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***sve7en*** · 09-29-2020, 03:20 PM

[2131 words]

Good evening all, and welcome to the Carolina Kraken annual offseason banquet.

Tonight, we send off a number of Kraken legends and once again look towards the future of our franchise. Earlier this week, in conjunction with being named head GM of the Kraken, I promoted Michael Everett, one of our scouts, to assist me moving forward. We wanted to first recognize someone that truly is the Carolina Kraken. Fox McCloud built this organization up from virtually nothing with the help of C.P.W. Trella, brought three titles home, and leaves Carolina as one half of one of the most successful SMJHL GMs of all time. Los Angeles is incredibly lucky to have found someone so skilled to take the reins, and we wish you all the best in the SHL. Thank you, for your dedication, time, and leadership these last 7 seasons. With the departure of both McCloud and Trella, we are commemorating their shared success and time spent in Charlotte.

(@FuzzSHL and @trella)

Beyond that, Carolina is losing leadership on the ice. Captain and MVP Jimmy Wagner is off to Los Angeles, and Alternate Captain Conner Hutton is off to New Orleans after just two seasons in the SMJHL. Veterans across the locker room are departing, with Ambacas Cuddles and Dwight Knight off to Tampa, Kwame Dakari off to New Orleans with Hutton, and Ben van Dijk off to Minnesota. They have been pillars of the locker room, and their influence will be felt throughout this team for seasons to come. All of you have been an absolute joy to have in the locker room, and we are all excited to see what you achieve at the next level.

That being said, there is once again a need for leadership positions to be filled. After a team vote, the Carolina Kraken have elected a new Captain…

AXEL FOLEY

(@Mazatt)

Alternates were also decided by team vote. Vítek Víteček (@MegaSkuci) will reprise his role as an alternate, and he will be joined by two long time teammates...

PANDA PANICO and ADAM FRIEDLAND

(@peej2189 and @Bongo)

All four of these future letter wearers have been immensely valuable pieces of the locker room in their time spent here. They’ve gained the admiration and respect of the team surrounding them and I personally am excited to see the team as a whole rally around these four as we begin a new campaign to reclaim the Four Star Cup!

With the future once more in good hands, we can reflect on another season in the history books, although this story is not as triumphant as the last time I told it. One point shy of the top seed in the league, one game shy of defending our title, and nominations across the league for accomplishments. That is not to say that the season was a loss though, there was success if not as much as expected. A number of players hit personal milestones and were recognized by the league. Linus Grimstad was an MVP finalist and 1st team all league and he was joined by Goalie of the Year nominee and 2nd team all league, Blunt Man. Ambacas Cuddles, Axel Foley, Jimmy Wagner, and Panda Panico also saw nominees as some of the best at what they do in the league. In addition to his nomination for the Ron Bolt trophy as the best sportsman, Panda Panico was once again the Kraken’s Onoprienko award nominee for his incredible work ethic and level of play in support of his teammates.

No award or all-league committee can understand the Kraken like one on the inside though, and that’s where the Kraken season awards come in. As always, these awards are voted by the team, including departing members of the roster.

Our first award tonight is the Kain Webb Award for Leadership, and our nominees are..

Conner Hutton

Dwight Knight

Vítek Víteček

Jimmy Wagner

The winner of the Kain Webb Award for Leadership this season is someone who has captivated the locker room from the moment they stepped in the door. While we’re saddened that they have to leave us now, it’s understanding when you consider how much value they can add to a team’s leadership on the ice. Congratulations...

CONNER HUTTON

(@overdoo)

Our second award tonight is the Cristoph Klose Award for the Top Forward, and our nominees are..

Kwame Dakari

Linus Grimstad

Panda Panico

Jimmy Wagner

Carolina once again showed dominance in the offensive zone this season, scoring early and often with contributions across the roster. One player in particular stood out though, going on an absolute tear in the second half of the season and solidifying himself as one of the best in the league this season. His name resonated through discussions around the league, and it resulted in a number of MVP votes in the end. Congratulations...

LINUS GRIMSTAD

(@Turd Ferguson)

Our third award tonight is Carolina’s version of the Quilha Agante Award for the Top Defenseman, and our nominees are…

Ambacas Cuddles

Ben van Dijk

Adam Friedland

This vote was incredibly close, as all the defensemen on the roster performed at a high level this season. There are no words to describe how valuable to the team a defensive core this deep is, and it was a hugely underrated aspect of our roster last season as a whole. One guy in particular was incredible though, racking up the 4th most minutes in the league while locking down top forwards night after night. Congratulations...

BEN van DIJK

(@Ben)

The fourth award tonight is the Jordan Nugent Hall Award for the Most Dedicated Player, and our nominees are…

Axel Foley

Conner Hutton

Dwight Knight

Jimmy Wagner

All four names listed here have shown incredible dedication to themselves, their team, and the hockey world as a whole this season. It’s no surprise that the names listed here have all been in a leadership position or have deferred such a position before, and it speaks to how much effort they put in and how it’s recognized both in the locker room and outside of it. It’s no surprise though, that the Nugent Hall award goes to someone who has seen nominations for the SMJHL Zach Miller award the last two seasons. Congratulations...

JIMMY WAGNER

(@sve7en)

The fifth award tonight is the Petr Klimek Award for the Best Two-Way Player, and our nominees are…

Ambacas Cuddles

Dwight Knight

Panda Panico

The easiest definition of a two way player would be one that excels both with and without the puck, and all three of these people had exceptional offensive seasons while also being threats to lay the body at any time. These three nominees combined for 31 goals, 67 assists, 279 hits, 148 shot blocks, and 73 takeaways, where the average of that would be top-25 in assists and hits, while also being top 50 in points and takeaways. The tenacious play of all three are a big part of what defines our team, but it’s hard to argue with leading a great team in PK time, Corsi, and hits while also almost cracking the league’s top 25 of points. Congratulations...

PANDA PANICO

(@peej2189)

The sixth award of the night is one of my personal favorites, both in name and what it represents. The Alonzo Garbonzo Award is a rookie award, but it’s unique in that it’s awarded to a rookie player who played well on the ice and had a great locker room presence. Our nominees this season are...

Grape Fruit

Aleksander Kozlov

Ragnar-Alexandre Ragnarsson-Tremblay

These three all had incredible impacts that went well beyond their status as a rookie, brightening up the locker room each and every day. Fruit and Kozlov were among the top scoring rookies this season, and RART put up an incredible 11-2 record on a 1.99 GAA, the latter tying goalie of the year nominee and teammate Blunt Man for second in the league behind Scoochie Stratton. Unfortunately there can be only one winner, as deserving as they all might be, and after another incredibly close vote I’d like to congratulate the winner...

ALEKSANDER KOZLOV

(@FlappyGiraffe)

Our second to last award tonight is the Kurtis Hunter Award, the Team's MVP as decided by the team. The nominees this season are…

Linus Grimstad

Blunt Man

Jimmy Wagner

These three were all near the top of their game this season. Blunt Man was the best goalie in the league outside of a record setting performance from the previously mentioned Stratton, Grimstad was an MVP finalist and came 4th in the points race, and Wagner followed up his MVP season with a tirade of a season that saw him almost crack the +/- records for a franchise over 50 seasons old. While all three are deserving of the honor, the team broke from the award committee and chose a different MVP for their season, congratulations...

BLUNT MAN

(@Obsidian311)

It’s common for teams to end at their MVP, but Carolina does things a little differently. There is one award critical to how we exist as an organization, the Michael Fitted Award for the player who best demonstrates what it means to be a Kraken. It commemorates the sportsmanship, dedication, and energy demonstrated by it’s recipient, and truly represents both the passion we all have for the SHL and SMJHL as well as a love for their team in Carolina and the league as a whole. Our nominees for this season’s award are…

Adam Friedland

Conner Hutton

Jimmy Wagner

All three embody all the aspects of people we like to see in the organization. They’re fun, passionate, and have a certain vigor to them that infect both alumni and rookies. It’s hard to explain the impact that the winner has had on the team since they first came on board, but it has been noticed in some of the voting tonight as well as my personal view of the organization and what it stands for. It feels fitting that while the player has to move on from the Kraken, the person behind them can stay behind to develop wave after wave of new Carolina players in the vision forged by Fuzz, Trella, Fitted, and myself. Congratulations...

CONNER HUTTON

(@overdoo)

Congratulations to both the award winners and to the entirety of the Carolina Kraken and organization, and best of luck to the new roster and new leadership. Thank you all for coming out tonight, thank you season 55 roster and teammates for another incredible season, and thank you all for making the SHL one of the best communities online. May Terry Bradshaw’s ghost lead you to the promised land.

FlappyGiraffe · 09-29-2020, 03:27 PM

great stuff 7!

peej2189 · 09-29-2020, 03:28 PM

I am honored. I love this team, and I love everyone who has come through this locker room. Congrats to all the award winners!

overdoo · 09-29-2020, 03:31 PM

Very happy to be able to stick around in the capacity I will be. It's a great group of people we have in Carolina, and I wouldn't want to change a thing if given the chance. Congratulations to the new players added to our leadership team, and to those who won awards this year. All well deserved. Kraken

Mazatt · 09-29-2020, 04:25 PM

It's a great honour to follow in the footsteps of Carolina's fantastic captain's before me, especially with the great group of players and personalities surrounding the organization. The locker room is something I always look forward to when hopping online, and I hope we continue to back each other in the room no matter if we have a letter or not. Congratulations to all the award winners and nominees, you guys and everyone around the locker room is what makes this team special! Here's to another cup run this season! Kraken

trella · 09-29-2020, 04:41 PM

Such a huge honor. When this all started, I never expected to have the success we had so quickly. GMing with Fuzz and building up the Kraken was such a fun and rewarding experience, I love you all and will never forget it Kraken

Thanks to @karey and @JSS for the sigs!

Former USA Fed Head, Carolina Kraken Co-GM, Tampa Bay Barracuda GM

Fitted2106 · 09-29-2020, 05:00 PM

Amazing kracken things!

Turd Ferguson · 09-29-2020, 06:16 PM

A shame we couldn't win another cup after such a great season beforehand but I'm happy that Grimstad did so well. Sad to see some people leaving but looking forward to running it back next season. Thanks for bringing me here and for building a great team @FuzzSHL @trella and I look forward to seeing what you do in charge @sve7en
Kraken

Bongo · 09-29-2020, 06:56 PM

LETS ROLL

Ben · 09-30-2020, 08:12 PM

woah always surprises me when people remind me I'm good Kraken

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