is getting high props around the league for being it's top well rounded player, being able to produce from both ends of the ice night in and night out. Despite his offensive totals not reflecting top calibre offensive play, we can see through player scouting reports that he does in fact possess many of the qualities of a franchise forward. Scoring a 10/20 on the offensive awareness rating and a 9/20 on shooting accuracy, Beranek is a deadly offensive player who just needs more time to adjust to his new environment. These high ratings cross over into his defensive game where he scored a 9/20 on checking and a 10/20 on defensive awareness. These four stats compile a strong image of the young Slovak, but his game truly exists in his strengths in skating. With a speed rating of 12/20, acceleration, agility, and balance of 10/20 and stamina of 11/20, Beranek is a true skate first player, opting to carry pucks across the line and play around deep in the offensive zone.

An extremely talented two way player, Beranek simply needs a moment of greatness to break him out of the slump he currently resides in. It's no big thing to think a young player may take time to oriente themselves with the league, and as it progresses we should Beranek evolve into a more intrinsic role amongst the Citadelles.

Thank you for coming back to Week 2 of "Live From the Citadel!" I'll be posting most of these articles today as a I slipped behind a fair amount after the draft due to getting swamped with work, but having free time means I want to get these all done! Stay tuned as I post the articles through the day! Let's have a great week!

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#3

Holding Steady: Jasper Maximov
Week 2: Article #2
Word Count: 650

It's been a rough season for everyone on the ice with the Quebec City Citadelles as they have failed to find themselves in a playoff position to start their history like they had intended too, and one of the places that many have begun to point fingers is at the young defensive unit, headlined by second round selection Jasper Maximov. The Ukranian defenseman has played a pivotal role in all defensive systems for Quebec City through the first campaign, finding themselves with nearly twenty minutes in a night, and as an underdeveloped rookie it seems that the pressure is beginning to mount on Maximov's shoulders. But yet, Maximov is holding strong.

With eleven games under their belt, Maximov has shown their ability to persevere through a tough campaign, but will need to address the issues with their own performance before they can begin to impact the team in a positive fashion. With only a single point in the form of an assist through the first eleven games, and a startling lack of defensive statistics with only two hits and seven shots blocked, many are starting to question if Maximov deserves their position on the first defensive pairing for the Citadelles. Fans have questioned it, but no real answer seems to exist for a potential replacement as the team still exists in such infancy.

It's not like Maximov doesn't have the qualities necessary to lead the team, it seems more as though the team's systems don't quite fit the young defenseman. With exceptional offensive ability, Maximov is a player who is performing far underneath their offensive potential this season. Rated a 12/20 in both Offensive Awareness and Shooting Accuracy, Maximov is a pin point shooter from the point who hasn't been used as such this far. Their ability to allow the puck to find it's way between defenders feet has been rendered ineligible as the Citadelles have opted to play a much tighter defense, opting to shuffle the puck in front of the net and around the crease for dirty, hard fought goals rather than pushing the puck out to the point for Maximov to play with. Their 11/20 passing and 11/20 getting open ratings mean that most times, Maximov is ready to create movement even if not in the form of the puck, and simply hasn't been used as an outlet thus far.

Defensively, Maximov's game is the furthest thing from incomplete. Scoring an 11/20 defensive awareness rating and likewise an 11/20 positioning rating, Maximov is rarely out of their position and is always in prime real-estate to thwart an offensive rush, but simply can't seem to reply upon his team mates to cover space, often being caught with two men to cover or being yanked back and forth across the ice. Physically, Maximov is a player that much prefers to play the stick, and his lack of ability to physically commit may be a major problem for the defenseman moving forward with relatively low rating in checking of 9/10 and a more terrifying 5/10 rating in hitting. These physical problems should be corrected by Maximov's aggressive skating ability, with a strong two way presence and forgiveness for a missed interception or stick check.

Although it has been a rough campaign, Maximov should stay on the first pairing and continue to develop his ability on both sides of the ice. It's hard to make a comprehensive opinion on a young player's ability this early into a campaign, especially when every asset around them is likewise new to the game. Maximov should be just fine to continue from his current position, but will need to see changes reflected in his game fast or the people of Quebec may suddenly be breathing down his shoulder for change.

And that concludes another article, I told you, ripping these out. Another to come in a few minutes.

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#4

New To Town: William Salming
Week 2: Article #3
Word Count: 600

Joining a hockey league post draft as a free agent is one of the most unorthodox ways to start a career in the world of major league sports, but for the young William Salming it is starting to look like second nature. Joining the Quebec City Citadelles post draft, Salming has quickly shuffled himself into an important spot on the Citadelles roster, icing out on the team's third and fourth forward lines this season and pushing for more time down the road. The young Finnish winger was only a few days late to the party, just missing the eligibility cutoff by mere moments and getting the opportunity to choose his future in the league. By his account, there was no question that Quebec City was the place to go once the offer had been put on the table.

With just over ten minutes a night on average, the rookie winger is in a unique position for a harsh market like Quebec. Playing a vital bottom six role in a province like this means that you may feel the same scrutiny that other first line players in smaller markets may feel, but compared to his team mates among the top six Salming has room to make mistakes without someone breathing down his back. Due to this, Salming has been able to flourish on the bottom pairings and make a strong effort night in and night out. While his three points in fourteen games may be underwhelming, it must be taken into account that Salming is typically paired up with other fresh faced young rookies looking to launch their careers. His six hits and eight shots blocked indicate strong two way presence, and this was reflected in his attributal scoring grades.

Salming nailed his attributal testing, grabbing a 13/20 in both shooting accuracy and puck handling as many scouts around the league see him as a prodigy goal scorer. It's undeniable that his finesse with the puck is unmatched by many in the league, but especially those around him in Quebec City. It's not often that a complete shoot first forward comes around, but Salming has done a great job of making it work, even from the bottom six forward group. His rating of 12/20 in stamina will allow him to grow into a top six role eventually, or possibly even take on powerplay and penalty kill time by the end of this season. As aforementioned, Salming doesn't make many mistakes defensively, boasting a 10/20 on defensive read, and a 9/20 in both checking and positioning. The young player may have a lot of room to grow yet, but his ceiling is high and the city of Quebec has welcomed him in with open arms.

The biggest question pertaining to Salming's career now is where he'll land come the S56 SHL Entry Draft. With a slightly smaller earning window than other top player's in the draft class, Salming may be relegated to a second or third round selection in the draft, but it doesn't discredit the work that the young player has put in. Simply put, this draft class is chalk full of extremely talented players, and even a selection in the third round will be something of an accomplishment with this group. Despite his low projected draft position, Salming will be a surefire steal for any team that so chooses to select him, looking to score an A+ or A grade on a future draft analysis. Look for him to start playing a more important role for the Citadelles come the midway point of the season next week.

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#5

Split Custody: Mat Smith
Week 2: Article #4
Word Count: 600

All in all, Mat Smith has had a pretty rough go at it this season. Missing the SMJHL Entry Draft and joining the Quebec City Citadelles started off his season on the wrong foot, and this was only expedited by the Citadelles lack of ability to find their footing this season. Despite his size and natural ability, Smith has been lacking control in the net and may be an early indicator for the success of the team moving forward. This can't be blamed on himself though, as they young netminder has been haplessly tossed into a split time role on the team alongside fellow rookie David Danielson. The two young players have been doing their absolute best to make the most of the situation, but with low levels of experience and even lower levels of developed talent, it's been a hard season thus far.

Smith has opened up his career with a total of six starts, polishing a record of 1-4 with a 3.30 GAA and a 0.917 SV%. These stats are actually quite strong, especially for a young goaltender. When taking into account his rather high GAA, it must be remembered that this young goaltender has an equally young defensive unit in front of him to alleviate offensive pressure. Facing an average of 36 shots per start, there is certainly no lack of chances for the oncoming offense, but Smith has been standing on his head between the pipes to try and help the Citadelles to some dirty, underhanded wins. Of course the biggest indicator of a goaltender's relative success though is his win percentage. With 6 starts and only a single win, Smith currently is posting a mere 16% win percentage, a terrifyingly low number even for an expansion team.

The season is far from over though, and even in the last week we have seen not just the Citadelles as a whole come together, but watched Smith himself take quite a footing within the league. Progress has certainly been made in his game since opening night where he road the bench to Danielson's much earned start, and recently the team has been falling back on Smith considerably more often than they considered in pre-season and the early campaign. This isn't due to a lack of success on Danielson's side either, as Danielson has posted quite similar attributes to his cohort with a 3.51 GAA, 0.917 SV%, and a record of 4-5-1 among 10 starts. As seen by the statistics, Danielson is getting a higher volume of games but is generally playing against more difficult opponents such as the Kelowna Knights and Newfoundland Berserkers who were just ranked 7th and 1st respectively by SJHN.

Moving forward, the biggest key to Smith's game will be consistency. While we have the youngster have some great performances in net amidst a high volume of shots, we haven't actually been able to get a consistent look at how his typical game will look due to the random nature of his games. Relying mostly upon playing weaker opponents as he has effectively been dubbed the "backup", Smith hasn't been able to showcase his true potential against higher caliber opponents this season. As the young team grows around him, Smith will need the opportunity to play against more difficult opponents so he can hone his ability to maintain under pressure, especially offensively dependent teams like Newfoundland. All in all though, Smith is looking to be a talented young player in the league and will be a surefire top candidate for the upcoming S56 SHL Draft. Keep an eye on him come to draft season.

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#6

Family Act: Boris, Teylora, and Bobov Petrov
Week 2: Article #5
Word Count: 700

This season had a certain special anomaly occur that we haven't seen before in the SMJHL. Not one, not two, but an entire family of hockey players hailing from Russia declared for the SMJHL draft almost simultaneously, creating one of the most confusing predictions we have ever seen. The Petrov family took the league by storm, rising up the draft boards and creating a huge mess as the public tried to figure out where each would go, forgetting their positions and skill levels in lieu of just seeing the name and wanting a piece of the fanwise cash cow that the Petrov's would be. Quebec City recognized the opportunity, and the Citadelles management was quick to jump on the bandwagon and grab their own piece of the Petrov Pie.

First off the board was Teylora Petrova, selected with the final pick of the second round at 24th overall. Teylora is an exceptionally talented defenseman, holding elite defensive ability and strong puck handling. During her skill testing Teylora scored a 13/20 on defensive read, along with an 11/20 puck handling, making her one of the more versatile possession defenseman in the league. While she seems to be a defensively focused player, she hasn't been completely devoid of impact on the offensive side of the game, having a goal and six assists this season for seven points throughout the first half (24 games) of the season. Surprisingly though, Taylora has for the better part being completely non-viable in the physical department with only a single hit all season and a rather disappointing 26 shots blocked.

Following his sister off the board was fourth round selection Boris Petrov, taken by the Citadelles with their second pick of the round behind Max Goodman at 45th Overall. Boris was considered one of the higher calibre players among his siblings but slunk his way into the fourth round where he has slowly proven that teams made a mistake in passing on him. While his skill ratings weren't the highest heading into draft time, he has recovered and most recently posted some impressive scores such as a 14/20 in fighting, and a 15/20 in speed. The fast, goon type skater may not be the most technically advanced of his siblings, but he plays an important protectorate role out on the ice for his team mates as he fills out the bottom pairing of the team's defensive core. In terms of statistics, there is a tremendous amount of room to improve if you're looking at effectiveness, but as the Citadelles were looking for an enforcer, Boris does the job perfectly. With nearly 100 PIM's this season, and 146 registered hits, Boris has been an absolute dominant force, terrifying opponents into submission and beating anyone who gets in his way into a pulp without question.

Only two picks later, the Citadelles selected their final Petrov of the night in Bobov Petrov, a player who has significantly dropped off the radar since his selection in the fourth round. Considered one of the more wildcard selection, Bobov was expected to follow one of his siblings to their team and play a bottom half role for any team, which is exactly what he has done in Quebec City. While he hasn't progressed tremendously since the draft, effort has been made by the youngster to grow into his role. Bobov scored a 12/20 in defensive positioning, and an 11/20 in passing, setting him on a trajectory to be a contending young playmaker some day. The only offensive player of his Citadelles family members, Bobov will need to make major changes if he wishes to play an important role on the team. With only five points this season, only two of which being assists, Bobov hasn't quite hit all the markers that he expected of himself this season.

Thanks for tuning into this article. I know I fell a little bit behind but I got absolutely swamped with work, and I'm going to be recovering and spamming out these articles now that work has slown back down a little bit. I still enjoy this series, and I plan to keep it going much longer. Thank you all again!

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