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***Nike*** · 09-03-2023, 03:19 PM

Sometimes, a prospect appears onto the scene and just about every scout knows how that story is going to play out. And, often times, we see it on both sides of the success spectrum. From players that first step on the ice and have that arrogance that goes along with being the “best” player in their age group from early in their youth careers. Then, you have the players that mature just at the right time, and seem to take that next step so quickly that it puts the hockey world on notice. But, every once and a while, you find a player that just slowly grows into a massive piece of their franchise as a result of hard work, commitment to their craft and the right opportunity.

And this year, we finally saw a breakout just like that in Chicago. While highly regarded coming up through the junior ranks, Soderberg-Tremblay wasn’t always the top of the crop in the professional hockey world. In fact, in the Season 65 SMJHL draft, Soderberg-Tremblay was the 14th name off the draft board. During his rookie campaign in Newfoundland, however, Soderberg-Tremblay was already showing flashes of what we would see just a few seasons down the line. In a first season where he posted a 14-29-43 clip, Newfoundland was excited with what the future had to offer.

And when the sophomore campaign rolled around and Soderberg came flying out of the gates and ended the year with more than a point per game, finishing with 69 points, the Newfoundland faithful finally began to feel a bit of energy rallying around the young and upcoming center. Soderberg-Tremblay was a critical part of a Berserker’s roster that would finish third in the league in the regular season and come up just ONE game short of the Four Star Cup in Season 65; losing to the front running and ultra talented Detroit Falcons in game seven.

The next two years however, both Soberberg-Tremblay couldn’t quite capture the same dominance that he had found in year two. After another stint in Newfoundland and a respectable but disappointing 59 point campaign of the back of the prior year’s 69 points, Newfoundland decided a change of scenery for Matsmith might be needed and sent him off to St. Louis for a final season in juniors with the Scarecrows. It’s fair to say that Season 67 was even less kind to Matsmith than the previous season was. Finishing with only 16 goals, it felt like the wheels were starting to fall of for a player that fans in Chicago had been excited about only a few seasons later.

The adjustment to the SHL speed and physicality is absolutely brutal. There are very few players that come in and are successful in their first few seasons as a true professional. And it was no different for Matsmith in Chicago. The Season 68 – 70 campaigns were long and rough rides with a Chicago team that was still hanging on to an aging core and trying to compete, while also mixing in some younger and fresher legs for the sake of keeping the franchise competitive into the future.

However, something seemed to click in Season 71. Soderberg-Tremblay caught lightening in a bottle and pushed back up to over a point per game for the first time since that sophomore season in Newfoundland in the SMJHL. With 81 points in 66 games and a 36 goal season, it finally felt like the big burly center had found “it”.

As Chicago turned the page into Season 72, there was quite a bit of buzz that this might be the season that Soderberg-Tremblay really takes off. Boy, was all the buzz telling us something. Matsmith had the most impressive scoring output of his career in Season 72, with 113 points and a 53 goal season. Nearly a goal per game in the most talented league in the world. If not for the otherworldly performances of Buffalo’s Konstantin Selich and New England’s Ivan Lacksamus, Matsmith very likely would have taken home some post-season hardware in Season 72.

While Chicago’s season may have ended a bit earlier than it would have liked in Season 72, with an playoff exit at the hands of the ever-dangerous Winnipeg Aurora, fans in Chicago are confident that they have a franchise center to build around for the future after watching Soderberg-Tremblay lace them up all season this season. We’re all looking forward to seeing what kind of goal scoring clinic that Matsmith will put on in Season 73 with another off-season of growth under his belt.

***sköldpaddor*** · 09-03-2023, 03:53 PM

THAT’S MY KID

chetib · 09-05-2023, 11:06 AM

Approved +5 TPE for @Nike

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