Looking at league history is always fun, especially in the SMJHL. Players come and go quickly but many are able to leave a lasting impact on the league in their short time with a franchise. I would like to look back on one draft that a team had, specifically the S44 SMJHL draft, and how their careers shaped up in the SMJHL for the Kelowna Knights/ Kelowna was a powerhouse in the S40’s, winning three straight titles in S40, S41 and S42. In S43 they did make the playoffs but ended up getting bounced in the first round to the Detroit Falcons during a seven-game series. Heading into the S44 SMJHL draft they did not have a first round pick, as it was traded away for rentals to push for their previously won cups. However, they ended up having a draft that would set the foundation for their team success for the next 3 seasons.

With the second pick of the second round, 10th overall the Kelowna Knights selected defenseman Sanyi Kocsis. Later, in the 3rd round, 22nd overall they selected winger Nolan Sawchuk. Finally, not technically drafted but centre Nickolas Klaus was signed as a free agent by the Knights after going undrafted. These three ended up being the core pieces that would go on to win awards and set records for Kelowna in their three-season career, ultimately ending up one game short of winning another Four Star Cup.

The S44 season was not a good one for Kelowna. After their stretch of dominance, they were forced to rebuild. They ended up finishing dead last in the league, 10 points behind the second last team. It was a good season for the three rookies, however. Kocsis did the best, ending up second on the team for scoring with 38 points, and winning rookie of the year. Klaus finished just behind him with 36 points, including 14 goals. Sawchuk brought up the rear for the three with 30 points and 14 goals. Overall, they had a very successful rookie season despite not seeing team success.

S45 brought a stacked draft class for Kelowna that I cannot do justice with any quick explanation. They were great in their own sense, but it was Kocsis, Sawchuk and Klaus that stole the spotlight this season. Klaus had by far the best season, breaking the record for points (69, nice) and assists (46). (Of course with real meta shit this is still the record for the 350 TPE cap SMJHL) He would go on to win the Raymond Lindsey, Ideen Fallah, and Jared Hanson trophies. Kocsis had 54 points, wound up winning the Quilha Agante and in any other season would have broken the assists record with 45. Klaus unfortunately took that honor from him, however. Sawchuk posted a league leading 27 goals and 62 points points, just behind Klaus. He would win the Roberto Martucci, beating out Vancouver Whalers forward Jack Kennedy by a single goal. Kelowna finished in 3rd place, ending up a single point behind Detroit and Anchorage. They earned a first-round bye and would face the St. Louis Scarecrows in the second round. Unfortunately for them, scoring dried up and they ended up getting swept by St. Louis. The young Knights got a taste of the postseason though and were hungry for more.

S46 was the final season that the S44 triplets would spend with Kelowna. The Knights were a powerhouse, with very even scoring all through the lineup. They finished first in the league with 32 wins and 69 points. Sawchuk finished with 37 points, Klaus with 36, and Kocsis with 26. Earning themselves a first-round bye for the second straight season, they swept the Detroit Falcons in the second round. In the conference finals they ended up having a slugfest with the Montreal Militia, taking them to seven games before ultimately moving on to the Four Star Cup finals. After grinding it out through the finals they ended up losing in a game seven to the St. Louis Scarecrows, falling a single game short. Many key members of the team ended up being called up to the SHL after the season, never being able to quite get that Four Star Cup. So where did Klaus, Sawchuk and Kocsis end up?

Kocsis was drafted 11th overall in the S45 draft to the Minnesota Chiefs, Sawchuk 12th overall to the Seattle Riot, and Klaus 16th overall to the Minnesota Chiefs. All three had record breaking, award filled SMJHL careers. They all are either retired or retiring at the conclusion of this season. While they ultimately never were quite able to win it all for Kelowna, they left an impact on the team from the moment they stepped on the ice.

790 words

Approved, +5 TPE @Jepox

Sim Wen || Anchorage Armada || D || 218 TPE
Height: 6'0
Weight: 190 lbs
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Transactions:
Drafted 20th overall by the Anchorage Armada in the S72 SMJHL Draft
Drafted ___ overall by the __ in the S73 SHL Draft
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SMJHL Statistics:
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SHL Statistics:
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SHL Playoff Statistics:
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Trophy Case:

Pablo Salvatici || Atlanta Inferno || F || 2082 TPE Peak
Height: 5'10
Weight: 172 lbs
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
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Transactions:
Drafted 8th overall by the Anchorage Armada in the S56 SMJHL Draft
Drafted 11th overall by the Atlanta Inferno in the S57 SHL Draft
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SMJHL Statistics:
S56 || GP: 50 || G: 9 || A: 7 || P: 16 || 0 || PIM: 8 || Hits: 26 || Shots: 58 || SB: 19
S57 || GP: 66 || G: 19 || A: 31 || P: 50 || +11 || PIM: 16 || Hits: 120 || Shots: 173 || SB: 13
S58 || GP: 66 || G: 14 || A: 26 || P: 40 || +9 || PIM: 20 || Hits: 142 || Shots: 181 || SB: 39
S59 || GP: 66 || G: 25 || A: 44 || P: 69 || +11 || PIM: 16 || Hits: 125 || Shots: 219 || SB: 51
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SHL Statistics:
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SHL Playoff Statistics:
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Trophy Case:
S58 Ronan O'Keefe Trophy (Playoffs Points Leader) (Tied)
S59 Jared Hanson Trophy (Regular Season Points Leader)
S59 Ideen Fallah Trophy (Awards Committee MVP)
S59 Raymond Lindsay Trophy (Community Most Outstanding Player)

Nolan Sawchuk || TBB, CHI, ATL || RW || 1377 TPE
Transactions:
Drafted 22nd Overall by the Kelowna Knights in the S44 SMJHL Draft
Drafted 12th Overall by the Seattle Riot in the S45 SHL Draft
Traded to the Chicago Syndicate S54
Signed with the Atlanta Inferno S56
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SMJHL Statistics:
S44 || GP: 50 || G: 14 || A: 16 || P: 30 || -32 || PIM: 13 || Hits: 24 || Shots: 144 || SB: 14
S45 || GP: 50 || G: 27 || A: 35 || P: 62 || +15 || PIM: 14 || Hits: 64 || Shots: 183 || SB: 7
S46 || GP: 50 || G: 14 || A: 23 || P: 37 || +13 || PIM: 24 || Hits: 55 || Shots: 153 || SB: 7
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SHL Statistics:
S47 || GP: 50 || G: 12 || A: 17 || P: 29 || -8 || PIM: 6 || Hits: 32 || Shots: 147 || SB: 12
S48 || GP: 50 || G: 22 || A: 25 || P: 47 || +22 || PIM: 4 || Hits: 24 || Shots: 158 || SB: 13
S49 || GP: 50 || G: 16 || A: 14 || P: 30 || -10 || PIM: 4 || Hits: 5 || Shots: 155 || SB: 13
S50 || GP: 50 || G: 14 || A: 25 || P: 39 || +16 || PIM: 8 || Hits: 53 || Shots: 141 || SB: 6
S51 || GP: 50 || G: 8 || A: 21 || P: 29 || -2 || PIM: 11 || Hits: 25 || Shots: 148 || SB: 6
S52 || GP: 50 || G: 16 || A: 23 || P: 39 || -1 || PIM: 26 || Hits: 60 || Shots: 119 || SB: 5
S53 || GP: 50 || G: 13 || A: 17 || P: 30 || -8 || PIM: 44 || Hits: 63 || Shots: 112 || SB: 83 || GvA: 25 || TkA: 24
S54 || GP: 50 || G: 14 || A: 28 || P: 42 || +26 || PIM: 32 || Hits: 35 || Shots: 134 || SB: 47 || GvA: 18 || TkA: 34
S55 || GP: 50 || G: 8 || A: 27 || P: 35 || +21 || PIM: 4 || Hits: 25 || Shots: 132 || SB: 51 || GvA: 17 || TkA: 23
S56 || GP: 50 || G: 16 || A: 28 || P: 44 || -3 || PIM: 20 || Hits: 21 || Shots: 129 || SB: 31 || GvA: 29 || TkA: 23
Career Totals || GP: 500 || G: 139 || A: 225 || P: 364 || PIM: 159 || Hits: 343 || Shots: 1375 || SB: 267 || GvA: 89 || TkA: 104
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SHL Playoff Statistics:
S48 || GP: 7 || G: 4 || A: 3 || P: 7 || +3 || PIM: 0 || Hits: 0 || Shots: 18 || SB: 2
S49 || GP: 12 || G: 4 || A: 6 || P: 10 || +6 || PIM: 0 || Hits: 3 || Shots: 43 || SB: 0
S50 || GP: 19 || G: 4 || A: 10 || P: 14 || -2|| PIM: 4 || Hits: 29 || Shots: 54 || SB: 5
S51 || GP: 4 || G: 1 || A: 1 || P: 2 || -2 || PIM: 0 || Hits: 0 || Shots: 13 || SB: 0
Playoff Totals || GP: 42 || G: 13 || A: 20 || P: 33 || PIM: 4 | Hits: 32 || Shots: 128 || SB: 7
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Trophy Case:
S45 Roberto Martucci Trophy (SMJHL Goal Leader)
S49 Gold Medal (Germany IIHF)
S50 Silver Medal (Germany IIHF)

I hear rumours of the "Quadruplets" on the Knights :O

Vlastislav Malik || LW || NOLA
Name: Vlastislav Malik
Birthplace: Brno, Czech Republic
Transferred to: Ireland
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 227 lbs
Number: 9

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SHL - NOLA:
We're just getting started!
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SMJHL - KEL:

Four Star Cups: S59

Reg Szn Stats:

S56 | 50GP | 4G | 8A | 12P | -17 | 0PPP | 6.7% | 90H | 54GR

S57 | 66GP | 14G | 19A | 33P | +8 | 7PPP | 11.1% | 87H | 61GR

S58 | 66GP | 24G | 27A | 51P | +25 | 9PPP | 15.1% | 109H | 64GR

S59 | 66GP | 20G | 34A | 54P | +32 | 17PPP | 11.2% | 119H | 65GR

Playoffs Stats:

S56 | 11GP | 1G | 1A | 2P | -10 | 0PPP | 7.1% | 12H | 57GR
S57 | 7GP | 0G | 2A | 2P | -1 | 0PPP | 0.0% | 9H | 61GR
S58 | 12GP | 3G | 3A | 6P | -2 | 0PPP | 11.5% | 18H | 62GR
S59 | 17GP | 8G | 10A | 18P | +15 | 2PPP | 14.3% | 32H | 67GR