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charlieconway · 12-27-2022, 12:48 PM

There wasn’t necessarily an air of optimism going into the S68 season for the Vancouver Whalers. Or at least, not a sense that the team would go deep in the playoffs. With a younger roster, there was more a sense of patience.

Team Performance

Despite finishing last in the division, there were moments during the season where the Whalers were 2nd and even approaching first in the Bastien Marchessault division.
If we look at the 66 game season in thirds, we’re left with the following records:

First 22 GP: 11-9-2
Middle 22 GP: 7-12-3
Final 22 GP: 8-12-2

In fact, in terms of tracking the turning point in the season, we can see a clear shift in performance after game 29. 16-10-3 was Vancouver’s record going into game 30, but the following skid of ten winless games (0-8-2) was too great a downturn to recover from.
The season began with a 7-1 win against the Berserkers, which wound up being the Whaler’s highest margin of victory all season. The worst defeat, by far, came at the hands of the Falcons in game 54: Detroit took that contest by a score of 11-1, with Klaes Ashford having Vancouver’s lone goal in the affair. Trap Zelenock put up 5 goals, and Charlevoix was pulled after giving up 8 goals on 24 shots.

Individual Standouts

The highest scoring forward was Pyotr Gallen. The Czech sniper netted 34 goals, which was up from his S67 campaign total of 19, but down from his personal best of 35 achieved in the S66 season. Gallen was capable at both ends of the ice, coming in just behind Kool-Aid McKinstry for the team’s best FF% Rel and CF% Rel. He also led the team on the penalty kill, with an average of 2:03 SHTOI per game.
Kool-Aid McKinstry performed admirably for a first season forward. Its 28G, 26A season might just be a record for artificially sweetened drinks in the SMJHL. Moving on to S69, McKinstry will likely be called upon to take a leading role in the offense, with Gallen and Edge Rocks aging out.
The defense was deep and had a team-effort feel to it. On the powerplay, two in particular were called on to play big minutes: Alex Krogh and Cal Kono. They ended the season with 26 and 34 points respectively. Bojack Calhoun was called upon to play high minutes on the penalty kill, along with Antonio Flusso, Sam Squanch, and Sven Panda. Speaking of Panda, the defender led the team with 109 blocks after 66 games.

In goal, rookie netminder Noah Charlevoix played the lion’s share of minutes. With a record of 21-28-7, you’d be more or less satisfied with how he performed. A save percentage of .887% was good enough for 9th best amongst starters.

The Playoffs (or Play-ins)

In the playoffs, the Whalers fell to their divisional rivals St. Louis Scarecrows in five games. Notable performances on the Vancouver side came from Kool-Aid McKinstry and their 7 points in 5 games, Bojack Calhoun’s +2 despite playing 21 minutes a game on defense, and the three goals apiece from Pyotr Gallen and Edge Rocks. Charlevoix had a rough run in goal, putting up a 5.72 GAA and being pulled in two of his five games.
The only win for the Whalers came in game 4, where they topped St. Louis 5-2. Game 1, 2, 3, and 5 ended in losses by the score of 6-2, 8-1, 6-3, and 5-4 respectively.
The Scarecrows topped Nevada in the next round, 4-2, and at the time of the writing of this deep dive, find themselves in the semifinals against the Maine Timber.

Moving Forward

All in all, there were high points for the squad in the S68 campaign but management will be looking for an improved season in S69 as the young roster comes to play with more experience under its belt.

Opera_Phantom · 12-28-2022, 10:29 AM

@charlieconway APPROVED! +5 TPE

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