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Whikadoodle · 10-27-2021, 12:55 PM

NOTE: Breaking news from Toronto has resulted in an update to this story. Original Article Below

ONE LAST RIDE: SUCCESSFUL HEAD OFFICE APPEAL LEADS TO ONE FINAL SEASON OF CHEDDAR
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Eligibility Snafu Resolved, Cheddar To Play One Final Season in the J

A roller coaster of emotions occurring in St. Louis, in Regina, and across North America today as Top Cheddar, a four year SMJHL veteran, will return for his fifth and final season in the league.

Earlier this morning, Top Cheddar's agent, Niklas Wikstrom, held a press conference in Regina, Saskatchewan, to announce that Top Cheddar had exhausted his eligibility in the J, had been cut from the New England Wolfpack

, and would be forced into retirement. Wikstrom released a statement from Cheddar thanking his fans, his supporters, and his teammates from Anaheim to St. Louis to Stockholm. Wikstrom took questions from the media in Regina, including providing this quote:

" I've taken a look at the rulebook, but honestly can't say I've spoken to league management directly on this issue, but my understanding is that a player who has been drafted can be sent down up to a 5 season total eligibility in the J. However, Cheddar only got four seasons including his SMJHL rookie campaign . . . [S]ome clarification . . . would be a welcome sight."

As fans began posting their goodbyes on social media and players wishing their best to the longtime winger, SHL Analyst Dick Shivers broke the news on Twitter that Wikstrom and Cheddar had been seen leaving the SMJHL Head Office in Toronto later on in the day. Speculation took hold of the world wide web as everyone tried to sort out the news.

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Wikstrom [left] and Cheddar [right] seen leaving the SMJHL Head Office in Toronto

Video from the moment show journalists hounding the pair for answers as they strode across the walk and into a waiting limousine. One reporter in particular can be heard asking "is there any change to your professional status following your meeting with league officials?" As the pair closed the door of the car behind them, the window rolled down and a booming voice announced:

PUT THE WHOLE LEAGUE ON NOTICE, THIS AGED CHEDDAR'S GOT ONE MORE YEAR

Early reports suggest that Cheddar will re-sign with the St. Louis Scarecrows

. The Scarecrows traded for Wikstrom as part of a multi-player deal prior to Season 61. Insiders familiar with the negotiations have revealed to us that Wikstrom is pushing for team management to make "any moves necessary" to put the team in the best position to win a Four Star Cup during Cheddar's final season.

Original Article

TOP CHEDDAR EXHAUSTS ELIGIBILITY, CALLS IT QUITS
Current Scarecrow and Outlaw Alum Cut from Wolfpack, Announces Retirement from the SMJHL

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Top Cheddar basks in awe of the Outlaw faithful at his first ever SMJHL game

On a chilly Winter morning four seasons ago, longtime hockey executive Kaspars Tsitzling announced a bold mid-season signing - a young, relatively-unknown forward prospect out of Sweden, Top Cheddar, would be joining the Outlaw Outlaws

squad for the remainder of the season. Outlaws fans were skeptical at first, most juniors know that the SMJHL is the best place to develop one's game, and missing the draft and most of the start of Season 58 was questionable. On the ice, Cheddar floundered and struggled to find his role in a league that was very different from the Swedish "Simon T" league. But management kept faith in Cheddar.

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Season 58 Regular Season

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Season 58 Postseason

The young wing spent the entire offseason preparing for a bigger role with the Outlaws. Much to his surprise, Top Cheddar was selected in the third round, 40th overall, by the New England Wolfpack

. This motivated Cheddar to continue his development in the junior leagues. Season 59 was a breakout year for Cheddar. In his first full season, Cheddar put up 35 points on an Outlaws team that played above insider expectations. He also demonstrated the physical nature of his game, logging 76 hits. However, the Outlaws ran into a red hot Maine Timber Timber

team, and a first round sweep spelled the end of their Four Star Cup dreams.

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Season 59 Regular Season

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Season 59 Postseason

Season 60 was more of the same for Cheddar - continuing to put up substantial points and contribute to an Outlaws team that seemed poised for a deep postseason run. Another 35 point campaign and 71 hits solidified Cheddar's reputation as a player who finds ways to win and isn't afraid to sacrifice the body to do so. Cheddar also found other ways to contribute to success, blocking 86 shots from reaching his netminder. Despite these gains, the Outlaws once again drew the Timber in the playoffs, this time losing in heartbreaking fashion in a Game 7 1-0 Overtime loss.

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Season 60 Regular Season

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Season 60 Postseason

Season 61 saw many changes for Top Cheddar. After Tsitzling departed Anaheim's Front Office for a management job with the SHL's Winnipeg Aurora Aurora

, it wasn't long before Cheddar saw himself shipped off to St. Louis Scarecrows

as part of a multi-player deal. Cheddar again was forced to redefine himself as a role player, doing the dirty work with less time on ice, hoping that anything would lead to postseason success. Most notably, Cheddar found his first assignments on the penalty kill unit, finding success on the defensive end. Cheddar finished the season with 25 points and a career-high 103 blocked shots. Unfortunately, Cheddar's first round losing streak continued in the playoffs, this time losing to Great Falls Grizzlies

in seven games.

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Season 61 Regular Season

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Season 61 Postseason

Perhaps Top Cheddar's greatest achievement came on the world stage. A Swedish national, Cheddar was first chosen for Sweden's Sweden

WJC team in Season 58 and was selected through Season 60. Cheddar played admirably for the Swedes, taking bottom six minutes and grinding out shifts to get the country closer to their goal.

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Season 58 Round Robin

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Season 58 Medal Rounds

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Season 59 Round Robin

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Season 59 Medal Round

Cheddar was given a much bigger role with the WJC team in Season 60, arguably the biggest spotlight he would ever receive in his career. With top line minutes, Cheddar led the entire squad in points during the round robin stage. Cheddar's efforts would be rewarded with a Silver Medal, the only accolade Top Cheddar received.

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Season 60 Round Robin

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Season 60 Medal Round

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Top Cheddar, alongside his Swedish teammates, winning silver in WJC Season 60

If history remembers Top Cheddar, they will remember him as a solid Juniors player, who played with grit and tenacity, and had a nasty wrist shot to boot. They will remember his quiet leadership on the ice, his willingness to fill any role on the team, and the heartbreak he suffered never getting close to a Four Star Cup.

Top Cheddar released a short statement surrounding his retirement:

I'd like to thank all the coaches who supported my career in North America and helped me develop my game. I want to give a special shoutout to @Ace for taking a chance on my player and giving me the opportunity to shine on the ice. I want to thank @TheSparkyDee for a great season in St. Louis. I want to take a moment to send love to my favorite teammates, @Merica and @39alaska39, who I had the pleasure of spending most of my entire career sharing the ice with. You two are absolute beauts and are going to be studs at the SHL level. I also want to thank and send love to my teammates past and present, @WildfireMicro, @CampinKiller, @GCool, @Raven, @Fever, and all the rest. Thank you to the New England Wolfpack organization, especially @kenvald, who took a flier on me; I know that my agent Niklas Wikstrom was thrilled at the prospect and still has great love for his team. Finally, I want to thank my homeland, Sweden, for allowing me the opportunity to represent you on the national stage. Thank you to @sköldpaddor and @gurbs for all your hard work organizing our federation and to my teammates, especially Ace and @r1c3bowl22, who its always good to share a locker room with. I don't know what critics will say, but I think I had a great career, and I will remember these moments for the rest of my life. My only regret is that the Maine Timber exist solely to keep me from a Four Star Cup, the trophy I never got a chance to hoist. It's been an honor, thank you.

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Former SHL MVP and current agent Niklas Wikstrom arrives at the S59 SHL Draft

Longtime SHL agent Niklas Wikstrom steps forward outside of the Regina Elk Elk

stadium. Wiping a bit of sweat from his brow, he approaches a podium to address a small smattering of local hockey journalists.

"Great to have the league back in Regina. This town loves hockey, the league needs to keep investing resources here. And selfishly, I'm thrilled that its cut down on my own personal travel time and the teams now come to me here in Regina." The crowd chuckles slightly at the joke in the frigid Saskatchewan cold.

"It's the end of the road for my prospect Top Cheddar. I think Top is a great example that you can have a great career as a Juniors player. On the other side of that coin, I think that this situation shows just how difficult it is to make it to the top league in the world, the SHL. Not every player has the raw talent to do so. This is the hardest test for any hockey player to go through, and the rigors of this process spare no one."

As Niklas Wikstrom opens up for questions, the journalists focus primarily on his views of the league and its current state.

On Expansion and the size of the league
"I think the league is in great hands. It's in a great place. Just look at the amount of players who want a chance at this league, compared to when I was a Juniors rookie in Season 19. I think that player recruitment and retention is at an all time high, and the league should be proud of the steps its made. I am always excited to see more teams get the call to join the juniors ranks, and even during Top Cheddar's career there was significant expansion. I think that change, especially in the junior leagues, keeps things fresh and exciting for young prospects. I'm not sure what the next steps should be, I'm no fortune teller, but I do feel confident with the direction the League is taking in this regard and trust that they will continue to make sound, reasonable decisions in the future."

On Top Cheddar's Forced Retirement
"That's something I'd like the league to take a deeper look at. Top Cheddar is only two seasons removed from his draft classification. Not every player will make the jump to the SHL, especially considering the talent/TPE gap between those in the SHL and those in the J. I've taken a look at the rulebook, but honestly can't say I've spoken to league management directly on this issue, but my understanding is that a player who has been drafted can be sent down up to a 5 season total eligibility in the J. However, Cheddar only got four seasons including his SMJHL rookie campaign. My guess is that the Wolfpack cut him, he was no longer a "send down", and thus no longer eligible. If this is the case, I'd like the League to take a look at opportunities for players to fully exhaust their SMJHL eligibility without the need to remain a send down on an SHL roster. Again, this process isn't clear to me, I'm not even entirely sure on the max amount of seasons a player is permitted to spend in the SMJHL. I don't want the head office to think this is a call out. But, some clarification, and ideally a change to allow any active player more time in the J, would be a welcome sight. I know that there are other considerations at play, including not clogging up spots that could be spent on younger players. Again, I would simply like to ask the head office to take a look."

On Index and Simulation Developments
"This is a very different league today than the one I left seasons ago, and even different than the ones I've represented players through since my own retirement. Benefiting from a couple of seasons of seeing the new way things are done, I am overall very happy with the experience. I think that fans can finally immerse themselves into the game itself, that the new engine both looks good and works good for our purposes, and that it will be an overall boon to our goals to continue to grow the league. It was very difficult coming into the league without a proper index, and I want to applaud all the hard work that must have gone into building that, presumably from scratch. It was much easier for me and my player to keep up with the league once the new index was released. Maybe we can get a Bojo Box update for new players soon as well. But bottom line, the league has dealt with a massive transition with few hiccups visible from where I sit, and I think that's something that deserves significant praise."

On Discord
"Personally, I acknowledge the new technologies that improve our league on the whole, despite the fact that I personally struggle to keep up with the new way of communicating. It's something that I will continue to work on, even though I always feel too busy to keep up with a locker room outside of the traditional forums. However, if an old crow can squawk something on the way out, I really want to encourage folks involved in the league to continue keeping the forums updated and take the time to post in threads that aren't the most important. One negative of discord is that it obfuscates some of what's happening in the league and is impossible to easily search; in other words, it fails to archive the history of the league, something I can guarantee those of you who are very interested in this place will want in the future. As someone who has watched this league grow over almost a literal decade, I find the old posts to be helpful for cataloguing our history, great reminders of both the good and bad decisions we've made along the way, and at least a great source of nostalgia and way to remember those who, for whatever reason, have moved on from the league.

On PTs
"I want to commend the people who work hard on this because there has been huge progress on how to earn TPE. I love the weekly opportunities, like 3 on 3, that insert some randomness into TPE gains and makes for some hard choices. But I just can't find the motivation to write a PT anymore. They're not fun to do and they contribute significantly to my personal burnout on the league. I don't ever get the impression that anyone is reading anyone else's PT (who's not grading), and I'm not really interested in putting in that much time for TPE, so I end up just word vomiting until I get to the word minimum. I think there are some really interesting things happening in other sim leagues that the SHL could learn from, for example, I've been an active member in SCSFL who ties TPE to player contracts. I want to say that SCSFL is too casual for what we're going for here, but I would like to see a continuation of the evolution of TPE earnings and maybe, someday, the elimination of PTs - which has been the backbone of TPE gain for forever.

Also, as it became clear that Top would never make the SHL, I really wanted TPE opportunities that allowed me to deal with the J. I think it would be nice if there was an option for players who, after they were drafted, to keep doing SMJHL related TPE opportunities rather than SHL player progression."

On the Future
"I'm happy that we've had the opportunity to discuss an old agent's thoughts on the league. I'm very excited to get back into the scouting circuit and find a player who, like the rest of the players I've represented, have made an impact on their teams, in international play, and in the league as a whole. A new player's career is always an exciting time, and I'm excited to take that journey once more. Some people have told me that they don't think I'll be able to locate a player in time for the S62 SMJHL Draft this week. But they don't know Niklas Fucking Wikstrom. I might not make the draft (read: I won't make the draft), but you bet your ass I'll have a player on a Juniors roster this season.

Thank you for coming out, and long live the SHL."

[3278 words]

***By-Tor*** · 10-27-2021, 01:07 PM

Love the in depth article. But....you have a season of eligibility left?

Any SHL team could claim you and bring you up. If no one does, you can still play out one more year in juniors before you are an unrestricted free agent.

I think.

Credit to enigmatic, Merica, and tweedledunn for sigs

Whikadoodle · 10-27-2021, 01:11 PM

10-27-2021, 01:07 PMBy-Tor Wrote: Love the in depth article. But....you have a season of eligibility left?

Any SHL team could claim you and bring you up. If no one does, you can still play out one more year in juniors before you are an unrestricted free agent.

I think.

Yo any help on this is appreciated. Holding off on the official retirement post for now.

***By-Tor*** · 10-27-2021, 01:16 PM

10-27-2021, 01:11 PMWhikadoodle Wrote:
10-27-2021, 01:07 PMBy-Tor Wrote: Love the in depth article. But....you have a season of eligibility left?

Any SHL team could claim you and bring you up. If no one does, you can still play out one more year in juniors before you are an unrestricted free agent.

I think.

Yo any help on this is appreciated. Holding off on the official retirement post for now.

Of course! Others are more well versed than me, but you can stay with St. Louis this upcoming season.