(First Deep Dive - 591 words)

The Vancouver Whalers were falling apart. Literally half a season after they won the four star trophy, they were at the bottom of the western conference with no way out. To add insult to injury, at the deadline they traded their franchise player, Dee Centerman IV, to their hated rival, the Anchorage Armada, for draft picks. With nowhere left to turn and nothing really left to lose, GM Dexter Aria looked into the DFA lineup for younger players to fill out the roster. Little did anyone know that the three DFA’s Vancouver signed would be the catalyst behind one of the greatest Cinderella runs in the Major Junior league.

Eoin Byrne, the Irish born Center with some of the finest defensive instincts of any 17 year old player. The perfect man to be built into a great playmaker Center that could succeed at any level. Robert E.O. Speedwagon, a premier talent from Great Britain, a man who could continue the play even if 3 players were covering him. Finally, there was Alexis Saint-Michel, the French Canadian right winger who was described by his former coach as “one of the most beautiful skaters I have ever seen”. A player that could dance around opponents and find his past defences for goals. Despite their future promise, all three were very raw prospects that would need a good environment with meaningful minutes in order to start realizing their potential at the next level. GM Dexter Aria would sign all three of these players and would place them on the same line together, focusing their training on turning them into future stars..: That's the rest of the season started to play out.

The DFA line would get 23 points over 28 games, an incredible feat considering the circumstances of being thrown together at short notice. Their most incredible statistic would be their shooting percentage. Despite having the lowest ice time in the league (Less than 9 minutes a game), they would combine for an 18.56% rate of scoring. They weren’t on the ice often but when they were, they would make their chances count.

Despite their best efforts, and indeed the efforts of the entire team, the Whalers would finish dead last in the western conference with a record of 30-30-6. They were not expected to make it far in the playoffs, in fact they were expected to lose decisively to the Nevada Battleborn, who despite only having 1 more point than the Whalers, were considered the superior defensive team. That’s when the DFA players stepped up and got to work.

The line would get 12 points over 14 games (With Saint-Michel leading with 6 points total) and would help the whalers overcome the Battleborn in five games. Then the Whalers could continue by sweeping the Detroit Falcons to make an unbelievable run at the conference finals where they would lose in heartbreaking fashion to the Anaheim Outlaws in 5 games. With that loss, the three DFA’s would leave the team and head off for the draft. Their role and experiences in Vancouver would help mould them into the players they are now today.

At the draft, Speedwagon and Byrne would end up with the Newfoundland Berserkers (in the 2nd and 6th round respectively) while Saint-Michel, who some anticipated would be a top 5 pick, returned to the Whalers with the 9th overall pick. Now all three players have new goals in mind, win with their new official teams, possibly win the four star trophy and prepare themselves for the SHL entry draft.

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