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(Graded) Deep Dive #1: Something is going on in Vancouver
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(This post was last modified: 10-15-2020, 11:56 AM by StamkosFan.)

Hey there folks, welcome to my first Deep Dive of the season! And since we're talking about doing Deep Dives, what better place to start than the Vancouver Whalers. The Whalers have had a bounce back season this year, with a current record of 13-4. By comparison, Vancouver went 24-23-3 in S55, so already we've seen a serious improvement in the Canadian team. But the question is, how did they get here and will they be able to sustain this pace in an extremely competitive league? 

Let's look at the top players for Whalers and their overall performance so far: 

1. Daniil Nikiforov - C
6 G - 10 A - 16 P - 7 +/- 
The veteran center is the top point getter for the Whalers, anchoring a strong first line. The S55 player is in his third season in the league and has amassed 592 TPE for themselves. The Alternate Captain has also been an asset on the power play, with 1 PPG and 5 PPA. Its not too much of a stretch to say that Nikiforov is the grease that makes the Whalers machine go. 

2. Johnny Shuffleboard - RD
5 G - 10 A - 15 P - 7 +/- 
Rather uniquely, the Whalers have a defenseman second on their team in terms of total points. The third year player has 494 TPE to their name and an offensive asset to the Whalers. However, as seen by his strong plus/minus and leading time on ice, Shuffleboard is more than a simply offensively-focused defenseman. His presence on the blue line, however, should be creating some fear in opponent goaltenders. 

3. Bryce McMahon - RW
3 G - 10 A - 13 P - 7 +/-
Our first winger on this list, Bryce leads the skaters on this list in TPE with 547. A fourth-year player, Bryce won't be spending the entire season with the Whalers as he waits for a call up, but while here he is going to make the most of his time on the ice. Aside from his offensive prowess, which is notable, Bryce also has collected 25 hits for himself, the most on the team from a forward. Whether its with the puck or with a punishing hit into the boards, McMahon is going to make you remember his time on the ice. 

4. Valtterri Kauppinen - RW
8 G - 4 A - 12 P - 6 +/- 
Our first S56 player on this list, Valtterri is a dynamic young player. 399 TPE so far in his career, he's one of the young bright spots for the Whalers' roster. The sniper leads the team in goals, and also has the highest shooting percentage for the team as well. Kauppinen is a strong player, but what he represents is even more interesting. This Whalers team is deep, and the second line Kauppinen is able to lead this team in goals and be within a stone's throw of leading the team in points. If the Whalers keep operating on all cylinders, they are tough to beat. 

5. Zebulon Leavitt - LD
4 G - 5 A - 9 P - 11 +/-
There's other folks who have more points on this team, but there aren't many more complete players than Zebulon. Another young player in the same S56 draft class, Zebulon is just behind Valtterri with 394 TPE. While Shuffleboard is one of the team leaders in points, Zebulon brings more to the table with his defensive play. He leads the team in hits and is second in shots blocked and is second in defensive game rating. He does this all while also contributing in the offensive game, which gives him the best plus/minus on the team. 

While we've covered some of the skaters, that is only half the story. Let's talk about the goaltender situation for the Whalers and how that's helped take the team to the next level. 

1. Name Redacted - G
8 W - 3 L - 2.34 GAA - .910 SV%
The Whalers benefited from returning their veteran goaltender, and he's picked up where he left off last season. He's second in the league in wins, fourth in GAA, and 10th in SV%. Redacted gives the Whalers a chance to win every game, even on nights when the offense isn't clicking, and that's about all you can ask from a goaltender. A S54 player, Redacted's time might be ending with the Whalers as he gets called up to the big leagues, but his 766 TPE means that he will find his feet in the SHL. Still, the Whalers won't be able to count on him the entire year. 

2. Jon St. Ark - G
5 W - 1 L - 1.15 GAA - .947 SV%
Which is good that they have a young goalie waiting in the wings to take his place. St. Ark is the only S57 player on the Whaler's roster this season, their lone draft pick in the recent entry draft. Still, they seem to have gotten a lot of value for their pick, as St. Ark leads the league in GAA and SV%. He will have a longer stretch coming up and more opportunities in front of stronger competition, but if he continues to play at anything close to this level then he'll be the heir apparent for the starting goaltender job once Redacted moves on. 

And that's where we are, this far into the season. The Whalers are making huge waves with some young talent and a punishing offensive game. They are second in the league with 60 goals for and first in the league with 34 goals against. This is a strong team that's looking to make a championship run, but a few key pieces will need to continue to play at their current level if Vancouver is going to maintain their momentum heading into the playoffs. On the plus side, Vancouver has yet to play many games against some of the weaker competition in the league, such as Detroit, Quebec City, and St. Louis. Their young talent will need to continue to perform at a high level, particularly when some of the veterans start getting called up to play some games in the SHL. Players like Kauppinen and St. Ark need to be the future of the Vancouver Whalers, and we'll see if they are up to the challenge. 

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APPROVED +5 TPE @Arkz

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