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NJBadApple · 05-17-2022, 11:55 PM

It's only been 14 months since Montreal became an SHL team, but it's time to lift our heads and look at the Patriotes organization in its entirety. In this article, we're going to look at all phases of the organization so far; the past, the present, and of course the future. There hasn't been much fuss made of the Montreal franchise quite yet, and that's probably due to the sheer lack of on-ice success so far. Make no mistake, however, the Patriotes are certainly trending in an upward direction at a rapid rate. Before we dive into all that though, let's take a trip back in very brief time.

Expansion Announcement
On April 12, 2021, Commissioner nour had announced that the SHL will be expanding from 18 to 20 teams in Season 60. This came as a shock to many, seeing as the league had just expanded in Season 56 from 16 to 18; this would add four new franchises to the SHL in the same number of seasons. The idea was met with little resistance, as the forums and both SHL/SMJHL had both been growing at an incredible rate. Not to mention there was much debate as to create parity within the leagues, to promote more success from different teams rather than the same ones winning over and over again. What was interesting about the expansion announcement, was that neither team from the Season 56 expansion were exempt from the Season 60 expansion draft.

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And who better to talk about the expansion draft than the man who announced it himself, our very own ex-Commissioner @nour ! He agreed to sit down with me for just a few short (ok, long winded) questions about the expansion process and his views from the high ground. We also got a bit of insight regarding his views on the community as a whole, talking about how far we've come and grown, and where we might see the league in the coming years if growth continues. Although he no longer sits atop the commish throne, he's still very much involved with HO discussions and has his hand very deep in the melting pot of our community. Without further ado, here's the interview:

Thank you so much for taking some time to answer a couple questions! So can you give us a peak-behind-the-curtain as to how expansion talks go down? What are some hurdles that exist that maybe the casual user won't see?

"No problem happy to sit down and chat! Expansion talks are always a really lengthy and detail-intensive process, because adding more teams to the league can shift and effect everything from balance, user retention, parity, GM relationships, and so much more. The big first step with expansion is making a case for it, what does it solve? Is it gonna open more roster spots that will actually be filled? Is it going to knock top teams a peg down by forcing them to lose members via expansion draft? Is it going to make free agency and trading more exciting? Once that question is answered, if we’re satisfied with our reasoning, we gotta ensure our userbase has the numbers and consistency to open up 34 new roster spots league-wide, usually via activity check numbers as a baseline, and of course after that we have to strike a balance between expansion draft rules that are fair to our existing GMs, but also doesn’t leave our new expansion GMs with nothing worthwhile to select come expansion draft time. It’s all a very delicate balancing act that requires communication with everyone in Head Office, the Owners, the SHL GMs, and so many more."

Interview

What are your thoughts on how much the league has grown in the past two years? Do you think it's 100% healthy, or is there some risk involved with it growing so rapidly?

"Just given how much care and attention to detail has been shown with the process, i’d say its as close to 100% healthy as it can be. Chicago and New Orleans have won championships, Atlanta and Seattle have been perennial playoff contenders for many seasons now, and Philadelphia and Montreal, our newest teams, are already at a point where people have formed a connection to them as franchises. There’s always risk involved with growth, but the two expansions I was lucky enough to oversee I think both boasted some very sound and solid reasoning for their benefit to the SHL."

What kind of attributes do you look for when selecting a GM for an expansion role? And how many people are normally involved in that process, is it more secretive or more of a round-table discussion?

"Expansion GMs are easily the most lengthy and hands on hiring process in the league, especially because no other job draws nearly as many applications (usually in the range of 12-15, at bare minimum). We look for the typical traits you want a GM to have: proven dedication, great experience, understanding the team’s current situation, can explain why they’re the best possible pick, but it goes so much deeper than that for expansion GMs. You need all those traits listed above, but you also need a deep understanding of the league as a whole, you need dedication that is more long term than the standard GM hiring, and you need to be extremely attentive to detail, because if you aren’t, there are 15 other people applying who are. So many applications we’ve get spend 80% of the application talking about branding, cities, team names, jerseys, logos, colours etc. These are wonderful, amazing things, we love seeing that, and I think you’re applying you should have at least one locale in mind, but at the end of the day, life comes at you fast when you’re an expansion GM. Branding and graphics can be figured out down the line, but having a plan and getting HO to buy into your plan is infinitely more important and instills way more confidence in them that you’re the person for the job. As for the process, it usually starts with ALL HO members assessing the applicants, discussing the applicants, their applications, listing pros and cons, before finally ranking them all in order. After that, we take the aggregate top five from among all the choices, inform those who didn’t get it that we’re going in a different direction, and give them some feedback into the future. From there, we do a first round of interviews with the top 5, usually conducted by 1-3 HO members (Commissioner, Co-Commissioner, 1 HO Member), and from there we either select our 2 choices, or we cull the list to 3 people, do a second round of interviews, and pick our 2 from there. It’s a lengthy process!"

Where do you see the league in another year or two? Do you see the growth rate increasing, decreasing, remaining the same? What are some obstacles you foresee heading into the future?

"It’s tough to say honestly. If you asked me a few months ago I might say remaining the same, with worry for decreasing, but I think Finn is doing a fantastic job so far reigniting engagement with the SHL, and now more than ever it seems people are taking a more vested interest in not only improving recruiting, but figuring out how to improve player retention, and keep the folks we bring in. Little things like the trading cards, being able to create claim posts for your update page within threads, the move to FHM 8, live simming and so on, are all factors in drawing people in and keeping them in. Should things continue to progress as positively, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see another SHL expansion within 2 years, and see plenty of SHL expansion city bids for Pittsburgh, Nashville, Columbus, New Jersey, Brooklyn, Ottawa, Portland, and who knows where else!"

Thank you again for taking some time to answer questions, it means a lot to myself and I'm sure to everyone reading it. Anything else you want to add before we wrap up?

"No problem, thank you for having me! I had a great time reliving some of this stuff from my time as commissioner. I’ll sign off by saying that future would-be expansion GMs, read this interview closely, especially the portion about the application process. Expansion GM opportunities come around once every few years if that, so if you’re gonna apply, make your shot count, because the competition is fierce and we need to see your best."

Expansion GM Announcement
Just 18 days later, on April 30th, it was announced that @dankoa would become the first GM in Montreal's history, with @Acsolap taking the GM position of Philadelphia. I've personally been close with Dan quite a bit on the forums since we joined, having spent a lot of time in Texas together when he was the Head GM there, so it came to the surprise of nobody that he was given the reins of a brand new franchise. The announcement also included a small realignment of the divisions and an overhaul of the playoff format. Chicago was moved to the Western Conference with the addition of the two Eastern teams into the league, which quite frankly was kind of overdue anyway. The playoff format, being the largest change of the bunch, was moved to a 16-team format instead of the terribly-designed 12-team format, a change that was welcomed almost unanimously.

Brand Announcement
Dan wasted little time on branding his franchise, as on May 14th he announced the team for the first time as the Montreal Patriotes. As you can see in the thread, the name plays a tremendous part in the culture and history of Montreal and the overwhelming sense of loyalty found in the city. The logo's and overall design was well accepted through the forums, with few saying it was a "beer league" design and the logo was "too busy". Nevertheless, the colors were widely accepted, having paid homage to the now-defunct Montreal Militia of the SMJHL.

The Expansion Draft
A little over two weeks later on June 1st, both Philadelphia and Montreal were able to finally build their locker-rooms and establish an identity. With all SHL teams going to work, the newly-assigned GM's went to work assembling their rosters, with the Forge taking the first overall selection in Bork Lazer from the Hamilton Steelhawks. The first player in Montreal Patriotes history was Zlatan Ibrahimovic Jr, taken with the 2nd overall choice in the expansion draft, and that season would also become the first captain in Montreal's history. Here are all of Montreal's picks from the expansion draft:
Taylor Johannson (TOR)
Abel Skinner (SEA)
White Goodman (TEX)
Jarmo Kekalainen (SFP)
Barret Blackwood (LAP)
Bobby Sharp (BUF)
Lassie Suhonen (CHI)
Joorgustraad DuBolk (TBB)
Nick Connolly (CHI)
Simon Takshak (ATL)
Tony Ford (MIN)
James LeBlond (NEW)
Alex Marshall (SEA)
James Truong (EDM)
Boris Poroshenko (CGY)
Mack Daddy (NOLA)
Kaarlo Kekkonen (TEX)

S60 SHL Draft
With the expansion draft out of the way and the basic roster assembled, Dan looked forward to the actual SHL draft. With the luck of the draw, the Patriotes won the first overall selection in the draft lottery, and the first ever prospect for the Montreal Patriotes became Stan Din'Desque. He would play just two seasons in Montreal before being moved to Winnipeg at the S64 SHL Entry Draft. Regardless on Stan's fate, Montreal was quick to make deals and snag the 11th overall selection from the San Francisco Pride, and took now-current alternate captain Zak Wilson. Below is the list of all Season 60 draftees to Montreal:
Stan Din'Desque (1st OA)
Zak Wilson (11th OA)
Roderic Banes (24th OA)
Miles O'Brien (30th OA)

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With five complete seasons under their belt, the Patriotes continue to exhibit their slow-but-steady growth into an inevitable contender for the Challenge Cup. After a myriad of GM changes through the first five seasons, there seems to be a bit of stability now as @CampinKiller enters his third season at the helm, passing the original GM dankoa for the longest tenured GM in the franchise's short history. Having built one of the best prospect pools in the league currently, CK now turns his attention to immediate success in the SHL. This past season saw Montreal qualify for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, and while they were promptly swept by the powerhouse Hamilton Steelhawks, it provides just a small peak into the broad window of success that is rapidly approaching in Montreal.

Recently I had the pleasure to sit down with the now-longest tenured GM in Patriotes history, @CampinKiller, to get his perspective on GM'ing a young franchise.

Interview

Thank you for taking time to talk! Can you give a bit of insight on what it's like GM'ing such a young franchise? What are some pros and cons, and how does it differ from a well-established one?

"I think being a GM of a young franchise is a super cool opportunity to really build a franchise essentially from the ground up. You are able to shape how the culture of the team comes about, and can build the team’s history, hopefully making it into a staple franchise of the league. The challenges though come from the same thing as the opportunities- how new the team is. It’s hard to build a franchise and convince FAs to come to it when it’s so new and, in our case, has a history of instability with so many GMs coming and going in such a short period. People like seeing teams that are stable and competitive, which I do believe Montreal has become over the last season or so."

Interview

Last season saw Montreal make the playoffs for the first time, obviously a huge step in the right direction. What are some goals you have for the team this season, and do you believe Montreal is finally getting some 'street cred' around the league?

"I think Montreal has definitely gained some reputation around the league after last season, considering our performance. With the 2nd lowest TPE in the league we finished 3rd in our division, 14th overall, and made our first playoff appearance. My goals for this season are another playoff appearance, and hopefully our first playoff game win. I don’t expect we’ll be making any deep run this season, or even that we’ll steal more than a game or 2, but those runs are coming in a couple of seasons with who we have coming, and who is already here."

Interview

You've been around for quite a while and I remember your days as a simmer when STHS was still used. How do you think the league has grown in the past few years, and where do you see it going next?

"I think the league has grown really well since those days, even with the FHM switch and all the negatives since it. With the new switch to FHM8, I’m cautiously optimistic that the culture around the league of heavy testing, meta builds, etc will be improved and bring back more fun to the league."

Interview

Is there anything you want the league to know about Montreal?

"I’d like the league to know that we are on the come up. We’ve built a fun and friendly LR culture here in Montreal, and we’re just a couple seasons away from our true competition window. And when that comes, the Patriotes will fight hard for our first cup"

We were also lucky enough to sit down with the current captain, Kriss Darzins ( @lilstifler ), to get his view of the team heading into next season. Kriss is entering the final stages of his career, which began back in Season 52 with the St. Louis Scarecrows of the SMJHL. He was initially drafted 33rd Overall by the Hamilton Steelhawks in the SHL draft, and went on to be traded to New England and San Francisco before even touching SHL ice with the Seattle Argonauts. Darzins spent eight seasons in Seattle, making te playoffs five of those seasons and wearing the "A" for six straight. Here's our interview:

Thanks for taking time to chat for a bit! You were traded here last season, what were your initial thoughts when you heard the news?

"I am very pleased that someone has finally decided to interview me. It's been a good time after the last interview. Honestly, then maybe the answer won't be what many would have expected. I was delighted. It was a good time in Seattle and I felt my time was going to an end here. There were a lot of young players who started to compete for me. So I think the team manager did the right thing. Of course I love Seattle, but everything has its own time and my time was over there."

Interview

You played the majority of your career with Seattle, a well-established organization. What are some differences you notice between the culture in Seattle and the one being fostered here in Montreal?

"The first thing I certainly observed was that they love hockey in Montreal too. Secondly, this team is much younger, which seemed a bit surprising to me because I certainly look old on their background. What was interesting was that I had never been interested in the Montreal team as such. But in the end, I feel like home here. The difference is certainly only in cities, the teams are professional in themselves, and I don't see much difference in them. The goal of both teams is to fight for the champion's title."

Interview

Seems like you're heading into the twilight of your career, whereas the future is bright in Montreal. What are you looking to accomplish this season, both professional and personal?

"Yes, it is true, and no matter how painful it is, it must be accepted. The aim is certainly to repeat the previous season in the boxes of personal statistics. As a team, it would certainly be another stable season to prove to others that we have to count on. I'm very glad I'm here and I can give the young players the tips I've got in time. I would like to repeat the goal record, but I know it will certainly not be easy."

Interview

Is there any advice you could provide some of the junior players / members of the league?

"The advice I can give every young player has to try and develop. Picking up all your heart and soul for the game you love. And try to keep a friendly relationship with the collective, because that is the end of all this."

Before we take a look at the exceedingly-bright future in Montreal, it only makes sense we pay respect to the current stars of the Patriotes roster. There aren't many of them, since most of them are still on the come-up, but here are just a few of the players leading Montreal into the future:

Roderic Banes - LW
@Benpachi
Season 60
1269 TPE

The former 24th Overall selection is leading the forward corps of the Patriotes despite being a Season 60 player, far away from their overall peak. Last season, Banes was second on the team in scoring behind captain Darzins, notching 44 points, including a team-best 33 assists. A few interesting things to note about Banes' game as well, is that he was only shooting 7%, which means he's destined to surpass his career bests in the coming season. He also represented an overall game rating of 64 last season, good for number one on the team.

Jonathon Hagan - D, and Zak Wilson - D
@CampinKiller , @BenDover
Season 60
1332 TPE , 1214 TPE

It doesn't feel right to split them up, so let's just do them together. Hagan and Wilson are terribly familiar with one another and will continue to be that way, as they are the present and future of the Patriotes' blue line. Providing an absolute wall, Hagan boasts one of the most impressive stat lines of any Season 60'er in the league; last season he posted 1,513 minutes on the ice which placed him 9th in the ENTIRE LEAGUE, and 207 blocked shots which ranked him 7th in the ENTIRE LEAGUE. While Hagan focuses on the defensive side of the game, Wilson plays a solid 200ft game with ability to chip in on offense. His 33 points led the entire defensive corps last season in points, while posting 187 blocked shots.. right behind Hagan. If you're looking for a reason to get excited for Season 65, look no further.

Damien Vertigo - G
@damienj10
Season 56
994 TPE

Just starting their descent into regression and the inevitable, Vertigo has been the backbone of Montreal through their lengthy build into a contender. Despite showing a less-than-impressive record last season (17-32-3), he still managed to post a respectable .917 save percentage, along with an eye-popping 2,149 saves.. good for 4th in the ENTIRE LEAGUE. Vertigo won't be spending too much time holding the starting position though, as he's currently mentoring his replacement (we'll talk about him shortly) and starting the transition to becoming the full time backup.

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Alas, we arrive at the most important part of the Montreal franchise; the future. For five seasons now, it's been a great culture that has yet to translate to winning ways on the ice, but that doesn't seem to be the case heading into the next few seasons. Through aggressive trade negotiations and relentless scouting, CK and the war room have assembled a rock-solid group of prospects that are primed to bring the Patriotes to success. Here we take a brief look at some of the top prospects within the organization, and some of their own successes so far in both the SMJHL and even the SHL.

Alexander Mackenzie - RW
@DrB1gMack
Season 62
Montreal Patriotes
844 TPE

Leading the future down the right side of the forward corps we have Alexander Mackenzie. The former-Newfoundland Berserker, Mackenzie brings an unfiltered all-offense approach to the Montreal core moving forward. He amassed an insane 242 points in 262 career SMJHL games, putting him at nearly a PPG pace despite putting up just 18 points in his first 66 games; truly a spectacle to watch in juniors. He was traded twice though before making his SHL debut with Montreal just this season, which begs to ask the question; what were the other teams thinking? Alex possesses not just 1st-line capability, but also a superstar in the making.

Vadim Askerov - RD/LD
@Serpe
Season 62
Montreal Patriotes
878 TPE

Driving the defensive train to the future on the same right-side, we have Vadim Askerov. The 6'1 185lbs defender spent all four of his juniors seasons with the Great Falls Grizzlies, just chewing up big minutes as he averaged nearly 22 minutes per night which includes his rookie season. Askerov will being his SHL journey this year, as the Patriotes can rely on Askerov to bring rock-built stability to their blueline for seasons to come. In addition to pitching in offensively (164 points in 247 games AS A DEFENDER), Vadim is also willing to sacrifice the body as he took 376 pucks to the body during his stint in juniors.

Brick Wall - G
@brickwall35
Season 62
Montreal Patriotes
992 TPE

Continuing our perusal around the eventual lineup for Montreal, we find an appropriately-named Brick Wall between the pipes. As the protege for the aforementioned Damien Vertigo, Wall has had the opportunity of a lifetime to follow in his footsteps... and he hasn't wasted the chance either. Starting his second season up in the majors this time around, Wall hasn't seen a WHOLE lot of ice time since being called up from the Grizzlies, but the city has much to be excited for if the preview matches the entire package. Last season he went 6-5-1 as a true rookie, posting a respectable 2.82GAA and .920SV%. If Brick continues to learn and grow under the guidance of Damien Vertigo, Montreal very well may have their goalie of the future.

Shylo Moxii - C
@Shylo_Moxii
Season 64
Quebec City Citadelles
518 TPE

Jumping back to the forward group, we have what may very well end up being one of the biggest steals of the S64 SHL Entry Draft. Shylo Moxii is a first-gen player that was taken 13th overall, after exhibiting great signs of long-term success in his first juniors season. He has only grown since then, taking over the 1C role with the Quebec City Citadelles, and has risen right to the peak of the juniors scoreboard after being dealt from Great Falls. By trade, Moxii is a smart playmaker with a massive frame (6'5, 200lbs) who has the capability to either shoot the puck, or make sure it hits your stick for a prime scoring opportunity.

Valters Denisova - C
@vic03
Season 63
Newfoundland Berserkers
710 TPE

Staring right down the pipeline of the center prospects, the final one on our list today has flown a bit under the radar. Valters Denisova is currently finishing up their fourth and final season with Newfoundland of the SMJHL, and will make their SHL debut next season. Valters hasn't put up tremendously impressive numbers while operating on the Berserker powerhouse (122 points in 198 games), but it would be good to keep in mind that Denisova has been buried in an otherwise loaded NL team; depth is how they have won so much after all. Through his seasons so far, he has shot at just 7.43% and only 15:44 minutes of ice time per game. Given the right opportunity, Denisova could be a huge black horse to keep an eye on in coming seasons.

There are so many more prospects to keep your eye on, but these are (in my opinion) the ones that will eventually shape Montreal into an annual contender for the Challenge Cup. Thank you to everyone for reading, and especially the three of you that gave the interviews above. Good luck this season, and Go Montreal!

Patriotes