Currently sitting dead last in the league, the Newfoundland Berserkers still have a lot to look forward to.  The current crop of rookies they have is looking amazing.  One of the benefits of being in a rebuild is you can give your young players more ice time and leeway to get better.  More ice time means more experience, and being able to make those mistakes without huge consequences lets the players learn at a faster rate than being in the press box.  Management did a great job this offseason filling the teams needs and finding a great new young crop for the locker room. Between draft picks and FA signings, the skill, talent, and TPE just keeps going up.
First pick Hingle McCringleberry is going strong with 198 TPE still with personal training to do and is 5th on the team in points playing on the second line.  Second pick Guinness O'Bigbers at 208 TPE still has training and doing great centering the second line.  Third Round pick Lester Oiduser (probably the greatest person of all time, no bias here) is rocking it at 246 TPE.  Second on the team in blocked shots, and second most hits for defense on the team, he will soon be a force to be reckoned with if you want to attack when he is on the ice.  Fourth Rounder Matiss Ozolinsh is pushing hard with 242 TPE, while playing third line minutes right now, and it might only be a matter of time before he moves up the lineup.
Free agency was also well done by the NL management. Picking up Philip Fry, at 236 TPE is blocking shots and making great passes holding down the third defensive pairing with fellow rookie Oiduser.  Another great grab was goalie Tummy Hurts, now with 231 TPE is looking to be the goalie of the future.  Currently with three wins in eight games (team only has 5 wins in 25 overall)  is looking to contend for that starter role and be the goalie of the now.
When your second line is mostly rookies and 5/6 of your defense is seconds years and below, you know you are in for rough season, but the locker room is still a cheerful and fun place to be because they all see what is happening and what this team will turn into.
It is never easy to be in a rebuild, and having six rookies on your starting lineup, as well as six sophomores, makes the going tough now, but the future even more exciting.  The team is thankful for the older players on the team letting them learn and showing them the ropes on how to be a future SHL regular.  As long as the team keeps at it with training and a positive attitude, they will not be stopped.
While NL may be suffering now, and many say it is deserved after their previous dominance, there is a very promising future on the horizon.  So if you are playing NL now make sure to get your licks in and go hard, because soon enough you are going to be on the other end of the score sheet wondering what happened.

533 words

Great read!

Something happened on the day he died. Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside.
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried. I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar.


Gabriel Fortescue | Retired Defenseman | Winnipeg Jets


Cole Reinhart | D / HOF General Manager | Edmonton Blizzard


Magnus Vikstrand | Retired Defenseman | Edmonton Blizzard


Tobias Thorvaldsen | Retired Defenseman | Edmonton Blizzard


Fredrich Koenig | Defenseman | Chicago Syndicate


Lassi Suhonen | Centre | Newfoundland Berserkers | Captain
Height: 6'1" | Weight: 195 lbs | Hometown: Turku, Finland
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SMJHL CAREER STATISTICS
S54 | NLD | GP: 50 | G: 4 | A: 8 | P: 12 | H: 37| CF%: 50.1 | Rel: -8.0
S55 | NLD | GP: 50 | G: 6 | A: 14 | P: 20| H: 29 | CF%: 58.2 | Rel: -6.4
TOTAL | GP: 100 | G: 10 | A: 22 | P: 32| H: 66

SMJHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS
S54 | NLD | GP: 14 | G: 0 | A: 2 | P: 2 | H: 6 | CF%: 55.8 | Rel: 3.3
S55 | NLD | GP: 17 | G: 1 | A: 1 | P: 2 | H: 6 | CF%: 61.3 | Rel: 2.5
TOTAL | GP: 31 | G: 1| A: 3 | P: 4| H: 12
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TRANSACTIONS & ACHIEVEMENTS
S54: Signed with the Newfoundland Berserkers
S54: Won IIHF World Junior Championship Bronze Medal with Finland
S55: Drafted 25th Overall by the Chicago Syndicate
S55: Won Four Star Cup with the Newfoundland Berserkers
S56: Named Captain of the Newfoundland Berserkers

 a bottomless curse, a bottomless sea, source of all greatness, all things that be.

@mystick APPROVED! +5 TPE